Big future for hort
THE HORTICULTURE sector is punching above its weight when it comes to export revenue, according to Westpac industry analyst Paul Clark.
And Clark expects the sector to continue to grow as more global consumers demand high quality nutritious fruit that delivers health benefits.
In the bank’s NZ Agri Bites report for September, Clark says horticulture exports are already a big deal.
“Kiwifruit and apples are our fourth largest export category, after logs. Add wine into the mix, and the sector catapults into third place,” says Clark.
“The sector punches way above its weight. Not only is it one of the most efficient producers of fruit internationally, but it also outperforms other sectors of the New Zealand economy.
“That is particularly true for kiwifruit, which leaves even the high-performing agricultural sector in its wake. Much of that has to do with ideal growing conditions in New Zealand. Being a counter-seasonal producer also helps.”
The sector also spends large on R&D which not only delivers the process efficiencies but also products tailored to customer preferences.
Clark says high export revenues have also got to do with increasing demand for high quality fruit, especially that which delivers unrivalled health benefits.
“Population growth and rising incomes in key export markets should ensure that this remains the case,” he says.
However, he cautions that in the years ahead, supply is likely to be a key factor that determines prices. Careful
management here will be needed to deliver superior orchard gate returns.
Kiwifruit exports for the year ending August 2024 were worth around $3.1b, while apples contributed slightly under $1b.
Clark says that makes the sector the fourth largest exporter in New Zealand, just behind logs. “Add $2b worth of wine into the mix, and the sector catapults into third place.
“The sector punches above its weight. Not only does it post higher production yields than many of its contemporaries, the sector also shows an unrivalled export propensity – a nod to the quality of fruit produced in New Zealand and its ability to compete successfully in export markets.”
According to Clark, much of that success reflects ideal growing conditions in regional New Zealand. Being a counter-seasonal producer, it is well placed to fill gaps in global supply.
He notes that the sector is also a big investor in R&D, which has delivered both process efficiency gains as well as new products that align to changing customer preferences.
Clark says he thinks that this is a growth sector. Demand for high-quality, nutritious fruit that delivers health benefits is set to grow over coming years.
“Subject to the weather and the impacts of climate change, supply will be all important in determining prices. Careful management here will help
support prices and deliver superior orchard gate returns in coming years.”
The 2024 kiwifruit and apple crops look promising. The 2024 kiwifruit crop of just over 190m trays is larger than the 133m trays exported in 2023.
About 75% of this season’s crop has been shipped offshore, notably to the EU, China, Japan, which account for over 70% of kiwifruit exports.
Clark notes that export demand for kiwifruit is set to remain strong. However, we still expect prices to dip as supply from New Zealand and other major exporting countries lifts. Competition from seasonal summer fruits could also dampen prices.
But volume effects should outweigh price effects, meaning better orchard
gate returns on a per hectare basis. Apple growers should also benefit from gains in production.
Clark says good growing conditions have resulted in a better 2024 harvest. But with production still off from previous years, this latest harvest reflects a partial recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle.
Clark notes that New Zealand’s production is counter-seasonal, which means that demand for its apples in key export markets is likely to remain strong over the coming year.
“Prices though should still tilt lower as growing capacity recovers further and output levels grow. We think that is likely to translate into better orchard gate returns for apple growers,” he says.
Sudesh Kissun sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
Kiwifruit exports for the year ending August 2024 were worth around $3.1bn.
Fit-for-purpose system for freshwater farm plans needed
latory requirements via one integrated farm plan,” says Sands.
THE HORTICULTURE
sector needs a fit-for-purpose system for freshwater farm plans that works for the sector and delivers on environmental outcomes, says Michelle Sands, acting chief executive of HortNZ.
While backing the Government’s decision to pause the freshwater farm plan rollout, HortNZ wants current programmes added into the freshwater farm plan system.
“We believe that the optimal approach to making progress on regulatory issues is to establish a pathway to enable growers to use industry assurance programmes like New Zealand Good Agricultural Practice (NZGAP) and GLOBALG.A.P. to meet market and regu-
“We are encouraged to hear that the Government is wanting to integrate existing industry assurance programmes into the Freshwater Farm Plan System. We want to see recognition of programmes like the NZGAP Environment Management System, which is trusted, robust and meets the desired policy outcomes.
“It would fit with the Government’s goals and enable growers to find the right solutions for their farms and catchments.”
Last month, the Government announced it was pausing the rollout of freshwater farm plans until system improvements are finalised.
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard says that improving the freshwater farm plan
system to make it more cost-effective and practical for farmers is a priority for this Government.
“Freshwater farm plans support farmers in managing freshwater risks, but the current system is too costly and not fit-forpurpose.
“We have heard the concerns of the sector and Cabinet has agreed to pause the rollout of freshwater farm plans while potential changes are considered. Minor amendments to the Resource Management Act (RMA) will enable the pause.
“Once these amendments are made, farmers will not be required to submit a freshwater farm plan for certification while changes to the freshwater farm plan system are underway.
“We want freshwater farm plans to acknowledge the good work many
farmers are already doing. The key thing for farmers is to make a start and keep up their efforts –their work will not be wasted,” Hoggard says.
The Government will work with the sector, iwi, and regional councils to simplify requirements and enable more local
catchment-level solutions.
HortNZ is also calling for commercial vegetable production (CVP) to become a permitted activity for growers with a Freshwater Farm Plan (FWFP).
Sands points out that over 80% of NZ-grown vegetables are grown for
the domestic market.
“New Zealand’s growers are committed to operating to good management practices and the industry is committed to supporting them.
“That includes through product group research like the Sustainable Vegetable Systems programme and the HortNZ/Ministry for the Environment Growing Change project, which is supporting growers to develop their FWFP through a catchment-led approach.
“We encourage growers to maintain their ongoing efforts in environmental management via GAP and the EMS, supported by Growing Change, and to continue their sustainability journey despite the policy uncertainty.
“HortNZ wants a nationally consistent approach to planning rules to provide certainty
for commercial vegetable production in New Zealand,” says Sands.
Regional councils have been unable to develop workable rules for vegetable production. Some regions constrain crop rotation, constrain nutrient supply to a level which reduces the amount of vegetables that can be produced and constrain expansion so growers cannot grow more vegetables to feed our growing population.
Regional councils are not well-placed to balance national benefit with local effects, she says.
“The risk is regions make unworkable rules for commercial vegetable production, without taking into account the national importance of vegetable production in securing a resilient supply of healthy fresh food for New Zealanders.”
NZ polymer douses smoke taint in wine
WINE SCIENCE researchers from the University of Adelaide have found that a tailor-made polymer developed in New Zealand could hold the key to removing smoke taint in wine.
Ideally, to remediate smoke tainted wine, the molecules responsible need to be reduced, without removing desirable elements that contribute to the wine’s composition, colour
volatile phenols responsible for the smoke taint.
Researchers added MIP beads to smoke-impacted wine which selectively bound and removed the target
We exposed the wine to MIP beads imprinted with billions of binding sites complementary to the target compound’s molecular properties, such as size, shape and chemical which included guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, cresols, and phenol. The findings were recently published in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Sudesh Kissun sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
HortNZ acting chief executive Michelle Sands.
Fastest-growing vegetable now available in stores
NEW ZEALAND’S fastest-growing vegetable – which grows at an astonishing rate of up to 17cm a day in warm weather – is now available in supermarkets.
Ideal growing conditions means this year’s asparagus season has started earlier than usual, and a huge effort is now underway to harvest the nutritious crop in Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu and Canterbury.
Dubbed ‘the Queen of Veggies’ by local growers, asparagus is a royally good way to up your intake of essential fibre, folate and vitamins.
“During peak season in mid-October we’ll pick over one million spears daily, with our harvest
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crews covering more than 1000 kilometres of fields each day,” says Andrew Keaney, managing director of Boyds Asparagus Industries Ltd, Cambridge.
“Given asparagus’s rapid growth, it’s crucial to harvest daily to prevent the spears from becoming too mature and going to seed.”
But asparagus is only in season until Christmas so consumers are being urged to get their fill while they can.
5+ A Day Partner, Dame Lisa Carrington, says asparagus is one of her favourite spring ingredients. Spears can be grilled on the barbeque, added to quiches and stirfry dishes, fried, baked or steamed and enjoyed as a
side dish with any meal.
“Asparagus only takes two or three minutes to prepare,” Carrington says. “I like to add lightly steamed and blanched
asparagus to salads. Or you can simply roast the spears with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.”
The speedy-grow-
ing vegetable is a source of several important B vitamins along with vitamin C. It’s full of prebiotic plant fibres which promote the growth of
healthy bacteria in your gut.
One serving of asparagus (about eight spears) will also provide 94% of your recommended daily
intake of folate which is critical for healthy cell growth and function.
Keaney hopes that younger New Zealanders will try asparagus this year as many haven’t eaten it before.
“It tends to be more popular with older generations. But it’s so quick and easy to prepare that younger people will find it very convenient,” he says.
“Nothing tastes better than freshly-picked asparagus. Look for bunches of asparagus with firm stems and then store them in the refrigerator standing up in a few centimetres of water.
“Asparagus is only in season for a short time, so make the most of it while it’s available.”
Psyllid peril to potato prosperity: Lincoln University research saves a Canterbury crop crisis
Three years ago, 5% of Canterbury’s potatoes were being lost to a disease which threatened to shut down the industry. Now the pest responsible has been driven off, thanks to Lincoln University researchers.
In 2008, the Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP) entered New Zealand. Within a year it floated on the wind down to the South Island, breeding in mass and feeding on our crops.
Unfortunately for farmers, TPP was host to Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum, a type of bacteria that spreads throughout crops.
That bacterium manifests in potatoes as ‘zebra chip’. Diseased plants grow tubers with unattractive, bitter-tasting black marks.
to Lincoln, bringing with him years of specialist knowledge in integrated pest management.
Assoc Prof Kaiser tackled it with a holistic approach. He and his team set out to research TPP and teach growers how to handle
which are the two stages the insect goes through before being fully grown.
“If you’re trying to control the population, you’re better off targeting the eggs and nymphs,” he said.
At one point it was so widespread that 5.7% of Canterbury potato crops were infected.
Enter, Clive Kaiser, Lincoln University Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Sciences. In 2021 he moved from Oregon State University
A major breakthrough was getting industrial growers to change their pesticide spraying cycles to target the pest earlier in its lifecycle. For more than a decade, growers had been spraying for adult TPP, but the adults were only about 5% of the population. Eggs make up 55% of the insect’s population, and nymphs 40%,
He also released biocontrol agents at a cluster of African boxthorns along the beach at Rakaia River, which were hosting millions of TPP eggs, nymphs and adults.
“The entire bush was covered in them.”
He also taught growers which plants hosted TPP, many of which were weeds that were previously ignored.
Since then, the number of infected plants has dropped to less than
“Processing facilities are delighted. They thought they were going to lose their industry.”
Despite infection numbers being down, Clive and his team are still working to make sure the pest doesn’t come back.
“It’s about doing everything you can to keep the population in check.”
Although the work has achieved significant results, he does not believe New Zealand
will ever
The bacterium is unculturable, meaning it has never been cultured in a lab environment. As such, lab research to try and eradicate it can’t be conducted.
“If we could figure out how to culture Liberibacter, that would be a real big step forward.”
• For more information about Lincoln’s programmes and research visit lincoln.ac.nz
Dame Lisa Carrington with one of her favourite spring ingredients.
be free from Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum.
Iwi eyes hort for progress
A POST settlement treaty organisation in Wairoa is banking on horticulture to boost employment and income for its people.
Tatau Tatau o Te Wairoa Trust’s first foray into horticulture – its commercial arm E Tipu planting 18ha of apples in partnership with Ohuia Incorporation – has been a success and a stepping stone for further growth. This venture was funded through a Provincial Growth Fund loan in 2021 and is already contributing $800,000 annually in salaries to the local economy.
Robin Kaa, general manager of Tatau Tatau Horticulture (Haumako), a subsidiary of E Tipu, told Hort News that this venture has provided them with invaluable lessons and growth. “These have been crucial for the further development we’ve achieved in 2023, and the upcoming projects planned for 2024.”
The Trust has a 109ha
farm and currently leases sections for grazing and cropping, with a primary focus on transitioning to high-production horticulture.
“While we haven’t actively engaged in farming as such our focus is on conversion,” says Kaa.
“Horticulture presents a significant opportunity for economic growth and increased returns, creating more jobs, training, and income for our people.
“Situated on the outskirts of Hawke’s Bay and
Gisborne, Wairoa benefits from an ideal climate for horticulture. I believe it’s only a matter of time before the horticultural industry and development expand into our region, and who better to lead that growth than the people of Wairoa.”
The Trust has developed a six-year strategy focused on a range of potential crops to ensure both their viability in Wairoa and their marketability.
Kaa points out that their approach to land
use and development is guided by their commitment to economic growth, high returns and the creating of sustainable long-term employment.
The Trust has reached out to the Government for more financial support. Recently, Minister for Rural Communities Mark Patterson visited their two orchards.
Kaa says to date they have received support from Ministry for Maori Development, Ministry for Primary Industries
and Ministry for Social Development.
“Their support has been crucial to our operations,” he says.
“Minister Patterson’s visit provided an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our achievements and highlight several challenges we are facing.
“These challenges include the need for infrastructure investment, workforce development and training, access to funding and financial support, regulatory support, and assistance for Māori landowners and businesses.”
Kaa says Haumako’s plans include water storage facilities, orchard infrastructure, and the establishment of a first stage packhouse which will provide vital infrastructure for current and future economic growth.
Their goals are to grow diversified crops, employ 35 fulltime orchard staff and develop their own IP brand of fruit. Another goal is to upskill their people to address the high skill demand in horticulture.
Kaa notes that the horticulture industry, like the bigger food and fibre sector, is experiencing
labour shortages.
“While horticulture is projected to grow 100%, labour growth is expected to grow only 9%,” he says.
“This highlights the importance of our labour strategy, which focuses on growing and upskilling our people to address the high skill demands. We plan to address labour shortages by primarily developing local talent and only outsourcing labour during peak seasons as needed. Wairoa has a wealth of talent and whānau eager to contribute, making it crucial to harness and develop this local potential.”
KIWIFRUIT GROWERS CELEBRATE SUCCESS
Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
OCTOBER WILL see the highly successful kiwifruit industry celebrating some significant milestones in its illustrious history.
The NZ Kiwifruit Growers organisation NZKGI is planning to hold a special dinner at Mercury Baypark stadium in Mt Maunganui to commemorate three things:
35th anniversary of the Single Desk structure which underpins industry success
30th anniversary of grower advocacy organisation NZKGI
25th anniversary of the Kiwifruit Industry Restructuring Act allowing Zespri’s commercial operations.
The first kiwifruit, originally known as Chinese gooseberries, were first brought to NZ and planted in Whanganui in the early 20th century but it wasn’t until 1937 that the first commercial plantings were made by orchardist Jim MacLoughlin. In 1959 the Chinese gooseberry became the kiwifruit apparently because of its furry brown appearance resembled that of our national bird
– the Kiwi. Over the years the industry has faced many changes and challenges to ensure that growers got the best returns. One of these moves was the establishment of the Kiwifruit Marketing Licensing Authority in 1977 which at one stage was headed by Don Brash – politician and former Reserve Bank Governor.
This was followed by the creation of the Kiwifruit Marketing Board and finally led to the establishment of Zespri in 1997.
NZKGI spokesperson Dr Mike Murphy says many of the growers from the early days were instrumental in creating the backbone of the industry as we know it today. He says all growers, past and present, as well as friends of the industry, will be coming together at a gala dinner to reconnect and appreciate how far the industry has come.
“The dinner will be an opportunity for attendees to network and hear from some of the industry’s pioneering growers who applied their leadership and negotiating skills at some significant personal cost to lay the foundations for the highly successful industry we have today,” he says.
Sudesh Kissun sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
Wairoa iwi is moving into high-production horticulture.
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Samuel Whitelock – Plant Science Graduate, Lincoln University.
Undercover crops the way to beat adverse weather?
Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
ONE OF the country’s leading commercial growers predicts that in the future more high value vegetables will be grown under cover.
Richard Burke, who until recently was chief executive of LeaderBrand, says given the unpredictable nature of weather, and lower returns, growers simply can’t afford to lose a crop.
This is one of the reasons LeaderBrand invested in a 10.7ha greenhouse operation at their site near Gisborne. Here a range of vegetables, mainly salad crops,
are grown under cover as part of plan to improve the number of crops that can be produced annually and to protect them from adverse weather.
The LeaderBrand operation is unique and Burke admits the company is still learning about how to run this operation to maintain maximum efficiency. Earlier this year the company began using a new electric harvester machine and self-propelled cargo platforms to operate in its new mega greenhouse in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint.
“We got some good insights about fertiliser and chemical use as well
as recycling the water.
The environmental side of it has exceeded our early expectations, but when you get in that envi-
ronment where you can control everything, you only get good outcomes when you do things absolutely correct. But if you
don’t get it right, there are problems,” he says. Burke says there is huge potential in such an operation.
SCIENTIST BAGS HORT’S BLEDISLOE CUP
THE DAYS of being a simple vegetable grower are long gone and there is a need for highly skilled people in both the business and science side of any operation.
That’s the message from Dr Stuart Davis, LeaderBrand’s sustainability manager, who recently won NZ’s highest horticulture honour - the Bledisloe Cup for 2024. The Cup is awarded by Horticulture New Zealand annually in recognition of individuals who have made an outstanding and meritorious contribution to the horticulture industry in New Zealand over decades.
For more than 35 years Davis has championed the use of science and innovation to enhance sustainable vegetable production. It’s said that there’s nothing he doesn’t know about growing vegetables.
As regards the present season, Burke says they have had one of the best growing seasons for about the last three years. He
etable growing. He went to Massey University and while doing a post graduate scholarship, developed a system of containerised transplants for vegetables – put simply, growing seeds in pots for later transplant rather than growing directly into the soil. This innovation was quickly taken up by tomato growers in Gisborne.
“They started doing this even before I completed my studies,” he told Hort News For about half his career he worked for Watties, where he applied science to such things as crop scheduling. In 2002 he joined LeaderBrand and was almost immediately involved in developing an integrated pest management programme – at that stage, to deal with a lettuce aphid problem.
says spring has been early and kind and the outlook is for a good growing season. The kind weather has resulted in good quality crop volumes which in turn has seen lower vegetable prices for the consumer.
“So, consumers hopefully feel like they are winning but that’s put a lot of pressure on a lot of growing businesses. Although they have probably had really good crops and good volumes, their outcomes are probably not all that sharp, but again, it’s more about us having to learn to produce at these values rather than expect the prices to be high,” he says.
Davis has been a director of Vegetables NZ and chair of the Vegetable Research and Innovation Board and is currently the Industry Stakeholder Advisory Group Chair for A Lighter Touch.
Much has changed since Davis began his career in the late 1970s. He says in the early days it was unheard of for a grower to have a science-type person involved in their business.
“These days virtually all vegetable growing operations employ an agronomist – even medium sized operations either someone in the family with these qualifications or have a trained agronomist on staff,” he says.
As for the future, Davis says he has no plans to retire and will continue to work because he loves the job.
Davis, 65, grew up in Pukekohe, but his folks were not involved in veg-
LeaderBrand has invested in a 10.7ha greenhouse operation in Gisborne.
Dr Stuart Davis, centre with HortNZ board vice-chair Bernadine Guilleux and chair Barry O’Neil.
Scanning data at your fingertips
A PARTNERSHIP between two technology companies in Hawke’s Bay is making orchard data more easily accessible to growers using new interactive online heat maps.
Fruition Hawke’s Bay has provided Green Atlas Cartographer orchard scanners to growers in New Zealand since 2019, allowing them to precisely count buds and fruit on all their trees and vines.
Up until now the detailed data generated by these scanners hasn’t always been simple for growers to absorb at a glance, so Fruition worked with agritech expert HortPlus to create and launch interactive digital maps on their client portal.
Fruition Hawke’s Bay managing director Jack Hughes described the new maps as “making it easy to see what is happening in the orchard
and to decide what action needs to be taken”.
“The maps bring together all the crop density information gathered by the Cartographer scanners and present it on personalised ‘heat-maps’ of growers’ orchards, allowing them to easily see the current state of play.
“The new maps are a handy tool to help growers make informed decisions on where priorities are and how crops can be optimised sooner, easier and cheaper.”
Fruition is the exclusive New Zealand partner for Green Atlas scanners. Hughes says four machines covered 2600ha of kiwifruit and apples in 2023-2024, and Fruition was excited about the Cartographer’s ability to simultaneously collect fruit size, number and leaf area data.
“This combination provided a fundamen-
tal measure of crop load and the capacity of trees to size fruit to market requirements.
“There’s more work to do in figuring out the ‘optimums’ for differ-
ent variety and growing system combinations and we’re focused on working with our clients to develop simple, practical metrics that are easily adopted on the orchard,”
he says.
The new maps developed by HortPlus for Fruition Hawke’s Bay aren’t the first time the two companies have collaborated. The partnership
has spanned more than 10 years, resulting in a swathe of new technology and resources for Fruition clients.
Other innovations developed for Fruition by HortPlus include the TrappaTM app that certified scouts employed by Fruition can use to record the type and number of pest insects caught in pheromone traps placed around apple orchards.
The data recorded in the app is automatically pulled through to Fruition’s client portal, providing Fruition consultants and apple growers with data to inform pest control decisions.
The ‘hot trap’ function shows relative pest pressure throughout each orchard and guides block sub-division decision making.
HortPlus and Fruition have also worked together to make soil moisture data available on the Fru-
ition portal by displaying data uploaded from soil moisture sensors on orchards.
This data shows how much water plants are using and where in the soil profile they are taking it from. Recommendations help growers make informed decisions around if, when and how to irrigate.
HortPlus director Mike Barley said working on leading edge technology with another business in the Hawke’s Bay, where HortPlus was founded, was a source of pride and indicative of the strength of the region as one of New Zealand’s agri-tech hubs.
“Over the years Fruition Hawke’s Bay has always been open to new technology and investing in technology that will add value for New Zealand growers – it’s been a natural and productive partnership.”
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Cartographer orchard scanners allow growers to precisely count buds and fruit on all their trees and vines.
NH unveils specialty tractor
NEW HOLLAND recently showcased its new-generation T4.120 F specialty tractor, giving New Zealand customers a closer look at the winner of The Best of Specialised title at the International Tractor of the Year Awards 2023.
The tractor is the flagship of New Holland’s premium specialty tractor range, delivering 118hp, with a redesigned engine layout that sees the new hood comfortably house the complete after-treatment system. The lower height and compact dimensions of the hood improve visibility, as well as reducing potential damage to branches when working under fruit tree canopies.
With overall dimensions a critical consideration, cab height is as low as 1920mm, with the
width at the top of the cab to 870mm, enabling the tractor to pass under the lowest branches in narrow groves without interfering with the valuable crop.
Upgraded technology features include a new VIS multi-functional display positioned above the dashboard, providing live information on the tractor and making it easy to set functions intuitively,
alongside a redesign of the cab’s Human Machine Interface, incorporating the most advanced New Holland features and ready to integrate the latest PLM systems and agriculture 4.0 technologies.
Said to be easier to enter and dismount, with a new armrest that is more user friendly, the optional Blue Cab 4 system offers cate-
gory 4 protection levels with enhanced filtration against dust, aerosols, and vapours.
An optional suspended front axle ensures a smooth ride, while also retaining SuperSteer as standard, with an effective steering angle of 76°, allowing the tractor to turn in a radius as low as 3.5 metres.
On the engine front, the tractor offers Stage V
emission standards, a fuel tank capacity of up to 104 litres, alongside extended service intervals. Engine Speed Management (ESM) precisely fuels the engine to meet prevailing loads and maintain a constant speed, with the convenience of being able
to program two engine speeds, allowing the operator to select speeds for work and turns at the end of a row.
In addition to the new T4 120F model, the traditional T4 F/N/V and LP CAB and ROPS versions continue to be sold across
NZ in a range of horsepower from 74-107hp and widths – with a min. 1061mm – to suit all applications and terrain. A suspended cab option is available, reducing vibration by up to 60% on road and 15% in the paddock.
N-boost popular among China spud growers
A NEW Zealand developed and manufactured nitrogen efficiency booster is growing in popularity in China where it is used to improve potato crop production.
Demand from Chinese crop farmers for the N-Boost has been a boon for sales according to Donaghys general manager crop protection and export Tim O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan and Donaghys chief executive Jarred Marfell recently visited resellers and growers across China in key cropping regions of Inner Mongolia and Beijing provinces to see how the product was being used in market.
“Chinese farmers have been using N-Boost as a biostimulant on large scale potato crops and other smaller market garden applications for Chinese medicinal herbs. They’re using N-Boost to enhance nitrogen utilisation efficiency.
“Our partner in market, Adama, hosted us on the tour. They have been carrying out a range of trials on farms with N-Boost. The farms we visited were very pleased with the results to date.
Potato crops receiving N-boost were well ahead of control plots using conventional nitrogen application.
“Adama is one of our largest cus-
tomers for N-Boost, which is a patented formulation developed to increase nitrogen uptake from plants. They are very excited about the product’s potential to support more sustainable farm practices in China.”
Globally, N-Boost is used in the North American market in Costa Rica and sales are growing in South Africa.
“We have cropping farmers in the USA using N-Boost, with one farmer –Randy Dowdy – claiming the soybean world record for yield of 12.8 tonnes/ha in the 2019 Georgia soybean production contest.
“Donaghys N-Boost is a proven addition to a fertiliser programme that helps lift production, while lowering urea application.”
In New Zealand, dairy farmers are Donaghys main customers of N-Boost.
“We are seeing cost-conscious dairy farmers turning to foliar applications of urea. When N-Boost is added, they can cut back their application rates this way to get under the N-cap while lifting their dry matter production. It is a cost-effective strategy to maintain milk solids.”
N-Boost is a patented formulation that contains adenine compounds and amino acids.
The tractor is the flagship of New Holland’s premium specialty tractor range.
Mark Daniel markd@ruralnews.co.nz