Avoscene September 2017

Avoscene New Zealand Avocado Growers’ Journal

September 2017

Growing for the future

Inside this issue: 2017 Grower Awards New Cultivars: Dry Matter Accumulation Mating disruption as a management tool for leafrollers New avocado research makes superfruit even more desirable

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AVOCO’s game plan just got a boost.

We welcome DMS and their growers to our family of professional growers and packers.

www.avoco.co.nz 2

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AV0817

Nothing flashy. Just good old-fashioned teamwork.

NZ Avocado

Contents

PO Box 13267 Tauranga 3141 New Zealand Level 5, Harrington House 32 Harington Street Tauranga 3110

Comment

Reports

Markets

Ph: 07 571 6147 or 0800 AVOCADO (0800 286 2236) www.nzavocado.co.nz

NZ Avocado

View from the Chair

4

Growing the Business

6

NZ Avocado

Regional Roundup

8

@nz_avocado

Outside the Box

@NZ_Avocado

12

Going Global

15

Export Market Promotions

16

The New Zealand Market

19

New Zealand Market Promotions 20

Directors

New Faces

22

Grower Awards

24

Obituary: Jim Clark

27

Library Trays

28

Avocentric – Ted MacDougall's Legacy

30

Bay of Plenty/Rest of New Zealand Dave Flett m. 027 555 4420 dave.flett@yahoo.co.nz John Cotterell Ph 07 549 3395 m. 0274 513 138 jccotterell@actrix.gen.nz Maria Watchorn m. 027 548 2992 andaria@xtra.co.nz Far North Alistair Nicholson Ph 021 946 391 anicholson@vulposinvest.com Mid North Roger Barber Ph 09 435 0785 m. 021 488 124 barbers@ihug.co.nz John Dawson Ph 021 724 900 jd@team.org.nz At Large Tony Ponder NZAGA Vice Chair Ph 07 552 4223 m. 0274 733 712 tony@flaxmillavocado.co.nz Linda Flegg Ph 07 549 1047 m. 021 458 782 linda@kauripak.co.nz Export Directors Alistair Petrie (Independent Chair) Annmarie Lee Alistair Young Avoscene Advertising & Editorial For editorial contact: Natasha Mitchell, Sun Media Ltd No.1 The Strand, Tauranga Ph: 07 578 0030 Fax: 07 571 1116 email kym@thesun.co.nz For advertising contact: Suzy King at Sun Media Ltd Phone 021 769 831 email suzy@thesun.co.nz Design and production: Kym Johnson, Sun Media Ltd email kym@thesun.co.nz For subscriptions contact: Jay Bent email jay.bent@nzavocado.co.nz

On the Orchard

Reminders at this time of year

Nourish

Newsroom

35

Industry Matters

53

Recommended Reading

54

Recipe

60

Tips for a bee friendly environment

37

Industry News

55

Out and About

Canopy Management

38

Avocado News from the World

58

Team Activity

61

New Cultivars

41

Out and About

62

Tree Spacing

42

Mating disruption as a management tool for leafrollers 46 Wet Weather

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Phytophthora: Masters Project

51

NZ Avocado Staff Glenys Parton, Industry Systems Manager

Bevan Jelley, Market Manager

jen.scoular@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 741 014

glenys.parton@nzavocado.co.nz | 0274 99 70 81

bevan.jelley@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 994 097

Edwina Aitchison, Executive Assistant

Jen Scoular, CEO

Sarah Sorensen, Project Manager

Jodi Senior, Communications Manager

edwina.aitchison@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 977 890

sarah.sorensen@nzavocado.co.nz

jodi.senior@nzavocado.co.nz

Brad Siebert Biosecurity & Programme Manager

Marisa Till, Research Manager

Joanne Nunn, Administration Assistant

marisa.till@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 344 559

jo.nunn@nzavocado.co.nz

Phillip West, R&D Officer

Melissa van den Heuvel, Graduate

brad.siebert@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 804 847

Jay Bent, Business Manager

phillip.west@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 706 504

melissa@nzavocado.co.nz

jay.bent@nzavocado.co.nz | 027 465 8886

Logan Whenuaroa, Research Associate logan.whenuaroa@nzavocado.co.nz 027 373 9859 NZ Avocado has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information provided in this publication. However, the information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. New Zealand Avocado does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this publication or documents or other websites linked to. New Zealand Avocado assumes no responsibility for the consequences of use of such information. Your use of information contained in this publication and documents or other websites linked to is at your own risk, and you should seek further advice prior to making decisions based on the information contained herein.

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View from the Chair

By Elaine Fisher

From hands-on orcharding to the Board table and back – Ashby Whitehead has gone full circle in the avocado industry.

Ashby stepped down as chair of New Zealand Avocado Growers Association and the Avocado Industry Council on the 31st August. He has been chair since 2013, and a Board member since 2006.

Ashby’s leadership roles in the industry began when he was elected to the NZAGA Executive, representing Bay of Plenty, in 2006. He has helped steer the industry through times of significant change.

Ashby and his wife Linda have sold their Te Puke orchard, bought bare land in Te Puna to develop a new orchard, and begun an avocado orchard contracting business – Ashlin Avocados.

“It’s gone from what was essentially a cottage industry to a $200 million industry which is now hitting its straps.” To keep pace with that growth, the Board also needed to change from a largely management role to today’s governance role.

“Starting a new business takes a considerable amount of time and there are pressures on your time in the Board and chair roles too, so it seemed the right time to step down now. Also I believe bringing in new blood to the Board is a good thing as the industry will benefit from fresh thinking.”

“The New Zealand avocado industry remains, and should continue to remain, a grower owned and funded industry but it can no longer operate on a ‘seat of the pants’ model.

Ashby’s working life began with a career in the engineering industry and then in 1991 he and Linda bought an orchard in Te Puke, converting half to avocados in 1996. The balance of the land was in kiwifruit and grazing.

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“We have a five year plan and quality standards which must be adhered to.”The underlying aim is always to grow and export the best quality fruit to earn good returns for growers.

The 2011 export year was among the worst during Ashby’s time with the Board.

“It was a bad year for growers, due largely to over-supply in the markets. Six years on, the market has changed and now avocados are much more of a staple ‘must-have’ for consumers, which is good for avocado growers as consumption rate continues to grow.”

Among the highlights of his term of office has been securing the Primary Growth Partnership funding from the Ministry for Primary Industries. The industry matched the government funding for the five-year programme called “Go Global” which aims to equip the industry with the tools to triple productivity to 12 tonnes per hectare and quadruple industry returns to $280 million per annum by 2023.

“The industry would have reached those milestones eventually but the funding turbo-charged the progress.

However, gaining the funding took a lot of hard work – CEO Jen Scoular and I often described it as “eating an elephant” – something which has to be done very slowly, piece by piece.”

The collaboration between exporters is another highlight he says.

“Today the exporters have fortnightly phone conferences and quarterly meetings. Instead of holding their cards close to their chests, they collaborate in markets to fill the gaps, not compete on price.”

Ashby says he has enjoyed his time with the Boards, and the challenges and the experiences the roles have brought, but he’s looking forward to having more time to concentrate on his business and establishing new orchards.

“I like building things and being out in the fresh air,” he says.

Ashby pays tribute to Linda for the work she has done to enable him to take on the demanding leadership role.

“Linda has held the fort at home, shifted the cows, picked the avocados, managed kiwifruit pruning and much more to allow me the time to focus on the chairman and director’s roles. I could not have done it without her – she has done a sterling job.”

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Growing the business

By Jen Scoular, CEO, New Zealand Avocado

jen.scoular@nzavocado.co.nz

It was a sad but lovely farewell to avocado grower and industry leader Jim Clark in Kaitaia last month. Jim’s family gave a wonderful description of his exciting life, including the period from 1980 when Jim was one of the founder avocado growers in the Far North.

I travelled up to the Far North for an Apata field day about a month after I started, way back in 2011. I had only been back in New Zealand six weeks, and our container of goods hadn’t arrived yet so I was restricted in my clothing to what I had brought over in my one suitcase. I hadn’t quite anticipated clothing for a day in an orchard in the winterless north, so I turned up in a pair of shorts. Ian Broadhurst, our regional rep at the time hosted me for the day and hadn’t met me until then. He later told me he thought I looked as if I was there to head to the beach instead of to look knowledgably at avocado orchards. I met Jim at the same time and have met him on every trip north.

It wasn’t until after the dreadful 2011-12 season that I properly met Jim.We had a grower roadshow, the industry was not feeling good, Far North growers had long felt the industry body was failing to deliver on their levy, and I was in a position Jim felt needed to change that. I had finished my presentation and asked for questions. Jim stood up but instead of asking questions, he started what became quite a commentary on what the CEO needed to do. After a few minutes of me still standing at the front of the room I asked Jim if I might sit down.Yes of course he said, I’ve got lots more to say!

Jim had a very good ability to say what growers were thinking and I have felt Jim’s guidance strongly over the five years since then. He was instrumental in getting grower support for the tree decline working group we set up in the Far North. Jim was awarded the New Zealand Avocado Award for services to the industry in 2008.

From the size of the crowd at his memorial service he touched a lot of people, and will be very sorely missed.

Heart felt wishes from us all to his wife Gill, to Tom, Joe and Catherine and their families.

The passing of a person's life does make one reflect and if anything I’ve come back thinking I need to have more fun.

Actually I entered two more trail runs and texted a friend saying when are we going to do that tramp we’ve been talking about for ages. Though perhaps that wouldn’t sound like much fun to some people!

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But work did certainly provide some fun at the media launch in Auckland last week. We are focusing this year on health messaging and are very excited to have Dr Nic Gill – the strength and condition coach to New Zealand’s most successful rugby team, and an avocado grower – as an ambassador this year. He joined the wonderful Nadia Lim to share insights on avocados as a performance enhancer and a wonderful source of vitamin B6 and folate. Research we’ve done has shown New Zealand avocados contain twice as much vitamin B6 and 20% more folate than avocados from other countries. This is an exciting differentiating factor which we will be focusing on in the coming months.

We invited a great range of celebrities, hoping they would spread the word on social media, and you’ll see from the article on page 55 that we achieved great spread. We had a “green screen” where we had photos, and the resulting photo

Comment

We’re refreshing our strategy for promotions in the Australian market and held a workshop with exporters and the two agencies we are using to get feedback on some consumer testing they had done in the Australian market.

It’s very important when we come up with new messaging or concepts that we test it with consumers before we invest in developing all the marketing and collateral we need to support it in the market. I will update on this at the AGM which takes place while this is being printed, on 31 August.

Nadia Lim and Jen Scoular at the NZ Avocado season launch event.

made us look like we were deep in a bowl of guacamole.

That was fun, and a bit of a laugh, especially apparently for the people who received those photos from their friends, wondering what on earth they were doing.

We’re excited about the content of the Grower Forums, in Whangarei 31 August and Tauranga 8 September. A lot has happened over the past year and this is my team’s opportunity to demonstrate how we spend your levy, and hopefully, demonstrate the value you get out of your levy.

I hope to see lots of you there.

Publicity – a wonderful and powerful thing, not always good, and certainly not predictable, but I think we hit the right note with our guests that night.

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Comment

Regional Roundup Roger Barber & John Dawson – Mid-North region Roger Barber: tudorwoodnz@gmail.com

John Dawson: jd@team.org.nz

08.08.2017 Roger Barber

John Dawson

A cold, wet mid-winter has dominated the Mid North’s climate, with avocados showing a slow increase in dry matter as the new season approaches.

Meanwhile public consultation hearings with planners have progressed as the Whangarei District Council responded to submissions from landowners affected by the Council’s proposed new district plan.

Two main submissions were made by Horticulture NZ relating to matters potentially impacting on horticultural production in the district. For avocado growers, the main concern was the designation of Whatatiri Mountain as an Outstanding Natural Feature. It is also currently the main avocado production area in the Mid North. The mountain is reputed to be the finest example of a shield volcano in the country. As such, the Council seeks to place restrictions on activities such as soil movement, height of structures, and any other factors which may threaten the integrity of the mountain.

With avocado production as the main activity on the mountain, growers were concerned some of the provisions in the new plan would affect their ability to carry out essential functions such as cultivation, ridging etc due to

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constraints on the volume of soil which could be moved.

Also limits on the permissible height of structures could affect shelter belts, housing, farm buildings and other structures necessary on a horticultural production unit.

The Horticultural NZ submission argued that the current land use doesn’t compromise the landscape value, and horticulture is the predominant land use, with over 300 hectares of avocados and 20ha of kiwifruit already planted.

The volcanic soil is classified as high value versatile land, enhanced with a heavy investment in horticultural development, not the least of which is a Government subsidised district irrigation scheme. The gentle contour of the mountain, unlike most other volcanos in the district which are steep and bush clad, does not suffer from risk of soil erosion to the same extent. Thus Whatatiri is much less likely to show adverse effects from soil movement and cultivation.

Council planners responded that there was no intention to restrict horticultural development and the proposed planning provisions should allow existing land use to continue. They undertook to review some of the restrictive wording and also the volume of permitted earthworks.

Limits on crop protective structure will also be reviewed.

Comment

The other contentious issue was proposed zoning changes on some of the main horticultural areas from Rural Production to Rural Living Environment which will cater for the demand for lifestyle blocks. The main concern was the issue of “reverse sensitivity� which allows lifestylers to impose restrictions on essential horticultural activities such as spraying, bees for pollination, noise, smells, etc. Several of the areas designated for lifestyle use are key horticultural districts, while other more marginal areas close to town have been left in the Rural Production (Rural A) zone.

were a valuable resource for the future and alternative options for establishing and maintaining these in the future were investigated.

An unrelated subject is the recent review of the gene blocks

by NZ Avocado. Three gene blocks, one located in each of the main production districts (Far North, Whangarei and Bay of Plenty) hold plant material, mainly newly introduced varieties and rootstocks from around the world. They serve as a repository of cultivars, allowing a preliminary observation of their possible performance under our temperate climate and also as a valuable source of plant material for nurserymen.

The avocado industry is vulnerable relying on a single cultivar. While Hass remains the dominant variety globally, alternative commercial cultivars need to be actively persued and evaluated, such as Maluma Hass, Carmen and Gem. Product improvement is a vital component of any progressive industry.

The review highlighted the importance of actively searching for new plant material, particularly rootstocks. California and South Africa are the most obvious places to look, as they have extensive avocado breeding and selection programmes.

Other places, including Spain, Israel and South America should also not be ignored.

A recent meeting of interested growers, nurserymen and industry stakeholders was held to discuss future requirements and the best ways of managing these gene blocks. There was general agreement that these gene blocks

Spotted anything red bugs v2

Spotted anything unusual?

Early reporting of unusual insect pests or plant symptoms helps to protect the avocado industry.

Calls to MPI’s pest and disease hotline 0800 80 99 66 are confidential and ensure industry pests are discovered early before they spread.

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Regional Roundup Dave Flett – BOP region 01.08.2017

Do you recall your parents telling you they didn't have a money tree in the backyard when you were constantly requesting more pocket money?

The police are on the lookout for resellers who appear to be selling stolen fruit and warning them of the consequences.

The good news is getting out as I received an email from a grower saying he saw the police photographing produce and interviewing a reseller last week.

Well maybe we do have money trees in our orchards - it appears that a certain group of people in the community think so and are helping themselves to them.

The police are using their internal network to forewarn areas where they think the produce is being sold and they will endeavour to intercept the sales process.

So how do we go about stopping these thieves? I believe a three-pronged approach is required: 1. Protect our money trees 2. Apprehend the thieves 3. Stop the thieves from converting the produce into real $$$

What we now need is for all growers to notify the police if they see any activity that appears to be in line with thieves operating in your area. Growers also need to ensure they are doing as much as possible to protect their orchards and make it as difficult as possible for the thieves to get access to their trees.

Hopefully everyone has noticed the increased publicity on avocado thefts. Recently NZ Avocado published several articles in Avoscene, Avoconnect, local newspapers and also television. I have been working closely with the Police and Rural Stakeholders Committee, in the role of elected representative of Horticulture New Zealand. The message we are trying to communicate is that this is a serious crime and those stealing fruit or selling it will be prosecuted.

I am looking at what can be done from an orchard security perspective and will be updating you all as soon as I have a range of products and services which I am looking at and planning to trial very soon.

Money trees!

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As your Bay of Plenty grower representative I am always open to growers contacting me with your views on this serious issue we want to get on top of.

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Comment

Outside the Box

By Daniel Birnie, Avocado Manager, Trevelyan's

daniel@trevelyans.co.nz

Recently I was fortunate enough to attend the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme. It is a six-month programme, with two stints at Lincoln University flanking a session in Wellington.

During the programme we had to complete a project of our choice - mine was around how we communicate with our growers. I learnt a lot of things during that six months, and as something different - out of the box - I thought I would share some of them with you now.

Daniel Birnie (far bottom right) with the rest of the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme participants.

Firstly, it is the connections you make and the people you meet. Fellow course attendees from the Bay of Plenty included Craig Ward of Apata, Anthony Pangborn of EastPack, Kylie Phillips of Zespri and Cameron Hill, kiwifruit grower. Other attendees included dairy farmers, sheep and beef farmers, scientists, and bankers.

Key leaders who shared their views included Ruth Richardson, Zespri CEO Lain Jager, Chairman of HortNZ Julian Raine, Green Party co-leader James Shaw and Ian Proudfoot of KPMG. Some of the key messages that I took away were: • Love what you do • Don’t be evil, be nice!

• Be emotionally generous, be kind, offer compliments this applies to family, friends and colleagues!

With regards to leadership, some common traits I discovered that top leaders have are: • They use soft skills, tells stories, listen, play, have fun.

• They are not problem solvers; they use open questions, let the person completing the job solve the problem -

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• • • • •

where possible, they will take more ownership.

They acknowledge other personalities - problem finders can be good.

They stay ‘above the line’.

They focus on the issue, not the person.

They communicate the vision.

Top leaders keep physically fit, to keep their body and their minds healthy.

Key tips around Speaking and Conversation: • Tell a story • Speak when you enter a room - say hello!

• When talking to other people, be interested in who they are and what they do.

• Assume nothing, constantly challenge what you are being told Some other key points I took away: • 60% of farmers believe they are in the top 10% of production. I find this fact very interesting, and as a result we have developed a comparative report to tell

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you how you compare to your fellow growers.

Top performing farmers have a strong team of bankers, consultants, accountants, and reps.

Food trends – tell a story to the consumer (whenever you get the chance, tell people you are an avocado grower, and what you do!)

'Preparation and opportunity = luck’ ‘No success at work is worth failure at home’ ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there’ ‘Own the problem to solve the problem’ Challenge the status quo Be thankful for what we have Have a great team

Key leadership traits are: • Honest, authentic • Be positive • Strong work ethic • Have an appetite for risk

• • • • • •

Be self-aware Passion Delegation Have a vision, tell a story Be willing to fail Be well informed

My project focussed on how we communicate with our growers. I met with people from Comvita, Rockit Apples and Tatua Dairy to see how they communicate with their suppliers. My two key messages I took out of those meetings were: • Be concise with the information we provide • Focus on the quality of the product supplied, not the quantity As a business we have taken this on board.

I would recommend the Kellogg course (and the Hort NZ leadership course as an introduction) to anyone who is interested in personal development.

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Going Global Alistair Petrie, Chair, AVEC

al.petrie66@gmail.com

As the export season begins, we look at the season ahead and how exporters plan to develop markets while ensuring the best possible return for growers.

This export season is just about to get underway and both growers and exporters are going to have challenging times ahead managing the need and wish to continue fostering and maintaining these new markets balanced with where they can possibly get the best short term Orchard Gate Return (OGR) when the crop is well down on ideal.

To make matters worse, it is very likely a higher proportion of the overall crop will stay in New Zealand rather than heading offshore. The New Zealand market has grown year on year over the last five years and avocados are now a staple for many households, even when the price is high. Already after eight weeks of New Zealand market sales, volumes sold are tracking above last year, even with the high retail prices. If this trend continues, a higher percentage of the overall crop will stay onshore, meaning some offshore customers will not get their full requirement.

Unlike the New Zealand market, most markets offshore have options and if we don’t fill the demand they will look to alternatives. When this happens we don’t get automatic entry back when our supply situation improves.

Markets

It is interesting to note that over the last six years there has been a fairly consistent spread of countries we export to, and the percentage of crop each country takes has changed only moderately over this time. The importance of the Australian market is obvious (>80%), with the returns it currently delivers clearly attractive. However, the relevance of other export markets is real - the maintenance of these markets hasn’t happened by accident, but through a combination of exporter perseverance, NZ Avocado support and a massive amount of work with the Ministry for Primary Industries to gain and maintain market access.

Some exporters have a higher proportion of their crop heading to the broader customer base which may not give the best OGR, but the importance of protecting the investment that NZ Avocado and exporters have made to ensure we are relevant in years to come far outweighs the potential of a short-term return. Growers will need to consider this situation, do they put their long-term sustainable return hat on rather than short-term OGR return?

It has been flagged for a while now that Mexico may get access to Australia. Mexico is a long way from the market and the potential effects of this are unknown. However, if they do get access it will have some effect on the New Zealand season, even if it is simply leverage for the buyers.

Maintaining and expanding “non-Australian” markets is more relevant now than it ever has been.

Work is being done on China and we are hopeful access is a real possibility at some point. Having more options to spread risk and maximise returns is a great position for the industry to be in, but it would be helpful if we didn’t have the dilemma of robbing Peter to pay Paul!

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Export Market China avocado consumption research Bevan Jelley, Market Manager, NZ Avocado

bevan.jelley@nzavocado.co.nz

Markets

China is a market of great opportunity for avocados from New Zealand and negotiations on access for avocados from New Zealand into China continue to make progress. NZ Avocado is working to ensure that when access to China is granted, exporters are supported with an effective promotions programme for avocados from New Zealand that is based on real consumer insights.

Recent growth of avocado import volumes in China has been rapid, from 16,000 tonnes in 2015 to 25,000 tonnes in 2016. In just the first two months of 2017, China’s import volume of avocados reached 12,000 tonnes, almost half the volume of the whole previous year.

NZ Avocado commissioned market research into avocado consumption in China to help prepare the industry for entry into this market. The research provided insight into the purchase habits of consumers who have brought avocados in the Shanghai region in the past six months. It also looked at the current avocado retail and foodservice offering in China, and the avocado promotion activity of competitor supply countries Mexico, Chile and Peru.

Consumer insights

Three key consumer groups are currently purchasing the majority of avocados in China. Urban white collar workers, mainly female, are purchasing avocados in pursuit of a healthy diet and upscale lifestyle.Young mothers purchase avocados as a suitable food for children due to their high nutrition and soft texture. Older consumers in China aged

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50 to 60 years are eating more avocados due to health concerns.

These consumer groups are purchasing 2-3 avocado per week and their avocado purchase choices are influenced by a range of media, including online food and nutrition bloggers, social media services WeChat and Weibo, TV news, and cookery shows.

In total 75% of consumers surveyed had purchased avocados online. This applies to the urban white collar workers and young mothers in particular, with their avocado purchases also taking place in cafés, salad bars and restaurants. The 50-60 year old consumer group tends to purchase avocados from supermarkets and hypermarkets.

The top three associated health benefits of the nutrients found in avocados for the Chinese consumers surveyed were that avocados help fight fatigue, are a heart-healthy addition to one’s diet and can help maintain health eyesight as you age.

For consumers that don’t currently purchase avocados, lack of knowledge of how to eat them and how to choose ripe avocados are the key barriers to purchase.

Market insights

Demand is growing for imported avocados due to increasing awareness of avocados health benefits and nutritional content, as well as increasing understanding of usages including in sushi, salads, milkshakes and juices.

Retail insights

Avocados are often placed in chilled display cases to prevent spoilage and prolong shelf life.

Avocados are normally displayed alongside other imported premium fruit such as kiwifruit, Red Delicious apples, blood oranges and mangosteens.

Competitor insights

Avocados are exported to China by three source countries: Mexico, Chile and Peru.

Markets

Avocados are so popular that fast food chains such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s Pizza have launched avocado marketing campaigns. Salad bars which mainly offer light meals featuring avocados are becoming popular.

Many retailers keep green avocados and ripe avocados separate for the convenience of consumers with limited knowledge of selecting produce.

In 2016 Chile replaced Mexico as the largest supplier to China by import value. Chile has launched extensive promotional activities in China, including cooking shows, chef master classes and engaging online fruit sales platforms.

The research showed that consumers in China perceive New Zealand as a supplier of high quality, healthy, nutritious produce with high standards of food safety. These will be key factors that are leveraged in NZ Avocado promotions planning for this market of significant potential.

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Avoscene September 2017

+64 21 505 814 dalderton@freshmax.co.nz

www.bdmax.co.nz

The New Zealand Market Kym Fraser, Product Manager, Freshmax

kfraser@freshmax.co.nz

The season is well and truly underway in the New Zealand market with consistent weekly packed volumes now making their way through to eager Kiwi consumers.

Markets

The early season period has been particularly interesting in 2017 and the updated maturity guidelines for the New Zealand market have been reported by many marketers to have had a real impact.

The key change for 2017 was that a minimum of 18 of the 20 fruit sampled for the domestic market needed to be at 20.8% or higher. This was not the case in previous seasons and testing in 2017 required a higher level of compliance, with the intention of reducing variability of dry matter levels in fruit harvested and in turn increasing the consistency of ripening outcomes for consumers.

Of the 169 dry matter tests undertaken by Eurofins during the early season period up until 31 July, 63 met New Zealand market requirements. Feedback from marketers was the updated testing protocol resulted in some test failures that would previously have passed, so the end results

was that fruit with a less variable range of dry matters was harvested.

Avocado theft has once again been reported in the media and it’s great to see that years of proactive engagement with police from NZ Avocado and the wider industry have resulted in major media coverage to warn shop owners of the issue of avocado theft and the penalties they could face by purchasing and on-selling stolen avocados. This topic is covered in greater detail by Bevan Jelley on page 20.

We are just starting to see demand increase as retail pricing comes back to more palatable levels for the majority of avocado consumers. Promotional activity is underway in supermarkets, which is vital to clear building stocks and ensure demand stays strong and stable through the duration of the season.

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New Zealand Market Promotions Bevan Jelley, Market Manager, NZ Avocado

bevan.jelley@nzavocado.co.nz

Markets

This season's New Zealand market activity kicked off with an avocado season launch event at Eden Park, the introduction of All Blacks fitness coach Dr Nic Gill as a wellness ambassador, and NZ Police engagement aimed at preventing avocado theft.

Nadia Lim demonstrating her delicious avocado salad recipes.

Attendees enjoying Nadia's Harissa chicken avocado salad.

Season launch

Head to the NZ Avocado Facebook page to check out more images from the event.

On Wednesday 9 August we held a season launch event at Eden Park in Auckland to share and celebrate the exciting new nutrition information we have for New Zealand-grown avocados. It was a fantastic event that drew media, health and fitness celebrities and social media influencers and included presentations from international rugby strength and conditioning coach and avocado grower Nic Gill, and chef, author and avocado enthusiast Nadia Lim. Nic shared his tips on avocados in optimal performance with a focus on vitamin B6, while Nadia shared about innovating for a healthier New Zealand with a focus on folate and treated everyone to a demonstration of two of her delicious and easy avocado salad recipes – harissa chicken, pumpkin and avocado salad with mint yoghurt dressing, and roast pumpkin, pear and avocado salad with blue cheese and raspberry balsamic dressing.

Dr Nicholas Gill – Avocado Ambassador

NZ Avocado has engaged Dr Nicholas Gill, All Blacks fitness coach, as a nutrition and health ambassador for avocados from New Zealand in 2017-18. For the past eight years “Gilly” has been the All Blacks head strength and conditioning coach, a period when the All Blacks have become recognised for their superior fitness which has helped contribute to winning two world cups in 2011 and 2015. Gilly has also coached Olympic rowing gold medallists Hamish Bond and Eric Murray, is himself an Ironman competitor and, most importantly, an avocado grower!

Launch guests included The Bachelor New Zealand TV personalities Art Green, Matilda Rice and Zac Franich, and health influencers such as Julia Matthews from Julia & Libby and Simone Anderson from Simone’s Journey to Health.

Guests enjoyed beautiful avocado-themed dishes including avocado and mango rice paper rolls, seared tuna topped with an avocado salsa, and salted caramel and avocado chocolate mousse macarons. Guests were thrilled to learn that their favourite fruit has double the amount of vitamin B6 and 20% more folate than avocados grown in other countries.

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Dr Nicholas Gill and Kayaker Andrew Foy at the NZ Avocado season launch.

Markets

Sergeant Trevor Brown being filmed by TV3 Newshub.

Gilly stars in three new videos for NZ Avocado, covering the role avocados play in nutrition for high performance sportspeople, and the fatigue fighting benefits that can crossover to the everyday lives of busy executives, families and the elderly. The videos can be viewed on the NZ Avocado website and will be incorporated into the NZ market promotions programme throughout the season.

Gilly was a guest speaker at the 2017 NZ Avocado season launch event at Eden Park and adds intrigue and credibility to the delivery of our key messages on the unique nutrient properties and health benefits of New Zealand avocados.

NZ Avocado intends to use Gilly in the New Zealand market only this season, however there will be further opportunities to leverage his credentials in Japan promotions in the lead up to the 2019 Japan Rugby World Cup. Avocado theft activity

NZ Avocado has been working with NZ Police in recent seasons to increase awareness of the issue of avocado theft in communities where avocados are grown, and with fruit and vegetable shop owners that we know are often targeted by traders of stolen avocados. NZAGA and AIC board member Dave Flett has been representing avocado growers on the Police and Rural Stakeholders Committee.

Police received nine reported thefts in Western Bay of Plenty between May and July and visited fruit and vegetable stores across Bay of Plenty, Waikato and South Auckland to educate shop owners on the consequences of this issue.

Offenders can potentially be charged with burglary, which has a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. If a shop owner knowingly has purchased stolen avocados, they could potentially be charged with receiving stolen property, which carries a maximum imprisonment of seven years.

In July NZ Avocado worked with the NZ Police media team to develop a news release targeted at educating fruit shop owners.

Following the resulting media enquiry from nationwide news services, NZ Avocado facilitated the filming of a Newshub television news segment involving Sergeant Trevor Brown of Western Bay Police,Tauranga green grocer David Stewart and avocado growers Robin Hanvey and Maxine Graham.The segment was shown on nationwide television news.

Policing more than 1,000 avocado orchards is a near impossible task. It is hoped that pro-active education of store owners will help make it more difficult for the traders of stolen avocados to sell stolen fruit.

The message from NZ Police to store owners is “Support orchardists, your fellow business owners, and don’t purchase these stolen avocados. If we work together, we can combat this issue.”

Please report avocado thefts and any unusual activity in your area to NZ Police as soon as possible. If you see something – say something. Call 111 immediately.

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New Faces Melissa van den Heuvel Graduate, NZ Avocado melissa@nzavocado.co.nz

Melissa van den Heuvel joined NZ Avocado in June, immediately after graduating from Waikato University. Melissa’s role with NZ Avocado is a graduate role which exposes her to all areas across the avocado industry.

Even though she didn’t have a background in Horticulture, Melissa says the avocado industry, and its current growth and development, made it an exciting, diverse and interesting career choice.

Reports

Melissa grew up in Rotorua, attended John Paul College and enjoyed a year as a Rotary youth exchange student in Sweden. She has a Bachelor of Science from Waikato University, majoring in environmental

planning with a specialty in science international.

“I have always had an interest in science, especially earth science, but I also want to understand why we can and can’t do certain things and environmental planning gave me an insight into the different aspects of legislation and planning.”

During her time at university, Melissa worked during summer breaks for the Department of Conservation and for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council based in Rotorua. In her spare time Melissa loves the outdoors, in particular hiking in the bush or enjoying time on Rotorua’s lakes.

Sarah Sorensen Project Manager, NZ Avocado sarah.sorenson@nzavocado.co.nz

Sarah Sorensen’s role as project manager for research into post-harvest rots in avocados with NZ Avocado is one in which she has both a professional and personal interest.

As a researcher, the work presents a challenge she enjoys and as a grower, Sarah has a vested interest in helping to find out the causes behind post-harvest rots.

“I have a six-month contract to research literature about post-harvest rots and work with members of the industry to attempt to identify factors which may be causing the problem,” says Sarah, who with husband Lars and three young boys, owns a small orchard near Katikati.

“The issue with post-harvest rots was highlighted last season and there are many theories as to why that was, from a very wet November, to the discontinuation of the use of a post-harvest dip. I think it is likely that there will be more than one cause of the problem.”

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Sarah, who previously worked for PathLab in histology, is enjoying the new research role and hopes her work may find ways the industry can reduce the incidence of postharvest rots.

That will also be of advantage to Sarah and her family, who bought their 1.5ha avocado orchard with 150 trees, just south of Katikati, two years ago.

“We live at Mount Maunganui, close to the beach, and wanted somewhere for our boys, aged nine, six and three, to get away to the countryside to play and explore,” says Sarah who admits that for most families, an escape to the beach is what they wish for.

“But we live at the beach. At the orchard, the boys love climbing the trees, riding their bikes, digging holes and swimming in the river. The orchard is a great get-away for us, which also earns an income.”

Jacob Darling GM Group Sales and Marketing, Darling Group

Darling Group and Just Avocados are excited to announce the appointment of Jacob Darling to the role of GM Group Sales and Marketing.

Just Avocados’ programmes to Australia and now Asia are a major focus for Jacob in his new role where he will also be responsible for continued new business development for

Jacob has a degree in Business Marketing from the University of South Carolina and has worked in sales for Tom Lange Co, one of the largest purchasers and distributors of fresh fruits and vegetables in the USA. Jacob has a sound understanding of global produce supply and marketing and is passionate about his role in obtaining the best values for growers.

Reports

Most recently, Jacob worked for Brisbanebased JH Leavy & Co. in the role of National Sales Manager, where he managed the successful Just Avocados programme to Australia.This programme achieved a significant increase in retail business from 15%-65%, as well as extracting greater value for growers from the wholesale market.

Darling Group in the export of Australian produce; avocados, citrus, tomatoes and mangoes.

“My overall responsibility is the outcome of the Just Avocados pool with the goal of being the number one avocado exporter by value to our growers.”

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Grower Awards Marisa Till, Research Manager, NZ Avocado marisa.till@nzavocado.co.nz

Reports

Following a successful season, with many growers experiencing their best crop ever, we would like to celebrate some of our growers for their fantastic achievements. Our industry, while young and growing, is generating a lot of success and excitement. NZ Avocado wanted to take this opportunity to showcase some of these great successes.

Rodney and Diane Bell.

Grower awards were an initiative started following the 2015-16 season and consist of three awards: • Highest production award – this was awarded to the grower with the highest tons per hectare for the season • The most consistent grower award – this was awarded to the grower with the lowest irregular bearing index combined with highest four-year average production • The top grower award - this was awarded to the grower with the highest four-year average production in tons per hectare.

Highest Production

The award for highest production goes to the grower with the highest tons per hectare from a PPIN - our data includes all fruit that is packed in a registered packhouse and the

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Andrew and MariaWatchorn.

hectare information provided by growers during their registration.

In the 2016-17 season the highest production award was awarded to Maria and Andrew Watchorn from the Bay of Plenty. Maria and Andrew had an amazing crop of 44.3 tons per hectare. An impressive yield by any standards.

Table 1 shows the top three growers production in this category. Clearly there are some great crops out there.

2016-17 Production (t/ha) 1

44.3 (Andrew & Maria Watchorn)

2

42.5

3

32.6

Table 1 – Top three orchards with the highest production for the 2016-17 season.

Most Consistent Grower

Top Grower Award

NZ Avocado use an irregular bearing index, IBI, to decide on our most consistent grower award. The IBI is calculated by dividing the difference between the previous two crops from an orchard by the sum of those two crops. We make an allowance that will set an orchards IBI at 0 if they have had three consecutive increases in their production. We have a number of orchards with an IBI of 0 - to decide on the winner of this award, we look at the orchard with an IBI of 0 and the highest four-year average production.

The top grower award is awarded to the grower who has the highest four-year average production. Last year with a four-year average of 24.5 tons per hectare the winner of the award was Maria and Andrew Watchorn.

The award for the most consistent grower was awarded to Rodney & Diane Bell from the Bay of Plenty. They had an IBI of 0 and a four-year average production of 22.4 tons per hectare.

The top three growers, based on four-year average production are in Table 3.

IBI

Four year average yield (t/ha)

1

0

22.4 (Rodney & Diane Bell)

2

0

22.1

3

0

20.4

Four-year average (t/ha) 1

30.9 (Andrew & Maria Watchorn)

2

28.4

3

27.2

Table 3 – Top three growers with highest four-year average production.

Table 2 – Top three orchards with the highest production and an irregular bearing index of zeros for the 2016-17 season.

It is an exciting time for the New Zealand avocado industry and the perfect time to come together as an industry to recognise and celebrate the success of our top growers.

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Reports

The top three growers in this category can be seen in Table 2.

Taking out this year’s top grower award, for a second consecutive year following the highest production across the entire industry, are Maria and Andrew Watchorn with a very impressive four-year average of 30.9 tons per hectare.

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Realise the difference. Quality control.

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ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 P7831. Copyright ©2016 DuPont. All rights reserved. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, Rynaxypyr ® and Altacor ® are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates. DuPont (New Zealand) Limited. Level 1, 14 Ormiston Road, East Tamaki, Auckland 2016.

For export fruit check with your exporter before applying.

Avoscene September 2017 www.cropprotection.dupont.co.nz

Obituary: Jim Clark

By Jen Scoular, CEO, New Zealand Avocado

jen.scoular@nzavocado.co.nz

Far North grower and industry leader Jim Clark died suddenly on 1st August 2017 in Fiji where he was holidaying.

Jim has been involved in avocados since the 1980s, and was strongly supportive of moving the industry under the Horticulture Export Authority and Commodity Levy Act. He has been an NZAGA grower rep, a strong advocate for the Far North, and an influential leader for growers and the industry. Jim received the New Zealand Avocado Award in 2008.

Reports

Alistair Young said at the memorial service for Jim, "His passing is real but his presence remains in the contribution he has made to the development and systematic building of what is now an industry more successful than many of us ever dreamed possible."

Our thoughts are with his family. Jim will be very sadly missed.

Jim Clark

Horticentre are delighted to announce a new store will be opening in the Hawkes Bay during August 2017.

The Horticentre Group supplies growers with an extensive range of horticultural products supplemented by a large technical ďŹ eld-based team.

The Group consists of three well known brands: Horticentre, TasmanCrop and HortFertplus and stores are located in 11 strategic regions throughout the North and South Islands.

Further details on the new stores location, team and contact details can be found on our website: www.horticentre.co.nz

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2016-17 Library Trays Logan Whenuaroa, Research Associate, NZ Avocado

logan.whenuaroa@nzavocado.co.nz

The issues surrounding fruit quality and the presence of disorders in the market throughout the 2016-17 season have been well publicised. The library trays are one of our best tools to provide a representative sample of the export fruit at a point in time that allows both the grower and the industry to receive feedback on the quality of the fruit.

Reports

The 2016-17 library tray results shown in figure 1 illustrate that the volume of unsound fruit was high and the overall quality was poor compared to previous seasons. Fruit held longer on trees were more susceptible to developing post-harvest rots with an increasing percentage of unsound fruit as the season progressed, figures 2 and 3.This trend is not uncommon and can largely be attributed to incidence of ripe brown patches and severity increasing with season progress, figure 4.

The 2016-17 library trays show a clear spike in green fuzzy patches during November and December, figure 3, and the increase in ripe stem end rot and ripe vascular browning when comparing seasons, figure 5. These library tray results allow us to evaluate factors that may have contributed to these disorders and identify aspects of on orchard management and the supply chain that can be improved.

Figure 1 – The percentage of unsound fruit and fruit exhibiting major disorders by season.

Library trays are our best available measure of quality. NZ Avocado alongside growers, packers and exporters are constantly working to identify the factors that contribute to fruit quality and redefine practices to improve overall quality of fruit, figure 6.

Looking ahead

Glenys is leading a review of the library tray system and has had some excellent feedback on how we might improve it. Library trays remain our best option to look at trends, to measure quality and to benchmark quality at a packhouse or grower level.

Figure 2 – Percentage of unsound fruit by region.

We encourage growers to be proactive in reviewing their own library trays and welcome feedback about the library tray system.

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Improvements she is looking at include the need to more accurately reflect the actual conditions avocados face on their way from the packhouse to market, to use ethylene ripening and to report much more frequently.

Growers also need to be more easily able to access library trays, something which seems to be complicated through the Eurofins website.

We’d like the data on our website for easier access through your single sign-on.

Reports

R+D

Figure 3 – Percentage of unsound fruit and fruit exhibiting major disorder over 2016/17 season.

Refine Quality Assessment Manual

Refine Best Practice

Monitor Quality Problems

Figure 4 – The average severity of for fruit exhibiting major fruit disorders.

Out-turn Monitoring

Onshore Library Trays

Grower/ Packhouse

Shipping

Packing

Exporter

Figure 5 – Incidence and Severity of Ripe Stem End Rot and ripe vascular browning by season.

Figure 6 – Process for continuous improvement of export fruit quality utilized by the New Zealand industry

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Avocentric ‘Uncle Ted’s’ enduring legacy to future generations

By Elaine Fisher, Journalist, SunMedia

Reports

Edward Muir MacDougall (Ted) has left a unique legacy for his extended family which is bearing fruit in ways which would undoubtedly make him very proud. Read more about their story.

Te Pare Orchard as seen from the memorial to Ted MacDougall on the hillside above.

Ted, the third generation of his family to farm land at Pukehina, planned and planted the 7.5ha Te Pare avocado orchard seven years ago and formed a trust to benefit his family for generations to come.

“Uncle Ted was a remarkable man who was among the pioneers of the avocado industry, planting his first orchard around 45 years ago,” says his niece Monique Laurie, who with sister Anna MacDougall and their cousin Fiona Flowerday, administer the orchard on behalf of the trust.

Anna and Monique’s father Bruce is Ted’s brother, and as executor of the will has helped the three women in the early stages of managing the orchard.

“They are doing a pretty good job now, so I don’t have to do so much,” says Bruce, who is a farmer and an avocado orchardist too.

Ted was a bachelor who felt a strong connection to the land developed from fern and scrub by his grandfather Samuel Honey MacDougall, who came to Pukehina from Scotland, via Canada, in 1892. Samuel’s son Ronald and his wife

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Winifred succeeded him on the farm.

When Ted was 73, he bought part of the family farm from his brother Ian and as well as developing the avocado orchard, planted 13,000 native trees to extend an existing reserve area.

Defied the odds

“Ted, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at about age 15, was told he could never be a farmer, so he took up house building, but he loved the land,” says Bruce.

By following his own strict diet and keeping physically fit, Ted defied the odds and his illness, as evidenced by the work he did both as a builder and in developing avocado orchards.

Tragically in December 2013, Ted drowned on Lake Rotoiti doing what he loved best – fishing. He had however, already set up the Te Pare Orchard Trust and planted the first block in avocado trees with a view to ensuring the land stayed in the MacDougall family and provided benefits for future generations.

Those benefits are tangible, in terms of the income the orchard brings, and intangible – in fact probably priceless – in the involvement of his nephews and nieces.

Fiona, Monique and Anna each have three children (two boys and a girl each) aged between five and 13 and they, plus their friends, help pick the fruit as well as spreading fertiliser to the 1000 trees by hand.

“Uncle Ted had a different view of orchard management to what is conventional. He didn’t believe in over-feeding the trees and we follow many of his ideas, but do fertilise more frequently than he would – but not as often as most growers,” says Monique.

The block Ted planted contains pollinisers. “We know he planted some “Bacon” but are not sure what else,” says Bruce.

Production increasing

“The harvest is a wonderful family time. The older children are allowed to invite a friend to help, and they pick the fruit into buckets,” says Anna. If possible the harvest is planned during school holidays and the enthusiastic gang of young pickers, supported by adults, often stays overnight, bunking down at the home of Anna and Monique’s parents - Bruce and Sue – during the pick.

Orchard production is increasing as the trees mature and it appears out of step with many in the industry, the orchard will have an “on” year this harvest with a heavy set of fruit on the older trees. The younger trees were harvested for local market during the July school holidays and produced 22 bins, well up from around six last season and close to the 28 bins both blocks produced.

Currently the trees, aged around six years in one block and five years in the adjoining block, are small enough to be picked from the ground but the trust has plans to buy a mobile picking platform in future which could be used on Te Pare and other orchards owned by members of the family.

The main block will be harvested for export and the fruit on the trees in August held the promise of an excellent crop.

Reports

Harvest time

While Fiona, Anna and Monique are guided by Bruce and notes Uncle Ted left, they also take advice from others

Bruce MacDougall with his daughters Anna and Monique and granddaughter Mila at Te Pare Orchard.

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Reports

In tribute to Uncle Ted, a large quartz boulder from a local quarry owned byWinifred MacDougall’s family has been placed on a hillside overlooking the orchard.

including Daniel Birnie, Avocado Manager for Trevelyan’s, the company which packs the trust fruit.

“There are six families who are beneficiaries of the trust, so while Anna, Fiona and I make the final decisions, it is good to have independent guidance as well,” says Monique.

Pest monitoring is also carried out by Trevelyan’s and the orchard is sprayed by contractors and mowed by either family or locals.

New experience

Learning to run an avocado orchard has been a new experience for the three women. Fiona and her husband own and operate a land development and construction company; Anna works for Waikato University running professional development in maths for schools and teachers, and Monique is an occupational therapist who works for the Blind Foundation as a deafblind coordinator.

Much as they have had to learn, the trio say they have found those in the industry with more experience very supportive and willing to share their knowledge. The orchard is also the subject of on-going research and has hosted field days, which prove informative too.

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The women work closely together, but each have distinct responsibilities. Managing the orchard is something they all enjoy, and it’s brought them and their families even closer together – something Uncle Ted would very much approve of.

In tribute to Uncle Ted, a large quartz boulder from a local quarry owned by Winifred MacDougall’s family has been placed on a hillside overlooking the orchard. It bears a plaque which reads: “Edward Muir (Ted) MacDougall 6.1.1936 – 20.12.2013 Te Pare was home to Ted, where he lived and loved the district and its people. Throughout his life he helped many others. At 73 years of age he purchased this ancestral land and then developed it so his brothers’ descendants could all gain enjoyment and benefit from their forefathers’ endeavours.”

That too is a fitting tribute to the man who gave an enduring and precious gift to his family.

WITH DMS YOU’RE IN GOOD HANDS The DMS team is excited to announce a new partnership with leading exporters, Avoco.

dms4kiwi.co.nz

Reports

Join the Orchard Champions today.

Call Phil Chisnall on 027 482 0271 or 07 552 5916

Hamish McKain on 027 220 2005 Hugh O’Connell on 027 749 0063

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On the Orchard

JOIN THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS Leading technical advice Flexible harvest options

Orchard management plans Top rating packing facility

Chat with our experienced team today about how we can help you reach your orchard goals.

Greg O’Carroll, Grower Services – 027 268 0374 Erica Faber, Orchard Productivity Manager – 027 549 8229 John Emett, Grower Services - 027 476 9087

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www.justavocados.co.nz @just_avocados

Reminders at this time of year Marisa Till, Research Manager, NZ Avocado

marisa.till@nzavocado.co.nz

After the lull of winter, and although many people have been busy pruning, flowering and harvesting are coming around again. Spring is a busy time of year on the orchard with many different demands being put on growers and trees alike.

Bees are extremely important during flowering.

Spring time brings the onset of flowering. Many growers do not have a large crop and their trees will be inclined to push through a large amount of flowers. For consistent cropping it is important an avocado tree has balance between flowers and vegetative flush. If your trees have a particularly heavy flower load, indicated by no or very little vegetative flush at flowering, you may want to consider flower thinning.

get advice from your consultant, grower representative or agrichemical supplier about when and how much you should be putting on.

Our latest research results from our pruning to balance trial showcased the great benefits of early flower thinning on return flowering (Avoscene July 2017). Flower thinning aims to reduce the flower and fruit numbers and create new sites of spring shoot growth that will be next year’s flowering wood. Flowers are extremely sensitive to frost, and a cold snap during spring can severely impact fruit set and the following year’s crop. Anything you can do to protect flowers from frosts will have benefits for the upcoming crop.

Flowering and early fruit growth put a unique set of demands on the trees. Growers need to prepare their trees in advance, ensuring their fertiliser regime is providing adequate nutrition to support the developing crop and supporting new vegetative flush for next year’s flowering wood. Calcium is extremely important for fruit quality and is mostly acquired in the initial stages of fruit growth. Boron is an important element for flowering and successful fruit set. Application rates, methods and timing are crucial to get the best results and avoid toxicity issues. We recommend you

On the Orchard

A balance of new flush and flower is ideal.

Pollination is key to setting a good crop; bees and other pollinating insects will be around in abundance and it is important to be mindful of them. Don’t spray during the day, especially when the flowers are open, and where possible choose “bee friendly” sprays. It is a good idea to get in contact with your beekeeper early and make sure they are booked in if you plan to bring hives onto your orchard.

We have experienced a lot of rain this autumn and winter.

Soils have been at field capacity and saturation frequently over the past six months. Some trees have already succumbed to the waterlogging but most have come through apparently unscathed. As the spring sets in and temperatures warm up, growers should keep a close eye on their tree health. Any symptoms of phytophthora should be closely monitored and treated quickly.

We hope all growers are walking their orchard frequently and keeping an eye out for pests; early detection will allow for early action, hopefully minimising any damage to fruit.

When choosing spray options, it is important to consider withholding periods and MRLs in conjunction with when you plan to harvest.

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Avocado Farmers Love Gypsum Control pH levels, reduce soil borne disease, improve soil structure and drainage with Gypsum.

Improves Soil Structure by adding calcium which is needed to flocculate clays in acid and alkaline soil

Suppresses Soil Borne Disease which are often present in anaerobic soil conditions and especially a problem for avocados

Prevents crusting of soil - caused by raindrops or sprinklers on unstable soil to aide seed emergence

Prevents waterlogging of soil where high sodium, swelling clay and excess water result in drainage issues

On the Orchard

As a fertiliser CaSO4-2H2O is a pH neutral source of readily available calcium and sulphur

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for more about Natural Gypsum and soil stabilisation visit gypsum.co.nz

10/05/17 12:35 PM

Tips for a bee friendly environment Flowering is a critical time for the industry and also a time when bees are at their most active in our orchards. When it comes to achieving a bee friendly environment in your orchard there are important rules to follow.

Bees are threatened when chemicals are applied under the wrong conditions, so growers need to be careful when spraying their crops. Follow these simple rules when looking at agricultural sprays and irrigation: • When applying chemicals, read the label carefully and follow the instructions.

A chemical may be said to be “bee friendly”, but do not take the risk. Often, the “sticking agent” mixed with the chemical can be more dangerous to bees than the active product.

• If the crop is flowering and bees are flying and working the crop, leave spraying until dusk and before dawn. This is generally better than the day itself, with less wind and less spray drift.

• When applying an insecticide make sure the application is done within the recommended time frame before beehives are introduced into the orchard.

Grass must be mown prior to application, thus removing as many flowers as possible from the orchard.

• When an organic or fungicidal product application is required during flowering, spray at times when bees are not foraging – before 8am and after 5pm and if possible use a low fan speed.

On the Orchard

Sprays

• Check willow shelters are not in flower before spraying – if they are, look at using an alternative product.

• Cover water sources bees are likely to visit.

• Ensure any spraying contractor is fully briefed on your requirements. Deliberately flaunting these guidelines is a prosecutable offence and the prospects of a beekeeper accepting a contract to pollinate your crops in the future will be greatly diminished.

• Keep in contact with neighbours, especially when different varieties or crops are involved and pollination may coincide with insecticide applications.

Irrigation

Irrigation water is a major threat to bee life. Bees cannot live in a cold wet environment and will rapidly chill and die before returning to the hive.

• Use common sense and irrigate in the evening and not during the day when bees are flying. This has the advantage of greater water retention for pasture and crops.

• If you want hives in a crop, ensure an irrigator cannot drift across and wet the hives.

For more details on creating a bee-friendly environment go to: www.nba.org.nz

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Canopy Management Phillip West, Research Officer, NZ Avocado

phillip.west@nzavocado.co.nz

On the Orchard

Canopy management discussions prove popular with a wide range of topics covered – read more about these discussions.

Sid Turnbull explains his approach to canopy management on his orchard on Tanner Point, Katikati.

Canopy management discussion sessions recently highlighted some of the different approaches growers are taking when it comes to pruning and showed that none of them are wrong.

Growers were invited to discuss canopy management at four highly productive orchards in June. Two were located in the Bay of Plenty and two in the Far North. The thinking behind these sessions was to create a forum for growers and industry professionals to share their thoughts on pruning and canopy management.

The backdrop for discussion in Katikati was Sid Turnbull’s orchard. Sid favours small “grunty” trees with wide spacings to maximise light intensity on all parts of the tree. The orchard highlighted the importance of adequate light to encourage flowering and fruit set. Sid’s focus on the management of regrowth and removing unwanted growth at a young age seemed to be paying off, with those in attendance impressed with the health of the trees and the amount of fruit. Sid’s desire was to have all the trees at a height where he can make most of the necessary cuts from the ground with his pole saw. This is something that may appeal to many growers and has the added benefit in terms of orchard hygiene by removing deadwood from the canopy in a timely manner. The slightly unusual setup of Sid’s orchard was a fantastic conversation starter with some

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great discussion around pruning and orchard management in general.

Many of the growers who attended the Katikati discussion at Sid’s also attended the Te Puke discussion at John and Philippa Whitehead’s orchard, which was great to see.

The orchard had recently received its first major prune - every second tree had been pruned to minimise the impact of pruning on production. After several years of good production, the trees were beginning to encroach on each other, meaning some major cuts were needed to get light, and new growth, back in towards the centre of the trees. A large portion of the northern face of every second tree was removed while retaining desirable structural limbs. Follow-up pruning on the remaining parts of the trees would be carried out in future years or as crop load dictated. Discussion again covered a wide range of orchard management practice alongside pruning. One definitely affects the other and everyone has different resources and equipment influencing canopy management decisions. An important consideration that was discussed on the day was how to balance the need to prune with maintaining a level of production. The comment was made that any prune removed fruit as you’re either removing fruit directly or your removing limbs about to set fruit. Wider tree spacing

Growers and industry professionals discuss canopy management at Omanu orchard in the Far North, managed by Justin Edgecombe.

meant you could often get away without pruning for a year or two, but remedial pruning would eventually be needed if trees were left unpruned for too long. Growers mentioned that once a regular pruning regime was established the trees tended to have more stable production.

All the orchards visited are successful while having different canopy management strategies. They did however share some common principles of pruning for light, access, fruit load management, rejuvenation and health. As our industry matures we are learning how to do things better under the unique conditions here in New Zealand and it’s important we continue to share our experiences to speed innovation.

The discussion sessions were a great forum for this and we’d like to thank those who came along and shared their own experiences.

On the Orchard

Justin Edgecombe and Tony and Angela Payton’s orchards on Hukatere Road provided a great cross section of different ages of trees along with examples of how pruning can be used to help sick or stressed trees. There was a great discussion about managing regrowth and what shoot types are desirable.

Low vigour multi-branched sylleptic shoots are favourable as they have more flowering points and more fruit set potential than non-branched proleptic growth. Gordon Collett from FruitFed shared his experience and found examples of each shoot type for growers to have a look at. A description along with photos of each shoot type can be found in the “Reading Your Trees” guide booklet, which is also available on the NZ Avocado website.

AshbyWhitehead of Ashlin Avo’s Limited explains the pruning carried out at John and Phillipa Whitehead’s orchard in Te Puke.

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New cultivars: Dry matter accumulation Logan Whenuaroa, Research Associate, NZ Avocado

logan.whenuaroa@nzavocado.co.nz

Part of the Primary Growth Partnership, PGP, new cultivar trial is examining dry matter accumulation for the new scions Maluma, spring-set Carmen and autumn-set Carmen across New Zealand’s three major growing regions.

Overseas, Maluma and Carmen fruit have been reported to reach maturity earlier than Hass and can extend the harvesting season.

Tree performance and the suitability of these new cultivars for New Zealand growing conditions has been monitored since the first plantings in 2009.The new cultivar working groups have broadened the number of trees and growing environments being monitored and were keen to establish information regarding dry matter accumulation.

Data from 2016 for spring-set Carmen and Maluma fruit can be seen in figure 1, this is currently being collected for 2017. Similar to Hass, Maluma fruit in the Far North and Whangarei reaches maturity before Bay of Plenty, BOP. Maluma dry matter to date has shown to track ahead of Hass in Whangarei, roughly the same in the Far North but lags behind in the BOP. Preliminary results from 2017 dry matter testing suggests Maluma fruit is following a similar dry matter accumulation pattern within the different regions this season.

Figure 1 – Maluma dry matter accumulation for 2016.

On the Orchard

Carmen and Maluma are not available for export and no industry harvest maturity standards have been set for these varieties, however both fruit have shown some potential to complement the Hass season in the local market with some growers finding good returns for their fruit already. It’s anticipated that having a better understanding of dry matter accumulation will be a step towards ensuring fruit is harvested at the best possible quality, while seeing if they truly differentiate themselves from Hass in terms of their dry matter accumulation.

Figure 2 – Spring-set Carmen dry matter accumulation for 2016.

Carmen has not shown promise as an early maturing fruit in New Zealand conditions to date, with spring-set Carmen dry matter accumulating at a very similar rate to Hass or just a little behind in the three major growing regions. However, Carmen’s propensity for flowering produces autumn/winter-set fruit that reaches 24% dry matter three to five months later than Hass. 2017 dry matter testing for autumn-set Carmen showed great variability across the three regions tested, with further investigation required to understand the dry matter accumulation for this fruit. Growers who do have Carmen trees have reported excellent returns for autumn-set fruit with very little Hass available at time of harvest.

For more information regarding new cultivars and dry matter accumulation see the new cultivars section of the NZ Avocado website.

Figure 3 – Autumn-set Carmen dry matter accumulation for 2017.

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Tree Spacing Logan Whenuaroa, Research Associate, NZ Avocado

logan.whenuaroa@nzavocado.co.nz

On the Orchard

High density with small trees or low density with big trees? The decision on how you space your trees will affect how you manage your orchard for years to come. We have invited some growers and industry professionals to share their thoughts about tree spacing and factors that need to be considered.

Kauri Point orchard with both larger older trees and closer young trees.

Stephen Wade – Lynwood Nursery

As a nurseryman, I have a conflict of interest, as I’m in the business of selling trees - so I try and present the pros and cons. Firstly, every spacing, be it 10m x 10m or 3m x 3m has its day. I will use these two extremes to highlight my points. What we are trying to achieve with any orchard is to maximise profit in the short, medium and long term, and this is a combination of tonnes per hectare, fruit quality and costs.

Firstly, let’s look at productivity. In order to reach maximum tonnes per hectare you need a complete canopy.

At a spacing of 3m x 3m this is reached in year 3/4, whereas, at a spacing of 10m x 10m expect to wait until year 12/13 to reach maximum potential! To produce 15 tonnes per hectare at 3m x 3m you need 58 fruit per tree, and at 10m x 10m you need 652 fruit per tree.

Now let’s look at fruit quality. The smaller the tree, the easier it is to provide effective shelter (and don’t forget the higher the planting density, the quicker trees will selfshelter). Any trees inadequately sheltered will see fruit with increased wind rub, or worse, fruit blow right off and you end up having to dig out the seedling in the following

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year. Insect damage is the other aspect of fruit quality.

As trees get larger they become more difficult to spray effectively form the ground.

The final part of the equation is the costs involved with the different growing systems (conventional verses high density). Firstly, the sooner an orchard is producing to its maximum potential, the sooner it gets into a positive cash flow situation and so can start to reduce the debt which makes the whole investment happen. Then there are the on-orchard costs. Smaller trees have more frequent pruning (but all of this is done from the ground and the size of the wood quite small and manageable). Picking costs are obviously much reduced if you can do it from the ground. Another consideration is the machinery required to manage an orchard is much reduced, the smaller the trees.

Growers need to decide what they want from their orchard, and how hands-on they want to be. Please take time to consider all the factors of different spacings and different growing systems. It is one of the fundamental decisions you make in your orchard and one which you have to live with for some time.

New cultivar trial planted at 8m x 4m.

John Cotterell – BOP grower and NZAGA & AIC Board Member

as well as high density orchards. With low density orchards canopy volume is required in order to have good yields and returns per hectare. However, the cost of managing and harvesting these larger trees proportionally increases with the tree height and size, eating into net profits even though the orchards are producing good yields per hectare.

My personal view is that growers need to consider their site before deciding whether they will plant a high density/small tree planting especially in the BOP area. My reasoning for that is if you are in a frost prone area, which the majority of the BOP area is, there is no point growing a small tree that is going to be frosted or get to very low temperatures and produce no crop. Whereas if you grew a bigger tree in that same position and it got very low temperature, there is a chance you may get some crop in the top of the tree which could be above the frost line or what is sometimes called the tide line. Growers also need to realise that if they are going for a high density/small tree planting it will require a high amount of management of the pruning, which could be three to four times a year.

This will consist of one major structural prune per year and three or four rounds grooming, which is breaking out excessive regrowth and the very vigorous water shoot type growths.

Erica Faber – Just Avocado’s orchard productivity manager

An optimum orchard design should favour maximum yields AND net profit without compromising the management of the orchard.

I have had many years’ experience in managing both traditional low density 10m x 10m, 12m x 10m etc orchards

On the Orchard

Small trees in the Bay of Plenty planted at 5m x 3m.

With high density plantings managed as hedgerows, yields are high due to additional trees making up canopy volume but even more significant in the long-term is the lower management and harvesting costs which make them more profitable and lucrative in comparison. Also, significant to a grower’s pocket is the better returns they yield in the first 8-10 years due to the additional number of trees per hectare. These additional trees enable one to reach good returns and profits far quicker than the low density traditional spacing. If you initially only plant your trees so that no thinning is necessary in the orchard’s lifespan, you will utilise only slightly more than 50% of the land. This is uneconomical use of space and takes many years before the orchard achieves a profit.

In my experience, however there are certain spacings that if too close on the inter row (less than 7m) can start effecting production adversely. This starts to happen from year 8 onwards when the tight inter row requires regular, aggressive pruning in order to 1) allow light into the canopy to keep up production and 2) keep the inter row open enough in order to manage the orchard effectively with regard to spraying, mowing and harvesting etc. Over time

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and with experience gained, I have found that an 8m x 4m spacing with 312 tree/Ha is an ideal spacing to manage for the average grower. On larger scale operations, a 7m x 4m spacing can also be considered but more intense management is required. The 8m on the inter row gives you enough light into the canopy and space to manage the orchard effectively. Pruning is therefore not as vigorous or often compared to the tighter inter row spacings. The 4m spacing within the row gives you the extra production off the trees for many years before pruning or thinning has to be considered. With the 8m x 4m spacing, if by year 8-10 the grower feels they are not comfortable managing the high-density hedgerows, they then have the option to thin them out to an 8m x 8m spacing giving them a total of 156 trees/Ha. The additional 156 trees over the initial 8 years has accrued good returns and made up the initial expense of the additional plantings many times over!

On the Orchard

Managing high density plantings is not more difficult, just different and certainly very profitable! In my opinion, definitely worthwhile considering.

Franz & Sandy Imlig – BOP growers

For months we’ve debated over the tree spacing for our soon-to-be-planted new block. It’s amazing how many times you can change your mind! You think you have it right and then you see something that changes it all. Ultimately, when choosing your tree spacing it comes down to your desired level of input to get the best return for your orchard management style. There is no right or wrong way. What was considered ‘best practice’ and management style when we first planted 20 years ago was 7m x 7m. First thin was 7m x 14m and ultimately ending at 14m x 14m. Most of our orchard is currently 7m x 14m. Since the industry adopted a pruning programme we have decided to try to bring our trees back down in height and keep this spacing. Our trees are rather large, but most importantly, they’re good productive trees and we have the equipment to manage them effectively.

However, for our new block we’d like to plant with 7m x 5m spacing. We want to maximise canopy area and don’t want big gaps to begin with, whilst maintaining space large enough for machinery to get through. We also want to have flexibility should we choose to thin or adopt different practices. With regular structural pruning we will aim to maintain the size, shape and production of the trees. In BOP, trees grow with vigour so any space around them will be

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filled quickly. We aim to maintain this spacing but if they crowd in too much, then maybe around year 10 we may have to thin out, giving us a spacing of 7m x 10m which we believe is still economical.

Paul Tolladay – Far North grower

My thoughts are biased towards the high density growing style which we have successfully grown now for 11 years.

Having trialled many spacings from 2m x 2m through to 6m x 3.5m I have come up with a preference of the latter 6m x 3.5m. This is also our final spacing making use of highdensity growing concepts of: • Picking from the ground avoiding high capital inputs into picking equipment.

• Ability to grow on steeper ground if necessary.

• Being able to spray conventionally when required as opposed to only helicopter spraying for closer spacings.

• Better access for pruning and chipping of the waste.

• Manage sunlight better for fruit production on lower canopy skirts.

• Higher canopy hectare production rates sooner after initial investment.

• Eliminates the use of Hydralada that is one of the highrisk elements for H&S on orchards.

• Due to heavy well timed annual pruning, average fruit size is better and can be picked earlier in the season which assists more consistent yields and helps to reduce biannual cropping.

• More consistent cash flow year on year.

• Disadvantages and reasons why people could be dissuaded from these spacings could be: • Intensive pruning which involves an extra labour component.

• Initial capital out lay at planting is higher due to more trees per hectare.

• Listening to other growers with orchards of the conventional growing spacing.

• A lack of desire to be different.

Add value to your avocado orchard Choose the avo specialist as your agent

Durrelle Green durrelle@nrgrealty.co.nz nrgrealty.co.nz 027 949 3725 Avoscene September 2017

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Mating disruption as a management tool for leafrollers in avocados Nicola Mauchline, Scientist, Plant & Food Research

As the avocado industry moves towards increased production there is a need for sustainable tools to manage and prevent damage by key pests such as leafrollers.

Leafroller mating disruption, MD, has previously been developed for some horticultural cropping systems in New Zealand. For example, in apple crops leafrollers can be effectively managed using MD and one or two selective insecticide applications per season.

multi-species MD blends are not specific to the leafroller species known to feed on avocados • To test the effectiveness of MD as a control tool against leafrollers.

Key outcomes from year one (2016–2017)

Mating disruption in brief • •

On the Orchard

•

•

Species-specific sex pheromones are emitted by the female moth to attract a male for mating.

The male moth detects the pheromone and follows the scent trial to locate the female.

MD uses synthetic sex pheromones to disrupt the mating of leafroller moths with pheromone-impregnated dispensers, at a concentration 10,000 times higher than that emitted by an individual female moth.

MD creates an environment where a male leafroller is no longer able to locate females for mating.

An industry/government funded Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) project commenced in July 2016 with the aim of developing MD technology for use in avocado orchards. The project has two key aims: • To develop a suitable MD pheromone blend; existing

a

Figure 1 – a) Leafroller caterpillar feeding damage on avocado leaves, and b) fruit.

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1. MD pheromone blend studies Field data (moth trapping and leafroller searches) confirmed that a MD blend optimised for use on avocados will require pheromones for the brownheaded leafroller (Ctenopseustis) and the greenheaded leafroller (Planotortrix) species, including C. obliquana, C. herana, P. octo and P. excessana. Four new pheromone blends were trialled in the laboratory, one of the blends was effective at disrupting the mating of three of the leafroller species (C. obliquana, C. herana, P. excessana). Two other blends were also effective but at high dosage rates for the same leafroller species. None of the blends were effective at disrupting P. octo mating when compared with the control, possibly due to the concentration of pheromone tested.

2. Field trial to assess mating disruption MD was trialled in five avocado blocks in the Bay of Plenty from November 2016 to May 2017. An additional five blocks, one on each of the same orchards, were used as the control blocks. All blocks received one or two sprays against leafrollers.

b

The MD dispenser, Isomate® Three NZ Leafroller (3NZLR), was used at a rate of 600 dispensers/ha (Figure 2a). Isomate 3NZLR has known activity against three leafroller species, including C. obliquana, P. octo and the lightbrown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana). All species are known to be present within avocado orchards (Stevens et al. 1995). In addition, pheromone traps were placed in all blocks to monitor local leafroller populations (Figure 2b).

When a pheromone trap catches no or very few male leafroller moths trap shutdown is said to have occurred. This indicates that the pheromones emitted from the dispensers have saturated the air sufficiently enough to ‘confuse’ the males and prevent them finding a female. The application of MD dispensers resulted in trap shutdown for the three leafroller species targeted by Isomate 3NZLR, with shutdown rates of 86.4-98.6% (Table 1).

Conclusions and future direction

Isomate 3NZLR was an effective treatment against the three target leafroller species; however, the disruption of all key leafroller species present in an avocado orchard requires an MD that includes the pheromones of the Ctenopseustis and Planotortrix species.

In the second year of this project the multi-species MD Orchard Orchard 1 Orchard 2 Orchard 3 Orchard 4 Orchard 5

b

Figure 2 – a) Isomate® 3NZLR pheromone dispenser attached to a curtain hook.

Flagging tape was attached to allow for easy identification of the dispenser location.

Dispensers were applied at 600 dispensers per hectare, b) pheromone traps (white circle) were used to monitor leafroller activity in the trial blocks.

blend will be further optimised through both laboratory and field-based studies. A medium-scale field trial will be performed with an experimental multi-species pheromone blend to determine the efficacy of MD with selective leafroller management interventions and no interventions.

On the Orchard

Results from the tethered female assessment further supported the effectiveness of Isomate 3NZLR. No female moths were mated when tethered in the MD treated blocks and whereas an average of 57% of the female moths within the untreated blocks were mated.

a

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the orchardists involved in this project, and to acknowledge the Avocado Industry Council Limited, Etec Crop Solutions Ltd and the MPI Sustainable Farming Fund for funding this research, and Plant & Food Research CORE for funding the associated leafroller species identification.

References: Stevens PS, McKenna CE, Steven D 1995. Management for Avocados in New Zealand. Proceedings of theWorld Avocado Congress III, pp. 429–432.

Block

Total Ep + Cob + Pocto trapped*

Trap-shutdown (%)**

MD

19

97.8

Control

878

MD

17

Control

1219

MD

44

Control

324

MD

20

Control

336

MD

46

Control

1547

98.6 86.4 94.1 97.0

* Leafroller species include Epiphyas postvittana (Ep), Ctenopseustis obliquana (Cob) and Planotortrix octo (Pocto); the pheromones of these species are the active ingredients in the Isomate® Three NZ Leafroller (3NZLR) dispenser. ** Percent trap shutdown was calculated as: 100 – (Total no. of moths captured in MD block/total no. moths captured in control block x 100).

Table 1 – Total number of leafroller moths caught in pheromone traps and the percent trap shutdown across five avocado orchards within the Bay of Plenty region from November 2016 to May 2017. MD = mating disruption.

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Wet autumn may impact spring tree health Phillip West, Research Officer, NZ Avocado

phillip.west@nzavocado.co.nz

On the Orchard

The full impact of the unusually wet weather experienced over autumn and winter may yet to be felt.

Heavy autumn rain has water logged this Bay of Plenty tree leading to asphyxiation and the likely death of the tree.

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Over the unusually wet autumn and winter experienced by many, growers have unfortunately lost a number of trees to waterlogging, with the root systems of many more likely to be negatively impacted by a lack of aeration. Unfortunately, the impact doesn’t stop there, as damaged or stressed roots are more vulnerable to infection and as soil temperatures increase and moisture levels remain high, the threat of Phytophthora infection is also high.

Phytophthora root rot is more prevalent in warm soil conditions, so as we move into spring and summer root systems may face additional pressure. Phytophthora disease develops once soil temperature increases above 12°C but is most active between 19-25°C. Soil temperatures are generally lower than 12°C from June to September in the Bay of Plenty but don’t often drop below 12°C in the Whangarei and Far North orchards currently monitored.

Autumn set some unenviable records, with Te Puke experiencing its wettest autumn on record with 1075mm of rain, 256% of normal. Kaitaia had its third highest autumn rainfall with 575mm, 185% of normal and Whangarei had 556mm, 168% of normal. The heavy rain has led to periods of waterlogging that have damaged root systems in a number of orchards. Winter rainfall has kept soil moisture levels well topped up, with many growers reporting higher than usual water tables in their orchards. In the Bay of Plenty particularly, soils have easily become saturated following average winter rainfall events where in previous years soils have coped.

To minimise the impact waterlogging and Phytophthora infection may have on your orchard, attention should be given to maintaining or enhancing orchard drainage and phosphonate application.

Avoscene September 2017

Adequate drainage should be a priority. Ensure any existing drains are clear of any debris and are well maintained to ensure water drains quickly. Identify areas that may be prone to periods of excess soil moisture by looking for water pooling or areas that easily become muddy when machinery is driven over them. Explore possibilities to improve the drainage in any areas identified. Calcium fertilisers such as

gypsum or lime may help improve soil structure while also having a mild fungicidal effect on any Phytophthora present.

Good tree health is key to maximising orchard productivity.

In light of the wet autumn and winter that we’ve had its recommended that growers re-examine their orchard management to make sure they are doing everything they can to maintain or enhance the health.

Novaflow drainage pipe laid in orchard block with poor tree health in Far North. Photo credit,Tony and Angela Payton.

On the Orchard

Phosphonate application is another key management practice that can reduce the incidence of Phytophthora infection.

Following application, phosphonate will preferentially be delivered to the most active growth on the tree making it important to time phosphonate application with root flush. Regularly checking the mulch layer for new white feeder roots by gently sweeping away the mulch will help confirm when roots are actively flushing. Generally, root flush happens following leaf flush. Hill’s Lab provide a root phosphonate testing service with levels of >25 mg/kg roots at 75% moisture being generally accepted as having direct fungicidal effect against Phytophthora. High concentrations of phosphonate can impair tree growth, so it’s not recommended to apply phosphonate to trees that come back with root tests of 150 mg/kg or higher. Ensure syringes are evenly spaced as there is little lateral dispersal of phosphonate from an injection site. If syringes are spaced too widely sectors of roots may not receive protection.

Healthy young roots, suitable for phosphonate root testing, found by gently sweeping away leaf mulch.

Dead leaves and fruit on asphyxiated Bay of Plenty tree.

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Spotted anything unusual?

Early reporting of unusual insect pests or plant symptoms helps to protect the avocado industry.

Calls to MPI’s pest and disease hotline 0800 80 99 66 are confidential and ensure industry pests are discovered early before they spread.

Call us for flexible orchard management services on (07) 573 0085

Trevelyan.co.nz

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Does phosphonate resistance exist in Phytophthora cinnamomi isolates from New Zealand avocado orchards?

Shannon Hunter, Masters Student, University of Waikato

Phosphonate injections provide protection from phytophthora root rot of avocado caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi; however, some isolates of Phytophthora cinnamomi have been shown to build up tolerance to phosphonate. This tolerance was shown in isolates from South African and Australian avocado orchards which had been exposed to phosphonate for no more than 10 years. In New Zealand, phosphonate injections were first used in 1985 in the far north and some orchards have been using injections consistently for over 25 years. This history of use provides an excellent opportunity to study phosphonate tolerance.

Shannon has visited six avocado orchards in the Bay of Plenty and Waihi to collect soil samples. Three of the orchards have consistently used phosphonate for more than 25 years and the other three have no phosphonate history. After isolating P. cinnamomi cultures from the soil Shannon has been testing these in the lab for tolerance to phosphonate. The three most tolerant and three least tolerant isolates will be further tested for in planta tolerance. Gene expression, in response to phosphonate, will also be analysed in these six isolates.

On the Orchard

Shannon Hunter is a Masters student at the University of Waikato, working in collaboration with her supervisors Rebecca McDougal and Peter Scott at the Crown research institute Scion and Phillip West and Marisa Till from NZ Avocado. Shannon is testing isolates of P. cinnamomi from New Zealand avocado orchards for phosphonate tolerance. This is the first research of this kind in New Zealand and comes at an excellent time as phosphonate is being considered for management of other phytophthora diseases impacting industries such as horticulture, conservation and forestry.

Shannon Hunter

Shannon’s research also involves a trip to the USA later in the year to visit the University of California Berkley and Riverside campuses where they research phytophthora pathogens associated with avocado root rot and other hosts. This research will provide the opportunity to compare P. cinnamomi isolates from New Zealand and Californian avocado orchards to those which have shown tolerance from South Africa and Australia.

Shannon hopes her research will be used to inform avocado growers who use phosphonate about its responsible and sustainable use so that phosphonate can continue to be effective into the future.

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Industry matters 2017 Annual Report released The NZAGA and AIC Annual Report for 2017 is now available and was sent to all PPIN holders in August. The report includes industry and project highlights, avocado production and export statistics and a summary of financial statements for the year ending 30 April 2017. All industry stakeholders are encouraged to keep up to date on industry developments through these reports and other industry updates.You can find a full set of accounts for the year on the industry website: About > Funding > Financial reports.

Fruit thefts – growers urged to be extra vigilant We encourage growers to report thefts and any unusual activity in their area to NZ Police as soon as possible.

If you see something – say something. Call 111 immediately.

• •

Have a regular walk around your orchard to spot anything unusual or potential risk areas that you may want to address.

Use your phone to take photos if you do see anything suspicious.

If you are approached by anyone trying to sell car boot loads of avocados, take a description of the person and their vehicle registration and report the activity to your local police station.

Newsroom

What you can do to help protect your fruit: • Install security cameras or if you are unable to do this, install signage as a deterrent that says the orchard is under surveillance. Theft prevention signs (as shown on the right) can be ordered by emailing Jo Nunn at jo.nunn@nzavocado.co.nz - two signs per PPIN only.

• Install a driveway alarm to alert you to people entering your property.

• Keep any gates to the orchard locked or install an electronic pin code gate.

•

The Avocado Problem Solver Field Guide The Avocado Problem Solver Field Guide is available to purchase from the Avoshop section of the NZ Avocado website.

This guide has been produced to assist avocado growers and others involved in the avocado supply chain to identify the wide range of pests, diseases, nutrient deficiencies and toxicities and other disorders that may affect orchards and the quality of fruit reaching the consumer.

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Recommended reading

By Phillip West, R&D Officer, New Zealand Avocado

phillip.west@nzavocado.co.nz

At harvest time grower anxiety often ends once the fruit is off the tree. However, for many in the industry, anxiety levels don’t drop until the fruit is in market and providing the fabulous eating experience New Zealand produce is known for.

This should be the case for growers and industry participants alike as we all have our part to play in terms of fruit quality, and we all wear the outcome of high or low fruit quality in market. It’s growers however, that are caretakers of the fruit for the most amount of time and play an essential role in helping protect fruit.

and canopy density influence postharvest rots of avocado”. It can be found by searching for the title under the “search for documents” section of Avocadosource.com.

While the number of orchards included in the survey work isn’t huge, it investigates a range of factors from fungicide application to tree nutrition, climate factors, canopy index, and explores how these might inter-relate to effect final fruit quality. It’s also an interesting case study of growers acting on the information being provided to them from research to improve calcium levels and fungicide applications to improve fruit quality.

This edition’s recommended reading is an article written by Kerry Everett et al in 2007 titled “Calcium, fungicide sprays

Reading your trees Below are the key tree characteristics as set out in your Reading Your Trees Guide to assess at this time of year: • • • •

October to November: Leaf drop, pages 9-10 October to December: Spring flush, pages 11-15 September: Roots, pages 28-29 September: Canopy density, pages 30-31

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Once your trees have been assessed you will be ready to consider the suggested intervention strategies. At the bottom of each section in this guide there are a number of factors to consider to optimise your orchard management.

You will need to determine the best option for your own

situation – if in doubt, seek specialist advice.

Download the Reading Your Trees workbook from the industry website under Orchard Mngt > Reading your trees and select the Reading Your Trees Guide workbook resource at the bottom of the page.

This workbook complements the Reading Your Trees Guide and allows you to record your assessments.

Calendar of events NZAGA & AIC Board meetings • 12 October • 23 November

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Industry news Media release: New avocado research makes superfruit even more desirable New Zealand researchers have discovered that New Zealand-grown avocados have unique nutritional qualities, with double the amount of vitamin B6 and 20 percent more folate than those grown in other countries.

Demand for avocados is already surging in New Zealand and this nutrient-packed superfruit is fast becoming a staple ingredient in the diets of high-performance athletes, busy parents and the elderly.

The findings were announced at the New Zealand Avocado 2017-18 season launch held at Eden Park’s Centenary Lounge on Wednesday 9 August.The launch drew celebrities and included presentations from head international rugby strength and conditioning coach, ironman and avocado grower Nic Gill, and chef, author and avocado enthusiast Nadia Lim. New Zealand Avocado Chief Executive Jen Scoular says the new research is huge news for the nation.

“We always knew avocados were good for us. It’s wonderful that we have now confirmed our locally grown fruit is especially healthy.”

New Zealand avocados have a folate measurement of 81.6 ug* per 75g serving, providing 41 percent of the recommended daily intake. They have a vitamin B6 measurement of 0.47mg per 75g serving, providing 30 percent of the recommended daily intake.

But that’s not all - the superfruit is full of healthy monounsaturated fats that help keep appetites under control, is low in sugar and sodium, a good source of dietary fibre, and is packed with a range of essential vitamins and minerals.

These vitamins are particularly beneficial for athletes, mums, busy families and young professionals.

Nic Gill, who is also an associate professor of Sport and Recreation at AUT, addressed the guests on achieving optimal performance. Gill is credited by the likes of Jeff Wilson and Steve Hansen as being the key architect behind the best-conditioned team in the world.

“Many athletes and high performing individuals eat avocados throughout the day, due to the nutrient dense and quality fuel they provide,” says Gill.

Celebrity chef and co-founder of My Food Bag, Nadia Lim, demonstrated healthy ways of using avocados at the launch, and spoke about the need to innovate for a healthier New Zealand.

“Avocados are simply one of the best everyday simple, healthy delicious foods and Kiwis love learning new ways to enjoy them.”

Nadia prepared for guests two salads; roast pumpkin, pear, avocado salad with blue cheese and raspberry balsamic dressing and harissa chicken, pumpkin and avocado salad with mint yoghurt dressing.

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Folate contributes to normal growth and development in children, and to good tissue growth in pregnancy. Vitamin B6 contributes to normal immune system function and helps reduce fatigue.

Avocados are “the Ferrari of fruit”, he says.

Launch guests included Art Green and Matilda Rice, Laura McGoldrick, Mikki Williden, Zac Franich and Julia Matthews, who were served five different avocado dishes to enjoy.

The latest research was conducted by the Phytochemical and Health team at Plant & Food Research throughout the 2015-16 season. New Zealand avocados were analysed in accredited laboratories in New Zealand following the protocols required by the New Zealand Food Composition Database, NZFCD. NZFCD is an independent validated source for the nutritional composition information for the foods consumed by New Zealanders.

For more images from this event, check out Out & About on page 62, or visit our NZ Avocado Facebook page.

ug* is the correct symbol for the metric measurement microgram which is one millionth of a gram or one thousandth of a milligram.

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New competitiveg 2017 pricin le now availaubr from yo supplier

Horticulture health and safety toolkit launched Horticulture New Zealand has teamed up with WorkSafe New Zealand to create a health and safety toolkit specifically designed for horticulture businesses.

THE SMART CHOICE! A PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR THAT… Increases Fruit Size Higher marketable yield and profitability Premium grade fruit, less ridging Assists with canopy management

® Sunny is a registered trademark of Aquamarine BV.

grochem.com

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New competitiveg 2017 pricinble now availaur from yo supplier

BREAK THE CYCLE ROTATE TO...

A SELECTIVE MITICIDE FOR THE CONTROL OF 6-SPOTTED MITES IN AVOCADO Effective against all stages of the Mite life cycle.

Soft on beneficials.

No cross resistance with current classes of miticides.

Low toxicity & low environmental impact.

Tanslaminar movement through the leaf, providing control where mites feed.

No need for additional surfactants or oils.

Safe for bees.

Can be applied over flowering.

grochem.com

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“Managing health and safety in the workplace is a critical issue for horticulture businesses,” Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman says. “Keeping up with what is required is something we can help growers with.

“Working with WorKSafe, we have been able to customise a toolkit, called Keep Safe, Keep Growing, which includes both a written booklet and an easy-to-work-through online guide to help growers identify and manage health and safety risks.

“The guideline is targeted at those who are responsible for the management of health and safety in a horticulture business. It covers the steps that growers should take to build a health and safety system.

“Features include a guide for visitors to a property, tools and training resources for workers and contractors, and the ability to create risk assessments for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) audits that are part of many horticulture businesses.”

Horticulture New Zealand represents 5,500 commercial fruit and vegetable growers who employ 60,000 people. A copy of the Keep Safe, Keep Growing guide will be posted to all growers over the coming days. Additional copies will be available from Horticulture New Zealand on request. The online guide can be found here: https://hortnz.ispringcloud.com/acc/dFywzGw4Mzg4/ s/8388-PoKJC-QZ05q-t1fgQ.

Eight easy steps to make the workplace safer Maintaining a healthy and safe workplace not only helps to make sure everyone goes home safely every night, it also is good for business by ensuring staff are happy, productive and have less downtime.

focus on the most likely risks first. Don’t dwell on worst case scenarios but focus on what is most likely to occur.

Start by focusing your energy in preventing your most common incidents.

Here are a few simple steps to help make your business safer.

5. If a machine is becoming unsafe, shut it down and lock it out before someone gets hurt.

1. Maintain a clean work area. Not only will you remove many hazards from a work area by keeping it clean, but you will also provide a more productive work environment.

2. Use guards and engineering solutions wherever possible instead of relying on personal protective equipment (PPE). Find a way to prevent the exposure in the first place.Your workplace will be much more productive if staff are comfortable.

4. Keep things in perspective. Hazards may be limitless, so

7. Avoid unnecessary hazards. Look for new materials or equipment that can eliminate the hazards you are exposed to.

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3. Give clear work instructions. Make sure your staff know the right way to do what is expected of them. Ensure all safety instructions and procedures are available, easy to understand and well communicated.

6. Maintain the machinery in good working order. Many times employees get into dangerous situations by having to compensate for a machine defect or wear. In the case of wear, it may have occurred so gradually that people start to think it is normal. A strong preventive maintenance program makes for a strong safety program.

8. Never walk in front of a forklift, tractor, or any other heavy machine; the operator may not have seen you and even if they have, there’s always room for error. Ensure Exclusion Zones are in place.

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Avocado news from the world Peru’s avocados weather storm Peru’s avocado season — and future of growers there — wasn’t derailed by El Niño, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Aug. 3 Foreign Agricultural Service report, “Peru’s Avocado Production and Exports on the Rise,” said that March flooding caused harvest delays but no long-term setbacks for Peru’s growers.

Though harvest is year-round, peak output of Peru’s avocado occurs from April through June, when about half of the annual volume of fruit is picked and marketed.

Europe takes about 67% of Peru’s total avocado exports, with the U.S. at 20%. But Asian markets are growing fast, according to the USDA.

“The El Niño season during March 2017 brought less destruction to Peru’s avocado crop than previously forecasted,” according to the report.

“With growing demand in China, Hong Kong, and Japan, Peru’s avocado export markets are forecast to continue expanding,” according to the report.

In fact, Peru’s avocado production in 2017 is forecast to increase by 20% from 2016 because of new acreage coming into production. Before El Niño, Peru’s avocado output was forecast to increase 30% in 2017.

This year, Peru’s exporters were expected to take advantage of lower than normal Mexican and Californian production levels by diverting more to the U.S. Statistics backed that up that hunch.

Avocado acreage in Peru is 57,500 acres, with the regions of La Libertad and Lima accounting for more than 40% of total production, according to the report. Most avocado production in Peru is found along the desert coast and larger-scale producers use water from the Andes for irrigation.

USDA trade numbers show that the value of U.S. imports of Peruvian avocados in June totaled $63 million, more than three times the value of 2016 June imports of $18.9 million.

Source: http://www.thepacker.com/news/ peru%E2%80%99s-avocados-weather-storm

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South African avocado exporter “blown away” by EU green-skinned demand The Hass variety may have been at the forefront of the recent global avocado craze, but one South African exporter has noted there was far higher demand for green-skinned cultivars in the European market this season than previous years.

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got the benefit of being exported or being used for the local market.”

He believed the increase in demand was both due to a general shortage in the continent and also consumers getting used to the varieties.

A representative from Limpopo-based ZZ2 said EU retailers had been asking for greater volumes than normal of varieties like Fuerte, Ryan and Pinkerton, which are the more sought-after varieties in the South African market.

In addition, with rapidly rising levels of demand in many European countries, Garrett said an increasing number of retailers were prepared to take greenskinned to satisfy consumer appetites.

“This year we were blown away by the demand for green-skinned [avocados] in Europe,” marketing manager Clive Garrett told Fresh Fruit Portal.

For the 2017 season, he estimated ZZ2 had shipped around 10-15% more green-skinned to Europe yearon-year.

“Any green-skinned that we’ve got planted have now

He also pointed out countries like Portugal and Italy still preferred green-skinned, and the same could

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have been said for Germany until only recently when the industry started putting more focus on Hass.

The swing to Hass-type varieties partly came about as the fruit generally ripened and traveled better, according to Garrett.

“If you go back a few years in South Africa the majority of plantings were green-skinned,” he said.

“Then five or six years ago the market started to swing more to the Hass varieties because of the forced ripening that was happening in Europe.

“Generally the Hass ripens better because it’s got a thicker skin than the green-skinned, and it also travels better. So there was a bit of a swing. But you can’t just change your plantings overnight.”

He estimated Hass-type varieties now represented around two-thirds of South African avocado production.

ZZ2 is planting around 100-200 hectares of avocado trees annually, with the majority made up of Hass-type varieties including the Maluma and a smaller proportion of greenskinned.

Higher prices, lower volume

The 2017 export campaign saw attractive prices for South African avocados in Europe for the first part of the deal, but Garrett said they began to level off somewhat in the later stages.

“The fruit tested correctly and had ripened up well so we were able to get the majority of our fruit off fairly early.The early part of the season was very good price-wise, and then it came off slightly toward the end, but not dramatically.”

The price decline was partly attributable to heavier Peruvian volumes coming in, he said, but he pointed out South Africa had been winding down when the South American country began exporting higher quantities of fruit.

ZZ2 is about 95% of the way through its exports, with the last remaining Lamb Hass expected to be shipped over the next few weeks.While prices have been good in Europe this season, Garrett said South Africa’s volumes had suffered as a result of the severe drought conditions.

“We had an extreme drought and extreme temperatures up until around November last year, and I think the majority of us in South Africa underestimated the drought and the effect the drought was going to have on the fruit,” he said. “So the crop has generally been a lot lower than originally anticipated.”

He said while pre-season forecasts had pegged volumes to be able 9% down year-on-year, in the end many ended up 1520% lower.

On the whole, he said the prices had not compensated for the shortfall in volume.

Source: https://www.freshfruitportal.com/news/2017/08/02/southafrican-avocado-exporter-blown-away-eu-green-skinned-demand/

“Generally we pushed quite hard early in the season,” he said.

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Recipe

Nourish

Chocolate avocado ice cream Recipe by Claire Turnbull claireturnbull.co.nz

Ingredients

Avocados are the perfect base for healthy desserts and treats - packed with healthy fats, their creamy rich texture makes them ideal to make ice cream.

2 large ripe avocados 2 medium ripe bananas (ideal frozen) 2 tbsp cocoa powder 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp coconut milk or milk of your choice Optional: 2 large dates or 1-2 tbsp maple syrup

Use this recipe to create popsicles for kids too!

Method: Blend everything together and freeze into a container or into ice block moulds.

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Team Activity Jen Scoular – CEO

“The AGM pack has gone out to growers today and we’re planning the AGM and grower forums, with field days around the Whangarei forum. We’re working on a new promotions strategy for the Australian market, reviewing library trays, opening the New Zealand season with a media launch on health and progressing our rot project.”

Edwina Aitchison – Executive Assistant

“I’m very happy to get the AGM pack off my desk – I hope you like the new format.

Elections are underway so I hope you’ve voted. Governance of our industry is really important and the rep you vote for does represent you at the Board table.”

Jay Bent – Business Manager

“I have been preparing and collating information for the 2017 annual report and Annual General Meeting. I’m working on the information portal for PGP to build a better, more efficient way to collect, share and report data.”

Bevan Jelley – Market Manager

“This season we will undertake New Zealand avocado promotions programmes in Australia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and New Zealand. I have been working with marketing agencies to develop our promotions plans for these markets and with exporters and marketers to finalise contestable promotions fund plans.”

Jo Nunn – Administration Assistant

“There have been a good number of new PPIN’s to process and lots of nonpropagation agreements for clonal trees both reflecting continued investment into our industry.”

Jodi Senior – Communications Manager

“I have been preparing for the upcoming grower forums and coordinating our season launch event to media and influencers.”

Brad Siebert – Biosecurity & Programme Manager

“I attended the regular cross-industry biosecurity managers meeting, held a ‘future of gene blocks’ meeting and worked with MPI on the technical elements of China market access.”

Marisa Till – Research Manager

“The new version of the research bulletin to show case the research projects and delivery is about to go to the printer. It’s exciting to be publishing version 2. I hope you get a lot of information from it.”

Phillip West – Research Officer

“I’ve been looking at soil moisture data from our weather stations based in Whangarei and the Far North and working with growers on how they might utilise the information.”

Logan Whenuaroa – Research Associate

“For the last month I have analysed and updated various trial and database information. This work helps quantify/ validate the influence our team is having and what areas have or can be improved.”

Sarah Sorensen – Project Manager

“I have been reviewing on-orchard practises, both locally and internationally, in relation to controlling the expression of post-harvest fungal rots in the market place.There is certainly a lot of information to consider, and read, from New Zealand and elsewhere.”

Glenys Parton – Industry Systems Manager

Melissa van den Heuvel - Graduate

“I need to make sure our industry systems are working efficiently and effectively so I have been hosting pre-season packer workshops and working on library tray review.”

“I’m enjoying my new role as I get to see all aspects of what NZ Avocado does. This month I’ve focused on grower export registrations and AvoGreen.”

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Out and about

The PGP working group tour saw members visit orchards in the main growing regions to exchange ideas. , saw over 60 media The NZ Avocado season launch, held at Eden Park on 9 August d avocado.

Zealan and influencers attend to hear more about the amazing New

Guests had a lot of fun pretending to be in a bowl of guacamole. Pictured:Terry Brown from Freshmax, Alistair Petrie (Chair of AVEC ) and Jim Tarawa from Freshmax.

Out & About

Guests could also have their picture taken in an avocado orchard and pretend to hide behind branches and leaves.

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NZ Avocado CEO Jen Scoular with David Stewart,The Fresh Market manager, and Seargent Trevor Brown while filming about avocado theft for Newshub.

Growers Maxine Graham and Robin Harvey were interviewed as part of the avocado theft story for Newshub. Pictured: Maxine Graham being interviewed.

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Out & About

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