The Passion Vine Summer 2020

SUMMER 2020

Marketing PLAN PAGE 6

Meet Sacha NEW ISM PAGE 8

MANAGING FUNGICIDE RESISTANCE PAGE 10–13

NEW BREEDING PROGRAM PAGE 14 –16

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

TREASURER Aidan Hutton Sydney Markets NSW 0419 700 278 aidan@jetipper.com.au

SECRETARY Matthew James Brisbane Markets QLD 0484 611 633 matthew@ireland53.com.au

CONTENTS

02 PRESIDENT'S REPORT 04 REGIONAL ROUND-UP 06 LATEST MARKETING PLANS 08 MEET SACHA HARTY 10 FUNGICIDE RESISTANCE 17 INSIGHTS FROM THE SUPPLY CHAIN 19 NURSERY UPDATE 20 AGM REPORT

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

NEW BREEDING PROGRAM

14

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 Sacha Harty

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.

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. Reliance on any information provided by Hort Innovation is entirely at your own risk.

0416 182 033 admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

Copyright © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2020 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 E: communications@horticulture.com.au | P: 02 8295 2300

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 2020

1

PRESIDENT'S REPORT DENNIS CHANT

Dear Readers, It is a pleasant change to prepare this message at a time when we can look forward to the future with renewed optimism. With strong administration nationally and community compliance locally we can look forward hopefully to more normal times.

The opening of most state borders on the first of December and the easing of restrictions on numbers at gatherings should enable PAI to plan next year’s program of meetings and events with some confidence that they will be able to go ahead. Your committee and the administration are very conscious of the value our members place on face-to-face interaction at events such as field days.

The minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 17 October, via Zoom Online, have been distributed to members. A big thank you to our members who took the time to participate in this virtual meeting. As recorded in the minutes, your committee members for the next year are: — Aidan Hutton (Treasurer) — Cynthia Barbagallo — Brad Millard — Jarod Agostinelli — Matt James — Dennis Chant (President) As previously advised, Jane Richter is leaving the industry and did not re-nominate for the election. Jane will however still play an important role with PAI through the communications program until our current programme finishes in September 2021. She will also assist the industry to put in a proposal for the new tender which should follow this existing programme.

As you will be aware from the story in the latest addition of Passiflora News, our Industry Services Manager, Amanda Roy, will be leaving PAI at the end of the year to meet the increasing demands of her family’s rapidly growing business. Amanda has performed the role effectively and efficiently under difficult circumstances. She will be sadly missed by our members and your committee.

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A replacement for Amanda has been found after a short recruitment and interview process and you can find out more about your new ISM on PAGE 8.

We would also like to welcome the new Industry Strategic Partner for Passionfruit with Hort Innovation, Georgia Sheil. All things going according to plan you should get the opportunity to meet Georgia at one of next year’s events.

Growers in most of our regions would no doubt be looking forward to the long forecast ‘wetter than average summer’.

Currently the extremely hot, dry and windy conditions are a risk to what should be a much better season for growers than we experienced during last summer.

The gradual opening of hotels and restaurants should stimulate demand from the food services sector, an important part of our market. For many growers the legacy impacts of COVID-19 will continue to hamper normal operations. This is particularly so for those producers who require additional labour for their operations.

Jane has been very diligent is keeping up to date with developments in this regard and sharing this information with our members. Keep an eye out for the latest information in the Passiflora News each month.

We finally have good news about our new Breeding Program — project PF19000 has now been fully contracted and I am pleased to say that the great work already completed by Southern Cross University (SCU) will be further built upon in this new project as it has also been awarded to SCU with the addition of another experienced plant breeder taking over from Peter Bundock who will be retiring in about six months’ time. Find out more about the new project on PAGE 14.

Thank you for your continued support during the last year and we wish you and your families all the best for the festive season and a prosperous 2021.

Best Regards, Dennis Chant

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW TO SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF OUR INDUSTRY?

— Potential im pact of this plan is $ Based on an e total invest stimated ment of $ from 2017 to 20 21 —

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

__________________________________________________ NEW BREEDING PROGRAM

Improve pest and disease management and the development of new varieties that increase grower productivity and profitability

PAGE 1 4 — 16

PAGE 6 — 7

__________________________________________________ UNDERSTANDING FUNGICIDE RESISTANCE PAGE 10 — 11

NURSERIES UPDATE PAGE 19

LEVY

HOW MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN COLLECTED & HOW HAS IT BEEN SPENT?

CURRENT FINANCIAL OPERATING STATEMENT JULY 2019—JUNE 2020 OPENING BALANCE GROWER LEVIES

COMMONWEALTH FUNDS

INTEREST

PROJECT INVESTMENT HORT INNOVATION COSTS CONTRIBUTION TO ACROSS-INDUSTRY ACTIVITY LEVY COLLECTION COSTS

CLOSING BALANCE HORT INNOVATION COSTS AS % OF TOTAL ANNUAL INCOME

R&D

MARKETING

TOTAL ($)

81,151

31,254

112,405

264,029*

104,898

368,927

233,899

83,219

317,118

81,599

26,547

108,146

—

—

—

5,347

5,420

10,767

24,335

20,966

45,301

30.9%

25.3%

29.3%

* Remember levy money invested in R&D attracts additional Commonwealth Government funding For more details, please visit www.horticulture.com.au/grower-focus/passionfruit THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2020

3

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

— Australia's 6 warmest August on record

— Australia's 2 warmest September on record overall

— The national mean maximum temperature was warmer than average and the mean overall temperature was one degree above the October average

th

— August rainfall was very much above average in north-east New South Wales, parts of the country's southeast coasts, and southern coasts of Western Australia — As a result of the big wet early in the month, Sydney’s Warragamba dam spilled on the 16th, the first time since July 2016

nd

— September rainfall was close to average for Australia overall — Night temperatures were very much warmer than average for most of the country and overall it was Australia's warmest September nights on record

RAINFALL OUTLOOK JAN-MAR CHANCE OF EXCEEDING THE MEDIAN RAINFALL

— Rainfall was above average for Australia overall, and South Australia was the 9th wettest October on record, despite below to very much below average rainfall in south-west Western Australia

2020

CLIMATE OUTLOOK OVERVIEW

www.bom.gov.au/climate © Commonwealth of Australia 2020, Australian Bureau of Meteorology

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Chance of exceeding the median rainfall (%)

(Issued 26 November 2020)

— December to February rainfall is likely to be above average across most of Australia, except west coast Tasmania.

— Average daytime temperatures during December to February are likely to be above the long-term average across parts of southeast and far west Australia, as well as along the northern coastline.

— Average night-time temperatures during December to February are very likely to be above the long-term average across almost all of Australia.

— La Niña is underway in the tropical Pacific. La Niña typically increases the likelihood of above average rainfall across eastern Australia during summer.

LONG TERM AVERAGE RAINFALL (mm) WEATHER STATIONS

JAN

FEB

MAR

Mareeba

209.8

226.4

163.8

171

156.2

112.9

Sunshine Coast Airport

144.8

207.5

173.7

Murwillumbah

205.3

230.5

216.4

Bundaberg

GROWER REPORTS FAR NORTH QLD

FAR NORTH QLD

Already the festive season has arrived signalling time to prepare for the next seasons plantings.

The road behind us will not have been smooth for all growers. We also must remain optimistic about the future season that lays ahead. Our most northern growers in the Cooktown and Mossman region, have sailed through an average growing season receiving fair yields and I imagine, fair prices.

As was mentioned in the previous edition the cold Antarctic blast caused considerable damage across the Tablelands district including crops other than passionfruit. The cold slowed growth and delayed the passionfruit flowering consequently missing the better market prices. The district is now experiencing extremely hot and dry conditions. Tinaroo Dam is now at 50% and dropping at 0.5% daily. The tableland region hopes the coming season will revert back to normal growing conditions. I am not sure if looking towards the sky in anticipation for fair weather will be fruitful!

(Mareeba, Daintree, Cooktown)

AUG SEP

OCT

MEAN (mm)

39.2 [11.8]

4.2 [11.2]

0.4 [5.6]

MEAN DAYS >1mm

4 [2.1]

3 [1.8]

0 [1.5]

Mareeba (station 031210)

MEAN (MAX ºC)

26.2 25.3 25.4 [26.9] [25.3] [25.0]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

16.6 16.5 [16.8] [15.3]

14.0 [13.9]

I would like to wish all involved in the passionfruit industry a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year for 2021.

WIDE BAY

Brian & Irene Westwood, Mareeba

(Bundaberg)

BUNDABERG Hello everyone. It’s still very dry in Bundaberg with only about 45mm falling in the last 3 months and we are still drought declared. As the water allocations have been decreased, the DNRME are asking everybody to check their water account balance so as to gauge their water usage and make sure that they don’t exceed their authorised entitlement. Now at the end of November the local summer crop of purples is just starting to get into full swing, with quite large reported volumes being sent to market thus resulting in lower returns. However, it was a bonus to have fruit for a few weeks in the good money period which seemed to last a bit longer this year.

Bundaberg (station 039128)

AUG SEP OCT

MEAN (mm)

14.8 26.6 24.2 [66.8] [50.2] [38.6] 6 [4.5]

MEAN DAYS >1mm

4 [3.4]

4 [2.9]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

24.5 23.7 22.6 [24.8] [22.7] [22.3]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

13.3 13.3 [14.2] [11.7]

11.0 [10.3]

Until next time - thanks.

Peter & Sally Griffiths, Bundaberg

SOUTH EAST QLD

(Gympie to Glass House Mtns)

SUNSHINE COAST Summer has certainly started with a sizzle on the Sunshine Coast, and just in time for the pre Christmas rush. The first week of December has produced a sudden increase in fruit after nearly two months with little or none. It's good to have a bit of an income again.

Spring was generally fine with only a couple of worthwhile falls of rain. The last month has been very dry and the dam is starting to look a bit ordinary. The upside is that there is no fungal disease, but I suspect that mites will soon be a problem. We seem to have a fair crop coming on.

The early fruit was small, but it is improving.

Sunshine Coast Airport (station 040861)

AUG SEP OCT

MEAN (mm)

67.0 81.4 137.4 [154.9] [120.5] [63.6]

MEAN DAYS >1mm

11 [10]

10 [9.4]

9 [6.6]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

22.9 21.6 20.9 [23.6] [21.4] [21.2]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

13.5 [13.7]

The biggest problem is going to be finding enough labour to help pick the crop. There is going to be a bit of competition between the growers to secure any of the few backpackers who are still in the area. It is going to be a busy time for the next six weeks or so with picking ,packing, vine training and all the other fun jobs.

12.5 [11.4]

10.4 [9.6]

SEP

OCT

NORTHERN NSW

Good luck for the Summer season and merry Christmas.

(Tweed Valley)

Jim & Jill Gordon, Yandina

Murwillumbah (station 058158)

TWEED AREA

MEAN (mm)

It’s the last week of November and things are hot and dry here on the Tweed. We had good rainfall in the 2nd half of October, but November has been bone dry. Our first plantings went well with the rain, but later plantings could really benefit from a few showers. Our 12-month-old vines are just starting to drop some fruit with a good big crop hanging. With the October rain there is a little disease present but not too bad. Our 2-year-old vines have set a good crop now but are a few weeks behind the younger vines.

MEAN DAYS >1mm

AUG

48.8 102.8 155.8 [128.6] [106.6] [59.6] 9 [9.5]

9 [7.2]

9 [5.7]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

23.0 21.3 [23.6] [21.3]

21.2 [21.1]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

12.6 [12.5]

9.6 [8.5]

10.8 [9.9]

All the best to everyone for Xmas.

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 2020

5

HORT INNOVATION MARKETING UPDATE

BY BEN WOODMAN

Our last marketing campaign ended abruptly on June 30 with the end of the tax year. We appreciate that this was a source of annoyance for many growers as we were still right in the middle of a very high supply period and needed the support of our marketing investment more than ever.

Hort Innovation has revised the way in which they contract our marketing activities, and it took a few months to get the new arrangements in place.

Rather than going through a full procurement process for passionfruit each year, which artificially imposed a July – June timescale bearing no resemblance to the seasonality of our crop, Hort Innovation now have a set of Marketing agencies who have been ‘pre-approved’ to work on elements of marketing campaigns on their behalf.

These agencies are collective known as the ‘Agency Village’.

There is now a nimbler way for our Marketing Manager – Ben – to be able to select the right agency for the specific set of marketing tasks, like managing our Social Media channels. Ben develops a brief for the activities he requires and sets the key performance indicators to measure the impact of the activity – and then anyone within the Agency Village can put forward a proposal. These proposals are then quickly evaluated, an agency selected, and the work can begin immediately, as the agency is already ‘contracted’ to work for Hort Innovation.

This approach should make our marketing dollars go further and enable Ben to be more responsive to changes in the market, whereas previously he was locked into annual plans with little to no flexibility.

BY JANE RICHTER

So, what’s happening now?

FACEBOOK

48,742 Likes

INSTAGRAM

2,838 Followers

Social Media We are now live on our Facebook and Instagram feeds again and actively building our Public Relations (PR) program since the beginning of November, after a delayed start.

In this campaign we are continuing with our ‘Add a Dash of Passionfruit’ campaign, with updated messaging and targeting; the focus will be around Always Aussie, Health Hero, Full of Flavour messaging.

The overall strategy is to target consumers at different points on their path to purchase. We will be posting twice a week, per social media platform. In addition to

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the followers who would naturally see our posts, we are investing in paid boosting to support all of our posts. And our posts will be boosted across all seven days to ensure we are reaching our target market at all potential shopping times. Currently, only 1 in 5 households in Australia buy fresh passionfruit according to data published in the Horticulture Statistics Handbook.

Our marketing plan includes a stated goal of increasing the number of households purchasing passionfruit, and to help us to achieve this we will focus on provenance,

health and flavour messaging in PR and Social Media activity. As we have a limited budget, it is important that we focus on a tight target market and really try to influence their behaviour and so this season we are targeting the demographic group known as ‘Independent Singles’ – people who are 35+ years old, have one income, no children and are predominately female – and we will be monitoring campaign performance to ensure we are targeting the right people with the right messages.

PR Plans We have split our PR program into two activities; to support the Summer seasonal volume and then a second campaign targeting the Winter flush. To ensure that Australian passionfruit is a credible healthy choice, we will be working with a recognised and accredited dietician to refresh our health messaging about passionfruit and ensure that we are communicating all of the key nutrient benefits as clearly as possible. Following the supply tsunami that we experienced in June this year and our inability to really respond given we were at the end of the budgetary year, we have decided to retain a contingency amount in the PR budget to support extraordinary events should they arise. We will be preparing the media release for distribution to all relevant food and lifestyle media at the end of this month, with our new recipe content and beautiful photography included. We’ve set ourselves a stretching goal for our PR program this year – we would like to achieve 5 million Opportunities To See (OTS).

Opportunity To See (OTS) is a term which refers to a piece of marketing content – like an advert or an article in a magazine - and the number of exposures or opportunities which the target audience has to see that content.

Health Messaging The health messaging for Australian passionfruit is due for a refresh. To add credibility to the message that Australian passionfruit is healthy, we are working with Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and Fellow of Dietitians Australia, Lisa Yates, who will provide updated health messaging and nutritional credentials for passionfruit following a review of the nutritional composition of the fruit. Lisa has extensive experience and has worked across a number of fresh produce industries including the Australian Tree Nut Industry, Australian avocados, Queensland strawberries and recently the Good Mood Food Nutrition Substantiation Project, which involved developing updated nutrition and health claims for all 70 horticulture commodities. The updated health messaging will be used across all communications, including social media and media outreach, to encourage consumption of Aussie passionfruit by positioning the fruit as a must-have healthy choice for the target audience.

Content Creation To excite and inspire consumers (and media) we will feature fresh new passionfruit content created by recipe developer, food stylist and photographer, Bonnie Coumbe. Bonnie, who regularly shoots content for Harris Farm, will create a suite of new passionfruit content for the campaign, including: — 4 new recipes - transforming quintessential Aussie dishes with a dash of pash (think pavlova boards, lamingtons, Australia Day BBQ dishes), & healthy recipes with Aussie passionfruit that are on trend. These recipes will be used on social media and for media outreach — 1 stop motion video highlighting the health benefits of Aussie passionfruit.

This video will be shared on social media — A collection of fresh produce imagery that will be used for social media & media outreach All this new content will be created to appeal to the Independent Singles audience - healthy foods that don't compromise on taste. The photo shoot is locked in for 14-16 December.

Converting interest in passionfruit to actual purchase It simply isn’t viable to do any in-store sampling activity with COVID-19 restrictions and so we are pivoting to use another tactic to concert that interest in passionfruit into actual purchase of fruit.

We are trialing a new digital mobile media to target shoppers close to the point of purchase.

It’s a little bit ‘big brother’ but you can actually push relevant selected advertising through mobile applications that shoppers use, directly to their phone when they

are in close proximity to a shop where passionfruit is sold. So, we will create a series of Australian passionfruit messages that are then served up in relevant Apps (like Facebook) to active shoppers who are in our target market and are close to a grocery store or fruit shop.

The technology is so precise that adverts can be sent only to demographically selected groups of shoppers when they are really close to specific stores. The benefit here is we can be highly targeted

(type of people, location), as well as timely – to ensure we support peak supply.

This type of approach has already been proven effective in converting shoppers in other fresh produce industries, such as bananas and avocadoes.

We will aim to have our arrangements in place with a suitable digital mobile media supplier in January, to be live for 5 months to support supply across the summer and well into autumn.

For any questions regarding the marketing activities relating to the industries that fall within the Tropical Cluster, contact Hort Innovation Marketing Manager, Ben Woodman ben.woodman@horticulture.com.au

THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2020

7

Widebay Passionvine ursery N Grafted Varieties I Panama Servicing all areas – ­Delivery available

Find us here: 408 Dahls Road, Calavos Qld 4670

p 0429 656 922 e peteandsally4@bigpond.com

www.widebaypassionvinenursery.com.au

MEET OUR NEW INDUSTRY SERVICES MANAGER SACHA HARTY Following Amanda’s advice that she would resign her position as Industry Services Manager at the end of this year, a selection committee was formed to facilitate engagement of a suitable replacement. The selection committee consisted of Amanda, Jane Richter and Cynthia Barbagallo. Following a call to our membership for nominations to fill the position, the panel shortlisted and interviewed two well qualified candidates. The committee subsequently selected Sacha Harty for the role. Sacha will take over from Amanda on 4 January.

Sacha has had extensive experience in sales, services and business administration and her qualifications and experience closely matched the job criteria set by PAI. Her experience was gained with major companies such as Flight Centre, BUPA and Virgin Australia as well as being a proprietor of her own small business. These roles have given her the opportunity to develop strong verbal and written communications skills, along with advanced computer skills. Importantly, for organising our field days and other meetings she has had significant event management experience.

Her qualifications include a Bachelor Design (Visual Communications) Degree and a Certificate III in Business. These qualifications will also allow her to manage our communications programme components, like our E-Newsletters and website. Sacha is no stranger to the passionfruit industry. She lives on a farm at Urliup, just outside Murwillumbah, with her husband Matthew and their two children. This location is in close proximity to a number of farms operated by PAI’s members, including that of Matthew’s parents, Jan and Dennis Chant.

We would like to make Sacha welcome when she joins us in 2021. Amanda is currently organising for a smooth transition and is confident that our membership services will continue uninterrupted during these changes. Please note Sacha’s new telephone number and update your address book.

admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au | 0416 182 033

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THE PERFECT SOLUTION FOR A SENSATIONAL FINISH.

Get better fruit quality for your passionfruit and tropical fruit with exceptional in-crop disease control from Luna® Sensation Fungicide.

• Suits tight harvesting schedule

NEW

Registration

• Aids resistance management • Flexibility to spray over flowering • Complements an IPM strategy For more information visit lunasensation.com.au or speak to your advisor.

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Luna® is a Registered Trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience Pty Ltd ABN 87 000 226 022. Level 1, 8 Redfern Road Hawthorn East VIC 3123, Australia. Technical Enquiries: 1800 804 479 enquiries.australia@bayer.com

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THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2020

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WHAT IS FUNGICIDE RESISTANCE? Resistance by fungal pathogens to fungicides usually evolves following the intensive use of fungicides for disease control. In any fungal population there are likely to be individuals that have some degree of natural resistance and which are less susceptible to fungicides, even before the chemicals are used.

Resistance arises through the incorrect use of fungicides by selection of the resistant forms of fungi. Continued use of a fungicide or fungicide chemical group can result in a significant build-up of resistant individuals in the fungal population — to the point where that particular product, or other products from the same chemical group, is no longer effective.

In some cases, removal of the selection pressure can result in the fungal population regaining its sensitivity to the fungicide group, but this is not always the case.

The risk of fungicide resistance developing varies between different chemical groups and different fungal pathogens, such that specific strategies are recommended for those situations considered to carry the highest risk.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT OR DELAY RESISTANCE?

In Australia, all fungicide products are labelled to identify which activity group they belong to. The activity group is indicated by a number (or letter/number combination) code on the product label.

GROUP

11

FUNGICIDE

GROUP

M1

FUNGICIDE

Selecting the most effective or appropriate way to apply fungicides will make them work better and assist in delaying the development of resistance. A good understanding of the pathogen’s life cycle and epidemiology will also help in the selection of the most appropriate application method.

The most common approach to managing fungicide resistance is through responsible use of fungicides, of which the resistance management strategies presented by Crop Life are good examples.

As a general rule, targeted applications to control a certain development stage or population level are most effective, whereas shotgun approaches like application of fungicides through irrigation systems could accelerate the development of resistance by exposing a large portion of the fungal population to sub-lethal rates.

In their most basic form, these strategies advocate rotation of fungicide products with a different chemical activity group to prevent over-use of any one product or activity group.

Particular attention should be given to label recommendations, rates and coverage. Adherence to suggested disease threshold levels is also good resistance management practice.

CROP LIFE HAS A RECOMMENDED RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR ONE OF THE MOST COMMON FUNGAL ISSUES IN PASSIONFRUIT PRODUCTION — ALTERNATA SPOT RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR: Disease(s): Alternata Spot (Alternaria spp.)

Group 2 Dicarboximide (acronym); and Group 11 Quinone outside Inhibitors (QoI).

1. Maintain a protective cover with a protectant fungicide such as mancozeb.

2. Limit the use of Group 2 to strategic periods, i.e. before, during and after extended wet periods.

3. Always tank mix the Group 2 fungicide with a protectant such as mancozeb.

4. Do not apply more than four Group 2 sprays in a season.

5. The total number of Group 11 sprays should be no more than one-third of the total number of fungicide sprays per season.

6. Do not apply more than two consecutive applications of a Group 11 spray.

7. If two consecutive applications of a Group 11 spray are applied, they must be followed by at least the same number of sprays from an alternative chemical group.

CropLife Australia represents the innovators, developers, manufacturers, formulators and registrants of crop protection and ag-biotechnology products. CropLife is a not-for-profit organisation, wholly funded by membership fees.

Find out more at www.croplife.org.au

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The actives listed in this table are registered for use in Passionfruit or are covered by a current minor use permit. Always refer to the product label for application rates & information about withholding periods

ACTIVE

PEST/DISEASE

ACTIVITY GROUP

NO. OF PRODUCTS AVAILABLE

AZOXYSTROBIN

Alternaria Leaf Spot (Alternaria Spp.)

GROUP

11

FUNGICIDE

53

PYRACLOSTROBIN

Anthracnose (Colletotrichum Spp.), Septoria Spot (Septoria Passiflorae)

GROUP

11

FUNGICIDE

1

PHOSPHOROUS ACID

Phytophthora Stem Canker

GROUP

M1

FUNGICIDE

1

COPPER (CU) PRESENT AS HYDROXIDE

Phytophthora Stem Canker

GROUP

M1

FUNGICIDE

9

COPPER (CU) PRESENT AS COPPER AMMONIUM COMPLEX

Phytophthora Stem Canker

GROUP

M1

FUNGICIDE

2

COPPER (CU) PRESENT AS TRIBASIC COPPER SULPHATE

Phytophthora Stem Canker

GROUP

M1

FUNGICIDE

3

COPPER AS COPPER AMMONIUM ACETATE

Phytophthora Stem Canker

GROUP

M1

FUNGICIDE

2

COPPER PRESENT AS COPPER OXYCHLORIDE

Brown Spot (Alternaria Passiflorae), Septoria Spot (Septoria Passiflorae)

GROUP

M1

FUNGICIDE

19

FLUOPYRAM | TRIFLOXYSTROBIN

Brown Spot (Alternaria Passiflorae), Septoria Spot (Septoria Passiflorae), Anthracnose (Colletotrichum Spp.) Stem End Rot

GROUP

7,11 FUNGICIDE

IPRODIONE

Brown Spot (Alternaria Passiflorae), Septoria Spot (Septoria Passiflorae), Alternaria Spp.

GROUP

2

FUNGICIDE

34

MANCOZEB

Brown Spot (Alternaria Passiflorae), Septoria Spot (Septoria Passiflorae)

GROUP

M3

FUNGICIDE

40

COPPER (CU) PRESENT AS HYDROXIDE + MANCOZEB

Anthracnose (Colletotrichum Spp.) Stem End Rot

GROUP

M1 M3

FUNGICIDE

1

MANCOZEB + ZN AS EDTA

Brown Spot (Alternaria Passiflorae), Septoria Spot (Septoria Passiflorae) Anthracnose (NSW Only)

GROUP

M3

FUNGICIDE

1

1

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THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2020

13

NEW NATIONAL PASSIONFRUIT

BREEDING PROGRAM (PF19000)

BY DR CATHERINE NOCK, SCU

THE NEXT PHASE PROJECT OVERVIEW The next phase of the National Passionfruit Breeding and Evaluation Program has been recently contracted to continue breeding research to deliver new varieties for Australian growers.

The program has been led by Dr Peter Bundock and a research team at Southern Cross University since 2016.

The new 5-year project is funded by Hort Innovation using the passionfruit research and development levy, and funds from the Australian Government, and supported by contributions from Southern Cross University.

As most of you will know, the main scion varieties of passionfruit grown in Australia – Sweetheart and Misty Gem - have been propagated by tip cuttings for some years and a number of problems have been reported including reduced fruit size and yield compared to the original selections,

1

The new project will continue and expand on the first phase of the breeding program building on the expertise and resources developed over the past four years.

The project will concentrate mainly on scion variety breeding and aims to produce, select and evaluate new high yielding scion varieties for Australian passionfruit growers.

Some initial work aimed at producing a new Panama line will also be commenced.

As part of this new phase, the project will continue to engage with growers through field walks, presentations, industry news articles, and will seek input from a project reference group of growers to steer priorities towards grower needs.

BROAD OBJECTIVES — Field trialling program designed to select the best performing varieties for growers. Early-stage trial vines (1st and 2nd stage – see Breeding Cycle for selecting scion varieties) will be evaluated primarily at Alstonville, with advanced selections trialled,

where possible, across the three main growing regions of Northern New South Wales/South East Queensland, Wide Bay region and North Queensland.

— Performance data collected for advanced material for grower information.

— Production of partially inbred selections with the aim of producing a purple Panama.

— Maintain arboretum and expand the seed bank to preserve important germplasm.

— Establish a Breeding Management System for data acquisition, long-term storage and analysis.

— PhD student project with scholarship provided by Southern Cross University: — D etermine which parent scion varieties produce the best progeny by estimating breeding values based on important traits. These best parents then used to produce larger numbers of progeny for the selection of a future variety.

— S tudy of genetic variation for fruit shelf life.

2

Figure 1. Dr Peter Bundock and Dr Catherine Nock at the Centre for Tropical Horticulture Alstonville trial site.

14

more frequent blind-tipping and also problems with finding suitable tips for grafting due to thinner tips.

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

Figure 2. One of the promising 2nd stage selections from the breeding program

BREEDING CYCLE FOR SELECTING SCION VARIETIES Novel germplasm

Test new selections as parents

Elite germplasm — these have been evaluated as the best parents (highest breeding value) from a founding group

CROSSES

PHENOTYPING:

STAGE 1: Grafted seedlings from crosses, grown and assessed at a single site — one season

Traits in breeding goal measured in subset of stage 1 progeny.

SELECTION ONE: Field assessment sheet for discarding 95%

STAGE 2: 1 season, multiple clones, 2+ local sites

SELECTION TWO: # VINES/ SELECTION

STAGE 3: 2 seasons, 3 regions

Index scores and fruit quality parameters

# LOCATIONS SELECTION THREE:

ADVANCED SELECTIONS

Measure traits in breeding goal at home site. Index scores elsewhere.

Traits in breeding goal: e.g. estimated yield of first grade fruit, fruit disease impact, weight/fruit size, pulp pH, etc.

Field assessment sheet: Scored as Acceptable or Not; vine health, shell colour, fruit size, pulp fullness, flavour, shell thickness, disease free, blemish free, productivity.

Index score: All traits scored in the field — visual vine and in the fruit quality. Measured from 0—9.

Fruit quality parameters: Colour, weight, size, total acidity, pH, sweetness (BRIX)

THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2020

15

PROJECT TEAM The ongoing research team includes Dr Peter Bundock, Associate Professor Tobias Kretzschmar, Frances Eliott and Will Petrie. Management of the project will be transferred to Dr Cathy Nock in mid-2021 following an extended transition period to ensure the security of project data, background information, germplasm and technical expertise.

Cathy is a research fellow at Southern Cross University. She has lived in the Northern Rivers of NSW for over 25 years and her main research interest is subtropical horticulture. Cathy is a geneticist with expertise in pre-breeding and breeding

research, data and project management, and germplasm conservation.

RECENT PROJECT UPDATE (NOVEMBER 2020)

She has successfully led Hort Innovation macadamia research projects and is a collaborator on the Australian macadamia breeding program.

Over the past month 300 first stage seedlings have been planted mostly at the Centre for Tropical Horticulture trial site at Alstonville.

Together, the Southern Cross University team has knowledge of the current passionfruit breeding methods and industry requirements along with a commitment to applying new methods to create new opportunities for producing passionfruit varieties into the future. Cathy is looking forward to meeting growers over the coming months and to working with the passionfruit industry.

These are from cross pollinations of select parents that were carried out by the team last summer.

The Alstonville trial site also contains replicates of promising 2nd stage selections and an arboretum with diverse germplasm.

3

4a

4b

Figure 3. Fruit from one of the promising 2nd stage selections from the breeding program Figure 4. Alstonville trial site and arboretum (a) September 2020 (b) November 2020, planting new grafted 1st stage seedlings and 2nd stage selections.

16

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

COVID-19 IS NOT OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM 2020 has been one hell of a year no matter where you live on the planet. The focus on COVID-19 and the ways in which it has disrupted our lives, has served to distract many from what has now become almost a crisis in the passionfruit industry. We are facing a set of challenges that will not go away when COVID-19 does.

WHAT ARE THESE CHALLENGES? — What do the major retailers want from growers?

— Quality variability causes confusion — What could happen if we don’t make some changes?

The swings in market supply of passionfruit have always been there, but they have recently become more extreme than ever.

The old wisdom of three major flushes a year still holds true, but in the last 2-3 years those flushes have been all over the place in timing and scale.

Yes, we have had some extreme conditions in major growing regions; 2019 summer and across autumn in FNQ there was barely a dry day until well into June wreaking havoc on the growing cycles up there; 2019 winter and spring in Bundaberg, SEQ and NNSW the drought was so extreme that several growers simply ran out of water; and now soil borne disease pressure is causing some growers to get up out of the ground and grow in substrate.

WHAT DO THE MAJOR RETAILERS WANT FROM GROWERS? For their business model to work efficiently, they need at least 6 weeks advance notice of major changes in supply levels on any fresh produce item that they range.

They work their promotional cycles out 4-6 months in advance, their catalogue specials are locked in at 6 weeks’ out and even their ability to put in last minute local promotions has been largely removed. Simply put – they need really good communication to come from their suppliers so that they can plan effectively.

Ideally, they would like a consistent supply all year round that sits within a quite narrow price band, with the ability to promote the category a couple of times a year at key consumption periods.

And they would like to keep their category waste – the fruit that literally doesn’t get sold and is thrown away – at a very low level (<5%).

What do they get in passionfruit? Very erratic supply with little to no notice of when supply levels are changing dramatically, cost price variation which stretches all the way from 20c per piece of fruit to extremes of $1.40 per piece and a wastage level that sometimes peaks at over 30%.

And recently, the fruit varieties that have been coming into the market are so inconsistent in size, colour and flavour that most buyers have no idea what a good passionfruit is anymore, even though some of the newer varieties taste incredible.

Selling Passionfruit is a lot of hassle.

When the sales price reaches over $100 per box (for example as it did in November 2020 on size 100 purples) it becomes very difficult to meet market expectations. The major retailers pull back on their ranging by removing larger multipacks from everywhere, stopping selling altogether stores in lower socioeconomic areas and only really keeping single units of passionfruit in stores where tropical fruits continue to sell well.

Back in June of this year, the supply volumes that came into the market from every single growing region – all at once - were of such a huge scale that the only way that kind of volume could be shifted was to ask the major retailers – Coles, Woolworths and Aldi - to put in a series of really hot price promotions across states and across a few weeks.

Without their cooperation, the fruit would simply have sat and rotted, resulting in very poor grower returns.

One grower invested a lot of personal time contacting the news media to alert people about the scale of the ‘tsunami’ of fruit that was on its way through the supply chain.

It was this media attention that helped to persuade the supermarkets to take action and support promotional activity to move the volumes through the supply chain.

The scale of the volume that came all at once was well above any winter flush ever experienced before, and hopefully will not be experienced again.

“In 14 years of handling passionfruit, this is the lowest point I’ve seen for passionfruit.

Confidence throughout the supply chain is very low – from the consumer all the way back to the first point of wholesale” says Aidan Hutton from JE Tipper in Sydney.

“I’m also very encouraged by the positive feedback that I also get from customers about just how loyal Aussie passionfruit consumers are, and with the new 5-year contract for our Breeding Program now signed and the next generation of trial vines already in the ground, I am optimistic that we will have new varieties in the market in the next few years.”

We cannot emphasise enough how critical it is that you talk to your agent really frequently about your harvest, what is likely to come and when.

Even if you think your volume is a tiny proportion of your agents’ total supply, it is critical that you communicate.

If five growers all send a pallet of fruit at once without prior warning then none will get good prices as your agent will have to do deals to shift volume he or she was not expecting – and it’s the growers who then miss out.

QUALITY VARIABILITY CAUSES CONFUSION Aidan has never seen so many different shapes and colours of fruit in a single box as what has been appearing over the last two years. When it is labelled as ‘passionfruit’ but looks nothing like the dark purple passionfruit that market buyers are used to, it is a big ask to expect an agent to be able to sell it with good price returns.

Buyers are complete creatures of habit, and without some good supporting communication accompanying the newer varieties to help them understand why these new passionfruit are ‘better, special, different’ there is simply not the confidence across the market to buy. There are only so many excuses an agent can use like its ‘just a phase in the growing cycle’ or ‘the blotchy colour is because of a particularly wet patch in the growing region’.

THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2020

17

Tempting as it is when prices are ridiculously high, an issue early in the season like picking fruit too early when it is not mature and sending it to market not only creates a poor-quality impression for the buyer who falls for that trick, it can turn off consumers from re-purchasing passionfruit for at least 6 weeks after having a poor experience.

Given that only 19% of Australian households ever buy passionfruit it’s important not to lose people because of poor quality.

The bottom line is that the buyer dictates the price they are prepared to pay and judges fruit quality on what they are used to buying – looking for the same size, skin colour, sweetness and pulp volume.

To attract a really premium price in the market, a passionfruit needs to be a genuine purple – fully dark purple in colour and in the desirable size range of 90-120. When a variety looks similar to a Panama or Pandora and is overly large for a Purple, it attracts Panama money which for sizes 70-90 is significantly lower than the purple price.

No one is saying that this is right or wrong, it simply is the reality of the perception in the markets today and the resulting pricing.

WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF WE DON’T MAKE SOME CHANGES? Did you know that a grower in Vanuatu has planted 30,000 passionfruit vines with foreign direct investment funding?

The plantation is geared to supply all year round with a potential eye on the Australian domestic market from October to December. Although there is currently no market access protocol for entry of fresh passionfruit into Australia, if interested parties lobbied hard enough and the Australian Government had something that they wanted in return from Vanuatu then a deal is potentially there to be done. These things take a number of years to happen, but the possibility exists.

Another possibility is that one or more of the major retailers simply decide that trying to have passionfruit for sale all year round is just too hard and they cut back their ranging of passionfruit to the peak availability periods only and don’t bother for the rest of the year. Over 30% of the sales could vanish overnight if just one retailer takes this path.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN FOR THE FUTURE TO BE BRIGHTER FOR ALL? Fundamentally, the industry needs to rebuild confidence within the supply chain – especially with the major retailers.

18

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

Passionfruit are in the top 5 in volume sales in the Tropical fruit category for Woolworths for example, but they are so difficult to keep in good supply, with a reasonable price and good consistent quality that they could easily simply walk away from ranging them all year round.

COMMUNICATE REGULARLY WITH YOUR AGENT, especially when you are starting and finishing your harvest.

Focus on the quality and consistency of the product that you send to the market, ensure that you chill the fruit thoroughly before despatch and if you have a new variety that looks a bit different to what people expect, then create a story for your fruit and share it with your agent and buyers – explain what makes it better, special, different.

As an industry WE NEED TO PROMOTE GROWTH across the board; a growth in the volume of good quality fruit produced, a growth in the number of consumers who regularly buy our fruit and a growth in the consumption of passionfruit.

We must not be afraid that more volume will have bad outcomes for all. There is huge scope for growth with the consumption of passionfruit.

When the publicity happened over the tsunami of fruit in June, the consistent piece of consumer feedback was that they wanted to buy more passionfruit, but $1.50 per piece was simply too much. There will be a magic price at which sales will significantly increase, providing quality is consistently good, and we need to find that magic price.

For growers to continue to be able to farm profitably there needs to be a serious look at how MECHANISATION AND EFFICIENCY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY can be introduced to reduce the labour costs that are spiralling further out of control.

The Breeding Program is focused on delivering new varieties that can improve yield, build disease resistance and reduce the need for so much preventative spraying.

The Regional Field Day program should be able to return in 2021 so make sure you attend the day held in your area to access the latest information from within the industry.

TALK TO YOUR FELLOW LOCAL GROWERS AND SHARE IDEAS – you are not competing with each other – the battle for passionfruit is much bigger than that – you’re competing with all the other products that a shopper could buy instead of passionfruit and all the other fruit that retailers could range instead of passionfruit.

Those are the real threats to the future.

NURSERY UPDATES Arbour Grove There is an old saying "if it was easy everyone would be doing it".

Certainly not the case with growing passionfruit!

Our two main varieties we grow, Misty Gem and Sweetheart, when released to industry had a new problem in blind tipping.

As most growers realise, this presents a problem as nursery costs are substantially higher in producing a plant free of blind tipping and even then, when vines are first planted out by growers some vines will go blind within a short period of time.

Efforts to get the vine to grow such as snipping off the blind tip and allowing a new shoot to grow is the best option barring replanting the vine.

This can cause loss of vine growth when the vine is young.

Unfortunately, the blind tipping also occurs throughout the life of the vine, thus reducing production.

Efforts to reduce or eliminate the blind tipping have been unsuccessful as it appears to be a genetic problem.

In some years, the incidence of blind tipping appears to be worse than others. This year has been particularly bad for the problem to the extent that we now have nurseries deciding not to supply Misty Gem and Sweetheart vine varieties.

Cool nights have also increased the incidence of virus in the tips of vines. Fortunately, the vines affected with the virus usually grow out as the weather warms up.

Also, mature vine loss due to root diseases such as phytophthora and fusarium wilt disease are continuing to be a major problem.

There appears to be only one solution to blind tipping and that is the development of new varieties.

The industry project and individuals are attempting the develop new varieties for the industry.

For orders, please contact Megan Crowhurst on 0417 622 908 or megancrowhurst@hotmail.com

Widebay Passionvine Nursery It’s no secret that we are no longer doing Mistry Gem or Sweetheart varieties. They are just not financially viable for us to produce.

Both Misty Gem and Sweetheart varieties have a genetic issue that they throw blind tips – we think brought on by plant stress – and nothing is more stressful for a plant than the process of taking a scion tip for grafting.

In 80% of cases those blind tips once cut off will re-shoot and keep on going, but the other 20% will keep on throwing blind tips and there is nothing that can be done.

It has never really been viable for us to produce the Sweetheart variety.

We have Pandora that are true-to-type, and we keep the line clean by hand pollination. This helps to ensure that growers will get the variety that they expect. Our nursery service includes delivery to farm – an incredibly valuable option for time-poor farmers.

We can also provide growing and grafting services for a farms’ owned cultivars on request – we’re used to following all of the intellectual property protection processes like non-propagation and material transfer agreements.

With Sweetheart, the growing region is really the Sunshine Coast and further south, and to travel to that area to collect tips for grafting was expensive, and the plants themselves just didn’t seem to thrive in the Bundaberg area.

All orders need to be placed by 1st April for September/October plantings and 1st July for December/ January plantings, but if you have any questions at all please give Peter a call on 0429 656 922.

Blind tip on grafted purple variety

Young grafted plants delivered and ready for planting

McLeod Nursery John & Vicki operate a specialist passionfruit nursery in northern NSW offering grafted purple varieties suitable for cultivation in NSW and South East Queensland.

All grafted plants are grown on approved rootstock in 100mm pots, staked and provided ready to plant.

Collection preferred although delivery can be arranged at buyers’ cost. Give John and Vicki a call to discuss your requirements. 02 6672 3503 or vickinjohn@live.com.au

THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2020

19

Member Update

AGM 2020 PRESIDENT'S REPORT DENNIS CHANT Thank you to those members who have navigated through the complexities of Zoom to join us today. Our inability to meet face to face truly reflects the very unusual times in which our industry has operated for the last eight months.

It was disappointing to have to cancel the extensive program of field days and regional grower gatherings that had been scheduled during this period.

Your feedback to PAI in the past has highlighted the value our members obtain from the formal presentations and the informal exchanges of information that occur at these gatherings.

Travel restrictions also precluded your committee members from meeting in person. However, regular meetings of the committee were held via video and teleconferencing facilities.

I would like to acknowledge the time and input from the members of the committee made up of Cynthia Barbagallo, Jane Richter, Brad Millard, Aidan Hutton, Ty Dan, Matt James and Jared Agostinelli.

A special thanks to Amanda Roy, our Industry Services Manager, who ably managed our administrative and financial affairs during the crisis.

Jane Richter will not be nominating for a committee role this year as she has made the difficult decision to leave our industry.

A united and confident passionfruit industry that is vibrant, innovative, profitable and sustainable.

Since the last AGM our industry was first challenged by severe drought conditions and now the restrictions imposed by various levels of government in response to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The underlying premise of our strategic plan is still relevant in the challenging environment in which we operate at the moment. The impacts of the pandemic have certainly focussed governments, and the population generally, on the need to secure reliable and adequate fresh food supplies for the nation.

Whilst there have been constraints imposed on horticultural production this newfound awareness of the value of high quality, locally sourced produce provides an opportunity for all participants in our supply chain to capitalise on this opportunity.

POSTHARVEST BEST PRACTICE GUIDE All members of the passionfruit industry have received a copy of the Postharvest Best Practice Guide. Today we also had the opportunity to hear from its author, Dr Jenny Ekman.

Jane’s expertise will not be entirely lost to passionfruit growers as she will still deliver the current Communications Program until it finishes in September 2021.

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

Hort innovation has just finalised the contract for the five-year extension of this project and the scope of the new project has a very tight focus on delivering new varieties suitable for the major growing regions.

The five-year timeframe will allow for significant advances to be planned and achieved. There will be strong continuity from the previous program as well as the injection of another highly experienced plant breeder.

The efforts of Peter Bundock and the team at SCU together with all of the growers who volunteered to plant and raise trial vines under the earlier program has been of great benefit towards the goal of successfully delivering new varieties that will sustain our industry into the future.

Full details of the new project can be found on PAGES 14 – 16.

COMMUNICATIONS PROJECT The Communications Project is an important mechanism to unite and inform PAI’s membership and the wider industry.

SCHOLARSHIPS PAI has been proactive in fostering skills development within our industry.

STRATEGIC PLAN

20

The initial breeding project undertaken

by Southern Cross University ended on 30 June 2020. The continuation and timely success of this project is important to the profitability and sustainability of our industry.

This project is funded directly from our levies and delivered by PAI through Jane Richter and Amanda Roy. This project delivers our key communications programs including the website, The Passion Vine, the Passiflora e-newsletter and the field days. The current project extends to September 2021 and options for the next program beyond that date are currently being explored.

In her role as Vice President, Jane has been a great support to Amanda and the rest of the committee. She was our representative at the weekly Coronavirus Briefings (19 held to date) organised by Queensland Horticulture.

At our last AGM on the Sunshine Coast our then President, Tina McPherson, made reference to our newly prepared Strategic Plan. This plan was finalised after input from our membership and was a blueprint for the future of our industry. It was from this plan that PAI initiated a program to unite the industry to allow it to go forward consistent with its mission:

BREEDING PROGRAM

This guide is an important tool for our industry to improve and maintain the quality of our fruit from the grower to the consumer and consistent with the aspirations in our mission above.

Both directly and through sponsorships, a number of scholarships were awarded over the last twelve months: — Wayne Dellaway from Glasshouse Mountains completed the five-day course on soil nutrition at NutriTech Solutions at Yandina on the Sunshine Coast;

— Ross Baker from Ayr is studying a distance education course on soil management sponsored by Samsons.

BIOSECURITY Following a resolution passed at the 2018 AGM, PAI has become a signatory to the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed under a program managed by Plant Health Australia.

As required under this deed, PAI is developing a Biosecurity Statement.

This deed nominates representatives from PAI for various roles and PHA provides training to assist the association representatives fulfil their responsibilities.

GET INVOLVED Passionfruit Australia Inc. (PAI) is the peak industry body representing passionfruit growers in Australia HOW TO JOIN PASSIONFRUIT AUSTRALIA BECOMING A MEMBER GIVES YOU:

— Access to projects funded by PAI or through competitive grants which provide funds outside of the existing levy system — Grower alerts about immediate threats to your business from weather or pest events provided by our Management Committee

— Representation by an industry body who has your interests as its only priority — Access to useful tools and special deals developed exclusively for members

HORT INNOVATION PAI maintains a close working relationship with Hort Innovation particularly for our breeding, marketing and communications programs. For the last eight months our interaction with PAI has been limited to electronic communications. These constraints and the turnover of industry liaison staff within Hort Innovation have been less than optimal in getting the working relationship to where it needs to be. As restrictions are eased, we are hopeful that the partnership will develop in a fruitful manner to the benefit of our industry.

In closing, I would like to express our appreciation to everybody who has contributed to maintaining the health of our industry through the ups and downs of the last twelve months.

With a return to more normal times, we looked forward to reinvigorating our industry networking program and building on our digital communications initiatives that have held us together under lockdowns and other constraints.

It is important that our members maximise the use of the information exchanged through our various communication channels and proactively take the time to register your requirements with PAI and join in our exchanges of information.

All growers are encouraged to look at the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of our industry by nominating for a committee role or contributing to our field day discussions and online forums.

Wishing our members the best for the next twelve months and hopefully we will have a chance to meet in person in the near future.

Best Regards, Dennis Chant

MEMBERSHIP RATES | 2020/21 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 3 months of the start of the fiscal year.

Associate Members receive a 20% discount on advertising packages which include more than one advertising insertion.

HOW TO JOIN HORT INNOVATION IT IS FREE TO JOIN AND BECOMING A MEMBER GIVES YOU:

— 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.

To join, visit www.horticulture.com.au/membership-application-form

The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways.

JOHN F. KENNEDY

Passionfruit

MANGO & STRAWBERRY PAVLOVA ROLL SERVES 8 PREP 15 mins COOKS 20 mins

INGREDIENTS • 1 tablespoon passion fruit pulp • 4 egg whites • 1/4 cup (165g) caster sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence • 1 teaspoon white vinegar • 1 teaspoon cornflour • 1/2 cup (25g) flaked coconut • 300ml greek style yoghurt • 3 medium mangoes, thinly sliced • 12 medium strawberries, thinly sliced

METHOD

Step 1

Preheat the oven to moderately slow (160°C/140°C fan-forced). Grease a 25cm x 30 cm Swiss roll pan and place a piece of baking paper so that it covers the base and extends over the two opposite sides of the Swiss roll pan. Beat the egg whites in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add the sugar, beating until dissolved between additions. Fold in the vanilla, vinegar and cornflour.

Step 2

Spread the mixture into the prepared pan; sprinkle with the coconut. Bake on the lower shelf of a moderately slow oven for about 20 minutes or until the meringue is browned lightly.

Step 3

Meanwhile, cover a wire rack with a sheet of baking paper. Invert the meringue onto the paper, then remove the lining paper. Allow to cool, coconut-side down.

Step 4

Spread yoghurt over the cooled meringue. Top with mango slices.

Step 5

Roll the meringue firmly from the long side, using baking paper to guide the meringue as it rolls. Serve sliced and drizzle with passion fruit pulp and extra mango slices.

TIP: RECIPE CAN BE MADE 6 HOURS AHEAD.