SUMMER 2019
Thank you
TINA McPHERSON PAGE 2
2020 Events
DATES FOR THE DIARY PAGE 7
MINOR USE PERMITS PAGE 10–11
Trial Results
POST HARVEST COATINGS PAGE 14
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
SPECIALISING IN
Passionfruit, Pawpaw, Bananas & Limes P PROFESSIONALISM P MARKETING P COMMUNICATION P LOGISTICS
P TRADE TERMS P QUALITY PRODUCT P FOOD SAFETY P PERSONAL CONTACT
CONTACT
BRISBANE
SYDNEY
P: 07 3379 1041
P: 07 9763 1323
Railing No. 5 Block C Brisbane Markets
Stand 189/190 B Shed Sydney Markets
Sean Russell Aidan Hutton 0418 158 331 0419 700 278 sean@jetipper.com.au aidan@jetipper.com.au
EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY FRESH FOODS & SERVICE | WWW.JETIPPER.COM.AU
MEET THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE PRESIDENT Dennis Chant Murwillambah NSW 0412 616 747 adennischant@gmail.com
VICE-PRESIDENT Jane Richter Glass House Mountains QLD 07 5438 7662 jane@chorizotrading.com
TREASURER Aidan Hutton Sydney Markets NSW 0419 700 278 aidan@jetipper.com.au
SECRETARY Matthew James Brisbane Markets QLD
CONTENTS
02 PRESIDENT'S REPORT 04 REGIONAL ROUND-UP 06 MEET YOUR NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS 07 DIARY PLANNER FOR 2020 CENTRE SPREAD MINOR USE PERMITS
12 MARKETING UPDATE 14 POST HARVEST COATINGS ON TRIAL 16 NEWS FROM HORTICULTURE 18 M EMBER BENEFITS
0484 611 633 matthew@ireland53.com.au
MEMBER Cynthia Barbagallo Mareeba QLD 0429 926 704 cynthiabarbagallo@bigpond.com
MEMBER Jarod Agostinelli Beerburrum QLD 0459 657 548 agofarm@bigpond.com
MEMBER Brad Millard Wolvi QLD 0417 606 693 b.millard@me.com
Festive Season
20
COCKTAIL Wherever you see this logo, the initiative is part of the Hort Innovation Passionfruit Fund. Like this publication itself, it has been funded by Hort Innovation using the passionfruit levy and, in the case of R&D, with contributions from the Australian Government. Some projects also involve funding from additional sources.
ADMINISTRATION & MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES Amanda Roy
DISCLAIMER The advice and opinions in the articles published in The Passion Vine are essentially those of contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Passionfruit Australian Incorporated, the Editor or Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation). The advice is at the reader’s own risk, and no responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of the material presented. Inclusion of an advertisement in this publication does not necessarily imply endorsement of the product, company or service by Passionfruit Australia Incorporated, the Editor or Hort Innovation.
0427 833 281 admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
Copyright © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2019 Copyright subsists in The Passion Vine. Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation) owns the copyright, other than as permitted under the Copyright ACT 1968 (Cth). The Passion Vine (in part or as a whole) cannot be reproduced, published, communicated or adapted without the prior written consent of Hort Innovation. Any request or enquiry to use The Passion Vine should be addressed to: Level 7, 141 Walker Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia
Hort Innovation makes no representations and expressly disclaims all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or currency of information in The Passion Vine. E: communications@horticulture.com.au | P: 02 8295 2300 Reliance on any information provided by Hort Innovation is entirely at your own risk. Hort Innovation is not responsible for, and will not be liable for, any loss, damage, claim, expense, cost (including legal costs) or other liability arising in any way, including from any Hort Innovation or other person’s negligence or otherwise from your use or non-use of The Passion Vine or from reliance on information contained in the material or that Hort Innovation provides to you by any other means.
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2019
1
PRESIDENT'S REPORT DENNIS CHANT I am pleased to be able to share my initial President’s Report with a tribute to our long serving, outgoing President Tina. With the loss of Tina’s leadership together with that of other well-established executive members including Ian Constable, Anton Stretch and Jim Gordon, it is very encouraging to see a new cohort of younger members stepping up to continue to further the interests of the industry and our members collectively. At the AGM in Maroochydore on 18th October new committee members Jarod Agostinelli, Brad Millard and Matthew James joined continuing members Cynthia Barbagallo, Jane Richter, Aidan Hutton and myself. Tina leaves the association in good shape and we are fortunate to retain the ongoing services of Jane and Amanda. I am sure you will agree they have raised the bar in terms of the services and assistance provided to our members in recent years. They have established a solid program of initiatives for the year ahead including the ongoing projects addressing Breeding, Post-Harvest Best Practice, Communications and the LEAD program. A particularly noteworthy initiative is the establishment of the Noel Day Scholarships to allow growers to further their horticultural knowledge. As this edition goes to print many of our members are challenged by dry weather and resulting extreme fire conditions. Even those not directly exposed to fire risks are experiencing challenging circumstances. For example, many growers are having to cart water to maintain new plantings and transport operators are experiencing delays in delivering produce, equipment and other supplies. In these times, it is even more important we work together to strengthen the resilience of our industry. In the year ahead there will be numerous opportunities for you to join with other growers and industry specialists, both in person and online, to network, learn, share experiences and develop personal contacts. We encourage you to participate in this learning process and to provide your feedback on how best the association can meet your needs.
Thank youTina
Tina joined the Management Committee back in 2012 – taking over the family mantle from her husband Bruce. From the very beginning, Tina has actively contributed across all areas of passionfruit business but her first love has always been championing continuous improvement in the quality and marketing of our fruit. She was a key part of the Marketing Sub-Committee right from its inception and has worked tirelessly with Hort Innovation (then HAL) to ensure that we have got the best return on investment for our industry marketing spend. At the AGM in 2015 Tina stepped up into the President role taking over from Ian Constable. Both Ian, and the previous President Keith Paxton, had left Tina with very big shoes to fill. And fill them she certainly has done with her trademark humour, diplomacy and positive energy. Tina has guided us through the rapidly changing funding environment with a steady hand and a sensible head. It has been a turbulent time where control and influence over how our levy money gets invested has shifted away from us as a peak industry body representing our industry through the Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) structure towards a less consultative model dictated by the Hort Innovation SIAP model. Throughout these quite challenging times, Tina has kept a level head, has consulted widely and gone well above and beyond her role to continue to champion the cause for our industry. Unless you have played an active role on the Management Committee,
2
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
it is hard to grasp just how much work goes on behind the scenes by our Committee members, and the President in particular. Tina has spent many, many hours on the road driving to Brisbane for meetings; up at 3am to get to Sydney in time for a Hort Innovation workshop or simply listening to growers on the phone who wanted to bend her ear! It is down to perseverance from Tina that we were able to win the tender to manage our own industry communication programme and not end up like many other industries with that role being fulfilled by a faceless PR agency somewhere in a capital city. Seven years on the Management Committee and four years as President of the Association is a huge contribution for anyone to make and it has come at a personal cost for Tina – her limited spare time has been freely given on behalf of this industry when she has a successful multi-crop business, four children, two dogs and a demanding Kiwi husband to deal with!
I KNOW THAT I SPEAK FOR ALL OF THE INDUSTRY WHEN I SIMPLY SAY THIS; THANK YOU TINA – WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN TO THIS INDUSTRY.
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW TO SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF OUR INDUSTRY?
— Potential im pact of this plan is $ Based on a n est total invest imated ment of $ from 2017 to 2021 —
9.7m
1.84m
Australian Passionfruit
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT PLAN 2017–2021
The SIP has been developed in consultation with the passionfruit industry using funds from the Hort Innovation Passionfruit Fund. This plan represents the roadmap for the future development of the industry. This plan drives investment decision-making by Hort Innovation who invest levy funds on behalf of the industry.
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
GROW SALES DEMAND
GROW FRUIT QUALITY
BE IN THE KNOW
GROW SALES RETURNS
FARM YOUR BEST
Increase domestic demand and export opportunities that maintain price stability
Improve retail quality of passionfruit to match consumer expectations
Provide access to relevant and timely data that improves industry wide decision-making
Improve farm and industry sustainability from identifying and adopting best practices
_______________________ MARKETING UPDATE
_______________________ POST HARVEST COATING TRIALS
Improve pest and disease management and the development of new varieties that increase grower productivity and profitability
PAGE 12-13
PAGE 14-15
_______________________ __________________________________________________ PF16003: 2020 PF15000: FIELD DAYS NATIONAL BREEDING PROJECT Regional Catch-ups PAGE 18 & Industry Meetings MINOR USE PERMITS PAGE 7-8 PAGE 10-11
LEVY – HOW MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN COLLECTED & HOW HAS IT BEEN SPENT?
CURRENT FINANCIAL OPERATING STATEMENT JULY 2018—JUNE 2019 OPENING BALANCE
R&D
MARKETING
TOTAL ($)
107,961
54,626
162,586
238,567*
107,857
346,424
PROJECT INVESTMENT
192,776
100,642
293,418
HORT INNOVATION COSTS
66,658
30,586
97,244
CONTRIBUTION TO ACROSS-INDUSTRY ACTIVITY
5,942
—
5,942
LEVY COLLECTION COSTS
4,317
4,345
8,662
76,835
26,909
103,744
27.9%
28.6%
27.5%
GROWER LEVIES + COMMONWEALTH FUNDS + INTEREST
CLOSING BALANCE HORT INNOVATION COSTS AS % OF TOTAL ANNUAL INCOME
* Remember levy money invested in R&D attracts additional Commonwealth Government funding For more details, please visit www.horticulture.com.au/grower-focus/passionfruit
REGIONAL ROUND UP DARWIN FAR NORTH QLD
(Mareeba, Daintree, Cooktown)
WIDE BAY (Bundaberg)
SOUTH EAST QLD
(Gympie to Glass House Mtns)
NORTHERN NSW
PERTH
(Tweed Valley)
WEATHER WATCH AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
— Warmer than average across Australia with August rainfall below to very much below average for much of the country
— Warmer than average September for Australia. September rainfall below to very much below average for most of Australia; overall tenth-lowest on record nationally
— Third-warmest October on record for Australia
— Whilst the Sunshine Coast was ablaze with bush fires, parts of southeast Australia struggled with damaging winds, squally showers, and storms — The cold outbreak brought widespread heavy snow to many elevated areas in New South Wales and Victoria
— It has been the second-warmest January–September on record for Australia (spanning 110 years), with rainfall also below to very much below average over most of the country, and fourth lowest on record for Australia as a whole (spanning 120 years)
— October rainfall below to very much below average for most of Australia — It has been the second-warmest January– October on record for Australia (spanning 110 years), with rainfall the second lowest on record for Australia as a whole (spanning 120 years)
RAINFALL OUTLOOK JAN-MAR 2020 CHANCE OF EXCEEDING THE MEDIAN RAINFALL
CLIMATE OUTLOOK OVERVIEW (Issued 12 December 2019) 80
Chance of exceeding exceedingthe median Chance of medianrainfall rainfall(%) (%)
75 70 65 60 55
— January to March 2020 daytime and nighttime temperatures likely to be above average across Australia. — The rainfall outlook suggests only small areas of the southeast and northeast are likely to be drier than average, with some small scattered areas of the northwest likely to be wetter than average. — The good news is much of Australia has roughly equal chances of being wetter than average for January to March.
50 45 40
WEATHER STATIONS
JAN
FEB
MAR
Mareeba
208.8
229.7
167.1
25
Bundaberg
174.2
157.8
113.4
20
Sunshine Coast Airport
145.5
194.3
167.7
Murwillumbah
208.5
223.9
217.2
35 30 www.bom.gov.au/climate © Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
e of exceeding the median rainfall eptember to November 2019
e tralia 2019, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
4
Model run: 10/08/2019 Issued: 15/08/2019
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
LONG TERM AVERAGE RAINFALL (mm)
Model: ACCESS-S1 Base period: 1990 2012
GROWER REPORTS FAR NORTH QLD
FAR NORTH QLD
Welcome to the last report for 2019. Looking back at last season, growing conditions have been less than perfect followed by an extreme and extended wet followed by weeks of cloudy weather. Winter arrived delivering the first frost at -2 degrees in late July, followed by another 13 frosts at mostly -4 down to -6 in lower areas where cold air pooled. (can this be climate change)? The cold affected most tropical fruit crops from the Atherton Tablelands to Cooktown. The outcome from this weather condition for passionfruit was little flower and fruit set until November. Normal harvesting would start in September not December. Cooktown also had yield and timing of crops changed, Lakeland Downs has come to a close and will be followed by Cooktown and north coast growers by December’s end.
(Mareeba, Daintree, Cooktown)
AUG SEP
OCT
MEAN (mm)
1.2 [7.9]
0 [4.9]
3.6 [15.6]
MEAN DAYS >1mm
1 [1.2]
0 [1.2]
2 [1.4]
Mareeba (station 031210)
MEAN (MAX ºC)
26.2 28.4 30.7 [26.3] [28.8] [30.5]
MEAN (MIN ºC)
14.3 12.9 [13.8] [15.5]
17.1 [17.4]
I would like to thank the past executive for their time and excellence in doing a great job and congratulations to the new executive. All the best to everyone for the festive season.
Brian & Irene Westwood, Mareeba
WIDE BAY
(Bundaberg)
BUNDABERG Hello everyone. Still has not rained much. Bundaberg has not even reached 400mm for the year yet. The last couple of weeks we have had to endure warm northerly winds & the smoke from the surrounding bush fires. Most farms in the area have finished planting new vines now & are busy training the new growth. The different weather pattern over the last few months resulted in a small portion of fruit being picked through the good money period. Now the Misty Gems have set a reasonable crop but seem to be a few weeks behind in production volume. The Pandoras have finally decided to set and should produce a good January crop. Until next time. Thanks.
Peter & Sally Griffiths, Bundaberg
AUG SEP OCT
Bundaberg (station 039128)
MEAN (mm)
9.0 [34.3]
0.2 [36]
35.8 [76.7]
MEAN DAYS >1mm
3 [2.8]
0 [2.9]
5 [5]
MEAN (MAX ºC)
25.1 28.2 [23.5] [25.6]
27.9 [27]
MEAN (MIN ºC)
10.4 [10.9]
16.9 [16.5]
12.7 [13.7]
SUNSHINE COAST From all accounts, it has been a tough Spring for growers everywhere.
SOUTH EAST QLD
It has been a mixed bag for the Sunshine Coast. Well below average rain, cool nights, dry windy days and hail storms are some of what we have had to contend with. Some of us have been lucky enough to avoid any disasters while others have been less fortunate. The southern end of the coast has been hit hard with severe hail storms. Fruit production continued a little longer than usual this year - early October for most of us. With the dry spell and the cool early Spring most of us won't have much fruit until well into December. It's looking like another busy Christmas/ New Year period.
(Gympie to Glass House Mtns) Sunshine Coast Airport (station 040861)
AUG SEP OCT
MEAN (mm)
20.8 4.6 151.6 [77.2] [55.5] [80.5]
MEAN DAYS >1mm
3 [5.3]
MEAN (MAX ºC)
One advantage of the dry is lower disease and pest problems. We have a fair crop of clean fruit. We just need a bit more rain to wash in the fertiliser and hopefully get a few decent consignments away before the prices drop.
MEAN (MIN ºC)
1 [5.5]
9 [6.9]
22.6 25.3 25.2 [22.2] [24.4] [25.7] 10.3 [9.9]
12.8 15.8 [12.9] [15.6]
I hope everyone has a great summer.
Jim & Jill Gordon, Yandina
NORTHERN NSW
(Tweed Valley)
TWEED AREA Hello Everyone! It’s been fairly quiet on our farm recently. We managed to get our new vines in early, however a lack of rain has meant they didn’t hit the ground running. Our last rainfall in double digits was back in mid-August with very little falling in the meantime. We were lucky the dam filled in winter, which has allowed us to keep the vines topped up. However, the vines are still feeling the pinch. Quite a big crop has set and they are now struggling to keep up, especially the 12 month olds with the 2 year-olds faring better.
Murwillumbah (station 058158)
AUG
MEAN (mm)
62.1 106.1 39.5 [54.1] [40.5] [105.4]
MEAN DAYS >1mm
13 [5.2]
MEAN (MAX ºC)
I’ve heard some reports of some good rain in the Tweed/Murwillumbah area in the last week (mid-November). We also hope the Sunshine Coast growers were spared from the hailstorms.
MEAN (MIN ºC)
SEP
OCT
7 [5.3]
6 [7.9]
24.4 21.6 [22.5] [25.1]
22.4 [26.4]
13.0 [8.8]
6.9 [14.1]
8.4 [11.5]
All the best for the busy summer period.
Nick & Nerida Hornery, Newrybar THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR REPORTS.
Figures in [ ] are long term historical averages. All weather data from www.bom.gov.au
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2019
5
MEET YOUR NEW COMMITTEE At the AGM in October this year, some of the long-standing contributors to our industry stood down from the Management Committee after having well and truly given more than their fair share of time and energy in a fully voluntary capacity over many years. We thank them for the generous donation of their very precious time, knowledge and enthusiasm across the years and we hope that we can still draw upon their considerable experience from time to time, and rely on their participation in some of our sub-committees where their expertise is priceless.
Our thanks go to Tina McPherson, Ian Constable, Jim Gordon and Anton Stretch who between them have notched up 39 years of service to the passionfruit industry!
We welcome these three new members of the Management Committee
Brad Millard
Matthew James
Jarod Agostinelli
Brad Millard has been growing passionfruit for 17 years with his dad, 5 years of which has been by himself. He owns and runs Beenham Valley Passions and is located in Wolvi, north of the Sunshine Coast. He is a third-generation farmer and has had experience with growing citrus, zucchinis, cucumbers and snow peas. Passionfruit is where his interest has settled, and he enjoys it.
Matt has been working for Brisbane agent Ireland 53 for the last three years and is one of the joint owners. When asked how the name Ireland 53 came about, he shared that the Ireland family began the business in the 1930’s and 53 is the agent’s number. The location of the Rocklea Markets in Brisbane is ideal as it is only 12km from the Brisbane CBD.
Jarod is welcomed as a young passionfruit grower to the management committee. He has been growing passionfruit at Beerburrum near the Glasshouse Mountains for three years and he’s keen to keep going.
Both Brad and his wife, Hannah, work on the farm along with some permanent staff and seasonal casual staff if and when needed. His farm is in the hills and is quite steep which lends itself to benefits like good water runoff and warm temperatures, as well as decent calf muscles! While it isn’t a well-planned out farm for the size that it is, Brad makes it work. To share the load, Brad decided to join the committee this year. He saw a need to have some younger people come on board and put his hand up. Brad’s interests are in the growing and production of passionfruit and is hoping to inject some energy into the breeding area of the industry. Thanks for coming on board Brad.
Matt enjoys the relationships with growers that he has developed over the years and the high energy of the market floor for an intense 3 hours every day. Matt recognised a need for joining the association to help direct the meshing of the northern and southern regions through communications. Over the years the industry hasn’t changed a lot, in his view, as the challenges from 10 years ago are still current today. His interest in joining the association is hands down, marketing. Matt is hoping to be more involved in marketing to the retail consumer, spreading the word about the ‘glut’ times and trying to expose the public eye to more passionfruit information Welcome to the team Matt.
He is known as Coastal Produce Queensland and also grows strawberries and macadamias. His farm sits on the crest of a hill so has excellent water drainage however neighbouring hares and mites from the forestry don’t help production. Jarod joins us to get to know more people within the industry and the challenges facing growers. He is looking forward to discussing new ideas and opinions put forward and is interested in learning a broad range of topics. He also brings with him energy and a young person’s perspective on key issues. Looking forward to everything you have to offer Jarod.
Did you know? You can join a sub-committee without being a member of the Management Committee. We need growers to join us & help shape our R&D programme
Contact Amanda if you're interested: admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au 0427 833 281
Your current Passionfruit Australia Management Committee President — Dennis Chant Vice President — Jane Richter
6
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
Treasurer — Aidan Hutton Secretary — Matthew James
Members — Brad Millard, Cynthia Barbagallo & Jarod Agostinelli
2020: A YEAR FULL OF
FIELD DAYS & CATCH-UPS
Our Industry Communications Programme (PF16003), which is funded by Hort Innovation using the passionfruit levy with contributions from the Australian Government, is looking to deliver its biggest year of benefits to growers in 2020. The field day programme this year is focusing on sharing all of the outcomes from another of our levy investments – PF18002: Passionfruit postharvest best practice review which was undertaken by Dr Jenny Ekman from Applied Horticultural Research. The major output from the project is a Postharvest Best Practice Guide which has been produced as a booklet. Each Regional Field Day in 2020 will include a Post-Harvest focus and the guides will be distributed to all growers at these events. FOR ALL EVENTS AND TO REGISTER TO ATTEND, PLEASE VISIT http://bit.ly/paievent
REGIONAL FIELD DAYS 29 APRIL Far North Queensland’s field day this year is being hosted at Packed with Passion in Mareeba — with grateful thanks to Dale and Cynthia Barbagallo
739 Mareeba Dimbulah Road, Mareeba QLD 4880 | 8.30 — 4.00pm
27 MAY For the Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg region, we are very lucky to be invited to Brad & Hannah Millard’s farm — Beenham Valley Passions at Wolvi near Gympie.
674 Beenham Valley Road, Wolvi QLD 4570 | 8.30 — 4.00pm
29 JULY
We are still seeking a venue for our northern NSW field day so if you would be willing to host the farm walk component please contact Amanda – all costs for catering and equipment required are covered by the project.
REGIONAL CATCH-UPS One of the key learnings from the first two years of operating the Communications Programme is that growers highly value the opportunity to get together in their local area and learn from each other both in the formal setting of a field day and the informal beers afterwards. Now that we have Committee Members across most of the regions, we are introducing the Regional Catch-up this year. These will be relatively informal get togethers, initially run by the local Committee Member and all growers are invited to come together and discuss the issues that are important in their region. This gives us as an Association a way to gather feedback from growers about what you would like to see as priorities in the industry and this information can help to shape how our levy is invested as well as how the Association invests its time and energy.
Confirmed dates & venues will be shared in Passiflora News and via the Events calendar on our website
Passionfruit Australia Inc AGM, Dinner & Farm Walk In 2020, we will go to northern New South Wales with the AGM meeting and annual industry dinner taking place on Friday 9th October and the Farm Walk on Saturday 10th October. We look forward to welcoming as many growers as possible – and please remember the Dinner & Farm Walk are open to ALL growers in the industry.
PLEASE NOTE: ALL growers – regardless of whether they are PAI members or not - are invited to join in the Regional Catch-ups. NSW May
FNQ July November
SEQ August
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2019
7
REGIONAL GROWER VISITS We recognise that it isn’t always easy or even possible for growers to get off the farm and attend industry events, and so in 2020 we are coming to you! In both Far North Queensland and the northern New South Wales growing regions, Amanda and the local Committee Member will be out & about. The purpose of the visits is to give growers the chance to talk candidly about any issues they have or any areas where the Association can be of assistance, and it’s a very valuable chance for us as a Committee to get to know more about growers in our area. Plus, there are still growers out there who we don’t know about and as a result they are missing out on the outputs from the communication programme which is funded by Hort Innovation from everyone’s contributions to the Passionfruit levy fund. The first Regional Grower Visit location will be Far North Queensland in March 2020 – if you’d like to be on the visit schedule please get in touch with the team and remember, you don’t have to be a member of PAI to participate – everyone is welcome! Amanda Roy admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au | 0427 833 281 Cynthia Barbagallo cynthiabarbagallo@bigpond.com | 0429 926 704
A thought from the North I feel the industry should know, in case conversations are true, that expansions of over 100 acres of misty gem and panama passionfruit will go into the Mareeba region — the big question is how to keep demand ahead of growing production? As I see it now, money spent on promotions has been successful for many industries. We know from Avocado promotions that planting expansion or production has not got ahead of demand, this has been proven in growers returns. The failings we have in the passionfruit industry are the professional promoting of how good passionfruit are, how it should look, colour, taste and a fun fruit to eat (that’s the best part). As I always look at fruit in chain stores, for quality and presentation, I would think 90 % of the time it would not meet the housewife’s expectations based on our ‘promotions’. It’s not attractive, shiny, plump or full of juice; its dehydrated, shrivelled and has lost its weight. They are not in the same category as the competitor fruits displayed next door. We all know that return customers are valuable. For industry to meet production expansion, the industries target should be to extend the life of passionfruit postharvest by one month if possible. For those who may not know, end buyers like to buy as cheap as possible, sell as dear as possible to cover the wastage. I believe this scenario is unhelpful to industry and stifles growth and prosperity. Thank you to Brian Westwood for his thoughts 8
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
QUALITY COPPER… NUFARM HAS IT COVERED. UNIQUE FORMULATION • Quality liquid formulation easy to mix and apply • Ultra-fine copper particles enable superior coverage and enhanced disease control • Rapid release and prolonged protection
NEUTRAL pH FORMULATION • Ideal mixing partner for alkaline hydrolysis sensitive insecticides
FLEXIBLE USE PATTERNS • Dilute or concentrate spray volumes TRY H WIT
• Super-spreader which maximises spray deposition and coverage • Developed for concentrate water volumes
For more information visit nufarm.com.au © 2018 Nufarm Australia Ltd. All trade marks (®,™) are owned by Nufarm Australia Ltd or used under license.
• Super-spreader developed for concentrate water volumes • Superior rainfastness to Du-Wett
Widebay Passionvine Nurserzy Grafted Varieties I Panama Servicing all areas – ÂDelivery available Order by 1st March for Spring delivery Find us here: 408 Dahls Road, Calavos Qld 4670
p 0429 656 922
e peteandsally4@bigpond.com
www.widebaypassionvinenursery.com.au
Anthracnose & Septoria spot POSTHARVEST
PER12781
PER87164
PER84258
ABAMECTIN
CABRIO
DIMETHOATE
FENBUTATIN OXIDE
(TORQUE MITICIDE)
Passionvine Mite & Two-spotted Mite
Various Fruit Fly Species
Passionvine Mite & Two-spotted Mite
PER14665
CHEMICAL
(PYRACLOSTROBIN)
PEST/ DISEASE USE
PERMIT NO.
CURRENT AT JAN 2020
MAX USE 2 x SEASON EHD 7 DAYS
Where biological control of two – spotted mite is being practiced – 20 mL product per 100 L water
POSTHARVEST USE ONLY
N/A
EHD 1 DAY
MAX USE 3 x SEASON
EHD 1 DAY
EARLIEST HARVEST DATE (EHD) WITHHOLDING PERIOD (WHP)
40 mL product per 100 L water
Follow instructions on the permit
40 mL per 100 L or 50 g per 100 L
36 g/L Abamectin – Apply 25 mL Product per 100 L water
18 g/L Abamectin – Apply 50 mL product per 100 L water
APPLICATION RATE
CHEMICAL PERMITS FOR PASSIONFRUIT
20/06/2021
31/03/2024
30/06/2023
31/10/2020
PERMIT EXPIRY DATE
Fruit-spotting Bug
PER85397
SULFOXAFLOR
Repeat sprays: 125 mL per 100 L
First spray: 250 mL per 100 L
40 mL per 100 L water
EHD 7 DAYS
MAX USE 4 X SEASON
EHD 7 DAYS
MIN 14 DAYS BETWEEN SPRAYS
MAX USE 2 x YEAR
NO WHP*
MAX USE 4 x PER CROP
NO WHP*
31/01/2021
30/04/2023
30/04/2024
30/06/2020
31/08/2023
A ‘non-performance’ is an unintended or unexpected effect on plants, plant products, animals, human beings or the environment, including injury, sensitivity reactions or lack of efficacy associated with the use of an agricultural chemical product(s) when used according to label (or permit) directions.
AGRI-FOS 625: 625 g/L product: 160-195 mL per 100 L water
SPRAYPHOS 620: 620 g/L product: 160-195 mL per 100 L water
AGRI-FOS 600: 600 g/L product: 165-200 mL per 100 L water
AGRI-FOS SUPA 400: 400 g/L product: 250-300 mL per 100 L water
500 mL – 1 L per 100 L water (0.5-1% diluent) MAX USE 6 x SEASON
NO WHP*
450 g/L products: 8 – 12 mL/L 680 g/kg products: 5.3 – 8 g/L
MAX USE 1 x MONTH
3.6 – 5.4 glyphosate/L water
If you believe you have had a non-performance or an adverse experience following use under a Minor Use Permit, please report it using form “Non-Performance form for Horticulture Pesticides”- available in the GROW FRUIT section of www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au and return it to Hort Innovation: jodie.pedrana@horticulture.com.au
Mediterranean Fruit Fly
Queensland Fruit fly
All efforts have been made to provide the most current, complete and accurate information on these permits, however we recommend that you confirm the details at the APVMA website portal: https://portal.apvma.gov.au/permits or at www.infopest.com.au
* when used as directed
TRICHLORFON
PER12450 Version 6
Phytophthora Blight
PER87607
PHOSPHOROUS ACID
Banana-spotting Bug
Passionvine Mite & Two-spotted Mite
PER14662
PETROLEUM OIL & PARAFFINIC OIL
(TRANSFORM)
Grass & Broadleaf Weeds
PER14421
GLYPHOSATE
HORT INNOVATION MARKETING UPDATE BY MARIANNEL AZARCON
Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the passionfruit marketing levy into a range of activities to grow awareness and consumption of the fruits, under the Hort Innovation Passionfruit Fund. Here’s a look at some of the highlights since the last edition of The Passion Vine.
In-Store Sampling In-store sampling of Australian Passionfruit took place 18th July to 24th August 2019 to drive awareness of passionfruit over the winter period and support sales during this time. This was a national campaign, activating in 81 stores with retailers Coles and Woolworths as well as Independents. While in previous campaigns, samples were of fresh passionfruit only, this season aimed to demonstrate the versatility of Australian Passionfruit through pairing with vanilla yoghurt or cottage cheese on wafers depending on time of day. This proved to be extremely popular with the average samples per store reaching 95 vs 74 in the previous campaign. All in all, over 8,900 shoppers were exposed to the Australian Passionfruit brand with over 7,500 samples distributed during the campaign.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT Aussie Passionfruit social media activity continues to attract and engage consumers. The aim of the Facebook page is to inspire and educate. Here is the performance to date of the Aussie Passionfruit Facebook and Instagram pages.
PLATFORM
FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM
MEASUREMENT
TARGET TO JUNE 2020
ACHIEVED TO DATE
Total impressions
1,100,100
866,274
Engagement rate
5%
7%
Total impressions
550,000
103,249
Engagement rate
10%
15%
WHAT ARE ‘IMPRESSIONS’? According to Shift Communications, impressions, broadly defined, are any interaction with a piece of content and an audience member. For example, when you read the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald, every article on that page counts your viewing as one impression. When you drive past a billboard on a motorway, that counts as an impression. When you read Facebook, every ad that scrolls by in your News Feed is an impression. An impression is the broadest possible metric for any piece of earned, owned, or paid media’s performance.
12
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
WHAT IS THE ENGAGEMENT RATE MEASURING? The Corporate Finance Institute defines the engagement rate as a measure of the level of interaction by followers from content created by a user. It is calculated as total engagement divided by total followers, multiplied by 100. The engagement rate provides a more accurate representation of social media content performance than simply looking at absolute measures such as likes, shares, and comments.
597 LIKES
7
20
COMMENTS
8:30
COMMENTS
276 SHARES
8:30
yournamehere
yournamehere
Liked by yourfriend, yourfriend and 20 others
Liked by yourfriend, yourfriend and 20 others
user_name your caption here #yourhashtag #yourhashtag #yourhashtag
user_name your caption here #yourhashtag #yourhashtag #yourhashtag
View All 10 Comments
View All 10 Comments
2 HOUR AGO SEE TRANSLATION
2 HOUR AGO SEE TRANSLATION
yournamehere
yournamehere
On Instagram, our audience loves sweet, brightly photographed passionfruit treats and this certainly delivers on that promise. At 19%, the engagement rate for this post was huge and the recipe was saved more than 50 times, showing an intent to purchase among consumers to try this recipe out at home.
The Facebook post that performed the best in October was this video of a coconut and passionfruit shortcake slice. The simple yet engaging video reached 28,000 people, 92% of which was achieved without paid advertising spend as it was so widely shared.
Delicious and enticing photography of beautiful recipe ideas and helpful tips about selecting passionfruit will continue to be the core focus of our social media strategy. If any growers have photos that they would be willing to share with us, these are always very popular with the passionfruit loving public – please share them by email to mariannel.azarcon@horticulture.com.au
Following guidance from within the industry, the summer activities have been re-scheduled to support the flush of fruit that is likely to come after Christmas across January and February 2020. For any questions regarding the marketing activities relating to the industries that fall within the Tropical Cluster, contact Hort Innovation Marketing Manager, Mariannel Azarcon mariannel.azarcon@horticulture.com.au THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2019
13
WAXING LYRICAL OVER PASSIONFRUIT
BY DR JENNY EKMAN | APPLIED HORTICULTURAL RESEARCH | jenny.ekman@ahr.com.au | 0407 384 285
As highlighted in the SUMMER 2018 edition, PAI has been researching post-harvest treatments that may have a benefit for passionfruit to extend shelf life and preserve skin appearance. This piece of research was completed by AHR for Passionfruit Australia following negotiations that PAI has had with Liquidseal in the Netherlands. This research was not funded by our levy. We would like to thank Jenny Ekman and the AHR team for doing this mini trial for us.
Wrinkling during transport and storage creates a major challenge for passionfruit suppliers. While some consumers think that wrinkled passionfruit are ready to eat, wrinkling reduces the freshness and appeal of the fruit. While it is initially the skin that wrinkles due to moisture loss, eventually the pulp also dries out, reducing juiciness and flavour.
THE TRIAL METHODOLOGY Fresh Sweetheart and Misty Gem fruits were provided by JE Tipper at Sydney Markets. The fruit were divided into groups of 30 then individually numbered and weighed. Each group was then dipped into water only, Castle Polyethylene wax, Liquidseal LSFF-BioPH (LLB) or Liquidseal MG (LMG) coatings. The LMG coating, although classed as “ready to use”, was extremely thick. This meant the excess had to be wiped off the fruit using a paper towel. All of the fruit were stored in vented containers at 8ºC for six days to simulate post-coating transport and distribution. They were then moved to ambient conditions of around 22ºC, as they would be displayed at retail or, for that matter, in a fruit bowl on the consumer’s kitchen bench. a
b
c
d
Passionfruit are alive. This means they still need to “breathe” i.e. use O2 and release CO2, just as we do. Thick waxes may prevent moisture loss, but they also restrict oxygen movement into the fruit. If this goes too far it can result in the pulp starting to ferment. Applied Horticultural Institute (AHR) staff tested the effect of a number of fruit coatings on passionfruit postharvest storage life, respiration rate and internal atmosphere. Having worked on many horticulture projects in the past, AHR have a great bank of resources available for download for FREE at their website: http://ahr.com.au/projects-resources
Figure 1. Passionfruit dipped in LMG wax were allowed to air dry (a) then the excess wiped off with paper towelling (b) This fruit dried with a dull appearance (c) especially when compared to the gloss gained by dipping fruit in one of the other waxes (d).
THE RESULTS? At 8oC very little weight loss, mould or shrivel was evident in any of the fruit, across all treatments. However, both passionfruit varieties started to lose weight and shrivel rapidly once they were transferred to ambient conditions. Immediately apparent was the effect of the coatings on fruit appearance. Coated fruit generally had a smoother, glossier appearance, potentially looking more attractive to customers in a shop setting. 14
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
ON A PRACTICAL LEVEL, ALL THE COATINGS DELAYED SHRIVELLING. e
f
g
Condition of untreated (e) and Castle wax dipped (f) passionfruit cv. Misty Gem after 6 days cold storage @ 8ºC plus 3 days under ambient conditions @ 22ºC.
h
Condition of untreated (g) and Castle wax dipped (h) passionfruit cv. Sweetheart after 6 days cold storage @ 8ºC plus 6 days under ambient conditions @ 22ºC.
The Liquidseal MG (LMG) coating was the most successful of the options trialled at reducing respiration rate and shrivel. However, large, sunken lesions appeared on fruit skin. This could be due to high levels of ammonia in this product, with the company currently working on new formulations to resolve the issue. Moreover, off-flavours were detected when AHR staff tasted the fruit, suggesting internal fermentation. This was supported by the fact that some fruit contained O2 concentrations as low as 3%. Liquidseal LSFF-BioPH (LLB) and Castle coatings provided more modest effects on moisture loss and shrivel than the Liquidseal LMG, but were easy to apply, gave the fruit an attractive gloss and provided significant delay in quality loss. Interestingly, the benefits were consistently greater for Misty Gem than for Sweetheart. These fruits did not taste any different to the untreated controls (see Figure 2). It will be no surprise to many growers that using waxes can reduce shrivel. While only low numbers of fruit were used in these trials, the results suggest that applying Liquidseal BioPH (LLB) or Castle polyethylene wax as a postharvest treatment can extend the storage life of passionfruit. Growers need to decide for themselves whether the cost of applying these products can be recouped in terms of higher prices or more fruit sold. However, if the overall industry aim is to lift the quality of passionfruit at retail, then increased use of waxes could potentially provide similar benefits to plastic packaging – without the environmental negatives. It will come as no surprise to many to learn that TEMPERATURE is the most important factor affecting storage life and quality of fresh passionfruit. Cooling fruit PRIOR to despatch is critical as refrigerated trucks do not cool fruit - the best they can do is hold the existing temperature.
Figure 2. Effect of coating on weight loss of passionfruit cv. Misty Gem during cold storage and ambient display. Bars indicate standard deviations of each mean value.
Figure 3. Effect of waxing on shrivelling of passionfruit cv. Misty Gem during cold storage and ambient display.
If you want to hear Jenny Ekman present about the Postharvest project and the trial work that she has completed, then make sure you get along to one of the Regional Field Days in 2020 — find out more on PAGE 7 or visit the Events section on our website at http://bit.ly/paievent
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2019
15
THE CHANGING FACE OF HORTICULTURE Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australia's horticulture industry. As one of the nation's 15 Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDC), they are tasked with investing horticulture levies and Australian Government contributions into initiatives to help the industry be as productive and profitable as possible. Every levy paying grower should sign up to become a member of Hort Innovation – it’s free to join and you can influence how your levy is invested. Find out more at horticulture.com.au In 2019, Hort Innovation has undergone a process of wide consultation with the hort industry to give us the chance to shape the future strategy. This process started with a series of consultation meetings held across every growing region for horticultural products in Australia from January to May of this year. Everyone who is a levy paying grower in the industry was invited to attend and share their opinions, but unfortunately very few bothered. Horticulture is currently Australia’s secondlargest agricultural sector by value with $13.2bn of total production in 2017/18, and at $5bn fruit is the largest component of that total. The sector has grown in value by 40% over the five years to 2017/18 and it remains the fastest growing area of agriculture today. A set of key themes emerged from across the consultation process; the same messages being repeated across the country, which summarised are: — They need to take more ownership of driving knowledge out through communication and extension mechanisms — They need to drive a better understanding of the consumer in all key markets, here and overseas — They need to divert more dollars to investing in bigger, multi industry projects, for now and for the future — They need to find a more efficient way of gaining advice from growers — They need to engage at a more grass roots level, with innovative farmers, active regional groups and anywhere that growers gather Following the consultation, Hort Innovation went away to develop a new strategy and then had a further set of meetings in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane during October to engage directly with peak industry bodies (PIB), like Passionfruit Australia, to ensure that input was also captured.
16
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
Melissa Smith attended the Brisbane meeting on behalf of PAI and has contributed to this article – Thanks Melissa.
implement it in your business and just how difficult it has been without that extension capability on the ground in recent years.
Matt Brand – the new CEO of Hort Innovation opened the meeting with a summary of where horticulture sits within the overall context of agricultural output. He also reflected on the past behaviour of Hort Innovation and in his words ‘owns that the systems have been crap, not efficient at gaining knowledge, engaging or sharing knowledge’. Matt is a believer in the PIB system and he understands that PIBs are there to work with Hort Innovation and not for it.
The funding model for horticulture has changed dramatically since 2015 when HAL became Hort Innovation. State government agriculture departments now only fund staffing in high value, high growth crop areas and any funding to carry out research into smaller crops – like passionfruit – must be funded almost 100% from our small levy pool.
The new strategy for Hort Innovation is founded on this principle:
Hort Innovation exists to drive a prosperous and healthy Australia, by providing the best knowledge and solutions to create a world class horticulture industry There are three pillars in the new strategy: 1. Drive knowledge and innovation into horticulture industries 2. Deliver the highest value R&D, marketing and trade investments across industries, now and into the future 3. Enable activities that drive all strategic imperatives Matt candidly acknowledged that success in the third pillar is all down to the talent in Hort Innovation and the culture they work within and he recognised that this has been a problem area, but he feels that they have now turned the corner. A big change that we should start to see roll out in 2020 is a re-focus on extension and adoption of R&D. For those who have been in the industry for a while, you’ll understand how valuable it has been to have expertise locally situated in or near your growing region, able to help you grasp new research and
The new focus on extension is all about reinvigorating and amplifying extension services to better address and resolve adoption of investments. In simple terms, it’s about ensuring money spent on research translates into on farm practice as quickly and efficiently as possible. Although we don’t know what this will look like yet in practice, the aim is to: — Have a regional focus with a physical presence — Encourage collaboration between stakeholders and work in partnership with existing extension delivery partners — Gather adoption and practice change metrics — Align annual extension plans with strategic industry plans — Coordinate across industry opportunities — Increase direct communication and dialogue with growers To facilitate this new direction, there will also be a new funding agreement with the Australian Government. Of more immediate relevance to our industry is the new team managing each levy industry – now called Industry Strategic Partners. These are grouped into clusters with each ISP having responsibility for all the crops in that cluster. Passionfruit comes into the Tropical cluster along with Lychees, Persimmon, Macadamia Nuts, Banana, Pineapples, Avocados, Papaya, Custard Apples and Mangoes.
These crops share a lot of synergies with growing regions and pest issues, as well as having some growers in common. There will also be two support roles to assist the ISP with tracking projects. The role will be based in Brisbane giving faster access to many of the growing areas and making face-to-face interaction more affordable. The other major acknowledgement was that the one-size-fits-all approach actually does anything but! There is an understanding that the smaller industries have a unique set of challenges; SIAPs not having enough participation, the cost burden of professional chairpersons and minute takers, the desire to have at least 50% of the SIAP members from outside the PIB and the blanket of confidentiality around the SIAP that has led to a distrust of the mechanism by those outside of it.
All of this change at Hort innovation is set against the backdrop of a series of reviews happening right now into the broader administrative framework which collects and delivers our levy investments.
REVIEW OF THE RDC SYSTEM A Ministerial Discussion Paper was released in September 2019 ‘Modernising the Research and Development Corporation System’. This exercise is separate to the Levies Taskforce review. There was an online opportunity to ‘have your say’ that was shared in the Passiflora News earlier in the year. There is no timetable available for this review yet so it’s more a case of watch this space.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LEVIES TASKFORCE In 2017-18, the department disbursed $839.8 million in levies, charges and Commonwealth matched payments to 18 levy recipient bodies – for horticulture that is Hort Innovation. In 2017 the department sought feedback from industry stakeholders on a set of options aimed at increasing flexibility in levies processes. The department has now commenced a new round of consultation with an online survey, and will commence face-to-face consultation in the coming months to work with stakeholders. Face-to-face consultation with Hort Innovation was due to take place from November 2019. The timeline for consultation with industry representative bodies and levy collection agents has not yet been confirmed.
The key point to take away is that Hort Innovation has definitely changed under Matt Brands leadership. They are listening. They are acting on what they have heard and deserve to be supported through this latest transition into an organisation with levy-paying growers at the centre of what they do.
ALL
BEST SUPER FUND MANAGER
BEST FEATURE
MEMBER UPDATE Your volunteer Committee Members work exceptionally hard on your behalf to bring added layers of value to all grower members that are over and above the investments made with levy funds. Here is the latest news for PAI Members: NOEL DAY SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 2019-20 Congratulations go to Wayne Dellaway from the Glass House Mountains who has been selected to receive this years’ Scholarship to support his attendance at the Nutri-Tech Solutions Certificate in Nutrition Farming® course in March 2020. Our second Scholarship recipient is Ross Baker from Ayr who will be completing a 100-hour Distance Education course on Soil Management (Horticulture) from ACS, proudly sponsored by Samson’s Fruit & Vegetables.
MASTER OF SCIENCE PROJECT & SCHOLARSHIP ON RAPID GENERATION ADVANCEMENT IN PASSIONFRUIT A joint PAI/SCU funded scholarship is available for 18 months to study rapid generation advancement in passionfruit – to speed up the time it takes to get through a generation from seed to seed. This was recommended in the review as a breeding goal and will improve the chances of obtaining inbred lines for crossing to produce a suitable F1 for commercial production for future breeding projects. The project and scholarship have been advertised on the SCPS Postgraduate Scholarships webpage: www.scu.edu.au/southern-cross-plant-science/ postgraduate-training-program/scholarships We have also sent an information sheet to passionfruit breeders overseas and to QDAFF and via them to University of Queensland. So far, we have three applicants for the scholarship; one is a local and there are two overseas applicants, all of whom have relevant qualifications in science or agriculture or horticulture. They all sound very keen in their applications. We plan to interview the applicants (via Zoom or Skype for those based overseas) in January to identify the best candidate. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO OUR SILVER SUPPORTER FOR THEIR GENEROUS ASSISTANCE TO HELP FUND THIS MSC STUDENT
We urgently need more funding assistance to ensure this project can be successful - please contact Amanda if you're prepared to contribute any amount, however small.
WINNER of the PRO LARGE ROLL-IN Congratulations Rick & Rebecca Coates from NSW! Get your Roll-in rollin!
WIN A ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO INFOPEST VALUED AT $55 Infopest is the number one Agvet chemical database in Australia to feature all chemicals registered and approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). It is easy to navigate and available at www.infopest.com.au For your chance to WIN, please go to www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au/WIN and enter your name & mobile number Draw closes at 23.59 AEST 29/2/20 and winner will be notified within 14 days. 18
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au Draw only available to current financial
Grower members of Passionfruit Australia Inc.
SAVE 12.5%
AT THE GROWCOM WORKPLACE RELATIONS SHOP All current members of Passionfruit Australia receive 12.5% off the purchase of any contracts or workplace agreement documents when using the PAI member code – to get your code contact: Amanda 0427 833 281 admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au
Grab a cuppa, put your feet up & enjoy!
mecolourin!
SMOKO SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
10
There are differences between these two pictures!
WORD SEARCH
CONCENTRATION DEVELOPMENT FERTILISATION FORMULATION HEALTH INSPECTION
I A J N B F Y H D Y P B E G H
N M L F P E E M D R X R Y G E
T O L E R A B L E Q U V B F W
E N I R L H O V V D K S A M S
R I P T L M E I E X G U H J Q
PREVENTION PROCEDURE SUPPRESSION TOLERABLE
INTERVENTIONS LONGTERM MASK MOLD MONITORING NYMPH
V T H I A N W C L W W P A R X
E O Y L T R O G O V H P W L T
N R L I M R T I P P X R T P D
T I O S P M Z N M A M E X L I
I N V A N Z T Y E T G S C Y A
O G T T B N N X N C C S X J V
N Q Y I Z M C G T M N I F Z V
S K N O I T A L U M R O F G V
D Z I N S P E C T I O N C Z D
D R N A G Q G L O N G T E R M
CUT OUT AND KEEP ME
*** ALL ANSWERS OVERLEAF ***
Brain Teasers
TRIVIA! 1 . What was the first song ever broadcast from space? 2. In Australia’s version of the song ‘Jingle Bells’, what mode of transportation is used instead of a ‘one-horse open sleigh’? hat Christmas beverage is also known as 3. W ‘milk punch’? 4. What Christmas tradition began in Melbourne in 1938?
CONCENTRATION DEVELOPMENT FERTILISATION 1. Find the number for the passionfruit FORMULATION HEALTH INSPECTION INTERVENTIONS LONGTERM MASK MOLD MONITORING NYMPH PREVENTION PROCEDURE SUPPRESSION TOLERABLE
+ +
= 97 = 87
2. What word begins and ends with an ‘E’ but only has one letter?
5. Who wrote the book ‘A Christmas Carol’? THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2019
19
Passionfruit & Watermelon
MARGARITA SERVES: 4 PREP TIME: 5 mins
INGREDIENTS • 1 /2 cup fresh passionfruit pulp (7 – 8 fresh passionfruit) • 500g watermelon flesh • 1/4 cup lime juice (60 ml) • 120 ml silver tequila • 60 ml triple sec (orange liquor)
TO SERVE • Ice • Watermelon • Lime wedges • Coarse salt
METHOD 1. Blend watermelon flesh until very smooth. Pass juice through a sieve if desired, discarding any solids. CONCENTRATION DEVELOPMENT FERTILISATION FORMULATION HEALTH INSPECTION INTERVENTIONS LONGTERM MASK MOLD MONITORING NYMPH PREVENTION PROCEDURE SUPPRESSION TOLERABLE
2. Add watermelon juice, passionfruit pulp, lime juice, tequila and triple sec to a jug with a handful of ice. Stir well. 3. P our salt onto a small plate to 0.5cm depth. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a glass and dip immediately into the salt. Fill the salt-rimmed glass with ice, repeat lime and salt rim with remaining glasses. 4. Divide margarita mixture across the glasses, garnish with watermelon and lime to serve.
Tip
For a mocktail alternative: Omit the tequila and triple sec, add 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh orange juice and 1 cup (250 ml) sparkling water. Skip step 3, as the salt is not required.
CUT OUT AND KEEP ME
There are differences between these two pictures!
10
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
T O L E R A B L E Q U V B F W
E N I R L H O V V D K S A M S
R I P T L M E I E X G U H J Q
V T H I A N W C L W W P A R X
E O Y L T R O G O V H P W L T
N R L I M R T I P P X R T P D
T I O S P M Z N M A M E X L I
I N V A N Z T Y E T G S C Y A
O G T T B N N X N C C S X J V
N Q Y I Z M C G T M N I F Z V
S K N O I T A L U M R O F G V
WORD SEARCH
D Z I N S P E C T I O N C Z D
D R N A G Q G L O N G T E R M
1. Passionfruit number = 92 2. Envelope
Brain Teasers 1. Jingle Bells, in 1965 2. A rusty Holden ute 3. Eggnog 4. Carols by Candlelight 5. Charles Dickens
TRIVIA!
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
N M L F P E E M D R X R Y G E
20
I A J N B F Y H D Y P B E G H
ANSWERS
With thanks to Australian Passionfruit — find more delicious recipes at www.aussiepassionfruit.com.au
GET INVOLVED Passionfruit Australia Inc. (PAI) is the peak industry body representing passionfruit growers in Australia HOW TO JOIN PASSIONFRUIT AUSTRALIA
UPCOMING EVENTS 2020 JANUARY PAI Committee Meeting
30
BECOMING A MEMBER GIVES YOU:
— Access to projects funded by PAI or through competitive grants which provide funds outside of the existing levy system
MARCH
— Grower alerts about immediate threats to your business from weather or pest events provided by our Management Committee
FNQ Grower Visits by Cynthia & Amanda
— Representation by an industry body who has your interests as its only priority
APRIL
— Access to useful tools and special deals developed exclusively for members
MEMBERSHIP RATES | 2019/20 New Grower Member: Renewal Grower Member: New Associate Member: Renewal Associate Member:
$253 $198 $297 $242
JOIN NOW ONLINE AT www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au Membership runs from July 1st to June 30th each year, rates are pro-rated. Membership lapses if renewal not paid within three months of the start of the fiscal year. Associate Members receive a 20% discount on advertising packages which include more than one advertising insertion.
PAI Committee Meeting
23
Regional Field Day Mareeba FNQ
29
MAY Norco Primex Field Days Casino NNSW Regional Field Day Wolvi SEQ
21-23 27
JUNE Hort Connections Brisbane Australasian Plant Breeding Conference 2020 Gold Coast
15-17
21-24
HOW TO JOIN HORT INNOVATION
JULY
IT IS FREE TO JOIN AND BECOMING A MEMBER GIVES YOU:
PAI Committee Meeting
14
Regional Field Day Northern NSW
29
— Free access to Hort Innovation Final Reports — A monthly e-newsletter, Growing Innovation — Direct invitations to participate in industry events, as well as Hort Innovation consultations and forums
— The opportunity to exercise voting rights at Hort Innovation’s Annual General Meeting Please remember paying a levy does not automatically make you a member of Hort Innovation. If you haven’t become a member, then now is your opportunity.
OCTOBER Passionfruit Australia Inc Industry Dinner, AGM & Farm Walk 9-10 Northern NSW
To join, visit www.horticulture.com.au/membership-application-form
DECEMBER PAI Committee Meeting
If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t, you will see obstacles. WAYNE DYER
3
A NEW PODCAST SERIES JUST FOR GROWERS
Hort Innovation’s Growing Matters podcast series is here. Promising something for everyone, it’s chock-full of practical and interesting info for horticulture growers – and you can listen whenever and wherever you want. All-new episodes are out now, including:
• How to access and use industry, retail and consumer data and insights • Starting out or strengthening your export game – support and programs available • What you need to know about the future of pollination in Australia • Harnessing the power of good fats in horticultural produce Listen at www.horticulture.com.au/podcasts or on one of the platforms below.