Research Varieties in spotlight

Variety in the spotlight: Sunglo

Managing a successful dried fruit property is all about planning, balance and managing risk.

One way to offset and spread the risk of weather events through the season is to plan carefully and plant varieties that not only offer good returns, but also spread risk.

Planting varieties that ripen early, mid and late season means one weather event at an inopportune moment will not derail an entire harvest.

Likewise, planting varieties that ripen at varying points throughout the season also give property managers opportunities to efficiently manage harvest and labour.

Here, we highlight the Sunglo variety that ripens later in the season. Sunglo is available from nurseries, and growers are encouraged to plan ahead and make orders now for future plantings. Contact Dried Fruits Australia for the full Sunglo fact sheets, or contact your nursery. v

VARIETY: SUNGLO

At a glance: Sunglo is a seedless, high yielding, rain tolerant variety that produces a dried product similar to Sultana when treated with drying emulsion. Sunglo was named and released by the US Department of Agriculture and CSIRO in December 2010.

Product type: Considered a sultana type and cannot be differentiated from the standard dried product from Sultana.

Maturity: Ripens about 10 days later than Sultana. Optimum maturity levels for drying were achieved in the second week of March.

Storing and processing: The fruit stores very well prior to processing with excellent colour retention and good friability. Capstems are easily removed during processing, ensuring minimal skin damage and maintenance of product quality. Susceptibility to pests and diseases: Sunglo is not disease resistant. Standard applications of fungicides are required. Rain tolerance: The rain tolerance of Sunglo has been proven in semicommercial sites when rain damage to Sultana caused major losses associated with berry splitting, berry abscission and mould development. Key feature: Sunglo has the potential to offer consistently high yields. A trial of the variety grafted on Ramsey rootstock and managed on a swing-arm trellis, had an average dry yield of 9.6 t/ha, compared to 6.6 t/ha of Sultanas.

IN THE BUSINESS OF DRYING FRUIT OR VEG?

Goman Foods is seeking expressions of interest for purchase of fruit and vegetable drying equipment. Up for grabs are motors, starters, fans, burners, variable LPG controllers and cabling Two 22,000lt and two 11,000lt LPG tanks with road tanker unloading system. - Pastro semi-auto tray decanter - 5000 steel / mesh trays (940mm x 900 mm) - 200 trolleys with greaseable castor wheels Offers for all removable items will be considered.

Inspection available: Goman Foods, Campbell Street, Darlington Point, NSW Contact Bruce on 0429684164 for all enquiries

FOR SALE - EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST