Avoscene May 2014 by New Zealand Avocado

Avoscene New Zealand Avocado Growersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Journal

May 2014

New Zealand avocados go global with PGP See page 20

Inside this Issue The value of frost protection Pruning trial report Avocados top priority for China market access Avocado lover and paralympian Fiona Southorn Avoscene May 2014

Avoscene May 2014

Contents NZ Avocado Office PO Box 13267 Tauranga 3141 New Zealand

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Newsroom

Markets

Level 5, Harrington House 32 Harington Street Tauranga 3110 Ph: 07 571 6147 or 0800 AVOCADO (0800 286 2236) www.nzavocado.co.nz

NZ Avocado

From the Chair

Growing the business

On Board

Packer update

Outside the Box

The NZ Market

Certifiable Organic

Regional Roundup

Various News

SAVOUR 2014

Market Focus China

Korea Research

On the Orchard

@NZ_Avocado

Directors Bay of Plenty Ashby Whitehead NZAGA & AIC Chair Ph 07 573 6680 m. 027 283 2192 alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz Far North

Cyclone Lusi

Early Season

Reports Avocentric - Coles

Water Frost Protection 32

Food Safety

Pruning Trail Report

Paralympian Fiona Southorn

Growers Letter & Reply 18

Ian Fulton Ph 09 406 8808 ian.fulton@clear.net.nz Mid North Sue Culham m. 021 771 686 sculham@xtra.co.nz At Large Roger Barber Ph 09 435 0785 m. 021 488 124 barbers@ihug.co.nz

Nourish Nutrition News

Out and About 58

Out and About

Recipe 61

John Cotterell Ph 07 549 3395 m. 0274 513 138 jccotterell@actrix.gen.nz John Schnackenberg Ph 07 549 0717 m. 021 731 437 jschnack@ihug.co.nz Tony Ponder NZAGA Vice Chair Ph 07 552 4223 m. 0274 733 712 tony@flaxmillavocado.co.nz Rest of NZ David French Ph 09 238 3359 m. 0274 375 315 famille@ps.gen.nz Export Directors Alistair Young, Andrew Darling

NZ Avocado Staff

Avoscene Advertising & Editorial

Jen Scoular, CEO

Midge Munro, Communications Manager

Michael Gray, Avocado Analyst

For editorial contact: Natasha Mitchell, Sun Media Ltd No.1 The Strand, Tauranga Ph: 07 578 0030 Fax: 07 571 1116 email natasha@thesun.co.nz

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

midge.munro@nzavocado.co.nz | 027 306 7089

michael.gray@nzavocado.co.nz

Edwina Aitchison, Executive Assistant

For advertising contact: Suzy King at Sun Media Ltd email suzy@thesun.co.nz Design and production: Kym Johnson, Sun Media Ltd email kym@thesun.co.nz

Dr Alvaro Vidiella, R&D Manager

Joanne Nunn, Administration Assistant

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

alvaro.vidiella@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 025 20412

jo.nunn@nzavocado.co.nz

Nici Kennerley, Business Manager

Phillip West, Grower Liaison

nici.kennerley@nzavocado.co.nz | 021 164 6875

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

Glenys Parton, Industry Systems Manager

Bevan Jelley, New Zealand Market

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

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

Cover Shot: Tasty Japanese sushi roll with crab, cucumber, avocado and red caviar in chopsticks

Avoscene May 2014

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View from the Chair By Ashby Whitehead, Chair, NZAGA & AIC

alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz

A concerted effort is required by the entire industry to face the coming season and to reach the goals we have set.

“The 2014-15 season is going to be close to, if not more than, seven million trays”

It was with great pride that the Board and CEO

recently announced the incredible success of the avocado industry’s business case for Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) investment. This is a huge achievement lead by Jen and her team and I thank them on behalf of the industry. In saying this, the hard work is yet to begin. Our PGP “New Zealand Avocados Go Global” is a whole-of-industry programme that includes input and participation from packers, exporters, processors and, most importantly, growers. With

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commitment from everyone we will achieve the goals we have set. Biosecurity

Biosecurity is extremely important to our business, highlighted recently with the two separate finds of Queensland Fruit Fly. An effective readiness and response system is vital to the avocado industry and horticulture as a whole. With that in mind, the Board is going to seek your support to sign the Government Industry

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Agreements (GIA) Deed. It is important for the avocado industry to be at the decision-making table and signing the GIA Deed ensures we have a voice in the biosecurity process going forward. Yes this will come at a cost but this cost will be borne by growers whether we sign up to GIA or not. If we are outside GIA, we will not be invited to sit at the decision-making table and will be asked to pay for costs that other people decide to commit our industry to.

The coming season

The 2014-15 season is going to be close to, if not more than, seven million trays, with around five million for export. Our exporters are well aware of the effort that is going to be involved in marketing that volume and it is going to take everyone along the chain to make commitments. Making your fruit all-market accessible and picking to the flow plan will make the exporters’ job a lot easier.

There will be a round of GIA road shows in August to consult and answer any questions that you may have.

Talk to your picking provider as resource in this area is going to come under pressure - don’t expect your orchard will be picked when you want.

Following that there will be a ballot seeking grower support for the Board to sign the Deed on your behalf.

NZAGA Executive Rep. Elections

We will be preparing and sending an information pack out to you. The GIA Secretariat also has a good website that can help you with the questions you may have: www.gia.org.nz and also please contact your NZAGA Rep if you have feedback.

If you or a grower you know would like to be involved in the governance of our industry then please send an Executive Rep nomination form in. The Executive is charged with the pivotal role of representing growers’ views and interests.

Diary these dates now NZ Avocado Grower Forums Featuring guest speakers and workshops on topics from across the supply chain This event is free of charge for members of NZAGA and AIC Non-members $65

Grower Forum Nor thland 20 August 2014 11:00am – 4:15pm Waitahi Events room, Copthorne Hotel Paihia Grower Forum Bay of Plenty 27 August 2014 Venue to be confirmed NZAGA and AIC Annual General Meeting 20 August 2014 4:30pm – 6:30pm Waitahi Events room, Copthorne Hotel Paihia

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Growing the business By Jen Scoular, CEO, New Zealand Avocado

jen.scoular@nzavocado.co.nz

The season has ended on a high with great results for growers and the beginning of an exciting new era for the industry with the announcement of the Primary Growth Partnership.

“The vision depends strongly on growers, packers and exporters adopting best practice”

It’s that supposed quiet time of the year, signing off

one very good season and planning for the next. We see huge opportunity for our industry on the road ahead, but need to plan knowing there will be a few bumps along the way. We experienced a few of those ‘bumps’ while trying to get to Whangarei for the end of season roadshows last month which tested our abilities to ‘wing it’. Ashby and I left Tauranga on a delayed flight, our next flight to Whangarei was cancelled then rescheduled but we couldn’t land in Whangarei so ended up in Kerikeri. Air New Zealand advised we would need to wait 90 minutes for a coach to bus up from Whangarei to collect us – no thanks! We devised a plan to sprint off the plane and be first to the car rental desks – which was successful. We had a good roadshow in Whangarei that evening then headed by car up to Houhora for an 11:30am

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start. At 11:28am the power went off in Houhora so we presented the roadshow without our supporting slides. We had the largest crowd I have ever seen in Houhora – 54 of us were at the fishing club enjoying sharing the positive news about our industry, a response we have experienced across all five regional roadshows. We had the Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy, as our guest speaker at the Katikati roadshow, along with another record 150 growers to announce the industry’s success in having the “New Zealand Avocados Go Global” Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) approved by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). A great evening and a wonderful result of the two year process we have gone through to develop the business plan.

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Thanks to the New Zealand marketers for their participation in this round of roadshows – it is great for growers to get views from the “horse’s mouth”. The roadshow presentation is on the industry website for those who were not able to attend. New Zealand Avocados Go Global

The roadshow presentation was largely about the PGP, a cross-industry five year plan to transform the industry from reliance on a single export market, to a globally competitive, high value, profitable industry with multiple export markets and a dynamic market in New Zealand. We aspire to tripling productivity and quadrupling sales by 2023, audacious but in our opinion these are achievable goals if we all collectively and collaboratively work towards them. The vision depends strongly on growers, packers and exporters adopting best practice, be that best practice quality on orchard, efficiency in the supply chain, or best practice handling and ripening offshore. We do need you all on board, so please talk to us if you aren’t sure of the part we need you to play in our industry transformation. The programme has five projects, led by Bevan, Alvaro, Glenys and Midge, with Nici accountable for the financials.You’ll see more detail about the programme on page 20.You might also have read or heard one or more media articles in newspapers, on the radio and online. At the time of writing we have not yet contracted with MPI and cannot begin the programme until this is finalised and signed by both parties - a process we are aiming to see complete for a 1 June 2014 start. Planning for the season ahead

Having celebrated the successes of the season just gone, no-one is stopping. The planning for 2014-15 is already well underway. The first desktop crop estimate has been consolidated and forecasts a record crop of 7.4 million trays, with 5 million headed for export markets. Western Australia is also expecting a big crop, which poses a huge challenge.

As Ashby said at the roadshows, “Growers, you need to do whatever it takes to optimise quality of your fruit, as it needs to reach more distant markets in premium condition. Don’t constrain the markets your fruit goes to by neglecting to consider the withholding periods on chemicals used on your orchard. All market access status is an essential goal for growers”. Market development

The visit to SAVOUR 2014 food show in Singapore with Nadia Lim was part of the market development essential to exporting the crop next season. Nadia demonstrated the versatility and promoted the health attributes of avocados from New Zealand during five demonstrations and master classes to engaged and attentive audiences. She is a perfect Ambassador for NZ Avocados, and was a hit at the show. Please see the report on page 43. Market development also includes China, and getting phytosanitary access to that immense market is a priority for us. We include an update on China access on page 45. Tree decline project

Alvaro and Phillip were in Houhora with us, having met with eight of the growers on our newly commenced tree decline project. This is a PGP initiative, to provide support and knowledge to growers to mitigate or solve a particular challenge.

“Having celebrated the success of the season just gone, no-one is stopping”

Tree decline is a real issue in the Far North and growers participating said during the roadshow how great it was to meet and focus on one challenge in a co-ordinated way. We’ll keep you posted on progress and outcomes. Enjoy this issue of Avoscene – you may notice that we have refreshed the style of the magazine in an effort to increase its readability and interest to you. Remember we are always happy to receive your feedback, good and bad, about any topic you wish to share with us, and suggestions of how we can make your magazine better are welcome. I am enjoying being a part of this vibrant, healthy and optimistic industry. Let’s keep these successes going. Avoscene May 2014

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By Alistair Young, Export Director, AIC & Chair, AVEC

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Going Global alistair@southernproduce.co.nz

With five million trays on their way, it’s good to be prepared and as the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed, right? There’s certainly no room for complacency in 2014.

s this magazine goes to print, it’s a critical time for the industry and we all need to take stock and check that what we’re doing is sufficient preparation for the mammoth season we’re about to experience. I’ll start by reminding everyone that we gave advance warning of what this season would demand of growers in the previous issues of this magazine and on that basis I’m writing in the knowledge we’re all prepared to this point in the best way we can. The picture should look like this: we will have stopped applying insecticides that restrict access to the USA and Asia some time ago, so I won’t need to remind you of that. Check. We will have begun fungicide applications last November so our fruit is robust and suitable for long distance shipping. Check. And we have filled out our initial crop estimates in discussions with our shed and export reps, so our packers and marketers know what to pack and where to send it for the best result. Check. Comfortable that we have undertaken all of those vital actions, we will now be in a position to monitor dry matter and plan for an early harvest, which will hopefully take place in late August or early September. The initial market opportunities see us shipping very heavily and early to the USA, maybe to Australia, and definitely to Japan, with South East Asia rolling out somewhat later. The fruit size we will pick will be larger in the first round, so the USA will get what they want, while the overrun of smaller fruit will be going initially to Japan, and then greater Asia later. The Australian season will see heavy competition return from Western Australia, so more crop will go outside Australian shores than in previous seasons. However, there is still strong potential in this traditional export market for New Zealand as we are continuing to experience strong demand even at very high prices. We actually have no idea what Australia is capable of consuming at a reasonable price point, and we can’t really claim anymore that we know what a reasonable price point is in this market.

I have just returned from a debrief with Australian handlers and retailers where the overriding comment from them all is that 2103 was a vintage year for avocados from New Zealand because our quality was superb.

“2013 was a vintage

I would like to think this was because we had dramatically improved our disciplines and our post-harvest habits, but I’m not sure we can completely claim that prize as ours alone.

because our quality

year for avocados from New Zealand

was superb”

We marketed fruit that had enjoyed a comparatively dry growing season and we sold into a very hungry Australian market with high demand. This high demand, caused predominately by a weak Australian crop, meant quick turnover, which in turn had the effect of keeping fruit age young and product internal quality excellent. Australian retailers and consumers began to trust our fruit, which created return purchasing and value. On top of all that good quality and value, the flow of the fruit was disciplined and well managed by exporters and supply was steady. We now need to replicate that crop flow management in 2014. The outcome is quite simply the highest returns I have ever seen for growers. So, back to my opening paragraphs. I’m sure that because we are professionals and have managed our orchards for all market access, have applied our fungicides, and done our homework, we are confident that we can successfully manage the volume we have to market. We are ready, aren’t we? Avoscene May 2014

We know Markets...

Another stunning result...Our Export Pool results are now ďŹ nalised and Just Avocados has once again delivered outstanding grower returns. We are proud of what we are achieving together with our loyal and committed growers, in continuing to produce competitive results underpinned by quality fruit. Contact us now to talk about our latest performance and how we will manage your 2014/15 avocado crop. Phone (07) 549-3027 or Greg Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Carroll (027) 268-0374 or Mike Schwed (027) 839-7883 10

Avoscene May 2014

By Linda Flegg, NZAPF Executive member

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Outside the Box linda@kauripak.co.nz

The NZAPF plays a role in many industry processes and includes rigorous season-end review and preparation for new season activity.

The Annual General Meeting of the NZ Avocado

Packers Forum was held in Auckland on 7 April. The AGM is an opportunity for packers to get together and review the season and report on the executive committee activities of the last 12 months. Allan Woolf presented a review of his findings from the waterblaster optimisation project which generated discussion relating to the coming season; Jen Scoular reported on the NZ Avocados Go Global Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) and explained how our group could contribute with in-kind contributions; Tony Sinkovich delivered and report from AVEC highlighting the importance of Asian markets and the strong growth in this part of the world, particularly in Singapore. The session concluded with a season overview from AsureQuality which sees the packers in a strong compliance position heading into another big season. Highlights for the last year have been the signing off of our strategic plan and the amending of our

constitution to allow for non-export packers to join our forum. If any non-export packers are reading this, please contact us if you are interested in joining. Packer members meet twice a year in September/ October and March/April. The NZAPF executive committee is currently comprised of Linda Flegg (NZKFL) – Chairperson, Tom Clark (FNP) – Secretary, John Bird (Apata), Helen Gray (Just Avos), Hugh Moore (NZKFL), Lindsay Wells (NTL) and Daniel Bernie (Trevelyan’s). The executive members of this forum provide input from a packer perspective on the following industryled committees: EMS Review, which saw no major changes affecting packers; Crop Estimate; Quality Standards which received some common sense submissions relating to daily operational activities; New Zealand Market Forum whose establishment and continued meeting has gone a long way towards stabilising our domestic crop flow; and AvoGreen in which a review has begun. Avoscene May 2014

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The New Zealand Market Glen Dunseath, Business & Marketing Manager, Zeafruit

glen@zeafruit.co.nz

Unexpected late season supply has provided a valuable lesson as we look at how we can collectively approach next seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high volumes.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trading of smaller fruit counts in prepacked or loose may not return a viable OGRâ&#x20AC;?

The start of next season is looming large in the

thoughts of everyone involved in the avocado industry. What will it bring? Will the volumes being talked about be bigger or smaller than expectations and how will the industry deal with the volume after a couple of seasons of limited supply? We have had a real mix again over the last couple of months. We all expected that late season demand would be strong, volumes available limited, and values strong and for much of March that was the case.

by offshore standards; small volume changes can at times of quieter trade have significant impacts upon overall industry values. Could we have avoided the oversupply? Possibly yes, with a little more planning, but also possibly no. Demand was simply too poor to generate the volume of sales required each day to clear fruit numbers. As we head into a year of significantly increased supply numbers we need to learn from these lessons. The 2014-15 crop estimates have definitely made us all sit up and take some notice. What has occurred across the past two seasons will not be possible for the coming season if these volumes eventuate.

Some heavier than expected late harvesting near the end of March, combined with flat customer demand, In a very positive move, the NZ Avocado initiated New has seen OGR values drop back, which has been Zealand marketer forum has met, discussed options, a little disappointing. It is a valuable lesson for us and those discussion points were rolled out to growers all - the New Zealand market is not a large market 12

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via the NZ Avocado roadshows held in April. It is a challenging subject - tray numbers forecast are significantly larger than we have dealt with recently and our history shows similar large numbers in 2011 did not produce positive OGR returns in any size. We do have options and they are being assessed as we go. One suggestion is to focus New Zealand market packing on certain large sizes across the export season, to enable positive returns for 18ct to 28ct sized fruit. Whilst many believe the growth of prepacked options across the last two years is a benefit in a heavy supply season, there is some reservation about this. Large fruit values in 2012 and 2013 have been significantly high in order to allow smaller fruit to be prepacked and sold at sustainable values as a consumer option. If volumes of large fruit this season are heavy and retail values are low then the

picking, packing and trading of smaller fruit counts in prepacked or loose form may return a viable OGR to the grower. Of equal importance heading into the new season are maturity levels and ripening. Fruit that is immature and has not received clearance must be kept out of the market. The early eating experiences of consumers will dictate their interest in repurchasing and poor eating experiences will slow demand and sales. It is a commonly understand fact that green fruit will slow retail sales and demand. When you are discussing your supply options with potential marketers ask them the question - is my fruit being ripened? That way you can as growers help to ensure that it isn’t your fruit sitting on a retail shelf green and not selling.

CAllinG All AvoCADo GroWers Attend our complimentary grower field days!

Grower Field Days Our purpose is simple: to address the seasonal growing issues every grower is facing, and bring the best expertise (along with the wisdom of the other growers) to the field, so we can all make better decisions.

All Growers Welcome Due to the wide interest and positive feedback, these field days are now

Enjoy expert advice, grower discussion along with the latest ideas and innovations.

open to all growers.

Contact us Find out the date, time and topic of the next event - call reception on 07 573 0085. 310 No 1. Road, R.D.2, Te Puke, 3182 · Phone (07) 573 0085 · www.trevelyan.co.nz

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Avoscene May 2014 l 13 10/02/14 3:32 pm

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Certifiably Organic Martin Munro, Chairman, NZOAG Inc.

martin.jane.munro@gmail.com

Organics, sometimes viewed as a hippie hobby, is a sizable industry in New Zealand with world recognised certification standards available to those who put in the hard yards. principles of ‘organic’ growers. BioGro and AsureQuality are both MPI Food Safety-recognised third party agencies for organic certification. If you have questions about the certification of food at a farmers’ market, ask to see their certification and only buy from those who can produce the documentation to assure you of their professionalism.

“Those trying to swindle their way into AvoGreen by claiming organic status can think again”

Attending the recent NZ Avocado season end

roadshow at my local community hall it became very clear there are distorted perceptions of what it means to be an organic avocado grower. I know that there are growers that call themselves “organic” or “spray-free”, but to be credible the path to be taken is to become certified organic with a recognised certification provider. Only those who are properly certified have the legal right under the Fair Trading Act to label their products “organic” and those trying to swindle their way into AvoGreen compliance by falsely claiming organic status can think again. There are certification options available to cater for all your requirements, starting from a lower cost domestic option through to certification that can be used for exporting; the peak providers for exporters being BioGro New Zealand and AsureQuality. I have also heard some negative comments regarding food from farmers’ markets and the food safety

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Becoming organic is a serious commitment and is not just for smallholders and alternative lifestylers. Although people would say I am a bit “alternative” I still have to make a living, one that does not get made through lax practices and providing substandard produce. The serious organic growers “work with nature to produce high-quality, nutritious food with nil or minimal use of synthetic inputs. Their primary objective is to achieve optimum yields at the same time as maintaining and enhancing the farm’s ‘capital’ (the soil), and protecting the local environment.”1 The New Zealand organics sector did not get to become worth $340-$360 million through the actions of unscrupulous producers. This figure is based on the combined value of exports of organic products from New Zealand and the retail sales of organic products within New Zealand. The value of the organic sector in New Zealand has grown about 25% since 2009.2 Sometimes I wonder if a bit too much spray has got to some people, affecting their common sense. I am happy to display my certificates and results of my yearly audits to those who think organics is not a credible industry and I advise those misusing the term ‘organic’ to commit to a certification programme; otherwise get your act together to meet AIC requirements. 1 http://www.biogro.co.nz/faqs-about-organics#e 2 New Zealand Organic Market Report 2012

News and views from your NZAGA Regional Representatives

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Regional Roundup Ian Fulton - Far North 08.04.14

Tree decline

Tree decline is the main constraint to consistent high production in the Far North, particularly on the older established orchards. At the December roadshow meeting Jen Scoular made a commitment that New Zealand Avocado would investigate tree decline.

ensure the project focuses on the areas of tree decline that we are concerned about. As the project is a component of PGP programme there are resources available, so we need to make the most of this opportunity.

to make the most of this opportunity”

In the orchard

This project has just commenced and initially involves a small group of growers working with Alvaro Vidiella (R&D Manager) and Philip West (Grower Liaison) to gain a clear understanding of the tree decline problem, effectiveness of current remedial strategies and investigate new remedial options. Outcomes from the working group will be disseminated to the rest of the Far North growers through regular field days and updates in Avoscene.

Growing conditions have been excellent and most trees have a good summer flush that is hardening off going into autumn. Ex-cyclone Lusi threatened with all the media hype, but actually caused minimal damage with a few trees blown over and some minor fruit drop.

One of the outcomes of the project will be to develop a “best practice” module on tree decline that will provide growers with the diagnostic tools to identify the cause of tree decline on their orchard and what remedial options are available.

On most orchards greenhouse thrips have been particularly prevalent during summer and early autumn. From now on growers need to carefully consider what sprays they use, as it will be critical to have all market access given this coming season’s large crop. A significant proportion of the export crop will be directed to markets outside of Australia.

It will be up to the Far North growers to drive and

“We need

The first crop estimate for this coming season indicates the Far North crop will be similar to slightly above last season’s.

John Schnackenberg - At Large jschnack@ihug.co.nz 09.04.14

It must have been a pretty good season for most growers in the Bay of Plenty region - you’ve all been quietly going about growing another great crop of avocados. I have had to ask a few mates what’s uppermost on their minds. The general response can be paraphrased “Why do we have to wait 14 years for such a good season?”, which sets one wondering about what we as growers can control, and what is out of our control?

and market selection throughout the season finished across all exporter groups, assisted no doubt by consolidation of exporter groups and consolidation of crop management. Some growers clamoured for a ‘single desk’ approach after the difficult 2011-12 season – which was never going to happen – but we are getting closer to the best model the industry can achieve. Grower discontent from that season set us on this path.

Apart from our own orchard management, a key factor we have directly or indirectly influenced is marketer and exporter behaviour. There has been a well-managed and disciplined approach to crop flow

What was very predictable, having seen Western Australian crops in July 2012, was that their large crop then for 2012-13 was not able to be repeated. Our exporters had suggested that two seasons of

continued...

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Regional Roundup $20 per tray returns out of Australia (2010-11, 201213) was not repeatable – I think we would all have a comment to make on that.

“We are on a path to deliver reliable and increasing production”

We can sit on our hands and take what is delivered, or get engaged and take control of as much that is controllable as is possible. This Board’s five year strategy, now about to go on steroids with the announcement of a successful Primary Growth Partnership with the Crown, is about growers and the industry taking control, from orchard management to mitigate irregular bearing, to the logistics and supply chain, to the marketing of our fruit in new markets to deliver a sustainable industry for growers. No-one can guarantee $25+ returns season after season, but we are on a path to deliver reliable and increasing production and new premium markets. Board activity

The Board recently discussed Western Bay of Plenty’s property revaluation round now underway. WBOP is one of the few rating districts to adopt Capital Rating as well as land value rating. While this only affects those in the WBOP district (and Gisborne to a degree), other growers take notice.

Fruit trees, vines and their associated structures are valued and added to the value of improvements such as houses and shedding which, together with the land value, deliver Capital Value, which is rated.Yes, you are taxed on the valuation information held for your properties tree and vine crop(s) and support structures. But if you grow vegetables or annual field crops, your aren’t capital rated on them. The WBOP data base is terribly inaccurate as to details and values and thus is already inequitable between ratepayers, relies largely on owner honesty for updating and the process underway is poorly considered, random (only a few property titles are being ‘owner’ assessed), inconsistent in data capture between crops and not likely to improve equity as for example, while seeking to distinguish between kiwifruit variety grown, isn’t distinguishing between structure types (T-bar/pergola) or presence of canopy cover or type, some of which is now costing $170,000 per c.ha. While the Board has chosen not to get directly involved, I have indicated my intent to submit on a number of matters. I encourage fellow growers to be aware and participate accurately in this process and invite comment or questions.

Roger Barber - At Large 08.04.14

A heavy set of new season avocados across the greater Whangarei region is a welcome relief to growers after a disastrous fruit set last season which resulted in a total crop failure across most of the region.

“We need to keep vigilant in managing our biosecurity risk”

Thus it caused much nervousness amongst growers when a single male fruit fly was identified near the harbour and close to the city in January. After two weeks of intensive monitoring, the restrictions on fruit movement were lifted, as no further flies were detected. However, at the time of writing, a second male fruit fly has been located “just a stone’s throw” (400m)

from the previous location in January. This is only the fourth time Queensland fruit fly has been recorded in New Zealand. The last three detections were made in less than two years (one in Auckland and two in Whangarei), with the first detection (also in Whangarei) made 16 years ago. The response by the Ministry of Primary Industries to the detection in January was quick, decisive and impressive. A similar response has been witnessed to this latest incursion. Two control zones were set up; an inner of 200m radius in which all fruit movement is banned (Zone A), and an outer zone of 1.5m radius, from which no fruit can be moved outside the continued...

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restricted area (Zone B.) Intensive trapping over the next few weeks should determine as to whether any further fruit fly are present in the area. The Ministry of Primary Industries are adamant that the two most recent detections within the last three months are unrelated. This means that they are the result of two separate incursions. Both were found adjacent to the Whangarei Town Basin marina. This is a haven for international yachties at this time of the year from all over the Pacific attempting safe shelter during the cyclone season. It is tempting to blame these yachtsmen for bringing in infested fruit.

However both locations are also adjacent to the main road linking the airport with the city. It is reassuring that after a week of intensive pheromone trapping, no further flies have been detected. The Queensland Fruit Fly is a major threat to New Zealand’s $5.6 billion horticultural industry, which employs 1200 Northlanders and contributes $66 billion to the local economy. Fingers crossed that no more fruit flies are found. We need to keep vigilant in managing our biosecurity risk, so that no more pests find their way into the country.

David French - Rest of New Zealand 08.04.14

For those of us with kiwifruit, picking is now underway – there is no rest for the wicked! There is still important work to be done on our avocados as well, fitted in around kiwifruit picking. The two main jobs we are trying to complete at the moment are injecting and pruning. I have been a bit slack with injecting my orchard so far in its life, but have decided to give it the full treatment this autumn as we are carrying a reasonable crop. I am using a combination of traditional syringes and pills, with a view to alternating treatments row by row and swapping next year, i.e. in an eight row block inject rows 1, 3, 5 and 7 and put pills in 2, 4, 6 and 8 this year. Then next year do the opposite (unless one method proves far superior).

There are many different opinions on timing, severity etc. etc., but at our place we try to focus on three main things: 1. Height; we have overhead sprinklers at 5.5 metres high, so we try to keep the trees below this to allow maximum irrigation frost protection. 2. Density; we are trying to remove as much shaded and non-fruitful wood as possible to allow better spray coverage and make picking easier. 3. Light; if we look after points 1 and 2 properly then the end result should be more light throughout the orchard. We had an end of season barbecue here last month and growers seemed positive about both the crop they had just picked and the one that’s coming. There

we can send overseas, the more value we will get out of the New Zealand market”

seems to be a lot of focus on monitoring and spray

Each method has pluses and minuses but the thing I really like about the pills is that they are quick and easy.

management and importance of maximising export

Pruning has been stop-start for the past month or so, but I would hope to have it completed by the end of April.

more trays we can send overseas, the more value we

Pruning avocados seems to be a very variable science.

“The more trays

packouts. The coming season looks like being a big one, so the will get out of the New Zealand market as well. To the kiwifruit growers out there, good luck with your harvest and I hope Psa isn’t battering you too much.

Avoscene May 2014

Grower Letters The Chairman and

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Avoscene May 2014

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Avoscene May 2014

Newsroom

NZ Avocado’s five year plan goes global

Industry facts YTD 2013-14 Trays exported 3.1 million Percentage export 66% Trays packed for NZ market incl. processing 1.6 million Total crop estimate packed 116% Regional share of export crop packed FN 14% WH 3% RoNZ 2% BOP 81%

Avoscene May 2014

Left to right:John Cotterell, Justine Gilliland, Hon Nathan Guy, John Schnackenberg,Tony Ponder, Jen Scoular.

The Avocado Industry Council announced on 1 April that it will partner with the Ministry for Primary Industries in a new Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) programme called Go Global – a five year programme to increase the productivity and capability within the avocado industry to deliver significant additional returns for New Zealand. Jen Scoular, Chief Executive Officer of Avocado Industry Council, says it is a landmark development for the avocado industry that will increase sales to more than a quarter of a billion dollars by 2023. “This PGP programme will create significant value across the industry, helping position New Zealand’s avocado industry to capitalise on the growing demand domestically and in Asia, for premium, safe, and healthy produce. Part of this will involve developing a New Zealand avocado story to highlight the health and versatility of our avocados,” says Jen. The Go Global programme’s vision is to equip the industry with the tools to triple productivity to 12 tonnes per hectare and quadruple industry returns to $280 million by 2023.

New Zealand aims to become the avocado supplier of choice in Asian markets, by gaining an early foothold, and a “first mover” advantage in those markets. “A consistent supply of premium avocados and a unified marketing strategy which creates a point of difference for New Zealand avocados will drive this growth.” The programme will address the industry’s biggest challenge of low and irregular bearing. Collaborative research, with strong cross industry participation will deliver best practice across the value chain which is transferred through a network of innovation leaders, rural professionals and growers. The programme aims to achieve widespread adoption of best practice driven by examples of success. Ashby Whitehead, Chair of Avocado Industry Council, says the New Zealand avocado industry will be transformed to an efficient, well-informed, and highly capable industry, supplying premium health food to a number of high-value markets domestically and internationally. “The programme includes co-investment from growers, packers, processors and exporters, it is a real cross-

partners as a mixture of cash and in-kind contributions.

The programme will have a strong focus on knowledge sharing across the avocado industry, which will also be able to be utilised by the recently successful “Avocados for Export” programme, funded by the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, and led by Plant & Food Research.

“We’re excited by this new programme. It’s the first horticulture programme involving fresh fruit in the PGP, showing the diversity of the industries involved in the PGP,” says Justine.

Strengthening information flow, performance and efficiency will be achieved through the development of an information portal, increasing supply chain efficiency and benchmarking performance. Justine Gilliland, Director PGP, MPI, says a total investment of $8.56 million has been secured for the programme, with MPI committing $4.28 million over five years, and the balance coming from industry

Newsroom

industry collaboration,” says Ashby.

“We are thrilled to be part of the PGP—the industry is motivated and ready to capitalise on the real opportunities that exist for our industry. This PGP programme will see the emergence of a globally competitive, high value, sustainable horticulture industry delivering real returns to New Zealand,” says Jen. MPI and Avocado Industry Council will now negotiate and agree a contract so Go Global can formally commence.

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www.grochem.co.nz Avoscene May 2014

Newsroom Category story for Avocados from New Zealand in development Newsroom

To reach the industry goal of quadrupling sales value by 2023, avocados from New Zealand must be transformed from a commodity product into a high value, premium product. A strategy to enable the industry to collectively achieve this is to arm marketers, exporters and distributors of New Zealand avocados with engaging and persuasive promotional material that establishes a point of difference for New Zealand avocados. In March New Zealand Avocado facilitated two category story development workshops for exporters and New Zealand marketers. The purpose of these workshops was to understand the current environment, attributes

and positioning of avocados from New Zealand and the needs of stakeholders and consumers. The output of these workshops was a concept for the category story which in the coming months will be further developed, tested, reviewed by exporters and New Zealand marketers and developed into tangible marketing materials in time to be launched in the coming season. The category story will provide consistency for key messaging and promotional material for avocados from New Zealand in our target markets.

New water blaster for Trevelyan’s domestic packhouse Avocado manager Daniel Birnie says the visual presentation of export fruit is excellent after passing through the waterblaster, so they decided to build one for their domestic shed to maintain consistency through the year. After passing through the water blaster, the fruit passes over a series of brushes and is also dried. By having the waterblaster installed, and other capital spending to bring the domestic shed up to export standards, Trevelyan’s is able to handle avocados all year round. Lance Dodd, Trevelyan’s domestic produce manager, says the company has received good feedback from the New Zealand market following the introduction of the waterblaster. Trevelyan’s domestic produce manager Lance Dodd alongside the newly installed waterblaster.

Avoscene May 2014

Newsroom

On 1 April 2014 a single male fruit fly was detected in the Parihaka area of Whangarei, approximately 400m from where a Queensland fruit fly was found in January. The fly was collected from an MPI surveillance trap and formally identified on 2 April. Information at this time is that this detection is a new find and not related to the January incident. Queensland fruit fly has been found four times in New Zealand previously, including the January Whangarei detection. In all cases the fruit fly did not establish in New Zealand. The discovery of a single male insect does not mean a breeding population is present and does not constitute an outbreak. MPI defined an area around the Parihaka location of the fruit fly detection and the movement of some fruit and vegetables out of this area was restricted. The restrictions are to make sure that if a population of the Queensland fruit fly is present, the risk of it being moved out of the area is minimised.

Recommended Reading Reading your trees

Newsroom

No further Queensland Fruit Flies found after 1 April detection

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 • April to May: Quality of flush, pages 20 - 23 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 which is the best option for your own situation – if in doubt, seek specialist advice. Download the Reading Your Trees workbook from the industry website under Resources > and select Orchard Management Guidelines from the drop down box. This workbook complements the Reading Your Trees guide and allows you to record your assessments.

Avoscene May 2014

Avocado News from the world USA

California avocado industry launches branding program

Newsroom

The California Avocado Commission has announced the launch of a new on-fruit branding program that will clearly identify California avocados as from California and provide close linkage to CAC’s marketing campaign. Several avocado handlers will be applying the new California avocado labels to their fruit this season. The stepped-up callout of California origin has been a long-time coming and is in response to the rise in consumers’ interest in locally grown produce and checking for country of origin. The Commission also conducted retail tests in 2013 to determine consumer response to the labels. The positive consumer reaction lead to the rollout with the California handlers resulting in assorted programs featuring the California-branded labels. “The California avocado handlers have been open to the research and to the exploration of how to support the program. Each packing line is different so it is

Colombia

Avoscene May 2014

Source: http://www.freshplaza.com/

The Government of Antioquia (in Colombia) has presented a new programme for the technological, productive and commercial development of Hass avocados under maximum sustainability criteria.

only have 9,000 hectares of it cultivated, compared to the 22,000 planted with other varieties,” points out Juan Camilo Ruiz, executive director of Corpoaguacate.

It will be carried out through agreements with Antioquia’s Avocado Corporation (Corpoaguacate) and the National University of Colombia and will count with the collaboration of producer associations, marketers, research institutions and universities.

“It is thus a promotional campaign aimed at supplying consumers with information about Hass avocados,” he added.

“In Colombia, knowledge about Hass avocados is very limited. Some people believe that the appearance of a ripe Hass is that of a damaged or rotten avocado. We

“Adding a second label to the fruit or changing their labelling practices to include the California brand during California season is no small feat, but they understand the value this information provides to encourage consumers to purchase more avocados.”

New programme for Hass avocado promotion

The project, named “Consume Máss Hass” (Consume more Hass), will last for three years and will benefit 2,000 avocado producers directly and another 8,000 indirectly in the entire production chain.

not a one size fits all program,” said Jan DeLyser President of Marketing for CAC.

The main goals of the initiative are “to expand the variety’s cultivation, promote its consumption and to motivate producers to obtain the Global GAP certification to be able to export to Europe and other markets that demand it,” explained Ruiz. The project pursues the cultivation of over 60,000 avocado seedlings on 220 hectares, where they expect to reach up to 100 Global GAP certified producers. Source: http://www.freshplaza.com/

Workshops lift avocado quality information from leading Australian researchers about plant nutrition, handling and ripening, canopy management and root disease management.

A Qualicado Workshop was held recently in Kyogle, NSW. It follows a similar workshop for wholesalers and transporters held at the Sydney Markets in February and a grower-focused workshop on the Sunshine Coast in March.

Avocados Australia’s CEO John Tyas encouraged all avocado growers and packers to attend a workshop in their region.

The aim of the workshops is to provide growers and wholesalers with the latest information on how to manage plant health and improve the overall quality of avocado fruit. Expert presenters are engaged to speak on key topics such as orchard management and disease control. Growers have also been presented with an update about the national avocado quality program and

“Since Avocados Australia’s fruit quality program began results have shown that there has been a 38 per cent improvement in the internal quality of fresh Australian Hass avocados at retail level,” Mr Tyas said. “In particular avocado fruit in retail stores are showing less bruising then they did five years ago so this program is making a difference in helping to meet consumers’ expectations.” Source: http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/

Avozilla set for return to UK shelves Tesco fruit buyers are looking to source Avozillas, which went on sale for the first time in the U.K. last year following a deal between the supermarket chain and Westfalia. “The Avozillas were launched last summer for a very limited period and we hope to have more this year, although plans are yet to be confirmed,” a Tesco spokesman said. The British retailer is remaining tight-lipped over what to expect this summer saying it’s too early to discuss volumes and supplies of the monster fruit, but has confirmed negotiations continue with Westfalia, South Africa’s largest grower of avocados, located in the Limpopo province.

Newsroom

The Australian avocado industry’s push to improve quality continues to engage supply chain players throughout the country.

Australia

South Africa

The extraordinary super-sized variety weighs around 1.3 kgs (2.9 lbs) and is marketed as five times the size of a standard avocado. “In 2013, due to limited availability, the Avozilla was ranged in our top 50 affluent stores. There was a positive reaction from our customers, evident by the positive PR that surrounds the campaign.” The fruit, of the Modjadiskloof variety, grows on just four trees on the Westfalia Estate, but managed to capture the attention of Tesco sourcers. Last year, Avozillas, which are a vivid green colour, retailed at £3 (US$4.98) each. Source: http://www.freshfruitportal.com/

Avoscene May 2014

Industry matters Call for Executive Nominations Newsroom

Nominations are now being accepted for the NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. Executive Committee and the Board of AIC Limited. Ensure your nominations are submitted to the NZ Avocado officer no later than 30 May 2014.

Calendar

At the 2014 AGM the term of office is complete for three representatives; John Schnackenberg and Tony Ponder – both At Large Representatives, and Sue Culham, Mid North Representative. ‘ Three vacancies will exist for the following regions:

NZAGA and AIC Board meetings 5 June 13 August 9 October 27 November

• At Large: 2 seats vacant and requiring representation

Nominations must be made on the official forms that are found on the industry website via the following pathway About > Board > NZAGA Executive Elections or by contacting Edwina at the NZ Avocado Office: edwina@nzavocado.co.nz phone 0800 286 2236. NOTE FOR POTENTIAL NOMINEES: Please check the Directors Duties in the Companies Act 1993/Sections 131 – 138 at the following website: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0105/ latest/DLM319570.html

• Mid North: 1 seat vacancy and requiring representation • The new appointee will be appointed for a 3 year term

NZAGA & AIC AGM 20 August, Copthorne Hotel, Paihia

NZ Avocado Grower Forum Northland 20 August, Copthorne Hotel, Paihia Bay of Plenty 27 August, Tauranga

Avoscene May 2014

Call for Remits NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. invites NZAGA members wanting to submit a remit for consideration at the 2014 AGM to do so no later than 27 June 2014. Proposed remits must be submitted to the NZ Avocado office on the remit form found on the industry website or by requesting a form from Edwina at the NZ Avocado office: edwina@nzavocado.co.nz phone 0800 286 2236.

2014 Annual General meeting of NZAGA and AIC An AGM pack including voting and remit information and the annual report will be posted to NZAGA members in the week of 14 July 2014. This pack will also include a call for items of general business for the AGM.

Size your Crop, Sustain Tree Health, Set up for Spring Heading into the autumn and winter there are some important things to consider that will influence the revenue from your current crop, the overall health of your orchard, and how well set up it will be for spring flowering and fruit set. Normal practice amongst many growers has been to do very little during the winter, with perhaps some light maintenance dressings of an NPK avo mix, and maybe some capital dressings of lime. Clearly it’s not a time to stimulate growth, which any heavier applications could instigate, but there is a huge opportunity to size your crop, improve orchard health and set up your trees for spring by using a biological slow release organic fertiliser. Revital 30 is just the thing to help achieve the 3 S’s, Size your crop, Sustain tree health, and Set up for spring. The nutrients are immobilised by the organic matter so therefore will not leach away during the high rainfall period of winter. The nutrients remain plant available allowing the tree to pull what it needs, rather than having nutrients pushed into it, (which would be the result using an NPK granular fertiliser) the input of a “living fertiliser” with all the biology available from vermicast, chicken manure and high quality compost revitalise

the soil and helps tip the balance between good bugs and bad. We can incorporate any fine and powdery base dressings that may be required, lime flour, lime, gypsum, magnesium oxide, boron, phosphate, all of which have a tendency to blow everywhere in the wind, can be added to the blend, everything goes on together and you only need to put the fert spreader round once. The optimum time for the Revital 30 Autumn application is from mid-March until mid-May (apply in spring between late August and late October. I will discuss this application in a future Rambling). There are some huge crops hanging in the orchards this season and as always size matters when it comes to export returns. Also carrying a heavy crop into spring challenges your trees ability to be ready for the next flowering event, so by using a slow release product like Revital 30 you will are giving your orchard the nutrients and biology it needs to do the best job it can for you. Give me a call for an on orchard consultation and we can decide what the best blend is for you.

Avoscene March 2014 l 17 Avoscene May 2014 l 27

Big blow passes in peace By Hamish Carter, Journalist, SunMedia hamish@thesun.co.nz

On the Orchard

Growers count themselves lucky after preparing for Cyclone Lusi’s full ferocity.

Growers were counting their blessings in March

when most escaped the worst of Cyclone Lusi’s wrath.

Bay of Plenty and Northland grower representatives contacted by Avoscene said that growers in both areas had ‘dodged a bullet’ with the recent storm, with limited tree damage and fruit loss. Northland growers sustained more damage than in the Bay of Plenty, but the extent of damage is not expected to have a major impact on the crop predicted across the industry for the 2014-15 season. Golden Mile Fruitpackers grower rep Louise Hailes was only aware of a few Whangarei area orchardists who lost trees in the storm, saying while there was a bit of fruit loss everyone was lucky it did not hit when the fruit was more mature. “Even a few days afterwards you could hear fruit

Avoscene May 2014

dropping on the orchards after the stems had been damaged,” says Louise. “There will be a bit more wind-rub this season, but overall I think we were lucky.” Louise says growers were fortunate the storm had hit from the east where most had solid shelter coverage, with the few damaged trees mainly young with underdeveloped root systems or weakened trees. She says the cyclone was a reminder of the importance of windbreaks, but doubted growers needed it after the damage of the major 2007 storm. “I think all growers are very conscious of orchard management when your income is sitting out there on the trees.” Among those to lose a weakened tree was Maungatapere grower Keith Fitzpatrick, who lost a Hass that had been badly damaged in 2007.

Nearby Judy Lee, also in Maungatapere, lost three small trees and experienced some annoying loss of ‘nice sized’, almost-ready-to-pick fruit. Judy says overall the fruit loss was not too bad, amounting to less than when a sprayer went around the previous week. Glenbervie grower Sue Culham only had a small amount of fruit loss on her exposed property, but had three mature trees with inclusions tip over. A newcomer to horticulture when she planted the block eight years ago, at the time she was unaware of the importance of pruning young trees back to a central leader for better stability. To help deal with the problem, the trees have had bolts screwed

between the inclusions and she urges all orchardists to prune trees back to their desired shape so the tree doesn’t prove to be an issue at a later date. Southern Produce grower representative John Cotterell says Bay of Plenty orchardists were very lucky, with most properties having reasonable protection from the prevailing wind.

On the Orchard

Keith estimates he lost about a bin of fruit along with many branches broken off his Reed trees, a variety he says that tend to be more prone to wind damage. Overall he was happy how his orchard coped, saying recent wind break maintenance making it more porous seemed to help.

“It didn’t do a heck of a lot of damage. There was a little bit of fruit loss, but I think we definitely dodged a bullet. It could have been a whole lot worse.” John was only aware of an orchard in Pukemapu Rd that lost trees due to its exposure to the east, but says it wouldn’t have had to be much stronger to cause a lot more damage. With it shaping up to be a good season in the region, John doubts the cyclone will have much impact on grower returns. “The crop load was excessively heavy so some fruit drop was inevitable.” A damaged tree with exposed root has been ‘stag-horned’ while it’s hoped the two others will recover in the next seasons after being severely cut back.

Avoscene May 2014

Early season maturity By Bevan Jelly, New Zealand Market Manager, NZ Avocado

bevan.jelley@nzavocado.co.nz

On the Orchard

All parties in the avocado industry have a role to play in ensuring the supply of early season fruit provides customers with a good eating experience.

As we approach what could potentially be the

biggest season for supply volume that the industry has ever seen, it is crucial that the season gets off to a great start in the New Zealand market with good quality fruit that results in a positive eating experience for consumers, encouraging repurchasing of avocados and a high turnover of fruit at retail. Past seasons have shown that the large supply volumes forecast for the New Zealand market will place significant pressure on values. In order to ensure reasonable value is returned from avocados sold in New Zealand in 2014-15, it is crucial New Zealand consumers are provided with a positive avocado eating experience. One variable every grower can take accountability for is the maturity of their fruit picked for the New Zealand market. Industry best practice for the New Zealand market

Avoscene May 2014

is for fruit to reach 24% dry matter before being harvested, or 23% if being ethylene ripened. This standard exists to ensure optimum value is returned for the sale of avocados, and that the industry is able to continue to grow demand for New Zealand avocados. Poor consumer avocado experiences from immature fruit can quickly reduce avocado turnover and be severely detrimental to the value returned to growers. NZ Avocado is increasing its activity around early season maturity to help enable the best possible outcome next season. We will be: â&#x20AC;˘ Updating and improving the Regional Maturity Monitoring process and online reporting. â&#x20AC;˘ Linking more closely with maturity testing undertaken by individual pack sheds. â&#x20AC;˘ Facilitating a forum for collective agreement from marketers on maturity standards.

â&#x20AC;˘ Educating supermarkets and independent retailers about the impacts of early season fruit maturity on their sales, what to look out for and how to find evidence of maturity when in doubt.

The purpose of Regional Maturity Monitoring is to provide industry stakeholders with an indication as to when acceptable maturity is likely to be reached in each of the growing regions. A key factor that influences early season maturity is likely time of the earliest commercial supply of fruit. This is achieved by selecting monitor orchards across the growing regions that historically produce early maturing fruit (this is especially true of young orchards). The maturity results from the programme can also be used by growers to provide an indication of when their region and consequently their orchard may be close to meeting export maturity requirements and to inform the timing of Agfirst maturity testing, reducing the chances of a failed test and costs incurred from multiple tests. The Regional Maturity Monitoring section of the NZ Avocado website was updated last season to include more detail for each region on the range of dry matter results, the number of tests submitted to Agfirst and percentage of tests that met dry matter requirements for export and local market. The first monitoring results for the 2014-15 season will be available in May.

On the Orchard

Regional maturity monitoring

collectively identified immature early season fruit as a key risk to avocado turnover and value and collectively worked to ensure their supply partners and retailers were aware of its effect on avocado sales. Agreement on a strategy to communicate and educate retailers helped contribute to a positive outcome in 2013-14, with greatly reduced volumes of immature fruit being reported in the New Zealand market. This same approach will be applied to the 2014-15 season through the Local Market Forum, bolstered by retail training tools that have been created to help further retailers understanding of avocados. Retail training video

NZ Avocado recently filmed an avocado training video for retailers, to provide information on how to store, ripen and handle avocados. The video outlines how immature avocados negatively affect avocado sales and includes information for produce handlers on how to spot immature fruit and how to request evidence of maturity from their supplier if they are in doubt. Retailers continue to push for consistency in quality and taste of the fruit they sell and as a result, their focus on avocado maturity is increasing.

Check out the Regional Maturity Monitoring page on the industry website. New Zealand market forum

At the Local Market Forum meeting prior to the beginning of the 2013-14 season marketers

Avoscene May 2014

The value of frost protection By Hamish Carter, Journalist, SunMedia hamish@thesun.co.nz

With winter about to descend, Avoscene talks to three growers about their experience using overhead water sprinklers to protect against frost damage.

On the Orchard

Omokoroa orchardist Brian Goldstone never expected any frost problems when he planted his property by Tauranga Harbour 10 years ago. But after ongoing challenges, he decided to retire the worst gullies from production. That was before he installed his water frost protection system over 3.5 hectares of the orchard four years ago. Now he has replanted the vulnerable gullies where he was losing 4 metre trees. “We were struggling to have a good crop every year. The frosts would take out the buds and drop the fruit on the tree, it was like a double whammy,” says Brian.

settle for a networked water system drawing on water in a spring-fed pond that is continually piped to the blocks’ frost prone zones. Water is reticulated around each block and pumped to the top of his 6m trees in an irrigation lateral with a PVC pipe securing a sprinkler that sprays over the canopy. The effectiveness of overhead sprinklers comes from encapsulating the plant in continually freezing water. When the water freezes, it releases latent heat, helping keep the tree’s temperature from dropping below the point at which buds suffer frost burn. Continuing to spray in temperatures below freezing will help keep the plant temperature above zero degrees Celsius to protect vulnerable plant tissue. Frosts can wreak havoc not only on the sub-tropical plant’s current crop with fruit drop from weakened stems, but also the next seasons with damage to flower buds preventing fruit development. Brian says it has had a ‘dramatic’ impact on the orchard’s productivity, and while hesitant to put numbers around it, he says the setup cost pays for itself in a good year with the orchard’s boosted crop.

Paengaroa grower Dennis Hogan’s trees are protected by water that is piped to sprinklers above the canopy.

Determined to increase the marginal orchard’s productivity Brian, who juggles looking after the 650 tree orchard with his earthmoving business, began looking at frost protection options including heaters and wind blowers. With trees spread across three main blocks, he wanted a system covering all sections without tripling the price. This ruled out wind, prompting him to

Avoscene May 2014

With the system integrated to Brian’s phone, it’s easy to keep tabs on away from the orchard. It also enables him to override settings when he believes there is no risk of a frost. But it really pays off with text alerts telling him about problems that he needs to sort out in the middle of the night – like a time when the pump didn’t start. “Just one severe frost can wreck it.You can protect it for the previous 20 events but if you miss one, you can lose the crop.” Brian has no hesitation in recommending the system, saying not only is it reliable but – powered by tractor engine and PTO pump (for about 30 litres of diesel

Far left: By encapsulating the plant in ice it prevents damage by stopping temperatures dropping well below 0°C in frost sensitive parts of the tree.

On the Orchard

Left: Rotating water from the sprinklers can make ice freeze on trees in a spiral pattern.

for a typical frost event’s 8-10 hours work) – it’s also economical to run. Looking back he struggles to fault the system, saying it has avoided countless damage. Even the major Western Bay frost in August 2011, when temperatures fell to -6°C on the orchard, left the protected trees largely unscathed with only limited fruit loss. “We’ve never had any broken trees and only very limited fruit drop,” says Brian, who counts his system’s ability to be monitored remotely a key advantage. He says its dual function as an irrigation system in dry periods is also helpful, but admits it’s not as effective as ground-based systems because it takes more water to soak into the earth. This is something he’d like to tackle by connecting a lower sprinkler at the base of trees that can be turned on when needed. Brian’s only reservation with the system is the potential threat to tree health from waterlogged soil when the orchard is hit by a running series of cool nights, saying he would be hesitant to use it more than his record of nine days straight without a break. Warmer temperatures last winter meant it was only needed 20 nights, down from the season’s typical 30. Triggered to start at two degrees, it continues until temperatures have risen out of the danger zone to four degrees. In frost-prone Paengaroa, policeman Dennis Hogan

has the good fortune of being able to use warm water from his bore that comes out at 31.5°C. The temperature means he can start spraying at lower temperatures without risking pipes freezing. After initially running the system with a trigger point of 3.5°C he has turned it down to just 0.5°C and is pulling it back to only fire up at 0°C this year. High pump power bills have been cut back to about $350 per month at the depth of winter, which he says is a small price to protect fruit. The need for frost protection was highlighted a year after planting seedlings on the property when he woke to find a third of his trees killed. “We came into it very blind not knowing anything about avocados,” says Dennis, who lost 50 one-yearold trees in that frost. “We decided if we were going to do it we either needed to get some frost protection or get some cows,” he says with a wry smile. Along with its ability to cope with lower temperatures, Dennis was sold on the water-based system’s dual function as an irrigation system in dry conditions and would definitely choose it again. “We get the benefit both ways and when you look at what it cost to put it in (about $45,000), long term it has paid off, particularly with being able to put on as

continued...

Avoscene May 2014

The value of frost protection

much water as we needed to in the last few dry years.”

On the Orchard

Installed in 2004, water from his bore is fed into pipes that run up alongside the trunks of his 143 trees to sprinklers that burst into action above the canopy when frost protection is automatically activated by temperatures gauges around his 1.4ha property.

“Without our sprinklers we wouldn’t have an orchard”

The system was put to the test in the big August 2011 frost when temperatures fell to -4.5°C on the property. The block lost about 25 per cent of its crop, compared to two grower neighbours without protection, who lost it all. But the weight of all the ice on leaves and branches was too much for the trees, breaking many branches and snapping two 20cm diameter trunks at the base. “It’s the biggest problem you can have. The ice buildup can just break branches off like matchsticks,” says Dennis, who has since cut the back the volume of water he was using by half. The use of less water has been successful although Dennis is unsure if this method will be sufficient in a heavy frost. He is also considering establishing a pulsing system that would reduce the amount of water used considerably.

During the past three years he has used about 600 cubic metres of water annually, which can see water reach depths of 50mm below trees for bad frosts. Dennis hesitates to talk about figures, saying his crop level is below where it should be, but he is certain water protection has made the vulnerable site viable. “Without our sprinklers we wouldn’t have an orchard. I wouldn’t change anything if I was to start again.” Even in the so-called ‘winterless north’ frost can sometimes cause damage, as King Avocado orchard manager Ian Broadhurst was sharply reminded when a snap frost killed 1500 young trees six years ago. It prompted the Kaitaia firm with 70,000 trees to install overhead watering systems to the vulnerable area. “We don’t have frosts like the Bay of Plenty, but it can still be a risk,” says Ian, who saw the system fire up eight times last year when temperatures fell to two degrees – pulsing the water on for a minute in every five to avoid waterlogging. Ian likes the system so much he installed it across the 5000 tree family orchard his wife Bernadette manages, while at King Avocado frost protection also extends to covering young trees over winter in frost cloth bags and irrigating sensitive areas with the warm 14°C artesian water.

Frost fighting – the investment

A frost protection scheme for a 1ha square block has been costed at $28,274 (GST inclusive), almost two and a half times the cost of a standard irrigation setup ($11,834.77) on the same block. Calculated on the basis of 196 trees spaced 7m apart, Katikati Irrigation – who supplied the costs – states the increase is due to frost protection needing far more water and an expanded setup to cope with it that includes sprinklers mounted above the canopy. Irrigation costs are based on sourcing water from the county mains for a 30,000 litre reservoir which allows for 400 litres/tree. The costings do not include the water supply or consents (contact your regional council for water consent details).

Avoscene May 2014

Irrigation setup

Frost protection

Material costs: $7000 Water pump: $800 Automation: $150 Installation: $4000

$15,000 $3000 $2000 $8000

Total (GST incl):

$28,000

$11950

Thanks to Chris Bates (irrigation specialist) for producing these cost figures.

Avoscene May 2014

Pruning trial report By Alvaro Vidiella – R&D Manager and Phillip West – Grower Liaison, NZ Avocado alvaro.vidiella@nzavocado.co.nz phillip.west@ nzavocado.co.nz

The NZ Avocado pruning trial is evolving following new funding initiatives.

The NZ Avocado pruning trial has been a

On the Orchard

collaborative trial seeking to develop best practice on canopy management to mitigate the impact of irregular bearing in New Zealand avocados. As with all activity using grower funds, we review and evaluate value on an annual basis to ensure we are meeting the needs of the industry. This trial reached a stop-go milestone after its third year.

“We will merge the learnings and data into the MBIE and PGP programmes and cease the current industry pruning trial”

During the three years of the trial we have worked closely with 12 growers, pruning contractors and industry experts. We have analysed the data from those three years and this document presents the conclusions we have reached. The work undertaken in collaboration with contractors and growers through the trial has increased our understanding of the role of pruning and canopy management on the mitigation of irregular bearing, structural pruning and maintenance pruning. This knowledge has led us to the implementation of a revised programme on canopy management within both MBIE and PGP. We will merge the learnings and data into the MBIE and PGP programmes, and cease the current industry pruning trial. The NZ Avocado pruning trial started in autumn 2011 and the last harvesting round was finished in spring 2013. Four different treatments were designed combining two pruning intensities and two pruning timings. Each treatment was applied to five single trees in each of 12 orchards. The performance of these trees was compared to five trees left unpruned in each orchard (control). The treatments were applied randomly to the 25 trial trees of each orchard.

Avoscene May 2014

Control • Unpruned unless access and encroachment is compromised – then only limbs that achieve access or negate encroachment. Light Prune (annual spring or autumn) • Remove up to 5% out of the top of tree (directed towards NE quadrant) and up to 10% (2-3) side limbs but no more than 15% in total. • Follow up six months later for water shoot removal. Moderate Prune (annual spring or autumn) • Remove up to 20% from the top of the tree (directed towards NE quadrant) and remove up to 20% on the sides but no more than 35% in total. • Follow up six months later for water shoot removal. In the springs of 2011, 2012 and 2013, total yield per tree was measured at harvest and a sample of 100 fruit per tree was assessed for fruit weight and defects. The trees were assessed for tree canopy area (calculated from tree diameter and height), health, shoot regrowth, flowering, and fruit set. Harvesting costs and pruning costs were calculated from the actual timing of ground and elevated platform pickers and pruners for each individual tree. Results were analysed using the General Linear Model with Minitab v. 16. QGIS v. 2.0.1 (Geographic Information System) was used for the spatial analysis of the data. Open Source Geospatial Foundation Project. http://qgis.osgeo.org) was used.

Yield (kg/tree) All Orchards

Results and discussion

For each year the yield of the control trees was slightly higher than that of the light pruned trees, which was slightly higher than that of the moderate pruned trees (Figure 1). However, the trial was not able to clearly detect differences between average yield of the different treatments for each year, with none of the observed differences being statistically significant (p=0.134). The irregular bearing index (IBI) increased from the 2011-12 /2012-13 biennium to the 2012-13/2013-14 biennium for all the treatments and the control (Figure 2). The increase in IBI of the control trees was slightly larger than that of the moderate pruned trees but the moderate pruned trees had a higher IBI for both pairs of years. Individual orchards had highly variable results. One of the orchards shows what seems to be the expected effect from the autumn moderate treatment, with more regular production, and therefore a much lower IBI (Figure 3). However, the variability of the data is so high that these differences are far from being statistically significant (p=0.734). A very different result was observed in the orchard of Figure 4 (overleaf), where the autumn moderate treatment seems to have yielded more productive and irregular trees than the unpruned control trees. The variability in the results from this second orchard is lower than

On the Orchard

Figure 1. Mean yield by year and treatment for all the orchards of the trial. Error bars indicate standard error (n>25).

Performance All Orchards

Figure 2: Change in both the mean yield and irregular bearing index (IBI) between the seasons 2011-12 and 2012-13 (base of the arrow) and the seasons 2012-13 and 2013-14 (tip of the arrows) by treatment for all the orchards in the trial.

Yield Orchard “A”

Performance Orchard “A”

Irregular Bearing Index Formula IBI=

|y 1 −y 2 | y 1 +y 2

× 100

Figure 3. (A) Average yield by year and treatment for orchard A of the trial. Error bars indicate standard error (n=5). (B) Change in both the mean yield and irregular bearing index (IBI) between the seasons 2011-12 and 2012-13 (base of the arrow) and the seasons 2012-13 and 2013-14 (tip of the arrows) by treatment for the same orchard A.

Avoscene May 2014

in the previous orchard, but the differences are also far from being statistically significant (p= 0.343). When looking at the individual tree IBI values in this orchard, there seems to be no clear effect of any of the treatments on the IBI with time (Figure 5).

On the Orchard

On average, in the three years of the trial, pruned trees yielded slightly larger fruit than the control trees, except for the spring light pruned trees (Figure 6). In most cases these differences meant a slight increase in percentage of fruit on larger size category trays (Figure 7). This trend was observed in most of the orchards, though large differences were observed between orchards. Picking cost was lower in the pruned trees than in the control trees (Table 1). The largest differences,

however, were observed between orchards, ranging from $0.18 to $0.56 NZD/kg ($0.99 to $2.8 NZD/ tray). The orchards with the larger trees of the trial or with blocks on a slope had the higher costs per picked kilogram. Weak correlations were observed between the size of the tree and picking cost and between the fruit load of the tree and the picking cost (Figure 8). The correlation between tree size and picking cost was not so weak in some of the orchards that had large differences in tree size, like the single orchard example in Figure 8. Pruning costs ranged, on average, from approximately $6.20 to $8.40 NZD/tree, with the Autumn Moderate treatment having the highest cost and the Spring Light having the lowest costs. There was a large range of pruning cost per tree between the different orchards, with lower pruning cost in orchards with

Yield Orchard “B”

IBI 2011-12 and 2012-13

Performance Orchard “B”

IBI 2012-13 and 2013-14

IBI % 0 – 10 10 – 20 – 20 – 30 30 – 40 40 – 50 50 – 60 60 – 70 70 – 80 80 – 90 90 – 100

Irregular Bearing Index Formula IBI=

|y 1 −y 2 | y 1 +y 2

× 100

Avoscene May 2014

Figure 4. Average yield by year and treatment for orchard B of the trial. Error bars indicate standard error (n=5). (B) Change in both the mean yield and irregular bearing index (IBI) between the seasons 2011-12 and 2012-13 (base of the arrow) and the seasons 2012-13 and 2013-14 (tip of the arrows) by treatment for the same orchard B.

Figure 5. Irregular bearing index (IBI) in one of the orchards of the trial for the seasons 2011-12 and 2012-13 and the seasons 201213 and 2013-14. Coloured crosses in the middle of circles indicate treatment type (Yellow = Control, Orange = Autumn Light, Red = Autumn Moderate, Green = Spring Light, Blue = Spring Moderate). Pollenizer locations are marked as small yellow circles marked with either “B”= Bacon or “Z” = Zutano.

Figure 10: Photos of trees chosen for trial from a single orch vegetative and flowering state as well as size differences. Tree A i and C and tree C has a much higher flowering intensity than trees A

In the three years of the trial we have detected a series of facts that are being considered in the development of the new programme:

• Tree selection: in most of the orchards the trees selected for the trial originally had large differences in position in the block (e.g. border effect, exposure, frost damage risk, etc.) (Figure 10), differences in tree health (Figure 11) differences in initial size, and most importantly, differences in tree status in terms of fruit load, amount of vegetative growth and flowering potential (Figure 13). All these differences have in many cases a large effect on production that makes it very hard to isolate the effect of the pruning treatments on the production of the trees. In the future programme tree homogeneity will be assessed and an experimental design that helps control variability between trees, such as randomised blocks, will be implemented. Fruit Weight All Orchards

Figure 6: Mean fruit weights across all trees in all orchards.Treatments are indicated on the x axis (AL = Autumn Light, AM = Autumn Moderate, C = Control, SL = Spring Light, SM = Spring Moderate). Bars with the same letter indicate no significant difference as measured by Tukey’s test with a 95.0% confidence level.

Treatment Control Spring Moderate Spring Light Autumn Light Autumn Moderate

Mean Picking Cost (NZD/kg fruit) 0.3878 0.3511 0.3329 0.3105 0.3012

Grouping A AB AB B B

Distribution of Fruit Weights 55 110 165 220 275 330 385 440 2011

2012

On the Orchard

• Sample size: Avocado trees are known for their large variability. Five trees per treatment per orchard has proven to be an insufficient amount of replication for the accuracy that this experiment requires. In the future programme our samples will be larger.

0.0100

Standfirst

0.0075

The NZ Avocado pruning trial is evolving following 0.0050 new funding initi 0.0025 0.0000

2013

The NZ Avocado pruning trial has been a collaborative trial seek Treatment 0.0075 Autumn Light canopy management to mitigate the impact of irregular bearing in N Autumn Moderate Frequency

smaller trees, with plenty of room to move around with the elevated platforms, and with trees with less structural anomalies. A weak correlation was observed between tree size and pruning cost (Figure 9).

Table 1: Mean picking cost for all pruning treatments and co Treatments with the same theacross grouping Table 1: Mean picking cost for all pruning treatments letter and controlin averaged 2011-13. column indic Treatments with the same letter in the grouping column indicate no significant difference as measured by Tukey’s test with a 95.0% confidence level. measured by Tukey’s test with a 95.0% confidence level.

0.0100

0.0050

Control

Spring Light As 0.0025 with all activity using grower funds, we review and evaluate va Spring Moderate we0.0000 are meeting the needs of the industry. This trial reached a stop-

110 165 220 275 330 385 440

Over the three years ofWeight the(g)trial we have worked closely with 13 g and7: with industry toallseek thetreatments solutions we needed. We ha Figure Population distribution ofexperts fruit weight for the pruning and control from all orchards in the years 2011, 2012 and 2013. three years and find we are not able to draw conclusions as we e that there are many variables and to isolate the impact to the pru • Tree vicinity: different treatments were applied to adjacent trees. With time, many of the trees (especially the control or light pruned trees) have grown over the neighbouring trees (in some cases the moderate pruned trees), shading them and affecting their performance. In the experiments of the future programme in which tree structure is being assessed the experimental units will consist of groups of adjacent trees. • Treatment design: in this trial trees were pruned by a fixed percentage in spring or in autumn regardless of their tree status. But trees need different interventions at different times of the year depending on their status. Repeating a fixed intensity of pruning is not something that will happen in a commercial situation where the timing and severity of the intervention depends on the status of each tree. In the future programme treatments will be applied based on the variation of the tree status through the years. Avoscene May 2014

300.00

Picking cost (NZ$/kg)

250.00 200.00 150.00 R² = 0.2094

100.00 50.00 0.00

50.00 40.00

R² = 0.6024

30.00 20.00 10.00 0.00

0.00

200.00

400.00

600.00

0.00

Tree surface (m2)

2.000

Picking cost (NZ$/kg)

On the Orchard

1.500 1.000 0.500 R² = 0.082

0.000 0.00

1.00

2.00

50.00 100.00 150.00 200.00

0.500 0.400 0.300 0.200 R² = 0.4261

0.100 0.000

3.00

0.00

Normalized yield (kg/m2)

1.00

2.00

3.00

Normalized yield (kg/m2)

Figure 8:Tiles A and B show correlations between picking costs and tree canopy size for trees from all orchards and a single orchard respectively. Tiles C and D show correlations between picking costs and fruit load (as measured by kg fruit/m2 of tree canopy) for trees from all orchards and a single orchard respectively.

The trial also highlighted the importance of engagement of the “rural professionals”, i.e. those people, contractors, consultants, grower reps, field staff, etc., who add value to our industry. Engagement with the rural professionals focusing on pruning has progressed thinking on pruning to tackle irregular bearing and tree structure. Growers in the trial commented that the engagement and discussion across a wider circle of avocado professionals has added and shared knowledge about pruning and tree structure.

Avoscene May 2014

30.00

25.00

Pruning cost (NZ$/tree)

This trial has highlighted the variability across avocado orchards in New Zealand and the importance of optimising the experimental design to focus on the priority factors. This high level of variability will need to be incorporated into any commercial pruning strategy developed. Another benefit of the trial is that data gathered on pruning and picking costs which will be incorporated into the industry orchards gate return, and grower return template.

20.00

15.00

R² = 0.3172

10.00

5.00

0.00 0.00

100.00

200.00

300.00

400.00

500.00

Tree surface (m2)

Figure 9: Correlation of pruning cost with tree size as measured by canopy surface area across all trees and the three seasons.

Pruning continues to be, and needs to be, a topic of hot discussion. The combination of avocado experts, growers, rural professionals and scientists innovating, trialling and observing different methods of pruning will influence the development of best practice pruning methods to tackle irregular bearing.

We strongly encourage this collaborative interaction. We have utilised new data analysis and developed new tools such as graphing software and GIS software to carry out spatial analysis of orchards. Being able to link trial results directly to a trees location in a block has made understanding block specific factors and tree location effects much faster and easier and will be a tool used in many future research projects.

The trial has taken considerable time and resource from the growers and rural professionals and we thank all of those who have been involved for their input, time and expertise. The relationships and ideas generated have been great and have added knowledge and shaped our thinking on overcoming irregular bearing. If you have experience of pruning or canopy management that has positively impacted your orchard yield and consistency of yield, please talk to us. We are keen to hear about all the methods being employed, and the results from those methods. A

On the Orchard

Within the MBIE programme we have started a project looking at flower pruning in an on flowering year and at fruit pruning when the set has been excessive. Under the PGP programme we will start a project aimed to identify, characterise and evaluate different canopy management strategies to assess their compatibility with high and regular production. These two projects are complementary and we are confident that they will help us answer fundamental questions that the industry has on canopy management of avocados.

Figure 10: Yield and canopy surface area of trees as the trees are situated in one of the orchard blocks.There is a gradient of production in the block with high production in the north end of the block and low at the south end.The south end is the lowest area of the orchard where the grower thinks that the frost is more intense. Coloured crosses in the middle of circles indicate treatment type (Yellow = Control, Orange = Autumn Light, Red = Autumn Moderate, Green = Spring Light, Blue = Spring Moderate). Circle size is proportional to the canopy surface area and colour intensity indicates yield of tree with scale provided in the bottom left of the figure. Pollenizer locations are marked as small yellow circles marked with “P”.

Tree Health

Health Scale 0–1 1–2 2–3 3–4 4–5 5–6 6–7 7–8 8–9 9 – 10

Yield + Canopy Area 2013

Yield (kg) 0 – 68 68 – 136 136 – 204 204 – 272 272 – 340 340 – 408 408 – 476 476 – 544 544 – 612

Figure 11. (A) Tree Health portrayed as colour scale as the trees are situated in one of the orchard blocks, 0 being healthy and 10 unhealthy. (B) Yield and canopy surface area of trees in the same orchard block as tile A. Circle size is proportional to the canopy surface area and colour intensity indicates yield of tree with scale provided in the bottom left of the figure. Coloured crosses in the middle of circles indicate treatment type (Yellow = Control, Orange = Autumn Light, Red = Autumn Moderate, Green = Spring Light, Blue = Spring Moderate). Pollenizer locations are marked as small yellow circles marked with either “B”= Bacon or “Z” = Zutano.

Figure 12: Photos of trees chosen for trial from a single orchard highlighting the variation in vegetative and flowering state as well as size differences.Tree A is significantly bigger than trees B and C and tree C has a much higher flowering intensity than trees A and B.

Avoscene May 2014

ATP

Std FEATURES  Compliance to AS-NZS 14.18.10  Continuous 360 o slew  Variable width and rating  22 deg rating @ 2.3m wide  25 deg rating @ 2.5m wide  Full proportional controls  Articulated booms  Large work envelope  Side levelling chassis  On screen slope readout  Cage load indication  Over slope alarm  Dual oscillating axles  ‘Bump’ reduction technology  Auto stabilise locks  4x4 (Hi-torque drives)  All drives include braking  Rough terrain tyres  Emergency descent  Multi failsafe  Auto/manual throttle  Diesel or Petrol engine  Hour meter  Cage cover  Easy cage access  Phone tray  200kg & 220kg SWL

OPTIONS     

Auto-level & Chassis slope Aux hydraulics Picking & implement bins Fore/back tilt 200 Variable width 2.3/2.5m

OPERATIONAL CHARCTERISTICS

 The unique Dual Oscillating Axles Suspension system facilitates significant ‘Bump’ reduction (up to 80%), and enables side levelling (up to 20 degrees) of the main chassis. The suspension system also continuously auto-stabilises on-the-run, and when static.  All operating slopes and angles are displayed on the screen, as well as measuring cage SWL . Maximum operating safe Slope limits of 25 degrees and 22 degrees (width dependant) will warn when exceeded.  Continuous rotation of the slew is a feature that when coupled with the articulated booms, greatly increases the ‘work envelope’. Within that envelope, ATP machines are recognised for their ‘outreach’, which means the base machine does not need to enter the tree for fruit harvest, therefore no damage to root structure beneath tree canopy. Perfect for Terraces.  Whilst the performance of many common access platforms drops off significantly on slopes and bumps, the speed of harvest on an ATP can remain constant regardless of terrain within its operational rating.  The drive system is 4x4 with high torque drives, and each drive includes braking, and counterbalance to stop run-away on hills.  Engine throttle is load controlled, which means the engine will automatically throttle to match only the load required. As a normal day brings many varied load cycles, this translates to significant fuel savings  The ATP Super series has a SWL (Safe Working Load) of 220 kg, and the ATP Lite series has a SWL 200kg.

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY AND SAFER ACCESS ON DIFFICULT TERRAIN ATPs have ‘Bump” reduction technology & chassis levelling

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Avoscene May 2014

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N U T R I O L O G Y *

*the science of growing

Profile boosted at Food Festival Growing demand from health-conscious consumers in Singapore presents a huge opportunity for avocados from New Zealand.

The New Zealand avocado industry made a high-

profile push into Asia in March with celebrity cook and New Zealand avocado ambassador, Nadia Lim, taking to the stage at a global food festival in Singapore to help promote consumption of New Zealand avocados. Over 17,000 people attended the SAVOUR food festival which featured Michelin star chefs and awardwinning cuisine from around the world.

The promotion of New Zealand avocados at SAVOUR was led by AVANZA Ltd (which collectively markets 80 per cent of New Zealand avocados exported to Asia), with support from its Singaporean-based importer, Freshmart, and industry body New Zealand Avocado.

“By exhibiting at SAVOUR and having Nadia Lim on board, we hope to ‘localise’ New Zealand avocados and present them in a way that appeals to the Asian palette,” says Qi Lin. Industry organisation NZ Avocado supported AVANZA’s plans by involving its ambassador Nadia Lim in the food festival. Nadia has worked as the New Zealand Avocado ambassador for two seasons, fronting significant print and public relations campaigns here at home which has helped make the fruit more popular than ever.

Markets

Growing demand from health-conscious consumers has already seen NZ avocado exports to Singapore soar from 600 trays per week to 3600 trays per week in the past five years.

middle aged group who are looking for healthier additions to their daily diet.

New Zealand Avocado CEO Jen Scoular says it’s vital to work collaboratively with industry partners such as AVANZA to open up new export markets around the world.

AVANZA Ltd spokesman Carwyn Williams says Asian markets are very receptive to products which promote health and well-being. “The Singaporeans are rapidly taking on board the health and beauty benefits of avocados. They’re high in potassium, protein, fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. They’re also great for your skin and cardiovascular health so we expect to gain a lot from the exposure at SAVOUR.” Freshmart spokesperson Qi Lin Phan says there is a lot of ‘untapped potential’ in Singapore. “Avocados are still viewed as a ‘Western’ fruit and are used mostly in Western cuisine. But they are becoming increasingly popular among the educated Avoscene May 2014

“Singaporeans are rapidly taking on board the health and beauty benefits of avocados” Jen says Nadia has helped increase consumption in New Zealand by developing new and unique ways to use avocados, and is sure her appearance at SAVOUR will inspire food lovers and international chefs to include avocados on their menus. “Nadia successfully hosted a variety cooking events over the three days, as well as engaging with consumers on the AVANZA booth. There was a mixture of cookery classes, demonstrations and seminars, teaching the crowd how to cook with avocados and about the health benefits of the fruit. She’s a natural presenter and as a qualified dietician, she represented our industry superbly.”

Markets

Jen says there are also huge benefits of being in the market to understand the food and consumer trends in Singapore which will help inform the industry’s promotions in the coming season. SAVOUR marketing manager Eunice Chua says this year’s festival re-created a farmer’s market atmosphere showcasing lots of fresh fruit and vegetables – hence Nadia was invited to host several highly-prized cooking demonstrations using avocados.

“In Singapore we import a lot of food because we don’t have many natural resources to grow it. People here increasingly want to see where their food comes from, meet the producer and see how it is grown.” Chua agrees Singaporeans are becoming more health conscious about what they eat, so avocados are more popular than ever, particularly among people aged under 40. “We have a lot of fresh juice shops in Singapore which used to only stock things like watermelon and banana shakes. Now they all have avocado smoothies. And restaurants serve avocado on toast for breakfast or in salads. Five or 10 years ago we wouldn’t have seen that in Singapore.” About SAVOUR

Now in its third year, SAVOUR has been described as one of the world’s best food festivals. The 2014 lineup of restaurants featured over 50 signature dishes created by 20 of the world’s top chefs The event also included a gourmet market showcasing a plethora of food and drink exhibitors, celebrity chef master classes, a hands-on cooking studio, wine workshops and other themed areas. All workshops, tastings and demonstrations were conducted by renowned experts and are complimentary, on a first-come first-served basis. About Freshmart

SAVOUR attendee enjoying Nadia Lim’s NZ Avocado masterclass.

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Freshmart is a Singaporean company that specialises in the import, export and distribution of premium quality fresh fruits and vegetables. It currently supplies over 100 supermarket outlets island-wide, as well as several food service businesses. It is constantly sourcing new products and opportunities to satisfy consumers’ evolving tastes and consumption patterns.

Avocados top priority for China By Elaine Fisher, Jounalist, SunMedia elaine@thesun.co.nz

Avocados have made it to the top of New Zealand’s list of horticulture products for access to China but it could be two to three years before the borders open to the fruit.

Ministry for Primary Industries, says New Zealand avocado’s status was established following the recent China/NZ Sanitary and Phytosanitary Joint Management Committee meeting. AQSIQ, China’s certification agency, had started preparatory work for the risk assessment of avocados from New Zealand in late 2013, he says. “As the first next step, we will provide an update to the pest list for avocados provided with the submission of 2010 and use that opportunity to once again affirm the status of avocados being New Zealand’s top priority for horticultural market access. “It is difficult to give an indication of the likely timeframe for AQSIQ to complete their work, but our experience with other products is that it could take up to two to three years and possibly longer if a significant phytosanitary issue is identified during the AQSIQ risk assessment phase.” Officials from China may wish to visit New Zealand

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Tim Knox, Director Market Assurance for the

to inspect the industry’s phytosanitary procedures but Tim says it is hoped the standards required for export to other countries will also be acceptable to China. While approval could be given soon, two to three years for China to give approval to New Zealand avocado imports is not unreasonable. “That’s about the time we take to approve a new import to New Zealand.” Tim says MPI appreciates the importance access for New Zealand avocados to China has for the industry, and the additional profile the issue now has following the announcement of its successful PGP bid. Jen Scoular, CEO New Zealand Avocado, agrees, saying although China will be an important future market for the industry, gaining and retaining access won’t be easy. “We are working closely with MPI to gain access to China. Across the industry we must also be disciplined in adherence to our industry systems and processes to

continued...

Avoscene May 2014

required for a successful market entry when approved and enter the market on a positive front foot, not following in the footsteps of competitors.” Research necessary to undertake includes assessing the size of the China market, its consumer requirements, other competitors. “Once this is completed then New Zealand’s entry into the market can be based on true market requirements and not guesswork,” says Lesley.

maintain access to export markets. Going forward we anticipate a strengthening of the auditing our export partners undertake of our systems. The recent visit of Thailand officials auditing our systems is illustration of that.”

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Exporters, though keen to begin marketing and selling in China, are equally aware that it could be years before authorities give the go-ahead. Lesley Shield, general manager of JP Exports Ltd, says market access is often a long and sometimes difficult process so at this point it would not be prudent to forecast a time frame. Steve Trickett, director of AVANZA, says the industry is ever hopeful this upcoming season may be the one where it finally gains market access. “At the same time we are mindful the persimmon industry has been in the queue ahead of us for many years and so it is difficult to predict and plan with any confidence.” Lesley says access to China is highly desirable. “All countries wish that their products can gain immediate access to the China market, however there is a process that must be followed before entry is successful. “It would be wonderful if New Zealand was granted immediate access, however patience is required. That does not mean the industry should sit and wait. During the negotiating period the industry should take the opportunity to gather all the information 46

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Although he knows it’s unrealistic, Steve wishes China was immediately open to New Zealand avocado imports. “While category demand continues to grow in virtually all markets we look to serve, the projected volume increases from New Zealand are likely to run at a rate beyond our emerging market capacity, so the access to a highly populated market with increasing wealth will be a vital shot in the arm for New Zealand producers in the challenging seasons ahead of us.” China is a huge country and needs to be viewed as a number of markets. “Avocados in China are already priced higher than other imported fruits due to awareness of the unique health and nutritional attributes, and our research indicates that consumers will pay a further 10 per cent plus premium for the New Zealand origin. In the early phase, we may even position the fruit as a luxury item, as opposed to simply premium.” Lesley says while it would be hoped that China will be a premium market, a well-constructed market entry strategy will be essential to achieve and maintained that status. The New Zealand avocado industry will face a number of challenges in China, including increasing the understanding of the fruit. China has 80 years of history in avocado planting but avocados are not generally well known, nor are they a normal part of diet for most Chinese. Avocados are grown sporadically in southern provinces but it wasn’t until 1985 that high yielding avocados were

planted. By 2009, a total of 15,000 hectares planted by 2009 and around 100,000 tonnes of avocados produced. The Chinese avocado growing season is counterseasonal to New Zealand’s supply. Commercial production has not happened yet in China but it would be seen as beneficial to increase demand and knowledge of avocados in New Zealand’s counter season. Lesley says lack of understanding of the fruit by consumers, possibly limited fruit handling knowledge among importers and retailers, and lack of adequate infrastructure, including pre-ripening, may all be issues. “These can be overcome with a well-constructed strategy which includes product information, education of consumers, wholesalers, retailers etc. The platform for the strategy should be discussed and agreed by all interested parties.”

“For the wealthier, more educated and most health conscious consumers there is already significant awareness of the benefits avocados offer in the diet. One of the challenges will be in developing recipes that are compatible with the main cooking styles of the Chinese, noting the vast majority of dishes are cooked and eaten hot rather than cold.” China is a market some New Zealand producers, including Zespri and Fonterra, have found difficulties with but Lesley says she doesn’t not believe they have limited their opportunities. For Zespri, (which has been convicted over customs charges), she says China is now one of its largest and most successful markets and its growth pattern appears to be continuing. New Zealand’s avocado industry is not the only one with its eye on China. Mexico already has the right to export fruit there and California-based Mission Produce export sales representative Thomas Padilla has told www.freshfruitportal.com “our worry is that

“When that happens it’ll be a bloodbath there. People will have to discount their fruit on the market because it is starting to age; in any developing market you’re going to see that, which is why for us it was important to select key partners there to handle our label.”

“Our research indicates that consumers will pay an extra 10 per cent plus premium for New Zealand origin”

Steve believes New Zealand exporters generally have demonstrated an ability to manage optimum crop flow into emerging markets without detriment to pricing. The middle class and the younger generation are likely to be the target consumer for New Zealand avocados, says Lesley.

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Steve says considerable investment in cool-chain infrastructure and warehousing has been made in recent years, with ripening centres being the next logical development as the market matures and grows.

the market will get saturated with avocados, and that’s why we think it’s important to brand our label and pick a company like Lantao to carry our product – my understanding is that a lot of guys in Mexico will see the opportunity in China and just start shipping to receivers in China who really don’t know how to handle the product.

The nutritional health benefits of avocados will feature heavily in marketing collateral, as well as the suitability and specific benefits of avocados for all age groups, from babies right through to the elderly, says Steve. “In China avocados are often referred to as ‘nature’s butter’, so there is a good health platform to work from when appealing to consumers.” China will remain an extremely important market to all Southern Hemisphere producing countries and although New Zealand does not have the export volumes compared to other competing countries, there will always be an opportunity for the New Zealand exporters to participate in this everexpanding market, says Lesley. “Looking at the strength of ‘brand New Zealand’ in China, the dramatic growth of a ‘new’ item like kiwifruit in a short timeframe and the underlying demand for avocado as a ‘health food’, we believe the Chinese market offers the New Zealand avocado industry a tremendous future, if carefully managed,” says Steve. Avoscene May 2014

South Korea consumer research Bevan Jelley - New Zealand Market, NZ Avocado bevan.jelley@nzavocado.co.nz

NZ Avocado has conducted consumer research in South Korea to gain insights that will help shape a targeted promotions programme for the coming seasons.

Our strategy with emerging markets is to obtain

consumer and market insights to define our target audience, how best to reach them and with what message, and inform our promotions going forward. Consumer research has been conducted in South Korea in top selling supermarkets in Seoul. Instore samplings were set up near avocado displays and shoppers completed an initial in-store survey. Customer details were collected and further information was obtained through a follow-up smartphone survey.

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The objective of this research was to: • define a target market for New Zealand avocados in South Korea, • make recommendations on the types of messages/ benefits that will appeal to this target market, • make recommendations on the most appropriate South Korean media through which to deliver these key messages to this target market.

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Key findings from the report:

• 96% of shoppers were South Korean citizens. • 87% of people purchasing avocado were female. • P urchase frequency is low - 76% of shoppers purchase avocados less than once per month. • S outh Korean shoppers purchase avocados primarily for their health benefits and were specifically interested in the following health benefits of avocado: - Healthy, young looking skin. - Cholesterol free – heart health. - Nutrients for expecting mothers. • The most popular uses are salads and Californiastyle sushi rolls. •C onsumers seek out information mainly from TV, internet blogs and in-store promotional material. • 4 9% of shoppers were aware that their avocados were supplied from New Zealand.

Majority of shoppers believe that avocados from New Zealand are cleaner, safer and fresher than avocados from other supplier countries.

• Awareness of New Zealand as the supplier country was significantly higher than any other supplying country. Next highest was USA at 23%. •M ajority of shoppers believe that avocados from New Zealand are cleaner, safer and fresher than avocados from other supplier countries.

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High level conclusions from this research point to the use of promotional messaging that focuses on health and beauty aspects appealing to women and implemented through in-store demonstrations and public relations with popular bloggers and relevant TV show hosts. The “New Zealand factor” is also a strong advantage of our avocados and will be incorporated into the look and feel of collateral. The full research report is available on the industry website under Crop & Market > Market Info and select South Korea from the drop down on the right.

Global experts in food safety & quality

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freephone 0508 00 11 22 | www.asurequality.com Avoscene May 2014

Avocentric - Warwick and Mary Coles By Elaine Fisher, Jounalist, SunMedia elaine@thesun.co.nz

Treating avocado trees like cows might seem like a peculiar management technique but its merits are evident in the outstanding results on Warwick and Mary Coles’ Katikati orchard.

Mary andWarwick Coles overlook their Kairua Orchard from the deck of their Katikati home.

Avocado trees might not look much like dairy cows Reports

but Mary and Warwick Coles believe there is more similarity than meets the eye.

“My approach to managing avocado trees is a bit like what we used when we were dairy farming. If you want a cow to give you a calf and milk, or an avocado tree to grow plenty of fruit, you have to make sure both are healthy, fed well and not over-stressed,” says Warwick, who with Mary grows avocados on 2.5ha of land at Tuapiro Point north of Katikati. Not over-stressing the trees for this couple often means doing something many growers find very hard - removing immature fruit and lots of it. “The first time I told a contractor to prune branches with fruit on, he couldn’t believe it, but I said I

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couldn’t see the fruit from where I stood on the ground, so cut if off.” Mary and Warwick believe many dairy farmers making the switch to orcharding have a similar tough attitude to fruit pruning. “When you’re dairy farming you become used to culling cows from the herd and culling fruit is what you have to do if you want to keep up production,” says Mary. In 13 years they have only had two seasons when the orchard produced very little fruit. Removing excess fruit is just one strategy the couple use to gain the best from their 220 trees and their formula is working. Their orchard is described by

the Avocado Industry Council as being in a “stellar position on the yield and irregular bearing index scatter chart”. Its four year yield average is 17 tonnes per hectare, five tonnes a hectare above the 12 tonne target the industry has just set itself. Irregular bearing index is just 15, which is very low there are only a handful of orchards in that category. “We really don’t know exactly what it is that puts us up there. We think some of it is due to the orchard location. It’s north-facing, sunny and well sheltered from the easterly winds,” says Mary. The location no doubt plays a part but it’s not the total answer. That is to be found in the couple’s attention to detail and informed decision-making. Mary and Warwick came to orcharding knowing absolutely nothing and jokingly say after 13 years growing avocados they know even less.

“I couldn’t and wouldn’t accept that – income one year and none the next.” Using what they knew to be effective in dairy farming Warwick and Mary focused on ‘fruit culling’, nutrition and pests and diseases. Lindsay Heard of Brenmark Horticultural Consultants takes soil samples and prepares a ‘prescription’ fertiliser which is applied by hand to along drip line of each tree.

“You can be average at what you do or if you want to be in the top 10 per cent, you employ those with the brains to help you get there,” says Warwick.

Pest monitoring is done by FruitFed, whose staff noticed the orchard has a strong population of beneficial insects.

“We went to every field day and seminar available to learn as much as we could,” says Mary.

“They are the cheapest pest control we’ve got, so we decided to stop using the hard sprays which kill everything and use more targeted sprays.”

“We weren’t yet ready to retire and this property had to return us an income. There is no way it is a hobby orchard.” Warwick says at one field day some years ago growers were told to make the most of the ‘on’ years when tree produced lots of fruit to tide them through the following ‘off’ season.

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After 40 years they wanted a break from the ties and demands of dairy farming, so sold their farm in Ruawai (two waters) in Northland and bought a mixed avocado and kiwifruit orchard near Katikati called Kairua (two foods). Aware of their lack of knowledge they set about aligning themselves with those in the industry who could help and advise them.

Warwick Coles indicates fruit he would remove – with no leaves beyond the fruit to nourish and shelter it.

Mary says six spotted mite and leaf roller had been an issue but targeted and timely spraying appears to have brought them under control. Phytophthora disease is an on-going problem, with the worst affected trees those planted along old shelter belt tree lines.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;They grow around a metre a year. I realise how fast they have grown when I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the view from our deck,â&#x20AC;? says Mary.

Ppin:

Some are now so high the last of this seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fruit will have to be picked by a 10 metre elevating work platform.

6130

Grower: W &M Coles Family Trust (Coles) Colesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had said Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never have one of those on this orchard.â&#x20AC;?

Orchard Data extracted from the industry data base. If you have any questions or would like an

explanation of your orchard information as presented below, please come and see us at the NZ Avocado stand.

Volume in Season Hectares tray equivalent 2009-10 3.0 12,993

The plan is to bring the trees down to a height where a normal elevating work platform can reach, and also to open up the orchard canopy.

Irregular Bearing Index

t/ha 23.8

2010-11

3.0

7,120

13.1

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Coles' Orchard Average

3.0 2.8 2.8

8,474 8,597 8,002 8,048

15.5 16.9 15.7 15.3

đ?&#x2018;Śđ?&#x2018;Ś1 â&#x2C6;&#x2019;đ?&#x2018;Śđ?&#x2018;Ś2 đ?&#x2018;Śđ?&#x2018;Ś1 +đ?&#x2018;Śđ?&#x2018;Ś2

IBI=

9 4

Ă&#x2014; 100â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have trees which are holding hands and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not

Warwick is a fan of Allan Hedgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system which aims to prune trees to an inverted cone or Christmas tree shape â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but that will take time to achieve, given the age and size of the trees.

4 5

30.0

14,000

25.0

12,000 10,000

Volume TE

t/ha

Colesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Orchard Yields

20.0

6,000

5.0 0.0

4,000

3 ha

2.8 ha

2,000 0

Series2

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Series1

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The original owners injected trees twice a year and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I did but then I was told it only needed doing in spring, but with just one injection a year the trees went back.â&#x20AC;? Warwick says it took attending first an avocado and then a kiwifruit field day for him to realise orcharding aimed to do the same as farmers growing grass did. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The consultants said we needed to open up the canopies in kiwifruit and avocado trees in order to harness the energy of the sun â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been doing for 40 years growing grass.â&#x20AC;? However, controlling the 30-year-old trees on their orchard is a real challenge. 52

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Imported mulch is not used, but prunings are chipped and spread beneath the trees. In early October, 16 beehives are brought into the orchard for a month of pollination.

8,000 15.0 10.0

good.â&#x20AC;?

The harvest begins in October and the last fruit is picked in January. Picking is done by Aongatete Avocados Ltd and fruit has been packed by both East Pack and DMS this season. Mary and Warwick manage the avocado orchard themselves, with the exception of spraying and picking. The adjacent 2.7 canopy hectare green kiwifruit orchard is managed by Birchwood Packhouse but the couple have also been heavily involved in the management of their small kiwifruit orchard in Lindemann Road, recently grafted to the new variety Gold 3 orchard â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are in the avocado orchard most days unless thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something better for us to do,â&#x20AC;? says Mary. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do as much as we can ourselves but if I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to do it, or donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like doing it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; then I use my gold card,â&#x20AC;? laughs Warwick. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seriously though, if you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do the job properly itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better for employ someone who can.â&#x20AC;?

Food safety a key consideration Article prepared by the Ministry for Primary Industries

Despite avocados falling into a low risk category, it’s important for growers to take responsibility for food safety in order to minimise risks for consumers and the avocado industry.

With around 1600 growers managing over 5000 hectares of avocado orchards, New Zealand’s avocado industry has grown to be the third largest fresh fruit export in the country with industry value estimated to quadruple by 2023.

MPI has identified that many growers do not think that the horticulture industry is regulated for food safety, however this isn’t correct. Currently the whole horticulture sector is regulated under the following legislation: • The Food Act 1981, that requires the production of safe and suitable food for sale, as well as ensuring that workers handling food are not ill and going to

• The Health Act 1956, which gives rise to the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974. Although exempt from registration, the horticulture sector must still comply with the applicable regulations that relate to premises and conduct of workers. • The Building Act 2003, which specifies the supply of potable water (water that is safe for people to drink) in packhouses and any other building that processes food. The Food Bill, currently before Parliament, seeks to rationalise these regulations by replacing the Food Act 1981, the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974 and the Food Safety Regulations 2002 with one new Food Act. One of the aims is to make the regulations more

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Such high market potential for New Zealand avocados makes it crucial for the industry to provide the best market produce there is. That means ensuring food safety standards and industry guidelines are followed, as well as making sure that hygiene is a number one priority across all levels of production, from growers to exporters.

pass on infectious illnesses via food. This Act also requires compliance with the standards contained in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards and the Food Safety Regulations 2002.

“The AvoGreen approach to avocado production is an example of industry taking responsibility to enhance its food safety measures”

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growers should follow include things like ensuring irrigation water and composts made of animal origin do not make contact with produce; using ‘drinkable’ or ‘potable’ post harvest water that is free of pathogens; enforcing hand hygiene for pickers, graders, packers and anyone else that may handle produce along the way; and making sure that ill workers immediately stop working or handling produce. Although the toughness of avocado skin does lessen the risk of foodborne illnesses, it doesn’t make avocados immune to food safety issues, which are generally caused by poor compliance with good agricultural practice.

workable, transparent and consistent. The Food Bill will establish requirements that vary depending on the level of risk associated with the food activity being undertaken. It’s important to note that the horticulture sector is at the lower end of this risk framework.

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MPI is currently trialling a guidance document that will assist growers and packers to meet both the current legislation and the proposed Food Bill. The trial consists of working with the guidance document for a period of three months and a short online questionnaire at the beginning and end of the trial. If you would like to take part in this trial and get a feel for how the regulations may affect the horticulture industry, please call 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz. Regardless of any potential changes arising from the proposed Food Bill, it’s really important that both growers and industry comply with New Zealand’s food safety rules and regulations to ensure the safety of consumers here and overseas. Fortunately to date there has been no food safety issues with New Zealand avocados. Some of the good agricultural practice that avocado 54

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Many bacteria and viruses that cause foodborne illness are very hardy and will live for extended periods of time on the surface of fruit and vegetables. Viruses such as Norovirus and Hepatitis A that could get onto produce via contaminated water or ill workers can be transferred by people handling and eating the produce. Despite avocados falling into a low risk category, it’s important for growers to note that they are still susceptible to contamination by pathogens. Compliance with current food legislation and with the proposed Food Bill regulations is not an option— it’s necessary to minimise the risks for consumers and for the avocado industry. Moreover, complying with a scientific risk-based regulatory system that is ‘world-class’ and accepted in overseas countries, may encourage off-shore buyers to purchase New Zealand products and enhance industry trade and market access. Currently, MPI requires any food sold for both domestic consumption and export to comply with the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards, otherwise known as the MRL standards. MRL standards have been established in most countries to safeguard consumer health and specify

the extent to which pesticide sprays, including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and other agricultural compounds, can be used on food produce. These MRL standards are set to reflect Good Agricultural Practice and can vary significantly from country to country due to the different types of pests and diseases that need to be controlled, as well as the different types of crops and pesticides that are available in each country. Industry in New Zealand can also set their own residue standards in order to meet trading partner requirements, where these are more stringent than the New Zealand standard. An example of this within the avocado industry has been the implementation of the AvoGreen programme, which was launched by the NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. (NZAGA) in 2000.

The programme aims to reduce the use of pesticides within the industry through a combination of methods and principles from the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) framework. This includes an emphasis on biological control and management techniques to minimise the harmful effects of chemical sprays, and pest and disease monitoring systems to ensure that pesticides are only used when necessary. The AvoGreen approach to avocado production is an example of industry taking responsibility to enhance its food safety measures. MPI hopes that initiatives like AvoGreen, along with better knowledge and understanding of food safety practices domestically, will encourage even higher food safety standards within sectors like the avocado industry, which will benefit New Zealand’s food industry and consumers as a whole.

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Fiona on track with avocados By Elaine Fisher, SunMedia Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Medal-winning Paralympian Fiona Southorn seldom leaves home without enough avocados to eat at least one a day until she returns.

For Paralympian Fiona Southorn an avocado a day is part of her winning formula.

However much as she would have liked to, she

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couldn’t take the fruit with her when she flew to Mexico for the World Track Championships in April. “Fortunately the Mexicans love avocados, so I could still enjoy them,” says Fiona, who has a year-round supply of the fruit from Freshmax Technical Manager Dave Alderton, as well as sponsorship for training kit and travel from Freshmax NZ. The nutritious fruit is an essential part of Fiona’s diet and training programme. The real estate agent from Waipu eats an avocado a day and on race days has three or four pieces of toast, avocado and marmite for breakfast before taking to the track. When she’s at home she has an avocado in her salad with dinner.

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“They are a great source of energy with good oils and lucky they are so tasty. “I’m not a big meat eater. Avocados give me the good fats I need and are a lasting fuel which helps with my stamina for training and racing.” Fiona, whose disability is described as limb deficiency: left arm, says she got hooked on riding after biking to work. This led to her first international appearance where Fiona won a silver medal at the World Champs. Since turning her form of transport into a sport, Fiona has continued to shine on the international stage. In 2012 she attended her third Paralympic Games at which she was determined to finish in the medals, and Fiona’s hard work and training finally

“I’m not a big meat eater. Avocados give me the good fats I need and are a lasting fuel which helps with my stamina for training and racing”

paid off when she won a bronze medal in the 3km pursuit. In fact 2012 was a stellar year. She also won bronze in the UCI Para Cycling World Championships 3km Pursuit and gold in the Oceania Para Cycling Track Championships 3km Pursuit and silver, in the 500m Time Trial at the same event. The 46-year-old’s favourite event is the 3km pursuit but Fiona also does well in time trials and is equally competitive in road events. She rides standard racing bikes with the only modification being one lever to control two brakes. The next big challenge after Mexico is the NZ Road Nationals in May, followed by a World Cup event in Italy and the Road Worlds in California in August.

of avocados is backed up by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the United States, which proved eating avocado every day boosted people’s HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels and resulted in a 50 per cent less chance of metabolic syndrome (a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and type2 diabetes). The research findings were among those presented at the New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference in Tauranga late last year. Dave says Freshmax is delighted to sponsor Fiona, and hopes others in the industry will take the opportunity to have her speak to community and school groups about her sport and avocados in particular.

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Trained by Jono Hailstone, Fiona takes her sport very seriously, training six days a week. In the lead up to Mexico she attended a special training camp in the South Island and also spent time in a sports lab in Auckland, getting used to the effects of competition at the attitude she experienced in Mexico. Dave Alderton says Fiona is a well-known personality in Northland and he first met her when she sold a house for him two years ago. “We got talking about her cycling and how much she likes avocados and so I arranged a regular supply for her, just about year round. “Fiona is a great ambassador for avocados. She is not only a top sports person, but she also talks to school groups and teenagers, inspiring them to take up sports and explaining how avocados are an important part of a healthy diet, and ideal for athletes.” Dave says Fiona’s experience of the health benefits

Fiona Southorn won bronze at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

Avoscene May 2014

Seeking clues to fruit’s flavour What makes an avocado delicious? Researchers in California are aiming to identify “markers” that breeders could use in pinpointing the most promising new kinds of avocados.

ARS and university scientists are unlocking flavour secrets of Hass avocados.

As anyone who loves avocados will tell you, the perfect fresh avocado has a smooth, buttery texture and a rich, often nutty flavour.

Nourish

Aroma is, of course, part of what we perceive as flavour. Scientists already know that Hass avocados, the kind most widely sold in the United States, have at least 25 aroma compounds or, technically speaking, aroma volatiles. Though the word “aroma” might imply that they have a role in avocado flavour, the precise contribution of each of these aroma volatiles has, for the most part, not been well studied, according to Agricultural Research Service plant physiologist David Obenland at Parlier, California. The aroma compound pentanal is a good example. It may be responsible for the nutty flavour of a

Avoscene May 2014

ripe Hass avocado. Right now, however, there’s not enough scientific data to confirm that role, nor to indicate the amount of pentanal needed to impart the nutlike flavour, David says. What’s more, no-one knows whether other aroma chemicals in avocados contribute to this particular aroma. But David’s collaborative research may help unlock some of the avocado’s flavour secrets. He’s giving top priority to determining the kinds and concentrations of aroma compounds that are essential to the classic flavour of Hass avocados. With further work, these key compounds might serve as “markers” that breeders could use in pinpointing the most promising new kinds of avocados. Growers and packers of the future might

C be able to use the markers to determine the best times to harvest the fruit or to develop new tactics to better protect these compounds – or their precursors – during storage and ripening. Avocados, like pears and some other fruits, ‘mature’ on the tree, but ripening (softening) occurs after they are harvested. Ongoing research by David and a team led by Mary Lu Arpaia, of the University of California-Riverside, is providing a start toward developing such markers. In preliminary studies, the scientists tracked changes in the concentrations of individual aroma volatiles as the avocados matured and ripened.

fruit [hexanal; (E)-2-hexenal; and 2,4-hexadienal] were probably responsible for a grassy flavour, and that the “likeability” of the fruit—from the tastetesters’ point of view—increased as the levels of these compounds decreased in the maturing fruit. David says the work differs from most prior avocadoflavour studies, which primarily focused on flavour contribution of the fruit’s natural oil.

The researchers used two well-established analytical procedures (solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) to extract, identify, and determine the quantities of the compounds.

“Our findings provide new evidence that aroma compounds actually do influence avocado flavour.” ARS, along with the university, the California Avocado Commission, and Pinkerton Avocado Growers Association, funded the research, which was conducted with the help of Mission Produce, Inc., and Del Rey Avocado Company. – By Marcia Wood, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.

In all, they worked with samples from about 850 domestic and imported avocados and analysed more than 4,500 observations from 15 to 20 taste-testers.

This research is part of Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products, an ARS national programme (#306) described at www.nps.ars.usda.gov.

The studies, described in detail in Postharvest Biology and Technology in 2012, are apparently the first to report the levels of aroma compound sampled during Hass avocado maturation and ripening, David notes.

David Obenland is with the USDA-ARS San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, 9611 S. Riverbend Ave., Parlier, CA 93648; (559) 596-2801.

Among other findings, the researchers confirmed that three chemicals prevalent in the early growth of the

“What Makes an Avocado Delicious?” was published in the March 2014 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

Avoscene New Zealand

ers’ Journal

Avocado Grow

May 2014

os nd avocad New Zeala al with PGP go glob

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To book advertising space in the next issue of Avoscene please contact Suzy King at SunMedia Ltd.

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Booking deadline for the next issue is June 13, 2014. Contact Suzy on 07 578 0030 or 021 769 831 email suzy@thesun.co.nz

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n frost protectio The value of report Pruning trial a rity for Chin prio top Avocados Fiona Southorn Paralympian r avocado love

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MARKETING THE BEST

AVOCADOS IN NEW ZEALAND AND AROUND THE WORLD

The Avocado Problem Solver Field Guide Those who attended the NZ and AU avocado growersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; conference last September will have seen the Avocado Problem solver guide on the Avocados Australia stand. Many growers commented on the guide and expressed interest in purchasing a copy. This A5 sized guide has durable coated pages, is spiral bound and features 221 pages with large clear graphics of an extensive range of pests, diseases and disorders affecting avocados. This guide was produced for Australian growers but has much relevance for growers in New Zealand. NZ Avocado is pleased to announce that we now have the opportunity to order these books for you. The price will be dependent on how many orders we receive but could be $80 to $100. We are currently taking expressions of interest. Once we have an indication of volume required we will be able to negotiate the price and come back to you. Please call 0800 AVOCADO or email jnunn@nzavocado.co.nz to register your interest by 1 June 2014.

JARROD REDWOOD Avocado Program Manager P +64 9 573 8581 M +64 27 200 0295 E jredwood@freshmax.co.nz

KIM FRASER Domestic Manager P +64 9 917 1485 M +64 21 629 816 E kfraser@freshmax.co.nz

RODGER BAYLY Export Marketing P +64 7 985 6802 M +64 21 622 577 E rbayly@freshmax.co.nz

DAvE ALDERTON Technical Services M +64 21 505 814 E dalderton@freshmax.co.nz

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Recipe

Avocado, Pumpkin and Haloumi Quinoa Salad Serves 4-5 Prep time: 20-25 minutes Cook time: 20-25 minutes Roast pumpkin 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon runny honey 500g peeled pumpkin, cut into 2-3cm chunks

To serve 200-250g haloumi cheese, sliced 0.5cm thick 2 grilled chicken breasts (optional), sliced Dressing 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard Juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon liquid honey 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa. Combine quinoa and stock/water (with a pinch of salt) in a medium-size pot and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce to lowest heat to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to steam, still covered, for 10 minutes.

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Quinoa salad 1 cup quinoa 1 Â˝ cups chicken or vegetable stock Flesh of 2 firm ripe avocadoes, sliced 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved 1 cup seedless grapes, halved 6-8 medjool dates, stone removed, chopped Handful of baby rocket or spinach leaves Âž cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 200degC. Line an oven tray with baking paper. 1. Toss pumpkin with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey in prepared tray. Roast until slightly caramelised, 20-25 minutes.

3. Fluff up quinoa grains with a fork and toss with roast pumpkin and remaining quinoa salad ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a fry pan on medium heat and cook haloumi slices for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown, and melted on the inside. Mix all dressing ingredients together and toss with quinoa salad. To serve, divide quinoa salad between bowls and top with slices of cooked haloumi and grilled chicken breast if using.

Avoscene May 2014

Out & About

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Out & About

uncing the NZ Avocados Go Global PGP Programme to gro wers

Avoscene May 2014