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Western Cape’s Apple Production under Shade Net
The k20 white shade net above the apple trees is visible in this picture. Image supplied by knittex. The Western Cape’s most well-known apple producing district is Grabouw. Some refer to the district around Grabouw as Elgin, but in fact, Elgin is the name of a former train station adjacent to the town. However, this remarkable district is almost worldwide known for its quality apples it exports from the farms spread around Grabouw.
For many years apples were produced here for export purposes and also later, for the Appletiser factory close to town. Global warming and its evident change in weather patterns brought about variable conditions and even harshness of the sun’s UV rays. Therefore, during the past decade or so and after thorough research and trials with different density, colours and hues of shade net, apple producers started to turn to shade net structures over their orchards, or at least, over certain varieties. During an interview with Brandon Myburgh, general manager at Drumearn (Pty) Ltd farms, the positive effects of shade net structures over apple varieties became evident. Needless to say, proper farm management and good planning have much to do with success and progress. In this aspect, Brandon climbed the ranks in the apple industry from a young age. He began in 1992 at Two a Day (Pty) Ltd in their apple receiving bay but soon was recognised for his technical strengths, and received experience in fruit size measurements, storage trials and preharvest maturity sampling. He was then spotted by a Grabouw apple producer and picked up experience on the wider management of an apple production unit. Going from strength to strength, Brandon later worked for a number of years at Lourensford Estates at Somerset West, but having family and friends in his hometown, eventually landed him a position at Drumearn company farms, Grabouw. He was soon advanced to be general manager, the position he still holds. According to Brandon, the company has three farming units; two which are in Grabouw area and one in Villiersdorp. The apple varieties grown are; Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Royal Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, Kanzi and Sundowner. “To remain competitive, the producer constantly needs to adapt according to consumer demand. As new varieties and rootstocks become available and show good prospects, we gear our production sites up early in order to keep our markets satisfied,” he said.
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WHERE APPLES GROW BEST
The ideal soil in which apple trees would flourish, should consist of the following; well-drained soil to a depth of more than 80cm and a clay content of less than 25 – 30%. In shallow soils of less than 40cm you need to make ridges in order to achieve at least 60cm. Generally, the apple producing areas in the world are located between 40° north and 50° south from the Equator. This results in favourable conditions with sufficient chilling units in the winter without constant below-freezing temperatures. The summers in these regions are also mild; therefore never above 30°C. Since apple production farms in South Africa are situated around 34° south of the Equator, they are in a marginal area. Therefore, at
Brandon Myburgh, general manager at Drumearn (Pty) Ltd apple farms.
PROTECTING YOUR CROPS FROM THE
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least two low chilling units are required during winter for optimal quality in apples and in summer, shade net protects the crop from sun burn and other defects. Apples are produced in tropical regions where the height above sea level exceeds 1800m. In this situation the height above sea level assists in achieving the required chilling units in winter and dampens the effect of a possible heat wave during summer. In Grabouw district there are approximately 8 000 ha that is suitable for the production of apples. The average trees planted per hectare are between 1 445 – 1 778, but new plantings are seeing 2 800 trees planted per hectare in order to be financially viable. Income per hectare depends totally on the amount of first class fruit produced per hectare to be financially viable. At this stage a minimum of 60 tons per hectare needs to be achieved in order to recover input costs. “South African apple producers alone will never be able to satisfy the world’s demand as they annually supply less than 2% of the world’s apples. Therefore an excessive crop or lesser crop amount from SA would have no real effect on the world’s demand,” Brandon explained. “In terms of water supply to the orchards, we have always used micro irrigation in all our orchards, which allows us the added advantage of being able to “Pulse Irrigate” when temperatures become excessive in the summer months. This help us to lower the micro climate temperature in the orchards during a heat wave, resulting in less sunburn and stress on the apples,” he further said.
SHADE NETS OVER APPLES
When enquiring on the advantages of shade net over apple trees, Brandon said they have made use of a K20 White net in all their netted orchards which effectively provides 8% shade. Nets are hung at 4.5m above the ground and the tree height is between 3m and 3.5m depending on plant spacing. Producers have noticed that the full benefit of shade nets is only noticeable once the trees have a bit more body. Younger, less vigorous trees are still susceptible to sunburn damage under nets and from experience only from the 4th leaf stage they experience the advantage of shade nets.
HISTORY WITH SHADE NETS
“Our first apple trees planted under net was in 2013.
Harvesting of apples goes quick under shade net structures and vehicles transporting the bins can move freely.
We made the decision that we would plant all Granny Smith orchards under net as we reduced our cull percentage from 40% to 15% in orchard. This obviously resulted in more first grade fruit going to the pack house which in turn had a positive effect on the bottom line. “We are fortunate Image supplied by not be affected by knittex. hail or wind normally, but the results of global warming/ Apples under knittex climate change are definitely being West Black shade net structure. Image supplied by knittex. noticed and recently we have had an increase in hail and wind damage,” Brandon said. General maintenance is required annually after the season to ensure that the nets are in good shape for the winter winds and rain. From experience they learnt that a small tear which has not been repaired in time, results in substantial damages and costly repairs later. Tree heights are kept to 500mm below the nets and they have
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invested in a self-propelled platform to perform maintenance on trees.
HIGHER PACk OUTS WITH SHADE NET COVERED ORCHARDS
“Besides the extra income as a result of higher pack outs, we also have an additional saving, in that we do not need to insure the orchards under net for hail or wind damage. Surprisingly we have noticed that orchards under net are less vulnerable to wind damage compared to those without nets.
LOCkDOWN INFLUENCE
“Covid 19 has been challenging for the fruit industry to say the least. The wellbeing of our employees as well as the scarcity of containers for export obviously was a huge concern. Fortunately we are adaptable to change and have adjusted to the new normal and kept our heads up,” Brandon explained. “All our fruit is delivered to Two A Day (Pty) Ltd who manages our packing and marketing. We are fortunate to have a brilliant technical department which supports us in all aspects.
FUTURE PLANS
“All our orchards under nets are fixed nets which mean that we do not open or close them as we wish. In future this will be a consideration as well as testing bi-colour varieties under shade net structures. “As a farmer you need the support of your family - especially as irregular hours and last minute cancellations of family commitments are part of the package. Without an understanding and supportive family you will not achieve your goals,” Brandon Myburgh wisely concluded.
knittex shade net structure with slanting side wall. Image supplied by knittex.
