Avoscene July 2017

Avoscene New Zealand Avocado Growers’ Journal

July 2017

Investing in consistent production

Inside this issue: Early season avocados Pruning to balance crop loading Advanced plant breeding Biosecurity prepardeness

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Unity is our strength.

PEOPLE ARE OUR MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCE.

BY WORKING TOGETHER, AVOCO CREATES PROSPERIT Y FOR ALL.

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Avoscene July 2017

AV0717

www.avoco.co.nz

NZ Avocado Office

Contents

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

Comment

On the Orchard

Newsroom

View from the Chair 4

Success for biosecurity preparedness 29

Industry matters

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

Growing the business 6 NZ Avocado @NZ_Avocado NZ Avocado

Regional Roundup Outside the box

8 11

Markets Directors

Going global

31

Can crop load be manipulated to mitigate biennial bearing? 32

@nz_avocado

Bay of Plenty/Rest of New Zealand

Reminders at this time of the year

12

Infection of avocados by rot fungi 35

Ashby Whitehead NZAGA & AIC Chair Ph 07 573 6680 m. 027 283 2192 alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz

Export Market Promotions 13

Dave Flett m. 027 555 4420 dave.flett@yahoo.co.nz

The New Zealand Market

15

Early season resources

Pruning to balance crop loading 41

16

New Cultivars

Retailer education and training

17

Combining agrichemicals in the spray tank

46

Spray unit callibration

47

John Cotterell Ph 07 549 3395 m. 0274 513 138 jccotterell@actrix.gen.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 Andrew Darling Annmarie Lee 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

Reports

Nutrient flows

19

New technology for advanced plant breeding

22

Developing new pollination options 38

44

49

Recommended reading 51 Industry News

52

Avocado news from the world 54

Nourish

Recipe 55 Team Activity

56

Out and About

Out and about

58

Field days and workshops 25 Avocentric Roy and Helen Orlowski 26 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

Marisa Till, Research Manager

Anna Livingston, Market Manager

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

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

anna.livingston@nzavocado.co.nz

For advertising contact: Suzy King at Sun Media Ltd Phone 021 769 831 email suzy@thesun.co.nz

Brad Siebert Biosecurity & Programme Manager

Phillip West, R&D Officer

Jodi Senior, Communications Manager

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

jodi.senior@nzavocado.co.nz

Jay Bent, Business Manager

Logan Whenuaroa Research Associate

Joanne Nunn, Administration Assistant

Design and production: Kym Johnson, Sun Media Ltd email kym@thesun.co.nz For subscriptions contact: Jay Bent email jay.bent@nzavocado.co.nz

Avocado Industry Council Ltd 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.

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

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

jo.nunn@nzavocado.co.nz

logan.whenuaroa@nzavocado.co.nz 027 373 9859

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Comment

View from the Chair

By Ashby Whitehead, Chair, NZAGA & AIC

alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz

What a fantastic outcome for the industry as we report $200m industry value. A big thanks to all the participants as this is certainly a cross-industry effort. From our nurseries through to growers, contractors, consultants, harvesters, packers, marketers, exporters, retailers and the industry body – well done!

It’s a whole team event getting our fruit to market in great condition, and ensuring the market and consumers are ready and keen to sell and consume it.

As part of the season end, and to share our success with those indirectly involved in the industry – to allow them to be part of the “team” – we host industry days in both Tauranga and Wellington.

We changed the date of our industry day in Wellington because our Minister, Hon. Nathan Guy, wanted to be able to attend and share in our success. So this will now be held 4 July, and aims to ensure our “supporters” across government, government agencies, CRIs, industry and official bodies have the opportunity to learn more about what we are doing and what we might need in the future.

The industry day held in Tauranga at Mills Reef was a success, with a great turnout of local industries, bankers, valuers, and industry supporters. After presentations at Mills Reef, we headed out to Dave and Julie Flett’s who have a very interesting hectare of intensively planted small trees, on quite a slope. They also have a hectare of large, mature trees, on flat land, very recently given a severe pruning. They originally ran livestock on this hilly hectare, thinking it was too hilly for avocados, but this new venture is proving that provided small trees are an option, and everything can be picked from the ground, then hillsides no longer restrict our industry as we once thought. You can read more about the Tauranga industry day on page 52.

Going into a small volume season, the Board is looking at a deficit budget as we continue to support activities across research, the supply chain and in our markets.

The Audit Risk Committee, which I sit on with Tony Ponder and Dave Flett, is looking at whether we should be budgeting across a two year period, to allow for the swings we still have in volume that impact our income so much. I also asked whether it was fair that growers producing fruit in a low volume season should be penalised fiscally by having to pay higher fees per tray than those producing in the high volume seasons. This is a question we are still thinking about and I’d be happy to hear if you have a view on that. From a governance perspective the Audit Risk Committee would like to model options to minimise the highs and lows of the budget, just as the research team is working furiously to mitigate the highs and lows of production.

The Board has made a decision to review the governance structure. It has been seven years since it was last looked at and we have contracted an independent reviewer, David Miller, who carried out the review of the Go Global PGP programme. The Board isn’t anticipating an outcome but with the appointment of an Independent Chair of AVEC and an Independent Chair of the PGP Steering Group, it’s timely to ensure we are well set up for the future.

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years ago. Jen’s team have been very supportive to me as Chair and I would like to extend my thanks to all of them.

As an industry shooting for the stars, needing to analyse and leverage new and exciting opportunities, we do require an excellent governance model.

Over my tenure on the Board and more recently as Chair, the role of the Board has moved from one of managing the operational aspects of the industry body to a governance role. This means we review and update strategy, ensure risk is managed effectively, and approve and then ensure delivery of the annual plan. It’s very important to recognise and separate the operational activity from industry governance.

I don’t think growers recognise the amount of effort being made on your part by NZ Avocado. They manage a huge amount of stuff – an awful lot that we just don’t want to know about, from compliance, systems, biosecurity and admin to managing engagement with Wellington, seeking funding, and collating and reporting data. From my dealings with the team I can say they are all working very hard for you and with you to make a difference to your returns which is what we are all here for.

By the time you read this article, nominations for vacant Board positions will be in and voting will be underway.

It is with great confidence that I stand down as Chair as I believe the industry is in very good hands with the current Board and CEO, and the team under Jen.

At Dave Flett's.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Vice Chair Tony Ponder, and recently departed Board member Andrew Darling. They have offered a lot of support and mentoring to me and the rest of the Board.

I would also like to thank Jen, as I believe she has moved the industry forward immensely from when she joined six

NZ Avocado Grower Forum and Annual General Meeting 31 August 2017 Growers, register now for the NZ Avocado Grower Forum and Annual General Meeting to be held at Toll Stadium, 51 Okara Dr, Whangarei on 31 August, and the NZ Avocado Grower Forum to be held at Club Mount, 45 Kawaka Street, Mount Maunganui on 8 September.

See the industry website for full details on these events www.nzavocado.co.nz/industry Registration for EACH of these events is essential for catering, space and AGM voting requirements.

Please register with NZ Avocado by 18 August by calling 0800 286 2236 or emailing jo.nunn@ nzavocado.co.nz

Grower Fo ru • Updates m: 10:30am - 4:00p on industry m • Worksho ps on your activity most press managem ing orchard e • Outlook fo nt challenges r th e 2 017-18 sea • Lunch an son d • NZ Avoca refreshments includ do membe e rs free of ch d arge Whangare i AGM: 4:0 0pm - 5:30 • 2016-17 pm ye • 2017-18 ar in review budget • Voting on re • Afternoo mits n tea and re freshments included AGM Dinn er: 6:30pm on Dinner and beverages wards at own cost

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Comment

Growing the business

By Jen Scoular, CEO, New Zealand Avocado

jen.scoular@nzavocado.co.nz

It’s great to be celebrating, as an industry, a record season. We have successfully grown, harvested, packed, exported and marketed more than seven million trays of delicious nutritious avocado this season – congratulations!

It’s been fabulous to see the uptake and sharing of our story on the industry success by New Zealand media. Our media engagement sees Jodi liaise with Tauranga-based agency Village PR to put together a media release, and release it across a range of print and online publications. It is a great story, and one we collectively as industry players should be proud of. We celebrated with stakeholders in the Bay at the Industry Day in Tauranga, meeting at Mills Reef for presentations and a delicious, very avocadodominated lunch, followed by an orchard tour to Dave and Julie Flett’s. We will host a similar function for our Wellington stakeholders on 4 July at Parliament Buildings.

Our local Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller has always been very supportive of our industry and offered to host the event at Parliament. Hon. Nathan Guy will open the event and we hope to have a great cross-section of invitees across

political, horticulture, non-government agencies and influencers.

I spoke to a local grower this morning who followed closely some pruning ideas from a recent field day. It is quite radical pruning, which he knows is necessary, but he’s hedged his bets and done it on just 25% of his orchard.You should have noticed the radical pruning Ashby and Phillip were reflecting on, on the cover of the June Avoscene. I’m certainly seeing and hearing about the innovation happening in orchards, and Marisa and the team are very keen to do case studies on what growers have achieved with different pruning methods and methodologies. Please let us know if you would like us to case study the pruning you’ve done and the impact that has had.

We are very pleased to have appointed Sarah Sorensen, a scientist and an avocado grower, to the six-month position heading the Fruit Quality project around rots. Sarah will be tasked with getting together all the literature and research on rots, meeting with as many stakeholders as possible and helping build the strategy to improve quality of our avocados. I was very interested to read in the latest Avocados Australia magazine – Talking Avocado – that improving quality of avocados for sale in Australia was again their biggest challenge. Nothing we know suggests there is a better option for New Zealand growers than applying at least eight fungicides. Please play your part in ensuring New Zealand avocados are of premium quality.

Bevan has recently returned from a 10-day market visit to Japan and Korea with exporters from Just Avocados.

He reports that supplying only premium avocados into those markets is imperative if New Zealand is to maintain its reputation and its good returns to growers. Bevan’s presentation at the Grower Forums in Whangarei and Tauranga will include highlights of his market visit.

Earlier this year I was elected to chair the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) Deed Governance Group, which is the collective signatory body that oversees the implementation of the GIA. I also sit on the recently established GIA Executive Committee, which is responsible

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Comment

for the day-to-day governance of GIA. As the GIA Chair, I participated in a signing ceremony where NZ Winegrowers joined the GIA partnership. For my part, both as CEO of NZ Avocado and the Chair of GIA, I believe we are already seeing the value of what can be achieved by working together in partnership with Government and industry for biosecurity. Brad has been working with MPI and other industries on an operational agreement for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug – an awful pest that we need to keep out of New Zealand.

I attended a workshop looking at how horticulture might undertake a co-operation programme with China.

Relationship building is essential in all our markets and MPI has set up similar projects across the red meat sector with good results. Zespri, pipfruit, summerfruit, onions and avocados were all in the room – a good chance to talk about what we do. From my side, anything we can do to progress our access to China is helpful. I attended the NZ China Business Awards that evening at which Zespri took out the supreme award. We do utilise the expertise and knowledge of sectors around us, and across horticulture I have never

found anyone not willing to share with us what they do and what they know.

I hope you completed the recent grower survey. I’m looking forward to seeing a summary of your feedback. We do listen and will act on feedback you have given us. If we are or if we are not delivering to you as growers, we would like to know about it.

Presenting the New Zealand Avocado Story at the BOP Industry Day at Mills Reef.

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Comment

Regional Roundup John Cotterell

jccotterell@actrix.gen.nz

06.06.2017

Whether or not you believe in global warming/climate change, the weather during the first five months of this year makes you think about how Mother Nature really does have the final say. With interest I read the Talking Avocados regional roundups in the Australian industry magazine; every one of their directors talked about the weather in their growing area!

There were references to Cyclone Debbie and dodging bullets, which sounded similar to our experiences with the northern growing areas being largely bypassed and areas further south contending with severe winds and flooding. The Australian summer was very hot, with temperatures nearing up to 50 degrees Celsius, which makes avocado trees drop their fruit. Other areas were trying to manage very limited irrigation water allocations in drought conditions.

The Bay of Plenty started off the year dry with January (21mm) the second driest in the 19 years I have been recording the weather

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on our orchard. That started to change in February (176.5mm) the third highest rainfall, March (422.5mm) the highest ever, April (339.5mm) the second highest and May (300.5mm) the second highest, totalling 1260mm. All this rain will put pressure on our trees and their root systems; you will need to contemplate injecting your trees. The fruit on our trees seems to have benefited from all the rain and the lighter crop, as fruit size is very good in most orchards. Many growers are taking the opportunity of a lighter crop to prune their trees, and pruning contractors are very busy with most not taking on any more clients.

Growers should be very happy with last season’s export returns with near-record pay-outs on a record-breaking biggest crop ever. Exporters and their fruit handlers in market worked very hard to achieve this excellent result. By the time you read this we will be into another exporting season. Fingers crossed for a reasonable spring.

Comment

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

John Dawson: jd@team.org.nz

06/06/2017

Pre-winter conditions arrived abruptly in early May, with a noticeable drop in temperature following a relatively mild early autumn. With the temperature drop came the risk of frost, particularly on newly planted young trees.

Growers with trees vulnerable to frost damage were taking best precautions to protect trees and this season’s estimated short crop.

Technical staff from NZ Avocado were involved in a series of road shows in early May which included an update of the results and implications of current research findings. One area covered was preliminary observations of Nick Gould’s (Plant & Food Research) study of temperature effects on developing avocado flowers and fruitlets.

Key findings so far show that avocado flowers are vulnerable to temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius, especially immediately prior to the flowers opening. Cold temperatures at this critical stage reduced viability leading to subsequent embryo abortion. Less mature flowers were not so badly affected. Also flowers opening later in the flowering period are more likely to suffer ovule damage and embryo abortion than those opening at the start of the flowering period. These critical low temperatures are common during the flowering period, particularly during the night.

The results of this reseach are fundamental to understanding some of the causes of low fruit set in avocados, and can help to explain one of the most likely causes of our irregular seasonal production. Options for reducing the adverse effects of low temperatures are limited. The most obvious is the need to choose planting sites which are warm with good cold air drainage, and avoiding sites which are potential frost pockets. Other than covering newly planted trees, added precautions include overhead watering systems which can double as irrigation and frost protection. This relies on capturing the latent heat of fusion released in the phase change as water freezes to form ice. Where an obvious frost pocket exists, some relief can be gained by strategically locating a horizontal fan to drive the cold air up into the atmosphere. This equipment, which was pioneered in Uruguay, relies on a warmer

inversion layer above the canopy. Unfortunately, such an inversion layer is not always present.

Permanently installed vertical fans can also be used, but these are noisy and expensive to run.

They also rely on an inversion layer.

A new Kiwi-designed invention is showing promise for crop protection against cold temperatures. This has been trialled in recent years on cherries, berryfruit and grapes in the South Island with great success. This equipment, called a Heat Ranger, applies warm air from burning natural gas, and circulates this over the crop canopy. A single device is effective over a 15-20 hectare area. Once the capital cost is met this provides a very cost-effective means of crop protection, not only preventing tree damage, but also reducing fruit set failure from effects of cold temperature. Information on design and performance are summarised on the website www.heat-ranger.com/news. This technology is starting to create much interest, particularly on large new avocado orchard developments throughout the North.

Roger Barber

John Dawson

Finally, as an important part of meeting our industry obligations and reducing the chances of export registration being compromised, NZ Avocado has been concerned about Mid North grower AvoGreen compliance levels.

The May NZ Avocado workshop held by Glenys Parton provided a one-on-one opportunity to discuss remaining confusions and inconsistencies as to how records were still being maintained.

The good news is that since highlighting this issue there has been a significant improvement in both understanding and compliance. If any of you are still not confident in this area, please contact glenys.parton@nzavocado.co.nz directly.

On another positive note, NZ Avocado is looking at options to consolidate pest monitoring results with the electronic spray diary records to make AvoGreen compliance easier. We are always keen to hear your thoughts or suggestions on this or any other topic of interest to our fellow avocado growers.

Keep warm!

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@just_avocados

www.justavocados.co.nz

Linda Flegg, Kauripak

Comment

Outside the box linda@kauripak.co.nz

The NZ Avocado Packer Forum Inc. held its Annual General Meeting in March and with all nominations being uncontested, Linda Flegg, Hugh Moore and Daniel Birnie were re-elected and we welcome Duane Wells and Michael Ruegg on to the Executive. It is pleasing to see the return of Michael after a break of several years.

The 2017 Executive Committee is as follows: • Far North – Tom Clark • Mid North – Duane Wells • BOP 1 – Daniel Birnie • BOP 2 – Hugh Moore • Other Regions – Michael Ruegg • At Large 1 – Linda Flegg (Chair) • At Large 2 – Kevin Ravenhill

The Quality Standards Consultative Group – Hugh Moore and Daniel Birnie

Definition of the word exported (not shipped) – point of loading at the port.

There were a number of submissions that affected packers which were all approved and implemented this season.

The group approved the request to change the New Zealand market maturity sampling requirements for the 2017/2018 season to align to export standards. Following consultation with the New Zealand Market Group the outcome was that the maturity clearance area and sample size requirements be aligned to export. The dry matter percentage remains at 23% for the New Zealand market, with the proviso that early season testing and comparisons of outturn are completed to establish to establish if there are any differences in outturn quality between fruit harvested following a 23% dry matter average test and 24%. Maximim maturity clearance areas have now been defined

PPIN – can only be assigned to a single property valuation number.

EMS Review Committee – Helen Gray and Hugh Moore

There were several submissions this year, with the following having impact on packers: Grade Standards for Varieties other than Hass must be evaluated and approved prior to export.

Packer Contract must define when they take responsibility for the fruit, its quality and food safety – this is deemed to be when fruit is delivered to the packhouse or loaded onto packer transport.

New Zealand Marketers Group – Linda Flegg

This group has met regularly throughout the year and communicated once a month via teleconference. The crop seemed to flow very well throughout the season, with high volumes retaining good value. The largest volume week saw a whopping 86,000 trays being packed in a single week in January. This group is now discussing formalising its structure.

AvoGreen Consultative Group – Terry Russell and Danni van der Heijden

Submissions for the review were called for in May and the group has now met to discuss any changes to the programme. The AvoGreen programme is looked upon to assist with market access, particularly in gaining access to new countries. Owner operators are an area of concern regarding compliance and audit. A workshop was held recently in Whangarei where growers could bring along their resources and go through a checklist to enable them to make sure they were following the guidelines correctly.

There was discussion that packers could assist in checking AvoGreen compliance when completing annual food safety audits, which would be a positive step.

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Going global Alistair Petrie, Chair, AVEC

al.petrie66@gmail.com

The record 2016-17 season is well and truly over, growers have enjoyed a strong export season with solid returns and their attention is now very much on preparing for the 2017-18 season.

Markets

The significance of the strong export finish and corresponding short domestic supply is very evident at the moment. I have been doing lots of retail visits recently and notice avocados are mostly retailing between $4 and $5 each. Today I saw a very mixed display at $5.49 each, and the fruit was small/medium in size and full in colour. A good percentage of this fruit would have a disappointing outcome for some consumers. Why is it in the produce industry the highest price is generally achieved when the quality is poorest? The answer is simple: extreme pricing for produce is generally a function of supply and demand regardless of quality. Lettuces in June are four times the price of lettuces in December but no way near the same quality.

The good news in the avocado example is consumers were still buying at very high prices; however, the bad news is poor quality fruit is reaching consumer fruit bowls, creating disappointment.

The purpose of this example is we as an industry need to be careful we don’t push the boundaries with this season’s short crop. The temptation will be to sneak the bottom percentage through, tweak the grader just a touch so we can get more fruit away. Consumers are paying when quality is average; they will certainly pay when the quality is good. We need to continually demonstrate that New Zealand is a quality supplier regardless of size of crop being produced.

John Carroll from Primor comments – “This latest season, while remarkable for the value achieved, reminded us we still deal with a perishable item that can behave inconsistently. Mid season we experienced quality issues in even our closest market, Australia, and much time and money was spent rectifying this. Maintaining key customer understanding was critical and in the end was achieved.

However, what we also uncovered was: Small differences in handling systems amongst New Zealand packers; everybody was chasing quality, but doing things differently.

A recognition that our orchard health needs improvement; innoculum levels have steadily risen as orchard fungicide use has dwindled.

The packhouse can only do so much – they’re the ‘ambulance at the bottom of the cliff’.

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Post-harvest fungicide currently approved has issues around market residue tolerances but also cross-contamination concerns for packers of kiwifruit.

We face challenges around picking wet fruit - what constitutes ‘wet fruit?’. Supply chain commitments are the catch-22.

Our marketers need greater confidence in our fruit. Panindustry solutions are key as we might not dodge the same bullets twice.”

Jarrod Redwood from Just Avocados adds – “Delivering consistent quality to our global customers is key when it comes to maintaining our market presence and shelf space and is even more relevant in low volume seasons.”

When we consider quality, we need to remember that it’s not just the cosmetic appearance of the fruit but factors right across the supply chain which influence a positive outcome and consumer satisfaction.

Starting in the orchard, growing practices and good orchard hygiene help reduce inoculum levels present in orchards, post-harvest handling from bin delivery to packhouse management, sound and robust cool chain management and, lastly, offshore inventory management all play a significant role in ensuring quality fruit is being delivered to our customers.

By each and all of us following best practice and setting high standards we will continue to improve on the quality that we deliver to our customers, positively influence export packouts and continue the strong values and growth that as an industry we are currently experiencing.

Export Market

Avanza Contestable Fund India

Tony Ponder, Director, Avanza

In the 2016-17 season the contestable promotions fund supported exporters to deliver projects in all of our key export markets – including India. Here is a summary of activity undertaken in this developing market.

Markets

Understanding the buying behaviour of the wealthy consumer segment in India is paramount for New Zealand food and beverage companies to successfully break into this market.

Indian consumers have an overwhelming preference for fresh products, which makes it important to have an efficient supply chain.

Wealthy Indians want to spend money on premium products, with spending anticipated to more than double by 2025. India topped the Nielson Global Consumer Confidence Index in 2014. 9,920 trays of New Zealand avocados were exported to India in 2016-17.

In order to ensure continued progress in development of the Indian market, Avanza focussed on generating sales and increasing brand awareness of premium avocados from New Zealand, through high end retail and digital and social media promotions.

The Avanza India contestable fund project enabled the establishment of relationships with high end retailers in 2016, a key breakthrough.

Building engagement with large retailers is critically important for future development of this market.

The retailers engaged want to see a growing presence of avocados from New Zealand in their stores and information to help raise awareness of the fruit and associated brands. A continued programme of in-store tastings and education and promotions through digital and social media channels in India will help deliver this. Avanza intends to continue to focus on these two aspects in future seasons. * NZ Avocado contestable fund projects for all other export markets were reported on in the June 2017 Avoscene.

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The New Zealand Market Glen Dunseath, Managing Director, Zeafruit.

The transition between old and new season fruit this Markets

year is very close to perfect; old season stocks are now all but finalised with new season maturity passes just beginning to be achieved on early maturing orchards.

New season fruit will enter a strong and buoyant market, especially as old season values have been very strong. A short supply in 2017/18 season should mean that no great volume of fruit will appear within the local market early, theoretically removing any downward price pressure from the market.

There will be some interest across the industry in the management of early season maturity passes, especially now there is alignment between export and local market sample sizes and minimum maturity thresholds. The new 2017/18 season guidelines are noted below.

This has been a challenging subject across the past 12 months, and fair to say there is significant space between counter-arguments depending on which point of view you take. The updated guidelines have been through the quality standards review process and have been endorsed by the New Zealand Market Group and approved by the AIC Board.

The goalposts have moved somewhat over the past five years; the original focus was on simply getting early start programmes involved in some form of testing to ascertain whether we had dry matter levels that could enable triggering of effective ripening. Now we are focusing on ensuring our early start programmes have not only the right average dry matter levels across the sample, but also ensuring better clearance protocols according to block size, and a far more effective per piece standard for minimising rogue low dry matter pieces of fruit from making their way through the chain to consumer.

This will greatly enhance the eating experience of the end consumer and the consistency of offer to our retail and food service partners, a vital ingredient in continuing to drive domestic consumption and support for the avocado category within the New Zealand market.

NZ market early season maturity guidelines: • Average dry matter across sample must be at least 23% • New: Sample size to be equivalent to export o A minimum sample size of 20 fruit per maturity clearance area will apply o Larger sample sizes may be required for larger maturity clearance areas. See guidelines on the industry website for details.

• New: Minimum of 90% of number of fruit sampled must be above 20.8% dry matter • Ethylene ripening to be applied to all fruit To order an early season maturity test, please contact your packer or Eurofins.

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Early season resources Bevan Jelley, Market Manager, NZ Avocado bevan.jelley@nzavocado.co.nz Jodi Senior, Communications Manager, NZ Avocado Jodi.senior@nzavocado.co.nz

Markets

In preparation for the anticipated low volume season this year, NZ Avocado has developed resources to help inform media, produce buyers, food service and consumers of the reasons for the low supply period, when to expect mature new season avocados and the tell-tale signs of stolen fruit.

In the May edition of Avoscene we reported on the activity being undertaken with community police in grower regions and the posters that have been developed to educate independent fruit stores about immature avocados and stolen avocados in the early season period.

To help manage consumer and media expectations around avocado pricing coming into a low volume season, NZ Avocado has created a short animated video. The video explains seasonal avocado supply in New Zealand, the unique attributes of the avocado tree and where avocados in New Zealand are grown.

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NZ Avocado posted the video on Facebook and asked followers to tell them one thing they had learnt from the video. Many followers commented that they hadn’t realised all fresh avocados sold in New Zealand were in fact grown in New Zealand. They also commented that they didn’t know avocado trees could hold last season’s fruit while also holding new season fruit.

This video, and the key messages included, will be used throughout the season across all media channels. To view the video, visit the NZ Avocado YouTube page.

Retailer education and training Bevan Jelley, Market Manager, NZ Avocado bevan.jelley@nzavocado.co.nz

As avocado sales grow in the New Zealand market, supermarkets are increasingly investing in staff training to deliver well-presented, good quality avocados to shoppers in their stores.

In May 2017, NZ Avocado was invited to produce staff training sessions in two of New Zealand’s largest supermarket chains, Foodstuffs South Island and Countdown.

Countdown

New Zealand Avocado was invited by Countdown supermarkets and key supplier Southern Produce Ltd to present avocado consumer insights and educate produce staff about the New Zealand avocado promotions programme. An audience of 35 produce managers attended the session, having visited an avocado orchard and packing facility earlier in the day. The produce managers mentioned they found value in understanding the wider promotion activity for avocados in New Zealand and appreciated the consumer video NZ Avocado has recently developed to explain the reasons behind the current low supply volume period and the factors that impact avocado supply.

Foodstuffs South Island

Foodstuffs South Island has developed a “Passion in Produce” programme, to engage emerging leaders from within the Foodstuffs business and provide them with tools to

Markets

The New Zealand Market Group has identified retailer training as a key point of focus for improving avocado quality outcomes to consumers. The retail produce department is the final step in the supply chain before avocados reach the consumer. Supermarket produce staff have the power to influence a good quality avocado experience for avocado-loving consumers in New Zealand.

Avocado chocolate mousse demo at Foodstuffs South Island produce manager training.

improve, innovate and educate on their fresh produce offering in New World and PAK’nSAVE stores.

New Zealand Avocado and key supplier Zeafruit were invited to present to a group of 20 produce staff as part of the Passion in Produce programme. The presentation focussed on consumer insights, NZ Avocado promotions and technical avocado handling education. To further engage the trainees an avocado chocolate mousse recipe demonstration took place at lunchtime, receiving a lot of positive feedback.

NZ Avocado, in collaboration with the NZ Market Group, has developed two retail training videos and the avocado retail toolkit, a selection of resources to assist produce staff with receiving, storing, handling, and display of their avocados. Retail toolkits were provided to produce managers at each of these training days.

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Nutrient flows Dr Colleen Mullen, Scientist, Plant & Food Research

Dr Colleen Mullen, a recent recruit to Plant & Food Research’s team of scientists, details her PhD research on nutrient flows throughout avocado plants. It is a good introduction to the important role minerals, and their uptake, play in fruit quality.

1. I investigated the inherent potential of selected avocado rootstocks to influence fruit mineral concentrations (Table 1). Relatively little is known about the performance of different rootstocks in mineral uptake, translocation and deposition.

• The results confirmed that seedling rootstocks can differ in their ability to obtain these nutrient ions from the soil.

• It is possible that better fruit quality associated with Velvick may be related to its ability to reduce K uptake into the leaves, as much as an ability to increase Ca. • My research provided information on suitable rootstock characteristics that promote translocation of nutrients, especially Ca, which can be used for future rootstock selection programs.

2. The graft union in selected scion/rootstock combinations and its potential to influence mineral accumulation were studied (Figure 1 overleaf). Very little is known about the synergism between rootstock and scion for nutrient translocation across the graft union. The rationale for this research was to determine the influence of the graft union on cation translocation across the graft. Calcium injection was not feasible, therefore strontium (Sr) was used instead because of its similar chemical characteristics to Ca in plants.

• The results confirmed that different scion/rootstock combinations differ in their Sr (and potentially Ca) movement across the graft union.

• The results demonstrated that this was the result of

Table 1. K/Ca, Mg/Ca and (K+Mg)/Ca ratios in the mature leaves, and total, suberised and non-suberised roots of Duke 7, Fuerte, Hass andVelvick avocado seedlings supplied with modified half-strength Hoaglands solution containing 400 and 2000 M Ca.The results are pooled across the two Ca treatments.

Reports

Nutritional conditions during growth and maturation determine the mineral composition of the harvested avocado fruit. Calcium (Ca) plays a critical role in cell division and development (Hepler, 2005) and is the nutrient most commonly associated with fruit quality in many tree crops including avocado (Arpaia, 1994). To understand the effects of horticultural practices on fruit quality, the pathway of Ca uptake from the soil and distribution in the tree was considered. Consequently, the experiments in my PhD project were structured around the pathway of Ca movement from the soil to the flesh of the fruit.

Mineral ratios Cultivar K/Ca Mg/Ca (K+Mg)/Ca Leaf Duke 7 1.60b 1.49b 3.10b Fuerte 1.62b 1.54b 3.16b Hass 1.72b 1.59b 3.30b Velvick 1.12a 1.15a 2.26a P P<0.05 P<0.05 P<0.05 Total root Duke 7 2.62 2.84 5.45 Fuerte 2.73 2.86 5.59 Hass 2.94 3.31 6.26 Velvick 3.87 2.77 6.64 P 0.051 0.71 0.57 Suberised root Duke 7 2.28 2.41 4.69 Fuerte 2.36 2.56 4.91 Hass 2.15 2.40 4.58 Velvick 2.67 2.24 4.95 P 0.284 0.79 0.91 Non-suberised root Duke 7 5.254a 2.89 8.22 Fuerte 6.696ab 2.99 9.74 Hass 6.795ab 3.63 10.59 Velvick 7.971b 3.09 11.25 P P<0.05 0.24 0.065 Means for each cultivar (Duke 7, Fuerte, Hass andVelvick) followed by different letters within each tissue and ratio are significantly different (P<0.05).Values are means of 20 plants per cultivar.

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4. Partitioning of Ca within the fruit was investigated: how Ca, Mg and K were partitioned between seed, skin and flesh tissue during fruit development, and whether the presence of fruit increased or decreased the flow of Ca to subtending leaves. Distribution of cations between the tissues of the fruit (Figure 2), with a focus on the avocado fruit flesh, demonstrated that: • Nutrient accumulation in avocado differed among fruit tissues (seed, skin and flesh) and leaves from branches directly supporting fruit and branches containing no fruit.

• Flesh had higher K/Ca, Mg/Ca and (K+Mg)/Ca ratios than skin at most sampling times. The K/Ca, Mg/ Ca and (K+Mg)/Ca ratios in the fruit tissues were generally higher than in the leaves because of the much higher Ca concentration in leaves than in fruit tissues.

• The leaf is a very efficient competitor for Ca, which highlights the significance of maintaining transpiration flow to the fruit during growth and the need for adequate Ca levels in this transpiration flow.

• Factors that increase the competition for water will reduce water flow to the fruits during early growth at least, and potentially reduce Ca uptake.

differences in both mineral uptake into the rootstock and disruptions to mineral transport across the graft union.

• This has provided a screening test for ideal scion/ rootstock combinations.

3. Once minerals have been transported across the graft union, there is competition between the vegetative and reproductive growth of the tree for Ca. The balance between vegetative and reproductive growth must be managed to avoid Ca-related physiological disorders in the fruit.

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• By blocking the phloem continuum under reduced supply of assimilates, carbohydrates are imported to the branch from other parts of the tree during fruit development. This carbohydrate import is required for high fruit retention, to maintain fruit size and to maintain normal fruit shape.

• At harvest, higher flesh Ca concentrations and lower ratios of K/Ca, Mg/Ca and (K+Mg)/Ca were found with low leaf to fruit ratios (Table 2).

• There is potential to improve Ca translocation and deposition into the fruit by managing leaf to fruit ratios.

• Maintaining an optimum balance between leaf and fruit numbers is important to maximise fruit retention, size and quality.

Scion Rootstock 10

Sr concentration (mg/kg dry weight)

Fig. 1. Strontium concentrations (mg/kg dry weight) from above (scion) and below (rootstock) the graft union of nine non-grafted and grafted avocado combinations.

The trees were either not injected (control) or injected with 3.28 mg Sr (injected) 6cm below the graft union.

Stem sections (3cm long) were taken just above the graft union (scion) and between the injection site and the graft union (rootstock) 15 minutes after injection.

V=non-graftedVelvick,V:V=Velvick grafted toVelvick from the same plant, HC:V=commercial Hass grafted to Velvick rootstock, D7=non-grafted Duke 7, D7:D7= Duke 7 grafted to Duke 7 from the same plant, HC:D7=commercial Hass grafted to Duke 7 rootstock, H=non-grafted Hass, H:H=Hass grafted to Hass from the same plant and HC:H=commercial Hass grafted to Hass rootstock. Means with different letters within each rootstock (Velvick:V,V:V and HC:V; Duke 7: D7, D7:D7 and HC:D7; Hass: H, H:H and HC:H) are significantly different (P<0.05).Values are means of 8 plants for each non-grafted and grafted combination that were either injected or had no injection (control).

For the full article please visit the NZ Avocado Website >> Resources

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Fig. 1. Strontium concentrations (mg/kg dry weight) from above (scion) and below (rootstock) the graft union of nine non-grafted and grafted avocado combinations. The trees were either not injected (control) or injected with 3.28 mg Sr (injected) 6cm below the graft union. Stem sections (3cm long) were taken just above the graft union (scion) and

Table 2. Concentrations and ratios of B, Ca, Mg and K in the fruit flesh of mature Hass avocados in Experiment 2 from girdled branches with differing leaf to fruit ratios (30-1, 60-1 or 120-1), control branches with girdling but no leaf or fruit removal (CG), and control branches with no girdling (CNG).

Mineral concentration (mg/kg dry mass) or ratio

Treatment

B

Ca

K

30-1

58.6

320b

14752 811

46.10a 2.53a 48.63a

60-1

62.6

291b

14597 807

50.16a 2.77a 52.93a

120-1

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247a

15165 823

61.30b 3.33b 64.73b

CG

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257a

14439 818

56.18b 3.18b 59.37b

CNG

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258a

15310 867

59.34b 3.36b 62.70b

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<0.05

0.79

<0.05 <0.05 <0.05

Mg

Mg/Ca (K+Mg)/Ca

K/Ca

0.44

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Means within a column with different letters are significantly different (residual maximum likelihood; P<0.05).

References: Arpaia, M.L., 1994. Pre-harvest factors influencing post-harvest quality of tropical and subtropical fruit. HortScience 29, 982985.

Everett, K.R., Boyd, L.M., Pak, H.A., Cutting, J.G.M., 2007. Calcium, fungicide sprays and canopy density influence postharvest rots of avocado. Australas. Plant Pathol. 36, 2231.

Hepler, P.K., 2005. Calcium: A central regulator of plant growth and development.The Plant Cell 17, 21422155.

Morandi, B., Manfrini, L., Losciale, P., Zibordi, M., Grappadelli, L.C., 2010. Changes in vascular and transpirational flows affect the seasonal and daily growth of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) berry. Ann. Bot. 105, 913923.

Willingham, S., Coates, L., Cooke,T., Dean, J., 2004.Tree vigour influences disease susceptibility of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hassâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; avocado fruits.

Australas. Plant Pathol. 33, 1721.

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Fig. 2. Calcium (A), Mg (B) and K (C) concentrations in the seed, skin and flesh tissue of Hass avocado fruit, and in the leaves from branches directly supporting fruit (fruit leaves; FL) and from branches containing no fruit (non-fruit leaves; NFL), from 4 weeks after flowering to fruit maturity. For Ca and Mg, the vertical bars represent l.s.d. (P=0.05) for comparison among fruit tissues (seed, skin and flesh) or among leaf tissues (FL and NFL) at the same measurement time (bars are presented only for those measurement times with significant differences between tissues).

For K, the vertical bars represent l.s.d. (P=0.05) for comparison among all fruit and leaf tissues (seed, skin, flesh, FL and NFL) at the same measurement time (bars are presented only for those measurement times with significant differences between tissues). For K, means with different letters within each tissue (seed, skin, flesh, FL and NFL) at 34 weeks are significantly different (P<0.05).Values are means of 20 samples per tissue.

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Fig. 2. Calcium (A), Mg (B) and K (C) concentrations in the seed, skin and flesh tissue of Hass avocado fruit, and in the leaves from branches directly supporting fruit (fruit leaves; FL) and from branches containing no fruit (non-fruit leaves; NFL), from 4 weeks after flowering to fruit maturity. For Ca and Mg, the vertical bars represent l.s.d. (P=0.05) for comparison Avoscene July 2017 among fruit tissues (seed, skin and flesh) or among leaf tissues (FL and NFL) at the same measurement time (bars are presented only for those measurement times with significant

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New technology allowing for advanced plant breeding Marisa Till, Research Manager, NZ Avocado marisa.till@nzavocado.co.nz

Reports

Avocado genome sequencing, micro clones and advanced breeding techniques are changing the way avocado plants are propogated. Faster, cheaper and more efficient breeding programmes are on the horizon.

Plant breeding is something humans have been doing for around 10,000 years since agriculture started. The plants we are familiar with today were taken out of their natural environment and cultivated to grow in a different, usually more convenient, location. This was the dawn of manipulating the genetics of plants to enhance desired traits.

We have moved into an era where technology can fast-track the breeding process. With a better understanding of plant genetics and the development of new technologies, breeding programmes are becoming faster and more cost-effective.

Traditional plant breeding may have started long ago but scientific developments have changed the face of plant breeding over the past few centuries. Radiation to increase natural mutation rates has been used since about the 1930s, increasing the speed of developing new traits, and since the 1980s genetic engineering has been used to add new traits to plants.

Genomes and genes

In recent years there has been significant work on sequencing the avocado genome. Dr Alice Hayward at Mitter lab has sequenced the cv. Velvick genome (containing more than 900,000,000 DNA base-pairs, or “building-

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blocks”!). Working closely with Mexican collaborators, she has discovered more than 1,000,000 differences in the building-blocks between Velvick, Hass and representative species from each of the known avocado races. Looking to the future, this will build our understanding of avocado evolution, domestication and help us find promising building blocks for breeding desired characteristics.

In other horticulture crops, understanding which genes are involved in certain traits has allowed researchers to develop “markers”, small fragments of DNA associated with that gene. These markers can be followed to know if a gene (and thus the corresponding trait) has been passed down to the next generation in a breeding programme, allowing much more efficient breeding programmes, and negating the need to wait until the plant is grown to know if it has inherited the desired trait. For example, once the genes associated with increased phytophthora tolerance are identified they can be screened for in new generations of a breeding programme without having to wait until the tree is growing in the field.

Micro-Clones revolutionising propagation

Plant tissue culture is a technology that has been around

since the mid-20th century. Plants are grown and reproduce in a tightly controlled laboratory setting. All nutrients for growth and any other chemical substances can be added to the growth medium to alter the growth or viability of a seed or plant. This technology has allowed scientists to substantially increase their understanding of the growth and regulation of plants. Through the addition of different chemicals, such as hormones or growth factors, the impact of that chemical can be monitored and documented. It has also allowed for an increased level of complexity in plant breeding.

Advanced breeding techniques

In other horticulture crops there are many technologies being developed that will allow for more precise breeding without genetic engineering. Through the manipulation of gene expression, without interfering directly with the genetic code of a plant, scientists are developing ways to improve plant hardiness and stress tolerance in certain crops. Scientists are also developing tools to monitor growth rates and physical attributes of plants as they grow.

The combination of new technologies, improved cultivation practices and better monitoring equipment will allow breeding programmes to make huge efficiency gains.

Scientific advances over recent years have meant that technology for DNA sequencing, bioinformatics and gene editing have become cheaper, faster and more reliable, leading to a new era in plant breeding. Traditional breeding programmes for avocados have been renowned for being expensive and taking decades. These new advances could see the face of breeding programmes change as advanced breeding techniques are available and adapted commercially.

Built-in resistance for ease of measurement

Reports

Over the past four years, Prof. Mitter and her team at Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, the University of Queensland, have been working on developing the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very first tissue-culture technology for on-demand supply of clonal avocado plants. The technology developed can produce thousands of plants from a single mature-tree cutting, with no restriction to season.

It is seed-free, soil-free, fertiliser-free, pesticide-free, and disease-free. Tissue-culture based clonal plants have now been successfully transferred to nursery. As they work to adapt the system to new cultivars, Australian fields will be the first in the world to trial tissue-cultured avocado plants.

Watch this space!

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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

Field days and workshops around the country Marisa Till, Research Manager, NZ Avocado marisa.till@nzavocado.co.nz

In April, NZ Avocado held a round of autumn field days in both Northland and the Bay of Plenty.

The Far North field day was hosted by Paul Tolloday at Waimarama Orchard, guiding growers around the property talking about the intensive plantings, their approach to managing them and the lessons he has learnt in his time there.

Both days were full of great discussions, with both hosts sharing their wealth of experience with attendees.

The first of the Bay of Plenty field days was at Just Avocados Ltd Packhouse and orchard. Newly recruited orchard productivity manager, Erica Faber, ran a practical demonstration of her pruning method, answering growers’ questions and explaining the theories behind her approach.

NZ Avocado research officer Phillip West also discussed the work that is coming through the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment Avocados for Export project, focussing on pruning to balance crop load.

Pruning to balance was a theme that ran into the Te Puke field day the following day. The hosting orchard, Te Pare, is involved in the pruning to balance research project and growers were able to see first-hand the effect of flower pruning to balance a crop load, and how the crop differs between pruned trees and control trees within the orchard.

Hosts Anna MacDougall and Monique Laurie shared the

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The Whangarei field day featured a practical demonstration of John Wiessing pruning his orchard, tree limbs crashing below him while everyone stood at a safe distance. John Wilkinson from Horticentre also gave growers some guidelines on soil and leaf sampling as well as collecting roots for phosphonate testing.

history of the orchard and their plans for the future.

On-orchard management of rots was also discussed, outlining the fourfold approach of an effective fungicide programme, removing inoculum sources such as dead wood and mummified fruit from within and below the canopy, maintaining good calcium levels in soils which have been shown to correlate to better fruit quality, and good phytophthora management which has also been shown to impact fruit quality.

Plant & Food Research scientist Edouard Perie, leader of the “Small Trees, High Density” project, facilitated two open discussion sessions while pruning the small trees at an orchard near Tauranga. These sessions were limited in attendee numbers due to the location and proved very popular, filling up within hours of advertising. Great discussion was had at both sessions, covering a range of orchard management considerations.

There was a definite understanding and interest from those who attended that high density planting was quite a different style of growing, presenting unique challenges alongside unique opportunities. One aspect that many growers found exciting was the potential to plant out more sloped terrain.

Higher density requires the trees to be smaller to prevent shading, meaning large equipment and machinery isn’t required for their management. Higher density does come with a need for closer attention to canopy management, which is one of the questions the trial hopes to answer: can the early productivity observed be maintained over the longer term?

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Avocentric – Roy and Helen Orlowski Elaine Fisher, Journalist

elaine@thesun.co.nz

Reports

There’s a very good reason Roy and Helen Orlowski keep binoculars in their ensuite – they are the means to check the temperature in the orchard without having to go out in the cold.

These younger trees are planted on land previously occupied by glasshouses.

“We can see the reading on the digital thermometer in our orchard office from the ensuite and so can reassure ourselves that there’s no frost or, if the temperature is dropping rapidly, that the frost protection sprinklers do come on,” says Helen.

Tauranga ones when predicting frosts,” says Roy.

The fear of frost is what keeps the couple awake at night.

Frost protection is by way of sprinklers fixed on poles above the trees, which when needed apply water at a rate of up to 40,000 litres a night, in rotation around the orchard until the risk of frost has passed.

“If we had a hard frost and the sprinklers didn’t come on, that would threaten our whole year’s income and probably the next season’s too,” says Roy. They have reason to be concerned. Their avocado trees are growing in Prole Road at Omokoroa, where one recent season their orchard recorded 32 nights when temperatures dipped below 2.5 degrees C, triggering automatic irrigators.

Not surprisingly, Roy and Helen also monitor weather forecasts very closely – but not the forecasts for Tauranga.

Hamilton forecasts

“We have found that the MetService forecast for Hamilton’s overnight temperatures relate to us more so than the

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“I’m not sure why that is the case, especially with the Kaimai Ranges between us and Hamilton, but that’s the forecast we now rely on.”

So far it’s a system which has worked well, with the orchard producing on average 21.5 tonnes of fruit per hectare. In the 2014-15 season the trees yielded 39 tonnes, which dropped to just 11 bins in the 2015-16 year, with 30 tonnes harvested last season.

Next season’s crop looks promising, with ample, goodsized fruit hanging on the trees.

“People will steal fruit at this size, even though it’s far from ripe, which is why we keep our driveway gate locked,” says Helen.

Growers of the year

Despite being relative newcomers to orcharding, Helen and Roy have shown a real aptitude for horticulture, not only producing export crops well above the industry average, but also winning the Team Avocado and AVOCO Growers of the Year title for 2014-15.

It was in 2003 that they bought the Prole Road orchard, which had 180 avocado trees and 800 square feet of glasshouses growing hydroponic tomatoes.

“We were living at Mount Maunganui and wanted somewhere quieter, in the country,” says Helen who for 35 years worked in the racing industry.

“I’m not sure how we did it, but we grew and harvested the tomatoes, as well as working full-time,” says Helen.

The couple bought the property from Steve and Camella Harvey, who initially leased the glasshouses back from them. Then Steve assisted Roy and Helen to learn to grow tomatoes commercially.

“I’ll never forget his help. Steve was very generous with his time and knowledge,” says Roy. Eventually the decision was made to remove the glasshouses.

“They had become unsafe and we decided it wasn’t worth the expense of upgrading them,” says Helen. So Roy removed 10 tonnes of glass and dismantled the structures.

Pollenizers in bins

The site was worked over and prepared for planting more avocado trees. Today the orchard has 104 of its original 180 trees, now around 17 years old; 25 trees planted five years ago and 15 trees now three years old. There are also five pollenizers on the orchard, two of which are not planted in the ground, but instead in large, plastic-lined wooden bins which Roy moves around the orchard with a forklift.

“I couldn’t decide where best to plant them at first and I’m not sure how much longer we can keep them in the bins, but so far they have done okay. I guess at some stage I’ll have to figure out how to plant them without damaging the roots.”

Reports

Roy was an electrician by trade and the couple continued to work at their day jobs while running the orchard and the glasshouses too.

Even the youngest trees have a promising fruit set this season.

Helen and Roy, now full-time orchardists, do virtually all the orchard work, apart from picking and pest monitoring, themselves. They have taken pruning advice from Mike Dillon, who may help with some of the work this season.

“We aim to keep the middle of the trees open so the light can get through,” says Roy. “We like to see grass growing between the trees, because that shows the light is getting in.”

The “skirts” of the trees are also kept pruned. All the prunings which are small enough are mulched and spread beneath the trees; the rest makes for a good supply of firewood.

Roy has his own orchard sprayer, adapted to deliver spray up into the canopy.

“If we get advice from Fruitfed that we have a pest problem, I like to be able to get the spray on as soon as practicable.”

Autumn set

Fruitfed also carries out annual soil and leaf tests and Helen and Roy hand-apply fertiliser to each tree. “Those which produce a big crop get rewarded with a little more fertiliser,” says Helen.

Injecting the trees to protect against phytophthora is another job the couple do themselves. With their injection, pest control and nutrition programmes, Roy and Helen have been successful in keeping the trees healthy.

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This year the trees have produced a heavier than normal autumn set, and hopefully this is a good sign for this year’s spring fruit set.

The couple pack with KauriPak and, in a good season, pick twice – around the first week of November and early in the New Year.

Roy says harvesting can be a stressful time but the picking gangs on their orchard always arrive with a great work ethic.

50th anniversary

In May Helen and Roy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, a significant milestone by any measure, but one that also means they are not as young as they used to be.

Reports

“We love the orchard and working in it, but do wonder how much longer we can continue to do virtually everything,” says Helen.

The option which most appeals is to continue to live in the home they have extended and renovated, and lease out the orchard, or employ contractors to do the work they find too taxing.

While those plans are still some way off, it’s a sure bet that checking night-time temperatures with a pair of binoculars will be one essential orchard task Helen and Roy won’t be giving up.

One of two pollenizers planted in large, plastic-lined wooden bins which Roy moves around the orchard with a forklift.

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Pest & disease watch: Success for biosecurity preparedness Brad Siebert, Biosecurity and Programme Manager, NZ Avocado brad.siebert@nzavocado.co.nz

New testing methods allow all avocado nurseries to participate in the industry’s High Health Scheme

On the Orchard

For many years, mother tree testing (or “indexing”) has been questions the New Zealand avocado industry needed to answer to feel confident that end-point testing would the preferred way nurseries in New Zealand and around provide an acceptable alternative. the world test their source material for Avocado sunblotch viroid (ASBVd). This had the advantage of ensuring that all A combination of many years of work on ASBVd by the seed sourced for propagation had come from tested trees.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and However, the main disadvantage was that it soon becomes more recent work by the Virology team at the impractical and very uneconomical to Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) has now test all source (Zutano/Reed) trees when answered these questions.

Avocado sunblotch they are scattered throughout hundreds of viroid (ASBVd) is not orchards across the country.

The work of the MPI’s Virology Team at the a virus but a viralPHEL has shown sensitive and robust detection A nursery also runs the risk in years of low like pathogen which of ASBVd can be achieved in as little as one seed supply of requesting and receiving causes deformity and infected leaf in 100 leaves, using a real-time seed from unverified locations so the strict necrotic streaks or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. traceability requirements of the High Health blotching on fruit and Scheme becomes difficult to comply with. It leaves, making the Another positive outcome of this work is fruit unmarketable. was the difficulty of meeting these sampling that all plants (clonal and seedlings) being and testing requirements which was the propagated by the nursery, covering all main barrier to new nurseries taking orchards where the source propagation material came from, advantage of the industry’s High Health Scheme. can now be included in the sampling programme. This differs from the previous conditions that required only clonal An acceptable solution was to switch to testing trees varieties to have ASBVd screening. produced at the end of the propagation cycle as an alternative to mother tree indexing; this is referred to as It has taken over a year of discussions with New Zealand “end-point testing”. nurseries, United States researchers, PHEL, and postThis was not an easy feat as there were a number of technical harvest technical staff to verify testing standards, but as a

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What was the best PCR method of extraction and testing?

How old should the leaves be?

How many leaves can I test at once and still pick up a positive?

If a seed was positive how long would it take for the viroid to be expressed in the scion?

What’s the minimum number of leaves I need to take from each nursery plant?

On the Orchard

result the ability for the NZ Avocado industry to confidently “end-point test” for ASBVd is now well-researched. This now means a more achievable and reliable end of process sampling method will be introduced as an option within the industry’s High Health Scheme.

With the help of the Avocado Nursery Association (ANA) the entire High Health Scheme has also been reviewed to ensure that the requirements of the nursery are clear and that the expectations of the grower are met in regards to quality, traceability and disease testing.

The work to prove the absence of ASBVd in New Zealand continues to strengthen the industry’s resilience to biosecurity risk and is supported by growers when they choose to purchase High Health Scheme certificated trees.

Maintaining market access and domestic biosecurity preparedness is reliant on support from across the supply chain so having MPI, nurseries and post-harvest representatives involved in this work has made for a successful partnership and a great result.

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  

Reminders at this time of year Marisa Till, Research Manager, NZ Avocado marisa.till@nzavocado.co.nz

With limited crop on many trees around the country, many growers have been structural pruning. Now is still a great time to give your orchard a solid pruning.

Some key issues to think about when pruning are maximising light interception â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fruit grows where there is good quality light; providing easy access for sprayers and pickers; and using pruning to cycle wood â&#x20AC;&#x201C; old, tired wood can be removed and fresh growth can come through to rejuvenate the tree.

On the Orchard

It is a good time of year for growers to assess their flower buds; this will give you an early indication of the potential of your next crop. For full details on how to do this please refer to the Reading Your Trees booklet. Even with a light (or no) crop it is important to be feeding your trees for the crop coming through.

A good fertiliser programme through the winter will help set your trees up for flowering.

There has been a lot of rain during the autumn throughout the avocado growing regions and temperatures have remained quite high through that time; these are ideal conditions for phytophthora. It is important growers monitor their tree health; remember, root testing for phosphonate levels will tell you if your trees have sufficient phosphonate concentrations for protection. Levels of 25-40mg/kg of roots at 75% moisture are generally accepted as providing direct fungicidal protection against phytophthora. Also watch out through winter for areas that are prone to excess soil moisture. This may help identify potential tree health issues early and give you an idea of whether drainage should be improved.

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Can crop load be manipulated to mitigate biennial bearing?

Nick Gould, Helen Boldingh, Grant Thorp, Andrew Barnett

Irregular bearing is a big challenge for the New Zealand avocado industry, resulting in highly variable yields between seasons. Once an irregular bearing pattern is established, it tends to be sustained because the large crop load inhibits floral initiation that is required for the following year’s flowering. Read more below about what research is being undertaken to mitigate this issue.

Within the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment’s avocado research programme, Plant & Food Research and NZ Avocado are running a series of trials designed to develop strategies to manage crop loads to ensure a suitable balance between the present season’s yield and the following year’s flowering.

On the Orchard

The overall aim is to establish a wider set of protocols of “best practice” guidelines on the timing and severity of flower and fruit removal needed to achieve optimum productivity with high yields and regular cropping (Figure 1). Here we present an update of some key results so far.

The first set of trials has been carried out in spring and early summer to look at the impact on productivity of flower and fruit thinning on tree yield and subsequent return bloom (Phillip West, Avoscene July 2017 and The Orchardist, November 2016).

A second set of trials has been set up, designed to

understand the interaction between crop load and vegetative growth and the resulting effect on flowering the following spring. Outcomes from this work are designed to feed back into the pruning to balance trials, providing information on sustainable crop loads, tree resource availability and ideal balance of shoot types (Figure 2). The full article is available on the NZ Avocado website.

Removing all fruit from the trees in January produced trees with a high flowering intensity the following spring, whereas the trees with no crop removal had very little flowering the following spring (Figure 3). The number of inflorescences per floral shoot was higher in trees where all fruit were removed (Table 1) and fruit removal was associated with a higher percentage of determinate inflorescences in the following spring compared with trees with a heavy crop (Table 2). Determinate inflorescences were found to have a greater number of flowers per shoot than indeterminate inflorescences. In both treatments,

Figure 1. Potential options for managing crop load in avocado and the relative risks to fruit set.

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terminal shoots had more inflorescences per floral shoot than the delayed shoots (Table 1).

When shoot meristems were sampled in February (one month after fruit removal) we observed an increase in carbohydrate accumulation in the meristems of both shoot types in the nil crop trees compared with the

heavy crop trees (Figure 4). The effect was observed to be greatest in the terminal shoots. Since terminal shoots produced more inflorescences in the spring following the observed differences in carbohydrate accumulation than delayed shoots (Table 1), this supports the hypothesis that carbohydrate accumulation in the meristem is associated with floral initiation.

Experiment 1 - Complete fruit removal Figure 2.Two different shoot types were followed over the period of 12 months: terminal shoots – shoots that grow out of an indeterminate flowering shoot and delayed shoots – shoots that emerge from below a determinate flowering shoot. Both shoot types were divided into shoots with fruit present and shoots with fruit removed. For more information on shoot and flower types please refer to “Reading your Trees” which is also available on the NZ Avocado website.

On the Orchard

Figure 3. Examples of the return bloom the following spring (northern and southern sides of trees) following no fruit removal (heavy crop treatment)(A & B) compared with 100% fruit removal (nil crop treatment) in January (C & D).

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Treatment

Shoot type from previous spring

No. of floral shoots counted

No. of inflorescences per floral shoot

Heavy Crop

Terminal

64

9.4

Delayed

29

3.3

Nil Crop

Terminal

59

23.0

Delayed

58

12.4

Table 1. Number of floral shoots counted and average number of inflorescences per floral shoot (terminal and delayed) in the spring on avocado trees that had 100% fruit removed (nil crop) and trees with no fruit removed (heavy crop) in the previous summer (January).

Treatment

Shoot type from previous spring

% of vegetative shoots and inflorescence types second spring Indeterminate Determinate Vegetative

Heavy Crop

Terminal

75%

18%

Delayed 84% 7% 9%

Nil Crop

Terminal

2%

Delayed

10% 90% 0%

97%

7%

1%

On the Orchard

Table 2. Percentage of indeterminate, determinate and vegetative shoots in the spring (October) on avocado trees that had 100% fruit removed (nil crop) and trees with no fruit removed (heavy crop) in the previous spring (January).

Figure 4. Concentration of total soluble carbohydrates accumulated in the meristems of terminal and delayed shoots sampled in February from trees with no fruit removed, 100% fruit removed. Fruit removal was carried out in late January. Error bars show the standard error of the mean.

For full article, including an update on the second year experiment please visit the NZ Avocado website.

Key points

â&#x20AC;˘R emoval of all fruit in January resulted in an increase in flower intensity the following spring when a mixture of terminal and delayed shoots was present. â&#x20AC;˘ Terminal shoots from indeterminate inflorescences produced more inflorescences the following spring than delayed shoots from determinate inflorescences.

AVOQUIP

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Infection of avocados by the rot fungi Colletotrichum acutatum and Phomopsis sp.

K.R. Everett, I.P.S. Pushparajah, L. Hasna, C. Curtis, New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited

Avocados grown in New Zealand are favoured by a climate that is temperate, normally with sufficient rainfall. In the orchard, avocado rot fungi are moved from inoculum sources to fruit by rainsplash and wind. Inoculum is splashed from decaying and/or mummified fruit, dead branches and twigs. We need to understand and manage our rot fungi to enable New Zealand fruit to compete more effectively in the global market.

Examination of avocado fruit sampled during two seasons of library trays showed that Colletotrichum acutatum and Phomopsis sp. were the two most common fungi isolated from rots in New Zealand. A series of experiments was set up to study the biology of these two fungi so that their management can be improved.

Fruit were harvested a month after the last inoculation and placed in the coolstore for 28 days, then placed at 20°C and assessed when ripe. Rot lesions were aseptically removed and placed on potato dextrose agar. Nit isolates were identified by their lack of ability to grow normally on minimal medium without nitrate. Of the original 175 inoculated fruit, 18 of those inoculated with C. acutatum dropped from the trees during the season, and nine of those inoculated with Phomopsis sp. Only one nit isolate was recovered from one fruit showing a rot from 166 fruit wound-inoculated with Phomopsis sp. A further four nit isolates of Phomopsis sp. were recovered from inoculated wounds that did not develop into rots. In contrast, 21 nit isolates were recovered from 157 fruit wound-inoculated with C. acutatum. An additional 18 nit isolates of C. acutatum were recovered from inoculated wounds that had not developed into rots (Figure 1).

The rot lesions from which nit isolates of C. acutatum were recovered were most common during April, September

On the Orchard

Hass avocado fruit were wound-inoculated in a South Auckland orchard at monthly intervals from April to October 2016 with labelled strains of Colletotrichum acutatum and Phomopsis sp. The strains were singlespore isolates that were selected for their lack of ability to metabolise a particular form of nitrogen (nit strains). When these strains are grown on a special fungal growth medium supplemented only with the form of nitrogen they cannot metabolise, they grow sparsely and can be recognised.

Mummified fruit in tree canopy. An excellent source of fungal innoculum.

Figure 1. Recovery of nit isolates of Colletotrichum acutatum from avocado fruit.

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and October (Figure 2). Analysis of the relationship with temperature did not yield statistically significant results, although there was a tendency for fewer rots to result from inoculations conducted during the cooler months (MayAugust). Interestingly, examination of the temperature required for spore germination showed that 50% germination occurred in 24 hours at c. 14°C for C. acutatum, and at c.

12°C for Phomopsis sp.

Phomopsis sp. was not able to consistently cause a body rot when applied to avocado fruit even when temperatures were high enough for spores to germinate. This result provides further support for the hypothesis that Phomopsis sp. infects during flowering and early fruit formation. Phomopsis sp. is also predominantly isolated from stem-end rots, not from body rots; it is feasible that when this fungus is isolated from a body rot, that fruit is probably infected with a large stem-end rot caused by Phomopsis sp. that spreads into body rots caused by other fungi.

On the Orchard

Therefore, to prevent infections by Phomopsis sp., fungicides should be applied during flowering and early fruit set.

However, caution should be exercised as in some crops copper fungicides can cause flowers to drop from the tree. If a fungicide that does not affect flower drop was registered to use on avocado trees during flowering, then the control of this fungus could be improved.

Figure 2. Isolations of Colletotrichum acutatum from rots on monthly inoculated Hass avocados harvested in November 2016. Isolations are of nit and wild type isolates from inoculated fruit, and from uninoculated avocados. A graph is provided to compare with mean daily temperatures.

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Reference Everett KR, Stevens PS, Cutting JGM, 1999. Postharvest fruit rots of avocado are reduced by benomyl applications during flowering.

Proceedings of the Fifty Second New Zealand Plant Protection Conference, Auckland Airport Centra, Auckland, New Zealand, 10-12 August 52, 153-6.

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Progress towards developing new pollination options for growers Part 2, Wild pollinators and trained honey bees David Pattemore, Brad Howlett, Flore Mas and Sam Read, The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited.

As reported in the June 2017 issue of Avoscene, the Pollination & Apiculture team at Plant & Food Research have been leading a six-year programme funded by government and industry, “From Bee Minus to Bee Plus and Beyond”, to develop new pollination options for growers in New Zealand. Here we provide a summary update on progress on research into wild pollinators, and methods to improve honey bee efficiency.

Identifying and managing wild pollinators

On the Orchard

Along with honey bees and bumble bees, there is also a wide range of other insects that visit flowers, and we have been assessing the abundance and contribution of these species to avocado pollination. In New Zealand, honey bees are routinely placed within avocado orchards to pollinate trees and are considered the most important pollinators. Our survey results back this up: if you count 10 insects visiting avocado flowers, about nine of these will be honey bees.

However, the dominance of honey bees in New Zealand orchards does not mean they are the only pollinating insects.

A wide range of fly and beetle species are also efficient pollinators, sometimes depositing similar or greater amounts of pollen per visit (Figure 1). In fact, in parts of Australia, flies and beetles are the most important pollinators of avocado and without them, pollination would be a major challenge.

So what are the non-honey bee insects that contribute to avocado pollination in New Zealand? Here are some of the more common ones: • Blow flies • Hover flies • Flower longhorn beetles A range of other flies including flesh flies, march flies, and beetles such as ladybirds also contribute to avocado pollination.

Because the time window for avocado pollination is complicated by short female flower opening periods that occur at different times of the day, having diverse pollinators benefits growers by providing pollination at times when honey bees are less active or not active at all.

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Figure 1. A variety of New Zealand insects can pollinate avocado as demonstrated by the average number of pollen grains they deliver to stigmas when moving from male to female flowers (n = number of insects tested; Yellow = bees, Blue = flies, Red = beetles).

Another objective of the overall project is to develop methods to improve the efficiency of honey bees as pollinators. We are trying to understand what odours bees can smell and which ones they like in a floral bouquet, to identify ways to promote pollination. We have collected samples of floral scents from various crops across New Zealand, including from a range of avocado cultivars in the Bay of Plenty. We investigated the differences in floral scents between cultivars of pollen-donors (e.g. Bacon) and pollen-receivers (e.g. Hass) as well as the variation of odours released between the male and female flower phases.

Our first results showed there was little variation in scent between the two phases of the same cultivar, but there were some differences in the chemical composition of the floral bouquet of the different cultivars (Figure 2).

But bees do not detect all these floral volatiles; they can detect only a few, usually fewer than 10. Using electro-

antennography, we can record the olfactory perception response in a bee antenna to the different floral volatiles, so that we can identify which odours trigger a response in their neurons. After identification of those compounds that illicit a response, we then test whether these are associated with a behavioural response which indicates the bees associate the scent with food. To do this, we present the odour to a honey bee harnessed in a tube and measure whether the bee extends its proboscis (tongue) to the odour (Figure 3).

Figure 1A. Blow flies can be common pollinators of avocado.This is a brown blow fly. (Photograph: Brian Cutting)

By analysing the chemistry of flower scents, the electrophysiology of scent detection in bees, and assessing behavioural responses to these scents, our team is working to understand the complex interactions between honey bees and floral scents, so that we can develop ways to use scents to improve the beesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pollination performance.

Our overall research programme has two more years to run with current funding. We are starting to transition into testing the feasibility of some of the new pollination ideas that we have developed, including use of bumble bee colonies for pollination, fly rearing systems and automated pollen dispensers.

For the full article please visit the NZ Avocado website >> Resources

Figure 1B. A common native hover fly on an avocado flower.The larvae of this species eats aphids. (Photograph: Brian Cutting) On the Orchard

Figure 1C. A flower longhorn beetle is another common avocado flower visitor in many New Zealand orchards. (Photograph: Brian Cutting)

Figure 2. Representative chromatograms of the floral volatile headspace from Bacon male and Hass male and female avocado flowers. Each peak represents a floral compound, and the height of the peak represents its abundance in the floral bouquet.There was no difference in the composition of volatiles between the male and female flower phases of the same cultivar (Hass), but there were variations in floral composition between the two cultivars (Bacon vs. Hass).

Figure 1D. A march fly visiting avocado flowers with pollen grains on its body. (Photograph: Brian Cutting)

Figure 3. Proboscis extension reflex of a honey bee (Apis mellifera) harnessed in a tube to assess the appetitive response when presented with an odour on the antennae.

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Turning a rollercoaster into a rocket ship – Pruning to balance crop loading Phillip West, Research Officer, NZ Avocado phillip.west@nzavocado.co.nz

Coming from a record setting season in 2016-17 and poor weather through spring, many growers are now faced with what is likely to be a lower producing season ahead. How can we turn the exciting ride that is avocados from a rollercoaster to a rocket ship that can deliver on the opportunities we currently have?

Many growers are now realising the benefits pruning can provide in terms of managing tree size, stress and irregular bearing and it is a key management tool for most growers.

Flower and fruit thinning is commonplace within the apple and kiwifruit industries to optimise fruit size and quality.

A better understanding of its application in avocados is important as we look to improve the stability of our supply for the benefit of market development as well as grower returns.

The Pruning to Balance trial organised by NZ Avocado and Plant & Food Research involved removing flowers and fruit shortly after fruit set from trees that were overloaded and showed no or very little new vegetative flush in spring.

Between 10% and 60% of flower or fruitlets were removed to aim for a crop load of about 1200 fruit/tree at harvest on mature 10-year-old trees. Cuts were made on 2-3cm diameter wood that had very heavy flower and few leaves.

Branches that were likely to set fruit in exposed situations, prone to sunburn and wind damage, were preferentially targeted.

Trial results from a Katikati orchard which looked at pruning treatments carried out in October, early December and January are shown in Table 1. We’re now following it into its second season following the pruning and signs are positive

On the Orchard

Table 1. Average flower/fruit removed (as a percentage of canopy), number of cuts and pruning time per tree for the different pruning treatments.Target was to achieve 1200 fruit per tree after pruning treatment had been applied. Pruning costs are calculated based on 100 trees per ha (10m X 10m spacing) and a pruning rate of $95/hour.

that the pruning has led to an improved return crop load. In the first harvest following the pruning treatments a slight, but not significant, drop in yield was observed in all three of the pruning treatments (Figure 1) despite an average of 39% of the flower being removed in October, 31% in December and 15% of fruit in January. The pruning treatments also resulted in a reduced fruit drop (Figure 2).

As seen in the first year trial, the fruit size profile was larger in the trees pruned in October and December, but trees pruned in January had a similar size profile to the unpruned trees (Figure 3). Fruit from the trees pruned in October and early December averaged about two size classes larger compared with the trees pruned in January and the unpruned control. The increased value from the larger fruit wasn’t sufficient to offset the slight drop in yield and the cost of pruning but the return flowering suggests the pruned trees will outperform the unpruned trees this season. Flowering intensity of the trees pruned in October was more than double that of the unpruned trees (Figure 4), boding well for a good fruit set. Early visual assessments do suggest that the heavier flowering has translated to a heavier fruit set but accurate numbers won’t be available until the fruit is harvested.

The effect pruning had on return flowering intensity

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Figure 1. Average yield per tree of all fruit harvested in September 2016 following pruning treatments applied on 7 October 2015, 2 December 2015, 13 January 2016 as well as the unpruned control.

Figure 2. Average fruit drop per tree between 4 February and 22 March 2016 from the different treatments.

diminished the later the pruning was carried out but trees with young fruitlets removed in January still showed a return flowering intensity greater than the unpruned control trees.

On the Orchard

These results back up reports from growers about the positive impact pruning can have on the consistency of fruit set and provide more confidence about how pruning can be used to help balance avocado production. Harvest results from this year will complete the two-year picture providing an answer to the question of whether the costs incurred in the first year are offset by an improved return crop.

Figure 3. Average fruit size profile of all fruit harvested in September 2016 following pruning treatments applied on 7th October 2015, 2 December 2015, 13 January 2016 as well as the unpruned control. Fruit size classes are export sizes and describe how many fruit fit into a 5.5kg tray.The lower the fruit size class the larger the fruit.

Figure 4. Flowering intensity assessed by visual scale in October 2015 and 2016 following pruning treatments applied on 7 October 2015, 2 December 2015, 13 January 2016 as well as the unpruned control.

Questions remain about how best to carry out pruning and where flower and fruit pruning fits in with structural pruning to maintain tree size and health.

With the wide-ranging orchard setups and growing locations it’s likely that there won’t be a one size fits all approach. Another consideration needs to be how best to fit pruning in around extended harvest periods.

Early results from this trial suggest the earlier excessive flower and fruit can be removed from a tree, the greater the positive impact on the consistency of cropping. But, pruning in spring/early summer may not be possible, or the most economic, if there is fruit yet to be harvested.

Winter pruning in anticipation of heavy flowering may have a role but carbohydrate reserves are accumulated through winter, creating another potential trade-off.

One thing that is clear is that regular pruning is adding value and will be a valuable tool to help steady the ship as the avocado industry grows into the future.

The full article is available on the NZ Avocado website.

Monselise, S.P., and Goldschmidt, E.E. (1982). Alternate bearing in fruit trees. Hortic. Rev. 4, 128–173.

Thorp,T. (2001). Pruning height and selective limb removal affect yield of large “hass” avocado trees. HortScience 36(4), 699–702.

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New Cultivars Logan Whenuaroa, Research Associate, NZ Avocado

logan.whenuaroa@nazavocado.co.nz

Few would argue that New Zealand growing conditions are different to those experienced anywhere else in the world. New Zealand Avocadoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new cultivar programme is working towards providing better information on how to maximise production potential in various areas, climates and soil conditions by assessing different rootstock-scion combinations.

Scions

Maluma Maluma is a South African Hass-like variety. Discovered by a farmer in the 1990s from a chance seedling, the Maluma was gifted to Allesbeste Nursery where it was evaluated for its commercial viability. Favourable characteristics observed that differentiate Maluma are a less vigorous upright pyramidal growth structure that lends itself to high density planting and a larger fruit size that blackens on ripening.

On the Orchard

The Maluma is said to mature early; however, there has not been consistent evidence to suggest it does so in New Zealand.

Preliminary on-orchard trial data shows Maluma can be productive in New Zealand but post-harvest handling will likely need to be different to Hass to get the most out of the fruit.

tolerates the same cool storage without compromising quality.

Gem Gem is a Californian variety that Seeka Ltd has the exclusive commercial rights to in New Zealand. Much is still unknown about how it will perform in New Zealand.

However, should the performance overseas be replicated, the potential high yielding and less alternative bearing characteristics of Gem could complement the Hass. With an upright and more compact growth than Hass, Gem is suited to high density planting.

The ovoid or tear shaped fruit with yellow lenticels matures slightly later than Hass and blackens when ripe.

Very importantly the Gem is said to offer similar post-harvest performance to Hass.

Rootstocks

One of the most prevalent factors Carmen that affects avocado production in The Carmen Hass in most aspects New Zealand and overseas is root rot is like a regular Hass showing a caused by phytophthora cinnamomi similar growth structure, leaves (Pc). Therefore, most of the effort and fruit. However, in addition to from overseas breeding programs is spring flowering like regular Hass, invested into developing phytophthora Carmen Hass exhibits prolific offroot rot resistant clonal rootstocks. season flowering and a subsequent In New Zealand these new clonal off-season crop. Fruit from rootstocks are performing better to off-season flowering has typical date to seedlings in replant situations autumn set characteristics with thus highlighting the importance they a round shape and smooth skin, will have for the industry. and reaches maturity when there Maluma trial tree exhibiting central leader and pyramidal Dusa is a low market volume. Should growth structure; Maluma fruit.

Dusa is the most popular clonal off-season set fruit be desirable, rootstock in New Zealand and has been shown to be more management practices could potentially emphasise this tolerant to phytophthora than Zutano seedling trees. Such trait to capitalise on New Zealand market fruit shortages is the success of Dusa, it is now the standard by which during this period. Overseas reports indicate spring clonal rootstocks are measured for phytophthora tolerance. set Carmen is indistinguishable from regular Hass and

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In the information collected to date through new cultivar trials, Dusa has the equal highest survival rate in replant situations, provides vigorous growth, and when paired with Hass, a bigger average fruit size.

Bounty Since Bounty was introduced in 2010 it has shown its tolerance to phytophthora and waterlogging conditions in other countries. Trial data suggests that in replant situations Bounty provides the most vigorous growth, equal highest survival rate (alongside Dusa) and better yields than most other clonal rootstocks being trialled.

Latas Latas, from Westfalia, was brought in for its potential tolerance to phytophthora and waterlogging. It has not been as widely planted as Dusa or Bounty to date, but shows potential to be a good pairing with Hass scion. So far mixed results have been observed when paired with Carmen and Maluma scions.

On the Orchard

All data from new cultivar trial orchards are available on the industry website >> Orchard Mngt >> New Cultivars. We recommend growers read the profiles available and make decisions about which scion/rootstock combination best suits their particular planting requirements.

Carmen off-season flowering; off-season fruit.

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Combining agrichemicals in the spray tank Glenys Parton, Industry Systems Manager, NZ Avocado glenys.parton@nzavocado.co.nz

Growers frequently combine two or more agrichemicals in a spray tank in their quest to control different pests and diseases in a single application. While this practice can significantly reduce application costs, it introduces the potential for application and efficacy challenges.

These challenges include: • The effectiveness of individual products may be compromised.

• Combining of different chemical compounds and formulations may interact resulting in precipitation, clumping or flocking.

• Some combinations may cause burning or other damage (phytotoxicity) to the leaves or fruit. Be careful with copper formulations and any low acid (low pH) chemicals.

On the Orchard

• The combined effect of “wetters” found in each product may interfere with the ability of some chemicals to “stick” and cause run-off into the soil. Combined products should not require additional non-toxic wetting agents.

• Combining chemicals may have an effect on the process and timelines of chemical decay resulting in longer withholding periods.

Each additional product added to the spray tank increases the chance of one or more of the above problems occurring.

Take time to read the instructions on the label of each agrichemical you want to mix together. The label should indicate if two products can be mixed together and may highlight other compatibility issues. If the label says not to mix particular products together, don't do it. If in doubt your agrichemical supplier should be consulted.

Best practice for mixing of chemicals

Agitate your tank to ensure an even distribution of the active ingredients in the spray solution and to prevent settling of particulate products. Without agitation, it is possible that your spray solution will be too concentrated at the beginning of spraying and too diluted by the end.

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• Make sure the agitator is designed to move water in one direction and “sweep” the bottom of the tank.

• Avoid the mixture standing overnight without agitation – if possible apply all of a tank mixture in one day.

• Take care when adding thick and sticky liquid formulations to the tank. They should be added very slowly during agitation to avoid the possibility of a large dollop of product, such as "Bond Xtra", getting sucked into the filter and blocking up the works.

Guide to the order for tank mixing

Whether you are mixing one or more agrichemicals, carefully follow the mixing instructions on the label(s). It often describes the recommended mixing order and gives other important mixing or agitation instructions.

When using dry formulations, these should be pre-mixed in about 10 litres of water in a 20-litre bucket. Add the powder slowly, continuously stirring until the powder is dissolved or evenly suspended. Then add to the tank while agitating.

It is usual to fill the tank one-quarter to one-half full with water and begin agitation. If you need to add a compatibility, buffering, or defoaming agent, these products should be added before the other products. If you are using a drift control additive, always consult the label – some are added very early, while some are added nearly last.

In general, if more than one agrichemical is going to be added to a tank then they should be added in the “WALES” sequence: W Wettable powders then dry flowables

To ensure a uniform spray mixture at all times:

A

Agitate then add adjuvants such as buffers

• Agitate during loading and mixing - it takes ten minutes agitation to ensure an even mix.

L

Liquid and soluble products

• Keep the mixture agitated during application.

E

Emulsifiable concentrates

• Turn the PTO and pump on when driving to the crop or stopping for a break.

S Surfactants

Avoscene July 2017

Best practice spray unit calibration – what to look for Glenys Parton, Industry Systems Manager, NZ Avocado glenys.parton@nzavocado.co.nz Bill May, Calibrator, Spray-Tec

An accurately calibrated spray unit is essential to ensure optimal coverage of pesticides and to avoid overspraying, which creates unnecessary cost and potential residue risk.

Things to check if there is an indication that all is not well are as follows: • Nozzles have been cleaned but put back in the wrong place.

• Deteriorating pump performance, blocked mixing venturi(s), leaks, inaccurate flow monitors (if fitted).

• Pressure regulators, on/off valves, faulty rev counters have all been known to cause problems over time.

• Flow restrictions upstream of the inlet filter – birds’ nests, plastic collars from containers, rat skeletons and even a dead eel have all been culprits in the past!

• Wear of the nozzle tips: - Stainless steel tips and brass cores (spraying systems) wear at a rapid rate, changing the spray pattern, so need

On the Orchard

Each spray unit needs to be set up with nozzles and rates that reflect the tree profile of the orchard. Many of you have your spray units calibrated by a registered calibrator but in between calibrations there are situations where additional calibration is required. These include: • Increased fruit reject rates (due to insect damage).

• Spray tank is empty before a normal completed run.

• A different nozzle setup may be required due to a change in tree profile, e.g. trees have been recently pruned, trees have become denser or have grown in height or a new block of smaller trees is being sprayed.

• There has been a change of tractor/spray unit combination.

to be renewed annually at least, depending on area and volumes applied. An annual calibration in this case may be advised.

- Ceramic type tips last longer and the recommendation is that the unit be re-calibrated every other year (biennially).

Consider using Water Sensitive Paper (WSP) to get an indication of the spray penetration and profile of droplet deposits your sprayer is putting out. A registered calibrator uses these to assess the setup and make adjustments to your spray unit.

The factors that a registered calibrator assesses when undertaking an airblast sprayer calibration are as follows: • Size/density of the trees.

• Air volume from the fan (considering fan diameter, fan pitch, rpm). This also dictates optimum speed of travel of the tractor and spray unit.

• One-sided (maybe using a volute) or two-sided spraying.

• Horsepower and compatibility of the tractor.

• C onsidering requirements of spray unit plus contour of the block.

• Useable spray volume delivery from the pump.

Tractor speed, choice of suitable nozzle configuration and air output to maximise the desired deposit onto the foliage will also be considered. These settings and combinations along with the water rates per hectare – or litres of water per 100 metres – should be measured and documented.

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Industry matters Fruit thefts – growers urged to be extra vigilant Growers are encouraged to report thefts and any unusual activity in their area to NZ Police as soon as possible.

entering your property.

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.

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@nzavocado. co.nz – two signs per PPIN only.

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

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

Install a driveway alarm to alert you to people

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.

NZ market – early season maturity guidelines updated New Zealand market early season maturity guidelines have been updated for 2017. Key points are as follows: • Average dry matter across sample must be at least 23%

Visit the NZ Avocado website to view the New Zealand market early season maturity guidelines for 2017-18.

These updates have been through the 2016 and 2017 quality standards review process and have been approved by the NZ Market Group and the Board.

• New: Sample size to be equivalent to export •A minimum sample size of 20 fruit per maturity clearance area will apply • Larger sample sizes may be required for larger maturity clearance areas. See guidelines for details.

• New: Minimum of 90% of fruit sampled must be above 20.8% dry matter • Ethylene ripening to be applied to all fruit

Newsroom

In addition to the updated guidelines, testing will be undertaken in the New Zealand market to determine whether there are differences in quality outcomes between fruit harvested in the early season period following a maturity test with an average dry matter between 23% and 24%, and fruit harvested following a maturity test with an average dry matter above 24%.

Export Market - new minimum maturity clearance areas Minimum maturity clearance areas are as follows: Maturity Clearance Area (maximum hectares)

Minimum fruit sample number

Minimum number of Maturity Clearance Areas (MCAs) or samples

0-5

20

1

5.1 - 10.0

40

2

Greater than 10.1

60

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Export registrations All growers intending to export avocados in the current season must be registered with NZ Avocado as set out in the industry Export Marketing Strategy (EMS).

It is anticipated export registrations will be open on 3 July.

This will be available on the NZ Avocado website.

Grower export registrations completed and paid by 14

August are $150 + GST. Registrations made after this date will be $300 + GST. If you are unable to register for export online, please contact NZ Avocado if you need to register manually and we will arrange a paper registration form for you. Please be aware that a $30 + GST administration fee will be added to your export registration fee for a manual registration.

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.

Calendar of events NZAGA & AIC Board meetings • 24 August

HortNZ conference

NZAGA & AIC AGM

• 12-14 July, ASB Arena, Mount Maunganui

• 3 1 August, Whangarei – • 31 August, Whangarei – Toll Stadium, 51 Okara Dr, Whangarei Toll Stadium, 51 Okara Dr, Whangarei • 8 September, Tauranga Club Mount 45 Kawaka Street, Mount Maunganui

NZ Avocado Grower Forum

Newsroom

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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Recommended reading

By Phillip West, R&D Officer, NZ Avocado

phillip.west@nzavocado.co.nz

Heavy rainfall through late summer and autumn meant soils in most regions were pretty saturated leading into winter.

Soils are much slower to dry out through winter due to lower evapotranspiration, meaning relatively minor rainfall events on already wet soils can lead to saturation and possible flooding. Avocado roots are extremely sensitive to low oxygen levels and if soils remain saturated for several days roots begin dying and are very slow to recover, if they recover at all.

We’ve already had reports of trees dying as a result of heavy rain in autumn that caused flooding and waterlogging. What can be done to avoid this sort of situation developing in the first place?

This edition’s recommended reading is two articles that relate to drainage. The first is from 1944, titled “Drainage of avocado orchards on terrace and upland soils” by Arthur Pillsbury and Martin Huberty. It can be found by doing a Google search for the title.

While drainage technology has moved on somewhat (and we no longer plant trees in holes created by dynamite explosion), many of the principles explained in easy to interpret diagrams are still relevant.

It provides a helpful guide from a DIY perspective.

The second piece of recommended reading is Chapter 2 from Springer’s “applied soil physical properties, drainage, and irrigation”. The chapter focuses on drainage and the PDF copy should be available by searching “soil drainage – springer” on Google. The chapter provides a much more comprehensive guide to drainage, mainly from a sportsground and pasture perspective, but has useful photos and figures of different drainage setups and drainage principles.

If you’re feeling particularly mathematical it also has many of the formulas needed to calculate drainage spacing.

While you may not want to do all the maths, it’s useful to have an understanding of what factors contribute to the setup of successful and adequate drainage.

Drainage can be as basic or complex as you want to make it, but can definitely help with the health and overall performance of your orchard.

Winter is an ideal time to try to identify parts of your orchard that may suffer from periods of excessive soil moisture and could likely benefit from additional drainage.

So, put on the warm clothes and raincoat and walk the orchard at this unique time of year.

Reading your trees Newsroom

Below are the key tree characteristics as set out in your Reading Your Trees Guide to assess at this time of year: April to September: Flower buds, pages 6-8 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.

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Industry news Sharing the New Zealand avocado story at Industry Day The NZ Avocado Industry Day was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our industry to the stakeholders we are connected to and do business with. The aim of the day was to provide an insight into our industry and build the knowledge and capability of those who are indirectly involved with the industry through their clients or activities.

Bankers, accountants, other product groups, science and innovation groups and people from local Bay of Plenty businesses were among the 36 attendees we shared our New Zealand avocado story with on 4 May at Mills Reef Winery in Tauranga.

The day began with networking, which was then followed

by Ashby Whitehead, NZAGA and AIC Chair, welcoming everyone and opening the day.

Jen Scoular, NZ Avocado CEO, presented the NZ Avocado story – outlining the various aspects NZ Avocado manages, the activity being undertaken and the successes. Avoco Marketing Director Alistair Young then presented the export side of the industry, showing New Zealand’s place in the world of avocado supply.

Along with presentations given at Mills Reef we took the group to an orchard in Oropi, Tauranga, owned by Dave and

Julie Flett. This part of the day was a great opportunity for attendees to hear first-hand Dave and Julie’s experience of the highs, lows, costs and returns of being involved in the avocado industry.

NZ Avocado, along with Bay of Plenty Member of Parliament Todd Muller, will host a similar event at Parliament Buildings in Wellington in July. This event will see various government organisations and Members of Parliament in attendance and will be a celebration of the 2016-17 season success.

Newsroom

Accident investigations are critical to effective safety management In many businesses, the opportunity to learn from an accident is often lost due to not fully investigating the incident.

This can lead to health and safety systems and processes being based on perceptions rather than fact. Many small to medium businesses sometimes struggle to find the time, lack the skills, knowledge or have not yet made the cultural shift where safety isn’t given priority to undertake an indepth investigation.

It is not uncommon to hear comments following an accident such as “it’s just common sense” or “he should have known that”. The problem with “common sense” is that it is

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not always that common and the problem with “he should have known that” is sometimes people simply don’t know what they don’t know and human nature being what it is, if they do know, they are often prepared to take a shortcut because they have been able to get away with it before.

All near misses, incidents and accidents should be reported. Accidents happen for a reason; it could be machine failure, unsafe work practices or poor housekeeping, but reporting these occurrences can help identify the cause and help prevent the accident reoccurring. Accident reporting alone is not enough to prevent a reoccurrence; once reported an accident must be investigated as soon as possible.

The investigation process should carefully examine to develop perhaps with more serious consequences. all aspects and failures that occurred in order to It is important to remember that investigations establish the root cause of the incident. It should be conducted with accident prevention is only by carrying out investigations Those who fail to learn in mind, not the placing of blame. Only which identify root causal factors that from history are doomed after the investigation has been completed organisations can learn from their past is it appropriate to consider whether any failures and prevent future ones. to repeat it individuals acted inappropriately.

Simply dealing with immediate causal George Santayana For further information about health and factors may provide a quick fix in the short safety and incident investigations, give Safe Business term but over time the underlying/root causal Solutions a call on 0508 424 723. factors that were not addressed will allow conditions

“

”

Transport company slammed with a $40k fine An Employment Relations Authority (ERA) case heard in May 2017 has again highlighted the lawful requirement for all employers to have employment agreements in place for their employees.

An Auckland courier company has been ordered to pay more than $60,000 in fines and reparations after it was found to have breached the employment rights of 15 migrant workers.

The breaches include failing to pay minimum wage, failing to provide written employment agreements, deducting wages without written consent, withholding wages for public holidays, and failing to keep accurate employee wage, time and holiday records.

“All employers in New Zealand must meet minimum employment standards, it doesn’t matter whether you have 1,000 employees or five,” said Labour Inspectorate Regional Manager David Milne.

“We take these kinds of breaches very seriously, with many of the impacted employees young, migrant workers who may not have been aware of their minimum employment entitlements.”

“There is no doubt that these workers have been wronged from the outset of their employment relationship with DK Transport, and we hope that the penalties imposed serve as a deterrent to other employers.”

The fact that this employer did not have employment agreements in place with employees, the unlawful wage deductions and its failure to pay minimum wage are significant breaches of New Zealand employment law, and the penalties could have been easily avoided if the transport company had established employment agreements prior to employees commencing work.

Newsroom

It has been reported that the ERA handed down a $40,000 penalty to DK Transport Limited after a Labour Inspectorate investigation uncovered 58 breaches of minimum employment standards.

The $40,000 penalty ordered by the ERA is in addition to the $23,621.02 already paid in arrears to workers. From the penalty, $17,750 is to be paid to the workers, with the Labour Inspectorate to work with DK Transport to arrange payments for the harm the workers suffered.

Act now

If your company doesn’t have employment agreements in place for your employees, or if they need updating to meet current legislation (such as drug and alcohol testing, deductions from wages, “zero hour contracts”, agreed hours of work, shift cancellations, availability provisions/ compensation or secondary employment clauses), Safe Business Solutions can help. Call 0508 424 723 or email info@safebusiness.co.nz.

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Avocado news from the world South Africa: Downturn in avocado prices After a super start to the season, avocado prices have started to come under pressure over the past week in the European market as it absorbs around three million 14kg cartons of avocados weekly from across the world. For the past three weeks, South Africa’s weekly contribution has averaged around 430,000 cartons.

However, for avocados of popular counts – counts 16 to 20 for Hass – a premium is still paid. Some producers have noted smaller sizes of their avocados this year, but it is by no means true for the entire industry.

In general, fruit sizes have been larger than last year due to good rains and favourable weather conditions during fruit development. A smaller crop in cultivars such as Fuerte has also contributed positively to fruit size.

The harvest itself is about 10% down on the previous season, confirms Derek Donkin of umbrella organisation Subtrop, but this is the product of a combination of factors like the drought as well as the cyclical nature of avocado bearing.

This is manifested as a slump of up to 35% in some avocado blocks, fortunately counterbalanced by higher-yielding blocks.

“The start of the season was excellent, due to the gap left by the absence of Peru, but since a week or so ago prices have come under a lot of pressure,” comments Francois Vorster of Mahela Boerdery in Limpopo Province.

The vast majority – 95% – of South Africa’s export avocados are destined for Europe, with the balance going to Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. South African avocados don’t yet have market access to China but the process of gaining such access will get under way when negotiations regarding South African pears have been finalised. (The date of completion of negotiations to secure Chinese market access for South African pears is uncertain, but it might happen during this year.)

Source: http://www.freshplaza.com/article/176250/SouthAfrica-Downturn-in-avocado-prices

Australia: Café invents avocado-latte infusion "Avolatte"

Newsroom

A café in Australia's hipster capital has drawn the ire of some and admiration of others, after inventing what they've dubbed the “avolatte”.

The creation, founded by the Truman Café, is essentially just black coffee and milk poured into the hollowedout skin of an avocado – combining two of the average indie millennial's favourite things.

However, it turns out the unconventional beverage was just an elaborate ruse – a Truman Café staff member revealing to Newshub the café doesn't even offer it on the menu, and that the Instagram post was intended to be a joke.

That's not how it's been seen by most though, with the creation of the Avolatte mocked heavily online and it seems the viral social media hit didn't translate into sales, with just one customer ordering it.

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The café said it gave it to the brave patron for a lower price than a normal coffee, as a reward for his boldness in the face of unfamiliarity.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary posted about the new coffee sensation on Twitter, stating it wouldn't consider adding the word “avolatte” to its list of accepted terminology.

Others also expressed their disgust at the invention on Twitter, with complaints that coffee culture had gone too far.

Last year, another Melbourne café was widely panned for serving what it referred to as a “deconstructed” coffee – three separate beakers on a wooden board holding milk, hot water and coffee.

A variant of the Avolatte is also being sold in a coffee shop in Turkey, according to reports.

Source: http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2017/05/ avolatte-melbourne-cafe-s-hipster-creation-splits-opinion.html

Recipe

Avocanana bread

By Chef Peter Blakeway peterblakeway.com

Ingredients: 1 /3 cup old-fashioned oats 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 ripe, fresh avocado, stone removed ¼ cup avocado oil 1 cup (packed) brown sugar 2 eggs 2 very ripe bananas ½ cup chopped walnuts ¼ cup buttermilk Method: Line a 23 x 13 x 8cm loaf pan with non-stick foil and lightly grease the bottom only.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Combine dry ingredients: oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Scoop the avocado into a large bowl and mash lightly.

Add oil and brown sugar to the avocado. Cream together using an electric mixer, until light and creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in bananas, then walnuts and dry ingredients.

Stir in buttermilk and beat just until buttermilk is incorporated.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Avocanana bread is quite moist and may not pass the "toothpick" test at this point. If you prefer a drier bread, bake a little longer.

Serving Suggestions: Sprinkle cooled bread with powdered sugar, if desired.

Beverage Pairings: Great with a pot of hot tea.

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Team Activity Jen Scoular – CEO

Bevan Jelley – Market Manager

“The Board tasks me with developing and implementing a strategy to optimise profitability while growing a strong industry. I lead a terrific team who collectively take on and deliver that challenge.”

“I work closely with our exporters and New Zealand marketers to optimise grower investment in market development, and manage promotional activity in our key markets.”

“We have updated the nursery High health Scheme to allow more nurseries to participate. Industry research into the potential impacts of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is informing the draft BMSB Operational Agreement. NZ Avocado presented to the Western BOP District Council on the industry's direction and have made a number of submissions on rural policy changes.”

Edwina Aitchison – Executive Assistant

“I provide administrative support to Jen, our NZAGA and AIC Board members, industry stakeholder groups and the NZ Avocado team.”

“This month has seen the completion of the EMS review process following approval of the 201718 EMS by HEA.A copy of the EMS is on the industry website. Exporter/grower and packer/grower contracts are now being reviewed. I am also working on the Board elections. This year there will be a ballot for the At Large electorate and for the BOP/Rest of NZ electorate.”

Jay Bent – Business Manager

“My role focuses on the finances of the industry body, while also managing the collection and dissemination of industry data to our stakeholders.”

“The 2017-18 financial budget has been approved by the NZ Avocado Board. It is set to be reasonably tight, with a return crop of half 2016-17’s record crop. Financial statements for the 2016-17 period are being prepared and audited alongside the final volume and value reconciliations with packers and exporters. A new flow plan is being prepared alongside the second crop estimate which will give a more accurate picture of the season ahead.”

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“I presented the Amazing promotions programme to 55 emerging leaders in produce from Countdown supermarkets and New World South Island supermarkets. I'm facilitating the export NZ Avocado contestable promotions funding process. We've started testing early season avocado quality outcomes to assess differences between fruit harvested following a 23% dry matter sample vs fruit harvested following a 24% dry matter sample. All Blacks trainer Dr Nicholas Gill has been engaged as a high performance health and fitness ambassador for NZ Avocado.”

Anna Livingston – Market Manager

“I provide support with promotional activities across our export markets and the New Zealand market with a focus on digital marketing.”

“I’ve been working on planning for the start of the new season.

We’ve reviewed our current agencies and interviewed a number of new agencies in our export markets and in New Zealand. We are working to ensure we have the strongest strategy to get the most out of the budget. I’m also facilitating the 2017-18 Contestable Fund for the New Zealand market.”

Brad Siebert – Biosecurity & Programme Manager

“I manage the day-to-day of our ‘Go Global’ Primary Growth Partnership programme, and ensure the industry is protected by a well considered biosecurity plan.”

“We have updated the nursery High Health Scheme to allow more nurseries to participate. Industry research into the potential impacts of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is informing the draft BMSB Operational Agreement. NZ Avocado presented to the Western BOP District Council on the industry’s direction and have made a number of submissions on rural changes.”

Glenys Parton – Industry Systems Manager

“I manage the industry quality and export systems, including AvoGreen, and currently facilitate rot research and agrichemical efficacy assessment.”

“We have had a successful AvoGreen audit review and pest identification workshop in Whangarei. The event was very useful in networking and identifying gaps in and clarifying the requirements to complete a successful AvoGreen audit.

We are now gearing towards season start … yes that’s right … finalising the updated Quality Manual and planning the pre-season packer workshops scheduled for early July.

Sarah Sorensen arrives this month to assist with collating the information, supporting data and key messages that impact fruit quality – particularly rots. Regional Maturity Monitoring has commenced with two rounds of sampling now completed.”

Jodi Senior – Communications Manager

“I am responsible for Avoscene, Avoconnect and other stakeholder and corporate communications activities/events.

I manage PR and social media in the New Zealand Market.”

“Over the past couple of months I have started the Annual Report process while also organising the logistics of the Grower Forums in Whangarei on 31 August and Tauranga on 8 September. I have been busy liaising with Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller’s office to coordinate a Wellingtonbased event to celebrate the New Zealand avocado industry’s success with MPs, various Government organisations and other primary industry stakeholders or service providers.Thank you to those growers who took part in our grower survey at the end of May – we appreciate your feedback!”

Jo Nunn – Administration Assistant

“I am your first point of call if you stop by or call our office, and I assist the team with any administration tasks.”

“I have been mainly processing PPIN applications, non-propagation agreements and doing AvoGreen administration. I have registered growers for various workshops also.”

Marisa Till – Research Manager

“My main focus is to facilitate the NZ Avocado research programme, ensuring effective research meets growers’ needs for the benefit of the whole industry.”

“The technical working group met in June. This is a group made up of growers, industry professionals, scientists and NZ Avocado staff that meets to review and revise the current research portfolio to ensure it is still meeting the needs of growers. As we enter our final year of funding for the MBIE Avocados for Export project we are looking to identify opportunities for the future.”

Phillip West – Research Officer

“I spend a fair amount of my time working with growers on our orchard trials, while managing projects within our research programme, analysing data and helping communicate results to growers.”

“Talking to growers that have lost trees due to waterlogging has been a low point over the past couple of months – phytophthora control will be particularly important and fingers crossed we don’t have any more heavy rain events. On a more positive note, I spent a morning with Agrioptics trialling their electrical conductivity survey equipment on an orchard in the Bay of Plenty. Early results look promising for mapping variability in soils and we plan to trial the technology in the Whangarei and Far North regions. Discussing our different research projects at the technical working group meeting was another highlight. This group helps guide most of the different projects to make sure we’re on track to deliver benefits to growers and the industry.”

Logan Whenuaroa – Research Associate

“As the newest member of our team, I am excited to be a part of supporting the implementation of the research programme.”

“I’ve been busy sampling and collecting data for the AGMARDT rot prediction tool, new cultivars and various other projects. The updated new cultivar profiles with autumn assessment results should be available on the industry website by the time you read this. I’ve also enjoyed taking part in pruning discussion groups and meeting new growers.”

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Out & About

Out and about

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Pruning discussion at Whitehead's orchard.

Pruning discussion at Turnbull's orchard.

Small tree discussion at Cotterell's orchard.

Bill May and David Manktelow demonstrating the use of wetting papers at NZ Avocado spray workshop, Ross Muttonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s orchard, Far North.

Industry day orchard tour at Flett's orchard.

NZ Avocado Market Manager Bevan Jelley and Jacob Darling from Darling Group with Japanese importer F&T Corporation.

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JAPAN

PACIFIC ISLANDS

HONG KONG TAIWAN

MALAYSIA

SINGAPORE THAILAND AUSTRALIA

YOUR CROP WILL TRAVEL FAR AND WIDE

programmes

CONTACT US

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