WA Grower Summer 12 by vegetablesWA

$25.00 (inc GST)

WA Grower Potato Growers Association Inc.

Agricultural Produce Commission

APC-VPC APC-PPC

SINCE 1948 Vol. 47 No 4. Summer 2012

Youth with enthusiasm

Stable fly project

Produced by

vegetablesWA

Management Committees

Cover photo: Joanna Wren (Photo by: Joshua Higgins)

Vegetable Growers Association

Contact details for Horticulture House vegetablesWA, Potato Growers Association, Western Potatoes Horticulture House 103 Outram Street West Perth 6005 t: (08) 9481 0834 f: (08) 9481 0024 e: office@vegetableswa.com.au

President

Executive Officer Jim Turley m: 0410 697 842 e: pga-vga@vegetableswa.com.au Policy and Program Manager John Shannon t: 0488 111 526 e: john.shannon@vegetableswa.com.au Finance/Administrator/Magazine Advertising Rebecca Blackman t: (08) 9481 0834 e: finance@vegetableswa.com.au

Maureen Dobra t: (08) 9575 2086 m: 0417 174 110

Vice President Ken Sue m: 0417 986 467

Busselton

Treasurer Anthony Marinovich m: 0417 907 910

Myalup/Bunbury

Committee H. Shapland K. Edwards M. Le D. Rigali M. Grubisa S. Calameri P. Wauchope P. Shain D. Kuzmicich

t: m: m: m: m: m: m: m: m:

(08) 9845 1064 0427 724 243 0417 962 427 0407 447 524 0413 050 182 0418 957 236 0400 717 600 0419 041 045 0400 542 812

Communications Officer Hayley Wilson t: (08) 9481 0834 e: hayley.wilson@vegetableswa.com.au

Potato Growers Association

Field/Extentsion Officer Sarah Houston m: 0427 373 037 e: sarah.houston@vegetableswa.com.au

Vice President

Vietnamese Field Extension Officer Truyen Vo m: 0457 457 559 e: truyen.vo@vegetableswa.com.au

Andrew Tempra m: 0417 097 729

Life Members A.J. Anderson*, D.J. Arbuckle, J. Arbuckle Snr*, J.H. Arbuckle* (M.B.E.J.P), S. Calameri, G. Kiriros*, R.G.Leach*, F. Natoli, S. Sawle*, R.M. Schultz, C.P. Stevens, W.R. Stevens* (M.B.E.J.P), HR. Ashby*, Amy Harris*, A. Ingrilli. * deceased

Gingin

Albany Manjimup Metro Metro Metro North Metro South Gingin Carnarvon Carnarvon

President Sam Calameri m: 0418 957 236

Metro

Dean Ryan m: 0427 731 066

Pemberton

Treasurer Manjimup

Committee C. Ayres B. Russell S. Calameri G. Bendotti D. Ryan M. Rose

m: m: m: m: m: m:

0428 451 014 0429 318 216 0418 957 236 0427 569 903 0427 731 066 0409 112 245

Albany Donnybrook Metro South Pemberton Pemberton Myalup

Western Potatoes Pty Ltd Chairman Ross Taylor

m: 0412 446 512

Marketing Manager Paul Graham

This issue of the WA Grower is brought to you by:

m: 0414 382 738

Non-Executive Director Simon Moltoni

m: 0427 761 693

• APC- Vegetable Producers Committee • Potato Growers Association • Western Potatoes • vegetablesWA

Articles reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher.

WA Grower 18

Vol. 47 No 4. Summer 2012

Welcome to the latest edition of the WA Grower vegetablesWA is pleased to have won recognition from the state government for the future development of horticulture precincts based around Myalup, Gingin and Manjimup. These will be important production areas as growers continue to expand their opportunities and provide food security for Western Australians. The vegetablesWA projects continue to help growers. The IPM results as part of the South West Good Practice Project have been particularly impressive, as have the cover crops up in Carnarvon. We were particularly pleased with a turn up of approximately 40 Your Industry Associations

growers at the recent irrigation workshop at Carabooda. In other project news, a number of growers are hosting trials as part of the Stable Fly mitigation project. It is hoped that these will yield a non-chemical treatment to better control this problem for the community. The next iteration of the successful ‘Fresh from WA Farms’ marketing has also begun to roll out. As always, growers seeking any sort of assistance are urged to call the vegetablesWA office or your Field Extension Officer, Sarah Houston or Vo The Truyen. John Shannon, Policy and Program Manager

Water for food

WA potato industry backed by local chefs

New rental approach at Market City

Western Potatoes Update

Insights with Ivan Ivankovic

Gourmet Escape Margaret River 2012

Department prosecutes over Gnangara water take

State Government Elections

Likely effects of the carbon tax

vegetablesWA President’s Report

On tour with a young WA vegetable grower

Potato Growers Association President’s Report

Managing water in a tricky environment

Royal Agricultural Show 2012

Grower profile — Phil Harding

Discussing the big issues in agriculture

Albany Region Commercial Horticulturists

Your Production

Tomato project yields bumper results

The use of cover crops in vegetable production

Interactions between plants and soil microbes

Business case — Capsicum grader

Controlling virus diseases in cucurbit crops

Credit checks reduce risk

Cheaper virus testing for potato growers

More Dollars per Drop starting to flow

Software packages and smartphone apps

Chemical resistance levels in Australian vegetables

Good Practice meetings

Controlling carrot powdery mildew

Permits

Your industry

Quality essential for seed potatoes

Grower profile — Joanna Wren

Fertiliser stabiliser trials (DAFF)

New stable fly regulatory reference group

Minister declares fly pest

A new approach to stable fly control

Your Business

Your Market

New FOODmap provides market insights

Vegetable market trends

Airfreight export opportunities

Your Environment

European wasps in Western Australia Your self

75 77

Leading Ladies move forward with confidence

Child safety on farms

Recipes

Vietnamese translations

WA Grower summer 2012

See better uniformity See better quality

See better nutrient use

See better water availability

The C in C•Life is for carbon, the basis of all life. C•Life delivers nutrient rich organic carbon that works like a sponge in the soil, feeding crops and holding moisture in the root zone. With C•Life in your soil, you can reduce fertiliser applications and reduce the risk of plant stress to deliver better quality produce with better uniformity at harvest. C•Life helps restore soil biological activity to provide natural resilience to soil borne pests and disease that can impact directly on plant health and yield. Call C•Wise today about a tailored program that brings new life to your soil. Call (08) 9581 9582 or visit www.cwise.com.au

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WA Grower summer 2012

Your industrY associations

WA potato industry backed by local chefs

On a groundbreaking day for the local potato industry, WA’s first ever ‘Potatodors’ were anointed as ambassadors for all that is great and good about local fresh potatoes. Seeking to tell the often overlooked and misunderstood story of local potatoes, Western Potatoes sought out six prominent and well respected chefs to bring an increased profile and understanding of the industry. The appointment of the Potatodors is part of the foodservice project — which is designed to increase knowledge and awareness of WA potatoes amongst the chef community. The foodservice project is a coinvestment marketing project jointly funded by the Potato Marketing Corporation, APC-PPC and Western Potatoes. Paul Graham, Marketing Manager at Western Potatoes says “Fresh potatoes from local WA farms are available all year round. Our growers work tremendously hard to provide a broad range of choice for the

WA Grower summer 2012

local market. This campaign is designed to connect our chefs and consumers back to our farmers.” Don Hancey of Panorama Catering is coordinating the project “It’s time to raise the profile of the humble spud once more. We’re working with some of the most respected chefs in the state to put potatoes on a pedestal once again. Our Potatodors are the first of their type in Australia and we’re delighted to have the support of such accomplished and high profile foodies.”

Potatoes are back in fashion. They taste great and are so versatile they suit nearly every occasion. The Potatodors use simple recipes to bring out the fantastic flavours. We’re talking to chefs and explaining the story of the industry and the great variety available. Jim Turley, Executive Officer of PGA is enthusiastic about the new Potato Ambassadors “There will be tremendous benefits to the industry and local consumers from having six of Perth’s best chefs promoting WA grown potatoes. Chefs are getting top quality advice, direct from those that know best.”

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Don Hancey, Jim Turley and Sam Calameri.

our inaugural Potatodors are: stePhen clarke Chef and owner, Clarkes of north Beach dan sharP Chef and owner, sharp Infusion Forest Hill Winery soPhie Budd Chef and owner, Taste Budds Cooking studio rYan larsen HGT (Hospitality Group Training) Apprentice of The year richard taYlor executive Chef, PCeC/spotless Group don hanceY Owner, Panorama Catering and Consulting

Paul Graham says “The chefs have been selected from different segments of the foodservice industry. They are all icons — real opinion leaders in their field. We have challenged them with promoting what is great about our local industry. Look out for their expert advice over the coming months.” more information The Potatodors are one part of the foodservice project. Other elements include a monthly newsletter to chefs across the state and some marketing and promotional material that will be used across the industry. For more information please contact Paul Graham at Western Potatoes.

Stephen Clarke, Don Hancey, Peter Evans and Jim Turley.

WA Grower summer 2012

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Western Potatoes Update Over the past three months Western Potatoes has reviewed and reevaluated its marketing activities — assessing their effectiveness against cost and the organisations KPIs. Following this review a number of changes have now been implemented. Some of the key marketing activities that are underway/ have been completed are:

smalls campaign The objective of this campaign was to quickly bring visibility to the potato category to deal with the forecast issue of

WA Grower summer 2012

an oversupply of ‘smalls’ in September/ October, while also developing a point of difference for WA potatoes and addressing the perceived ‘lack of varieties available’. The concept ‘WA Farm Fresh — Great Choice, Great Taste’ was been created for this campaign. This concept was created for the following reasons:

3. ‘Great Choice’ — Importance of communicating the range of varieties available in WA to consumers. Phrase carries additional meaning of reinforcing consumers decision to purchase. 4. ‘Great Taste’ — Links fresher potatoes with better taste – protecting WA industry.

1. ‘WA’ — Importance of establishing demand for WA potatoes

A nine week campaign ran in The West Australian focusing on a range of different messages.

2. ‘Farm Fresh’ — Importance of establishing preference for WA potatoes as ‘fresh’. This is a protectable point of difference over South Australian potatoes.

A follow up online campaign will be run in the lead of to Christmas — ostensibly to build a database of consumers interested in potatoes.

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foodservice project

farmers Markets

Western Potatoes has created a foodservice campaign which has been co-funded by the Potato Marketing Corporation and PGA. The campaign aims to explain the potato industry to chefs and address some of the myths and lack of understanding this sector has about our industry.

Western Potatoes conducted an analysis of Farmers Markets in WA and the opportunity to use this sales channel to develop further sales of fresh potatoes. The report is available directly from Western Potatoes and concludes that although this is a growing channel absolute sales volumes remain small.

The campaign is being spearheaded by prominent Perth chef and media identity Don Hancey and kicked off recently with the appointment of the ‘Potatodors’.

organisational restructure

consumer research A large consumer research project has been completed. With no current information on WA consumers, a project was constructed which interviewed 1,000 WA potato consumers and ran six sets of focus groups to challenge the results of the interviews.

Co-funded by the PGA and Potato Marketing Corporation, this is the largest piece of consumer research ever undertaken on the local potato consumer. The results are being used to develop a revamped consumer marketing strategy and highlights will be included in the next edition of WA Grower.

events and expos Two of the major shows for the year have happened in the last three months. The Royal Show was a resounding success, with the stand receiving an award from the organisers.

Western Potatoes has reorganised internally to effectively manage the projects it is delivering. With this restructure, Anne Kirou has left Western Potatoes. We thank her for her outstanding efforts and wish her luck in her future career. Darryl Linto will be moving into a project management role from December. The reallocation of this resource means that Western Potatoes will no longer have sales staff calling at stores on a day-to-day basis. In addition, the publication Feel Good Recipes has been paused following its first two editions. The consumer research has advised that this publication would better be delivered directly to households rather than direct to store. A decision on it’s future will be made in conjunction with wider marketing plans. more information For more details on Western Potatoes activities please contact Paul Graham directly on paul@westernpotatoes.com.au.

In addition, the team exhibited at the massive new State Government event ‘Margaret River Gourmet Escape’ which brought some of the best chefs from around the world to Margaret River. Western Potatoes also exhibited at the Canning Show.

kids program The Seed for Schools program opened for registrations in October. Following the large success of last year, another 297 schools have signed up to participate in 2013. This provides an excellent opportunity to speak directly to thousands of school children and their families. The impact per dollar spend on the project is sensational. In addition, Western Potatoes has been into a number of schools delivering educational talks on potatoes and the potato industry. WA Grower summer 2012

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Gourmet Escape Margaret River 2012

Throughout the weekend, we promoted and sampled baked Royal Blue and Ruby Lou gourmet potatoes. The response to the baked potatoes was overwhelming, with many show-goers coming back for seconds. There was an enormous amount of interest in our cooking process. The show-goers were informed about the different uses of the gourmet — ideal for roasting/baking, potato salads and also wedges. With Christmas just around the corner, this is a perfect time for the gourmets — less preparation time, less cooking time, great presentation and they are rich in flavour. We also gave show-goers the opportunity to sample our dressings with the baked gourmets.

The Gourmet Escape was held at Leeuwin Estate Winery in Margaret River on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th November. This was the first year for this event.

The Gourmet Escape had the pleasure of entertaining the world’s best chefs, Rene Redzepi, Alex Atala, David Chang, Matt Moran, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, AA Gill and over 20 other international and local food and wine experts. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Heston Blumenthal was not able to attend this year’s event. The Chef ’s Kitchen was hosted by Don Darcey (Western Potatoes Potato Ambassador) from Panarama Catering. Western Potatoes had a stand set up next to Buy West Eat Best. Our stand had an excellent opportunity to interact and educate a large number of the general public about the benefits of potatoes. There was definitely a lot of interest shown in regards to the gourmet potatoes that were sampled over the weekend. The show-goers were also very keen to find out information about the different varieties and grades of potatoes and their uses. The biggest concern from the consumers, however, was the lack of ability to be able to purchase the various gourmet varieties. Unfortunately, due to the size of the stand, we were unable to display any point of sale material. We did, however, have a range of potatoes (in hessian sacks) displayed around the front table and the gourmets in hanging baskets on top of the table. The varieties consisted of Royal Blue, Ruby Lou, Cashmere Gold, Red Rascal, Nadine and gourmets (a mixture of Royal Blue, Ruby Lou and Nadine).

WA Grower summer 2012

The consumers were offered our free information showbags which consisted of a variety of past editions of recipe magazines, potato variety chart, potato information, Bud the Spud colouring sheets and stickers. Our potato variety fridge magnets and also our free recipes on how to make a potato meal (Stuffed Potatoes & Potato Salad) in four minutes using our microwaver capsules were very popular with many of the show-goers. Our value added products such as our Potato Salad Dressings, Microwave Capsules, Potato Diet Books, Scrub Brushes and Potato Pantry Bags were available for purchase throughout the week. Even though we sold a number of our products, the nature of this event did not lend itself for large sales. I believe that Western Potatoes had a very successful event at the Gourmet Escape. The response that we received from the general public was definitely overwhelming. Our stand seems to be as popular as ever with favourable comments being received from the general public. We achieved our primary goal in getting the opportunity to interact and educate a vast number of the general public about the benefits of potatoes at one event. The emphasis on the Gourmet potatoes was well received. I do believe this event is definitely worth considering again for next year.

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State Government Elections Politicians hold growers livelihoods in their actions By Jim Turley VegetablesWa

Every grower, their families and friends must contact, in some way, their local politicians before the next election in March 2012. Why? Because the politicians are major players in the performance of a growers business profitability. Growers are aware that horticultureagriculture have fallen out of favour with governments over the past 8 years except for Royalty for regions delivered by the Nationals. Their associations

around Australia have been unsuccessful when trying to holt this decline. However, individual growers and their families and friends at this time in the political calendar can make a positive difference because Politicians want your vote! There are many issues you can raise with your local politicians that are impacting on your business profitability ie. in number order of priority: • Vegetable growers as price takers and can’t pass on the steep rise in input costs that is threatening their own and the vegetable industries viability. • Labour level, power, transport, fertilisers and chemicals etc are some of our major costs. • Non truths in labelling, particularly, ‘Made in Australia’ or ‘Product of Australia’ are costing the Australian growers any costs associated with export, Horticulture Code of Conduct etc.

Objective If our politicians could only understand that before long the vegetable industry in Western Australian will need Government to survive. So why should the growers help? There are two main reasons. First, our community (consumers) are telling us in survey after survey they want fresh and safe vegetables to feed their families.

Secondly, the governments spiralling out of control health bill will only improve if the community can be persuaded to eat more fresh and safe vegetables. Finally, our politicians must also consider that, it is estimated that both China and India will be net importers of food in five to ten years. Then where will our fresh and safe vegetables come from? Particularly with the world predicting a food shortage around the same time.

It is estimated that both China and India will be net importers of food in five to ten years.

WA Grower Summer 2012

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vegetablesWA President’s Report

New members for the vegetablesWA Committee of Management

BY Maureen Dobra VegetablesWa

At this year’s Perth Royal Show, three local Western Australian salad growers provided freshly harvested produce and demonstrated their favourite salads in the My Habitat Sustainable Garden display area. The ‘Love My Salad’ groups also donated 20,000 Salanova lettuce seedlings on the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ to encourage children to learn about growing edible plants, and also how to establish a home vegetable garden and eat healthily. The audience thoroughly enjoyed listening to the growers and often commented that they had never eaten salad so crisp and so fresh!

In another pavilion, DAFWA displayed potatoes and an array of gourmet lettuces — which were grown for them. Onlookers touched and were amazed to see that the lettuces were real! Farming, whether it is vegetable or otherwise, needs passion! I recently attended and presented the Farmsafe Scholarship Award at the graduation of students of the Western Australian College of Agriculture in Morawa. Congratulations to those students. Farming needs agronomists, irrigation specialist, information technologists, accountants and more. Encouragement into these fields will help our growers of the future. As employers, it is our responsibility to maintain a safe workplace and also to maintain current worker’s compensation insurance to protect the employer and the employees from financial hardship in the event of a workplace injury. Farmsafe — Managing Farm Safety courses can focus on personalising the needs of individual operations and this is achieved with a variation of modules in both theory and practical. Knowing and understanding

WA Grower summer 2012

Managing Farm Safety courses can focus on personalising the needs of individual operations.

Occupational Health and Safety Laws will help your business. We need to have safe premises, safe machinery and substances, safe systems of work, information, instruction, training and supervision and a suitable working environment and facilities. Sarah Houston can be contacted at vegetablesWA regarding these course and also Farmsafe — on (08) 9359 4118. The national Rural Women’s Award for 2012 saw Mary Retallack from South Australia as the winner of this prestigious award. Mary’s ambition is to support women’s leadership to ensure a more profitable and resilient Australian wine industry. Mary is a third generation viticulturist and for the past 17 years she has worked in vineyard management, technical, research, and consultancy, training and extension roles both with in Australia and overseas. The runner up was the winner for Western Australia — Catherine Marriott. Catherine’s ambition is to bring together a group of women from the pastoral regions of Western Australia, to develop their knowledge and skills in communication and media, so that they can better advocate on behalf of the beef industry and behalf of rural and regional Australia. Each State and Territory winner receive a $10,000 financial bursary to implement their Award vision. Well done ladies! I have to ask — could the next winner be a vegetable grower from Western Australia? Christmas is just around the corner. I hope the season will be prosperous for you and there will be plenty of time to spend with your families.

Dan Kuzmicich was elected unopposed to vegetablesWA Committee of Management at the vegetablesWA AGM held on the 28th of September 2012. Dan grows capsicums, eggplants and other small lines with his brother Rob in the Carnarvon region. Both Dan and Rob play a role in industry affairs in Carnarvon. Dan will make a valuable contribution to the vegetablesWA Committee of Management. Paul Shain was also elected unopposed to vegetablesWA Committee of Management at the vegetablesWA AGM on the 28th of September 2012. Paul and his wife Rochelle grow tomatoes, cucumbers and beans and some smaller lines for the local Carnarvon weekend markets. Paul is a respected industry leader and will represent the growers in Carnarvon on industry matters and vegetablesWA Committee of management are glad to have him aboard.

Dan Kuzmicich.

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Potato Growers Association President’s Report

Potato Growers Association Inc. Phase Change Products Pty Ltd

USE OFF PEAK POWER to

By Sam Calameri President, Potato Growers Association

Exciting time for the fresh potato industry in Western Australia. With the appointment of a new CEO, Mr Peter Evans, to head the Potato Marketing Corporation (PMC) and a further appointment of Mr Tim Cusack as the PMC’s Chief Operating Officer. Also our fresh industry organisation (Potato Growers Associations and Western Potatoes) have come together along with their marketing consultant to implement a new strategy (Food Service Campaign) to promote the benefits of eating more fresh WA potatoes to the chefs in WA. The functions held with the chefs producing outstanding dishes with fresh potatoes combined with other vegetables and meats have been very successful. Don Hancey, Proprietor of Panorama Catering is our first potato industry ‘Potatodor’. Other chefs have been

• Reduce energy costs • Increase cooling capacity • Increase productivity

appointed our industry’s first Potatodors. All are promoting the delightful experiences and benefits of eating all the potato varieties in WA.

PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo, Anaheim, California USA October 2012 ‘Say hello to the future’ was the theme. Where, ‘What’s new meets what’s next’. With more than 18,500 attendees from more than 60 countries approximately 150 from Australia and New Zealand and more than 1,000 exhibiting and companies. PMA fresh summit is a powerful convention where different generations and cultures converge to create value and innovation. Both Figaro and Angela Natoli, Maria and I were blown away by the enormous size of the summit. The display of packaging of vegetable products and the categories of vegetable products was also enormous. A further highlight was the speakers and panel shows talking about the future. Before I sign off for the year I would just like to say a huge thank you to the growers on the PGA Committee of management and the office staff. To all our growers and their families I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.

By using thermal storage installed with phase change materials this can be done easily and economically, with the possibility of using existing infrastructure. To read about the savings achieved in a recent project refer to the feature article “Energy carrot”, which appeared in the August issue of Ecolibrium.

Call us now on

08 9324 8520 or 0433 032 718 Phase Change Products Pty Ltd www.pcpaustralia.com.au WA Grower Summer 2012

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Royal Agricultural Show 2012

certificate for ‘Best Design & Presentation’ — one of only two stands to receive this award.

The 2012 Perth Royal Agricultural Show ran from Saturday 29th September to Saturday 6th October. This is one of WA’s two major food showcase events for the year and gives Western Potatoes an opportunity to speak to a vast number of consumers. The Royal Agricultural Society have indicated that the gate numbers for this year were around 430,000 of which around 15,000 participated in the ‘Follow the Yellow

Brick Road’ held in the IGA Pavilion. We believe that Western Potatoes would have interacted with approximately 50–60 per cent of the show-goers who ventured into the IGA Pavilion. The Western Potatoes stand was located in the IGA Fresh from WA Pavilion. The stand was designed to fit with the creative look developed for the new advertising campaign ‘WA Farm Fresh Potatoes — Great Taste, Great Choice’. A range of potatoes were displayed in hanging baskets and complemented by POS header cards, variety posters and other point of sale material. The stand was awarded an IGA Fresh from WA Pavilion Commercial Exhibitor

The objective of the event was to educate consumers about the great availability and choice of potatoes in WA. To coincide with high supply of gourmet smalls, there was a focus on promoting and sampling baked Royal Blue gourmet potatoes throughout the entire week. Consumers were educated about the different uses of gourmets — ideal for roasting/baking, potato salads and potato wedges. There was also a particular emphasis on promoting and explaining to the show-goers the benefits of the plain grade potatoes. Plain grade Royal Blue potatoes were included with every showbag purchase to take home and cook.

Show-goers were very keen to find out information about the different varieties and grades of potatoes and their uses. Consumers were offered free information showbags which consisted of a variety of past editions of recipe magazines, potato variety chart, potato information, Bud the Spud colouring sheets and stickers and also two Plain Grade Royal Blue or Ruby Lou potatoes. Many of the show-goers were also very keen on receiving our potato variety fridge magnets and also our free recipes on how to make a potato meal (Stuffed Potatoes & Potato Salad) in four minutes using our microwaver capsules. Consumers were also offered a ‘Paid’ showbag. Demand for these showbags was not high but did result in a contribution of $254 to the Melanoma Foundation. acknoWledGements special thanks to Anne Kirou and the team for such hard work in organising a fantastically successful event.

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Production

yOUR

Production

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Production

Tomato project

yields bumper results rOHAn PrInCe DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD, WA

The project to develop good practices for growing tomatoes on sand using drip irrigation has ended with some good results that will prove useful to the tomato industry and other growers using drip irrigation. The plan for the APC/VPC and HAL-funded project was to demonstrate practices that lead to good growing outcomes with minimal impact in the environment. Two seasons of trials ending in March 2012 showed that if irrigation was applied according to crop demand, up to 40% less water could be used to grow the same quality and quantity of tomatoes as the best grower practice plots. This result was achieved by adjusting irrigations based on evaporation data from nearby DAWFA weather stations and using crop factors that take into account vigour, growth stage and growing period. Big improvements can be made to water use efficiency by using soil moisture monitoring to finetune the number and depth of irrigations according to the farm soil type.

WA Grower summer 2012

In the demonstration trials we found that applying no more than 0.5L per dripper in a single irrigation led to lower drainage and more water and fertiliser in the active root zone of the crop. More water than this would lead to excess drainage water and nutrients moving below the crop, away from where they were needed. Drainage was reduced by around 70%.

Reduced water applications also resulted in shorter pumping times and therefore lower pumping costs, estimated to be worth $1,000 per hectare on a 6ML/ha saving in water. Lower fertiliser application resulted in further savings of up to $5,000/ha based on the nutrient programs used. More importantly, the water saved could be used to grow a larger area of tomatoes or crops at different times of the year. This has the potential to make the largest return from improving practices. The good practices identified include: • Identifying the crop’s root zone and water movement in the soil • Scheduling irrigations based on evaporation and using crop factors to adjust for crop stage • Finetuning irrigation using soil moisture monitoring.

Methods to demonstrate good practice • Blue dye at 2% added to irrigation water was used to help establish water movement in the soil and show the depth and spread of different volumes of water applied in a single irrigation. By applying different volumes of water from 0.3L to 4L then digging a pit along the dripline, the dye showed how far the water spread indicating the maximum single irrigation to fill the root zone and the maximum distance between drippers to give an even coverage of water. • Using the SMS weather service available through vegetablesWA and a table of crop factors for each growth stage, or the web-based Vegetable Irrigation Scheduling Service (www.vegetableswa. com.au/evaporation/login.asp) is the best

Your Production

CROP SCOUT Several growers who attended field days and seminars during the project have now altered their systems and the way they irrigate their crops. Some have reported using a third to a half less water than in previous seasons and commented that the good practice had helped keep them within their water allocations.

guide to your crop water requirements. Adjusting for rain and extremes in weather is required and we suggest that the water delivery uniformity of your irrigation system is tested to ensure watering is reasonably even (within 10% flow variation, but preferably 5%). • Using soil moisture sensors to finetune irrigations is recommended for any system but especially when changes to current practices are being made. Using sensors that record measurements at frequent intervals will show a pattern of water movement. By seeing how the water moves through the profile at different depths, alterations to irrigation timing and frequency, will result in the most efficient use of the water suggested for the day and may indicate potential stress or over-irrigation before you can see them in your plants.

DAFWA farmnotes will be available early in 2013 and a chapter in the Good Practice Guide is planned with more detail on how to implement the changes discussed. If you are a commercial grower and have questions before then, please contact me by phoning 0429 680 069 or by email rohan.prince@agric.wa.gov.au. Thanks to the irrigation industries for their support especially Netafim for the use of the controller for both production demonstration trials. Acknowledgements I would especially like to acknowledge Wesgrowers for allowing the 2011–12 production demonstration trial to be run on their facility and supporting this work. Thanks also to the Agricultural Produce Commission’s Vegetable Producers Committee and Horticulture Australia Limited for funding the operational budget for this work.

with Tim Wilkie & Rick Horbury

ITH numbers of diamondback moth and other chewing pests set to rise dramatically heading into the summer months, some good news on the pest control front is most welcome for WA growers. The IPM (Integrated Pest Management) friendly insecticide, BELT® 480 SC, which is becoming increasingly popular with growers, has just achieved registration for a range of additional crops. BELT is highly selective and long lasting, and while it offers fast activity on large pests, it provides better control of smaller insects. The new registration now allows comprehensive insect control in most vegetable crops grown in WA. Crops and pests that have been added to the BELT label include: • Cucurbits, field and protected cropping systems (including cucumbers, melons, pumpkin, squash and zucchini) – heliothis, cucumber moth. • Chia – heliothis. • Herbs, field and protected cropping systems – diamondback moth, cabbage white butterfly, cluster caterpillar and heliothis. • Root and tuber vegetables – diamondback moth, cabbage white butterfly, cluster caterpillar, potato moth (tomato leafminer) and heliothis. • Stalk and stem vegetables – heliothis. BELT also can now be used in protected cropping systems for brassica leafy vegetables and leafy vegetables. Its 1-3 day withholding periods offer good flexibility for growers and are a distinct advantage in crops where multiple pickings are required, while, as a Group 28 insecticide, it can help extend the life of other chemistry in insect resistance management programs. Manjimup DBM ‘beneficial’ trial Bayer CropScience is coordinating a special IPM trial for control of diamondback moth in brassica vegetables at Manjimup this season. In conjunction with Paul Horne, IPM Technologies, and using beneficial insects reared at Biological Services, the company is implementing an IPM strategy that was effectively used in Victoria’s Werribee growing region recently. The program centres around releasing diadegma wasps (diamondback moth parasite) and using IPM-safe chemistry such as DiPel, XenTari and BELT at critical crop timings, while avoiding all broadspectrum chemistry that is toxic to beneficials. The trial is looking promising and Bayer CropScience hopes to hold a field day at the site in December.

For further information on insect and weed pests and effective control, contact Tim on 0427 516 273 or Rick on 0429 055 154. WA Grower Summer 2012 Bayer Crop Scout Nov 2012.indd 1

15/11/12 3:38 PM

Your Production

The use of cover crops in vegetable production Including an update of the Caring for our Country research in Carnarvon

By Carlos Ramirez CFOC Project Officer, Gascoyne Research Station

These cover crops were planted in Carnarvon in August with a difference of two weeks between the first planted rows and the last rows. As the clovers where the last to be planted, they had two weeks less time to accumulate DM compared to the first groups. According to R. Sattel et al. (1999), nonlegumes tend to grow more quickly and take up a higher proportion of N during autumn and early winter than legumes. Thus, they are more suitable for N scavenging. Legumes are capable of fixing substantial amounts of atmospheric N, some of which becomes available to the following crop. In general, the fastest period of legume and nonlegume cover crop growth is mid- to late spring as temperatures warm. However, nonlegumes usually grow faster and take up relatively more N than legumes during autumn and winter. Therefore, nonlegumes are more suitable for soil protection and N scavenging than legumes.

The use of cover crops in farming systems is not a new practice. Researches around the world highlight them as the cornerstone of sustainable agriculture. Prior to the development of manufactured fertilisers, cover crops were commonly used to improve soil structure and productivity. Today, they appear as one of the most efficient strategies to guarantee farm sustainability due to their multiple positive impacts in soil protection, increasing water infiltration into the soil, reducing water evaporation, reducing soil temperature, protection against erosion, accumulation of organic matter in the soil, adding and recycling nutrients and improving soil structure among others. At the DAFWA Research Station in Carnarvon, 14 different species of grasses, clovers, beans, vetch and bio mulch brassica were evaluated as cover crops in order to measure its capability to produce biomass, its content of dry matter (DM) and their ability for adapting to Carnarvon conditions and to compete against weeds with minimum irrigation and no fertilisation at all.

WA Grower summer 2012

In General, grasses produced 53.01% of the total amount of DM produced in the trial. This group of plants produced 34,681 kilos of DM per hectare to be incorporated into the soil at the Gascoyne Research Station. Other species such as Vetch also produced large amounts of DM, and this species was placed second with 11,127kg DM/ha, after Fumigator Sorghum with 12,916kg DM/ha. Table 1 shows the species trialled and their DM contribution to the soil, while Figure 1 shows the percentage of DM of each species at the point of incorporation into the soil. The white clover group of plants had some of the best efficiency in DM generation among the 14 evaluated species, despite having the worst performance in germination percentage, biomass generation, and soil coverage.

Despite all the benefits recorded from the use of cover crops, there is some information to suggest that it is not always desirable to maximize DM production. For example, excessive residues from cover crops can negatively affect field operations (for example, tillage), carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratios, and pest interactions. The ideal amount of DM depends, in part, on the type of cover crop, the tillage system used, planting schedules, and needs or limitations of the following crop. The use of cover crops and which types of cover crops in any system should take into account all of these considerations and the impact it will have on the particular operation in question. At the end of the trial in Carnarvon, three different strategies to incorporate the biomass were tested at the Gascoyne research Station; discing, mulching and rolling down after herbicide. Discing and rolling down after herbicides effectively killed the crops, while in the mulch treatment resulted in some re-growth in the sorghum cover crop and in some clovers

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Table 1 Dry matter measured from different cover crops in Carnarvon Kilograms per ha of DM Ranking

Cover crop

Measurement 1st

Fumigator sorghum

Vetch

2nd

Average 3th

1,299.0

6,188.7

12,916.0

6,801.2

921.0

4,168.0

11,127.0

5,405.3

Rye corn

1,429.0

4,208.0

8,662.0

4,766.3

Oat

1,271.0

3,551.0

5,961.0

3,594.3

Field pea

1,366.0

4,309.0

4,830.0

3,501.7

Lupin

1,392.0

3,589.0

4,500.0

3,160.3

Fava bean

1,267.0

3,097.0

3,881.0

2,748.3

Annual ryegrass

539.0

2,117.0

3,408.0

2,021.3

Teff grass

446.0

1,223.0

3,734.0

1,801.0

Biomulch brassica

242.0

1,923.0

3,658.0

1,941.0

Persian clover

41.0

285.7

1,156.0

494.2

Bladder clover

16.0

140.7

1,081.0

412.6

Bounty white clover

57.0

118.0

393.0

189.3

Kupu II white clover

9.0

42.0

114.0

55.0

As a conclusion from these particular trials, cover crop selection and management depend on many factors, such as the cover cropâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to accumulate DM and nitrogen (N).

(due to its short development height at the time of incorporation). One month after biomass incorporation, the mulched area was partially covered by weeds and some of the grasses still growing, while the disc and rolled areas remained clean even up to two months later. To disc the soil has a more disturbing effect on soil structure and leaves the soil exposed but ready to be planted immediately. Rolling down the cover crop after being treated with an herbicide gives better soil protection for longer. In this treatment, a layer of DM remains on the soil covering it against wind erosion and controlling weeds in a more efficient way than the other two strategies.

DM provides energy for soil organisms, contributes to soil organic matter, improves tilth, and acts as a holding place for nutrients in the soil. In terms of capacity of cover crops to produce large amounts of DM/ha with minimum water requirements, the most recommended species for Carnarvon according to the results in this trial are:

Figure 1 Percentage of dry matter at soil incorporation 45 40

Percentage

TOP: Vetch ABOVE: Field pea

Fumigator sorghum, vetch, rye corn, oats and field pea. Depending on the season, some of them may have better performance being planted late spring or early summer while some other like clovers are reported to have a better performance as cover crops in winter. In terms of incorporation of biomass into the soil, rolling down the cover crop two weeks after an herbicide spray was most effective in killing the cover crop, keeping and adequate weed control for a longer time and protecting the soil against wind erosion.

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WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Production

Interactions

between plants and soil microbes By Aileen Reid Horticulture Development Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, WA

The soil teems with microbes, mostly invisible to the naked eye. Inoculating soil with selected species to help boost crop production is being widely promoted. Whether this will pay off is quite unclear, but growers should be wary of energetic salesmanship when the scientific evidence is pretty thin. Populations of fungi, for example, are not constant. They change frequently in response to a whole range of factors. Even for a single plant they have been shown to change with the growth stage of that plant. Figure 1 shows the relative amounts of different fungal species over time for a pea plant. In the vegetative stage, Fusarium is most common but diminishes over time in contrast to Heliotales which increases as the plant matures. The relative amounts of each fungus also change with fertility (Figure 2) and crop health (Figure 3). You will note that in all the examples above there is a mixture of ‘good’ (e.g. Glomus sp.) and ‘bad’ species of fungi (e.g. Olpidium sp.). This is normal and disease only occurs when this balance is disrupted in favour of the pathogen and other conditions in the environment and host are right for infection and disease development.

Mycorrhizae are one group of fungi known to have beneficial effects on plant growth in some circumstances, but this is highly variable. The term mycorrhiza covers a large number of genera. Glomus species are some of the most prevalent. Examples of their effects on plant growth are provided below.

Highly specific effects Example Three mycorrhizal species were studied on basil. None affected plant phosphorus level. Only one significantly affected plant growth and increased the amount of one essential oil produced while the other two increased the amount of a second oil and decreased that of a third.

Vegetative

Three different species of Glomus were inoculated onto four different cucumber cultivars. There was no significant effect on rate of seedling emergence but there was on time taken. A wide range of plant leaf, stem and root characteristics were significantly and differentially affected by cultivar and Glomus species.

There was also no significant effect on nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium or magnesium contents, but there was on potassium and most trace elements. Adverse effects such as growth suppression Example

Two mycorrhizal species were inoculated onto two clover species with and without Pythium (a root rot pathogen). The mycorrhizal association significantly reduced

A trial on onion and plantago showed varying effects of mycorrhizae on plant nutrient levels. The authors expected the mycorrhizae to increase host nutrient levels, however in some cases they reduced them.

Flowering Senescence

Helotiales sp.

Sistotrema sp.

Phoma sp.

Glomus mosseae

Bionectria ochroleuca

Fusarium solani

Exophiala sp.

Ilyonectria sp.

Myrothecium roridum

Olpidium brassicae

WA Grower summer 2012

Example

Figure 1 Change in microbial populations with growth stage in the rhizosphere of pea. (Note the rhizosphere is that thin coating of soil left on the roots after the rest of the soil is shaken off)

the amount of Pythium and in some cases prevented infection. Figure 4 shows how the production of flavonoids (stress metabolites) in the clover roots varied depending on the presence of beneficial and/or pathogenic fungi, fungal isolate and plant cultivar.

Example Twenty-three different mycorrhizal strains were evaluated for their symbiotic response with Piper longum (long pepper). Almost all resulted in increased plant growth, biomass and nutrient content (nitrogen and potassium) over the control, however six species depressed growth. This is because mycorrhizae differ in their carbon demands from the host, possibly draining carbohydrates at the cost of root mass. A direct relationship between degree of plant growth stimulation or depression and degree of colonization has

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been reported. Other factors may be root system architecture, high concentrations of available nutrients or the high inoculum density of mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae also harbour some endo-symbiotic bacteria which may play a role.

ca e

Relative abundance of species

Figure 2 Relative amounts of fungal species in pea roots grown with either nil or three levels of organic fertiliser (OF)

A comparison of mycorrhizal versus nonmycorrhizal roots showed a doubling of P uptake which was independent of the plant-available P in the soil. There was no additional benefit of inoculation with mycorrhizae on plant growth other than that due to increased P uptake.

Figure 3 Relative abundance of fungal species associated with the rhizosphere of healthy and diseased pea plants Relative abundance (%)

35 Healthy 1 Healthy 2 Diseased 1 Diseased 2

30 25 20

Example The effects of a mycorrhiza on growth and photosynthesis of cucumber were studied using different rates of nutrient supply, phosphorus ratio and different forms of nitrogen.

15 10 5

Fu Ol sa pi riu di um m sp br as . Te si c tr ac ae la di St Gl um om ach y b N u ot s ec c r tr ia aled ys ha on em iu m Ph atoc oc om ca a so jic Ex Un o op cu la hi l t al ur a sa ed Pl lm ec on to is sp ha r e Si st lla M ot yr r ot he em a ci M Ch um ic s ro a do eto p. m ch iu iu m Un m cu bo ltu lle re yi d fu ng us

Plants inoculated and given full-strength nutrient solution showed a 19 per cent reduction in total biomass compared with mycorrhizal (AM) plants (Figure 5).

70 60

Daidzein concentration in cultivar Sonja -P. ultimum +P. ultimum

50 40 30 20 10 0 None

G. Claroideum AM fungal inoculation

G. Mosseae

Formononetin concentration (Âľg g dryweight-1)

Daidzein concentration (Âľg g dryweight-1)

Figure 4 Comparison of amounts of two flavonoids in response to Pythium in clover cv Sonja

2500

Formononetin concentration in cultivar Sonja -P. ultimum +P. ultimum

2000 1500 1000 500 0

None

G. Claroideum AM fungal inoculation

G. Mosseae

WA Grower Summer 2012

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necessarily mean more root colonisation in terms of either numbers or species.

Figure 5 Cucumber plant growth response to mycorrhizal inoculation

Beware trial results!

12 Roots Stem Leaf Fruit Total

Dry weight (g)

10 8 6 4 2 0

example AM No AM Full strength

AM No AM Low phosphorus

The highest percentage of mycorrhizal infection in cucumber was found at the low P treatment, however a 90 per cent reduction in total nutrient supply almost totally counteracted the potential positive impact of a low concentration of P on mycorrhizal infection. The extent of mycorrhizal infection in cucumber was correlated with a low root P concentration, which agrees with other studies that plant P status influences mycorrhizal infection.

not all plants are mycorrhizal Some plants do not establish extensive relationships with mycorrhizae even when inoculated. Brassicas, beetroot and spinach are among those.

For some species the root quality and quantity of less mycorrhizal dependent plants may be as good as hyphae for scavenging nutrients from the soil. A dependent host (onion) showed more variation in nutrient levels in response to mycorrhizal fungi than a less dependent host (plantago). Not only was onion affected by more mycorrhizal fungi, but more nutrient levels in the plant were also affected. Though onion was more responsive overall, mycorrhizae reduced nutrients in onions under low fertiliser, but increased shoot nutrients when soil nutrients were abundant. It may be that at low nutrient levels there is competition between the fungus and plant for limiting nutrients. Nutrient levels in plantago were not affected by fertiliser.

Many research results, when you read the fine print, are from work that has trialled mycorrhizae under unnatural situations, whether using sterile media or simply in vitro. Those results are not often reproducible in field situations.

WA Grower summer 2012

Am No AM 10% strength

local species usually prevail This is probably the most important consideration of all. Any mycorrhizae placed in a field situation will face competition from local species and may eventually be displaced. example A Turkish study took 70 soil samples from 25 different plant varieties grown in local fields. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were found in 59 soil samples; 58 of these were identified as Glomus sp. and one as Gigaspora sp. The effect of the local Glomus sp. was compared to a commercial preparation — BioOrganics (containing a mix of five Glomus, one Gigaspora and one Paraglomus sp.) on tomato, pepper and cucumber plants. The local Glomus sp. showed positive effects on cucumber and tomato plant growth, but there was no significant difference in pepper plant growth when compared with the BioOrganics treatments. Glomus sp. colonised the plant roots at almost twice the rate of the commercial preparation.

relationships very specific Each plant species, and even plant variety, tends to have preference for certain mycorrhizal species. It is difficult to manipulate relationships and so the effect of inoculating a soil with mycorrhizae depends on many factors. If there are already successful mycorrhizal associations present, those existing associations may be stronger and the introduced species may fail to displace those already present, or it may displace a proportion of the existing associations. Inoculation with mycorrhizae does not

A study inoculated tomato plants with either Trichoderma harzianum or Glomus mosseae. Both total yield and marketable yield increased. However, closer reading shows that the trial was carried out under essentially sterile conditions as the plants were in autoclaved media in pots. Therefore, in this trial there was no competition for these species and it is unlikely these same results would be obtained in the field where there would be competition for the introduced mycorrhizal species. However, a trial on fusarium root rot of date palms which used local AMF species bulked up and inoculated back into the field (i.e. non-sterile situation) had positive results.

to summarise: • The mechanism(s) underlying the antagonistic potential of mycorrhizae against disease organisms is not fully understood. • Direct competition between the two can be important. Mycorrhiza-associated bacteria may play a key role. • Mycorrhizae do influence the plant defence system, but the mechanisms are still poorly understood. • The interaction between mycorrhizae, pathogens and plants depends on both the species of mycorrhizae and the plant variety so it is important not to draw general conclusions based on one or few combinations of fungi and plants. more information This article was prompted by two presentations at the 7th Australian soilborne Diseases symposium at Fremantle in september by sabine ravnskov (Department of Agroecology, Aarhus university, Denmark) and Professor lyn Abbott (school of earth and environment, The university of Western Australia).

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Controlling virus diseases in cucurbit crops By BrenDA COuTTs PLANT VIROLOGIST, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD, WA

A recent project based in Western Australia looks at increasing the understanding of the epidemiology and control of virus diseases in field grown vegetable cucurbit crops. Diseases in vegetable cucurbit crops can significantly affect yield, quality and marketability of the plant and the end product. Some of the key viruses of cucurbit crops in Australia include Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), Squash mosaic virus (SqMV), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV).

Early infection of cucurbit plants can considerably damage crops, with high levels of infection causing losses of up to 100 per cent of marketable produce. This project sought to increase understanding within the horticultural industry the different virus diseases that

key messages • Avoid spread from nearby crops — plant upwind from potential infected sources • minimise spread from cucurbit weeds or volunteer crop plants • sow non-host barrier crops • Vary planting dates and monitor aphid populations • use certified seed • use mulches or minimum tillage • use virus-resistant cultivars • maintain good on-farm sanitation practices • Plant break crops.

WA Grower summer 2012

impact cucurbit crops and their control in field situations. The research consisted of three key components: 1) identifying where viruses were instigated between growing seasons; 2) determining their impact on yield, and; 3) developing strategies which could assist growers to reduce the level of crop infection. Field experiments were carried out in Kununurra, Carnarvon and Medina in WA, to investigate the effectiveness of cultural control measures in limiting ZYMV spread in pumpkin, zucchini and cucumber. Findings from the project showed that the spread of ZYMV in pumpkin could be reduced by: • Varying planting dates to avoid exposing young plants to peak aphid vector populations • Using tall non-host barrier crops (for example, sorghum or millet) to protect against aphid vectors • Planting upwind of infection sources. Seed transmission of ZYMV was found in seedlings grown from infected fruit of zucchini, but not of pumpkin. It was identified that ZYMV, PRSV, WMV and SqMV can all be spread from infected to healthy cucurbit plants by direct leaf contact. ZYMV remained infective on varied surfaces for up to six hours, but could be inactivated by some disinfectants.

Healthy zucchini fruit (left) and ZyMV infected fruit (right).

It is a new discovery through this research that ZYMV is spread by contact, meaning people and machinery can spread this virus as well as aphids. After testing a number of disinfectant products it was found virus spread can be reduced by using footbaths or cleaning cutting implements and machinery with a 1:4 dilution of household bleach, 1 per cent Virkon® or a 20% solution of skim milk powder. Planting non-host barrier crops, such as sorghum or millet, as dividers in the field was shown to be a successful remedy in protecting against infection. These were planted around the cucurbit crop and these tall barriers did slow down the rate of infection. Although the crop became infected eventually, it took a longer time and therefore allowed the crop to develop further and give higher yields.

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Identifying resistant cucurbit vegetable varieties was also an important aspect of the research, which found some varieties were more susceptible than others. Management strategies This project has worked on improving the existing integrated disease management strategies for virus diseases of vegetable cucurbit crops grown in the field. The strategies aim to minimise extra expenses, labour demands and disruption to normal practices. More information For further information on HAL project VG06022 Developing and communicating strategies for controlling virus diseases in vegetable cucurbit crops you can contact Brenda Coutts from DAFWA on (08) 9368 3266 or email brenda.coutts@agric.gov.wa.au, or alternatively you can contact vegetablesWA Field Extension Officers Sarah Houston on 0427 373 037 email sarah.houston@vegetableswa.com.au and Truyen Vo on 0457 457 559 email truyen.vo@vegetableswa.com.au.

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WA Grower Summer 2012

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Cheaper virus testing for potato growers

Potato growers in WA have long understood that increased virus levels in their crops contribute to reduced crop yields and missed market opportunities. AGWEST Plant Laboratories has provided high quality virus testing to WA growers for more than 10 years. The routine testing of G2-planted seed crops plays a key role in maintaining the extremely high standard of seed potato production in WA. Seed with low virus levels directly contributes to the productivity of the ware and fresh potato sectors. In response to industry requests to minimise costs and maintain reliable testing for growers, Eva Gajda and Brenda Coutts from the DAFWA Plant Virology Laboratory have been investigating the potential for changing test methodology for virus testing of potatoes. Previously, all potato leaf samples were tested in groups of 10 leaves as this was

WA Grower summer 2012

Brenda Coutts and Michael Davies Department of Agriculture and Food, WA

proven to be the most reliable. After a rigorous and extensive validation process, including blind testing, it was determined that Potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) could be reliably detected in groups of 15 leaves. When pushed to 20 leaves however, results often failed to detect PLRV in the samples tested.

Technical officer Eva Gadja samples potato leaves before grinding and other tests for the presence of viruses. More information For more information on potato virus testing email agwestplantlabs@agric.wa.gov.au or phone (08) 9368 3721

Tests for other potato viruses (Potato virus X, Potato virus S, Potato virus Y and Tomato spotted wilt virus) could readily and reliably detect one infected leaf in 20. As a result of this research, testing for viruses including PLRV will now be conducted in groups of 15 leaves delivering cost savings of around 30% to the producer. If growers require testing for any potato virus or combination of viruses other than PLRV, this can now be done in groups of 20 delivering a 50% saving. These changes will mean savings for the potato industry without compromising virus testing results.

DAFWAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eva Gadja puts some leaves through the grinding machine during virus testing.

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More Dollars per Drop starting to flow

DAFWA’s Tilwyn Westrup demonstrates the value of using catch cans to show how much water is falling on each part of a paddock.

BY JAMES DEE PROJECT MANAGER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD, WA

The Royalty for Regions project More Dollars per Drop is starting to gain momentum. With funding for the next three years, it gives irrigated agriculture in WA a great opportunity to make real improvements in water use efficiency.

received. Tilwin Westrup from DAFWA’s Bunbury office is managing this area and working with each industry to coordinate assessments. Best management practice demonstrations will be established around the state, aimed at demonstrating different ways that water use efficiency can be improved on-farm. There has been extensive consultation with each of the industries involved to identify the design and location of the demonstration sites. Rohan Prince is managing this area.

Sarah Houston and Truyen Vo from vegetablesWA are directly involved and have already started talking to growers as well as assisting those who want on-farm irrigation assessments. They will also be providing feedback from around the state including how the project can address grower needs.

The final element is to develop system tools and materials that growers and farmers can access from their smart phones, tablets and computers to make management decisions easier. The feedback already received has been very positive. This area is managed by Leon Van Wyk from DAFWA’s Bunbury office and the initial planning and review phase is almost complete.

Members of the vegetable, fruit, viticulture and dairy industries are showing interest in being involved in the on-farm irrigation assessments. Up to 150 assessments are planned for this irrigation season, with 70 expressions of interest already

More Dollars per Drop is all about maximising profitable production from the water resources available to irrigated agricultural industries. Each industry will be kept informed about how the team is working to make it happen.

WA Grower summer 2012

This may be a great opportunity for you and your business to get involved and learn more about getting the most out of your irrigation setup. If you want more information contact James Dee (DAFWA Bunbury) on (08) 9780 6285 or email james.dee@agric.wa.gov.au.

On-farm assessment DAFWA’s partners (vegetablesWA, Fruit West and Wines of Western Australia) have conducted targeted mail-outs to increase awareness in the initial stages. This combined with promotional work by industry development officers, resulted in approximately 70 growers signing up thus far from Albany to Carnarvon. Uptake has been strong from the dairy industry, while the Manjimup-Pemberton Potato Growers Group is also taking advantage of the system assessments by sharing results within their group to explore the impact of Distribution Uniformity on productivity of their crops. DAFWA development officers began structured interviews with 30 growers

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during October. These have provided productivity, irrigation systems and water use information (all held in confidence), as well as input into the good agricultural practice demonstrations and on-line tools development components. Irrigation system assessments have commenced as systems become fully operational in particular areas. Those earmarked to date include surface application, semi-permanent overhead, centre pivot and drip systems. The project expects to target the Myalup area from March 2013, and will shift focus north to Carnarvon around May and June 2013. Growers who are considering joining the project are encouraged to contact their relevant industry organisation, or email their contact details to irrigate@agric.wa.gov.au.

Best management practice demonstration sites Planning and preparation for the demonstration sites is well underway with potential demonstrations being put forward for all industries involved. These include trial with netting in high density apple orchards, several irrigation trials for wine and table grapes, as well as three vegetable demonstrations. Demonstration trials that will assess the effectiveness and performance of drip irrigation for growing potatoes and cauliflower have been well supported by Manjimup-Pemberton Potato Growers Group. This year’s trials on the Manjimup Horticultural Research Institute (MHRI), will add value to trials run last year by development officer Alison Beattie through a Caring for the Country project.

rates of evaporation replacement based on crop vigour and canopy cover, finetuned using soil moisture monitoring. The water use, yield and quality of produce will be assessed to determine the most suitable practices for growers interested in drip irrigation to increase water use efficiency. Preliminary work has already been performed on the Gascoyne Research Station comparing three different irrigation flows at five different intervals (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 hours of irrigation) on different soil types. The information collected in this trial will serve as an input for the Best Practices trial that will be implemented on tomato farms next season as part of Carnarvon CFOC project. Carlos Ramirez from the Carnarvon Growers Association (CGA) and Chris Schelfhout from DAFWA are keen to see demonstrations similar to those done in tomato crops in Carabooda over the past two growing seasons.

Water use efficiency web-based tools The early phase of planning to develop webbased support tools is nearing completion. Tools will be developed in partnership with each industry.

During initial planning it was identified that the decision support tools should be more than just an irrigation scheduling tool and this concept has gained support from most growers interviewed after joining the project. Development of a smart phone application is also being investigated with a number of growers mentioning that it would be highly beneficial to be able to access the decision support tools while in the field. The tools will assist growers with: • Irrigation scheduling • Crop management

This work would involve modifying the crop factors developed on sand for growers in Carnarvon so that there is confidence in using evaporation-based scheduling finetuned to the Carnarvon soil types. The production trials would aim for the 2013 growing season planting between March and June. Growers interested in being involved should contact Carlos at the CGA or Chris at DAFWA.

• Recommendations

Regular updates on the progress of the trials will be published in the WA Grower magazine, but for more specific details email Rohan Prince on rohan.prince@agric.wa.gov.au or phone 0429 680 069.

Regular updates on the progress of the decision support tools will be published in the WA Grower magazine, but for more specific details email Leon van Wyk on leon.vanwyk@agric.wa.gov.au or phone 0427 086 946.

• Record keeping (quality assurance) • Water use efficiency measures • Other farm management. Once developed, growers will have opportunity for training by Regional NRM groups in their use. More information

Dye trials were done in November at the Manjimup site comparing different application rates and volumes to decide which drip tapes are most suitable and are likely to result in the most even application of water for the soil type and cropping practices used for potatoes and cauliflowers. A production trial will follow with an expected planting in January 2013. A production trial at MHRI for cauliflowers was planted on 11 December comparing four different rates of drip irrigation with overhead irrigation. Fixed rates of 60, 80 and 100 per cent of evaporation rate replacement will be compared with variable WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Production

Software packages and smartphone apps

for smarter farm management By Sarah Houston Field Extension Officer VegetablesWa

Computer software programs Wireless Farmer

Business management including recording, scheduling and decision making are vital elements of any vegetable production business, and getting it right is crucial to success. As businesses become more sophisticated and are required to engage in complex business activities such as quality assurance, health and safety, farm planning, budgeting and forecasting, there is a need for decision support tools and software programs to help keep up with the increasing demands on time and resources. Innovative software programs and tools can help vegetable growing businesses become more efficient and make day to day duties like record keeping and reporting easier. However, there are many programs out there to work with, and it is not always easy to know which is right for your business. It is recommended that growers assess their options and trial

different tools available, before spending large amounts of money on a software program. Growers are increasingly using technology such as smartphones and iPads to communicate, connect and record information whether they are in the field, on the tractor or back at the office. Hence, there is a great opportunity for growers to use applications to save time and re-entry of data for such things as QA and OH&S records, or for general on-farm observations and activities. New smartphone and iPad applications are being developed every day, and many handy tools are available to farmers that can be carried around everywhere you go. There are often free applications, or versions of applications, that growers can download and test out in their business. Selection of tools that fit with your business may be able to help to achieve gains in productivity, quality and ultimately profitability. Here, vegetablesWA looks at a number of software packages, programs and applications to give growers an idea of what is available and how they might be used to help in a vegetable growing business. Please see websites or contact the relevant companies for details about costing or technical advice on any of the following programs.

WA Grower summer 2012

An online farm management and quality assurance application that records and provides real time information for farming businesses. Uses smartphones to collect field data as it happens and updates to your computer when you connect to your server. The program is pre-loaded with plenty of chemical and fertiliser information, and allows traceability and report generation. Includes farm management and QA/Admin features. Go to www.wirelessfarmer.com for more information. AgriMaster A program designed to handle the dayto-day farm accounts and cash-book. It can also create budgets, explore "what if" options and intelligently interface with your bank. Go to www.agrimaster.com.au for more information. FarmBook and FarmMap Practical Systems: Ag Software Developers are developers and distributors of a range of agricultural software solutions to collect and analyse data and provide information that helps with finances, farm planning, mapping and costing of property operations. Product range includes FarmBook (looks at costs of production, gross margins, inventory management, compliance and quality assurance) and FarmMap (tracking infrastructure locations, landcare, crop rotations and paddock treatments etc). Go to www.psystems.com.au for more information. VegeTool A simple computer program that has been developed to assist vegetable growers with making decisions about what to grow based on an analysis of potential income and likely operating costs. Developed by the Australian vegetable industry with the idea that the main use of the tool would be to conduct relatively simple comparisons of different crop production â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;scenariosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Your Production

For more information, login to the AUSVEG website at www.ausveg.com.au, go to ‘Technical Insights’, click on ‘Business Decisions’ then ‘Gross Margin Tool’.

basic data recording and reporting functions. Go to www.agworld.com.au for more information.

PAM QA, PAM UltraCrop and Pocket PAM (by Fairport Farm Software)

A one-stop shop that provides accurate, up-to-date information for the effective control of weeds, pests and diseases in a wide range of crops and livestock.

A range of recording programs to store and analyse paddock records. Keep track of all machinery and manual tasks, fertiliser and chemical use, inventories of consumables, crop monitoring, crop gross margins and more. Pocket PAM can be used to collect data in the field using smartphones or iPad. Go to www.fairport.com.au for more information. FarmSoft A program that concentrates on traceability of produce, cost monitoring and control, budgeting, reporting and analysis, and resource and employee accountability. Includes a farm diary, land and site management tools, costing and reporting functions. There is also a packhouse management option. Go to www.farmsoft.com for more information. AgWorld An online site where you can access tools and information about farm management and business from your computer, smartphone or iPad. Includes a number of high-tech features such as enabling the sharing of information between farmers and consultants, while also having the

Infopest

The program provides a comprehensive Agvet chemical database that was previously produced by the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), and is now owned and managed by Growcom, the peak industry body for Queensland horticulture. Updates sent out regularly with new chemical information. For more information go to www.infopest.com.au.

and group farm management. Tracks spraying, sowing, tillage, spreading, harvesting etc, and records all relevant data specific to these events which is then available in a summary and detailed form to every user. Harvest time and expense tracker Track time and log expenses. The flipclock tracks billable hours while you work, while the expense tracker allows you to upload photos of your receipts as you enter expenses so you keep all your records organised. JD Link Monitor and manage your fleet of John Deere machines from your phone. Precision Earth

Handy apps for your smartphone or iPad (find them in the App-Store)

Quickly collect field boundaries and GPS located grid and zone soil samples in the field on iPads and iPhones.

Farm management apps

ScoutDoc

Farm Manager

Field scouting/record keeping app to create or import a field map and save information collected when scouting or inspecting field crops.

Allows farmers to record and access cropping, livestock and machinery operations, such as crop chemical and fertiliser use and machinery maintenance. F-Track Live On-the-go farm management app that lets multiple users record and access all their farm information live. The App is linked to a web portal for individual

iAudit 2 Workplace safety audits, pre-start checks and inspections made faster and easier. Take photos, keep accurate records in the field and generate and share reports. WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Production

Pest and disease information apps IPM Toolkit Read news articles, view videos, download publications, and access pictures which will aid you in adapting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to your operation. Weeds: The Ute Guide Designed to be used in the paddock by growers to assist in identifying the most common, annual, biennial and perennials weeds in Southern Australia. Allows you to search, identify, compare and email photographs of weeds. Learning Plant Language Shows clear photos of what nutrient deficiencies and toxicities look like, currently for cereals and canola but being updated to include corn/maize, soybean and legumes (for example, chickpeas, peas, beans, lentils, lupins). Crop Nutrient Deficiency Photo Library A collection of crop nutrient deficiency photos (mostly grains and broad acre crops but also potato and soybean).

Chemical and fertiliser apps APVMA App New app from APVMA with information from the PUBCRIS database. In addition, the app includes access to information about stopped, cancelled, suspended and archived products. It has a favourites option for fast retrieval in the future and will allow you to email search results for selected products. Field Notes Keep pesticide records on your iPhone. Each record created is for a specific field on a specific date. Spray/Spray Lite Replaces manual spray logs, stores and records spray sheets in one place. Stores chemical detail and all historical chemical applications. CalcSpray, Spray Calc and Tank Mix Calculator Quickly and easily generate a tank mix with these apps â&#x20AC;&#x201D; enter your acreage, tank size, and carrier volume, then select your chemicals from the list or add your own. The apps will then provide you with the number of loads required to spray your

acreage, along with full and partial load mixes of the chemicals you selected.

Safety apps

Spray Select and Hardi Nozzles US

Presents step-by-step emergency first aid information to the user with a large clear image for each step.

Tools to help choose the right nozzles for the application you are planning. Choose volumes, driving speed and wind conditions. N-Price Calc Allows you to compare the price of various forms of nitrogen fertiliser products in terms of their price per pound of nitrogen. Nitrogen fertilisers such as anhydrous ammonia, urea, and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) vary in their nitrogen content and are sold on a price per ton basis. This app converts the price of each fertiliser product from price per ton to price per pound of nitrogen, allowing for direct comparisons. Fertiliser Cost Calc Estimates the value of nitrogen per unit of phosphorus source, along with the cost per unit of P205 with or without the nitrogen value â&#x20AC;&#x201D; based on the entered cost per bulk. Chemical Safety Data Sheets Displays International Chemical Safety Cards [ICSC] produced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Labour Office (ILO), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Weather apps Elders Weather Comprehensive weather app which includes over 2,000 locations, key international locations and the ability to add up to 10 favourite locations. Oz Radar View Bureau of Meteorology weather radar information located across Australia. Each radar image can be panned and zoomed to get a better look at the area you are interested in. Pocket Weather AU Weather sourced directly from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Forecast and observation data for hundreds of areas around Australia. WeatherZone Plus Uses Bureau of Meteorology forecasts as well as their own meteorologists to produce forecasts for Australia and the world.

More information For further information or help with the software or apps mentioned, please contact the vegetablesWA Field Extension Officers, Sarah Houston on 0427 373 037 or email sarah.houston@vegetableswa.com.au or Truyen Vo on 0457 457 559 or email truyen.vo@vegetableswa.com.au.

WA Grower summer 2012

St John Ambulance Australia First Aid

iFirstAid Over 30 first aid topics, including CPR, bleeding, burns, choking, drug overdose, bites and stings and more. Also has agespecific first aid instructions for children.

Environment apps My Environment Developed by the Australian Government, Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Find the Australian environmental places and species that make up your neighbourhood using the GPS on your phone. See the heritage places, wetlands, protected species, protected areas, weeds and invasive species near you. Water Storage Reports dam storage information for 250 publicly owned storages across Australia

Ag information and media apps DTN/The Progressive Farmer International crop and agricultural news, articles, market details, interactive charts, grain prices, weather, videos, blogs and event details. CSBP Insights, The Crop Site, AgriNews and AgWeb News and Markets Apps gathering international crop and agriculture news, articles, market details, blogs, videos and events.

Utility apps Area Calc Quickly determine the area and perimeter of 22 two-dimensional shapes. XE Currency Converts international currency. CamCard Business card scanner and reader to scan, store and sort business cards. MulitMeasures HD Includes stopwatch, timers, metronome, protractor, ruler, surface level, spirit level, plub bob, and seismometer.

Your Production

Chemical resistance levels in Australian vegetables By Len Tesoriero Industry Leader, Protected Cropping, NSW DPI

A recent study has established the resistance status of several important fungal and bacterial pathogens in Australian vegetable crops and highlighted why growers should continue to follow strategies to minimise further development of resistance. Resistance to chemical pesticides in microbial plant pathogens could be costing millions of dollars to Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $2 billion vegetable industry. In addition there are indirect costs from increased fungicide and copper application. However, there is limited data from previous Australian studies detailing resistance to chemicals, particularly for many newer specific fungicides used in IPM programs and covering new and resistant strains of fungal and bacterial pathogens that may entered Australia with imported seed.

Brassica seedling assays for determining chemical resistance to white blister.

WA Grower summer 2012

Project researchers assessed chemicals from major chemical classes registered or under permit in Australia. In addition base-line sensitivity data was developed for fungicides with potential for future use. This will allow future measurement of shifts in sensitivity. The results were mixed; in several instances populations of fungi and bacteria were susceptible to the chemical tested, however there were a few notable exceptions. Many Botrytis and Sclerotinia isolates were resistant to cyprodinil and some Botrytis isolates were resistant to boscalid. High levels of resistance to copper were found in a wide range of bacterial plant pathogens. Intermediate to high resistance levels were found in nearly 2/3 of isolates of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm) isolates from tomatoes with bacterial canker disease. This has not been previously reported to the knowledge of the report authors. Similarly high resistance to copper was detected in bacteria that cause varnish spot of lettuce. Pseudomonas syringae isolates from celery, parsley, silver beet and tomato exhibited intermediate levels of copper resistance. These results potentially have important implications for growers. Better control of Cu-resistant bacteria can be achieved by tank-mixing Cu with a dithiocarbamate fungicide. However, chemicals from that class disrupt certain beneficial insects and mites. This can be problematic for greenhouse vegetable growers and/or

Copper tolerance screening assay with bacterial isolates on CYEG media amended with increasing copper concentrations. Top left: 0 Cu; top right 0.1mM Cu; bottom left 0.5mM Cu; bottom centre 0.75mM Cu; bottom right 1mM Cu.

anyone using IPM or organic production systems. One alternative might be to tank-mix Cu with iron chloride, however this approach would require appropriate experimental testing to validate efficacy and to ensure that there are no significant detrimental consequences. Findings from this study contributed to the development of guidelines for improved resistance management which are available to growers, such as Best practice production models (lettuce, brassica) and Development of effective pesticide strategies compatible with IPM management used on farm. A key recommendation is that growers should continue to follow resistance strategies to minimise further development of resistant populations. It is critical that availability of alternative fungicides from different classes be available for these strategies to be sustained. More information For a copy of this and related R&D reports, or more general information on managing chemical resistance please contact vegetablesWA Field Extension Officers Sarah Houston on 0427 373 037 or Vo The Truyen on 0457 457 559.

Your Production

Good Practice meetings

deliver important messages to growers

BY Rohan Prince Development Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, WA

Good Chemical Practice Discussions held in Wanneroo and Myalup delivered the message that appropriate chemical use is good agricultural practice, good business practice and a duty of care not only for growers and their employees, but also the general public and consumers of their produce. Through the APC/VPC and HAL-funded project Continuing Good Practice through on-farm demonstration, growers were presented messages about how on farm practice could potentially impact their business and consumers away from the paddock.

produce is included in the Act while most primary producers are exempt. This is very important with the rise of leafy salad lines packed on farms and direct sales at farmers markets. The penalties able to be applied under the Food Act reflect the seriousness of the offence and range from $40,000 to $100,000 and potential imprisonment for an individual, and $200,000â&#x20AC;&#x201C;500,000 for a body corporate.

Geoff Harcombe also from Department of Health spoke about chemical safety aspects of food production from an environmental health perspective.

He reminded growers that applying chemicals as per label instruction is a legal responsibility and intended to reduce the likelihood of neighbours, either farmers or others, and the environment being impacted. The vital link between following chemical label instructions and provisions in the Food Act were again referenced in this talk. Woolworths Produce Operations Manager, Paul Turner, spoke about the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire to deliver safe and healthy locallygrown produce to WA consumers. Paul stressed that effective quality assurance programs that detect food safety issues before the public are affected are vital to maintain consumer trust in fresh produce. Ultimately

Growers in Wanneroo heard presentations from the Department of Health, AusChem Training, DAFWA specialists and Woolworths about the importance of abiding by chemical labels for their own safety, the implications to supply, consequences of a product recall and the financial implication to their businesses. Department of Health speaker Bill Calder highlighted important sections of the Food Act 2008 that aims to ensure food for sale is both safe and suitable for human consumption. Ready-to-eat vegetable

Paul Turner from Woolworths addressing growers at the Good Practice Workshop.

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Production

Myalup growers attend a session at Ivankovich Farms.

it is demand for local fresh produce that will help ensure the local vegetable industry has long-term sustainability. In a similar meeting in Myalup, Syngenta’s Technical Lead from South Australia, Scott Mathews, presented the finer points of effective spray applications focusing on spray equipment setup, environmental conditions and the target problem, and how they are all important factors when making spraying decisions. Some of his key points included knowing the following important information: • Environmental conditions and how they can affect the efficacy of sprays. This includes how temperature and humidity affect contact time and therefore effectiveness of the chemical based on its mode of action • How often nozzles should be tested and what chemicals affect the performance of nozzles more than others • The most appropriate nozzles for different cropping scenarios based on the canopy cover, the target problem and the chemical being used • The action of common chemicals and how this affects the spray method that you use for a problem. Scott’s talk was very well received and discussion continued during the following barbecue and sundowner.

WA Grower summer 2012

Carbon and Sustainability Workshops

price increases. This tailed in nicely to the next talk by Dr Ian Porter.

The Carbon & Sustainability Workshops held around WA in late August saw three interstate guests present a range of topics including nutrient benchmarking and soil health, carbon farming and where it fits with horticulture, and integrated disease management (IPM) on brassica crops. The workshops were held in Carnarvon, Manjimup and Wanneroo.

Ian, a Principle Research Scientist at DPI Victoria, presented results from a federallyfunded project on nutrient benchmarking (carbon and nitrogen) and its importance to soil health and sustainability of the national vegetable Industry. Data highlighted the benefits of adding composted organic mulch, or composted fowl manure, fumifert, a biofumigant crop and nitrification inhibitors with fertilisers, compared to no fumigation or methyl bromide. Research showed that trying to increase soil carbon in intense vegetable production using compost was difficult, but also revealed that yields were improved when compost was used.

Peter Melville (Horticulture Australia Limited) presented insight into how the Carbon Tax and Carbon Farming initiatives may impact or benefit vegetable production and what it means for the farm and supply chain. The talk highlighted the extra indirect costs associated with production and transport that will impact on growers. Peter also looked at the vegetable industry’s ability to take advantage of the federal government’s carbon farming initiative. He concluded there was limited opportunity to take advantage of carbon farming as the regular inputs such as compost, manures and mulches are consumed and used up too quickly by the crops. Biochar was one option mentioned, however the benefits to production are still unclear. The talk concluded by suggesting options to reduce the impact of a carbon price by increasing production efficiency through efficient use of fertiliser, water and other inputs to offset

Similarly, using nitrification inhibitors increased fertiliser efficiency leading to higher yields than unfumigated farmer practice and produced better economic returns. A change in subject to IPM on brassicas saw Dr Paul Horne from IPM Technologies in Victoria speak about controlling diamond back moth (DBM) using a wasp (Diadegma) that parasitises DBM caterpillars in combination with specific sprays for other pests that will not affect the Diadegma parasitic wasp. The plan for a typical crop included the following strategy:

Your Production

Week 1

Seedlings planted out

Weeks 2 & 3 Release Diadegma wasps Week 4 or 5 Spray Dipel and Movento if aphids are present At buttoning Spraying Belt Near harvest Spray XenTari for cabbage white butterfly. The above chemical products were used as they have a lower impact on the wasp than others.

It is important to note that chemical groups should always be rotated to avoid resistance, even when using the ‘softer’ chemicals mentioned here. When trialled in Werribee they resulted in $300–500/ha less insecticide used than other farms in the area for the same period on a cauliflower crop.

For further details on Paul Horne’s talk on IPM or to view Peter Meville’s or Ian Porter’s talks visit the vegetablesWA website (www.vegetableswa.com.au) or contact Sarah Houston 0427 373 037 or Rohan Prince on 0429 680 069.

Review and planning for 2013 Following the presentations from the interstate guests at the Wanneroo workshop, a review of the last year’s demonstration sites, field days and workshops was run by Rohan Prince and Sarah Houston. Six workshops/field days were run between Myalup and Gingin on topics including pathology, soil health and performance, irrigation, chemical use and the most recent. An interactive planning session revealed that growers wanted to hear more on market access following the bans of dimethoate and fenthion, and have more information on the requirements for minor use permits including how the APVMA assesses the data.

The loss of fowl manure was a hot topic and how the industry may be able to utilise this product again through composting may be investigated. A workshop was requested on balancing nutrients to maximise the benefit of application, as well as giving information on cover crops, green manures and biofumigant crops. It is intended that four more workshops or field walks be run prior to the project winding up in August 2013. Keep an eye out for a booklet summarising all the Good Practice sites and the work done so far to demonstrate on-farm improvements. More information For any further information on field days and workshops, including if you have any thoughts or suggestions to pass on in relation to this project, please don’t hesitate to contact Rohan Prince at DAFWA or Sarah Houston at vegetablesWA.

WA Grower December 2009 WA Grower Summer 2012

11 35

Your Production

Integrated management strategies

for controlling carrot powdery mildew BY Sarah Houston Field Extension Officer VegetablesWa

A HAL funded project has been in progress with the aim of identifying the impact of powdery mildew on carrot growth, yield and quality. The project also aims to create awareness of the disease and to assess the effectiveness of chemical and non chemical treatment methods. Carrot powdery mildew is considered a significant threat to carrot production in Australia. It was first identified in Australia in 2007, and relatively little has been known about its development and treatment options. Led by Andrew Watson, Plant Pathologist at NSW DPI, this project was established to gain a better understanding of the disease itself, its effects on carrots and their production, and to identify fungicide options for management.

Trials examined the disease in carrots and the effects of fungicides in NSW and Tasmania, both in the field and in controlled environments in greenhouses. This research identified that once the disease has progressed to a high level it is very difficult to manage, confirming grower experience with the disease. Early detection and application of fungicides was found to be critical in its control and minimising crop losses.

The project highlights the need for disease monitoring in carrot crops to ensure early detection and subsequent application of fungicide. Powdery mildew can cause damage to foliage, stems and umbels; often covering leaves with white mycelium and powdery spores. Infected foliage can become brittle, and diseased pedicels may turn brown, causing the florets to die prematurely. The project analysed fungicide use, water management, varietal differentiation and weather conditions. One of the key findings from the research was that mildew spreads easily from infected plants to uninfected plants easily through the movement of field workers and equipment.

The disease is also hard to see, as carrots have a fine leaf and early infections are hard to identify. This means that visual symptoms of the disease often donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show up much until it is well developed, and at this stage it is difficult for fungicides to have an effect. Most of the trials were conducted in the field in NSW and Tasmania where the crops were planted, developed and fertilised and then introduced to the disease in the field. The development of the disease was evaluated as it progressed. The registered fungicide Amistar TopÂŽ showed success in controlling the disease. The most successful disease management recommended is through early detection and fungicide application which controls but does not eliminate the disease. Trials also showed that overhead irrigation reduced disease concentration when compared to drip irrigation methods. Temperature trials indicated that powdery mildew of carrots favours temperate conditions, similar to spring and autumn seasons in much of Australia, with wetter conditions reducing outbreaks of the disease. Variety trials were valuable in identifying more tolerant carrot varieties and the best options for growers. The carrot variety Stefano was shown to have high resistance to disease incidence and should be considered in periods of high disease pressure. As well as early detection and use of fungicides to manage the disease and minimise loss, producers should also reduce movement of field workers and machinery between infected and uninfected areas to prevent the spread of the powdery mildew. More information

Powdery mildew can be hard to see, as carrots have a fine leaf and early infections are hard to identify.

WA Grower summer 2012

For further information on HAL project VG08044 Investigations and developing integrated management strategies for carrot powdery mildew you contact Andrew Watson, NSW DPI on (02) 6951 2647 or email andrew.watson@ industry.nsw.gov.au or alternatively you can contact vegetablesWA Field Extension Officer Sarah Houston on 0427 373 037 email sarah.houston@vegetableswa.com.au

Your industrY

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WA Grower summer 2012

Your Industry

Quality essential for seed potatoes Western Australia has an excellent reputation as a source of seed potatoes free of exotic diseases, with over half of the state’s seed production destined for interstate and overseas markets.

BY DALE SPENCER SENIOR BIOSECURITY OFFICER, Department of Agriculture and Food, WA

Seed potato crops in the South West are grown by specialist seed growers whose production is worth more than $10 million to the local economy.

The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), through its AgWest Plant Laboratories administers the WA certified seed potato scheme. Local seed crops are in high demand both interstate and internationally given absence of some major pests and diseases as well as the state’s seed specifications exceeding national standards required in virus testing, low aphid populations and crop isolation requirements. We work with seed potato growers, packers, sales agents, exporters and importers ensuring that sourced potato seed originates from production districts free from serious pests and diseases, so that the WA industry can continue to expand and capitalise on export opportunities. As part of the WA certified seed potato scheme, DAFWA undertakes visual inspections of the growing crops as well as post-harvest inspections of tubers and provides laboratory testing services.

Dale Spencer and group.

WA Grower summer 2012

DAFWA held a field walk at Vasse Research Station in October that was attended by more than 65 people, learning to examine crops for viruses and diseases.

The major focus of the day was alerting growers to the immediate challenges facing the industry in potato leaf roll (PLRV) and potato virus Y (PVY), equipping them with knowledge and information on how to identify and manage these viruses. It is important for growers to be able to assess their own crops and make early identification. DAFWA plant pathologist Andrew Taylor gave advice on identifying symptoms and various strains, outlining how they are transmitted and detailed the hosts likely to carry the viruses over from one season to another. A number of management options are recommended including using certified seed, controlling aphids, adequate crop isolation and planting barrier crops. DAFWA entomologist Stewart Learmonth outlined benefits of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that plays an important role in successful seed potato production. “It is important for growers to become confident in identifying not only the vectors, but also beneficial and neutral insects that occur in potato crops,” Stewart said. “Growers need to have seed crops tested for virus levels as a value-adding component in providing high quality seed potatoes to their customers and monitor their crops on a regular basis,” Stewart emphasised.

Your Industry

Staff from AgWest Plant Laboratories (APL) were also on hand to answer queries about disease analysis testing. Continued support from industry in funding the testing of generation-2 crops for all exotic viruses is vital to ensure these are kept at the current low levels, providing clean seed stocks to buyers. Results from this testing over the past 10 years are very encouraging.

The industry has recently experienced weak, almost undetectable foliage symptoms of PLRV in crops, and urgent research is required to establish if latent strains exist in WA. DAFWA is currently conducting research into the methods of spread and distribution of PVY in WA and a report will be provided back to the industry in June 2013.

The practical aspect of the day involved growers forming small groups with DAFWA and industry experts to guide and assist them in assessing crops growing in nearby paddocks. Growers left armed with better knowledge of how to identify viruses and diseases in their own seed potato crops, which is a great outcome. Planning has already commenced for the next potato field day which may include other topical issues such as product description and identification of tuber defects. More information For more information contact Dale Spencer at dale.spencer@agric.wa.gov.au or telephone (08) 9777 0142.

Chris Payne and Christine Wood.

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WA Grower Summer 2012

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Grower profile

Joanna Wren By HAyley WIlsOn VEGETABLESWA

Joanna Wren is an extremely passionate young grower from picturesque Karridale, about half an hour south of Margaret River. Joanna has now been running her own business, Sunshine Produce, in partnership with her brother George for three years. The business produces mainly cauliflowers and tomatoes for the Perth and local markets. Joanna grew up in the area where her parents have been farming for over 30 years. From an early age she was involved with the growing and farming operations, and so her love of growing fresh vegetables began. After finishing school, Joanna originally began on a very different path and moved to Perth to study at University and completed a Bachelor of Arts, Film and Television.

Grower proﬁle name Joanna Wren location Karridale enterprises Cauliflowers and tomatoes PerTH

In the five years she was away, Joanna realised that she missed the country lifestyle and so decided to move back to work in her parent’s business. After enjoying being back on the farm and involved in the running of the business, she decided to further her skills in this area by completing a Certificate IV Traineeship with her parent’s business. In 2008 Joanna won the Trainee of the Year award at the WA Training Awards. In the same year, Joanna also completed her training and assessment qualifications

WA Grower summer 2012

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“One of the advantages of living in one of the most beautiful parts of the world is that it is a tourist destination. So it works well for branding and marketing techniques,” said Joanna of the beautiful WA south west. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Joanna has now developed her own pasta sauce made out of the ripest of their tomatoes, and sells it at local shops. Joanna is passionate about local food and especially keeping it local and sells her produce in local shops, to wholesalers and will also be selling at the local farmers markets this season.

In the rare moments that Joanna isn’t working on the property, she likes to take advantage of the amazing area she lives in, spending time at the beach and relaxing with friends. “I really have found my place in the industry — I can’t imagine and wouldn’t want to be doing anything else now. I love growing fresh and sustainable food for people to enjoy.” Although she acknowledges all the hard work involved in growing vegetables, Joanna loves that every day is different, exciting and brings new challenges.

which enabled her to begin lecturing at the South West Institute of Technology in Margaret River, where she now train students in horticulture.

“I have a real interest in training within the horticultural industry and take both class-based and work-based students from Certificate II up to Diploma level.” For the past year Joanna has also been an Ambassador for Agrifood Skills Australia, a national organisation that looks after training and skills in the industry and promotes a positive view of agriculture. “I’ve been quite involved in the last year in promoting the great career and training opportunities in the wider agrifood sector and it would be nice to see more young people looking at horticulture as a career.” Another of Joanna’s interests is the promotion of local food and was recently on the committee for the South West Food Bowl Festival.

A whole day of the festival was dedicated to educating students about different agriculture industries, and about 200 children attended the farm tours to experience what a farmer does day to day and listen to some of the issues involved.

Photos: Joshua Higgins

“We wanted to highlight WA’s south west region and the variety of products that come from there. The idea is to try to bridge the gap between the wider community and the farming community in the area and hopefully the event helped in some way to achieve that.”

WA Grower Summer 2012

Fertiliser stabiliser trials (DAFF)

Yields: Increasing the yields from the same farmed area will return the producer more income and effectively make the product potentially cheaper to the consumer. Soil health: All soil types across Australia’s prime vegetable growing regions are very old and fragile. These old soils need to be carefully managed to optimise their longterm health which in turn leads to better quality produce being delivered using more sustainable agricultural techniques. Reduce emissions: When fertilisers and manures are applied there is a large percentage of nitrogen that is lost to the atmosphere (volatilisation) in the form of

3 2 1

2 0

Stabilised NPK base NPK base

The nitrogen stabilisers added to the manures and fertilisers retard the conversion of ammonium to nitrate. For this, the activity of the bacteria (nitrosomonas) responsible for this conversion is inhibited. This stabilises the fertiliser nitrogen in the topsoil and leaves more available for the plant roots to take

Treatment

Figures 1 and 2 clearly show that yield of broccoli were increased with the addition of the nitrogen stabiliser on the standard commercial NPK base and chicken manures.

4th cut 3rd cut 7 2nd cut 6 1st cut 5

Treatment No base

How does this nitrogen stabiliser work?

Figure 2 Effect of nitrification inhibitors on fertilisers combined with chicken manure (5.2t) treated with inhibitors either left on the surface (S) or incorporated (I) on the yield of broccoli at the Boneo, Victoria 7

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NPK base

• Reduced fertiliser inputs.

• Improved access to ammonium nitrogen for better growth and greater phosphorus, copper and zinc uptake

No base 0

• Lowered emissions

• Improved crop uptake and potentially higher yields

• Improved yields

The flow on affect will be:

Stabilised NPK base

Chicken on surface

By applying commercially available nitrogen stabiliser manures and fertilisers the results showed:

By minimising nitrogen losses, a more sustained nitrogen supply to the vegetable crops, resulting in yield and quality improvements.

Yield (kg/plot)

4th cut 6 3rd cut 2nd cut 5 1st cut

Stabilisers were applied to the chicken manure and the commercial NPK base fertiliser and this allowed a reduction in use of calcium nitrate. Different amounts of the various products were applied to a broccoli crop and the yields and emissions recorded.

Potential losses of nitrogen through leaching and denitrification (as mentioned previously) can account for anywhere from 20–60% of applied nitrogen fertiliser depending on soil type and seasonal conditions. Therefore any process that can help contain or reduce these nitrogen losses is a good thing.

Figure 1 Increased yields (kg/plot) using stabilised fertilisers with broccoli, Boneo, Victoria in 2012 6

• A more continuous supply of nitrogen with potentially fewer applications for better workload efficiency on farms.

4th cut 3rd cut 2nd cut 1st cut

3 2 1 0

Treatment

WA Grower summer 2012

Chicken incorporated

Why is this applied research so important?

• Reduces nitrate flushes for more consistent, quality produce (reduced chance the plant will bolt to seed)

The scientific trials conducted on large farms in Victoria used the standard current ‘best practice’ methods for growing the crops, but just modified the ways fertilisers and manures were applied. Keeping the preparation methods as close to ‘normal’ market gardening practices means that the results can be applied easily transferred across many vegetable varieties throughout the prime vegetable growing areas.

Yield (kg/plot)

This research is funded by DPI, with support from Incitec Pivot and DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) and is aimed at providing industry farming methods which increase yields and profit and also benefit the climate and environment.

nitrous oxide (N2O) and through leaching of nitrate past the plant root systems and most likely into the ground water. This can lead to an increase in nitrate levels within drainage waters and adversely affect other organisms.

Chicken on surface and Piadin Chicken on surface Chicken on surface and ENTEC Chicken on surface and Piadin Chicken incorporated Chicken on surface and ENTEC Chicken incorporated with Piadin Chicken incorporated Chicken incorporated with ENTEC Chicken incorporated with Piadin

Over the past two years Dr Ian Porter and his team at the Department of Primary Industries have been conducting trials in Werribee and Boneo to help improve yields through improve soil health.

Yield (kg/plot)

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up. The plants feed on the ammonium nitrogen as well as the nitrate nitrogen, which is contained within the potential root zone. The nitrogen is stabilised for 4 to 10 weeks, depending on the stabiliser and the amount of fertiliser. The conversion is also influenced by soil type, the soil temperature and the moisture content, which are normal parameters that also influence plant growth. This stabilising of the nitrogen within the soil allows the plant to have access to the nitrogen for a longer period of time. This not only improves yields but can reduce emissions and quality of the harvested products. The stabilised products headed more uniformly and required fewer picks.

What is the take home message to consider? • Use of stabilisers on manures gave up to 20% increase in yields with at least 50% less N lost to the atmosphere

• Up to $3-6000/ha extra profits • Use of stabilisers on fertilisers also reduced N2O emissions by >50%, potentially can reduce nitrate leaching and depending on season can improve yields • Most importantly results showed an increase in nitrogen use efficiency from <15% to above 50% meaning more nitrogen is used by the plant and not wasted.

The results from this research project undertaken by DPI deliver to the vegetable grower practical applied methods to improve the outcomes for all growers. As with any new farming practices or methods the grower needs to carefully trial these new practices at each new site and fine-tuned to suit your particular soil type and climatic conditions for your region.

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Photo: DAFWA Entomology

New stable fly regulatory reference group BY IAN MCPHARLIN Senior Development officer Irrigated Agriculture and Diversification, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD, WA

A new Stable Fly Regulatory Reference Group including two representatives from vegetablesWA had its first meeting at DAFWA in mid-November. This follows the official declaration of stable fly as a pest by the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Terry Redman in September (see green boxed story on the following page). The reference group is being chaired by DAFWA’s Executive Director of Irrigated Agriculture and Diversification, Terry Hill. Besides the vegetable industry, it comprises representatives of the poultry industry, other

intensive livestock industries (mainly pigs and cattle), local government and affected parties such as The Stable Fly Action Group.

Regulations will be transferred in total from the Health Act, but some more work is needed on this.

DAFWA representatives include Megan Hevron and me. Dr David Cook from UWA who is involved in a major research project on stable fly is also a member. Other WA Government departments may be invited to attend as required.

vegetablesWA representatives were keen to see hobby farms and ‘domestic’ properties covered by the regulations as well as commercial growers. It was explained that the management plan is being drawn up primarily for commercial operations but the general community is not exempt from dealing with stable flies on their properties. If individuals are believed to be allowing stable fly to breed on their properties it will be dealt with by a pest control notice.

John Shannon and Roy Humphrey (representing vegetablesWA President Maureen Dobra) attended the first meeting. A second meeting is planned before Christmas. A draft management plan under the Biosecurity and Agricultural Management Act (Stable Fly) had been prepared by the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office and this will be amended as a result of the reference group discussions. Poultry Manure

Stable fly is well established in coastal areas from Gingin to Capel and local government will be an integral part of its management. It would be impossible to eradicate it. The draft management plan aims to minimise fly breeding by the vegetable industry and in annual fruits by requiring: • The harvest period of the crop to be minimised to as short as practical

vegetablesWA's John Shannon with Dr David Cook.

WA Grower summer 2012

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Dr David Cook with Minister Terry Redman.

• Crop residues to be mulched or slashed into small pieces within three days of the completion of harvest

• Crops abandoned for commercial reasons to be handled as in the second to fourth steps above.

• Residues to then be sprayed with an approved pesticide

These draft recommendations are aiming to minimise stable fly breeding and be a practical option for growers with existing equipment.

• No irrigation to be applied to the treated area for seven days unless wind erosion is an issue to allow the mulched residue to dry • This material to be incorporated into the soil with rotary hoe or similar equipment • Reject produce to be treated with approved pesticide and buried to at least 30cm • Reject produce fed to stock off the farm to be spread thinly on the ground in a line to maximise the amount eaten

Crops to be exempted from the regulations include beans, capsicums (except paprikas), cucumbers, parsley, potatoes, spinach and tomatoes, as well as strawberries which are an annual fruit.

breed in the residues left after pressing olives for oil extraction. When regulations are finalised they will take effect from September 2013, but meanwhile we are hoping all parties can work towards minimising the effects of this aggravating pest. Research has also begun in comparing products that help accelerate the breakdown of crop residues and therefore reduce breeding. This is being supported by vegetablesWA, local shires and Horticulture Australia Limited, and coordinated by DAFWA.

Olives are specifically included, the only perennial fruit, as stable fly is known to

Vegetable producers on board as Minister declares fly pest BY Sarah Houston Field Extension Officer VegetablesWa

On Friday 26th October 2012, a public announcement was made by the WA Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. Terry Redman, to formally declare the stable fly a pest in Western Australia under the new Biosecurity and Agriculture Management (BAM) Act. Those present at the announcement made at Bogdanich Farms in West Gingin, included vegetable growers, residents from various shires, livestock producers, council members, DAFWA officers and representatives from a number of industries. President of the Stable Fly Action Committee (SFAG), Bob Wilson, welcomed more than 50 people to the gathering and thanked all involved for their support

and commitment. He emphasized the trauma and suffering endured by animals as a result of large numbers of stable fly and the need for all involved to work together to find solutions to the problem. Mr. Wilson made a special mention to acknowledge Dr David Cook and his work to date, recognizing that his expertise has added scientific rigor and credibility to the work that has been done to date and will be done in the future. Maureen Dobra, president of vegetablesWA, then spoke on behalf of the vegetable industry and acknowledged the stable fly problem. She also expressed the concern of the whole community including the vegetable industry, and made clear the commitment of the vegetable industry to funding and research in order to combat the stable fly issue. Minister Redman addressed the group and formally declared the stable fly

a pest under the BAM Act. He then acknowledged the involvement from the vegetable industry, in particular Jim Turley of vegetablesWA, for their participation and willingness to make a change in regards to the stable fly issue. “The support from the vegetable industry is very much appreciated and has helped make this a fast and smooth process”. Minister Redman also thanked Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) and the various shires involved in the project for their financial support. For further details on the continuing work into the control of stable fly in vegetable residues please see the following story or contact vegetablesWA Field Extension Officers, Sarah Houston on 0427 373 037 or sarah.houston@vegetableswa.com.au and Truyen Vo on 0457 457 559 or truyen. vo@vegetableswa.com.au

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A new approach to stable fly control

By Dr Ian McPharlin Senior Research Officer, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD, WA, and Dr David Cook Forensic Entomologist, UWA

The Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) have commenced research into a new and novel approach to stable fly control thanks to a new project funded by Horticulture Australia, which provides matching funds to the voluntary financial support provided by the eight local government shires mostly affected by this fly, as well as the vegetable industry (vegetablesWA). Those contributing to the $400,000 project over two years include the Shires of Gingin, Wanneroo, Chittering, Dandaragan, Capel and Harvey and the Cities of Swan and Kwinana. Project leader Dr Ian McPharlin together with entomologist Dr David Cook who specialises in flies affecting humans and livestock, have embarked on a new approach to minimise stable or biting fly breeding in rotting vegetable crop residues.

One of the keys to stable fly management in vegetable crop residues is getting the organic matter (OM) broken down as quickly as possible.

Speeding up the breakdown of OM will a) reduce the potential for stable flies to develop in the material, and b) decrease the time to next planting, which in turn can increase productivity.

Dr McPharlin stated that “the current reliance on pesticides is ultimately not sustainable and an economic cost to growers, consumers and the environment”. Stable flies still present a major nuisance to livestock owners and rural residents alike along the Swan Coastal Plain around Perth, including many cattle producers, horse owners and goat farmers.

Enhanced biodegradation of vegetable crop residue after harvest will be tested using OM bio-accelerants applied to vegetable crop residues (leaves, stalks, roots and heads) left after harvest is complete. This will be compared with current best management practices where unharvested residues are mulched, sprayed with insecticide, left to dry on the soil surface, and then incorporated into the soil.

The progression of commercial vegetable crop production further away from Perth into traditional livestock areas has been a significant contributing factor to this pest fly having a major impact economically and socially on many rural landowners. Dr Cook explained how the stable or biting fly is able to breed in a range of rotting plant material, animal manures (especially aged manure) and any mixtures of the two (for example, straw bedding soiled with animal manure). Furthermore, Dr Cook stated that this fly of tropical origins is highly suited to our hot climate and the larvae of this species can easily survive on our hot, black sandy soils where temperatures often exceed 50°C.

Two key, commercial products that are able to accelerate the breakdown of OM show further promise in their application as they should alter the microbial populations that breakdown the rotting crop residues in such a way that stable flies are either: (i) not attracted to lay eggs on this material, or (ii) unable to develop their larvae on this material. These products should boost the numbers of beneficial microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) in soil, many of which are deleterious to the growth and survival of fly larvae. In simple terms, this project is looking at manipulating the microbial environment within rotting vegetable crop residues in such a way that stable flies won’t utilise them to continue their life cycle.

WA Grower summer 2012

In addition, the crop residues should be broken down more rapidly with the use of bioaccelerants that is expected to boost the beneficial microbes in the soil, suppress root diseases and soil pathogens, as well as improve nutrient recycling and soil structure. If successful, this will represent a new and exciting method of significantly reducing this pest fly using products that are highly beneficial to the health of our soils and represent a potential win-win situation for vegetable growers and those who continue to be affected by the scourge of the biting, stable fly. Smaller commercial vegetable growers on the Swan Coastal Plain should benefit from the using OM accelerants as most growers currently use rotary hoeing to break up their crop residues and incorporate into the soil – this is a slow process and allows the stable fly to continue to develop in the crop residues and reject produce. If results of these trials become turn out as expected, adoption by commercial vegetable growers has the potential to provide multiple benefits to the community with improved soil health, increased productivity and a reduction in stable flies affecting livestock and residents alike. More information For further information you can contact vegetablesWA Field Extension Officers, Sarah Houston on 0427 373 037 or sarah.houston@vegetableswa.com.au and Truyen Vo on 0457 457 559 or truyen.vo@vegetableswa.com.au, or Ian McPharlin from DAFWA on (08) 9368 3671 or imcpharlin@agric.wa.gov.au.

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Water for food Global food demand is expected to rise over 70% by 2050. In Asia, food demand is forecast to double in the same period. Food demand in Australia will also grow strongly. It is estimated that Western Australia’s population will reach four million by 2050, while the national population will grow to 36 million. WA is well-placed to meet the future food needs of our community and interstate markets, and to contribute strongly to the food security needs of countries in Asia and the Middle East. By taking advantage of these significant growth opportunities, WA has exciting potential to increase regional economic growth and employment from irrigated agricultural production. Good quality water and fertile land are two of our most precious resources. We have opportunities to develop new resources and to make smarter use of our current resources. Throughout WA, from the Kimberley to the South West, the Department of Agriculture and Food, with strong support from Royalties for Regions, is applying its expertise to create new and sustainable agricultural industries.

Gascoyne Food Bowl

Manjimup SuperTown

• Carnarvon horticultural production has doubled in the past 10 years to over $80 million

• Manjimup is a major fresh food production hub for WA

• This project aims to identify and develop water and soil resources for a future doubling of production areas • Research such as growing bananas under netting is improving yield and quality.

• Development of a Southern Forest Food Council will collectively brand and promote Manjimup produce • New high value crop opportunities such as new apples for premium world markets • Future focused regional agricultural strategy.

More Dollars per Drop

Gingin and Perth Metropolitan Studies

• This major program over three years will increase water use efficiency in fruit, vegetable, viticulture and dairy industries

• If funded, these studies will provide a policy framework for local fresh food supply growth as demand doubles

• Eight sites will demonstrate new technology and ensure better use of every drop for the environment and grower productivity • Free comprehensive on-farm assessments of irrigation systems and production capacity are being provided.

West Midlands • Work is identifying groundwater resources, including the Capitela Valley, which could be developed for irrigated agriculture.

• They will identify new land and water resources for food production, assess future competition and protect those resources.

Myalup • Myalup precinct occupies 8,000 hectares of coastal sand north of Bunbury with 2,500 hectares now irrigated for food production • The proposed project would provide better understanding of the aquifer and evaluate engineering and land use changes to divert water from lower value uses into fresh food production.

New rental approach will level the playing field at Market City The Perth Market Authority (PMA) has announced it is moving towards solving the disparate rents that have existed at Canning Vale’s Market City for some time. Perth Market Authority Chief Executive Stephen Ward said we have today let all of our tenants know we are moving to apply market assessed rentals that have been approved by the Authority’s Board. “We have based the new rental approach on advice received from two highly credentialed commercial-industrial property valuation companies and then applied the lowest overall valuation as the basis of the rentals,” Mr Ward said. He said rental increase for tenants would vary but the majority will be capped at 8.5 per cent. “The details of the changes have been advised directly to every tenant who also had the opportunity to attend an information forum on 29th August and offered additional one-on-one discussions with senior PMA staff,” Mr Ward said. “As well as email and paper copy details supplied to all tenants, we are writing to each individual tenant to ensure all know who to go to and discuss their own situation.”

Authority’s approach was to be transparent and equitable regarding the process. “We have briefed the Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries who represent many of the wholesalers,” he said. “Earlier this month we advised tenants about the saving of more than $1 million we are providing them in regards to their electricity tariffs. “Our role is to provide the structure for a wholesale market place and the recent announcement of a capital investment to develop a new cold-chain warehouse is just one of many improvements being progressed by the Authority and supported by the State Government. “We understand the changes in rent arrangements are never popular but we have a responsibility to ensure our business is conducted commercially with transparency and equity for all.” More information For more information contact Nicole Fernandes, Marketing & Communications Manager, Perth Market Authority on 0407 101 701 or go to www.perthmarket.com.au.

Mr Ward said he was aware there has been much discussion and sensitivity among some tenants and reiterated the WA Grower Summer 2012

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Insights

with Ivan Ivankovic BY Sarah Houston Field Extension Officer VegetablesWa

Ivan Ivankovic is a vegetable grower from Carabooda who not only has extensive experience growing vegetables in the sandy soils of the region, but also has knowledge and experience from studies in agricultural science and employment at the Department of Agriculture and Food WA. Over the years, Ivan Ivankovic has gained extensive knowledge of growing practices through his own growing operation as well as from his research and work with other growers around WA. Following from the previous article in the spring edition of the WA Grower, in this issue, we look at some of the basic rules and concepts of agronomy and irrigation that Ivan sees as vital knowledge for all growers.

Agronomy for vegetable production Each different type of crop requires different nutritional and irrigation management and it is essential to adjusting management practices to meet the needs of your crop, learning from other growers, from industry research and from experience. Growers should spend time in the field assessing and monitoring the crop, fine-tuning the nutrient and water delivery for each particular situation, and identifying any potential problems or concerns that can be prevented or treated.

Soil and plant nutrition It is important to understand the soil on each different vegetable farm, and monitor both the nutrients present in the soil and nutrients present in the crop during its growth. It is always advisable to get a soil

WA Grower summer 2012

nutrient test done before planting a crop or adding fertiliser to the soil. Without soil nutrient data, it is impossible to know the requirements of your soil. Testing is therefore useful to ensure fertiliser rates are not too high or low, which could result in nutrient deficiencies or toxicities, or unwanted environmental effects such as runoff and leaching. Once a crop is planted, generally the best way to monitor nutrients being taken up by the plant is via plant tissue analysis.

The law of the minimum In plant nutrition, the concept known as the ‘law of the minimum’ explains that the growth of a crop is limited by the nutrient that is in shortest supply in relation to the plant’s requirements. So, crop yield and quality are not controlled by total amount of nutrients available, but if there is a nutrient in limited supply (deficient), this is the one that will limit crop growth, regardless of how much of all the other nutrients are available. Once supply of the deficient nutrient is improved, the next most limited nutrient will impact plant growth. In Figure 1, this concept is demonstrated as a barrel with staves of different heights. The barrel can only hold water up to the height of its shortest stave, and will only be full when all the staves are the same size. Similarly, a plant will grow to its potential when all the nutrients are at an optimal level, i.e. without any deficiencies or excesses. As soon as one is deficient, plant growth will be limited by that nutrient.

The water in the soil contains plant nutrients that move within it and can be taken up by the plant. Nutrients can also be locked up in the soil matrix, or leached from the root zone. Different nutrients have different chemical properties and hence will move at different speeds with the water through the soil. This is also affected by soil pH and soil temperature which can both have an impact on the availability of nutrients in the soil (Figure 2).

What is most important to understand is that it is not the total amount of nutrients in the soil that is relevant, but the available nutrients. This availability depends on many factors — such as soil moisture, pH and soil temperature — and the optimal balance of these factors will vary between crop types so that nutrients may be physically present in the soil, but no actually available to the plants.

Irrigation management When using irrigation in vegetable production, it is important to understand the soil hydraulic properties of the farm. The most important of these properties is the water holding capacity of the soil. For design of new irrigation systems, it is recommended Figure 1 Law of the minimum — capacity is limited by the nutrient in shortest supply

Movement and availability of nutrients in the soil Nutrient movement through soil is predominantly controlled by water movement through the soil. Water infiltrates into the soil and then moves in response to a moisture gradient. The rate at which water moves through soil is a function of soil texture and structure. In the sandy soils typical around Perth, this rate can be fairly rapid, meaning leaching of water past the root zone of plants can occur if soils are over watered.

Source: www.greenhousegrower.com/article/26470/an-apple-a-day

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Figure 2 The influence of pH on nutrient availability

Soil pH scale Source: www.organicgarden.org.uk/gardening/soil/soil-chemistry/

that professionals be hired to measure and map soil hydraulic properties to ensure uniform an efficient delivery of water to the vegetable crop is achieved from the system. There are a number of instruments that have been developed to monitor soil moisture content in the root zone of vegetables crops and help improve water use efficiency. The instruments can allow you to determine if you are irrigating too little or too much, as well as minimising deep draining losses. Deep drainage results from water moving below the root zone of the crop so that the water cannot be taken up by the plant.

By monitoring and adjusting irrigation through the use of such instruments, it is possible to apply just enough water to the crops to optimise yield with minimal wastage of your water. Using more water than your crop needs will also result in an increase in power use and in fertiliser use. Increasing power and fertiliser will both result in increasing costs to your business. As well as this, applying too much water will waste water allocations that need to be strictly abided by.

When using irrigation in vegetable production, it is important to understand the soil hydraulic properties of the farm.

(OM). Smaller particles in the soil, like silt and clay, have a larger surface area than the larger sand particles, and this large surface area allows the soil to hold more water. So, the higher the percentage of clay in the soil, the higher the WHC will be. Organic matter percentage also influences the WHC. As OM increases so too does the WHC, due to the affinity OM has for water. It is worth noting that on average only about 50% of the actual WHC of a soil is plant available water. In his time spent at DAFWA, Ivan spent some time researching the relationship between OM and WHC in sandy soils. The results showed clearly that an increase in OM greatly increased the WHC of the soil. Some results from the trials show that: • Sand with 1% OM has a WHC of 234,000L water/ha (at 30cm depth).

Soil water holding capacity

• Increasing OM to 2% increases WHC of soil to 312,000L water/ha

Water holding capacity (WHC) is controlled primarily by soil texture and organic matter

• Increasing OM to 3% increases WHC of soil to 429,000L water/ha

• Increasing OM to 4% increases WHC of soil to 546,000L water/ha The standard level of OM in the sandy soils around Perth is about 1–1.2%. Increasing the OM in the soil is a proven way to increase the WHC of sandy soils. Organic matter also decreases erosion, supplies plant nutrients, provides energy and nutrients for microorganisms and adds to the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils (as OM is negatively charged and can hold on to positively charged cations such as calcium and magnesium). More information If you would like to know more about any of the topics mentioned above, or you would like to speak to Ivan about nutritional or irrigation management on your farm, please contact vegetablesWA Field Extension Officer Sarah Houston on 0427 373 037 or email sarah.houston@vegetableswa.com.au. Practical information on soils, nutrients and irrigation can also be found in the Healthy Soils for Sustainable Vegetable Farms Ute Guide, published by the vegetable industry in 2007.

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Department prosecutes over Gnangara water take The Department of Water (DoW) has prosecuted a Wanneroo vegetable grower for illegally taking water from the Gnangara mound and deliberately tampering with a state owned water meter. Department of Water Executive Director Regional Delivery and Regulation Paul Brown said the offences were serious breaches of the state’s water legislation. Mr Brown said the breach was uncovered during an ongoing compliance monitoring program across the Gnangara groundwater area involving on-ground water licence compliance inspections. Department of Water officers discovered earlier this year that the grower had tampered with a State-owned meter preventing the meter flow wheel from accurately measuring how much water was taken from the ground. “The Department of Water has been working closely with Gnangara licensees to ensure

their water abstraction continues to be sustainable,” Mr Brown said. ”Department data shows the vast majority of irrigation farmers on Gnangara use water volumes within their licensed allocation.

“However, there are some that are still taking more than their licensed share which is unfair to their neighbours and the wider community. “While the department’s compliance program initially focuses on encouraging and assisting licensees to comply with their licence terms and conditions, the Department of Water has strengthened its compliance program and will continue issuing directions, infringement notices and in cases such as this, taking action to prosecute.” Over-abstraction of groundwater by users places the water security of other users and the overall health of the groundwater resource at risk. “The Gnangara mound is an important part of the mix of water resources which are used to supply water for public drinking water as well as sport and recreation areas for

schools, universities and communities and a large number of businesses including the horticultural industry,” he said. “It is therefore vital that we ensure that this water resource is managed sustainably and that a fair and impartial enforcement process is in place to discourage unlawful abstraction of water. “Using water sustainably involves staying within licensed limits set by the Department of Water. These limits are based on good science and protect all users of water – including the environment.” The Department of Water’s capacity to combat unlawful water use has been significantly increased with $6.4 million Commonwealth funding over four years under the National Framework for Compliance and Enforcement Systems for Water Resource Management.

Likely effects of the carbon tax A recent HAl funded study by Growcom has modelled the likely impact of the carbon tax on growers. The agriculture sector is not involved in the trading scheme and will not be required to buy or sell emissions permits. However, the costs of many essential farm inputs will increase as suppliers pass on their carbon price liabilities. Based on the $23 per tonne starting price, it estimates the following input cost increases:

Input

change in costs

Fuel

Fuel for on-farm use will not be affected by the carbon price

Freight

Road freight costs will not be affected until July 2014 when they will increase by approximately 1.1%

Fertiliser

Increase by approximately 0.54%

Chemicals

Increase by approximately 0.54%

electricity

Increase by approximately 9.8%

Packaging

Increase by approximately 1.5%

WA Grower summer 2012

Given the typical low profit margins of most horticultural producers, these cost increases may represent a significant reduction in farm profits. However, it is important to note that this assumes that growers make no changes to reduce the impact. The single biggest impact of the carbon price is through the increase in the cost of electricity. As a result, the best opportunity to reduce the impact of the carbon price will be through improvements in energy efficiency. Growers will need to investigate ways to reduce electricity consumption through minimising waste, investing in more efficient equipment, using renewable energy and developing more streamlined systems. Many of the more complex strategies may require substantial capital investment. Furthermore, there is no one-size-fitsall solution; each farm is different, and growers will need to assess the cost-effectiveness of potential solutions within the context of their own businesses.

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Your Industry

On tour

with a young WA vegetable grower Through China, Hong Kong and Vietnam In August/September 2012, young grower David Ashburner of Farmland Greens in Bullsbrook participated in the AUSVEG Young Grower Study Tour of South East Asia. We asked David to share some of his experience to give other growers an insight into what study tours can offer and how they can benefit both personal and business development. Day 1 It was an early start from Melbourne on the first day of our trip. I was first the hotel lobby the morning of our departure, but was soon greeted by Peter, a tall farmer from the Netherlands who now lives in Tasmania. Next to join us was Brayden, another Tasmanian who at 18 was the youngest of the group. Soon the we were joined by the boys from Queensland — Lachlan (an NRL player), Diem (a cucumber grower originally from Vietnam), Alex (a corn farmer) and Geoffrey (a representative from Dow Science). The final group members to arrive were Andrew and Carl from Victoria. Leanne, a fellow West Australian and the only girl in the group, was set to meet us in Hong Kong.

WA Grower summer 2012

The first leg of the trip was from Melbourne to Shanghai where we arrived in the evening. We were transferred to our stunning and conveniently-located hotel, Central Hotel Shanghai, and prepared for the following day’s 4:40am start.

Day 2 After a five hour journey on a train that ran at speeds of up to 300km/hour, we arrived in Weifang, the ‘vegetable basket’ of China. First stop was the Weifang markets; at two million square metres it was absolutely enormous to say the least!

The market moves 20,000 tons of produce daily through 300 separate wholesalers, has its own hotel, hospital, bank and accommodation for freight drivers. Interestingly, the government controls the prices of produce within the market and no cash is used or exchanged. Instead, it is run much like a stock exchange where all produce is purchased and sold with a type of ‘smart card’. After the markets, we were introduced to a glimpse of Weifang culture at the Weifang Exhibition Centre. The centre contained 12 huge exhibition halls with giant statues on display — all made of real fruit and vegetables! This display is only open between April 20th and May 7th, but attracts nearly two million visitors

By David Ashburner Farmland Greens

between those dates every year. Our last stop for the day was a look at the Chinese greenhouses which were developed in 1978 by China’s ‘king of vegetables’, Wuing.

Day 3 Off to the local markets to explore the Chinese produce. There was certainly nothing sophisticated about these markets, with most stalls lacking even the basic necessity of a fridge — no doubt most of the stalls would almost certainly fail Australian hygiene standards. The market seemed to run very smoothly however, and no one seemed at all phased about the lack of technology. The market contained all the fruits and vegetables that would be found in Australia as well as other different Asian vegetables. In contrast, produce that wasn’t fruit and veg (i.e. meat, poultry, fish and spices) was not at all like Australian Produce. Among some of the strange things to be seen was a ‘100 year old egg’ — a raw egg, which is purposefully left in the ground for over three months! Once ready to eat and cracked the egg gives off a very strong sulphuric smell and is green-black in colour — not the most appealing dish.

Day 4 Travelled to China’s capital Beijing, where we spent a day exploring the Forbidden City and the famed Great Wall. A few of us decided to trek up part of the Great Wall

Your Industry

where we found a 1.5km toboggan ride that definitely turned out to be one of the many highlights of the day! Once returning to our hotel that evening, we enjoyed some good Chinese cuisine, interesting beverages and were briefed on the following day’s activity — a meeting with the Chinese Vegetable Association.

Day 5 The Chinese Vegetable Association was formed in 1989 to reduce the gap between farmers and the government. Vegetables are the most important food product for the Chinese people and are monitored very strictly by the government. All land is actually owned by the government who hand out small, individual holdings to farmers to produce the crops. The Chinese Vegetable Association is currently trying to encourage farmers to join together and form cooperatives in order to increase the scale at which they farm and in turn improve their economic standing. Following our meeting with the association we were driven to a place called Zhangbei. Zhangbei is not only the second largest vegetable production base in China but the vegetables also fetch a higher price than any other region in China because of their superior quality. The superiority of the produce is attributed to the high-altitude and low-temperatures of the region which borders Mongolia.

Day 6 One of the most interesting stops in Beijing was an organic farm of around 300 acres. The farm uses no pesticides, chemical fertilizers, hormones or GMO which is an unusual practice for a Chinese farm. To put this into perspective, around 7% of China’s farming land feeding 22% of the world’s population. Therefore, using chemicals, fertilisers and genetically modified crops to enhance quantity is understandably common place in China, with latest statistics showing they use 35% of the world’s fertilisers and chemicals. The organic farm visited on this day didn’t quite produce the quantity of other farms similar in size, however its governmentowners recognise the potential and quality in organically farmed produce. The farm-owners also use the most sophisticated transport system in China so that produce reaches customers within 12 hours.

Day 7–10 The next stop was the bustling metropolis of Hong Kong. Unfortunately, many in the group, including myself, were not able to enjoy the busy city because of a fairly sever stomach flu. I attempted to attend Asia Fruit Logistica, which is the biggest fresh food exhibition in Asia, however I had to retire early because of an increasing and excruciating fever. From what I did see and hear, the exhibition reaffirmed a lot of what we saw first-hand in China. The exhibition focussed strongly on food safety and the notable stigma attached to China’s produce due to food scares in the past. Following the first day’s exhibition, most members of our group (those who were fortunate to avoid the stomach-flu) enjoyed dinner with Ian Muir of E.E Muir & Sons and spent the next three days at the exhibition.

Day 10–11 Next we flew to Vietnam and stayed in the stunning Sheraton hotel in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). We were told that the land in Saigon is the most expensive in the world and prices of $50,000/m2 are not unheard of. We took a cruise along the Mekong River to visit several local farmers as well as a coconut candy making facility. After the cruise we jumped on a local motor-cart to visit other vegetable farmers. Later we walked down to the river to find a rowing boat which we rowed along the Mekong Creek before boarding our original cruise back to My Tho.

Day 12–14 While in Vietnam, we also visited Cu Chi, the famous maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used during the war and did a cycle tour around Saigon Center visiting war remnants and the Ben Than Market. I learnt a lot from the Vietnamese farmers, who explained to us how heavily they rely upon the Mekong Delta for irrigating and

growing their food. They explained that the silt from the river over-flow brings very fertile soils and so there is very little need for fertilisers and chemicals — organic farming at its best! I found Vietnam incredibly interesting and really felt that while the people live simply they live full lives.

The farmers showed us a popular farming method where channels are dug between crops — within these channels debris and sediment collects and act as natural fertilisers. As a bonus, they sometimes harvest fish from the channels too. The fertile land, strict guidelines and the capabilities of Vietnamese farmers means that Vietnam can produce good quality crops that are generally considered safer than Chinese crops. The Vietnamese, however, tend to predominantly grow rice which fetches less than US$400 per ton (de-husked). Perhaps further education of farmers and crop management will assist the Vietnamese economy and financial status of layman in the future. After two weeks, our tiring yet incredibly interesting journey came to an end. I must say that the highlight for me was Vietnam; it was humbling to see how the people lived and thrived from their land. The size of the markets and quantity of produce in China was completely mind-blowing, especially to know that it was all government-owned and controlled. I enjoyed all the exotic flavours of the Asian cuisines and learning about their culture, but like all good holidays, it was great to get back home to Australia. More information Keep an eye out for future AUSVEG study tours in the AUSVEG and vegeatblesWA magazines and email newsletters. For further information please contact vegetablesWA on (08) 9481 0834 or go to www.ausveg.com.au.

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Industry

Managing water

in a tricky environment The Department of Water’s 2011 Lower Gascoyne Water Allocation Plan has been put to the test this year. The plan establishes the framework for managing allocation, access and use of groundwater resources to Carnarvon irrigators and delivery of water for scheme distribution to both the town and irrigation industry. It does this in a variable environment which can quickly swap from droughts to flooding and vice versa, and all the while managing risks to water quality. One of the biggest risks to the catchment and the aquifer water quality is salinity. For this reason the allocation plan and licensing rules for the area have controls and conditions in place that protect the water and its users from salinity damage. Unrestricted pumping is a local rule for the main irrigation aquifer known as Subarea A that allows a larger volume of water to be used for horticulture when there is a large freshwater flow in the Gascoyne River. This practice also assists aquifer replenishment.

WA Grower summer 2012

In 2012 the availability of good quality freshwater for self supply irrigation water in the Lower Gascoyne was reduced as a result of high salinity in Subarea A.

“Without significant rainfall in the Gascoyne River catchment and subsequent high level river flows, the salt can’t be flushed out from the river system.”

The pattern of rainfall and river flows starting with the 2010-11 flood events led to increased soil salt being washed from the catchment into the river bed, and the further effects of evaporation to concentrate salt in the Gascoyne River channel.

The department has been monitoring the Gascoyne River alluvial aquifer and water use in Lower Gascoyne River catchment for a very long time.

The impact of salinity on available water for the 2012 year was first apparent when irrigators received only one month of unrestricted pumping from the riverbed sands aquifer, compared to four months in 2011. “The small river flow event in early 2012 had contributed to the higher than normal salinity levels in the Gascoyne River compared to other flow events,” Department of Water Midwest Gascoyne region manager Adam Maskew said. “The salt is believed to have come from river channel storage further upstream that had previously been mobilised by the extensive flooding in late 2010 and early 2011.

This includes sampling private draw points and quarterly aquifer monitoring to measure depth to water table and salinity. Monitoring work by the Department of Water and other large users such as the Water Corporation and the Gascoyne water cooperatives is also important in guiding management decisions to protect the local groundwater supplies for the benefit of users. “Our management decisions are based on aquifer science. We cannot control the variables that nature throws at the resource, but we can manage it for the benefit of long term sustainable water use. We use the best available information and strategies that are adaptable to these variables,” Mr Maskew said. Under the licence conditions issued to Lower Gascoyne irrigators, they must

Your industrY

not pump water with salt content over 1,000mg/L (milligrams per litre total dissolved solids). This stops the salt content of the aquifers increasing through abstraction during times of high salt content in the riverbed. Mr Maskew said although the river flow salinity was not due to over abstraction, it is a priority action under the Lower Gascoyne Water Allocation Plan to protect the aquifers from salinisation by stopping pumping while salt content is so high. “Monitoring of private and department bores in Subarea A in June 2012 indicated that although the shallow River Bed Sands aquifer was 75 per cent full, the salinity level was similar to the August 2010 period which had followed about 510 days of no river flow when the aquifer was 25 per cent full,” he said.

“The salt levels of the river flows were higher than typical with above 1,800mg/L TDS (milligrams per litre total dissolved solids) at the end of the 2011 flow. “The unusual brackish surface water from a small river flow earlier this year had infiltrated into the River Bed Sands aquifer resulting in higher salinity within this aquifer and therefore affecting its use.

“Knowing this allowed us to make the best decision as per the rules of the plan.” In the case of water shortfalls in Subarea A, the Lower Gascoyne Water Allocation Plan allows for 2GL of water to be drawn from alternate subareas further inland. After a process of studying the aquifers and based on the advice of the Department of Water and local stakeholders, Water Minister Bill Marmion declared Low Aquifer Storage in the Lower Gascoyne area under the plan rules on 17 September 2012. As a result 2GL of good quality water was made available from the Water Corporation borefield to the Gascoyne Water Cooperative under the plan rules. The cooperative distributes the relief water through to its member growers. Mr Maskew said the Lower Gascoyne Water Allocation Plan is designed to manage water abstraction while supporting horticultural productivity and protecting its ecological and social values in the plan area. “The plan provides management triggers and responses for a number of scenarios that are specific to this water resource and the way it recharges and connects,” he said. “This unusual year tested the plan and its mechanisms to protect the aquifers while supporting the horticultural industry.”

DoW staff member at the gauging station.

He said having a management plan in place allowed the government to be up front about its management and licensing rules, and to have in place the necessary mechanisms to protect the aquifer and catchment from damage while responding to irrigator needs. “Good communications via the Low Aquifer Storage Working Group, which has been set up to manage the salinity issue, has helped monitor and manage the resource at this difficult time. “It’s been a very complex year but we are confident that the plan is working. We will continue to work with the horticultural industry and other stakeholders to keep them informed about the health of the aquifers and involve them in any decisions we need to make to manage abstraction for the benefit of everyone.”

Lower Gascoyne irrigation area.

WA Grower summer 2012

Your industrY

Grower profile Phil Harding

By HAyley WIlsOn VEGETABLESWA

Grower proďŹ le name Phil and Carolee Harding location elleker Property size 24ha PerTH

WA Grower summer 2012

enterprises Corn, pumpkin, melons, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis and chillies

Your Industry

Phil Harding and his wife Carolee, of Sweet Valley Produce, started growing vegetables as a hobby seven years ago while both still working full time in other industries. In this time, not only has their vegetable growing business grown rapidly, but so too has their love of the growing game. Originally from Perth but with a bit of country background, Phil and Carolee decided to make the move from the city to Elleker, a region about 15 minutes west of Albany. “We never moved with the intention of growing vegetables, it just happened!” said Phil, acknowledging that the main motivation for the move at this time was their wish to start a family and bring their children up in the country. After moving to the property, they began growing a variety of vegetables with no real knowledge to make a few dollars on the side while Phil worked in irrigation for Total Eden. As the vegetable business began to expand, Phil and Carolee needed to make the decision whether or not to take the plunge and grow full time as a real business. They eventually made the choice to put everything into growing back in 2008, and have never looked back. One of their first main crops was pumpkin, due to it being reasonably low maintenance and also because they grew well in the wet, heavy soils of the Grassmere swamp. Later, Phil tried and tested a variety of different crops, pursuing the ones that grew well and leaving the ones that didn’t suit the conditions. Today, the main crop grown by Sweet Valley Produce is sweetcorn. “When I first started growing sweetcorn I had no idea what I was doing. It took a lot of trial-and-error to get it right.” In the third season they were growing two acres of sweetcorn, which by the fourth season had expanded to 20 acres due to the increased demand from the markets and market agents wanting their produce. Phil and Carolee own 10 acres of their own land and lease a lot of the land around

them. Over the summer months they will have up to 60 acres of crops in the ground. They grow five different types of pumpkins including some of the old heritage varieties like ‘Blue Banana’ and ‘Turk’s Turban’ that you don’t see commercially because, as Phil says; “sometimes people want things that are just a bit different!”. Sweet Valley Produce sends vegetables to the markets in Perth as well as selling produce at their front gate with an honour box system which is how they started. Phil says that with the honour box system it is important to grow a variety of bits and pieces so that if people drive out to buy a pumpkin they are able to get other things to go with it. Some of the produce they offer includes melons, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis and chillies to name a few. “Sweet corn and pumpkins suit the growing conditions down here — they like the very heavy swamp country. Our soil doesn’t suit leaf lines as it is just too heavy. Plus, we noticed the opportunity in the market for the pumpkins and sweetcorn and it has been viable,” said Phil about how he makes decisions on what crops to grow.

It has been a long, hard learning curve and a lot of work for Phil, trying to learn the ins and outs of growing and finding the answers on his own. “I am constantly learning every day. You make mistakes and it costs you money, but you learn from it and move on. You can wipe out a whole crop by making one silly mistake, but that’s just how it is — it’s a learning curve.”

irrigate which saves a lot of money on water and labour.” It is a bit of a gamble though, as the weather can be quite unpredictable on the south coast. Consumers who buy from Sweet Valley Produce have given feedback that their vegetables are tastier and sweeter that what they are used to, perhaps due to the rich mineral soils and from being able to take up all these nutrients without irrigation water washing them through the soil profile. The soil being so rich and wet can have its disadvantages too though, as Phil points out. He constantly needs to be on top of the weed management, for example, with the weeds growing so fast and so large in the dense soil. However, with good management, the problems can be minimized and Phil is becoming more successful with each season of experience. “I enjoy the challenge of everything we do. It can get a bit much at times, but every day is different and always a challenge,” he says. “There is nothing more satisfying then producing a good quality crop straight out of the earth for people to eat.” Phil and Carolee have three young girls, Abigail (4), Jessica (2) and very recently welcomed their third, Caitlin, into the world. When they aren’t busy running the farm and everything that goes with it, the Hardings enjoy their time relaxing with the family at home or having a chin-wag with their neighbours.

“I have had an enormous amount of help from local people and in particular from our neighbour. He gives us lots of help with the tractors and at harvesting time just because he’s got a passion for horticulture and wants to see young people in the industry. There’s a rich history of growing in our area and so he’s happy to give us a leg-up and help us get going.” A major advantage for the Hardings is that they don’t have to irrigate most of what they grow. They plant and grow their crops to suit the soil types and at the time of year that presents the best conditions. “As long as you work with the moisture in the soil and not against it you don’t need to

Today, the main crop grown by Sweet Valley Produce is sweetcorn.

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Industry

Discussing the big issues in agriculture

at the South West Food Bowl Festival BY Sarah Houston Field Extension Officer VegetablesWa

A dynamic panel of farmers, agricultural industry representatives and agribusiness leaders were presented with the tough questions about the future of Australian agriculture at the 2012 South West Food Bowl Festival held in Nannup in September. The panel discussion was held as part of the two day Festival to help celebrate the Year of The Farmer, and showcase the regions rich agricultural and food industry to locals and tourists alike. Other events for those attending the festival included a farmers market, a agriculture expo, ‘meet the farmer’ tours for students and visitors to local farms, and the ‘Taste of the South West’ gala dinner. The panel was made up of a mix of people from agricultural industries; Bindi Murry, the 2012 Australian Young Farmer of the year from the Great Southern region of WA; Rob Gillam, president of the Pastoralist and Graziers Association of WA; Dale Park, president of WA Farmers Federation; Dr Chris Back, Liberal Senator for WA; Mark Scott, a local orchardist and beef producer; and Lucinda Giblett, director of Newton Brothers Orchards in Manjimup and founder of Stella Violets. The hot topics up for discussion focused on how to address the challenges faced by the agricultural industry, including debates about foreign investment, how to encourage young people to be part of the industry and how to keep them there, and ways that

WA Grower summer 2012

The panel were presented with tough questions on the future of Australian agriculture.

Australia can support farming to ensure its future sustainability. Dr Chris Back, Liberal Senator for WA, presented his passionate views about an integrated approach to agriculture in the future. “We need to keep young people on the farm to maintain Australian production, so convincing young Australians that a career in agriculture or agribusiness is essential. The diminishing number of graduates from agricultural degrees is one of the biggest risks to the future of this industry.”

It was a view held by all on the panel, including Bindi Murray who believes the lack of certainty of the future of the industry is a scary thought for young people. Rob Gillam, president of the Pasture and Graziers Association of WA, emphasised that young people are looking for new avenues and changes, and expressed the importance of presenting all aspects of the industry, including recognising the opportunities in corporate agriculture. “People want to have control, have weekends, adopt a corporate type attitude, and have

pride in what they are doing. All these opportunities are available in the agricultural sector and there is so much potential for young people if we can get them there.” When asked “who will be Australia’s next farmers?”, the panel was unanimously confident that the future is in good hands. Director of Newton Brothers Orchards, Lucinda Giblett, spoke about the importance of letting children from farming families have space and choice to decide on their future. “Succession planning is a crucial conversation you need to have with family and community. It is also an ongoing process and needs to be a priority for every farming enterprise. Good succession planning has the real potential to build better and more vibrant communities.” Local orchardist and beef producer Mark Scott was a little more pessimistic, pointing out that it is very difficult for agriculture to compete with other industries in terms of money, but also in providing consistent conditions and opportunities. Mr Scott suggested that other drawcards are needed to encourage young people to enter the agricultural industry, such as having health

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and education close by, and he emphasised the importance of ensuring good education systems for rural children. Dale Park of WA Farmers Federation also agreed, and added that there are huge opportunities available in agriculture in the future with a growing middle class in Asia — opportunities that could boost the industry and hence make it very appealing to the younger generation. “People all have different values and perceptions in society, and those outside the industry don’t always understand what goes on or what we do. We need to continue to educate the public to expand their knowledge, but also work with them and move with the trends.” Foreign investment was next on the cards and provided a topical discussion between the panel members as well as the audience. The general consensus was that investment into the industry is essential, and that foreign investment provides a source of investment that can really benefit the industry.

Much of Australian agriculture was built on foreign investment in the past and there is still opportunity for the industry to continue building on this investment in the future, using it as leverage to expand markets and even gain access to export markets. However, it was also agreed that the topic should be approached with caution, and Dr Back expressed that the concern is to ensure that produce grown in Australia is then put through the Australian supply chain, not into foreign supply chains. Ms Giblett also challenged the foreign investment idea, questioning Australia’s direction and whether it is sustainable to be relying on outside investment, or whether the industry should focus on future innovation and growth of local investment instead. Finally, the panel members shared their views on how we can support the future of farming in Australia. The ideas that were passed around were based on recognising the needs and wants of consumers and markets, focusing on the big picture and

Produce of the South West.

showing the wider community the positive side of agriculture. We need to provide education to consumers and young Australians, as well as respond quickly to a fast changing market to ensure customer satisfaction. This will help close the city/ country divide, and promote the importance of agriculture in Australian society. The panel discussion was a great example of leaders from agricultural industries getting together with communities and discussing the real issues of the industry. The discussion provided alternative views on different topics to be discussed and passed around, and most importantly the chance for locals to hear about these topics and learn more about the issues that face the different agricultural sectors and the people involved.

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Industry

Albany Region

Commercial Horticulturists

Albany Region Commercial Horticulturists (ARCH) recently held a meeting at J & M Meuzelaar Market Gardens which included assessing a field trial of Eco-Growth organic and semi organic products along side conventional fertilisers.

WA Grower summer 2012

President Howard Shapland said that it was important the group conducted research and development into world's best practice of agronomic inputs to not only keep production costs down but also demonstrate that growers were using the best technology that protected the environment by minimising fertiliser use.

The inspection of the field trial was followed by a tour of the farm with a BBQ dinner provided by LANDMARK and ECO GROWTH, with growers bringing the salad and sweets.

Vice President Charles Reynolds said he was most impressed by the number of growers in attendance who come from as far away as Denmark and shows the dedication of the group to R&D.

More information

The evening concluded with the ARCH Annual General Meeting.

ARCH membership is open to all commercial growers. People wanting more information can contact the President, Howard Shapland phone (08) 9845 1064.

Your Business

yOUR

Business

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Business

spare cash or increase borrowings to pay for the machines, thus they need to consider the cost of capital. The cost of borrowed capital is obvious (i.e. the interest cost), but the cost of your own capital is less so. Why should you value it any less? Money spent on a new capsicum grader, means less money to spend elsewhere, e.g. increase marketing, pay less overdraft interest, improve irrigation systems. Thus, your own capital has a value too, it is known as an ‘opportunity cost’. Productivity benefits

Business case Capsicum grader What is a business case?

What is the decision?

A business case is a formal process of planning to provide the decision-maker with useful information to help them make a decision. You will have greater confidence in your decision, if you use a formal process and make sure you count the right things the right way, whilst also considering the things that cannot be counted. This business case has been developed as an example. You can use the method described here to help you with your own decisions by inserting your figures into the ‘How to calculate it?’ tool.

The decision for this grower is whether “it’s worth buying a new automated capsicum grader”? The new grader would make packing and grading a much more automated process and reduce the amount of labour required. Thus, what they are really asking is “will the automated machine reduce the cost of grading compared to the current manual system?” That is, will the labour savings outweigh the machinery costs? There is also a secondary question about whether the new grader will meet the market requirements better and whether there is a financial benefit connected to this.

A new capsicum grader

What do you have to count?

A grower, near Stanthorpe in south-east Queensland, grows fresh market capsicums. The production of fresh capsicums has expanded in recent years, although the family has grown the crop for many years. The grading of different categories of product has increased and the quality of grading has become more important as market requirements have changed. The family considered the purchase of a new automated grader three years ago.

Depreciation

WA Grower summer 2012

An investment in new machinery will increase the grower’s depreciation. This is not a cash cost, but a critical allowance to make when calculating profit. If you do not account for depreciation, then you will not have any money available to replace the machinery when needed. Cost of capital

An investment in new machinery also means that the grower will need to use

Why does the grower want to buy the new capsicum grader? If the grower is keen on expanding the business, or improving its profitability, then the answer must be that they expect to achieve some productivity benefits. What may they be? Reduced labour costs, faster pack-outs to meet certain markets, less time in cool storage, and/or less product handling. Thus, these benefits need to be defined and quantified. Operating costs

The grower is comparing two different grading processes, so they will have different operating costs. The grower needs to quantify the cost to run the grader, any changes in material costs, repairs and maintenance, and of course, labour. Contracting income

Finally, upgrading to a new grading machine may provide the opportunity to grade capsicums of neighbours. Like any new machinery, the more you can use it, the further you can spread the costs. Thus, you need to count the extra income as a benefit of the new grader.

Your Business

The scenario

How do you calculate it?

Here are the two scenarios describing the current situation and a possible future situation:

Figure 1 Cost of grading with old and new grader

What do you count?

Current situation (Grading the old way)

Possible future situation (The new grader)

Depreciation

• The plant currently used for grading is fully depreciated and has little clearing sale value. Its only value is as a back-up in case the new grader breaks down.

• The new grader will cost $200,000 and is estimated to be worth $50,000 in 10 years time. • The salvage value of a capsicum grader is hard to work out, but the grower believes they will hold their value pretty well because they are scarce in Australia. • A washer will also be required at a cost of $30,000, with an estimated salvage value of $5,000 in 10 years time. • An extension to the shed will be required at a cost of $55,000, with a salvage value of $5,000 in 25 years time.

Cost of capital

Productivity benefits

Operating costs

Contracting income

Assumption

Now

Capital costs — grader Current value Salvage value Expected life (years)

n.a. n.a. n.a.

$200,000 $50,000 10

n.a. n.a. n.a.

$30,000 $5,000 10

Shed extension Salvage value Expected life (years)

n.a. n.a. n.a.

$55,000 $5,000 25

Interest rate/opportunity cost

n.a.

8.0%

Capital costs — washer Current value Salvage value Expected life (years) Capital costs — shed

• With a bit of debt to repay, the grower values any spare cash at 8%.

• The grower’s capital is still worth 8%, whether borrowed or not.

Labour costs

• 14 people are employed for 8 hours a day for 75 days to grade the crop.

• Only seven people will be needed on the new grader for eight hours a day for 75 days.

Number of days to grade Number of staff Hours worked per day Staff costs (incl. on costs)

• The cost of the labour is $22 per hour, including on costs such as workcover and superannuation.

• The cost of this labour will remain at $22 per hour, including on costs such as workcover and superannuation.

Repairs & maintenance

• Base cost

• The new grader will require an increase in running costs of around $8,000 per year for electricity and maintenance.

Contracting income

• Nil

• It is estimated that the grader can be used for contracting at a margin of $1,000 per day for about three weeks (21 days) after the grower has finished grading their own crop.

New grader

Repairs & maintenance ($/hr) Days contracted Margin per day

Calculation

75 14 8 $22

75 7 8 $22

$8,000

0 $0

21 $1,000

Now

New grader

Costs Depreciation — grader Depreciation — washer Depreciation — shed Interest/opportunity cost Labour costs Repairs & maintenance

$0 $0 $0 $0 $184,800 $0

$15,000 $2,500 $2,000 $22,800 $92,400 $8,000

Total costs

$184,800

$142,700

-$21,000

$184,800

$121,700

Contracting income Net cost Is it more profitable?

YES

By how much? Return on capital Payback period (years)

$63,100 22% 4.5

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Business

... the most important variables in this calculation are the amount of depreciation and the number of staff...

Figure 2 Effect of faster depreciation and work hours on cost saving achieved

The grower was able to save half his labour costs, i.e. save $92,400 by purchasing the new grader. The annual cost of the capital invested in new machinery and shedding was about $50,000 (depreciation, interest and repairs & maintenance), which was more than offset by the savings in labour costs. The return on the capital invested (i.e. the total savings of $63,100 divided by the total capital invested of $285,000) was 22% and it could be paid back in 4.5 years. The calculation in Figure 1 works fine if we are sure about the assumptions we make, but we all know that these assumptions can change in reality. The most important variables in this calculation are the amount of depreciation (how much and how quickly we write-off the new machinery) and the number of staff (labour costs). Two different scenarios are presented in Figure 2, which shows the effect on the cost savings achieved by the investment if you have to write-off the new machinery faster, or need more staff to complete grading than you originally thought. 1. A cost saving of $13,600 will still be achieved, even if the new machinery is written-off to $0 in 5 years and there is no contracting income. 2. I t takes all of the above (faster depreciation and no contracting income), plus reducing your staff to just 9 before there is no cost saving. The new grader becomes non-profitable (-$12,800) when staff numbers are reduced by 5 or less from the current situation, there is no salvage value after 5 years and no external contracting. This is similar to a worst case scenario. Use the “How do you calculate it?” tool provided at www.ausveg.com.au/ businesscases to test your own numbers.

WA Grower summer 2012

Variable

Scenario 1 faster depreciation

Scenario 2 faster depreciation & more work hours

Salvage value of grader and washer

Expected life (years) of grader and washer

Number of staff

Days contracted Cost saving achieved

$13,600

-$12,800

What are the risks and how can they be managed? What is the risk?

Why is this a risk?

How can this risk be managed?

It takes a while to “get it right”

One of the big risks with buying new automated equipment to reduce labour is that it takes you longer than you think to “get it right”. New machinery may look great in the showroom, or on the web, but it can be a difficult beast to get your head around in the shed. It may need calibrating or adjusting to your specific situation.

Make sure you have access to decent after sales service and have enough time to “play with it” before you really need to use it. This will increase the probability of successfully operating the new grader.

It might break down easier or damage your product

Part of “getting it right” might be learning how to keep it fully maintained so it works when you need it and works the way you need it to work, i.e. it doesn’t damage the product or sort the product incorrectly.

It might be worth holding onto the old machine until you are sure that everything is working well with the new one.

Staff error

Getting used to using a new machine can take a while, especially if you or your staff have been using the old ones for a long time. The automated systems will be more sensitive, so it might need a little bit of extra care when operating it.

Staff training is essential. Not just when you first buy the equipment, but throughout the season to ensure you learn while you use it and maximise the benefit to your business.

What else is important?

Quality

Unmeasurable benefits and costs

The impact of using automated machinery on the quality of your product will be critical to the decision. You need to beware of gaining productivity benefits, only to see losses in price because of quality downgrades! The new grader must ensure also that there are improvements in the grading of fruit into different quality categories.

Every decision involves changes (benefits and costs) in your business, some that can be measured and those that cannot. The calculation above demonstrates how to count the things that should be counted, but it is also important to consider those things that cannot be calculated. When the calculation shows a clear benefit like that above, it is a “no brainer”! Similarly, if there were a clear cost disadvantage from making the change, it would be obvious. However, it may well be the unmeasurable benefits and costs that swing your decision when the calculation is a “close thing”.

Labour savings, lifestyle and timeliness In this situation, the new grader means some labour is freed up to do other things. This means other jobs can be done on time. Also, remember we have valued all the labour as a saving and family members may be able to have more time off rather than spending all their time grading capsicums.

Your Business

Appendix — detailed calculation Assumption

Now

New grader

Capital costs — grader Current value Salvage value Expected life (years)

n.a. n.a. n.a.

$200,000 $50,000 10

n.a. n.a. n.a.

$30,000 $5,000 10

Capital costs — shed Shed extension Salvage value Expected life (years)

n.a. n.a. n.a.

$55,000 $5,000 25

Interest rate/opportunity cost

n.a.

8.0%

75 14 8 $22

75 7 8 $22

$8,000

0 $0

21 $1,000

Repairs & maintenance

Current value — grader plus current value — washer plus current value — shed equals total investment multiplied by interest rate

n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

$200,000 $30,000 $55,000 $285,000 8.0%

Equals interest/opportunity cost

n.a.

$22,800

Labour costs Number of days to grade multiplied by number of staff equals total staff days multiplied by hours worked/day equals total staff hours multiplied by staff costs/hour

75 14 1,050 8 8,400 22

75 7 525 8 4,200 22

$184,800

$92,400

Repairs & maintenance

$8,000

Equals repairs & maintenance

$8,000

Depreciation — grader Depreciation — washer Depreciation — shed Interest/opportunity cost Labour costs Repairs & maintenance

n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. $184,800 $0

$15,000 $2,500 $2,000 $22,800 $92,400 $8,000

Total cost

$184,800 $142,700

Repairs & maintenance

Total cost

Repairs & maintenance Contracting income Days contracted Margin per day

Calculation

New grader

Equals labour costs

Labour costs Number of days to grade Number of staff Hours worked per day Staff costs (incl. on costs)

Now

Interest/opportunity cost

Capital costs — washer Current value Salvage value Expected life (years)

Calculation

Now

New grader

Depreciation — grader Current value less salvage value equals amount to depreciate divided by expected life

n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

$200,000 $50,000 $150,000 10

Equals depreciation

n.a.

$15,000

Current value less salvage value equals amount to depreciate divided by expected life

n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

$30,000 $5,000 $25,000 10

Equals depreciation

n.a.

$2,500

Depreciation — washer

Depreciation — shed Current value less salvage value equals amount to depreciate divided by expected life

n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

$55,000 $5,000 $50,000 25

Equals depreciation

n.a.

$2,000

Contracting income Number of days contracted multiplied by margin per day

$0 $0

$21 $1,000

Equals contracting income

-$21,000

Total costs plus contracting income

$184,800 $0

$142,700 -$21,000

Equals net cost

$184,800 $121,700

Net cost

Is it more profitable?

By how much? Net cost of now less net cost of new grader Equals by how much?

YES $184,800 $121,700 $63,100

Return on capital How much profit? divided by total investment Equals net cost

$63,100 $285,000 22%

Payback period (years) Total investment divided by How much profit? Equals payback period (years)

$285,000 $63,100 4.5

Disclaimer: This business case was produced and edited by RMCG (ph: (03) 9882 2670). RMCG produces these business cases with the expectation that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. Before relying on or altering any business practices, users should carefully evaluate the accuracy and relevance of the information for their purpose and should obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances.

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Business

Credit checks reduce risk

One of the most important parts of running any business is cash flow. A credit check reduces your risk by enabling you to make informed decisions when extending credit. It allows you to leverage information to avoid risk and advance opportunities — enabling your business to grow. The information contained in a credit report will empower your decision-making capabilities, enabling you to: • Evaluate the risk of extending credit • Research your customers’ payment habits • Research your customers’ legal records • Qualify new sales opportunities; and • Monitor and evaluate your vendors. Without it, you run the risk of making the wrong credit decisions that will cost your business. What if you: • Extended a substantial amount of credit to a company only to find that their standard payment terms were 90 days? • Trusted that a supplier would produce a critical item and then discovered they had

several court cases against them for nondelivery?

By Rebecca Blackman Finance and Administration manager, vegetablesWA

D&B Express provides you with access to the following reports:

• Produced a significant order for a new customer — then learned they had a record of non-payment?

D&B Comprehensive Report — recommended for medium to high-risk decisions.

• Granted credit to a customer whose principal had a history of business failure?

D&B’s most insightful report providing everything you need from identification details through to financial stability and payment predictors. A D&B Comprehensive Report provides analysis on a company’s long-term operations, credit history, profitability and stability.

Dun & Bradstreet provide a credit check service which can provide your business with valuable information to assist you in making informed decisions. There are several products available from Dun & Bradstreet which can provide you with information from a summary to an extensive report. The product which would be suitable for most companies is the Payment Risk report and can be purchased as a casual rate of $61.50 (inc GST).

Make the right credit decisions and reduce your risk Timely and accurate credit decisions are critical to your business success. The D&B Express service provides immediate access to our commercial database to conduct credit checks on individual businesses and directors. With D&B Express you can conduct a number of checks from confirming a business’ existence to predicting financial stability and payment patterns.

Financial Risk Report — recommended for medium risk decisions. The Financial Risk report tells you the likelihood that a company will experience severe financial distress or failure within the next 12 months. It utilises Dun & Bradstreet’s Dynamic Risk Score (DRS) which looks at over 25 variables including financial statements, company age and structure, charges, and collections to predict future performance. Payment Risk report — recommended for medium-risk decisions. This credit report includes D&B’s Dynamic Delinquency Score (DDS), a powerful payment predictor. In addition to identification data and company characteristics this report provides you with an insight into payment patterns: will you get paid on time? ASIC Historical Extract — recommended for company ID and past events. Provides real-time access to ASIC data allowing you to confirm an entity exists and is operational. Also provides historical data such as previous company names, directors and addresses allowing you to track previous structure and characteristics. ASIC Company Extract — recommended for company identification. Provides real-time access to current ASIC data allowing you to confirm an entity exists and is operational.

What if you trusted that a supplier would produce a critical item and then discovered they had several court cases against them for non-delivery?

WA Grower summer 2012

More information For further information please go to: www.dnb.com.au/Express/default.asp

Your market

yOUR

market

WA Grower summer 2012

Your market

New FOODmap

provides market insights The federal government recently released the 2012 FOODmap, which identifies in detail major factors affecting supply chains at the food category level, as well as the associated challenges and opportunities for the industry including stability of supply. The updated information contained in this study may help growers plan for the success of their business as it made some specific observations about the vegetable and fruit category.

Horticulture This refers to fruit and vegetables which is a market predominantly supplied with locally produced product. This has led to local producers being oriented to supplying the fresh domestic markets with about 25 per cent of production volume made available for processing into frozen, shelf stable, juices or ingredient product forms. Figure 1 Fruit and vegetable supply chain volume map Production Fruit Vegetables

1,833,900t

Export

Fresh exports Fruit

255,200 t

Vegetable

3,439,600t

98,600 t Domestic sales

Grocery Retail Production

Takeaway Foodservice

Dining out Event Institutional

Australia Processing use Fruit Vegetables

Fresh imports 273,400t

1,048,000t

Source: Freshlogic

WA Grower summer 2012

Import

Fruit

Independent

Vegetables

Specialty

Wholesaling

Processing

Supermarket

Fruit

42,800 t

Vegetables

31,000 t

726,250 t 1,252,000 t

Specialty greengrocer and markets QSR

Fruit

282,600 t

Vegetables

487,200 t

Foodservice Fruit

206,600 t

Vegetables

356,200 t

Your market

Figure 2 Fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain pressure points

Source: Freshlogic

Import and export trade volume in fresh fruit and vegetables product is low, with exports equating to 7% of the local production volumes and imports less than 2%. Figure 1 maps the fresh fruit and vegetable category volumes through the chain.

Fresh fruit and vegetables domestic Specialty market share 23%

Food service 17%

Supermarkets 60%

Notes: • Average of three years data for all production and trade has been assumed. Production data is sourced from Freshlogic’s analysis, while trade data is based on ABS information. • Portions of production sold into the processing sector are based on Freshlogic’s analysis of fresh categories. • Sales into the respective retail channels is based on MealpulseTM consumer panel responses and reconciliation with household expenditure on fruit and vegetables and available retail trading data.

The retail channel dominates fresh product distribution with 77% volume market share. Supermarkets hold 60% of the total market and are the dominant retail channel with the balance of retail serviced by greengrocers or fresh markets. Key features of channels to market • Major supermarkets lead with convenience and have a dominant role with 72% of retail share, but are exposed to challenges associated with maintaining a consistent supply of quality, fresh product to stores with extended trading hours. • ‘Category managers’ to FSS have major gatekeeper roles in the chain. • Specialist retailers, which include greengrocers, fruiterers and fresh markets, compete on the basis of higher quality, wider range and better value. This is enabled through higher retail operating skills and an ability to range more than one grade of product. Dominant drivers of value • Balance of supply and demand throughout seasons • Primary volume lines of staple fruit and vegetables. Major trends and dynamics • Cost-competition from imported produce • Competition from nutritious snack foods • Climatic change affecting supply.

Pressure points in the value chain • This analysis relates to fresh fruit and vegetable products. • Australia is relatively self-sufficient in fresh fruit and vegetables, with the majority of products grown locally, and the supply is relatively stable. However, there are a number of factors that influence shortterm volatility, including a lack of visibility across the supply chain, price movements and climate (see Figure 2). Channels to the consumer — fresh fruit and vegetables • This category includes fruit and vegetables which are sold to consumers in fresh form at retail, or sold fresh to foodservice establishments for use in meal preparation. • There is concentration at retail with supermarket retailers commanding an estimated 72% share of total retail sales. However, there is considerable strength in specialty fresh food retail which has retained a significant share of the retail market — despite the expansion of supermarket networks and the strong focus on the fresh food offering by major grocery chains. • Fresh food wholesalers in central market facilities play a significant role in the pricing and distribution of product into the various retail and foodservice channels. Direct sourcing arrangements for supermarket retailers account for WA Grower Summer 2012

Your market

Figure 3 Fresh fruit and vegetable self-sufficiency, stability and volatility High

Short-term volatility â&#x20AC;&#x201D; fresh fruit and vegetables (10 = highest exposure)

Fruit and vegetables Production complexity

Self-sufficiency

Fresh

Low

7.0

Supply chain invisibility Import threats

8.0 5.0

Processed Risk management

High

Stability of supply

7.0

Price movements

8.0

Influence of climate

8.0

Currency movement

7.0

Source: Freshlogic

Figure 4 Fresh fruit and vegetable product channels to the consumer Production

Broker

Import

FSS retailer

Fresh cut processor

Independent retailer

Fresh food wholesaler

Specialty greengrocer

Takeaway QSR Dining out Fresh produce distributor

Caterers Institutional

WA Grower summer 2012

â&#x20AC;˘ Over time, the tightening of quality specifications into this FSS channel has left a substantial volume of quality product available to specialty fresh food retailers. The availability of this product has aided specialist retailers to capture market share from the FSS channel. More information

Event/leisure

Source: Freshlogic

a significant share of the intake into that channel. In most fresh produce sub-categories, a broker is appointed to coordinate the sourcing and supply requirements of the retailer, which may include coordinating individual grower supply volumes to meet expected retail demand, and managing quality and packaging requirements. They typically do not handle the physical stock, and therefore no logistics and warehousing are required.

A full copy of the report is available by contacting the Policy and Program Manager, John Shannon, on 0488 111 526 or at john.shannon@vegetableswa.com.au. Spencer, S & Kneebone, M (2012), FOODmap: An analysis of the Australian food supply chain. CC BY 3.0.

Your market

Vegetable Industry Development Program

Veginsights

Vegetable market trends — key findings and implications Analysis of average purchasing quantity Findings

Implications for vegetable producers and marketers

Average purchase quantity — ranking The average purchase quantity varies greatly across different vegetables and appears to be influenced by product density, shelf life, unit size and most likely the diversity of uses.

• Understanding the average purchase quantity chosen by shoppers for a particular vegetable, as well as the quantity chosen for complementary and competing products, can provide valuable insights into shopper preferences and opportunities to increase sales returns.

• In particular there may be an opportunity where household penetration is low, Average purchase quantity versus household penetration levels but the average purchase quantity is quite high. Here, there may be opportuniThe relationship between average purchase quantity and average ties to increase household penetration with smaller portions to encourage household penetration varies across vegetables and can indicate more frequent purchases. opportunities for increasing sales, through increased household penetration, increased purchase quantities and/or increased frequency • For vegetables where large quantities are typically purchased, it is advantageous of purchase. to have an offer that also provides smaller quantities, so as to not limit sales to full shops, which account for only one third of all shopping trips made. Average purchase quantity versus retail price In general, there is an inverse relationship between the average purchase quantity and average retail price. It is often easier to gain a higher retail price on products that have a lower average purchase quantity for a variety of reasons.

• Shoppers are often prepared to pay a higher price per kg for smaller purchase quantities — suggesting there may be opportunities to diversify the current product range further, to meet demands for smaller portion sizes.

Case study: pre-pack quantity versus loose quantity selected Understanding the differences between purchase quantities for loose products can help determine a suitable size for a pre-pack offer.

• Suppliers and marketers should assess any significant gaps in the prepack offer, and look for opportunities to add greater value by offering shoppers quantities that meet their preferred size.

• Further, products that provide a known price, as is the case when sold in pre-pack or by the ‘each’, can support easier decision making for shoppers and may allow for a higher per kg price to be generated.

Australian market — Veginsights tracking indicators Findings

Implications for vegetable producers and marketers

1. Household spend on fruit and vegetables lifted over the quarter, supported by stronger demand for fresh fruit. Spend on take home food remains consistent with the previous quarter, after coming off a peak in Q2 2011.

• The tight retail competition together with the seasonal decline in home entertainment can make the March quarter a challenging time in terms of achieving sales targets. Further, vegetable consumption can also be impacted by high fruit consumption at this time, when many seasonal fruits come into peak supply.

2. In Q1 12 retail sales of all vegetables were lower than the previous quarter and 7.3% down on the same first quarter in 2011. 3. The ABS total annual food inflation was -2.5% in Q1 12, and was largely influenced by falling fruit and vegetable prices. 4. Overall, wholesale prices increased moderately over the quarter, but eased considerably compared to the same quarter in the previous year.

• While wholesale vegetable prices increased moderately over the quarter they were quite a lot lower than at the same time last year, as supply volumes were rebuilt, and this was reflected in ABS inflation figures.

5. The number of vegetables products advertised increased by 14% over the quarter, reflecting the competitive intensity within the retail channel and seasonal influences.

• The retail channel remains very competitive and fresh produce remains a key focus. This is reflected in the level of promotional activity over the quarter. Promotions were mixed and reflected the changing weather, with increases recorded for all vegetable categories.

6. In Q1 2012 fresh vegetable advertising reflected an initial focus on salad components, followed by a stronger focus on hard cooked vegetables reflecting a seasonal shift as the weather cooled.

• Promotions reflected demand at this time, which moved from salad components toward hard cooked vegetables over the later part of the quarter, in line with seasonal patterns.

7. Over the quarter, the use of cooking preparation increased, while the use in salads eased, in line with seasonal patterns as cooler weather approaches.

• In line with seasonal patterns, use of cooking increased as salads decreased.

8. Over the quarter, 86% of households reported purchasing fresh vegetables on a weekly basis.

• While household penetration for vegetables remained strong over the quarter, there was an increase in household penetration in fruit, which can create a level of substitution between fruit and vegetables.

9. Carrots were the most popular vegetable purchased weekly by households in Q1 12. Over the quarter, a slightly smaller proportion of households are undertaking more than 6 food buying trips per week.

• The popularity of carrots reflects their seasonal demand, supported by promotions.

10. Appearance, seasonality and promotions were the main reasons households purchased ‘more’ vegetables over the quarter. Purchase patterns show that 19% of consumers have been influenced to buy less and 11% to buy more vegetables.

• If the reasons why 19% of households buy less vegetables can be understood and their negative impact reduced, this action could increase vegetable sales.

• Despite a very small decrease this quarter, top up shops are becoming increasingly common over time. Vegetable products need to suit being purchased on frequent and smaller shopping trips.

• Similarly, with appearance and seasonality having a strong influence on the 11% of households who purchased more vegetables, this highlights the importance of these factors in increasing consumption and sales.

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your market

Airfreight

export opportunities The study was undertaken in the context of the planning that was underway for the major redevelopment of Perth Airport. The objective of the study was to ascertain whether the current infrastructure and that being planned is sufficient to cope with WAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projected airfreight needs. The study found that there will in fact be a significant surplus of airfreight capacity for exports out of Perth Airport for the next 15â&#x20AC;&#x201C;20 years.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCI) recently commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to undertake a scoping study to determine WAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current and future international air cargo needs.

The findings, whilst somewhat surprising, highlighted significant excess capacity for WA importers and exporters to grow their business. Subsequently, CCI has been working with members, state government, industry organisations and the broader WA business community to utilise the information yielded by the study with a view to identifying commercial opportunities and maximising the returns for the WA economy. Prior to meeting with industry through a series of workshops, CCI engaged with the international airlines operating flights with airfreight capacity out of Perth Airport to identify route-specific cargo capacities,

specifically under-utilised capacity. This all owed CCI to determine which local industries and foreign markets could potentially benefit from the opportunities identified in the scoping study. CCI also endeavoured to determine if the airlines would be prepared to offer entrepreneurial or incentive freight rates to WA exporters who might see in the results of the study an opportunity to develop new markets.

The response from the airlines was overwhelmingly positive, with most very keen to work with exporters and their freight forwarders to maximise the uptake of excess airfreight capacity by offering discounted rates for exports to new markets. Armed with this information, CCI held two industry workshops, the first focussing on the dairy industry and the second on horticulture. The workshops explored the challenges exporters face when trying to develop new markets, how these challenges can be met and what role airfreight can play in the development of these new markets. The horticulture industry workshop initiated a lively discussion about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the WA horticulture industry and the scope for increasing the export of horticultural products. One of the key advantages WA has is its relative proximity to South East Asian markets and therefore an ability to deliver short shelf life product into the market much quicker than most of our competitors. CCI is available for consultation with growers and exporters to help them take maximum advantage of the opportunities this airfreight study has identified. This is a great opportunity for companies interested in growing their businesses through export. More information

Identification of under-utilised cargo capacity.

WA Grower summer 2012

For further information about this report, or to discuss the opportunity it presents, please phone Nick Paterniti, International Trade Development Officer, CCIWA on (08) 9365 7504 or email nick.paterniti@cciwa.com.

Your environment

yOUR

environment

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Environment

Thank you to all of our new customers for choosing Perth Energy

We look forward to growing our relationship with other WA Businesses

your power to choose 74Give WA Grower summer 2012 us a call on 9420 0300 to find out more or visit www.perthenergy.com.au.

Your Environment

European wasps in Western Australia

European wasp feeding on fish.

European wasps are considered the world’s worst wasp pest and pose a health risk to the public, their pets and livestock. Although European wasp is established in much of eastern Australia and Tasmania, they are not established in WA and are actually a declared pest. Horticulture, viticulture, tourism and apiculture industries would suffer with establishment of this pest in WA. Native fauna, such as nectar feeding birds, small mammals and certain invertebrates would face adversity through direct competition with this wasp once established. The cost to the community, in terms of money spent on direct treatment of nests, would also be substantial. In horticulture, these wasps are occasionally responsible in other countries for considerable losses to grapes and soft fruits by breaking the skins for the juices and injuring pickers. Bee hives responsible for honey products and

pollination can suffer significant losses in countries where the wasps have established. The wasps are troublesome in chicken hatcheries where hatchlings are attacked by the predator wasps, and we have seen this here in WA.

The program The Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) has been battling European wasp for 35 years, and WA remains the only place in the world to successfully keep this pest from establishing for so long. Every year many fertilised queens arrive in freight from the eastern states to seed new nests. The fact that major freight depots are sited in Kewdale and Welshpool explains why these two suburbs are traditional hot-spots, but the queens can be transported anywhere and nests have been located throughout metropolitan Perth and in some country areas.

Outside the Perth metropolitan area, European wasp nests have been found in Albany, Capel, Donnybrook, Eucla, Falcon, Geraldton, Kalbarri, Kalgoorlie and Boulder.

The program relies on surveillance trapping and public reports, and to this end the public have been integral to the success of the program. This season DAFWA will deploy more than 400 traps throughout the Perth metropolitan area, mostly in industrial zones and freight endpoints. The wasp season typically starts in November and to date four nests have been destroyed, one in Queens Park and wasps caught in a trap in Kewdale led to three nests in that area. Last season thirty-one nests were located and destroyed in WA.

Frontline strengthened DAFWA’s surveillance program has been augmented by the establishment of a European Wasp Working Group (EWWG) with support from some Local Government offices, WALGA and other stakeholders (such as vegetablesWA). The EWWG is assisting the ongoing battle to prevent the wasps from establishing in WA. With EWWG support, DAFWA has launched a new ‘adopt-a-trap’ initiative whereby DAFWA provides traps to non-DAFWA groups to maintain and monitor. Last season an additional 120 traps were adopted by WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Environment

Black antennae

Biology

Description Many people confuse the yellow paper wasp (introduced in the 70s) for the European wasp. Yellow paper wasps are very common and are not reportable. Unfortunately both wasps are striped yellow and black and look similar, but there are visual clues to distinguish between the species as mentioned below.

Legs held close to body during flight

European wasp queens start the nest on their own early in spring, and will continue to forage until the first workers emerge some weeks later to take over food gathering and nest construction. The colony then grows exponentially. The nests are usually subterranean and grow to be larger than a basketball containing many thousands of wasps.

The European wasp's special features.

local councils and others in Perth, Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Albany and Bridgetown. The adopted trap simply needs to be periodically checked and re-baited with a fresh lure of raw fish. When a European wasp is caught, DAFWA is notified of the details so that a team can then search the area for active colonies and destroy them.

In their native northern hemisphere environment, wasp nests die out in winter because of the cold weather. This doesn’t happen in WA where the winters are much milder, and as a result colonies can ‘overwinter’. When this happens, the colonies continue growing and can each release thousands of new queens if they are not found and destroyed. This occurs from late May onwards, so it is crucial all nests are located and destroyed before this happens.

• European wasps have black antennae whereas paper wasps have orange-brown antennae. • European wasps have stout bodies, more like a bee, whereas paper wasps’ bodies are longer and thinner than a bee. • European wasps hold their legs close to the body during flight and do not hover, whereas the rear legs of a paper wasp dangle and are often seen hovering over lawns and bushes. • European wasps are attracted to barbecues and other outdoor sources of human or pet food, such as dog bowls and soft drinks cans. Stings from a European wasp are very painful and occasionally may be lifethreatening. Drink cans pose a particular danger because if a wasp crawls inside, a person may be stung in the mouth or throat.

Dogs have been killed from swallowing wasps feeding on dog food. Wasps attracted to protein and meat is suspicious and should be reported. Interested parties are welcome to enquire about the ‘adopt a trap’ initiative in outlying areas not covered by DAFWA surveillance trapping. Regional ‘adopt-atrap’ participation in problem areas would be of great assistance in ensuring WA remains European wasp-free. More information Any sightings of suspicious wasps should be reported to the Pest and Disease Information Service on Freecall 1800 084 881, or contact their local shire office. For more information on the ‘adopt-a-trap’ initiative, email marc.widmer@agric.wa.gov.au or phone (08) 9368 3759.

Marc Widmer with a European wasp surveillance trap.

WA Grower summer 2012

Your self

yOUR

self

WA Grower summer 2012

WA crates

The professional packaging service for WAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ nest fresh fruit and vegetables

0 email: service@wacrates.com.au

Your self

Leading Ladies

move forward with confidence WAFarmers has recently launched its Leading Ladies program which is open to all women in Western Australia; particularly those who wish to develop an action plan and assist the future generations' understanding of where their food comes from. WAFarmers Marketing and Communications Manager, Allie McNeice, said the aim of the program was to unite women across WA who wish to make a difference to the future of agriculture. “Leading Ladies will be formulating an action plan for how we work together to move forward with confidence,” Ms McNeice said. “We will endeavour to become the number one network and resource, where women from urban and rural areas and of all ages, are placed in one room to work together, as

Jordan Zec, Jess Andony, Samantha Lubcke, Amy Lockwood and Kristen Prosser.

a solution-driven group, to bridge the citycountry divide.” As part of the Leading Ladies membership, members will gain access to WAFarmers’ sector specific newsletters, the members’ only area of the WAFarmers’ website and will receive an annual subscription to Country Style Magazine for their first year of membership.

Leading Ladies members will also be invited to attend the 2013 WAFarmers Annual Conference in March 2013.

Sue Quinn and Jessica and Robyn Hayes.

2012 RIRDC Rural Woman of the Year Catherine Marriott will feature as part of a panel discussion during the revamped WAFarmers Annual Conference, “Future Innovations in Agriculture”, at the Vines Resort & Country Club in the Swan Valley on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 March 2013.

A shorten Day One will consist of the inaugural AgClassic Golf Day, followed by a sundowner by the pool. Day Two will commence with the traditional WAFarmers Business Breakfast followed by a Panel Discussion, featuring Ms Marriott and Author of The Coming Famine Julian Cribb. Catherine will discuss aspects of her recent trip to the USA and share her thoughts on exciting innovations and strategic direction for agriculture. She has been an advocate for the live export trade and her address will be followed by a Q&A session, which gives you the opportunity to ask her probing questions into her experiences in Western Australian Agriculture. more information For more information on WAFarmers leading ladies and the WAFarmers Annual Conference, visit www.wafarmers.org.au.

WA Grower summer 2012

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Child safety on farms

Around 20 children are fatally injured on Australian farms each year and around 500 are hospitalised for on-farm injury. For children under five years, the greatest risk is drowning in farm dams — followed by vehicles, including cars, utes and ATVs. ATV’s are the main cause of death to children 5–14 years and to those visiting farms. Farm motorbikes (for boys) and horse-riding (for girls), are leading causes of hospitalised injury. Children and young people continue to be seriously injured or killed on farms due to practices such as not using helmets or seatbelts; and riding in the back of utes and trailers.

A SAFE PLACE TO PLAY A securely fenced house yard supported by close and active supervision can help prevent toddlers and young children wandering away un-noticed, accessing farm dams, roadways and other farm hazards. • Is there a securely fenced houseyard or play area for young children to play separated from farm hazards? • Are house yard fences 1.2–1.5m high; have less than 10cm ground clearance; and no climbing footholes?

• Are house yard gates self-latching and child resistant? • Does the safe play area have shade and interesting things for children to do?

WATER • Are swimming pools, effluent ponds, channels or dams near the house securely fenced? • Are tanks, wells and troughs near the house fitted with lids/mesh — and are unused dips and ditches filled in? • Have those who look after children been alerted to ‘keep watch’ when children are near water or can wander off into water? • Do you know how to resuscitate a drowning child?

HORSES • Are children only allowed to ride horses suited to their age and riding ability? • Are children appropriately instructed and supervised when riding and handling horses? • Do children always wear a well fitting equestrian helmet and smooth-soled boots when riding horses on the farm?

FARM MOTORCYCLES Ensure swimming pools, effluent ponds, channels or dams near the house are securely fenced.

WA Grower summer 2012

• Are children appropriately trained and supervised when learning to ride twowheeled motorcycles?

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OTHER HAZARDS AND ‘OUT OF BOUNDS’ RULES • Are ‘out-of-bounds’ rules regularly reinforced with children who are not with a supervising adult? • Do ‘out-of-bounds’ areas include hazardous places such as water storages, machinery and vehicles, silos, workshops and areas where stock are yarded? • Are hazards such as stockyards, firearms, chemicals, electricity, noise and silos that children could access on your farm, been identified and addressed? More information

Always use seatbelts or proper restraints in vehicles; and never ride in the back of utilities.

• Do children ride bikes of an appropriate size? Can they lift the bike off the ground unaided; and can their feet touch the ground when astride the bike?

For farm safety checklists and other information on farm safety risks and controls, go to www.farmsafe.org.au or contact The Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety on (02) 6752 8218 or email info@farmsafe.org.au. © Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety 2008

• Do riders always wear a correctly fitted motorcycle helmet, long pants, and sturdy footwear? • Does the farm adopt manufacturers’ recommendations to: • Prevent children under 16 years riding quad bikes? • Prevent passengers riding on quad bikes?

FARM VEHICLES AND MACHINERY • Are drivers careful when moving vehicles near the house in case children are present? • Are keys kept out of reach of children when vehicles are not in use? • Do children always use seatbelts or proper restraints in vehicles; and never ride in the back of utilities? • Do you prevent children from riding as passengers on tractors and mobile plant? • Are children generally encouraged to keep clear of tractors and machinery on your farm?

Prevent children under 16 years riding quad bikes.

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your self

Recipes Char-grilled zucchini salad The barbecue flavours of this contemporary salad add interest to any table. Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

cooking time: 10 minutes

1kg green zucchini

serves 6

2 roma tomatoes, diced 1 red onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

/3 cup continental parsley, chopped

1 lemon, ring finely grated rind, lemon then juiced

/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

¼ cup Italian dressing 3 pieces mini wrap bread 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil salt Black pepper, freshly ground Olive oil spray

Method 1. Combine olive oil, 1 clove garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl. 2. Thickly slice zucchini on an angle, add to bowl and toss well to coat. set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat a barbecue plate or char-grill on medium-high heat. 3. Combine tomato, onion, parsley and olives in a large bowl. set aside. Cook zucchini slices for 1–2 minutes each side until tender and golden. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with remaining garlic, lemon rind and juice. Pile salad on top and drizzle with dressing. serve with char-grilled flat bread. 4. spray flatbread with olive oil spray and cook on the barbecue or char-grill for 30 seconds each side until warm and slightly charred. 5. Tear in to large pieces and serve with zucchini salad.

Char-grilled b salad Quick and easy, this little salad chicken dishes. Ingredients 8 Vine sweet minicaps® baby capsicums (roasted until blackened), peeled, seeded, cut into strips 1 cup Parwan Valley mushrooms™ button, sliced 1 cup spring onions, sliced 1 cup continental parsley, coarsely chopped Dressing 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

WA Grower summer 2012

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Broccolini, prawn and roast baby capsicums salad Substitute the prawns with shredded barbecue chicken, skin removed, or three char-grilled chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced. Prep time: 15 minutes cooking time: 12 minutes

serves 4

Ingredients 1 bunch Broccolini® baby broccoli, ends trimmed 6–8 Vine sweet minicaps® baby capsicums, thickly sliced 100g Kalamata olives ½ cup basil leaves

aby capsicums

24 medium cooked prawns, peeled and de-veined Crusty bread, to serve Dressing

/3 cup olive oil

is the perfect match for fish or Prep time: 20 minutes cooking time: 10 minutes

1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method 1. Cut the Broccolini® baby broccoli into thirds. 2. Cook in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes or until bright green and tender crisp. Drain and refresh under cold water. 3. Preheat barbecue plate or char-grill on high. Add the Vine sweet minicaps® baby capsicums and cook for 7–10 minutes or until just tender. 4. Place the Broccolini® baby broccoli, Vine sweet minicaps® baby capsicums, olives, basil and prawns into a large bowl. 5. Combine the oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt and pepper in a screw-top jar. shake well to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss gently and serve immediately with crusty bread.

1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tsp sugar salt and ground black pepper

serves 4

Method 1. Combine capsicum strips, mushrooms, parsley and spring onions. 2. Combine dressing ingredients. shake well. Pour over salad. set aside. 3. Grill or BBQ fish for 5 minutes either side or until cooked through. 4. To serve, place fish on serving plate, top with a generous amount of salad and a wedge of lemon. This dish can also be served accompanied by baby jacket potatoes.

WA Grower summer 2012

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toMAto ProJect YIelds BuMPer results — VIETNAMESE TRANSLATION

DỰ ÁN CÀ CHUA MANG LẠI KẾT QUẢ RẤT KHẢ QUAN rOHAn PrInCe DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD, WA

Dự án xây dựng các phương pháp canh tác tốt cho cây cà chua trên đất cát bằng hệ thống tưới nhỏ giọt đã kết thúc với những kết quả rất khả quan chứng minh cho nông dân trồng cà và nông dân khác thấy lợi ích của kỹ thuật tưới này. Dự định của dự án do Hội đồng nông nghiệp/Hội đồng ngành rau (aPC/VPC) và Hội đồng tư vấn ngành rau hoa quả (HaL) tài trợ nhằm làm nổi bật lên những biện pháp canh tác mang lại lợi ích cao và ít ảnh hưởng đến môi trường. Những thử nghiệm hai vụ liên tiếp kết thúc vào tháng ba năm 2012 đã khẳng định rằng nếu áp dụng biện pháp tưới theo nhu cầu của cây trồng thì năng suất và chất lượng tương đương với cách làm của những nông giỏi nhất mặc dù lượng nước tưới giảm đến 40%. Kết quả này đạt được là nhờ vào sự điều chỉnh lượng nước tưới tính toán trên số liệu về nước bốc hơi (tại trạm khí tượng

WA Grower summer 2012

của Bộ Nông Nghiệp và Lương Thực gần đó) và hệ số cây trồng gồm cả các thông số về mức độ tươi tốt, giai đoạn sinh trưởng, thời gian sinh trưởng. Hiệu quả sữ dụng nước được cải thiện đáng kể bằng cách sữ dụng dụng cụ theo dõi ẩm độ đất để điều chỉnh số lần và thời gian tưới tùy theo từng loại đất.

Trong các mô hình trình bày chúng tôi đã ghi nhận được rằng mỗi lần tưới dưới 0,5 lít nước trên mỗi lổ nhỏ giọt thì hạn chế được lượng nước thấm lậu đi mất cũng như gia tăng sự hiện diện của nước và phân bón trong vùng rể cây hoạt động. Tưới nhiều hơn thì nước và phân bón thấm sâu hơn phía dưới vùng rể hút được. Cách làm này giảm được 70% thất thoát do thấm lậu.

giảm thiểu lượng nước tưới làm giảm thời gian bơm vi thế giảm được chi phí khoảng chừng 1000 đô/ha khi tiết kiệm được 6000 mét khối nước/mẩu đất. giảm lượng phân bón cũng giúp tiết kiệm được 5000 đô/ha so với công thức phân bón được áp dụng. Điều quan trọng hơn là lượng nước tiết kiệm có thể được sữ dụng để mở rộng diện tích hay tăng mùa vụ. Điều này có triển vọng gia tăng tối đa lợi nhuận cho người trồng khi cải tiến kỹ thuật.

Các biện pháp canh tác tốt đã được xác định bao gồm:

• Xác định vùng hoạt động của rể và sự di chuyển của nước trong đất. • Thiết lập công thức tưới dựa vào số liệu nước bốc hơi và hệ số hoa màu để điều chỉnh theo từng giai đoạn sinh trưởng của cây trồng. • Điều chỉnh công thức tưới một cách chi li hơn dựa vào việc theo dõi ẩm độ đất.

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Nhiều nông dân có dịp đi tham quan và dự hội thảo trong dự án đã sửa đổi lại hệ thống tưới và phương pháp tưới. Một số người cho biết đang dùng nước ít hơn từ 1/3 đến ½ so với trước đây và nhận định rằng biện pháp canh tác tốt đã giúp họ khống chế lượng nước tưới trong giới hạn cho phép.

Sổ tay hướng dẫn của Bộ Nông Nghiệp sẽ được phát hành khoảng đầu năm 2013 và một chương về Biện Pháp Canh Tác Tốt trong đó sẽ đề cập chi tiết về những thay đổi như đã đề cập trên đây. Nếu quí nông dân có thắc mắc hay câu hỏi thí xin liên hệ với tôi qua email: rohan.prince@agric.wa.gov.au hoặc số điện thoại: 0429 680 069.

Xin chân thành cảm ơn sự hổ trợ của các công ty trong lảnh vược này, đặc biệt là Netafim đã chop hep chúng tôi sữ dụng bộ dụng cụ đo đạt chuyên dùng trong cả thí nghiệm và trong thực nghiệm.

Các phương pháp được sữ dụng để làm nổi bật những biện pháp canh tác tốt:

• Thêm chất nhuộm màu xanh với nồng độ 2% vào nước tưới để theo dõi sự di chuyển của nước trong đất cũng như cho thấy độ thấm sâu và độ lan rộng của nước trong đất mỗi lần tưới ở nhiều công thức tưới khác nhau. Khi đào rãnh dọc theo ống nhỏ giọt thì chất nhuộm màu biểu hiện mức độ di chuyển khác nhau của nước khi lượng nước tưới thay đổi từ 0,3 lít đến 4.0 lít/lổ/lần tưới để cho thấy lượng nước tối đa cần thiết cho mối lần tưới đủ làm ướt phạm vi vùng hoạt động của rể và khoảng cách tối đa giũa các lổ để đảm bảo tưới đồng đều.

bằng cách nhìn vào động thái di chuyển của nước trong đất thông qua đồng hồ đo ẩm độ sẽ mang lại hiệu quả tốt nhất cho từng ngày cũng như dự trù nguy cơ xảy ra những biến động đột ngột trước khi cây xuất hiện triệu chứng.

Tôi xin trân trọng cảm ơn Wesgrowers đã cho phép chúng tôi đặt thí nghiệm và sữ dụng các thiết bị trên đất của mình cũng như đã ũng hộ công việc này. Xin cảm ơn Hội đồng nông nghiệp và Hội đồng rau cũng như Quỹ ban rau quả Tây úc đã tài trợ kinh phí thực hiện cho chương trình này.

• Sữ dụng dịch vụ nhắn tin thời tiết thông qua Hệp Hội Rau và các bảng hệ số hoa màu cho từng giai đoạn sinh trưởng, công cụ hổ trở trực tuyến qua mang internet (www.vegetableswa.com.au/ evaporation/login.asp) là những hướng dẫn tốt nhất về nhu cầu nước cho cây trồng. Cần phải có sự điều chỉnh tùy theo lượng mưa, sự biến động thời tiết nhưng chúng tôi khuyến cáo phải kiểm tra hệ thống tưới đảm bảo luôn tưới đồng đều (Biến động giửa các lổ trong vòng 10%, tốt nhất là 5%). • Nên dùng đồng hồ đo ẩm độ để cân chỉnh chế độ tưới cho phù hợp, nhất là sau khi có sự thay đổi về cách tưới. Các loại đồng hồ đo ẩm độ có tự động ghi lại số liệu từng thời gian nhất định sẽ cho thấy động thái di chuyển của nước. Việc điều chỉnh thời gian và số lần tưới

WA Grower summer 2012

Your industry

Insights with Ivan Ivankovic — Vietnamese translation

CÙNG CHIA SẼ KIẾN THỨC VỚI IVAN IVANKOVIC BY Sarah Houston Cán bộ khuyến nông, Hiệp hội rau Tây Úc VegetablesWa

Ivan Ivankovic là nông dân trồng rau ở Carabooda, không những ông có kinh nghiệm sâu sắc trong thực tế trồng rau màu trên đất cát mà còn có kiến thức rộng rãi trong nghiên cứu khoa học nông nghiệp và từng làm việc tại Bộ Nông Nghiệp và lương thực Tây Úc. Sau nhiều năm làm việc ông Ivan đã tích lũy kiến thức chuyên sâu về trồng trọt từ thực tế canh tác trên đồng ruộng của chính mình và từ những nghiên cứu với nông dân khác ở Tâu Úc. Tiếp theo bài viết trước đây trong ấn bản mùa xuân của Hiệp hội, bài viết này giúp chúng ta cùng chia sẽ một số khái niệm và qui luật căn bản trong trồng trọt và tưới tiêu mà ông Ivan cho rằng thiết yếu với tất cả mọi người.

Tập quán canh tác Mỗi loại cây trồng cần biện pháp chăm sóc riêng về tưới nước và phân bón, chính vì vậy người trồng phải theo dõi, quan sát, học hỏi để biết điều chĩnh kỹ thuật của mình cho phù hợp. Nông dân nên thường xuyên thăm đồng để ghi nhận những thay đổi hàng ngày và kịp thời điều chỉnh phân, nước cho từng điều kiện cụ thể đồng thời tiên lượng những nguy cơ có thể xảy ra để kịp thời có biện pháp đối phó.

Đất và dinh dưỡng cây trồng Điều quan trọng là nông dân cần có sự hiểu biết về đặc tính đất đai của từng nơi và theo dõi hàm lượng dinh dưỡng có trong đất cũng như trong cây trong quá trình cây phát triển. Nông dân nên có kết quả phân tích đất trước khi gieo trồng hay bón phân. Thiếu bảng phân tích đất thì không thể biết được đất của mình cần phải bón thêm loại phân bón nào. Phân tích đất cũng giúp tránh nguy cơ bón thiếu hoặc thừa phân có thể dẫn đến tình trạng thiếu dinh dưỡng hoặc gây ngộ độc cho cây trồng hay gây hại cho môi trường do phân bón bị rửa trôi và thấm sâu vào đất. Khi đã trồng cây rồi thì phân tích lá là biện pháp tốt nhất để theo dõi khã năng hấp thụ dinh dưỡng của cây.

WA Grower summer 2012

Qui luật quyết định của yếu tố thấp nhất Trong vấn đề dinh dưỡng cho cây trồng, qui luật quyết định của yếu tố thấp nhất có thể giải thích như sau: Sự sinh trưởng của cây trồng bị giới hạn do nguyên tố dinh dưỡng nào hiện diện ít nhất so với nhu cầu cần thiết của cây. Điều này có nghĩa là năng suất và chất lượng sản phẩm không phải do tổng số lượng của tất cả các loại phân quyết định mà chúng tùy thuộc vào một loại phân bón nào đó đang bị thiếu. Cho dù có bón thật nhiều phân đi nữa mà tỉ lệ giửa các loại phân không cân đối để bảo đảm các chất khác nhau đều đáp ứng mức đô yêu cầu của cây thì năng suật và chất lượng bị quyết định bởi chất nào đang gây thiếu dinh dưỡng. Nếu bón thêm chất thiếu nhất đến múc độ vừa đủ rồi thì chất thiếu kế tiếp sẽ thay thế vai trò quyết định.

Trong ví dụ ở hình 1, khái niệm về qui luật quyết định của yếu tố thấp nhất được mô tả qua hình ảnh lượng nước chứa trong chiếc thùng ghép bằng nhiều thanh gỗ có độ cao không đều nhau. Chiếc thùng này chỉ có thể chứa được lượng nước tối đa đến mức thanh gỗ thấp nhất mà thôi. Muốn cho chiếc thùng đầy nước thì các thanh gỗ phải có chiều cao bằng nhau. Tương tự như vậy, cây trồng chỉ có thể phát huy tối đa năng suất và chất lượng khi tất cả các nguyên tố dinh dưỡng đều cao theo mức độ yêu cầu - không có chất nào thiếu hay thừa.

Sự di chuyển và mức độ hữu dụng của dinh dưỡng trong đất

ảnh hưởng theo đô pH và nhiệt độ của đất. Chính vì vậy 2 yếu tố này cũng có lien quan đến mức độ hữu dụng cho cây của các chất dinh dưỡng trong đất (xem hình 2).

Nên nhớ rằng tổng số lượng dinh dưỡng trong đất không quan trọng bằng số lượng dinh dưỡng hiện diện trong đất ở dạng cây trồng hấp thu được (còn gọi là ở dạng hữu dụng).

Sự hữu dụng của các chất dinh dưỡng trong đất tùy thuộc vào nhiều yếu tố như ẩm độ đất, pH, nhiệt độ đất, và mức độ cân bằng tối hảo giửa các yếu tố ấy thay đổi tùy theo loại cây trồng. Vì thế đôi khi có trường hợp các chất dinh dưỡng hiện diện trong đất nhưng không hữu dụng cho cây trồng.

Quản lý tưới tiêu Trong công tác tưới tiêu nông dân cần có sự hiểu biết về đặc tính tương quan với nước của đất trong trang trại mình – đặc biệt là khả năng cầm giữ nước. Khi thiết kế hệ thống tưới cho trang trại thì nên thuê những nơi có chuyên môn đến đo đạt và thiết lập bản độ về các đặc tính tương quan với nước của đất để đảm bảo có được một hệ thống tưới phân phối nuớc đồng đều và hiệu quả cho rau màu. Nhiều máy móc, dụng cụ đã được sáng chế để theo dõi ẩm độ đất trong phạm vi vùng rể nhằm cải thiện hiệu quả sữ dụng Hình 1 Qui luật quyết định của yếu tố thấp nhất

Sự di chuyển của các chất dinh dưỡng trong đất chủ yếu là dựa vào sự di chuyển của nước. Khi đã thấm vào đất thì nước di chuyển từ nới có ẩm độ cao đến nơi có ẩm độ thấp. Tốc độ di chuyển của nước trong đất còn phụ thuộc vào cấu trúc và độ mịn của đất. Đối với vùng đất cát điển hình như vùng đất xung quanh Perth nước di chuyển khá nhanh, đồng nghĩa với nguy cơ nước và dinh dưỡng di chuyển sâu xuống khỏi vùng hấp thu của rể rồi mất đi khi tưới quá nhiều. Cây trồng hấp thụ chất dinh dưỡng di chuyển trong nước của đất. Tuy nhiên chất dinh dưỡng có thể bị giữ chặt trong cấu tử đất hay mất đi theo nước. Mỗi loại chất dinh dưỡng có tính chất khác nhau nên khả năng di động trong đất và nước cũng khác nhau. Khả năng này còn bị

Nguồn tham khảo: www.greenhousegrower.com/ article/26470/an-apple-a-day

Your industry

Hình 2 Ảnh hưởng của pH lên độ hữu dụng của các chất dinh dưỡng

Độ pH đất Nguồn tham khảo: www.organicgarden.org.uk/gardening/soil/soil-chemistry/

nước tưới. Các dụng cụ này giúp nông dân xác định lượng nước tưới thiếu hay thừa đồng thời giảm thiểu lượng nước thất thoát do thấm quá sâu.

Giám sát và điều chỉnh lượng nước tưới bằng những thiết bị như thế giúp nông dân tính toán lượng nước tưới chính xác cho hoa màu có năng suất và chất lượng cao nhất mà giảm thiểu được lượng nuớc thất thoát. Tưới thừa nước kéo theo lượng điện năng và phân bón gia tăng và hệ quả là gia tăng chi phí sản xuất. Tương tự như thế, tưới thừa nước là phí phạm lượng nước được sữ dụng theo giấy phép.

năng giữ nước cũng gia tăng. Một số kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy như sau:

Khả năng cầm giữ nước của đất chủ yếu do độ mịn và hàm lượng chất hữu cơ quuyết định. Đất càng mịn thì tổng diện tích bề mặt của các hạt trong đất càng lớn và khả năng cầm giữ nước càng nhiều. Chất hữu cơ có ái lực giử nước mạnh, vì vậy đất càng giàu chất hữu cơ thì càng giữ ẩ độ tốt. Nông dân cũng nên lưu ý rằng chỉ có khoảng 50% lượng nước có trong đất là ở dưới dạng cây hút được.

• Đất cát có chứa 2% chất hữu cơ có khả năng cầm giử nước là 312,000l /ha

Khả năng cầm giữ nước của đất.

Trong thời gian làm việc tại Bộ Nông nghiệp và Lương Thực, Ivan đã có những nghiên cứu về sự tương quan giữa hàm lượng chất hữu cơ trong đất với khả năng cầm giử nước của vùng đất cát. Kết qủa nghiên cứu khẳng định nếu hàm lượng chất hữu cơ trong đất tăng thì khã

• Đất cát có chứa 1% chất hữu cơ có khả năng cầm giử nước là 234,000l /ha (sâu đến 30cm)

• Đất cát có chứa 3% chất hữu cơ có khả năng cầm giử nước là 429,000l /ha

More information

Nếu qui vị muốn tìm hiểu hay thảo luận thêm về các vấn đề nêu trên, hay là quí vị nào muốn trò chuyện trực tiếp với ông Ivan về nước tưới và dinh dưỡng cây trồng xin vui lòng lien hệ cán bộ khuyến nông của Hiệp Hội Rau WA cô Sarah Houston, số đện thoại 0427 373 037 hoặc email: sarah.houston@vegetableswa.com.au.

• Đất cát có chứa 4% chất hữu cơ có khả năng cầm giử nước là 546,000l /ha Hàm lượng chất hữu cơ bình quân trong đất cát khu vực xung quanh Perth khoảng 1.0% – 1.20%. Chất hữu cơ còn có tác dụng chống xói mòn, cung cấp dinh dưỡng cho cây, thức ăn và năng lượng cho hệ vi sinh vật sống trong đất, tăng cường khả năng trao đổi ca-ti-on (vì chất hữu cơ có điện tích âm nên giữ được các loại chất dinh dưỡng có mang điện tích dương như can-xi, Ma-nhe).

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Production

Permits Permit ID

Minor Use Permits can also be searched by specific crop or pest types at www.apvma.gov.au/permits/search.php

Description

Target

Expiry date

Adzuki beans PER13223

Imazamox

Control of grass and broadleaf weeds

31-Dec-13

PER11405

Haloxyfop

Grass weeds

30-May-14

PER13293

Abamectin

Two-spotted mites and onion thrips

30-Apr-15

Avatar (indoxacarb)

Garden weevil

30-Sep-16

Asparagus PER12777 Avocado PER10652

Alphacypermethrin

Garden weevil

30-Apr-13

PER13624

Phosphorous acid

Phytophthora root rot

31-Aug-14

Beans PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

31-Mar-13

PER10276

Filan Fungicide (boscalid)

Sclertonia rot

31-Jan-13

Beetroot PER13034

Score Foliar Fungicide

Leaf spot

31-Aug-13

PER12052

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

30-Jun-13

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

30-Jun-13

PER13090

Alpha-cypermethrin

Various insect pests

31-May-15

PER11853

Imidacloprid

Aphids and thrips

30-Sep-15

PER11919

Flint 500 WG Fungicide (trifloxystrobin)

Alternaria leaf spot and cercospora leaf spot

30-Sep-13

Methomyl

Bean pod borer and budworm

31-Oct-16

Borlotti beans PER9509

Brassica leafy vegetables PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

31-Mar-13

PER12054

Propiconazole

Cercospora leaf spot, rust, septoria leaf spot

31-Aug-14

PER13090

Alpha-cypermethrin

Various insect pests

31-May-15

PER10276

Filan Fungicide (boscalid)

Sclertonia rot

31-Jan-13

PER12008

Ramrod Herbicide (propachlor)

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

PER13032

Pirimicarb

Aphids

30-Sep-13

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

30-Jun-13

PER10497

Imidacloprid

Aphids, whitefly and thrips

31-Mar-14

PER10845

Barmac Zineb Fungicide

Cercospora leaf spot and downy mildew

31-Mar-15

PER11994

Proclaim Insecticide

Diamond-back moth, heliothis and vegetable looper

31-May-14

PER13154

Dual Gold Herbicide

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Mar-17

PER13291

Acrobat Fungicide

White blister

30-Sep-13

PER13585

Iprodione

Sclerotinia, grey mould, alternaria leaf spot

30-Jun-13

PER10674

Mancozeb + Metalaxyl-M

Downy mildew and white blister

31-Mar-13

PER11848

Clethodim

Grass weeds

30-Sep-15

PER12016

Mancozeb

Anthracnose and septoria

31-Mar-15

PER10674

Mancozeb + Metalaxyl-M

Downy mildew and white blister

31-Mar-13

PER13672

Chlorpyrifos

Vegetable beetle adults

30-Sep-14

PER10276

Filan Fungicide (boscalid)

Sclertonia rot

31-Jan-13

Tebuconazole

Cercospora leaf spot

31-Mar-14

Broad beans PER12657 Broccolli PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

31-Mar-13

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Mar-15

PER10588

Iprodione

Rhizoctonia

30-Apr-13

Brussel sprouts

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Mar-15

PER10090

Iprodione

Grey mould

1-Aug-15

PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

31-Mar-13

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Production

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry date

Capsicums PER11564

Switch Fungicide

Botrytis and sclerotinia

30-Nov-14

PER12565

Scala Fungicide

Botrytis rots

30-Sep-17

PER11778

Agri-fos 600 Systemic Fungicide (phosphorous acid)

Phytophthora soil fungus

30-Nov-15

PER13031

Maldison

Fruit fly

31-May-14

PER13047

Acramite Miticide

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-13

PER10903

Flint 500 WG Fungicide

Powdery mildew

31-May-13

Carrot PER12052

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

30-Jun-13

PER10914

Azoxystrobin

Powdery mildew, downy mildew and white blister rust

31-May-14

PER11747

2,2-Dichloropropionic Acid

Promotion of bolting and grass weed control

30-Nov-14

PER12050

Boscalid

Sclerotinia rot

30-Jun-15

PER13013

Clethodim

Grass weed control

31-Mar-14

PER13305

Glyphosate (shielded sprayer)

Certain broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-15

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Mar-15

Cauliflower PER11951 PER13123

Amistar 250SC Fungicide

Specified fungal diseases

31-Mar-13

PER13147

Lontrel

Capeweed and clover

30-Sep-16

PER10688

Alpha-Cypermethrin

Staphylinid beetle

30-Apr-13

Celeriac PER10875

Pirimor WG Aphicide (pirimicarb)

Aphids

30-Sep-15

PER13114

Prometryn

Grass weeds listed on label

31-Mar-17

PER13323

Score Foliar Fungicide (difenoconazole)

Cercospora leaf spot and septoria leaf blight

31-Mar-15

PER13573

Rovral Aquaflo Fungicide (Iprodione)

Sclerotinia rot

30-Jun-14

PER13088

Success Neo Insecticide (spinetoram)

Various insect pests

31-Mar-17

PER13090

Alpha-cypermethrin

Various insect pests

31-May-15

Celery PER13658

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Various diseases

30-Sep-14

PER9839

Permethrin (Ambush )

Heliothis and looper

31-Mar-13

PER10729

Applaud Insecticide (buprofezin)

Greenhouse whitefly

31-Jan-13

PER13496

Linuron

Range of weeds

30-Apr-17

PER13627

Score Foliar Fungicide (difenoconazole)

Cercospora leaf spot and septoria spots

31-Dec-15

PER13654

Avatar Insecticide (indoxacarb)

Heliothis, lightbrown apple moth, lucerne leaf roller and vegetable weevil

30-Sep-14

Chia PER11215

Powermax (glyphosate)

Various weeds

30-Jun-14

PER11245

Trifluralin

Specified broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-14

PER12148

Larvin (thiodicarb)

Heliothis

31-Jan-13

PER13391

Betacyfluthrin

Heliothis

30-Sep-14

PER13392

Methomyl

Heliothis

30-Sep-14

PER13393

Fusilade Forte (fluazifop)

Various grasses

30-Sep-14

PER11332

Gemstar

Heliothis

30-Jun-14

Chicory PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

30-Jun-13

PER11848

Clethodim

Grass weeds

30-Sep-15

PER12054

Propiconazole

Cercospora leaf spot, rust, septoria leaf spot

31-Aug-14

PER11849

Ridomil Gold MZ (mancozeb + metalaxyl-M)

Anthracnose, downy mildew and septoria

31-Mar-13

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

30-Sep-14

PER11855

Betanal Herbicide Spray (phenmedipham)

Broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-14

PER12397

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

30-Nov-14

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Mar-15

PER13658

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Various diseases

30-Sep-14

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Production

Permits (cont.) Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry date

PER10677

Propyzamide

Grass and broadleef weeds

30-Apr-18

PER12016

Mancozeb

Anthracnose and septoria

31-Mar-15

PER13032

Pirimicarb

Aphids

30-Sep-13

PER13254

Dimethoate

Queensland and Mediterranean fruit fly

5-Oct-13

PER13860

Lebaycid (fenthion)

Fruit fly

30-Oct-13

Chilli peppers

Chillies PER12823

Trifluralin

Various broad leaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-21

PER12823

Trifluralin

Various broad leaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-21

PER10800

Bayfidan 250 EC Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-13

PER13657

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

31-Mar-14

Cucumber PER10279

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-13

PER13090

Alpha-cypermethrin

Various insect pests

31-May-15

PER7909

Scala 400 SC Fungicide

Botrytis rot

30-Sep-17

PER10311

Eco-Oil (Botanical Oil)

Greenhouse whitefly and silverleaf whitefly

30-Sep-13

PER12998

Amistar Fungicide

Alternaria leaf spot (Alternaria cucumerina)

30-Sep-14

PER12504

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

31-Dec-13

PER13031

Maldison

Fruit fly

31-May-14

PER10219

Mancozeb

Grey mould

30-Apr-13

PER10818

Bravo Weather Stik Fungicide (chlorothalonil)

Botrytis rot

30-Sep-13

PER13349

Pyranica

Two-spotted mite

31-Mar-15

PER10903

Flint 500 WG Fungicide

Powdery mildew

31-May-13

PER13047

Acramite Miticide

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-13

Curcurbits PER10979

Bupirimate

Powdery mildew

30-Sep-14

PER12504

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

31-Dec-13

Eggplant PER12823

Trifluralin

Various broad leaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-21

PER8930

Phorate

Aphids, jassids, mites, thrips and onion maggot

31-Jul-16

PER12862

Zineb

Anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.)

31-Jul-14

PER12442

Trichlorfon

Fruit fly

31-May-14

PER11778

Agri-fos 600 Systemic Fungicide (phosphorous acid)

Phytophthora soil fungus

30-Nov-15

PER5815

Spinosad

Melon thrips

31-Jul-13

PER10948

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

30-Oct-13

PER13043

Bupirimate

Powdery mildew

31-Mar-13

PER13517

Rovral (iprodione)

Grey mould

30-Sep-15

PER9893

Methidathion

Rutherglen bug

31-May-13

Endive PER12052

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

30-Jun-13

PER12054

Propiconazole

Cercospora leaf spot, rust, septoria leaf spot

31-Aug-14

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Mar-15

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

30-Sep-14

PER11855

Betanal Herbicide Spray (phenmedipham)

Broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-14

PER11848

Clethodim

Grass weeds

30-Sep-15

PER13658

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Various diseases

30-Sep-14

PER10677

Propyzamide

Grass and broadleaf weeds

30-Apr-18

PER11849

Ridomil Gold MZ (mancozeb + metalaxyl-M)

Anthracnose, downy mildew and septoria

31-Mar-13

Export

PER10644

Propiconazole tech 95%

30-Jun-13

PER11103

Various Mortein Products

31-Dec-13

PER11115

Mortein Cockroach Bait

31-Dec-13

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Production

Permit ID

Description

PER11293

Aquatain AMF

Target

Expiry date 31-Mar-13

PER11912

Pif Paf Powergard Barrier Outdoor Surface Spray

31-Jan-13

PER12529

MeiMei Botanical Children Insect Repellent

30-Sep-13

PER12578

Perfect Potion Products Pty Ltd

31-Dec-13

PER12585

Ally 77 WP

31-Dec-13

PER12630

Deodorant Spray for Dogs and Cats

31-Jan-15

PER12976

AUSOIL 23 EC

30-Aug-15

PER13589

QuickPhos Fumigant Insecticide

30-Jun-17

PER13650

Various

30-Jun-16

PER13823

Pif Paf Powergard Barrier Outdoor Surface Spray

31-Mar-15

PER11590

Mortein Barrier Outdoor Surface Spray

31-Dec-12

PER12223

DuPont Arilon insecticide (indoxacarb)

30-Jun-13

PER13165

Klerat Rat and Mouse Killer Wax Blocks and pellets, Klerat rat and mouse killer pellets, Klerat pellets

31-Dec-13

PER13757

Mortein Barrier Outdoor Surface Spray

31-Dec-14

Fennel PER13036

Bravo 720 SC

Downy mildew, purple blotch

31-Jul-16

PER13698

Phosphorous

Downy mildew

30-Sep-17

Garlic PER13394

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

30-Sep-15

PER10511

Surflan 500 Flowable Herbicide (Oryzalin)

Broadleaf and grass weeds

31-Mar-13

PER11170

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

30-Sep-14

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-17

Green beans PER13626 Head Lettuce PER10416

Methamidophos

Western flower thrips

31-Mar-13

PER10807

Vertimec (abamectin)

Two-spotted mite

31-Mar-14

Herbs PER8628

Pendimethalin

Grass and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-14

PER10305

Bacillus thuringiensis

Lepidopteran pests

31-Dec-12

PER11815

Petroleum oil

Insect pests

31-Dec-14

PER13319

Trifluralin

Various weeds

30-Sep-14

PER12017

Fluazifop-p-butyl

Annual grass weeds

30-Jun-16

PER13038

Phosphorous acid

Phytophthora

31-Oct-14

Jojoba PER13316

Various herbicides

Various weeds

30-Sep-17

PER10192

Glufosinate ammonium

Herbage

30-Sep-13

PER10193

Oxyfluorfen and Oryazalin

Pre-plant

30-Sep-13

PER10194

Sethoxydim

Grass weeds

30-Sep-13

PER10196

2,4-D

Winter broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-13

PER10454

MCPA

Winter broadleaf weeds

31-Dec-13

Leeks PER10914

Azoxystrobin

Powdery mildew, downy mildew and white blister rust

31-May-14

PER13203

Dimethomorph and Mancozeb

Downy mildew, purple blotch and botrytis rots

31-Mar-17

PER13584

Tribunil Herbicide

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-14

PER13653

Maldison

Onion thrips

30-Sep-14

PER12397

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

30-Nov-14

PER13394

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

30-Sep-15

PER10902

Dimethomorph

Downy mildew

30-Sep-13

PER13466

Various Actives

Specified grass and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

PER13257

Select Herbicide (clethodim)

Grass weeds as per label including winter grass (Poa annua)

31-Mar-17

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Production

Permits (cont.) Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry date

Lettuce PER11855

Betanal Herbicide Spray (phenmedipham)

Broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-14

PER12008

Ramrod Herbicide (propachlor)

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

PER10276

Filan Fungicide (boscalid)

Sclertonia rot

31-Jan-13

PER10311

Eco-Oil (Botanical Oil)

Greenhouse whitefly and silverleaf whitefly

30-Sep-13

PER11651

Acramite Miticide

Two-spotted (red spider) mite

31-Dec-12

PER12386

Dacthal (chlorthal-dimethyl)

Stinging nettle

31-Aug-16

PER13002

Metalaxyl-M

Damping off

30-Sep-13

PER13301

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite and vegetable weevil

31-May-15

PER11564

Switch Fungicide

Botrytis and sclerotinia

30-Nov-14

PER13698

Phosphorous

Downy mildew

30-Sep-17

PER12565

Scala Fungicide

Botrytis rots

30-Sep-17

PER13332

BALAN (benfluralin)

Grass and broadleaf weed control

31-Mar-22

Mungbeans PER13293

Abamectin

Two-spotted mites and onion thrips

30-Apr-15

PER13604

Cabrio Fungicide (pyraclostrobin)

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-15

Mushrooms PER12172

Pestigas

Mushroom flies

30-Jun-15

PER12645

Prochloraz

Cobweb disease

31-Mar-17

PER12848

Carbendazim

Dry bubble, wet bubble and green mould

30-Sep-14

PER12965

Imazalil

Green mould

31-Jul-17

PER12385

Products containing Copper

Various diseases

31-Mar-13

Navy beans PER13293

Abamectin

Two-spotted mites and onion thrips

30-Apr-15

PER13626

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-17

Olives PER13316

Various herbicides

Various weeds

30-Sep-17

PER11152

Natrasoap insecticidal soap spray

Lace bug

30-Sep-13

PER11360

Copper

Fungal leaf spot and fruit rot

31-Mar-17

PER11783

Chlorpyrifos

Various insect pests

31-Mar-13

PER12228

Ethephon

Fruit loosening

30-Nov-13

PER12853

Avatar (indoxacarb)

Apple weevil

31-Mar-14

PER13174

Amistar WG and Amistar 250 SC (azoxystrobin)

Anthracnose

31-Mar-13

PER13267

Insegar 250 W Insect Growth Regulator (fenoxycarb)

Black olive scale

31-Mar-14

PER13868

Fenthion

Olive lace bug and Rutherglen bug

30-Oct-13

Onions PER12397

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

30-Nov-14

PER11450

Ethofumesate (Tramat)

Grass weeds

30-Jun-15

PER11450

Ethofumesate (Tramat)

Grass weeds

30-Jun-15

PER11851

Basagran (bentazone-sodium)

Broadleaf weeds

31-Mar-14

PER11854

Switch Fungicide

White rot, black mould, botrytis

30-Jun-13

PER13579

Tramat 500 SC Selective Herbicide (ethofumesate)

Various weeds

31-Jul-13

Ornamental

PER6791

Termidor (fipronil)

Giant termite

30-Nov-13

PER11707

Payback Plant Growth Regulator (paclobutrazol)

Excessive plant growth regulation

30-Apr-13

PER12753

Naturalure Fruit Fly Bait Concentrate

Mediterranean fruit fly and Queensland fruit fly

31-Mar-14

PER12378

Acephate

Western flower thrips

31-Oct-15

PER12156

Triadimenol, Triforine, Mancozeb, Azoxystrobin, Copper oxychloride, oxycarboxin and propiconazole

Myrtle rust (Uredo rangelii)

30-Aug-13

PER9424

Methiocarb

Green snail

30-Jun-16

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Production

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry date

PER12828

Copper oxychloride, Mancozeb and Triforine

Myrtle rust

31-Aug-13

PER10491

Abamectin

Melon thrips

31-Jan-13

PER13290

Dimethoate

Queensland fruit fly and Mediterranean fruit fly

5-Oct-13

PER10539

Carbaryl

Palm and elm leaf beetles

30-Jun-13

Paprika PER10800

Bayfidan 250 EC Fungicide

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-13

PER12823

Trifluralin

Various broad leaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-21

PER13657

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

31-Mar-14

Parsely PER13303

Coragen Insecticide

Heliothis, cluster caterpillar

31-Mar-15

PER11850

Lambda-cyhalothrin

Red-legged earth mite, Rutherglen bug, grey cluster bug, looper, plague thrips

31-Aug-15

PER12016

Mancozeb

Anthracnose and septoria

31-Mar-15

PER10672

Chlorthal-dimethyl

Various broadleaf weeds and grasses

30-Apr-13

PER13121

Ridomil Gold 25G (metalaxyl-M)

Pythium and phytophthora

30-Nov-16

PER10089

Chlorpyrifos

Vegetable weevil and black beetle

30-Sep-13

PER13396

Methomyl

Thrips and western flower thrips

30-Jun-15

PER13499

Diazinon

Onion maggot

31-Mar-17

Parsnip PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

30-Jun-13

PER10758

Pendimethalin

Grasses and broadleaf weeds

31-Jan-14

PER11348

Clethodim

Grass weeds

31-Mar-22

PER12048

Prometryn

Weeds

30-Sep-15

PER12354

Ridomil Gold 25G (metalaxyl-M)

Pythium spp. and Phytophthora spp.

30-Apr-14

PER12357

Linuron

Grass and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

PER13696

Trifluralin

Wintergrass

31-Mar-14

PER13394

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

30-Sep-15

Peas PER10691

Diflufenican

Broadleaf weeds

30-Apr-13

PER13612

Brodifacoum

Black rat and house mouse eradication

31-Oct-14

Peppers PER10979

Bupirimate

Powdery mildew

30-Sep-14

PER12378

Acephate

Western flower thrips

31-Oct-15

PER11440

Sumiclex 500 (procymidone)

Sclerotinia rot

31-Jan-15

PER9893

Methidathion

Rutherglen bug

31-May-13

PER10878

Trifluralin

Broadleaf and annual grass weeds

30-Sep-13

Potato PER10089

Chlorpyrifos

Vegetable weevil and black beetle

30-Sep-13

PER10283

Chlorpyrifos

Black beetle, wingless grasshopper, red-legged earth mite

30-Sep-14

PER10822

Sodium hypochlorite

Various insect and fungal pests

1-Feb-14

PER10822

Sodium hypochlorite

Various insect and fungal pests

1-Feb-14

Permethrin

Cucumber moth Larvae (Phakelura indica)

31-Dec-13

Pumpkin PER12504 Radicchio PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Mar-15

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

30-Sep-14

PER11855

Betanal Herbicide Spray (phenmedipham)

Broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-14

PER11848

Clethodim

Grass weeds

30-Sep-15

PER11849

Ridomil Gold MZ (mancozeb + metalaxyl-M)

Anthracnose, downy mildew and septoria

31-Mar-13

PER12054

Propiconazole

Cercospora leaf spot, rust, septoria leaf spot

31-Aug-14

Radish PER12052

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

30-Jun-13

PER13303

Coragen Insecticide

Heliothis, cluster caterpillar

31-Mar-15

WA Grower Summer 2012

Your Production

Permits (cont.) Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry date

PER11935

Triadimenol

Powdery mildew

30-Jun-17

PER12863

Chlorothalonil

White blister (Candida albugo)

30-Jun-16

PER10914

Azoxystrobin

Powdery mildew, downy mildew and white blister rust

31-May-14

PER11350

Mancozeb

Alternaria, cercospora leaf spot, white blister

31-Mar-15

PER11441

Propachlor

Grass and broadleaf weeds

31-Dec-19

PER11949

Lambda-Cyhalothrin

Various insects

31-Mar-15

PER11949

Lambda-Cyhalothrin

Various insects

31-Mar-15

PER13090

Alpha-cypermethrin

Various insect pests

31-May-15

PER13035

Clethodim

Control of grasses

30-Sep-16

PER10676

Pendimethalin

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Apr-13

PER13444

Propiconazole

Cercospora

31-Mar-17

Ambush Emulsifiable Concentrate Insecticide

Green peach aphid, green looper, light brown apple moth and budworms

31-Mar-17

Rhubarb PER13441 PER11358

Clethodim

Grass weeds listed on label

30-Jun-14

PER12384

Dual Gold Herbicide (S-metolachlor)

Various weeds

31-Aug-15

PER13152

MCPA 250 Selective Herbicide

Broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-16

PER13586

Phos acid

Downy mildew

30-Jun-14

Alpha-cypermethrin

Various insect pests

31-May-15

Rocket PER13090 PER12008

Ramrod Herbicide (propachlor)

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

PER10674

Mancozeb + Metalaxyl-M

Downy mildew and white blister

31-Mar-13

Shallots PER13394

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

30-Sep-15

PER13626

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-17

PER13203

Dimethomorph and Mancozeb

Downy mildew, purple blotch and botrytis rots

31-Mar-17

PER13584

Tribunil Herbicide

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-14

PER13653

Maldison

Onion thrips

30-Sep-14

PER12008

Ramrod Herbicide (propachlor)

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

PER6914

Lannate L (methomyl)

Western flower thrips

31-Mar-13

PER10824

Copper Oxychloride, Cuprous Oxide or Cupric Hydroxide

Downy mildew

30-Sep-14

PER10882

Diazinon

Thrips (excluding WFT) and onion seedling maggot

30-Jun-13

PER13205

Secure 360 SC (chlorfenapyr)

Western flower thrips

30-Jun-17

PER10676

Clethodim

Grass weeds

31-Mar-22

PER10868

Ioxynil

Broad leaf and grass weeds

31-Mar-13

PER13257

Select Herbicide (clethodim)

Grass weeds as per label including winter grass (Poa annua)

31-Mar-17

Alpha-cypermethrin

Various insect pests

31-May-15

Silverbeet PER13090 PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Mar-15

PER13658

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Various diseases

30-Sep-14

PER12008

Ramrod Herbicide (propachlor)

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

PER13579

Tramat 500 SC Selective Herbicide (ethofumesate)

Various weeds

31-Jul-13

PER13626

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-17

PER12052

Phosphorous (phosphonic) acid

Damping off and downy mildew

30-Jun-13

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

30-Sep-14

PER11855

Betanal Herbicide Spray (phenmedipham)

Broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-14

PER11991

Legend Fungicide (quinoxyfen)

Powdery mildew

31-Mar-16

PER13655

Propiconazole

Various fungi

30-Jun-14

PER11572

Chlorothalonil

Downy mildew, alternaria leaf blight and grey mould

31-Mar-13

Snowpeas

PER11765

Etoxazole

Two-spotted mite

31-Dec-12

PER13497

Acrobat

Downy mildew

30-Apr-14

WA Grower summer 2012

Your Production

Permit ID

Description

Target

Expiry date

PER11964

Chlorothalonil (Bravo)

Downy mildew and chocolate spot

31-Mar-18

PER12822

Chess Insecticide

Aphids

30-Jun-13

PER7419

Lambda-cyhalothrin

Pasture webworm, cutworm, Rutherglen bug and thrips

31-May-13

PER10976

Bentazone

Broadleaf weeds

31-Mar-15

PER10988

Bladex 900 WG (cyanazine)

Broadleaf weeds

31-Mar-15

PER13633

Pyrimethanil

Botrytis

30-Jun-14

PER12571

Acramite 480 SC

Mites

31-Jan-13

Spinach PER13090

Alpha-cypermethrin

Various insect pests

31-May-15

PER11951

Phosphorous acid

Downy mildew

31-Mar-15

PER13658

Flint 500 WG (trifloxystrobin)

Various diseases

30-Sep-14

PER12008

Ramrod Herbicide (propachlor)

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

PER11855

Betanal Herbicide Spray (phenmedipham)

Broadleaf weeds

30-Jun-14

PER13626

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-17

PER10908

Tebuconazole

Sclerotonia rot

30-Jun-13

PER11352

Walabi Fungicide

Botrytis and alternaria

30-Sep-14

PER11572

Chlorothalonil

Downy mildew, alternaria leaf blight and grey mould

31-Mar-13

PER13579

Tramat 500 SC Selective Herbicide (ethofumesate)

Various weeds

31-Jul-13

Spring onions PER13394

Fluazifop

Grass weeds

30-Sep-15

PER13626

Metolachlor

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-17

PER13257

Select Herbicide (clethodim)

Grass weeds as per label including winter grass (Poa annua)

31-Mar-17

PER10676

Pendimethalin

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Apr-13

PER10868

Ioxynil

Broad leaf and grass weeds

31-Mar-13

PER13203

Dimethomorph and Mancozeb

Downy mildew, purple blotch and botrytis rots

31-Mar-17

PER13584

Tribunil Herbicide

Various broadleaf and grass weeds

30-Jun-14

PER13653

Maldison

Onion thrips

30-Sep-14

PER12008

Ramrod Herbicide (propachlor)

Annual grasses and broadleaf weeds

30-Sep-15

PER12397

Alpha-cypermethrin

Red-legged earth mite, onion thrips

30-Nov-14

PER11763

Pirimicarb

Aphids

31-Dec-12

PER6914

Lannate L (methomyl)

Western flower thrips

31-Mar-13

PER10824

Copper Oxychloride, Cuprous Oxide or Cupric Hydroxide

Downy mildew

30-Sep-14

PER10882

Diazinon

Thrips (excluding WFT) and onion seedling maggot

30-Jun-13

PER13205

Secure 360 SC (chlorfenapyr)

Western flower thrips

30-Jun-17

Squash PER10279

Abamectin

Two-spotted mite

30-Sep-13

PER12504

Permethrin

Cucumber moth larvae (Phakelura indica)

31-Dec-13

Strawberries PER12940

Maldison

Fruit fly

31-May-14

PER13038

Phosphorous acid

Phytophthora

31-Oct-14

PER12927

Dow AgroSciences Success Neo (spinetoram)

Fruit fly (suppression only)

31-May-14

PER12570

Bifenazate

Two-spotted mite

31-Jan-13

PER13331

Admiral Insect Growth Regulator (pyriproxyfen)

Greenhouse and silverleaf whitefly

31-Oct-15

PER13377

Proclaim Insecticide (emamectin)

Cluster caterpillar, heliothis, lightbrown apple moth and looper

30-Sep-15

PER13539

Switch Fungicide

Various diseases

31-Mar-13

PER13542

Maldison

Rutherglen bug

30-Jun-17

WA Grower Summer 2012

WA Grower AdvertIsInG sPecIfIcAtIons

Preferred format: press ready PDF

full PAGe Full page with bleed 210mm wide x 297mm high plus 5mm bleed — 220mm wide x 307mm high

must be saved as: • 300dpi • CMYK • Fonts embedded

Please note that the WA Grower banner will run across the top of all full page adverts.

HAlf PAGe vegetablesWA

Half page without bleed 190mm wide x 130mm high

Horticultural House 103 Outram street, West Perth 6005

t: (08) 9481 0834 f: (08) 9481 0024 e: finance@vegetableswa.com.au

one tHIrd PAGe One third page without bleed 60mm wide x 254mm high

WA Grower advertiser contacts name

Website/email

Address

contact name

contact number

Bayer Crop science

www.bayercropscience.com.au PO Box 90, Melville WA 6956

Tim Wilke

0427 516 273

Business solutions

www.businesssolutionswa.com 45 Ventnor Ave, West Perth WA 6005

Norman Asch

(08) 9581 2300

C-Wise

www.cwise.com.au

6 Barnsley Rd, Mount Claremont WA 6010

David Sharp

(08) 9581 9582

Clause Pacific

www.hmclause.com

PO Box 475, Bulleen VIC 3105

Kevin Swan

0400 622 314

Mark Dobson

Dobmac Ag machinery

www.dobmac.com.au

36-38 Industrial Dr, Ulverstone TAS 7315

Fabfert

www.spartel.com.au

Level 1/342 Scarborough Beach Rd, Osborne Park WA 6017

Fairbank seeds

www.fairbanks.com.au

13/53 Gateway Blvd, Epping VIC 3076

(03) 6425 5533 (08) 9200 6295

Bruno Tigani

(03) 8401 3346

Global Omega-Gro

www.omegagro.com

2 Alerton Wy, Booragoon WA 6154

Len Palladino

(08) 9315 1844

landmark

www.landmark.com.au

32 Farrall Rd, Midvale WA 6056

Aaron Chapman

(08) 9274 6800

Perth energy

www.perthenergy.com.au

Level 4, 165 Adelaide Tce, East Perth WA 6004

Phase Change Products Pty ltd

www.pcpaustralia.com.au

Ground Floor, 57 Havelock St, West Perth WA 6005

(08) 9420 0300 Keith Coakley

(08) 9324 8520

Terranova seeds

www.tnseeds.com.au

13/19 Chifley St, Smithfield NSW 2164

Danie Oosthuizen 0417 930 233

Think Water Bunbury

www.thinkwater.com.au

23 Denning Rd, Bunbury WA 6230

Mark Sanders

(08) 9791 6333

united Crate

www.unicrate.com.au

1 Zanni St, Canning Vale WA 6155

(08) 9455 1540

WA Crates

service@wacrates.com.au

Crate Yard, Market City, 280 Bannister Rd, Canning Vale WA 6155

(08) 9456 4092

WA Grower summer 2012

A leader in the design, manufacture & supply of specialised agricultural machinery

Quality Master 2 Row Potato Harvester Gent

Simp

le, C

le, H

omp ACt,

iGH o

utpu

• 2 Row Trailing Harvester • Lightweight design (4.0t approx) • Low HP Requirements • Auto Depth Control • Draper Web • Galaxy Star separation system • Adjustable haulm roller • Hydraulic levelling • Picking table (4 person inline) • Simple operation

Bulk Intake & Grading Systems

• Bulk Intake Hoppers and Cleaning Systems • Grading Lines • Washing Equipment • Bin Fillers • Bulk Bag Fillers • Carton/Bag Fillers • Separation/Cleaning Tables • Easy Grade Sizing Modules • Elevators & Conveyors • Complete Turn Key Grading Systems

Email: dobmac@dobmac.com.au • Website: www.dobmac.com.au Phone: (03) 6425 5533 • Fax: (03) 6425 5847 A leader in the design, manufacture & supply of specialised agricultural machinery

At United Crates we aim to provide 

Efficient and friendly service



Low deposit and crate hire prices



Competitive pricing on sale products

United Crate directors, management and staff thank you our valued customers for your ongoing support throughout the year. Wishing you and your families a happy festive season and a safe and prosperous new year. Perth Office: 1 Zanni Street Canning Vale WA 6155 Phone: (08) 9455 1540 Fax: (08) 9455 2376 Email: info@unitedcrate.com.au Web: www.unicrate.com.au