WA Grower Magazine Summer 2021

Page 70

WA CITRUS

Canopy management in Afourer mandarins

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

project update

until 2024. The studies will explore the numerous management options currently being used including hand thinning, chunk pruning, limb bending, annual limb removal, autumn water shoot removal and mechanical hedging. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is coordinating activities in WA at three demonstration sites — two in Harvey and the other in Dandaragan — which will assess the effect of different pruning strategies on fruit size and yield.

BY RACHELLE JOHNSTONE RESEARCH SCIENTIST, DPIRD

W

A growers are taking part in a Horticulture Innovation Australia funded project to develop best practice canopy management techniques in Afourer mandarins that can improve long-term yields and minimise alternate bearing. The project, which is being led by Steven Falivene at New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, will conduct case studies on Afourer grower properties across Australia. The project commenced in 2020 and will continue

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WA Grower SUMMER 2021

Each site has 12 trees that were intensively pruned in September and October 2021 using a ‘layering’ technique to optimise light penetration into the canopy at all levels.

growth will help to suppress some of the watershoot growth. The trees are still relatively young when compared to the 4.5m tall trees in some orchards and do not require excessive pruning. The main strategy is to identify the limbs we want to keep and then prune around them so there is enough space and windows for light to reach most of the way along the limb. Figures 1–3 show an example of an Afourer tree before and after pruning. You can see that pruning has resulted in dappled light throughout the canopy. It is thought that developing a good limb structure and managing regrowth in autumn are important practices. Trees will be monitored in autumn and regrowth pruned if necessary. One of the demonstration sites will also have a row of hedge pruned trees.

Developing best practice canopy management techniques in Afourer mandarins.

The aim of this pruning strategy is to mimic the young tree structure of an Afourer, encouraging fruit across all levels of the canopy. We are aiming to maintain and reinvigorate the middle part of the tree, which tends to be shaded and bare of shoot growth as Afourer trees mature. The first stage will involve pruning the sides of the tree with a little pruning of the centres. First targeting the tree centres will encourage watershoot growth, taking energy away from fruit growth and blocking light to the lower canopy as the branches grow. Next year there should be some leaf growth in the middle parts of the canopy and when the centres are removed this

Pruning treatments will be compared to the grower’s current practice at each site, measuring fruit size, yield and costs of pruning/management. Steven will soon release a series of videos that describe many of the pruning treatments in detail and updates on how the trees responded in the following year. MORE INFORMATION Contact: Rachelle Johnstone, rachelle. johnstone@dpird.wa.gov.au or Steven Falivene, steven.falivene@dpi.nsw.gov.au


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Origins Market

19min
pages 110-115

The 21st Century Eater

6min
pages 106-109

Trade barriers

5min
pages 102-105

Marketing for value

2min
page 101

Meet the Buyer

3min
pages 98-100

Changes to the Fair Work Act 2009

2min
pages 90-91

Coping with change

2min
pages 96-97

The myth that men don’t talk

3min
pages 94-95

WA’s Workplace Vaccine Mandate

3min
pages 92-93

The unseen competitive advantage

2min
page 88

Decision making and planning

2min
page 89

Superannuation application

4min
pages 86-87

Rethink packaging design

4min
pages 84-85

Fire safety

2min
pages 82-83

Polyphagous shot-hole borer

1min
pages 72-73

Do you need to get a director ID?

6min
pages 80-81

Fumigation Tour

6min
pages 77-79

Canopy management

3min
pages 70-71

What did you learn at the WAHU?

4min
pages 67-69

ABC Software advertorial

2min
pages 64-65

New heat mapping tool for apples

4min
pages 61-63

Corteva advertorial

2min
page 60

WA Apples at the Perth Royal Show

3min
pages 58-59

‘Soil Your Undies’ challenge

2min
pages 56-57

Chair’s Chat

1min
page 55

Recipe

1min
pages 50-51

Season update

8min
pages 52-54

Try for 5

3min
pages 48-49

Seed for Schools program

1min
pages 44-45

Seed Grower Field Day

2min
pages 46-47

WA Potatoes CEO’s report

2min
page 40

WAHU2021

7min
pages 32-35

Marketing Update

1min
pages 42-43

WA Potatoes Chair’s Report

2min
page 41

Sustainable farming practices

6min
pages 36-39

vegetablesWA CEO’s Report

3min
page 6

Australia’s border security

6min
pages 28-31

Farm biosecurity practices

3min
pages 12-13

The battle against European wasp

5min
pages 22-25

Gingin 150th Celebration

3min
pages 26-27

Cooloola Farms Produce advertorial

2min
pages 20-21

Soil moisture monitoring

6min
pages 16-19

Vegetable FFS rates and activities

4min
pages 9-11
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