Future Orchards

the past five years

3 DURING 2020 there were three virtual orchard walks delivered direct to the grower’s computer.

BY SUSIE MURPHY WHITE PROJECT MANAGER, POMEWEST

With Future Orchards® moving into a new phase in July 2021, it’s time to look back at what we have achieved in Future Orchards® 2, 2015–20.

Over the past five years, Pomewest have been working with Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL) and AgFirst to deliver the highest standard of agronomic information for your orchard, facilitating orchard walks with international and national speakers to growers in Western Australia (WA) and all Australian Pome growing regions.

The project is one-of-a-kind, delivering an internationally renowned technology-transfer program.

Future Orchards has been responsible for accelerating and expanding the adoption of innovation and technology in apple and pear businesses across Australia leading to an increase in production right here in WA. This project wouldn’t have been the success it has without the support and participation of WA growers. Throughout every part of the project, WA growers have been involved and created a dynamic environment for learning.

Orchard Walks

• 2017 Michael, Kaye and Mat Fox (Pemberton), T and C Fontanini (Manjimup), Rob Tassone (Kirup) • 2018 Newtons Brothers (Manjimup), Blue Moon (Mullalyup) • 2019 John Hearman (Donnybrook), T and C Fontanini (Manjimup), Michael, Kaye and Mat Fox (Pemberton) • 2020 three Virtual Orchard Walk presentations at DPIRD and orchard walks at Fontanini’s long-term In 2020 there were three Apple replant trial (Manjimup) virtual orchard walks delivered direct to the grower’s computer. While we couldn’t host the guest speakers due to Since 2015, there have been 13 Future Orchardstrials. and Rob and Cheryl Omodei (Pemberton). Each orchard walk has been uniquely different and everyone has always had COVID-19 conditions, we really positive stories about were able to get together in each visit. local groups in WA. Thank you for opening up your orchard Since 2015, when Future Orchards 2 so that everyone could see how you were began, there have been 17 Orchard operating, it is really appreciated. Walks attended by more than 500 growers in WA. Future Orchards trials I would like to thank the following orchards for hosting walks: I have had a great team behind me, the Community Orchard Group (COG) consisting of: Terry Martella, Mark • 2015 Vic Grozotis (Manjimup), Ann Scott, Joe Fontanini, Mat Fox and Dave and Mauri Lyster (Manjimup), Terry, Stewart. These growers, along with

Basil and Mark Martella (Kirup) AgFirst consultant Steve Spark, were • 2016 Steve Ghilarducci (Karragullen), T and C Fontanini (Manjimup), Steve Atherton (Donnybrook) able to provide strategic direction on the trials that would be of benefit to all WA growers.

Since 2015, there have been 13 Future Orchards trials investigating: leaf defoliation in low chilling environments, snap pruning on a cordon row, apple pre-planting treatments, delayed cuts under netting, eating quality of Pink Lady® apples, pollination under and outside netting, snap vs click pruning, predicting lenticel damage, water use growth rate and taste, bud dissections to determine fruitfulness and precision pruning to bud numbers. These trials have given growers an insight into some of the topics that have been delivered in the orchard walks and are topical in the WA Pome industry.

Focus Orchards

We have had two Focus Orchards in the past five years run by Trevor, Carmel, Joe and Lucy Fontanini in Manjimup, and Michael, Kaye and Mat Fox in Pemberton. Both of these orchards have not only received individual agronomic advice from Steve Spark at AgFirst, but also opened up their orchard practices to everyone on a more intense scale by hosting additional orchard walks and trials.

They have been able to make changes to their systems and gain so much more.

Orchard Business Analysis

Each year financial data has been collected from 24 orchards nationally, six from each state, to enable all growers to benchmark themselves against other orchards.

There are six growers from WA each year contributing to the national benchmarking for Pome Orchards across Australia.

WA has participated in the Business Development Group, contributing to the data sets in OrchardNet™ that make the program beneficial to all. A group of 6–10 growers have collected fruit size measurements each year of the project to ensure this program was an informative dataset, predicting fruit size at harvest and growth rates during the year.

Thank you to everyone involved with orchard walks, hosting trial sites, providing data for OrchardNet™ and the Orchard Business Analysis.

We look forward to visiting more orchards in the future and working with the team at APAL and AgFirst. If you didn’t get a chance to participate in the past five years and want to be involved in the next phase of Future Orchards®, please get in contact.

MORE INFORMATION

Susie Murphy White: (08) 9777 0151 or

susan.murphy-white@dpird.wa.gov.au

3 ORCHARD Walk 30 July 2015 at Terry Martella’s Kirup — in orchard presentation in the rain!

3 ORCHARD Walk 7 March 2019 at John Hearman Donnybrook — bus trip to John’s nursery.