The Passion Vine Winter 2020

WINTER 2020

YOUR LEVY: Where does it go?

PAGE 7

CHEMICAL SUCCESS

Well done Hort Innovation PAGE 8–9

WHAT TO DO IF COVID-19 STRIKES YOUR FARM PAGE 12 –13

FROM PADDOCK TO PAVLOVA PAGE 18 –21

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

SPECIALISING IN

Passionfruit, Pawpaw, Bananas & Limes P PROFESSIONALISM P MARKETING P COMMUNICATION P LOGISTICS

P TRADE TERMS P QUALITY PRODUCT P FOOD SAFETY P PERSONAL CONTACT

CONTACT

BRISBANE

SYDNEY

P: 07 3379 1041

P: 07 9763 1323

Railing No. 5 Block C Brisbane Markets

Stand 189/190 B Shed Sydney Markets

Sean Russell Aidan Hutton 0418 158 331 0419 700 278 sean@jetipper.com.au aidan@jetipper.com.au

EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY FRESH FOODS & SERVICE | WWW.JETIPPER.COM.AU

MEET THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE PRESIDENT Dennis Chant Murwillambah NSW 0412 616 747 adennischant@gmail.com

VICE-PRESIDENT Jane Richter Glass House Mountains QLD 07 5438 7662 jane@chorizotrading.com

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

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

CONTENTS

02 PRESIDENT'S REPORT 04 REGIONAL ROUND-UP 06 ATO SCAM WARNING 07 MY LEVY MATTERS 08 CHEMICAL UPDATE 10 MARKETING UPDATE CENTRE SPREAD COVID-19 AT THE WORKPLACE

14 COVID-19: MANAGING WORKERS 17 EVENT NEWS: FIELD DAY, AGM & DINNER 18 FROM PADDOCK TO PAVLOVA 22 RAPID GENERATION PROJECT: UPDATE

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

MEET THE CAMPBELLS

16

Wherever you see this logo, the initiative is part of the Hort Innovation Passionfruit Fund. Like this publication itself, it has been funded by Hort Innovation using the passionfruit levy and, in the case of R&D, with contributions from the Australian Government. Some projects also involve funding from additional sources.

ADMINISTRATION & MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES Amanda Roy

DISCLAIMER The advice and opinions in the articles published in The Passion Vine are essentially those of contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Passionfruit Australian Incorporated, the Editor or Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation). The advice is at the reader’s own risk, and no responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of the material presented. Inclusion of an advertisement in this publication does not necessarily imply endorsement of the product, company or service by Passionfruit Australia Incorporated, the Editor or Hort Innovation.

0427 833 281 admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

Copyright © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2019 Copyright subsists in The Passion Vine. Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation) owns the copyright, other than as permitted under the Copyright ACT 1968 (Cth). The Passion Vine (in part or as a whole) cannot be reproduced, published, communicated or adapted without the prior written consent of Hort Innovation.

Any request or enquiry to use The Passion Vine should be addressed to: Level 7, 141 Walker Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia

Hort Innovation makes no representations and expressly disclaims all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or currency of information in The Passion Vine. E: communications@horticulture.com.au | P: 02 8295 2300 Reliance on any information provided by Hort Innovation is entirely at your own risk.

Hort Innovation is not responsible for, and will not be liable for, any loss, damage, claim, expense, cost (including legal costs) or other liability arising in any way, including from any Hort Innovation or other person’s negligence or otherwise from your use or non-use of The Passion Vine or from reliance on information contained in the material or that Hort Innovation provides to you by any other means.

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2020

1

PRESIDENT'S REPORT DENNIS CHANT

Dear Readers,

It is an interesting exercise to compose a report which is not superseded before it is printed during national emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic that is currently upon us. In my first two reports reference was made to the need to enhance the resilience of our businesses in the face of our recent experiences with drought, fires and then flooding. The presence of Coronavirus in Australia coincided with the publication of the last edition of The Passion Vine so it earned only a brief mention. No doubt there will be further significant developments by the time this report is published, and our resilience again tested.

All our readers have no doubt been affected in some way under the national response to the outbreak. Most commentators predict that, post recovery, there will be quite noticeable changes to the way our economy and society operate. For our growers, we can build on the new consumer awareness of the importance of the national food supply chain and how well Australian primary industries responded to a major spike in demand for quality, fresh, local produce.

Whilst the gradual removal of restrictions varies from state to state, the forecast increase in activity in the food service industry should see the demand for passionfruit be sustained. Fortunately, our national response to this crisis was timely and well-funded. Hopefully, this means our economy and demand for our product will stabilise relatively quickly.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the Secretariat in keeping you informed of developments associated with the pandemic (and other contemporary challenges such as the worrying spread of the Fall Armyworm). Jane has represented our interests at the weekly horticulture industry briefings organised by Growcom, the Queensland Department of Agriculture communications group meetings, the Hort Council and many other forums. Relevant information from those briefings has been passed on to members.

It is disappointing that Regional Field Days and other industry events have had to be postponed or cancelled but, hopefully, we can get good participation at our Annual General Meeting and Field Day to be held in Murwillumbah on Saturday 17th October.

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We will be joined by Dr Jenny Ekman who has authored our Best Practice Guide to Postharvest treatment of passionfruit and for anyone who has heard Jenny speak she is very engaging and easy to understand – don’t miss her talk about postharvest management.

Jane Richter will also be presenting the new grading tools that are being developed for all growers to use and would welcome everyone’s feedback before the final versions go to into production. Plus there are two farm walks in the afternoon before we all sit down for a beer and a nice dinner at the Golf Club on Saturday night. I hope to see as many growers there as possible as this looks like our only chance to get together this year.

Your Committee has continued to hold regular meetings during the last few months and all members have developed new skills in navigating through video-conferencing tools such as Zoom. The Committee, in consultation with Hort Innovation, has facilitated the provision of up-to-date crop information to guide the timing of our consumer marketing program to coincide with an anticipated increase in supply.

In addition to these marketing initiatives, the Committee and Secretariat continues to liaise with Hort Innovation during the tender process for our plant breeding program.

This is our most important project and a number of growers are actively involved in current trials.

The last twelve months have been testing times for most of our growers and recovery a difficult process. Under the circumstances, it is rewarding to see new members joining our ranks. July is the renewal time for our Association membership, and it is more important than ever that growers and industry stakeholders continue to support the Association as paid up members. In the last twelve months, we have continued to provide value to our members over and above the levy that all commercial growers pay through initiatives such as the Noel Day Scholarship Programme, our online grower forum and our supplier giveaways.

Thank you for your continued support of Passionfruit Australia and I look forward to catching up at our events when travel and other restrictions are eased further or, hopefully, removed altogether.

Best Regards, Dennis Chant

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

— Potential im pact of this plan is $ Based on a n est total invest imated ment of $ from 2017 to 2021 —

9.7m

1.84m

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

_______________________ CHEMICAL UPDATE

PAGE 10

PAGE 8

_______________________ PF16003: 2020 PAI AGM with a bonus Regional Field Day

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

POST HARVEST PAGE 18-21

PAGE 17

UNDERSTANDING LEVIES

__________________________________________________ RAPID CYCLE BREEDING PROJECT PAGE 22

FARM SHED POSTER SERIES: COVID-19 What to do if an employee gets sick PAGE 12-13

PAGE 7

WARNING – COVID-19 SCAM:

Requesting bank account details for the JobKeeper payment The Australian Tax Office (ATO) is receiving reports of scammers pretending to be from the ATO calling members of the public and asking them to provide their bank account details.

They are telling them that their employer has registered them for the JobKeeper Payment, but that the ATO needs their bank account details to deposit the funds into their account.

Do not provide the information requested. Employees that are eligible for JobKeeper payments will be paid by their employer and the ATO will reimburse their employer for these payments. The ATO does not need the bank account details of individual employees.

IF YOU ARE NOT SURE WHETHER AN ATO CALL IS LEGITIMATE, HANG UP AND PHONE THE ATO ON 1800 008 540 TO CHECK. You can view current scam alerts at: www.ato.gov.au/General/Online-services/Identity-security/Scam-alerts & tips on how to verify and report a scam at: www.ato.gov.au/general/online-services/identity-security/verify-or-report-a-scam

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2020

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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 FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

— Tenth-warmest February on record for Australia, in terms of mean temperature

— Both mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures above average for Australia as a whole

— Nationally, April was the fifth warmest on record for Australia. The mean temperature was amongst the ten warmest on record for April for Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland

— Mean maximum temperature above to very much above average for much of northern Australia — Nationally, February rainfall was 11% above average. Rainfall was above average for NSW, and 104% above the long-term average, making it that State's wettest February since 2012, and its wettest month since September 2016

— March rainfall slightly below average for the country as a whole — Rainfall below average for much of the northern tropics and parts of eastern Queensland

— Rainfall below average for the west and south of Western Australia, much of eastern Queensland, and parts of coastal New South Wales

RAINFALL OUTLOOK JUL-SEP 2020 CHANCE OF EXCEEDING THE MEDIAN RAINFALL

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 28 May 2020)

— Winter days are likely to be warmer than average across northern and eastern Australia and winter nights are very likely to be warmer than average nationwide.

— Winter (June to August) is likely to be wetter than average for most of Australia (mostly 60–80% chance).

— Similarly, July to September is also likely to be wetter than average for most of the southern two-thirds of the continent (60–75% chance).

LONG TERM AVERAGE RAINFALL (mm) WEATHER STATIONS

APR

MAY

JUN

Mareeba

5.6

7.2

4.4

Bundaberg

38.6

33.6

35

Sunshine Coast Airport

63.6

73

52.9

Murwillumbah

59.6

53.1

40

GROWER REPORTS FAR NORTH QLD

FAR NORTH QLD

(Mareeba, Daintree, Cooktown)

COVID-19 changed the world. A change in the weather could turn a passionfruit grower’s world upside down. Luckily the weather right across the northern growing district has been reasonably kind. Northern coastal growers, Mossman north and Cooktown have had fair growing conditions, vines are vigorous and pushing well across the trellis tops.

APR MAY JUN

Mareeba (station 031210)

MEAN (mm)

Mareeba overheads are two months behind schedule as the 2019 season ran late. We are pushing plants hard to make time up for the Christmas markets. The weather bureau forecast for northern Australia is for a hotter and wetter winter period than average. Before finishing, I must tell you about the weather events we had in Mareeba district across three consecutive days- Saturday 30mm of rain, Sunday light hail and then on Monday we had scattered frost.

Passionfruit farming can be really quite challenging!

37.6 39.4 [163.8] [38.6] 8

MEAN DAYS >1mm [10.6]

6 [4]

39.2 [11.8] 4 [2.1]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

29.8 29.6 26.2 [29.8] [28.5] [26.9]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

21.3 19.8 [20.6] [19.0]

16.6 [16.8]

Brian & Irene Westwood, Mareeba BUNDABERG

WIDE BAY

(Bundaberg)

Hello everyone.

After good rain in January & February we have been let down again with only about 70mm falling in the last three months, thus Bundaberg is still drought-declared.

The vines set a good crop over the last few months, but now with this cold weather, some varieties are struggling to support the crop load. We have been picking both purples & panama for a few weeks now, but we are slowing up now with this colder weather.

Also, to keep us entertained is the Paradise Dam debacle! Why would you start pulling down a new dam that has survived the 2013 – 1 in 100 year flood - instead of investigating all remedies to fix it and not jeopardise the livelihood of many farms that have invested large sums in the area? “If man made it, man can fix it!” Until next time. Thanks.

Bundaberg (station 039128)

APR MAY JUN

MEAN (mm)

22.6 53.6 14.8 [112.9] [55.9] [66.8]

MEAN DAYS >1mm

3 [6.9]

5 [4.8]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

29.6 28.8 24.5 [29.3] [27.5] [24.8]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

20.2 [20.1]

18.3 [17.6]

6 [4.5]

13.3 [14.2]

Peter & Sally Griffiths, Bundaberg SOUTH EAST QLD

SUNSHINE COAST

(Gympie to Glass House Mtns)

Erratic is the best description for the past few months here on the Sunny Coast!

Fruit quantities have been very fickle, but going by the unusually high prices, it has been the same everywhere. Now, in the last week of May, most of us on the Sunshine Coast are picking fairly decent quantities - so there goes the good returns. Hopefully demand picks up as the virus restrictions are relaxed.

The weather has been reasonably kind to us here. That cold snap on the 23rd of May slowed things down for a couple of days though. We went from 120 buckets one day down to 20 the next, but things have gradually picked up again.

Our main problem of late is the unusual amount of alternata spot. Another grower I have spoken to has the same concern. We have both found that it is worse in the first-year vines.

Hopefully, we aren't seeing increased resistance to our fungicides.

I expect that we are going to have a busy June, but my feeling is that it will be a short season. I doubt that we will have much fruit by mid-July, if not sooner. The cooler weather is giving us a bit of a break from the weed spraying and mowing. I must admit that I'm enjoying the shorter days. Good luck for the Winter season and keep well.

Sunshine Coast Airport (station 040861)

APR MAY JUN

MEAN (mm)

255.0 23.2 67.0 [173.7] [153.8] [154.9]

MEAN DAYS >1mm

13 [11.9]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

27.3 27.2 22.9 [28.0] [26.0] [23.6]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

20.1 [20.2]

3 [11.2]

17.2 [17.1]

11 [10.0]

13.5 [13.7]

NORTHERN NSW

(Tweed Valley)

Jim & Jill Gordon, Yandina

Murwillumbah (station 058158)

APR MAY JUN

TWEED AREA

MEAN (mm)

119.1 16.5 48.8 [216.4] [153.5] [128.6]

Not a lot to report this quarter with a very quiet Autumn on our farm. The February rain saw very little fruit set and aside from the odd bigger drop occasionally, there was plenty of time to catch up on some other jobs.

MEAN DAYS >1mm [13.8]

11

We had to put in place some COVID-19 measures on the farm but overall felt lucky to be in an ‘essential’ industry with very little changing in our day to day lives. With the kids home from school I found myself tackling a few curly year 3 maths questions!

3 [10.5]

9 [9.5]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

27.5 28.1 [28.2] [26.2]

23.0 [23.6]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

18.3 [18.4]

12.6 [12.5]

15.4 [15.6]

Our newer vines are now producing a fair amount of fruit. With the older vines, whilst they have a good crop on, have been a little slow off the mark. All the best.

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 | WINTER 2020

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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

NOEL DAY SCHOLARSHIP Wayne Dellaway, Glass House Mountains First and foremost, I would like to start by saying a huge thank you to Passionfruit Australia for giving me the opportunity to attend the five day Nutri-tech Solutions Certificate in Nutrition Farming course at Yandina back in March 2020.

I was expecting the course to be fairly involved, but that was an understatement!

Graeme and his team are certainly a wealth of knowledge not just to do with soil and plant health, but the health of our own body and minds as well as the environment and the world we live in. And wow hasn’t that changed in recent times?

It has really put into perspective how regenerative farming is a no-brainer. After completing the course, I have certainly changed my ways on numerous fronts. I absolutely would recommend anyone, farming background or not, to attend one of their courses, you won’t regret it. My farming career is only five years old and this course has made my (limited) knowledge really start to gel. There’s definitely no quick fixes but we all have to start somewhere.

I’ve taken the first step of turning my farm around and making it a much more productive and healthier place. I urge you all to do the same if you haven’t already.

Good luck and happy farming, Wayne Dellaway

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WHERE DOES MY LEVY MONEY GO? Australia’s Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) have helped drive agricultural innovation since 1989.

They allow Australian government and primary producers to co-invest in research and development (R&D) for the benefit of primary production sectors.

When you receive a Grower Return from your market agent, you will see the Levy component has been deducted. The Levies are collected from the agents by a section of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and the monies are handed over to Hort Innovation to manage and invest on our behalf. Those investments are guided by a committee called a SIAP (Strategic Industry Advisory Panel) and membership of that panel is open to anyone within the industry with a keen interest – both grower and stakeholder.

There are currently 15 RDCs; 5 Commonwealth statutory bodies (Wine Australia, Cotton RDC, Grains RDC, Fisheries RDC and AgriFutures Australia) with the remaining 10 being industry-owned companies. In horticulture, for the majority of crops the RDC is Hort Innovation.

You can access more information about the financial statements for the Passionfruit Fund and a host of useful resources about levy funded activities here: www.horticulture.com.au/growers/passionfruit-fund

Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the Passionfruit levy into R&D projects to improve the profitability, productivity, competitiveness and long-term sustainability of our industry.

They are also responsible for investing our marketing levy to achieve the industry objectives of value and volume growth.

It is worth noting here that the Federal Government matches expenditure on eligible R&D dollar for dollar, so $100,000 of R&D levy collected attracts a further $100,000 of Government money to boost our investment capacity.

See the current projects funded through the R&D Levy in TABLE 2.

The passionfruit levy and charge was first introduced 1 May 1999.

Passionfruit that are produced in Australia and sold by a producer or that are exported will attract a levy or charge. For the current Passionfruit Levy is see TABLE 1.

For information about any project please contact our Industry Strategic Partner at Hort Innovation – Paul Lilwall 0468 325 625 | Paul.Lilwall@horticulture.com.au

The latest news from our levy-funded Marketing Programme can be found on PAGE 10.

TABLE 1: THE PASSIONFRUIT LEVY IS CURRENTLY SET AS:

PASSIONFRUIT

MARKETING

R&D

TOTAL

PACKED IN CARTONS

20 cents per carton

20 cents per carton

40 cents per carton

NOT PACKED IN CARTONS

20 cents per 8kg

20 cents per 8kg

40 cents per 8kg

PROCESSING

1.5 cents per kilograms

1.5 cents per kilograms

3 cents per kilogram

TABLE 2: CURRENT PROJECTS FUNDED THROUGH THE R&D LEVY ARE:

PF15000

National Breeding Program - SCU

Ends 30 June 2020

PF16003

Passionfruit Industry Communication Programme – PAI

Ends September 2021

MT19008

Strategic Agrichemical Review Process (SARP) Update for Passionfruit – AGK Services

Due for completion in 2020

PF16000

Passionfruit industry minor use program – Hort Innovation

Ongoing

ST17000, ST18001

Generation of data for pesticide applications in horticulture crops – Hort Innovation

Ongoing

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2020

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HORT INNOVATION CHEMICAL ACCESS UPDATE

BY JANE RICHTER WITH INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY JODIE PEDRANA, HORT INNOVATION AND APVMA

ASSISTANCE GRANTS – ACCESS TO INDUSTRY PRIORITY USES OF AGVET CHEMICALS 2018-20

Assistance Grants – Access to Industry Priority Uses of Agvet Chemicals program 2018-2020

The Australian Government announced a total of $4 million over two years from 2018-19 to 2019-20 for the Assistance Grants – Access to Industry Priority Uses of Agvet Chemicals program (the Program) that will run over 2 years from 2018–19 to 2019–20.

$4m in Agvet grants are available over 2 years.

These grants were announced as part of the 2018–19 Budget measure Improved Access to Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals, which aims to support farmers, increase productivity and grow foods for expanding export markets by improving access to AgVet chemicals.

ROUND 1 — There were 75 grant applications received by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) from 10 RDC’s (32 from Hort Innovation) and 23 grants were awarded to the value of $2m.

— 2018/19 - Hort Innovation were awarded 9 grants to the value of $929,351.

It extends the 2014–15 Federal Budget measure titled A Competitive Agriculture Sector — improved access to agricultural and veterinary chemicals which was scheduled to end on 30 June 2018.

— Other RDC grant recipients included AgriFutures (5), GRDC (3), Forest and Wood Products Australia (2), Fisheries RDC (1), Dairy Australia Limited (1), Australian Pork Limited (1) and Australian Eggs (1).

To help address the ‘minor use’ problem, the Australian Government has committed $14.3 million over six years (2014–15 to 2019–20) to the Improved Access to Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals initiative. The aim of the initiative is to increase the number of safe, appropriate and efficacious uses of new and existing AgVet chemical products available in the Australian market.

— There were 59 grant applications received by DAWR from 10 RDC’s (30 from Hort Innovation) and 22 grants were awarded to the value of $2m

ROUND 2

— 2019/20 - Hort Innovation were awarded 14 grants to the value of $1,321,398

ASSISTANCE GRANT SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENT BY HORT INNOVATION

— Other RDC grant recipients included; AgriFutures (4), Fisheries RDC (2), Dairy Australia Limited (1), Australian Eggs (1).

Improved access to agricultural and veterinary chemicals – 2015/16 to 2017/18

hanks to the hard work and focus of the Hort T Innovation team, they have secured 60% of all the grant funded projects available to RDC’s in the last five rounds of the AgVet grant programs representing an investment of $5,644,022 into increased chemical access for horticulture producers. This is an incredible outcome and deserves to be highlighted.

$5.92m worth of AgVet Grants were provided in total across the 15 Research & Development Corporations (RDC’s) Hort Innovation received a total of 64% of the grants that were awarded to RDC’s to fund projects to the value of $3,393,273 which equates to 57% of the total value.

ROUND 1 – 2015/16

ROUND 2 – 2016/17

ROUND 3 – 2017/18

Value $1,082,299

Value $1,273,966

Value $1,037,008

36%

48%

42%

OTHER

OTHER

OTHER

64%

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www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

52%

58%

NEW CHEMISTRY TO TACKLE FRUIT & BANANA SPOTTING BUGS Grant received 2019/20 - DC-154 (SIVANTO® prime) Flupyradiforone Group 4D – Label Registration Assorted tropical and sub-tropical fruits — inedible peel — Fruit Spotting Bugs and Banana spotting bugs (this class includes Passionfruit).

FSB and BSB are a major impediment to the commercial production of most tree fruits and nuts, and some vine fruits.

Growers have recorded crop losses of well over 30% due to FSB damage.

FSB attack at least 22 different types of commercial fruits and nuts.

Economic losses from FSB could amount to tens of millions of dollars each year in the Australian fruit and nut industries.

— SIVANTO® prime is non-hazardous to bees making it a desirable solution with flexible application methods and timing — A modern insecticide with an excellent safety profile for the control of major sucking pests. Its’ selectivity to most beneficial insects in fruit crops provides a perfect fit for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs that industries are seeking — Bayer have a broad distribution of Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) and import tolerances around the world for SIVANTO® prime, which will help to harmonise trade.

Timeline ST19020 Project will be contracted in June 2020 and trials will commence this season for a Crop Group - Assorted tropical and sub-tropical fruits - inedible peel Label Registration with Bayer The project activities will be completed within 3 years and the data will then be provided to Bayer for a label extension.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is the Australian Government Statutory Authority responsible for the assessment, registration and regulation of agricultural and veterinary chemical (Agvet) products from manufacture or importation to the point of sale. www. portal.apvma.gov.au

ADVERSE EXPERIENCE REPORTING PROGRAM (AERP)

RECALL OF AGVET PRODUCTS FROM THE MARKET

The AERP is a pharmacovigilance program investigating reports of adverse experiences associated with the use of a registered Agvet product. The APVMA encourages producers and resellers to report adverse experiences, including those where a product has been used off-label.

The APVMA is responsible for the recall of Agvet products.

Participation in a recall, whether it is initiated by the manufacturer or the APVMA, is mandatory.

An adverse experience may involve:

— risks to safety

— risks to safety in humans using or exposed to the product/s

— a lack of efficacy

— lack of efficacy, when the correct label dose is used

— the product being unregistered

— other unintended or unexpected side effects.

— formulation errors

Contact the AERP to discuss cases if there are concerns: 1. Online reporting form at: portal.apvma.gov.au/aerp 2. Email: AERP@apvma.gov.au 3. Phone: 1800 700 583

Agvet products may be recalled (or ordered to stop supply) due to:

— labelling or manufacturing errors The best way to be kept informed of recalls is to subscribe to the APVMA’s listing of recalls notices. To be notified of recalls via email, stakeholders are invited to complete a subscription form and select ‘recall notices.’

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2020

9

HORT INNOVATION MARKETING UPDATE

BY BEN WOODMAN

Our marketing agency has been busy talking to the food writers and key journalists in the media about how fantastic and versatile passionfruit are. This is important to do as the goal is to get lots of passionfruit stories in front of consumers, wherever they spend their time these days, to coincide with the large flush of fruit supply in June and into July.

In one story, experienced grower Ross Brindley from Bundaberg talks about how the season is progressing and how the quality of passionfruit is excellent right now. The stories also highlight the health benefits of passionfruit as another tool to encourage people to buy more.

So far, the media campaign has generated 20.5 million opportunities to see from both general media and coverage on our social media channels – this is double the target for the season so a brilliant job already!

Opportunity to see is a measurement used to quantify the total chances to view a piece of marketing material whether that be a social media post or a TV advert. With so many different media types these days, it represents a top line number that we monitor to assess the scale of people our marketing activities are reaching. It doesn’t however reflect the quality of the interaction that a consumer has with a particular piece of marketing material.

Some recent passionfruit media coverage generated from our winter activities include Kidspot, Woman’s Day and the Canberra Weekly.

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Passionfruit Gift Hampers Our agency sent out winter-themed hampers to five major media contacts in late May as another way to grab attention for passionfruit.

The gift hampers included the recipe and ingredients to make our star ambassador’s amazing 90-second passionfruit mug cake, alongside a passionfruit mug. We introduced you to Nagi from recipe tin eats in our last update and as our new ambassador for passionfruit, she is already making a splash! recipe tin eats shared the 90-second passionfruit mug cake on her social channels with messaging about plenty of passionfruit being available now. On Instagram, the video had already been viewed over 70,000 times in just one week! Nagi is also shooting her fruit salad with winter fruits, which will be shared in the coming weeks to support the current flush as well.

ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS We are keeping a tight watch on our social media channels tailoring the content and timing of posts to boost the interest in passionfruit and our direct advertising spend has increased in May and June to increase the number of people that we can reach and the amount of engagement they have with our material.

Lots of hot new social content on the way In our last update, we talked about the new way that many products and brands are getting their marketing content created. Tribe is one of the platforms that let you provide a brief to thousands of creative people all at once, and then you get to pick the best material that is created and use it to benefit passionfruit. Another content creation site is called Vamp and we have asked creators to show us how they add a ‘splash of passion’ into their winter meals. We should start to see some brilliant images and content coming into our social media channels across the winter season.

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 | WINTER 2020

11

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MANAGING TEMPORARY WORKERS ACROSS THE WINTER WITH COVID-19 The situation with COVID-19 in Australia is highly fluid, with many of the quickly-imposed restrictions on travel and activities now being relaxed, but at different rates in different states.

The virus will continue to be amongst us for the foreseeable future and as production ramps up for the winter flush.

The following information was correct at the time of going to print, however you are strongly encouraged to access the latest information online.

It is highly recommended that you download the COVIDSAFE App and encourage all of your employees to do so too.

USEFUL LINKS Safe Work Australia www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/covid-19information-workplaces National Farmers Federation www.farmhub.org.au/covid-19 Passionfruit Australia passionfruitaustralia.org.au/covid-19

QUEENSLAND For all growers in Queensland, COVID-19 related advice and assistance focusing on agriculture and commercial fisheries can be found at: www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishingforestry/agriculture/coronavirus-support This website is regularly updated and information topics include: — Queensland border restrictions and entry passes for agriculture — Entering restricted remote communities for agricultural purposes during COVID-19 — Employing seasonal & local workers in agribusiness – COVID-19 — Impact on Queensland's agricultural workforce — Workplace health and safety concerns — Agriculture coordination officers — Coronavirus (COVID-19) agriculture coordination group The Queensland government have produced a comprehensive series of tools, charts and fact sheets to assist you. Please access these resources online at www.publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/ seasonal-work-covid19 As we go to print, the border into Queensland is still closed for general traffic entering the state.

Agriculture workers – deemed essential workers - with a confirmed employment offer letter are able to travel into Queensland from southern states providing all the necessary border crossing paperwork is presented at the border crossing.

See covid19.qld.gov.au/government-actions/border-closing for the latest information.

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SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYING ‘SEASONAL WORKERS’ IN QLD AGRICULTURE Workplace health management plans are required for all agribusinesses and labour hire providers who have seasonal workers. A seasonal worker is a person who travels to or within Queensland for work as it becomes available, often requiring them to move and stay in temporary accommodation. Seasonal workers can be a person who has come from overseas to travel and work temporarily in Australia, or an interstate resident seeking work in Queensland, or a QLD resident working away from home.

WHAT IS A WORKPLACE HEALTH MANAGEMENT PLAN? Every agribusiness has a responsibility to manage the health risks of COVID-19, both for their communities and for their employees while at work. Workplace health management plans are a risk-based way for agribusinesses to identify their health and safety obligations in relation to COVID-19 risks and plan for how these risks will be mitigated.

There is a template that you must complete and email to: covid.plans@health.qld.gov.au Download the template from bit.ly/Qld-HMP

WHERE ELSE CAN I GET HELP IN QUEENSLAND? Queensland agriculture coordination officers support producers, the agriculture industry and local governments to manage coronavirus (COVID-19). There are approximately 100 agriculture coordination officers across the state. They can give producers and industry fast access to relevant information, removing the need to navigate many different websites, sometimes with limited or no connectivity. To contact an agriculture coordination officer, email info@daf.qld.gov.au or phone the customer service centre on 13 25 23.

NEW SOUTH WALES To keep workers, visitors and customers safe, and to give them the confidence to keep coming back, businesses and organisations will need to follow health and hygiene requirements designed to keep COVID-19 out of workplaces.

The NSW government have also produced a set of tools and fact sheets to assist you. Please access these resources online at: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/home/ covid-19/managing-primary-production-workforce SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYING ‘SEASONAL WORKERS’ IN NSW The NSW Government has announced special measures to ensure horticultural businesses can continue to safely operate and to protect workers from COVID-19.

— Visa holders travelling from a metropolitan area in any state to regional nsw must undertake 14 days of self-isolation at point of origin or must have been tested for covid-19 and returned a negative result prior to travel.

— Seasonal workers who are visa holders are encouraged to complete a visa holder declaration form (available online) and carry it with them at all times. Employers are encouraged to ask for and record viewing the declaration form, taking specific note of the visa number.

— Employers should conduct regular temperature testing to ensure employees are fit for work and have a procedure in place in the event of a covid-19 infection in the workplace — Businesses are recommended to assess their risk mitigations using the health management plan checklist and make necessary changes to practices as required.

— Access the checklist at bit.ly/NSW-HMP

WESTERN AUSTRALIA The key agriculture website hub in WA can be found at: www.dpird.wa.gov.au/covid19-response IN SUMMARY: — Western Australian travel restrictions enable movement of agricultural workers with proof of employment.

— Additional safeguards in place to manage risk and maintain health and safety and support business continuity.

— A declaration confirming that appropriate accommodation arrangements are in place is required for agricultural employers utilising Working Holiday Makers (WHM).

— Agricultural businesses employing WHM must prepare a COVID-19 Health Management Plan as part of their occupational health and safety management responsibility.

It is in the direct interest of all agricultural businesses to have documented processes for managing COVID-19 risks. Good risk minimisation measures and practices will allow businesses to remain open in the event a worker falls ill with COVID-19.

If plans are not in place this may not be the case.

To assist in the transparency of workplace safety measures, the WA Government expects agricultural businesses to implement COVID-19 health management plans as part of their Occupational Health and Safety responsibility.

These plans should clarify the obligations of both employer and employee in mitigating risk and outline what to do should a COVID-19 outbreak occur.

In developing a plan, consideration might be given to the following: — Physical distancing — Health checks and quarantine

— Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to work with industry in coming weeks to determine finer details.

— Premise cleaning

Existing Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws require employers to look after the health and safety of their workers and others at the workplace.

— Interactions with the public

Employers must identify risks at the workplace and, where possible, eliminate or minimise those risks for general WHS compliance.

Although there is not a rigid template to be followed, it is advised that you access the guides available on the WA website at www.dpird.wa.gov.au/securing-labour-supply

— Personal hygiene — Use of personal protective equipment

— Consultation and communication with workers

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2020

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GROWER PROFILE:

MEET THE CAMPBELLS

BY AMANDA ROY

Ian and Joanne Campbell have been living in Murwillumbah, NSW for 18 years. Trading as ‘I & J Campbell Passionfruit’, they grow mostly the Sweetheart variety with a few A3’s in the mix. They grow 3,000 vines and farm as a husband and wife team most of the time.

When passionfruit growing isn’t keeping them busy, their 30+ cattle also give them something to do. We all know how much cows LOVE fresh passionfruit, so they have had to invest both considerable time and money into protecting the vines from the cows, with one rogue cow in particular that has been very determined!

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Ian and Joanne have two grown-up daughters and neither have followed the farm lifestyle. For Joanne, the picking is relaxing. In fact, the best part of having the farm is actually living on it; the blend of being at home and working the property is the perfect balance for their family.

Ian certainly appreciates not having to sit in traffic on the way to work every day like so many city folk do.

Of course, there is always a downside to farming and for the Campbell’s it would be that they feel they can’t go on long holidays. To leave the farm alone or in the care of someone else is a worry they would just rather avoid. So, for them, mini breaks and the odd weekend getaways are the way to go.

Both Ian and Joanne originally came from the police force. They policed the streets of Sydney for 20 years before moving to the Gold Coast for a further three years. After working on the Coast, they decided that Murwillumbah looked like a great place to continue raising their girls. They bought 100 acres and haven’t looked back. In fact, they almost wish they had started their farming journey a whole lot sooner.

Ian likes to think outside the box and one great example of this is how he uses his drone to move the rosellas on when they get into the orchard. The birds have been very destructive in the past both with the flowers and early fruit. Flying the drone moves them on and keeps them at bay for a while. It doubles up as a little bit of fun while saving the crop!

Everyone has a travel destination that they would like to visit, and Fiji is not only the Campbell’s dream spot, but somewhere they have already been four times. It’s such a friendly and relaxing place that draws them back time and again.

While they wait for their next trip to Fiji, they both enjoy a game of golf. Joanne has been playing for ten years now and Ian an awful lot longer than that. He loves his golf so much that he even gives up some of his valuable spare time to serve on the board of Murwillumbah Golf Club – the venue for our AGM in October this year.

Thank you, Ian and Joanne, for sharing your life with us.

EVENT

NEWS

FIELD DAY, AGM & INDUSTRY DINNER

REGIONAL FIELD DAY SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER Murwillumbah Golf Club, 233 Byangum Road, Murwillumbah, NSW Everyone is welcome to register & attend this day as this event is open to all growers and industry supporters across Australia.

— Registration opens at 8:30am for 8:45am start — Morning tea and lunch are provided — Includes practical demonstrations at local farms

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Dr Jenny Ekman, Applied Horticultural Research, author of ‘Australian Passionfruit, Postharvest Best Practice Guide (funded by our levy): Review of the Guide followed by Q&A session “Maintaining passionfruit quality through the supply chain starts with growing a good quality product in the orchard.” She will help you “understand what is happening within the fruit once it is detached from its source of water and nutrients and starts its journey to market.”

We are very grateful to Jenny for taking the time to travel from Sydney for our event and we strongly encourage as many growers as possible to join us and hear her talk – you will not be disappointed!

PLUS UPDATES FROM: DENNIS CHANT, PRESIDENT: 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Dennis was elected the new Passionfruit Australia Inc President at the AGM in 2019, taking over from Tina McPherson. 2020 has proven to be surprising for the horticulture industry and beyond.

PAI has been peddling along behind the scenes during these COVID-19 restrictions and having to adjust the event schedule as needed. Dennis will give some insight into how this has unfolded throughout the year.

JANE RICHTER, VICE-PRESIDENT: NEW GRADING GUIDES & TOOLS Jane has been working with growers across regions to develop some new grading tools & guides for our farms. The previous grading poster could not be replaced or reprinted so PAI has developed some new ideas, with consultation from both new and experienced growers and industry associates, across the regions.

Jane will be presenting the new updated guides & tools.

AGM (Passionfruit Aus Inc.)

INDUSTRY DINNER

REGISTER AT 3:30PM

BOOK ONLINE

Murwillumbah Golf Club, 233 Byangum Road, Murwillumbah, NSW

All welcome – please book online to attend so we can confirm numbers with the venue

The President will open the meeting with a 2020 report, followed by reports from our Secretary on member numbers and Treasurer on our Association Finances. We will then have nominations and elections for our Management Committee positions with an open request for more members to join our consultation committees.

At 5pm we will retreat to the deck for drinks and platters, a chance to catch up at the end of a long day before dinner at 6.30pm.

We look forward to a great day of valuable industry networking, reconnecting with old friends and making some new ones. A Shuttle Bus is available for local drop offs at the end of the evening.

LOCAL ACCOMMODATION RECOMMENDATIONS: Murwillumbah Motor Inn, 17 Byangum Road, Murwillumbah, NSW, 2484 | 02 6672 2022 | www.mminn.com.au Gallery Motel, 453 Tweed Valley Way, South Murwillumbah, NSW, 2484 | 02 6672 3666 | www.poinciana.com.au THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2020

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FROM PADDOCK TO PAVLOVA

GETTING PASSIONFRUIT TO MARKET

BY DR JENNY EKMAN | APPLIED HORTICULTURAL RESEARCH | JENNY.EKMAN@AHR.COM.AU | 0407 384 285

RIPENING Like bananas, tomatoes and many other fruit, passionfruit are classified as ‘climacteric’. That is, they go through a distinct ripening process during which colour develops, acids decrease, and the fruit becomes sweet and ready to eat (Figure 1). This is fuelled by an increase in respiration rate and a burst of ethylene gas production.

PASSIONFRUIT COLOUR WHEN RIPENING

HARVEST

ARS SUG

CO LO UR

In most parts of the world, passionfruit destined for the fresh market are picked directly from the vines. For example, Hawaiian researchers suggest that only fruit that has been harvested directly are suitable for long distance transport. This is because fruit picked up after natural drop are more likely to suffer physical damage, increased moisture loss and disease.

PU RP LE ETHYLENE

40

50

For comparison, a rockmelon produces 80 to 150 µl/kg/hour while bananas — often thought of as the ethylene kings — only produce 8 to 12 µl/kg/hour. So, if people are trying to ripen a hard avocado, it would be far better to put it in a paper bag with a passionfruit than with a banana!

This means that passionfruit don’t need to fully ripen on the vine, but can be picked once they start to change colour and ripened postharvest.

IDS AC

30

In fact, they are one of the highest ethylene producers of all fruit.

High levels of up to 500µl/L accumulate inside the fruit; only 1-5 µl/L is enough to turn carrots bitter and leafy greens yellow.

The fruit itself may produce 370 to 1,000 µl/kg/hour.

FRUIT DETACHED

60

70

80

90

DAYS AFTER POLLINATION Figure 1. Passionfruit ripening

One of the effects of ethylene is to trigger fruit to detach from the vine. Once passionfruit have detached, ethylene production goes into overdrive.

They suggest that fruit should be picked once they are around 75% coloured, breaking the stem at the natural joint above the fruit.

It is important not to simply pull fruit off the vine; creating an open wound lets out moisture and lets in rots.

However, there are also some clear disadvantages of harvesting directly from the vines. Searching for fruit takes time and can damage the vines. Harvest needs to be in daylight and workers need to be skilled – any backpacker can pick fruit off the ground, but care and attention are needed to pick fruit directly from vines.

Table 1. Advantages & disadvantages of different harvesting methods

PICK UP DROPPED FRUIT

ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

WHEN TO USE

Fruit are fully ripe and ready to eat at harvest

Fruit may have reduced quality and storage life due to damage, disease or sunburn

Mature vines

Quick and easy Can start before dawn (when the weather is cool)

Reduces ability to plan transport and marketing

Cool or overcast weather Overhead pergolas and A-frames where there is cushioning, groundcover

No damage to vines Maximises storage life Avoids damage

HARVEST DIRECTLY FROM VINES

Avoids contamination from the ground Prevents fruit sunburn Can be scheduled, allowing more efficient transport and marketing

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Fruit may not be fully ripe at harvest Searching for fruit can damage vines, especially the growing tips Harvest workers must be trained to identify ripe fruit Needs to be done during daylight

Young vines Panama types e.g. Pandora, McGuffies Red If sunburn is likely (e.g. single wire systems during hot weather) If there is bare soil under vines

Overhead (left) and A-Frames (right)

If fruit is being allowed to drop then:

MANAGING DISEASE

— Maintain good groundcover — Shake the trellis to release fruit caught in the vines or about to detach

The packing shed is NOT a hospital.

— Pick up at least daily during hot weather to avoid sunburn

The best way to reduce disease development postharvest is to control infection in the field. This is particularly important as there are no postharvest fungicides registered for passionfruit.

Whatever method is used, harvest should ideally be done when it’s cool. Harvested fruit need to be kept shaded and transferred to the packing shed as soon as possible.

To reduce the risk of disease: — ALWAYS remove any dried remains of the flower before packing — Don’t pack fruit which already have disease, even if symptoms are minor

PACKING AT THE PACKSHED Temperature is the single most important factor governing the life of fruit and vegetables. Whenever possible, fruit should be packed – and cooled – on the day they are harvested. If fruit is going to be packed later, actions depend on fruit temperature.

As a “rule of thumb”: — HOT fruit (>30oC) need to be cooled immediately below 15oC, preferably using a fzorced air system, then packed within 2 days — WARM fruit (20 to 30oC) can be placed in a cold room and packed within two days — If fruit are COOL (<20oC) and overnight temperatures below 25oC, keep protected and pack the next day Simply placing a bin in a cold room does not make fruit cold.

Moreover, while passionfruit are warm they are actively respiring and producing ethylene, processes that produce more heat, which in turn increases respiration. Even if there is good air circulation, it can take many hours to cool fruit in the centre of a half-tonne bin.

Forced air systems cool fruit much faster. A forced air cooler can be as simple as putting a fan unit on top of a bin, wrapping the side vents, and pulling cold air through the fruit (Figure 2). This effectively changes the cooling surface from the outside of the bin to the individual fruit inside it.

— If fruit are washed using recirculating water (rather than simply hosed off), ensure that the bath contains an effective sanitiser e.g. chlorine — Dry fruit before packing — Don’t store in saturated humidity e.g. in sealed plastic packages

GRADING A sure fire way to make a wholesaler cranky is to send poorly graded fruit, as it’s so much harder to sell. While some growers may still pack directly in the field, this isn’t the way to maximise returns. Accurate grading for size and quality level greatly improves presentation and, therefore, saleability and price.

Perhaps the most essential part of the packing line is a well-lit grading table which is comfortable to stand at. The sizer unit, accumulators and carton packing stands are also important.

Fruit should not be packed if it is diseased, deformed, damaged or – worst of all – contains fruit fly maggots.

Slight sunburn (<25% of the fruit affected) scratches scuffs and blemishes downgrade fruit but don’t make it unsaleable.

If fruit is big and beautiful, why not show it off? Pattern packing takes time and effort, but is an effective way to display exceptional quality fruit, and may result in better grower returns when carefully marketed to the right customers.

PLENUM WITH EXTRACTION FAN

SIDE VENTS BLOCKED WITH PLASTIC WRAP COOL ROOM AIR SUCKED INTO BIN AT BASE Figure 2. Forced air cooling system for bins

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2020

19

CHANGING THE ATMOSPHERE

PACKAGING Sadly, passionfruit are sometimes called “crinkleberries”. What looks like a hard and leathery peel actually loses moisture very easily.

The quality of the pulp is initially unaffected and, surprisingly, some customers think this is when they are best to eat. However, shrivelling reduces appeal and overall quality. Moreover, I suspect that “crinkleberry” is not the image the industry prefers to project!

A previous article in this journal discussed the use of waxes. Waxing is definitely one way to reduce shrivel and increase postharvest storage life, as well as give fruit an attractive sheen. However, appropriate equipment is required to apply wax and dry fruit afterwards. Using the wrong wax, or applying it too thickly, can cause off flavours or lesions on the fruit peel.

INCREASING RELATIVE HUMIDITY (RH) Another way to reduce moisture loss is to use plastic wrapping to increase RH around the fruit. Most passionfruit are packed directly into unlined cardboard cartons. While these are good for ventilation, cardboard can absorb up to 17% moisture. For example, a 750g cardboard carton can absorb 128g of moisture from the fruit inside. If the carton holds 4kg of passionfruit then this is a direct weight loss of 3.2%, enough to start the shrivel.

Waxing the cartons, or using a plastic liner, keeps the cardboard dry and increases RH. However, liners need to be well perforated to allow fruit to cool.

There are clear benefits to quality from using plastic packaging to increase RH. However, the benefits of using packaging to modify the atmosphere are less certain.

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) uses the respiration of the fruit to reduce oxygen (O2) and increase carbon dioxide (CO2) inside a permeable plastic package (Figure 4). After a time, the rate at which gas diffuses through the plastic and the respiration of the fruit inside come into balance. The objective is to achieve an atmosphere that slows respiration and ripening and yet also inhibits rots.

One problem is that passionfruit have an extremely high and variable respiration rate. Another is that respiration rate increases with temperature. This means that a package designed to work at 5oC will result in a damaging atmosphere (i.e. very low oxygen) once it warms up to room temperature. The result is something that tastes almost, but not entirely, completely unlike passionfruit grappa!

While various types of MAP have been trialled, the only reliably positive effects are from films which simply increase RH, not CO2, around the passionfruit.

There are also films which can absorb ethylene. These are marketed to reduce ripening, extending fruit storage life. However, as already noted, passionfruit are truly the Olympic champions of ethylene production. This means such films are likely to be fully saturated very quickly indeed.

Pre-packing passionfruit into punnets or trays overwrapped with plasticised plastic film can also increase storage life. These types of films are too thin to modify the internal atmosphere or cause excessive condensation, but do increase RH and reduce shrivel (Figure 3).

Shrivel unwrapped

Sugars unwrapped

Shrivel wrapped

Sugars wrapped

120

3

100

2.5

80

2

60

1.5

40

1

20

0.5

0

0 0

10

20

30

40

DAYS AT 100C Figure 3. Effect of overwrapping purple passionfruit with plastic film on shrivel and total sugars during storage at 10oC. Derived from Arjona et. al. 1994.

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TOTAL SUGARS (g/fruit)

SURFACE SHRIVEL (%)

Although shrivelled passionfruit may taste sweeter to some, this is due to water loss and breakdown of acids. The total amount of sugar in a shrivelled passionfruit is similar, or less, compared to one protected from moisture loss. Overwrapping passionfruit could reduce food waste, add value and increase sales (i.e. pieces sold per transaction). Unfortunately, lack of market acceptance has limited commercial adoption.

TIME

Figure 4. Respiration by passionfruit inside a sealed package depletes O2 and increases CO2 (top). After a time, diffusion through the plastic and respiration by the product come into balance, resulting in a stable modified atmosphere inside the package (bottom).

COOLING Good temperature management is the key to extending storage life of all perishable products. Like many tropical fruits, passionfruit are sensitive to low temperatures. However, chilling damage is a function of time as well as temperature. Even temperatures below 3oC are unlikely to cause damage if purple passionfruit are exposed for only a few days. However, a few days at high temperature will definitely reduce storage life.

THE BEST STORAGE CONDITIONS ARE: — 5 to 8oC with 85% RH for purple varieties — 10 to 12oC with 85% RH for Panama types

Refrigeration systems on trucks are designed to maintain, not reduce, temperature. Products loaded warm are likely to still be warm (or even warmer!) when they reach their destination.

This could easily be three days or even more for distant markets.

cv. SWEETHEART

Not managing temperature has major effects on shelf life.

Even if damage is not obvious on arrival at wholesale, the fruit will not present as well at retail or last as long once a consumer takes it home (Figure 5).

cv. MISTY GEM

2oC

Figure 5. Typical transport temperatures for passionfruit transported to Melbourne, or pre-cooled for 6 hours before transport to Sydney. AHR data.

5oC

CONCLUSIONS Harvested passionfruit are alive. Like us, passionfruit need oxygen to live, release CO2, and interact with their environment. Once passionfruit detach from the vine that nourished and protected them, they are dependent on stored reserves of energy and water.

They also have limited defences against the fungal pathogens that have been waiting for their chance to grow. This means there is limited time for passionfruit to be packed, transported, sold and finally eaten.

8oC

Poor handling, condensation, lack of sanitation and high temperatures can exhaust those reserves much faster than needed, reducing shelf life, quality, and satisfaction for the end consumer.

Postharvest management is not the end of the process, but the beginning. It is where money is made or lost, and markets are grown or shrunk.

Condition of passionfruit cv. Sweetheart (left) and cv. Misty Gem (right) following one month of storage at 2, 5 or 8oC then 3 days at ambient. Chilling damage, appearing as sunken patches on cv. Sweetheart and mould on cv. Misty Gem, occurred at the lowest temperature.

Full pallets of packed fruit can take a long time to cool. As the packed fruit cool unevenly, condensation can occur, weakening cartons and increasing disease.

Only through good postharvest management can the passionfruit industry move forward, realising the true potential of what is surely one of the queens of fruits. And, of course, a pavlova essential!

Dr Jenny Ekman will be presenting her work at the Regional Field Day on Saturday 17 October – See PAGE 17 for details.

Forced air systems cool fruit quickly and efficiently and can be constructed fairly simply inside an existing cold room. All you need is a plenum to rest the pallet/pallets against, a fan and a tarpaulin.

The idea is to pull air evenly through the cartons so that the fruit all cool at the same rate.

Forced air cooling is best, room cooling is OK, but both are far better options than loading hot fruit onto a truck.

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2020

21

PROJECT UPDATE

RAPID GENERATION ADVANCEMENT IN PASSIONFRUIT PROJECT

BY MADELINE IANNA, SOUTHERN CROSS PLANT SCIENCE An independent research project that has been co-funded by Passionfruit Australia Inc and Southern Cross University to benefit the Australian passionfruit industry, with contributions from industry stakeholders including G. Ferlazzo & Co.

As the granddaughter of a banana farmer and the daughter of a macadamia farmer, I am accustomed to and understand the hard work and dedication required to produce quality product for Australian consumers. I strive to put the same hard work and dedication into this project.

I have enjoyed reading and learning hands-on about passionfruit and developing potential methods for rapid generation advancement.

Maddy Ianna

I am pleased to be writing the first update for my project on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;establishing protocols for rapid generation advancement in passionfruit.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It is a privilege to be working on a project where I can apply my skills to assist the Australian growers.

1

In the first week, I conducted controlled pollination on vines at the Alstonville arboretum and the resulting fruit have been used to conduct an initial trial experiment.

In this trial, tissue culture is being tested as a method to germinate immature passionfruit seeds. Using tissue culture, growth conditions including temperature, light, humidity and nutrient levels can be manipulated.

I am also concurrently testing seed scarification and treatment with a plant hormone to determine whether these methods may assist in promoting germination in the immature seed.

So far, I have had some success in germinating immature seed through a combined treatment of mechanical scarification and addition of gibberellic acid into the growth media.

I have transferred these plantlets to larger growth containers and hope to acclimatise them to normal growth conditions. I hope to optimise this method further and obtain a higher rate of germination in immature seed.

This would provide the potential to reduce the time waiting for fruit to mature, as well as overcome seed dormancy.

In the coming months, I will be working on methods to grow vines in soil free media in a polytunnel and/or glasshouse. This may assist in manipulating growth conditions to reduce the time required for vegetative growth and reproductive development.

I am looking forward to investigating further methods to reduce generation time in passionfruit and sharing the progress with you here in The Passion Vine.

3

2

1. Sweetheart fruit used in the trial experiment to germinate immature seed. Fruits from Misty Gem and Tom Special were also used.

2. Sweetheart seeds that were lightly damaged on a plate with plant growth media containing gibberellic acid. One seed has germinated whilst the other two remain unchanged.

3. Plantlet germinated from immature seed that has been transferred from the plate to a larger container.

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Grab a cuppa, put your feet up & enjoy!

mecolourin!

SMOKO WORD SEARCH

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

10

There are differences between these two pictures!

CORONAVIRUS

FLATTEN

PHYSICAL

DISINFECTANT

INFECTION

VULNERABLE

EMERGENCY

PANDEMIC

WORKPLACE

COVIDSAFEAPP

HYGIENIC

DISTANCING

C E L B A R E N L U V I W O M

W O R K P L A C E L S N I G A

I Y V H C K W C Y U C F N D Z

X S L I J U I R R D I E T C U

P V O N D N Z I Q G M C E X Q

ISOLATION

C D U L E S V K E N E T R H W

L E V I A A A M E I D I Y Y P

O A G S N T E F F C N O B B L

N Y C O O R I L E N A N M C I

H Y R I G C A O I A P J R X A

SOCIAL

WINTERY

C O A E S T I Y N T P W F V S

C E N M T Y H A M S M P X M Q

V C E E K G H T L I J Q X A H

Y L N G I S B P N D N X Y T X

D I S I N F E C T A N T C Y G

CUT OUT AND KEEP ME

*** ALL ANSWERS OVERLEAF ***

CORONAVIRUS WINTER TRIVIA! COVIDSAFEAPP

Brain Teasers

1. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears.

I have no body, but I come alive with wind.

What am I? 2. I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish.

What am I? 3. How can the number four be half of five?

1. DISINFECTANT According to the Guinness World Records, on DISTANCING January 28, 1887, a huge snowflake fell in Fort EMERGENCY Keogh, Montana, making it the largest snowflake FLATTEN ever observed. How many cm across was the HYGIENIC snowflake? 2cm, 13cm or 38cm?

INFECTION

2. ISOLATION True Or False? No country in the Southern PANDEMIC Hemisphere has ever applied to host the PHYSICAL Winter Olympics.

SOCIAL VULNERABLE

3. WINTERY The coldest temperature ever recorded was at Vostok Station in Antarctica in 1983.

WORKPLACE Was it -87°C, -123°C or -149°C? 4. True Or False? All snowflakes have 8 sides.

Created

by Puzzlemake 5. What is the highest-grossing animated musical film of all time?

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2020

23

CUT OUT AND KEEP ME

10 differences

W O R K P L A C E L S N I G A

WORD SEARCH

I Y V H C K W C Y U C F N D Z

X S L I J U I R R D I E T C U

P V O N D N Z I Q G M C E X Q

C D U L E S V K E N E T R H W

L E V I A A A M E I D I Y Y P

O A G S N T E F F C N O B B L

N Y C O O R I L E N A N M C I

H Y R I G C A O I A P J R X A

C O A E S T I Y N T P W F V S

C E N M T Y H A M S M P X M Q

WINTER TRIVIA!

V C E E K G H T L I J Q X A H

Y L N G I S B P N D N X Y T X

D I S I N F E C T A N T C Y G

1. 38cm 2. TRUE

ANSWERS

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE There are

C E L B A R E N L U V I W O M

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au CORONAVIRUS COVIDSAFEAPP DISINFECTANT DISTANCING EMERGENCY FLATTEN HYGIENIC INFECTION ISOLATION PANDEMIC PHYSICAL SOCIAL VULNERABLE WINTERY WORKPLACE

24

3. -123°C 4. FALSE 5. FROZEN

Brain Teasers 1. An echo 2. A map 3. In Roman numerals, the letters IV represent the number four

Recipe with thanks to taste.com.au and Coles.

Step 1

Combine passionfruit pulp and icing sugar in a bowl and stir until dissolved.

Whip cream until soft peaks form, then gently fold together with the yoghurt.

Step 2

Add passionfruit mixture and fold through. Pour into an airtight plastic container (about 4-cup capacity) and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Freeze overnight, until firm.

Step 3

Serve scooped into glasses topped with fresh passionfruit drizzled over.

Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com

METHOD • 1 cup Greek-style yoghurt • 300ml Coles brand thickened cream • 1 cup icing sugar • 1/2 cup passionfruit pulp (about 6 large passionfruit)

INGREDIENTS

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SERVES: 6

SHERBERT

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GET INVOLVED Passionfruit Australia Inc. (PAI) is the peak industry body representing passionfruit growers in Australia HOW TO JOIN PASSIONFRUIT AUSTRALIA

UPCOMING EVENTS 2020 JULY PAI Committee Meeting

14

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

AUGUST Ekka Show Day (moved to Friday) 14 Brisbane, QLD

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

SEPTEMBER

MEMBERSHIP RATES | 2020/21

Queen’s Birthday WA

New Grower Member: Renewal Grower Member: New Associate Member: Renewal Associate Member:

OCTOBER

$253 $198 $297 $242

28

Labour Day NSW

5

JOIN NOW ONLINE AT

Queen’s Birthday QLD

5

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

Passionfruit Australia Inc Industry Dinner, AGM & Farm Walk Murwillambah, Northern NSW

17

Membership runs from July 1st to June 30th each year, rates are pro-rated.

Membership lapses if renewal not paid within three months of the start of the fiscal year.

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

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

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember.

Involve me and I learn.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

DECEMBER PAI Committee Meeting

3

How to Handwash?

WASH HANDS WHEN VISIBLY SOILED! OTHERWISE, USE HANDRUB Duration of the entire procedure: 40-60 seconds

0

1

Wet hands with water;

3

2

Apply enough soap to cover all hand surfaces;

4

Right palm over left dorsum with interlaced fingers and vice versa;

6

5

Palm to palm with fingers interlaced;

7

Rotational rubbing of left thumb clasped in right palm and vice versa;

9

Dry hands thoroughly with a single use towel;

Rub hands palm to palm;

Backs of fingers to opposing palms with fingers interlocked;

8

Rotational rubbing, backwards and forwards with clasped fingers of right hand in left palm and vice versa;

Rinse hands with water;

10

11

Use towel to turn off faucet;

Your hands are now safe.

All reasonable precautions have been taken by the World Health Organization to verify the information contained in this document. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall the World Health Organization be liable for damages arising from its use.

WHO acknowledges the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), in particular the members of the Infection Control Programme, for their active participation in developing this material.

May 2009