The Passion Vine
The Passion Vine – December 2013
Post Office Box 321 Pomona QLD 4568
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December 2013
Executive Report By Jann Bonsall
This edition of Passion Vine will be on your doorstep early in December as Jenny Drew, our editor, is heading away until the new year. Nevertheless there has been a lot of work happening behind the scenes including meetings attended by: select members of the IAC to discuss the proposed outline for the on-going work on overcoming Passionfruit viruses. This will be presented to the IAC at their meeting in January/ February and once recommended to the HAL Board and approved by same, will be outlined to growers in the June 2014 Passion Vine Tina McPherson, Sean Russell, Melissa Smith and Joe Costa all met in Sydney mid October to discuss and finalise the direction of the promotions campaign 201314 the outcomes of which are on page 8. Keith Paxton & Jann Bonsall met with the Tropical Fruit Group at the Minister’s office at the beginning of November and as a group, had a very fruitful discussion with the Minister.
Keith and Jann attended the face to face Horticulture Taskforce meeting in Sydney Thursday 21st November prior to the HAL Forum. A brief outline of the ongoing work that has been undertaken for the horticulture industry in Canberra appears on page 15. A brief overview of the presentations at the HAL Forum are on pages 12 and 13 and the winners of the awards presented at the HAL dinner in Sydney are on page 11
There have also been on-going teleconferences surrounding the HAL Review instigated by the Federal Government prior to the election, in line with the planned Statutory Funding Agreement Review, but including other items for review and response by HAL by May 2014. There is a brief overview of this on page 15. Passionfruit Australia is also undergoing an independent review of their Strategic Plan and the levy funded projects that
have been undertaken in conjunction with the SIP. This review will be undertaken by Scott Williams from Scott Willams Consulting with some phone surveys across the production areas and an on-line survey that all growers will be alerted to. More information can be seen on page 6. The exciting news is that PAI in collaboration with HAL, have contracted Graeme Forsythe and his team to build us a more efficient, user friendly and information packed site which will be up and running mid-late January 2014. There’s plenty of work to do in the meantime and if anyone has anything in particular they believe is missing as far as information is concerned, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Have a great Christmas everyone – stay safe and for those who can, enjoy the break! For those who can’t, may the rains fall gently as required, and the harvest be bountiful. See you in the New Year! Newsletter of Passionfruit Australia Incorporated
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Association Address PO Box 321 Pomona QLD 4568. Mobile 0418 883 753 Email admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au
Executive Committee President Keith Paxton 38 Atkinsons Road, Woombye, QLD 4559 Phone (07) 5445 9387 Fax (07) 5445 9323 Email kipaxton@bigpond.com
Executive Officer (Secretary/Treasurer) Jann Bonsall PO Box 321 Pomona QLD 4568 Phone 07 5485 4402 Email admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au
Vice President Ian Constable “Nunderry” 260 Boyds Lane Dulguigan via Murwillumbah NSW 2484 Phone / Fax (02) 6672 6826 Mobile 0428 181 246 Email ianconstable11@bigpond.com
PAI FEES New Grower or Processor Membership fee : $187 incl GST, joining fee and lobby fees Grower or Processor Membership renewal : $143 incl GST and lobby fees. Other classes (Nurseryman, seller, agent or associate) : $187 incl GST and lobby fees. Memberships run with the Fiscal year from July 1st to June 30th each year irrespective of date joined. Membership lapses if not renewed within three months of end of the fiscal year. Plant Royalties are due on propagation or purchase of all PAI varieties - Fees are payable to PAI executive officer : $0.35 per plant for PAI members, otherwise $0.70 for all non-members.
Committee Members President Vine Committee Steve Gray Vixies Road, Wonga Beach, QLD 4873 Phone / Fax (07) 4098 7202 Email steve_trish2@bigpond.com.au
Member Peter Griffiths 408 Dahl’s Road, Calavos, QLD 4670 Phone/Fax (07) 4159 7394 Mobile 0429 656 922 Email peteandsally4@bigpond.com Member Sean Russell (JE Tippers) PO Box 27, Brisbane Markets, QLD 4006 Phone (07) 3379 1041 Fax (07) 3379 4817 Mobile 0418 158 331 Email sean@jetipper.com.au Member William Wise 131 Cranneys Road, North Tumbulgum, NSW 2490 Phone (02) 6676 6099 Email libmcq@hotmail.com Member Tina McPherson 15 Zinks Road, Bundaberg, QLD 4670 Phone (07) 4159 3001 Fax (07) 4155 6744 Mobile 0428 415 930 Email tina@tinaberries.com.au
Member Jim Gordon PO Box 119, Yandina, QLD 4561 Phone (07) 5446 7536 Fax (07) 5446 7524 Mobile 0403 185 961 Email jill_88@msn.com
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Passionfruit Australia Incorporated Industry Advisory Committee PH: 07 3374 0453 Mob: 0413 101 646 Email: diannefullelove@optusnet.com.au
Dianne Fullelove
Chairperson PO Box 913, Kenmore, QLD 4069
Jane Wightman
HAL Suite 2, Level 5, 87 Wickham Terrace Spring Hill, QLD 4000
Peter Rigden
QLD Government DAFF, Maroochy Research Station, PO Box 5083, SCMC, QLD 4560
Cherie Gambley
QLD Government DAFF, Eco Science Precinct 2C West, GPO Box 267, Brisbane, QLD 4001
Ian Constable
PAI Executive “Nunderry” 260 Boyds Lane, Dulguigan via Murwillumbah, NSW 2484
PH/FAX: (02) 6672 6826 MOBILE: 0428 181 246 Email: ianconstable11@bigpond.com
Steve Gray
PAI Executive Vixies Road, Wonga Beach, QLD 4873
PH: (07) 4098 7202 Fax: (07) 4098 7202 Email: steve_trish2@bigpond.com.au
Keith Paxton
PAI Executive 38 Atkinsons Road, Woombye, QLD 4559
PH: (07) 5445 9387 FAX: (07) 5445 9323 MOB: 0427 625 946 Email: kipaxton@bigpond.com
Tina McPherson
PAI Executive 15 Zinks Road, Bundaberg, QLD 4670
PH: (07) 4159 3001 FAX: (07) 4155 6744 MOBILE : 0428 415 930 Email: tina@tinaberries.com.au
Sean Russell
Marketing PO Box 27, Brisbane Markets, QLD 4106
Bank account details Passionfruit Australia Incorporated BSB: 124-101 Acc No.: 21655088 If direct debiting please ensure to quote your name or membership number
Mob: 0404 309 877 Email: jane.wightman@horticulture.com.au PH: 07 5453 5927 FAX: 07 5493 5901 Email: peter.rigden@daff.qld.gov.au PH: 07 3255 4340 Mob: 0423 200 211 Email: Cherie.gambley@daff.qld.gov.au
PH: (07) 3379 1041 FAX: (07) 3379 4817 Mob : 0418 158 331 Email: sean@jetipper.com.au
This newsletter has been jointly funded by PAI and HAL using the passionfruit levy and matched funds from the Australian Government.
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Regional Roundup From the growers...
Bundaberg Area By Peter Griffiths Hello everyone. In the Bundaberg region we have not received any substantial rain since mid – May except for a hail storm in late September which inflicted considerable damage to some of our growers in the southern regions. Most farms have finished planting now and are busy training the new vines. Some of our farms enjoyed the last week of the good prices courtesy of a warm winter and no rain. Now we have to hope that the prices remain reasonable over the Christmas period so we can all be joyous. That’s all until next time. Thanks.
NNSW Area
now but strong winds have knocked them around. They will recover and now with the hot humid weather they should jump away. Our older vines only have a small crop on but are flowering. I would say our 1 year old vines have the most fruit on. All the fruit is very clean due to the dry run of weather. We have started picking from a few blocks. Lots of small fruit so far. I am getting a little nervous with things looking good at the moment. As all growers know there will be something, just around the corner to make life difficult. Merry Christmas to you all! I wish all the very best for the New Year. Cheers Ian
By Ian Constable
The Sunshine Coast
Hello All, In almost a carbon copy of last year we are getting a few storms, dropping 30mm so far in 3 afternoons. It has been very dry till now but in 3 days the grass has greened up and the vines look better already.
It is still very dry at our place but we are expecting storms today. Hopefully not like the one they had near Brisbane yesterday with lots of hail. We have a good crop on and have gone back to our old timing of
We had the Northern River’s Christmas Party this week in Murwillumbah. It was a great night and thanks must go to Shoobridge Transport and Lindsay Rural for providing the excellent food and cold drinks. Most of the members made it despite a big storm with some huge lightning strikes all around the valley. We have planted most of our vines
By Keith and Judy Paxton
fruit drop. Normally our spring crop is almost finished by Christmas. We have got more than normal small and misshapen fruit due to the hot conditions when some of the fruit set. Spotting bugs are the worst we have seen in many years. We have held off spraying for them due to the good biological control of our other pests. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2014, and may all your passionfruit fall purple. Cheers, Keith & Judy.
Far North Queensland By Steve Gray Hi All – Another year of production has come to an end for us. We finished 3 weeks earlier than usual which has given us plenty of time to pull down and clean up ready for the new plants in December. With a couple of weeks up our sleeves we may even wet a line. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
PAI Licensed Nurseries Birdwood Nursery
71 Blackall Range Road, Nambour 4560
07 5442 1611
J & V McLeod
Campbell’s Road, Dungay 2484
02 6672
Widebay Passionvine
408 Dahls Road, Calavos, Bundaberg 4670
07 4159 7394
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Have your Say on the Passionfruit Levy Investment As you know, passionfruit growers pay a levy of 40c per 8kg carton, or $30/tonne for processing fruit, which is invested equally in R&D and marketing. These investments are made on behalf of growers by Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL). HAL’s investments are guided by an Industry Advisory Committee that includes four passionfruit growers, a wholesaler, DAFFQ extension officer, DAFFQ research scientist and an independent Chair. HAL’s investments in R&D and Marketing are set out in its fiveyear Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) 2012-17. The SIP identifies the priority issues for industry research, provision of services such as plant health diagnostics, and marketing. It provides a guide
on how much to invest in each priority area and sets targets to be achieved over the life of the Plan.
portfolio, among other questions. The survey is a very valuable opportunity to have your say in the industry’s future.
The Industry Advisory Committee and PIA wish to take stock of progress against the SIP, to ensure that growers’ money is being spent in the right areas and that the desired results are being achieved. To do that, they need your input.
The survey can be accessed via a link on the PIA web site and Jann will also send the link in an email. Simply click on the link and follow the prompts. The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete and your responses can be anonymous if you wish.
Please consider contributing your thoughts by completing a short online survey. The survey asks how satisfied you are with the various levy investments; what use you are making of research outcomes and levyfunded services; and what gaps you see in the investment
The survey is being managed for HAL by Scott Williams. You can contact Scott on 0413 059190, or at shw@scottwconsulting.com if you have any questions or would like to present your views directly. Otherwise, please contact the PIA office for further information.
For information regarding administration issues for Passionfruit Australia Incorporated please contact:
Jann Bonsall PO Box 321 Pomona QLD 4568 Ph: 07 5485 4402 Email: admin@ passionfruitaustralia.org.au For variety and plantings issues please contact your local Executive Member as listed on page 2. Other enquiries can be made through Queensland DPIF on their call centre number 132523 All contributions concerning the industry are most welcome.
The Passion Vine is edited by Jann Bonsall and Jenny Drew 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 Australia Incorporated or the Editor. The advice given is at the readers 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 or the Editor.
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Vine Trials By Steve Gray The 2012 -2013 crosses that have been trialed over the last 12 months have been evaluated and 9 selections have shown promise. The 9 selections have been grafted to rootstock and returned to all trialists from Northern NSW to North Queensland. These will be evaluated again over the next 12 months to see if any are viable for
release to all growers. This is a lengthy ongoing process of trial and retrial to ensure only viable plants are released for commercial planting.
We have about 1500 seeds available for the 2014 planting in September with more crosses likely to be done in February to get more seed.
Last year’s trial selection and some selections of crosses that Keith has done have shown high virus tolerance.
The arboretum is taking shape with the following varieties 23E, Lacey, Tom Special, 96A, Jumbo Gem, AV1, DPI rootstock, F1 and Ross Brindley's trial vine.
Photos : Above left : Trial 1 Above right : Trial 2 Left : Trial 3 Page 8 Left : Sweetheart 1 Right : Sweetheart 2
Continued on page 8
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Australian Passionfruit Summer Update By Shanka Dharmaratne - HAL
Passionfruit is synonymous with summertime, and is generally in high demand between December and February. This year, the passionfruit industry is forecasting good supply into the market, with fruit expected during late November. This year the industry will support the summer supply of passionfruit with a greengrocer merchandising program, funded by industry marketing levy funds. The program will have merchandisers install newly
developed summer promotional material in up to 100 high traffic green grocer stores along the eastern seaboard states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. The new material, developed specifically for summer, will help increase visibility for the passionfruit display area and increase purchase consideration amongst consumers in store. The merchandising material is intended to stay in place through to the end of January, whilst fruit will be in plentiful supply and at lower costs. This activity follows from the successful completion of the winter season campaign conducted from April to July this year. The retail sampling program achieved great results with almost 50 per cent of all consumers sampled, going on to purchase the product. The winter campaign was also
supported by a food media engagement program educating consumers around the availability and versatility of passionfruit during winter. The marketing program for 2014 will build on the success of the previous campaign, with the strong rationale to focus on increasing consumer awareness and purchase confidence for the fruit, when the rest of the category is more likely to be left out of the average consumer’s shopping list. The passionfruit campaign therefore will continue on re-engaging and educating consumers on the versatility of the fruits with new and innovative usage occasions. The 2014 winter promotion activities are currently being finalised and will be presented to the Passionfruit marketing committee for final approval in the coming month.
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Don’t forget * PASSIONFRUIT GROWERS AND SUPPLIERS OF * GRAFTED PASSIONFRUIT Misty Gems DPI - Approved rootstocks * SEEDLINGS Pandora Red Panama
Hand pollinated Pandora rootstock available.
FOR ORDERS / ENQUIRIES Please ph/fax 07 4159 7394 Peter Griffiths 0429 656 922 Sally Griffiths 0401 656 922
408 Dahls Rd, Calavos, Bundaberg Q 4670 Email – peteandsally4@bigpond.com
membership and plant orders are due
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HAL Members Forum This Forum was held over two days, 21st and 22nd November at the Hilton in Sydney. Thursday 21st was an information session which could almost be described an information overload. There were some truly fascinating presenters, so very briefly following is an outline of what was presented. Cotsa Georgiadis- ABC Gardening Australia Costa’s presentation was based on “getting the basics right” looking at topics such as food deserts, youth pathways, community licence and communicating (talking). Costa is a landscape architect and educator with an allconsuming passion for plants and people, and takes great pleasure in bringing people together with their natural environment. Senator Richard Colbeck – Liberal Senator for Tasmania Senator Colbeck is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture with responsibilities for Fisheries, Forestry and Tasmania. Senator Colbeck has a strong affinity for regional communities and enjoys working with primary industries to achieve better outcomes for rural and regional Australia. Senator’s presentation covered issues including supermarket pressure, market access, R&D funding and the re-introduction of the new biosecurity legislation. Gustavo Yentzen Wilson – Yentzen Consulting Gustavo is the representative of the Produce Marketing Association in Chile and Peru,
which aims to add value to its membership through events such as Fresh Connections Chile and Peru. Among other initiatives he developed portafruticola, a web portal featuring news of the global horticulture industry, an indispensable tool for Spanishspeaking growers and exporters. Gustavo’s presentation was lively and very thought provoking when considering market access. Avshalom Vilan – Farmers’ Federation of Israel Avshalom Vilan is the Secretary General of the Farmers’ Federation of Israel, representing all agricultural organisations in Israel, the Kibbutzim, Moshavim, as well as agricultural water associations and regional agricultural committees. This presentation showed what can be done in very small spaces using ingenuity and science. John Hey – Asia Fruit Magazine John is the editor of Asia Fruit Magazine, Managing Editor of Produce Plus and the Managing Director of Market Intelligence Asia Pty Ltd and his presentation was made on Asian market trends. Statistics and figures included in a web of information about Asia were very informative. Trevor Lee – TravConsult TravConsult is a business specialising in Asian market insights for the aviation and tourism industries. Mr Lee works closely with clients to
develop and facilitate training programs, workshops and strategies that inspire executives and their teams to warmly welcome, actively engage and ultimately sell to their international customers in Asia. Prof Hans Hendrischke – The University of Sydney The Professor is the Chair of the Executive Committee of the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the professor of Chinese business and management. He leads the Business School’s Australia China Business Network, heads a multi-year strategic co-operation with KPMG and reports regularly on Chinese outbound direct investment in Australia. A recently produced report, Demystifying Chinese investment in Australian agribusiness October 2013 written in collaboration with KPMG, is accessible on http:// sydney.edu.au/ china_studies_centre/en/research/ kpmg-partnership.shtml Allan Ryan – Hargraves Institute Allan Ryan is the founder of the Hargraves Institute which aims to share knowledge, wisdom and experience in a non-competitive environment for the purpose of organisational development. Based on Asian food innovation, the essence of Allan’s presentation was “innovation” and bodies such as Efficient Consumer Response Australasia who focus on value chain efficiency.
The Passion Vine – December 2013 David Thomas – Think Global David Thomas is a facilitator of business and investment between developed and emerging countries, and has led delegations to all four of the BRIC countries. David has recently worked with Citrus Australia to help them access the markets in China.
Messages from this presentation were to set a standard for sustainably produced products, build global competitiveness, dominate product categories within target markets and create value commercialised product and control IP.
Professor Salah Sukkerieh – University of Sydney Professor Sukkerieh is an international expert in the research, development, operationalization and commercialisation of field robotic systems. He has led a number of robotics and intelligent systems R&D projects in logistics, commercial aviation, aerospace, education, environment monitoring, agriculture and mining. Absolutely fascinating!
Dr Laurie Bonney – Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture Dr Laurie Bonney is a Senior Research Fellow at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture at the University of Tasmania. He is the Convenor of TIA’s Value Chain Program and chairs the Australasian Agrifood Value Chain Research Group. Dr Bonney’s presentation was on value chain innovation based on knowing what the customer wants and getting the product right.
Peter Silcock – Horticulture New Zealand Peter Silcock is the Chief Executive of Horticulture New Zealand, the representative body for New Zealand’s 7000 commercial fruit, vegetable, berryfruit and olive growers.
Market Sustainability Panel The next session was a discussion panel concentrating on market sustainability, facilitated by Sarina Locke from ABC Rural (radio and TV). The panel members were Michael Croft from Australian Food
Page 13 Sovereignty Alliance, Greg Davis from Coles, Harry Debney from the Costa Group, Adam Tomlinson from the Australian Farm Institute, Tim Reid from Fruit Growers Tasmania and the 2013 Australian Farmer of the Year and Trevor Lee from TravConsult. Each panel member outlined their “place” in the discussion which was followed by questions from Sarina and then from the floor. A link to the outcomes of that discussion is available on the Passionfruit Australia web site. Don Taylor – Graincorp Don Taylor’s presentation was based on waking up the industry. Don has been the Chairman of the GrainCorp Board since 2005 and prior to joining the Board, was GrainCorp’s Executive Chairman. Some of the messages included the fact that main competition is from outside Australia not within, no Asian market was looking for Australia to supply, that foreign investment was required to make agriculture work and that doing business outside Australia was very beneficial.
President’s Report By Keith Paxton
It is about two weeks since we wrote our regional roundup and it was very dry then. Since then we have had several storms and we are now up to our fifth shower of hail - oh what fun!. Jann and I have just returned from the HAL forum and AGM
in Sydney. The forum consisted of motivational speakers and a politician, all of whom told us of the opportunities to export and develop our industries. I sometimes wonder if some of these people know the realities facing farmers.
On the Friday morning I got up at 2 am and went to the Sydney markets. I was amazed at the quality and presentation of the fruit and vegetables lining the aisles everywhere. The detail which growers are now putting into their products is a credit to them.
The Passion Vine – December 2013 (Continued from page 13)
On a sad note the passionfruit presentation in the lines I saw was very disappointing. Cartons of fruit of high quality passionfruit with calex still attached looked like they had tipped the floor sweepings in the cartons. Cartons with multiple colours and the agent's favourite, different sized fruit in the one carton. I did see some very well presented fruit. There are some growers who are doing a very good job. Our industry is currently doing a project to enable us to export fruit, but after seeing the quality
from some growers I wonder if we are wasting our time as the fruit quality and presentation are well below export standard. Our promotions campaign has been excellent this last 12 months and agents and growers feel it has impacted well on our prices. Our new promotions campaign is about to start and if growers want to get the results they desire they need to present the consumer with a good consistent product. You will have read in this edition that a survey is to be conducted to gauge grower satisfaction with how their levy
Page 14 money is being spent. I WOULD URGE ALL GROWERS TO HAVE THEIR SAY! The only way the Executive committee and the IAC can get direction on how to spend levy income is for growers to give them an indication of the direction they wish their industry to progress in. I wish all the people in our industry a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Cheers, Keith.
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Moraitis Group Pty Ltd
HAL Review At the recent HAL Forum Jan Paul van Moort from ACIL Allen addressed the meeting with reference to the Independent Review of HAL which had been instigated by the Minister of the previous government. The HAL Board have contracted ACIL Allen to conduct this review and a Steering Committee has been established to provide guidance to this performance review. The review is considering HAL’s operations and model and the existing horticulture levy system and will provide recommendations regarding the future service delivery model for HAL and the levy system. ACIL Allen will be engaging with all stakeholders through various means of consultation. As a grower and levy payer, you have the opportunity to have an input into this process in a variety of ways. To find out more, contact Jan Paul by phone on 02 8272 5100 or by email halreview@acilallen.com.au.
HortTaskforce Update A face to face meeting held in Sydney on 21st November discussed a number of issues including the review of the Horticulture Award, the Agriculture White Paper currently with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Biosecurity legislation likely to be re-introduced to the Parliament next year and proposed trade agreements to be in place within 12 months with Japan, China and Korea. The other major issue discussed at the meeting revolved around the horticulture Single Voice prospectus that had been provided to PIB’s the week prior. The prospectus had been agreed to by the top seven members of HTF and the four Chairs who had been on the Steering Committee of Single Voice. More discussion to be held at the Members’ Forum at HAL on Friday 22nd.
Letters to the Editor Don’t forget to send your letters to the Editor to admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au or post to PO Box 321, Pomona, Qld 4568
Leaders in fresh produce Moraitis core products include : * Passionfruit * Melons * Pumpkin * Cherries * Onions * Strawberries
* Potatoes *Tomatoes * Bananas * Citrus * Garlic * Avocadoes
Moraitis is a national company in the leading position as a fully integrated supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables in Australia. Moraitis have a dedicated team focused on satisfying Grower and Customer needs, who are devoted to providing flawless 24/7 supply and service solutions,to the retail supermarket chains and independent fruit markets all around Australia. The Moraitis base is unique because of the wide range of customers’ serviced, and our ability to supply consistent quality and service 12 months of the year. Australia’s leaders in the fresh produce industry – Moraitis has National distribution capabilities and is located Australia wide.
For passionfruit enquiries please contact Debra Scarfe : Exotic Fruit Category Mobile: 0416088615 Email: dscarfe@moraitis.com.au Peter Kallinis : Category Manager Mobile: 0412 141 536 Email: pkallinis@moraitis.com.au Matthew McInerney: National Sales Manager Mobile: 0417 468 828 Email: mmcinerney@moraitis.com.au Moraitis Wholesale NSW Stand 52, A Shed Sydney Markets NSW 2129 P.O. Box 75 Sydney Markets NSW 2129 T: +61 2 9764 2370 F: +61 2 9764 2218
Contact Moraitis for more information on our website www.moraitis.com.au For general enquiries regarding our business or products please send an email to info@moraitis.com.au or call our customer service number 1 800 657 010
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MT10049 - A Multi Target Approach to Fruitspotting Bug Management Project Update The project team is now halfway through delivery of this 5 year project. As such it recently underwent a mid-term project review. This review is an important activity for all HAL projects, as it provides an independent assessment of project achievements to date and helps focus the project team on actions and issues to ensure the project delivers the maximum benefit to investors by project completion. As a result of the review the Steering Committee has endorsed some changes to the project. This update is to inform you of the achievements of the project to date and outline the changes to project activities for the remaining 2 years of the project. Project achievements to date The project has achieved a number of outcomes for investors. These include: A. lutescens pheromone fully optimized
Steps towards commercialization of a lure and trap for A. lutescens are currently underway New pheromone compounds for an A. nitida lure are currently being tested in Qld and NSW. One new insecticide is progressing towards commercial registration. A second new insecticide also looks promising and discussions with chemical industry are underway to work towards commercial registration. A range of new chemistries have
been sourced and will be screened in the near future.
Mass-rearing of egg parasitoid Anastatus has progressed and produced semi-commercial quantities Trap hedges from selected farms give indication of monitoring potential and will be integrated into a FSB management system in the second half of the project A series of articles have been published in industry journals keeping the industries involved up to date with project progress One spray application workshop has been conducted in the Northern Rivers and there is a plan to deliver additional workshops to industries over the next two years. A Youtube video covering general information on the pest and project has been released A literature review on Amblypelta spp. has been published as part of a PhD project. Project work plan going forward The review provided a number of recommendations to focus project activities for the remaining two years of the project. The project Steering Committee considered the review recommendations and provided some guidance to the project leaders (NSW DPI), who have now prepared a revised work plan. This was presented to the
Steering Committee on 30th October 2013. The following presents a summary of the key changes and activities for the project moving forward. The review highlighted that the project should, in order to deliver against its objective, narrow its scope and focus on the delivery of two central outcomes – developing effective insect thresholds and developing suitable chemical control options for FSB. Improved collaboration and coordination of activities The project team, which comprises a number of researchers conducting specific activities, will be brought together more often to foster a greater level of collaboration and ensure activities are complimentary and research outcomes are fully integrated. Chemical control The project will continue to scan internationally for suitable pesticide options and will increase chemical screening activities to try and identify chemistry that will compliment an IPM approach to the management of FSB. Pest ecology and thresholds Develop a pest ecology model for FSB to assist in determining FSB population development throughout the season.
In line with the development of monitoring tools, identify FSB thresholds for each crop. Pheromones and trap development Continue work on developing the
The Passion Vine – December 2013 pheromone for A. nitida.
Identify a commercial partner and finalise design of the A. lutescens trap and lure. Biological control After just over a year of mass releases of Anastatus indications were that this wasp was able to make a useful contribution to FSB control at some sites. However, due to technical difficulties encountered in the Anastatus mass rearing process, a large quantity of the egg parasitoid Anastatus can no longer be supplied in the short term. As a result of the significant reduction and reliability of supply of Anastatus for use in field evaluations, BioResources determined that the most appropriate course of action was to cease field investigations within the Project until the mass rearing issues can be resolved. The Steering Committee concurs with this decision being the most appropriate course of action, given the circumstances. It is likely to take another 12 months to determine if the larger scale mass rearing issues can be resolved. If so, BioResources will resume its larger scale field evaluations in
conjunction with crop consultants and growers. In the meantime, BioResources will continue to conduct its own small scale studies into Anastatus behavior in the insectary and on farm. Taking account of the technical constraints of accessing Anastatus, the recommendations from the project review and the commitment to having a biological control element of the project, it was agreed that the pathway forward would involve NSW DPI continuing to investigate potential biological control options for FSB. Much of this work will be laboratory based. Depending on availability of Anastatus and other biocontrols of interest (reared through the NSW DPI laboratory), some limited field investigations will also continue. This will be assessed as the season progresses. The Steering committee also recommended that a PhD project to continue the study of the parasitoid Anastatus and FSB would be appropriate. An outline for a PhD proposal is currently being developed.
Page 17 Trap crops Focus on trap crop monitoring for A. nitida to research the relationship between pest presence in trap hedges and crop damage. Fewer trap crop sites (4 maximum) will be monitored more intensively. Area wide management Engagement with the PestWeb network on the NSW Northern Rivers to pilot online monitoring data collection.
Close collaboration with consultants to establish pest thresholds to assist with management decisions. Industry adoption Collate FSB extension material and develop into a FSB management manual. For further information, please contact project leaders Dr Ruth Huwer or Mark Hickey on 02 6626 1196. This project has been funded by HAL using the Avocado, Macadamia, Lychee, Papaya, Passionfruit and Custard Apple industries levy, with additional funding via the across industry program and matched funds from the Australian Government.
Freshcare working towards becoming an internationally compliant food safety system At the recent Freshcare AGM, it was clear that on-farm food safety compliance must continue to evolve, in order to meet the requirements of major customer groups. For Freshcare, this evolution is firstly to become an accredited certification (historically Freshcare has been a private standard) and then to seek benchmarking against the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI); this
process recognising Freshcare as an internationally compliant food safety system. Freshcare Executive Officer, Clare Hamilton -Bate explained to Members at the AGM that the change to accredited certification is likely to have minimal effect on the content of the Code itself, but the administration processes behind Freshcare will need to change. The change is necessary
to ensure Freshcare remains an approved food safety option for growers / grower-packers for the long term; already, several retailers have stated a preference for GFSI benchmarked standards for both direct and indirect supply. The next Freshcare Newsletter (early 2014) will provide full details on both the accreditation and benchmarking process. www.freshcare.com.au
The Passion Vine – December 2013
Passion Vine Cook Book
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The Passion Vine – December 2013
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The Passion Vine – December 2013
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