Zigs &Zags
INDUSTRY RESPONDS TO RESTRICTED GROWTH
Early warn ing GR
APE D SUPP ISEASE O RT
VOLUME 18 ISSUE 2 MAY 2022 | NEW CHEMISTRY: SOFT ON NATURE, NOT ON RESULTS THE RETURN OF EVENTS | DFA SPRAY DIARY GOES DIGITAL
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Contents 4
Cover story Springing into action
30 Chemical use Spray diary goes digital
8
News On the alert
31 Pest & disease Botrytis
10 ATGA chair, CEO & industry updates
32 Biosecurity New biosecurity guide
12 DFA chair, CEO & industry updates
33 Biosecurity Exotic mealybugs
14 Table grape news Maturity insights
34 Processing & marketing APDF
16 Dried grape news
35 Processing & marketing Sunbeam Foods
18 Prune news APIA awarded funds for tech update
36 Table grape marketing
20 Insights Dried grape trade report
37 Technology All hands on tech
21 Insights Early results for table grapes
38 Profile James Moriarty
22 News Events are back
39 Community Notice board
24 News A new life for old plastics
39 Board members
26 Best practice Pruning hygiene 27 Best practice Pruning technique for swingarm trellis 28 Chemical use Soft in nature, not on results
The Vine is a joint publication of the Australian table grape and dried fruits industries. For editorial and advertising enquiries, contact: Dried Fruits Australia T: (03) 5023 5174 E: enquiries@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au W: www.driedfruitsaustralia.org.au Australian Table Grape Association T: (03) 5021 5718 E: enquiries@atga.net.au W: www.australiangrapes.com.au Editorial committee: DFA Anne Mansell, Lauren Roden ATGA Jeff Scott, Terryn Milner Design: Kylie Norton Design Printing: Sunnyland Press Cover photography: RSG affected vine from a Sunraysia property. Photography by David Sickerdick. © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2022 This publication has been funded by Hort Innovation using the table grape and dried grape levies and funds from the Australian Government. Wherever you see a Hort Innovation logo, the initiative is part of the Table Grape, Dried Grape, Dried Tree Fruit or Prune Fund. Some projects also involve funding from additional sources.
For further publication details, see page 39
Table Grapes
Dried Grapes
Combined Industries
Prunes
Season draws to a close... Slow and steady might typically win the race, but for grape growers this season that hasn’t quite been the case. The mild season has had its challenges for both dried and table grape producers across the country – off the back of an already difficult season last year. Labur and weather have both played the role of the antagonist, but a few good characters have entered the narrative. New projects and new varieties are showing promise for both industries, and events are resuming. It’s great to see familiar and new faces and rebuild the connections of industry which may have drifted due to isolation. I’m sure many of you are ready for the season’s end – we hope you can all enjoy a break soon! – from the team
Springing into action INDU ST RY RE S POND S TO REST RI C T E D S PRI N G GR O WTH
It's early October, 2021. The tone of chats between growers, agronomists and the industry body has become vexed, anxious.
FORMULATING A PLAN
Across Sunraysia, as buds burst and
funded extension project to include
healthy shoots developed ahead of
a focus on vine health, allowing the
the new season, some growers were
team to spring into action.
met with a concerning sight. Random vines appeared stunted – with short zig-zagging shots and leaves forming small cabbage-like clusters – and many of the shoots had a very distinctive browning of the pith. Inflorescences on affected vines were typically small and appeared frosted or had already aborted. The symptoms in affected vines resembled damage caused by mites, virus, frost or nutrient deficiency, and weren’t just exclusive to a few varieties – several varieties were affected, some more than others.
The ATGA team responded immediately, assembling experts from across the nation to engage in “think-tanks”. The team also requested an amendment to the Hort Innovation-
With symptoms growing out and harvest just around the corner, the team was on borrowed time to understand the condition.. But where would they start? The quest for answers started not dissimilar to jumping down a rabbit hole. “Agronomists, consultants, pest scouts and researchers shared insights about whether a range of different management practices might correlate with the occurrence of RSG,” project lead Alison MacGregor said. “And researchers shared experience in viruses, phytoplasma,
What was clear was that whatever
trunk disease, pests, and vine
had caused these symptoms was
physiology.
likely to cause significant economic loss through poor bunch counts in the 2022 harvest, raising the concerns of the ATGA team. However, it wasn’t the first time it had been reported. Referred to as restricted spring growth (RSG), the condition was reported in wine grapes in Sunraysia in the 1990s. It also resembles delayed spring growth (DSG) reported in 2019 in table grapes in the United States. DSG has been attributed to temperatures, water and carbohydrates.
4 VINE MAGAZINE
“We also looked further afield, for reports of similar symptoms in the United States, Europe and South Africa. “One thing was clear. We should first check for pest and disease, in case there was a pathological cause.”
COVER STORY
L E AV E S
BUDS
TRUNK GRAFT ROOTS SOIL ER
DIS
EA
SE
NUT
RESTRICTED SPRING GROWTH
RI
TI
ON W
AT
ER
& S S E I K ET OC I R VA ST R O OT
CU P R LT AC U R A L TIC ES
S
CHEM
ST
IST
PE
RY
W
E
H AT
COVER STORY
DISEASE TESTIN G
P EST TESTS
VIRUS
PHYTOPLASMA
NEMATODES
Initial testing looked at viruses.
Phytoplasma had been suspected of causing RSG in Sunraysia in the early 2000s , but the link was never proven. ATGA didn’t want to overlook phytoplasma as a cause of RSG in 2021, and sent 25 shoot samples to Dr Fiona Constable at Agriculture Victoria for phytoplasma testing.
Agriculture Victoria tested the
Grape producers were already concerned about Grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV), and symptoms of RSG matched symptoms previously seen on vines positive for GPGV. In spring 2021, the team sent 157 shoot samples to Agriculture Victoria’s Crop Health Services for virus screening. The screen included seven viruses: Grapevine Pinot
Verdict: There were no phytoplasma found which could be
roots and soil for nematodes. Several nematode species were detected, mostly at benign concentrations. The species varied between vineyards, and all were common species. Verdict: Nematodes are unlikely to be associated with RSG MITES
correlated with RSG symptoms
Mites have been associated
Leafroll viruses 1, 3, 4, 5 & 9.
TRUNK DISEASES
with RSG. Australian studies in
Results confirmed that GPGV is now
On some vineyards with symptoms of RSG, vines also showed some signs of staining in the trunks.
gris virus, Grapevine Virus A and
very widespread across vineyards in Mildura and Robinvale. However, vines without RSG symptoms tested positive for virus while vines with RSG symptoms often tested negative for virus. Verdict: A correlation between virus and RSG cannot be made at this stage. BACTERIA OR YEAST OR FUNGUS “Next, we thought – affected shoots
“We needed to check whether trunk disease might be responsible for the RSG symptom,” ATGA industry development manager Jenny Treeby said. “We transported eight trunks from eight affected vineyards to Charles Sturt University for testing by Dr Regina Baaijens in January this year.”
Shoots from five patches were sent
Four of the trunks tested positive for Botryosphaeria, and one trunk tested positive for phompsis. But vines affected by RSG also had no detectable trunk disease species.
to ALTSA’s laboratory, Merbein, for
Verdict: Trunk disease not likely to
bacteria and yeasts culturing. Some
be causing RSG
often showed browning in the pith. Could this be caused by bacteria or yeast or fungi?” Alison said.
bacteria were present, so another 25 samples were sent to Agriculture Victoria for more detailed analysis in December 2021. “It turned out that all the species they cultured from those samples naturally co-exist with healthy plant material, or were associated with vine tissue already breaking down,” ATGA industry development officer Karen Connolly said. Verdict: None of the bacteria or fungi or yeasts cultured from these samples were pathogenic to grapevines.
6 VINE MAGAZINE
the early 2000s showed that overwintering bud mite and rust mite caused stunted and zig-zag shoots at budburst. ATGA will be sending buds for assessment from May.
ROOT DISEASE AND SOIL PATHOGENS The roots and soil balls from six of those sampled vine trunk were sent to Agriculture Victoria to test for soil and root pathogens. Several fungi and bacteria were isolated from the roots and soil, including Alternaria, Aspergillus, Mucor, Penicillium, Trichoderma, and Pythium. Verdict: There was no consistent evidence that root or soil pathogens were responsible for the RSG symptoms
References: Bernard, M., P. Horne and A. Hoffmann (2005) Eriophyoid mite damage in Vitis vinifera (grapevine) in Australia: Calepitrimerus Vitis and Colomerus vitis (Acari: Eriophyidae) as the common cause of the widespread ‘Restricted Spring Growth’ syndrome. Experimental and Applied Acarology. 35:83-109 Wilson, Y. (1995) Restricted Spring Growth of Grapevines in South eastern Australia Literature Review. Agriculture Victoria report for Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation. ISBN 0 7306 6441 4
COVER STORY
EXPLO R I N G CULTU RA L PR ACTIC E S
WATER
C H EM I STRY
ATGA staff developed a
Water is such a vital part of
Vineyards can be exposed to a
comprehensive questionnaire, in
production – water source,
range of chemistry – agrichemicals,
consultation with researchers,
irrigation method, timing and
plant growth regulators,
agronomic specialists and pest
volumes all have an important
stimulants, and sometimes spray
scouts.
role to play.
drift from other crops. The survey
Karen said it was important
The ATGA is exploring whether
to understand differences in
pathogens could be transmitted
production practices, grower to
in contaminated irrigation water.
grower.
Verdict: At this stage there is no
“Collating data about grower
link between water quality and
practices may reveal a link
RSG
between RSG and crop load, water quality, soil types, chemical
“We are interested in soil
history or other aspects of
moisture records in autumn
production,” Karen said.
and winter, to see if there are
collated data from 33 different table grape patches. Preliminary
whether there is a link between rates or timing of treatments. Verdict: RSG symptoms are not consistent with spray drift, or recognisable symptoms of other chemical damage
SOIL MOISTURE
use, compost sources, pest
In December–January, the team
of cultural practices may reveal
any links between postharvest
WEATH ER
irrigation, soil moisture and RSG,” Jenny said.
Vineyard managers have
survey data analysis seems to
Verdict: Dry soil in autumn and
speculated about links between
exclude any direct links between,
winter has been linked to
RSG and regional weather events,
say, RSG and vine ages, varieties,
RSG-like symptoms in the US
including dust and hail storms,
rootstocks, and year or month of
cold springs and dry autumns.
planting.
The survey of practices includes questions around weather events.
Sunraysia harvest interrupted survey opportunities, but Karen said “if enough growers
N UTR I TI O N
links between RSG and cultural practices”. Verdict: More survey results are required before any correlation can be formed
DSG with unusually warm autumn, winter temperatures, and dry soil
participate in the survey once harvest concludes, it may reveal
US researchers in 2019 linked
NUTRIENTS The nutrient status of symptomatic and non-symptomatic had been tested early in the season by several agronomists working with RSGaffected growers, to no avail.
before budburst. RSG observed in Sunraysia in the 1990s was also linked to dry soil during dormancy. Verdict: More research is required before any correlation can be found.
Verdict: There were no anomalies in the nutrient tests that might
VAR IET I E S & R O OTSTOC KS
link RSG to nutrient status during
Diving head first into the rabbit hole
spring
has uncovered many more questions
CARBOHYDRATES
will continue to investigate
“The zig-zag shoots are similar to boron deficiency symptoms, so we are not excluding nutrition,” Alison said. “We are interested in carbohydrate status in vines, so we will assess this during autumn.”
correlations between RSG and
Verdict: US studies have linked
As RSG had been reported more widespread across certain varieties than others, the ATGA
varieties, budwood source and rootstocks .
RSG symptoms to carbohydrates in vines going into dormancy
for the team and the communities of practice involved in the investigation of RSG. “The answer is not a simple one,” Alison said. “Although there are questions unanswered, we are striving to do all we can to help combat the effects of this unique condition. The stakes are high for affected growers and we’re in their corner, fighting against it.” v
VINE MAGAZINE 7
NEWS
On the alert ADVA N C I N G DI S E AS E S U P P O RT F O R G R A P E G R O WER S
Plant pathologist Peter Magarey’s disease alerts over the past three decades have saved hundreds of Australian growers time, money and possible heartache.
“I knew I had a calling to the Riverland
risk, which might be high, medium, low
and Australian grape growers, and
or none.
I’ve really been undeterred from that calling.
“Then we’re able to do two things. We can say to growers that the weather
“What I’ve wanted to do all the way
event just passed was not conducive
through is deliver information to
to downy mildew – save your sprays,
growers in a timely manner so they
save your worries, save your money.
Peter is the brains behind GrowCare,
can make decisions with precision,
Equally, we can say the conditions
an online tool and service that alerts
decisions that are correct.”
that just occurred were conducive to
growers to the risk of downy mildew and provides disease management advice.
The GrowCare service, working in collaboration with peak industry bodies like Dried Fruits Australia,
Dried grape growers have benefitted
is now “unparalleled” in its capacity
from the alert system for the past
to provide detailed information and
three years, and particularly over the
advice on downy mildew and other
last growing season where several
diseases and pests.
warnings were issued due to the high
downy mildew and provide a series of options for disease management based on what and when you’ve sprayed.”
Making history Downy mildew was first seen in Australia in the wet season of 1917,
“With the development of weather
and it spread gradually during the
stations and computer technology,
subsequent wet years of the 1950s
Based in Loxton, South Australia,
our knowledge of disease, and a
and ‘60s until the mid-1970s when
Peter has been offering the service to
functional simulator of disease, we
it wreaked havoc in most vineyards
Riverland growers for 27 years. But
are now able to advise if a rain event
across south-eastern Australia.
the story starts long before then.
is going to be conducive to downy
number of rain events.
“I grew up on a pear orchard in
mildew or not,” Peter said.
“Downy mildew only develops really badly when conditions are
the Adelaide Hills, so I saw how
“Using data collected from a number
consecutively favourable for infection
information was provided to my
of weather stations within dried
over the early parts of a growing
parents and I think that’s what’s
and wine grape vineyards, I evaluate
season, and if they stay bad for the
motivated me over the years – to
the weather conditions through
mid part of the season, then bang –
create something that works for
our various simulation models to
you can lose your leaves, you can lose
growers,” Peter said.
determine the likelihood of disease
your crop,” Peter said.
8 VINE MAGAZINE
NEWS
“The seasons of 1973/74 and
Following Peter’s marriage in 1981
“At a glance, they want to know the
1974/75 were consecutively the two
to Carla, an American woman, the
outcome from their nearest weather
wettest years in Australian history at
couple travelled to the USA and met
station and what to do in their
that point.
downy mildew expert Dr Bob Seem,
vineyard – whether to spray – so they
who became his friend and colleague
can be on their way.”
“Many growers suffered near total crop loss and their vineyards were severely defoliated. Some didn’t know
researcher for the rest of Bob’s working life.
Peter said the new project was aiming to transfer all their data, as well as the
what downy mildew was, but they soon
Bob visited Loxton many times to
decades of knowledge stored in his
found out.”
offer specialised help to Peter and his
head, into an application that will live
colleague Malcolm Wachtel. Together
on after he’s gone.
The devastating losses triggered research by the South Australian Department of Agriculture at the Loxton Research Centre, now known as the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). Around the same time, Peter was finishing his degree in ag science at the University of Adelaide followed by an honours year in plant pathology. He was planning on going back to work on the family orchard, but instead took on the role of senior plant pathologist at the research centre and “got straight into the thick of it with downy mildew”.
they built a disease simulator – the first in Australian viticulture and one of the first globally to be used commercially to predict downy mildew infection events for grape growers.
“I’ve been wonderfully blessed in the years I’ve been able to work because of my colleagues nationally and internationally. It’s been so satisfying and just wonderful being able to build
It was put to the test in 1983/84 – the
things together – things that count,
next “really wet” season after the
things that endure,” he said.
1970s events. While growers lost a lot
“That’s what I’m trying to do now. I’m
of crop, the early prediction system helped to save some of it. Then during the “bad” years of 1992/93 and 2010/11, the team was able to offer much more help to growers.
Things that endure Peter is now working on his next
going to be gone one day, and I’ve got Parkinson’s, so when I’m not here anymore, I’d like people to still be able to readily access that information with ease. “If I can do that before I’m gone, I think I’ve achieved something that may be helpful. Until such time, it’s still head
“It was 1976 and growers really
challenge – developing a GrowCare
wanted some solutions,” Peter said.
mobile phone application to make it
“I was tasked to continue
even quicker and easier for growers to
This page and far left: GrowCare directing
access the information they need. The
for dried grape growers in Sunraysia.
investigations, started by then
to the grindstone.” v founder Peter Magarey presenting at a workshop
first version of the app is expected to
Middle: Peter Magarey and Bob Seem looking
epidemiology of downy mildew. Over
be available in the next year.
for downy mildew in a vineyard with overhead
the next few years, I did more work
“At the moment we push out
conditions in which the disease spreads.
to determine under what conditions
newsletters, but we want growers to
downy mildew infection occurred and
be able to pull in information related
how the disease spread.”
to their vineyard,” he said.
plant pathologist Peter Dry, into the
misting during studies to determine the
VINE MAGAZINE 9
ATGA CHAIR & CEO
Weathering the storm News from our chair As a grower, exporter, and labour hire provider, this harvest season has been a perfect storm of events. Thankfully, we are almost through the season, but it hasn't been without its tests. There were some growers who were lucky to escape the full brunt of the mild weather, but even those up north with earlier seasons experienced challenges. I can’t remember a year that my Crimson Seedless coloured as late as it did this year. I put that down to the milder season, and the humidity we experienced throughout January and February. The lack of supply of labour means people are screaming for backpackers everywhere – in cotton, blueberries, there is so much choice. Those jobs would normally have to be fought for. If you applied for a job in cotton you’d have to compete with 3000 backpackers. Now, there simply aren’t enough to go around, and competition from other industries has had an effect. I have paid my workers a good hourly rate but they’re still ready to go elsewhere because the season’s nearly at an end – even though we’ll need workers for pruning. However, looking forward, I hope chemical and fertiliser supply will get
back into a pattern, and everything in short supply will ease up before we move into next season.
News from our CEO Unusual weather conditions, Covid, and seasonal labour have led to an unexpected and very challenging season. Talking to growers and exporters, everyone has been faced with different circumstances that have significantly impacted the current harvest season. Covid has been a catalyst for many of those challenges. It’s no secret that the increasing cost of containers, treated pallets and freight shipping logistics have proved difficult for all exporters and growers. The seasonal harvest labour workforce is still a major worry for most growers, with estimates the industry has been short of labour by 50 per cent of its normal requirement. Of the workers available, many are picking and choosing which property to go to and what they will harvest. The ATGA has invested a great deal of capital resources in attempting to attract seasonal workers, producing resources for seasonal workers and hosting regular meetings with harvest labour providers, stakeholders, and the Victorian Government. One of the priorities the ATGA has been pushing with state and federal bodies is
Jeremey Boyd | Chair
10 VINE MAGAZINE
the regulation of labour hire contractors (LHCs). Until governments get together to have uniform regulations for how LHCs operate, then issues with labour supply will continue to surface and be problematic for growers. Let’s hope the governments act on this soon. The Federal Government recently made a positive announcement, with news that one country had finally signed on to the new Australian Agriculture Visa (Ag Visa). However, that has been of no benefit to the industry this year and there is still a great deal of uncertainty around the successful implementation of the Ag Visa going forward. It is definitely something our industry cannot rely on going forward until there are more tangible announcements. The climatic conditions this year have also not helped, with very cool weather during spring and very little sunlight. Maturity sampling and retailer data, collected as part of the ATGA’s maturity project, along with a consensus of opinion, show this season’s late maturation, slow colouring and berry softness is likely related to these climatic conditions. Late maturing of grapes in all regions meant consumer acceptability of grapes declined to worrying levels, where 50 per cent of consumers were not repurchasing within 12 weeks of a poor eating experience. Let’s hope this has been a one-off occurrence and the industry regains its status in the coming years. You can read more the maturity project updates on pages 14-15. v
Jeff Scott | CEO
ATGA NEWS
Out and about News from ATGA’s extension and development team
and how best to manage them. Dr
will use a GoPro camera to capture
Everard Edwards, from CSIRO, gave
side-on, plant-by-plant video footage
producers an overview of innovative
during the season, and then upload the
technologies for yield estimation, fruit
footage to the Bitwise’s GreenView
While travel restrictions were still in
maturity/composition, canopy size/
portal. GreenView will analyse the
place in many areas of the country, we
structure and irrigation optimisation,
footage, identify, count and measure
remained busy.
with brief demonstrations in each
the growth stages of the table grapes
about what they can and can’t do
and generate tailored reports.
As Victorian and new South Wales readers would be especially aware, restricted spring growth (RSG) has been front and centre for many producers since last October – and it certainly occupied a large amount of our time. We have sampled plant material and conducted an array of testing. We have held information and brain-storming sessions with scientists, agronomic specialists, and producers Australia wide, as you would have read in this edition’s cover story. Finally, though, restrictions have eased across all states, making travel possible, and (nearly) all producers have finished harvest. Now is the time for the extension team to travel and share some of the research, innovative technologies, and new chemistry we
and where each technology is at. The same theme – new technologies – continued, with presentations from RapidAim about Queensland fruit fly traps and what else is on the horizon. A chemical representative also provided information about newer chemistry options for the vineyard.
so participating growers will receive a 12-month subscription for free, but will either share a GoPro (or purchase one themselves), provide data and ground proof some of the measurements taken, with assistance from the ATGA. This will help table
investigated prospective sites to trial
grape growers make data-driven
replacements for Dormex® – hopefully
decisions through more accurate bunch
to be complemented with trials in
counting of entire patches, adapt
Greater Sunraysia later in July.
crop load management practices and
Grower sessions will be held late in June in Western Australia. The team will work with Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to organise and ensure relevance and accessibility for everyone. We'll also host grower sessions in
months.
Sunraysia to explore the results of our RSG testing in late May.
travelled to Emerald, Mundubbera, and
In July, we'll be presenting an agtech
St George to talk about ATGA projects
forum in Sunraysia to talk about, see
and find out what growers were
and touch all things agtech. This event
concerned about. Two workshops – one
was planned for last year but was
in Emerald and one in Mundubbera –
postponed due to Covid. We'll keep
were held, with growers from other
you informed about all these upcoming
parts of Queensland able to link in.
events in Pick of the Bunch and on
As trunk diseases were identified
venture into table grapes in Australia,
While in Queensland, the team also
have been looking into in the past few
At the end of April, the team and Jeff
This is the first time Bitwise will
estimate yields of every patch. We’ll be looking for 10 participating growers in June/July, so stay tuned in to our socials for a call out. v Alison, Jenny & Karen Industry development team amacgregor@atga.net.au jtreeby@atga.net.au kconnolly@atga.net.au
social media.
as an area of concern on the team’s
As mentioned in the last edition of
last trip, the latest research and
the Vine, ATGA has received funding
findings were one of the topics of
from AgriFutures Australia to trial
the workshops. Dr Regina Baaijens,
yield estimation via imagery and we
from Charles Sturt University, who
will be working with Bitwise Agronomy
had previously met with Queensland
and 10 growers in the Sunraysia and
producers, discussed trunk diseases
Euston/Robinvale area. Together, we
VINE MAGAZINE 11
DFA CHAIR & CEO
Growing opportunities in dried grapes News from our chair What a trying season it’s been. With a cooler summer, the grapes have taken a lot longer to dry. Some areas have had rain, and some missed it.
wine industry. We’ve had quite a few
to work closely with Hort Innovation
wine and table grape growers, along
through our Production, Innovation
with some corporates, talking to our
and Adoption Program and Industry
field officer Stuart and myself about
Communications Program, and thank
planting some of the new varieties
them for their support in the ongoing
that are yielding about 10 tonnes
development of export marketing.
Workers are few and far between and
the wine and table grape industries
some are just showing up because they have to, while others want you to pay them many times the going rate. With the removal of the piece rate as we know it, wages will be higher on most properties, and this has also made drying a slower process because of a later cutting of the canes. Prices appear to have increased worldwide as well as here. The quality of the fruit has been good – big berries and full of sugar – which will help growers with the extra costs.
to the hectare. The forecasts are suggesting that the issues affecting will be around for a few years.
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment for extending our 10 Tonne Project for a further 12 months.
News from our CEO The DFA team has been very busy over the last few months with lots of projects.
Featured at the Grower Forum, this
Organising our annual Grower Forum
Its continuation means there will be
as well as the Dried Fruit Quality
project has provided a range of benefits through irrigation monitoring and other technology to assist with increasing dried grape production. further data and practices available to
Awards and new Top Crop Awards
growers for adoption on farm.
for Mildura Field Days; working on
Through forums such as the NFF
biosecurity manuals; collaborating with other agencies and hort industry peak bodies to try and
Growers need to be watching the
recruit casual seasonal workers for
weather. If rain is approaching, it’s
pruning; focussing on traceability
better to have fruit that is 18 per cent
by connecting with GrapeWeb for
or below off the vines and in the shed
an online spray diary; and working
able to be dehydrated. Leaving fruit
with archivist Nikki Henningham to
on the vine can cost you more in the
ensure the protection of the dried
long run, considering the extra cost of
grape industry’s valuable historic
drying and possible lower grades.
information.
I’m making it sound all doom and
DFA is appreciative of the support
gloom, but it’s not! We have a great
shown by Hort Innovation in
product that’s in demand by the
sponsoring the 2022 Grower Forum,
processors, which can’t be said in the
which was held in April. We continue
Mark King | Chair
12 VINE MAGAZINE
We’re also grateful to the Australian
Horticulture Council and meetings with government representatives, DFA has been advocating strongly on issues for the dried grape industry, including access to workforce, piece rate issues, traceability, and chemical residues. We’ll continue to work hard in representing these issues to policymakers. v
Anne Mansell | CEO
DFA NEWS
Productive start to 2022 D RI E D G RA PE P R O D U C TI O N I N N OVATI O N & A D OPT I O N P R O G R A M 2 0 2 1 - 2 6
While harvest is normally a quiet time for the DFA extension program, this season has been a little different.
channel and listen to David explain
Kleinlagel from Advanced Technology
how it’s been operating.
Viticulture has installed the system
The robotic pruning project – a collaboration with La Trobe University and Mallee Regional Innovation Centre – continued with more trials
in John Hunt’s harvester as part of the 10 Tonne Project. John has been called on to complete some of the final installation bits and coordinate getting harvest data properly
There have been several things on
on vineyards in mid-April. There was a
the go since late January when we
really important step forward in these
squeezed in the last of our 10 Tonne
trials as it was the first time we were
The system allows us to track the
Project site tours for the season.
able to fully test the LiDAR sensing
harvester in real time operation, and
Thanks to Malcolm and Stephen
system and have it control the cutting
within 48 hours of the completion of a
Bennett, David Lyons, John Hunt and
head.
block, Bernd has been able to deliver
As a first-up trial it was a great
yield maps that compare the relative
Mark Luehman for continuing with the trial sites and giving us all a good overview of their programs.
success. The biggest challenge for me as the tractor driver was just keeping
calibrated and recorded.
yield across the patch – nearly down to the individual vine. The data is great and the maps are fantastic,
It was great to see the scale of
a straight line and not trying to follow
planning that goes into harvest
the cordon! The sensing system
preparations at the Duxton
worked well, moving the cutting
demonstration site in Liparoo. Mark
head in and out to match the cordon.
Luehman and the team were able to
It could move the head in and out a
give us some great insight into how to
distance of about 300mm. All I needed
improve their yields.
run a successful vineyard at
to do was keep the outside edge of the front tyre under the bottom wire
The last chunk of work that has
large scale. David Lyons took us to another section of his property to look at his sultana production system, which has been fully mechanically pruned for the last four seasons and continues to deliver solid production figures. The system David has developed gives us great confidence that complete mechanisation of pruning is achievable with a little more research,
of the trellis and adjust vertically for any big dips in the cordon – the robot did the rest. For some great drone footage of the trial, have another look at the DFA YouTube channel. There is still work to go getting the sensing system “dialed in” to some peculiarities of cordon, but we are
but the real work will begin when we start discussing with the growers how they can use the information to make production system changes that will
been going on during harvest is the development of an online spray diary for the dried grape industry. See page 30 for more details. v Stuart Putland Dried Fruits Australia field officer 03 5023 5174 projects@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au
becoming more confident in the system each time we take it out for
trialling and demonstrations. If you
a run.
want to get more information on this,
This harvest has also allowed DFA to
please check out the DFA YouTube
trial a yield monitoring system. Bernd
DFA field officer Stuart Putland with La Trobe University’s Professor Robert Ross and PhD student Matt Felicetti at April’s trial session with the prototype mechanical pruner.
VINE MAGAZINE 13
TABLE GRAPE NEWS
The sweet and the sour 2021/ 22 M ATU R I TY I N S I G H TS
Season delays due to weather events, low Brix levels and slower colouring presented challenges in consumer acceptance of domestic table grapes this season.
year the low levels of sunlight due
Project leader Tristan Kitchener, of
to overcast weather dramatically
Kitchener Partners, said consumer
stalled the increase in Brix across all
acceptability had taken a hit so far
varieties” Andreas said.
this season, with results showing a
As the table grape maturity project
Andreas said it was important for
decline in repeat purchase.
growers to be proactive, and continue
“Most telling, regarding the impact
testing just prior to harvest to ensure
on consumers, was that in 2020/21,
they weren’t harvesting fruit which
eighty-five per cent of consumers
continues, we take a look at some pre-
hadn’t met the Brix requirements –
repurchased grapes if they had a
season and interim insights.
even if the minimum average Brix may
poor experience in December, but in
Continued testing important
have already been met.
2021/22, only 50 per cent did,” Tristan
“While the minimum average Brix
said.
may be reached by a certain date,
“This would have a significant
achieving 80 per cent grapes above
compounding negative impact on
the minimum Brix means waiting
sales, and likely encourage consumers
It’s no secret that growers must remain adaptive and responsive to hurdles in their way, and meeting maturity standards is no exception, according to maturity project technical lead Dr Andreas Klieber, of Quality Associates. In the lead-up to picking in Emerald, Queensland, Brix levels were increasing steadily before weather events “virtually stopped further
beyond reaching the minimum average Brix,” Andreas said.
to switch their fruit purchase to competitor products such as berries,
Testing in the Mildura region in
mangoes and stone fruit.”
early January showed the variation
This season has been characterised
in readiness for harvest not just between varieties, but also between areas in the same region.
by low Brix levels, with only 68 per cent of white grapes, and 77 per cent of both red and black grapes meeting
increases”.
How did the results stack up?
consumer expectations in 2021/22.
“When monitoring Brix increases
Interim performance results from the
Andreas said that comparative
close to harvest, allowances need
table grape maturity project provided
analysis of retailer testing in mid- and
to be made for weather events. This
some interesting consumer insights.
late March showed varying results.
14 VINE MAGAZINE
TABLE GRAPE NEWS
Low Brix levels were not consistent
Despite mild weather and weather
“Consistently harvesting and selling
across retailers, grape varieties, or
events evidently impacting colouring
only mature grapes allows us to bring
week to week.
and sugar levels for both Sunraysia
new consumers into the community –
and Emerald growing regions, two
and encourage existing consumers to
thirds of grapes tested met maturity
purchase more often. Let’s continue to
requirements. Careful management
support the huge gains we’ve made.” v
A variation was in place for Menindee grapes from Emerald, due to low sugar levels following significant rain events. Andreas said while the average of all batches met the lowered requirement (15° Brix), individual patches still fell below the variation. “A further dip in average was observed around the time of the change from northern to southern supply. This was, however, not necessarily the largest drop of Brix during the season, with white grapes showing large dips in
of blocks can therefore achieve minimum maturity requirements. In early-to-mid-April, grapes above minimum Brix requirement increased to 84 per cent, indicating great eating quality grapes were available in the market at the end of this season. ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said growers must keep maturity testing protocols front of mind for the remainder of the season and well into the future.
Brix during November and February,”
“Consumer acceptability has risen
he said.
significantly over the past few
“Red Globe also consistently did not meet minimum requirements."
“Most telling, regarding the impact on consumers, was that in 2020/21, 85 per cent of consumers repurchased grapes if they had a poor experience in December, but in 2021/22, only 50 per cent did,” Tristan said.
years as a result of implementing national maturity standards,” Jeff said. “However, many other product
“Low Brix issues were not exclusive
categories are replicating our table
to generic varieties, but licensed
grape maturity project and will raise
varieties too. For example, the black
their quality standards over time.
grape varieties showed low values at
As an industry, we cannot afford to
times.”
become complacent.”
“Suppliers of improved grapevine rootstock and scion wood to the grape industry” Contact Gary Thomas Tel: (03) 5022 8499 Mob: 0418 997 730 PO Box 5051, Mildura Vic 3502 Email: vamvvia@bigpond.com Please see website for more information & order forms www.vamvvia.org
VINE MAGAZINE 15
DRIED GRAPE NEWS
New agreement for licensed varieties Significant changes to production fees for some licensed dried grape varieties came into effect from this year’s harvest.
Sunbeam foods and Australian
cost to the licenced propagator and a
Premium Dried Fruits.
Registered Grower Agreement signed,
The changes fall under a new five-year agreement for the licensed varieties of Sunglo, Black Gem and Bruce’s Sport FSAC. Dried Fruits Australia CEO Anne Mansell said the Unique Dried Grape Varieties Committee and DFA board had been working with CSIRO over the past year to negotiate a new agreement. For Sunglo and Black Gem, the annual production fee has changed from a $200 per hectare charge to a $20 per tonne charge, which brings it in line with other levy charges. The fee will
“The good news is that the production royalty will only be charged to growers
said.
with these varieties for 10 years,
“DFA looks forward to working with
starting from when the variety comes
new and existing licensed growers,
into production at year three,”
propagators and receivers as well as
Anne said.
CSIRO in making these changes as
“For existing growers, this will be
seamless as possible.
managed with the information DFA
“We also encourage growers who
has on file via signed Registered
are replanting or putting in new
Grower Agreements, and licenced
plantings to seriously consider these
growers and receivers will be notified
commercialised varieties as they’ve
when the 10-year timeframe is
been developed to suit our regional
complete. It will also be a feature
growing conditions.”
of all new Registered Grower
Please contact the DFA office if you
Agreements.”
have any questions. Fact sheets on
Propagation fees haven’t changed and
each of the licensed varieties are also
will remain at $1.30 per vine for all varieties.
be collected at the delivery point by
“For any new plantings, this fee will
the licensed receivers – processors
need to be paid as part of an overall
16 VINE MAGAZINE
as has always been the case,” Anne
available from the office and DFA website.v
DRIED GRAPE NEWS
Saving history The dried grape industry’s long and innovative history has been preserved for years to come with the completion of Dried Fruits Australia’s history project.
DFA CEO Anne Mansell said it was
production and its development; the
a great relief to see the valuable
Australia Dried Fruits Association –
historical information in proper
as our organisation was previously
storage containers, which will
known; or, more generally, the history
assist with preservation for future
of the production region – from Swan
generations.
Hill through to the Riverland – to
The project officially wrapped up in
reference tool to assist people
March with Melbourne historian Nikki
with accessing various parts of the
Henningham’s final visit to Mildura to
collection,” Anne said.
finish the mammoth task of archiving DFA’s historical records.
“Nikki will now be providing a
contact us so that they can explore the resources we have in storage.” v Below: Historian Nikki Henningham has archived DFA’s historical records, completing the organisation’s conservation project.
“I’d encourage anyone with an interest in the history of dried grape
Nikki made several visits to DFA headquarters over the past year to sort through boxes of thousands of albums, folders, photographs, clippings and records of the organisation. The archival work, funded through the Victorian Government’s Local History Grants Program, was due to start in March 2020 but was delayed due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
DFA joins INC Dried Fruits Australia is the newest member of the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation.
board of trustees in April, DFA chair
on international trade issues and
Mark King said.
government regulations regarding
“As a member of the INC, DFA now has access to valuable international trade datasets as well as information on nutrition and health that we can utilise for promotion,” Mark said.
trade barriers, food safety, food contaminants and quality standards as well as statistical information, including data on production, imports, exports, supply and domestic consumption
“The INC website contains a full
of tree nuts, peanuts and dried
database that offers key information
fruit.”
The INC is the international source for information on nuts and dried fruits for health, nutrition, statistics, food safety, government standards, and regulations regarding trade barriers and agricultural quality standards. Its mission is to stimulate and facilitate sustainable growth in the global nut and dried fruit industry. DFA was welcomed into the INC by its
VINE MAGAZINE 17
PRUNE NEWS
APIA awarded funds for tech uptake The Australian prune
scanning technology and its suitability
fruit size will increase, but you run the
industry has been successful
in prune crops.
risk of having too few fruit and thus
with a grant application
“The problem is that the Australian
to promote adoption of
prune industry produces a large
technology and increase grower profitability via a new grant application to AgriFutures Australia. Early in 2021, AgriFutures Australia launched a pilot Producer Technology Uptake Program to support eligible producer groups to increase adoption of technology solutions on-farm.
amount of small fruit that doesn’t meet the premium price market channel,” Michael said. “In recent years we have seen the market move towards pitted products. Unfortunately, small fruit is not suitable for pitting and it is increasingly difficult to find a buyer for this fruit, so the prices are low and often not sustainable for growers.
decreasing overall yield. Conversely, if you leave too much fruit on the tree, each fruit receives a smaller share of the finite nutrient supply resulting in small fruit.” APIA was unsuccessful with its grant application to the 2021 AgriFutures Australia pilot program but succeeded with a revised application under round three of the Producer Technology Uptake Program. The revised project aims to help address the problem of crop load
The pilot was a success and the rural
“The solution is to balance crop load
and thinning by demonstrating fruit
research facilitator has recently
to boost both the number of fruit and
scanning technology as a means of
invited applications for round three of
the size of fruit harvested so a greater
accurately determining the crop load
the program.
proportion meets premium price
and mechanical thinning requirements.
Australian Prune Industry Association deputy chair Michael Zalunardo said
grades and maximum profitability is realised.
Michael said there were many reasons why growers had been slow to adopt
APIA had successfully applied for
"However, this can be tricky. If you thin
on-farm technology to address the
a round-three grant to look at fruit
too much fruit from trees, individual
fruit size problem.
18 VINE MAGAZINE
PRUNE NEWS
These include: - A reluctance to thin as current
density maps of fruit number and
AgriFutures Australia will work
predicted yield maps.
closely with successful groups to support the rollout of program
measurements are time consuming
Michael said the trial would use
and use a small sample size
scanning technology to identify crop
- Unfamiliarity with available technologies - Cost to implement new technology (usually an up-front cost) - Scepticism about thinning (and the lack of hard data in prunes) - Reliance on contract tree-shaker
some of these barriers by trialling Green Atlas’s Cartographer platform in prune orchards.
Michael said that Cartographer would
“The spatial pictures allow growers to
be used to scan up to five different
identify areas that are not performing
orchards, with ground-truth counts
well and require targeted strategies
obtained through selective harvest.
to help achieve uniform yield and fruit
Following data analysis and report
quality characteristics,” he said.
Program is intended to provide
The APIA project hopes to overcome
learning across producers.
orchard management.
expensive)
thinning will be sufficient.
and ensure there is peer-to-peer
map is also a useful tool in overall
The Producer Technology Uptake
against thinning in the hope natural
is to leverage learnings across groups
load for thinning, but the resulting
operators for thinning (which is
- Opting to “roll the dice” and decide
activities. A key part of the program
preparation, the plums would be thinned accordingly. At the end of the season, the
funding for groups of producers
technology will be validated with
to develop a technology adoption
quality assessment, with case studies
program to support greater
produced to inform growers of all
technology uptake on-farm.
sizes about the potential benefits
Successful grant recipients will work
arising from the use of the Green
with individual producers within
Atlas technology. v
their group to deliver activities that provide them with information and
Green Atlas co-founder Dr Steve
knowledge needed to overcome
Scheding said the mobile platform
technology adoption barriers.
Phil Chidgzey APIA national secretariat secretary@ausprunes.org.au
had been independently validated by
The project activities will be
M: 0439 733 321
Agriculture Victoria in commercial apple, pear and stonefruit orchards but was relatively new for prune orchards. “Cartographer is a mobile hardware
Left page: The Cartographer platform scanning a prune orchard.
undertaken around Griffith, NSW where the Australian prune industry is now largely located and would involve both larger (>150 tonnes) and smaller (<50 tonnes) growers.
and software platform capable of simultaneously counting the number of visible fruit and nuts in the trees (using computer vision) whilst also building three-dimensional models of those trees (using LiDAR),” Steve said.
P – PO M E FE AT UR ED CR O
“Both attributes are known to be
stone fruit Estimating e and colour number, siz Islam, Mark O’Connell*
highly correlated to yield.” The Cartographer scanning unit is mounted to a fast All-Terrain-Vehicle (ATV) and driven along orchard rows at high-speed to gather data at treelevel. Steve said the initial process was
T & STO NE FR UI
r calibration facto s). Once the image, calibration zone number per tree rows (i.e., . detected fruit be generated the originally is applied to er per tree can er, of fruit numb s of fruit numb accurate maps ucted field estimation for cond rch was resea r in stone fruit Pioneering and fruit colou Green Atlas fruit diameter reliability of and e Victoria. The a Smar tFarm S by Agricultur ad S. d at the Tatur on si, Muhamm was first teste rds (Varapodio iques based ercial orcha Alessio Scali Cartographer R&D/CROP nition techn LOAD MANA ate in three comm GEMENT n of fruit recog rtunity to estim then evaluated ria). The applicatio des the oppo Victo –2021 provi ona, e igenc rmed in 2020 T & R, Ardm rds. artificial intell tFarm was perfo Sun’), peach eters in orcha Smar tree, a param per Tatur number (‘October several crop Work at the to obtain fruit for in st Flame’) and den May’), plum can be used ing demand on apricot (‘Gol ‘Snow Flame 25’ and ‘Augu Detected fruit r There is a grow mn Bright’). skin colour. and fruit colou w Flame 23’, ‘Autu and size (‘Sno and size ’ fruit er, fruit and estic Pearl on s of fruit numb fruit quality, carried out nectarine (‘Maj logistics and situ estimation ber l orchards was ing, harvest ling costs. commercia rine and ‘Octo to improve thinn fruit grading and hand Evaluation on Flare 34’ necta e tion algorithm ly estimate h, ‘Summer potentially reduc that can rapid ‘Glacier’ peac stone fruit detec a SmartFarm. le platforms Green Atlas to generate at the Tatur smar t mobi Sun’ plum. The need to be able es collected In addition, parameters diverse tree that on the imag d crop ed with rds traine ution show was s in orcha high-resol a Smar tFarm rate prediction ple cultivars. ned at the Tatur the error of relatively accu ns and in multi Results obtai ing systems, crops le spacing desig r different train ≤10% in all the grapher, a mobi training and overall, unde per tree was loped Carto fruit number n Atlas deve to rapidly scan estimates of (up Recently, Gree been successfully used fruit counts (Table 1). has (%) under study uce flower and platform that ation error row spacings). rds and prod Estim 4m x. orcha l m commercia rds with appro Training Syste hour in orcha Crop 2 an innovative to 6–8 ha per s (Figure 1) is ution Tatura Trelli R, high-resol Cartographer 3 Apricot Green Atlas (e.g., GPS, LiDA learning Vase n of hardware d on machine 2 base combinatio it are, erfru s and softw the summ Tatura Trelli RGB- cameras) ology offers 5 Plum er, size and This new techn ure fruit numb Vase algorithms. 4 rtunities to meas r industry oppo Vertical leade l 4 Peach er, precise spatia skin colour. s with Cartograph . To obtain Tatura Trelli the orchards 10 1 be produced trellis can r After scanning er tree, ileve per Cant of fruit numb fruit number 8 Nectarine 2 density maps only lute values of trellis r comm abso is ileve with Cant ration 5 accurate maps needed. Calib sections of s m) ration step is Trelli a (7–10 calib er Tatur a furth er of short A6L E S S I O S C r on a small numb ALISI, LEXI carried out Vertical leade predicted E M c C L Y M O N T er per tree s of fruit numb ot, plum, peach ation error apric Table 1. Estim ms at the grapher in Atlas Carto training syste r different with Green rine trees unde and necta ercial tFarm. Tatura Smar the three comm
hectares per hour in orchards with
Cartographer processing unit, which uses state-of-the art algorithms to process the data into precise spatial
AND IAN GO ODWIN
New crop mapping technology has insights for managin g crop load variability and improving pack outs.
capable of scanning six to eight
This data is then uploaded to the
Predicting flower and fruit
Cartographer ma ps path to uniform, high qua lity pears
relatively fast, with a platform
four metre row spacings.
At an ANP-0131 (marketed as Ricó) blush pear field walk at his Calimna Orchard in November, Ardmona senior fruit grower and industry leader Matthew Lenne made clear the practica l value of a greater underst anding of spatial variability: “Understanding spatial patterns of flowerin g and fruiting will enable growers to prioritis e and plan thinning manage ment,” he said. Technology that helps quantify spatial variability in flower and fruit number s and maps it for ease of viewing , can deliver that understanding and be used to consiste ntly optimise crop load season after season. Spatial estimates of flower and fruit number s are fundamental to optimising management strategi es such as thinning and data has the potential to be interfaced with variable rate chemical thinning sprayers for high-pre cision, automated manage ment.
n Atlas Figure 1. Gree T & R. oS at Varapodi 16
rine orchard her in a necta Cartograp
TREE CROP AUSTRALIAN
models in er of prediction s of fruit numb The evaluation 6% good prediction highlighted were 8, 7 and s in this case orchards also example Crop ctive load ly. estimation error , respe andAn yield variability in per tree; the pear orchards in the peach and plum represen tsprod oneuced rine, of tree the biggest per necta er for challenges for growers numb 2. A significa . in Figur map of fruit nt epart of the challeng of a spatial rd is shown e is the manually assessi ional ng l nectarine orcha difficulty of variability across re the addit commercia not requi and time and measur did blocks Theing estimations the effectiveness predictions. erment of numb manage Fruit diameter the for fruit approac and ed ) hes. need (>90% step good ing research ng, calibration was veryPioneer at Agricult ure Victoria’s crop, row spaci the prediction Taturadless of of racy SmartFa regar accu rm and (i.e.,rcial on py comme was <5mm, demonstrating the cano orchards is ion in the potentia estimation error et of vertical posit l that new flower and fruit d datas m and fruit mappin s a poole g technolo gy has to ars. e 3 show training syste and better crops and cultivimprove understanding and high). Figur low, medium in different management of variability. The current predictions work being undertaken is part of the PIPS3 fruit diameter 21 Program’s Developing smarter n o v e m b e r 2 0 o c to b e r / and sustainable pear orchards to maximis e fruit quality, yield and labour efficienc (AP19005) project y being led by Agricult ure Victoria.
Crop yield variab
ility
Variable yield is seen both between and within blocks (spatial) and between seasons (tempor al). Many factors influence crop load variabili ty including inherent biennial bearing, weather and pollination. In orchards, both spatial and tempora l variability need to be minimis ed to simplify manage ment and achieve regular cropping .
About the authors: Alessio Scalisi, Lexie McClymont and Ian Goodwin. Tatura SmartFarm , Agriculture Victoria, Tatura, Victoria, Australia E: alessio.scalisi@ agriculture.vic.gov.au
Green Atlas Cartograp her in the ‘ANP-0131’ planting systems experiment at the Tatura SmartFarm.
number
The application of flower and fruit recognit ion techniques based on artificial intellige nce provides the opportunity to estimate several crop parameters in orchards. Howeve r, only a few compan ies have commercial groundbased or aerial platform capable of accurat s ely predicting crop parameters. The Australian based company Green Atlas targeted this market gap and recently developed Cartographer, a groundbased mobile platform that has been success fully used to rapidly scan commercial orchard s and produce flower and fruit counts in apples. Scanning with Cartogra pher can very quickly produce a ‘relative heatmap’ of flower and fruit number per tree that clearly shows the variability across an orchard block. For more accurat e determination of the absolute number s of flowers or fruit, Cartographer requires calibrati on for a specific block. Calibrat ion requires groundtruth counts of flower clusters and fruit in calibration zones. In most cases, spatial and tempora l variability within orchard blocks can be determined by simply assessing uncalibr ated spatial maps.
Flower and fruit variab ility in ‘ANP-0131’ pears
The blush pear cultivar ‘ANP-0131’ produce s fruit with superior texture, flavour and appeara nce, but is known to show a biennial bearing pattern. “Utilising tools like Cartogra pher can help growers mitigate biennial bearing and assess the success of crop regulation practice s,” Matthew Lenne explained at the field walk. The Tatura SmartFa rm hosts two experim trials with ‘ANP-01 ental 31’ pears. The Planting systems experiment encomp asses a combina tion of different tree spacings, tree architectures and rootstocks and is an ideal setup to visualise the spatial variability of flower and fruit number predicted by Cartogra pher.
46 | A F G S U M MER 2021 A PA L.O R G.A
U
VINE MAGAZINE 19
INSIGHTS
Dried grape trade report The latest dried grape import and export statistics.
EXPORTS
JULY 2021 – JANUARY 2022 TOTAL EXPORTS
2707 tonnes
WITH EXPORT VALUE OF
GERMANY 589 t $2.69 mil
CHINA 709 t $3.52 mil
TOP EXPORT DESTINATIONS
$14.2 million
VIETNAM 198 t $1.9 mil
JAPAN 445 t $2.41 mil ITALY 481 t $2.28 mil
IMPORTS MARCH 2021 – FEBRUARY 2022 TOTAL IMPORTS
17,800 tonnes
GREECE USA IRAN CHINA
TURKEY
TURKEY
SOUTH AFRICA
GREECE
OTHER (TSRs) Total: 3454 tonnes
CURRANTS TOTAL 1458 TONNES 20 VINE MAGAZINE
SULTANAS
USA: 1707 t
TOTAL 12,887 TONNES
South Africa: 412 t
Chile: 736 t Iran: 178 t Turkey: 176 t Other: 245 t
INSIGHTS
Table grape trade insights Interim trade insights for the 2021/22 season.
TOP 10 COUNTRIES BY TONNAGE EXPORTED (C% DENOTES EXPORT PERFORMANCE OVER SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR) (MS% DENOTES PREVIOUS YEAR MARKET SHARE)
DESITNATION COUNTRY
PCP
YTD
C%
MS%
CHINA
48,571
22,814
-53%
47.25%
INDONESIA
13,455
13,497
0%
14.93%
JAPAN
6,080
5,170
-15%
8.51%
PHILIPINES
6,002
4,275
-29%
7.20%
VIETNAM
5,290
8,154
54%
6.18%
THAILAND
4,888
4,320
-12%
5.60%
KOREA
4,504
4019
-11%
4.00%
NEW ZEALAND
2,060
2,697
31%
2.77%
SINGAPORE
1,538
1,550
1%
1.87%
MALAYSIA
1,590
1,444
-9%
1.70%
93,979
67,940
-28%
100%
TOTAL
TABLE GRAPE EXPORT DATA AS AT APRIL 2022 TONAGE EXPORTED LAST YEAR
THIS TIME LAST YEAR VS THIS YEAR (tonnes)
121,352 t
Jan – 7k / 4k
THIS YEAR SO FAR...
Feb – 24k / 13k
72,000 t
March – 49k / 38k
WA 894t
CURRENT YEAR BY STATE:
(up 79%)
QLD 558t SA 1134t
VIC 64,929t
NSW 5326t
April – 34k / 19k (so far)
by sea 67,111t
by air 5740t
VINE MAGAZINE 21
NEWS
Events are back In vineyards, boardrooms, fields and function spaces, Australia’s horticulture community is coming together again in 2022 to help shape and grow our industry. Face-to-face events are back on the agenda after almost two years of predominantly virtual workshops and meetings. And while digital platforms have allowed us to safely continue to learn and exchange ideas, they can’t replace the in-person experience. In Sunraysia this month, Mildura Field Days is going ahead at Mildura Racecourse. The event on 20 and 21 May will share the best of horticulture
Sunmuscat and Sunglo. This year, the
In July, the ATGA will host its tech
industry’s best producing dried grape
hub, which was originally scheduled
businesses will also be recognised
for 2021. The event will include
with the inaugural DFA Top Crop
presentations on traceability and
Awards. There will be an overall
feature the latest in agtech.
winner – the business that produced the highest value crop per hectare – as well as individual awards for all major varieties – Sunglo, Sunmuscat, currants, Selma Pete, Sugra 39 and sultanas.
Another two events that were initially planned for 2021 also recently went ahead in Mildura. DFA’s 2022 Grower Forum in April welcomed expert speakers to the region and explored topics including irrigation technology,
Next month, members from across the
the impact of chemical residues,
industry will converge in Brisbane for
South Africa’s dried grape industry,
Hort Connections 2022 – Australia’s
sustainable farming, water, and
largest horticulture conference and
local projects. Growers also had the
trade show. The event, on from 6 to 8
opportunity to get hands-on with the
June, will focus on how and where the
latest horticultural innovations at the
hort world can connect and grow the
Mallee Regional Innovation Centre’s
industry post pandemic.
Growing Smarter in the Mallee agtech summit from 5 to 6 May.
with the wider community. Dried
DFA and the Australian Table Grape
Fruits Australia will take to the
Association will continue to host field
The August 2022 Vine will bring you
main stage to announce the winners
days and workshops, offering growers
all the details and photos from many
of its annual Dried Fruit Quality
and other industry members a chance
Awards, presenting awards for the
to connect and get a first-hand look at
best sultanas, currants, raisins,
industry projects and innovations.
22 VINE MAGAZINE
of these events. v
ADVERTORIAL
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is excited about Allison’s “good returns, excellent yield, no colouring issues and that pickers are very happy to pick this variety.”
season. With a 5% increase in production and a competitive
SNFL varieties such as Allison™, Timpson™ and Ivory™ are
proximity to a thriving Chinese demand, Australian grapes
finding favour with growers in Australia, and offer high
are set to recover the valuable Chinese grape market.
fertility and productivity, as well as large natural berry size
Indeed, China remains the key market for Australian growers
and loose bunches, which require much less grower inputs.
which now accounts for more than half of the region’s
Moreover, the consumer also benefits from its flavour,
220,000 tons of export crop. At the same time, Australian
crunchy texture and good shelf life.
growers are expanding and diversifying into other countries
“As a grower, you do not want to worry about the colour
like Korea, Singapore, Japan, and the Middle East where consumer demand for Australian premium varieties continues to thrive.
or over-shatter during bad weather conditions. Allison™ showed fantastic colour, size, and great crunch. Allison is easy to grow and an easy to pick variety” explain Jason &
SNFL UNLOCKING GROWTH IN AUSTRALIA
Donny Garreffa from Bliss Grapes.
For over a decade, SNFL has expanded its presence in
Timpson™ continues to create impressive reactions and
Australia with its Sheehan varieties and has significantly
“received remarkable feedback from the buyers. The
invested in trial blocks of its new genetics program. SNFL
young vines had exceptional yield with consistent quality.
technical experts aim to give growers the tools to be able to
Timpson™ is indeed an easy to grow grape with minimal
succeed, from harvest to market, providing a comprehensive
inputs and less labour management issues. It was one pass
end-to-end service. The SNFL Australian team has
pick and we picked good quality and quantity of grapes.”
developed local production protocols and maintains one-to-
share Chris & Nelson Dichiera from AUSBRAND Farming.
one collaborations with growers.
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NEWS
A new life for old grape covers & irrigation tube The National Agricultural Plastics Stewardship Scheme is working to develop a viable market to recycle agricultural plastics, similar to the current drumMUSTER program.
What plastics are included in the Victorian pilot? The target plastic types include table
What are the costs of recycling my plastic in the Victorian pilot?
grape covers and irrigation tube from
During the pilot, it will be free to drop-
horticulture and grain silo bags from broadacre cropping.
The Sunraysia and Loddon regions
Where will the Victorian pilot operate?
have been selected to pilot an
The pilot will operate across the
approach to improve the collection and recycling of selected target plastics, including grape covers, due to the intensity and diversity of
Sunraysia and Loddon regions with collection sites in Mildura, Swan Hill and Ouyen.
off your old grape covers, irrigation tube and grain bags for recycling at one of the three convenient collection sites. Additional fee-for-service farm collection can be arranged for large amounts of agricultural plastic. Please contact us to discuss further using the details below.
Who will implement the pilot?
tube is part of supporting industry
How do I prepare my plastic so they are accepted at the collection site?
best practice and bolstering table
Grape covers, irrigation tube and grain
consultancy, RMCG, along with
bags need to be clean and rolled to
a number of partners and local
be eligible for the pilot. Follow these
businesses across the Sunraysia and
simple steps:
Loddon region.
Step 1: Separate plastic
Where can I get further information and guidance?
agricultural production. Recycling grape covers and irrigation
grape production in key growing areas across the country. Sustainability is key to grower productivity and profitability.
Reduce waste and save money Agriculture, fisheries and forestry produce a large and diverse amount of plastic waste. The disposal of
Step 2: Shake or brush of excess dirt and plant matter
The pilot is being led by agricultural
For further information or guidance
Step 3: Tightly roll or coil the plastic
please contact Carl Larsen, RMCG, 03
Step 4: Drop-off plastic at your local
5441 4821 or visit www.rmcg.com.au/
collection site.
agplasticpilotvic
practices that can pollute our
There will be retrieval equipment
This project received grant funding
environment.
made available to assist in the
this waste often involves harmful
Recycling of agricultural plastics in Australia is currently low due to challenges including contamination on-farm, limited collection options, and long transport distances to recyclers.
preparation of your irrigation tube and grain bags.
How long will the pilot run? The pilot will only accept grape covers, irrigation tube and grain bags between May and October 2022.
There is an opportunity to turn old
After this time, the broader scheme
plastic products back into new ones
will be developed with the potential of
– reducing waste and saving money
reinstating collection of agricultural
(Figure 1).
plastics in the region.
24 VINE MAGAZINE
from the Australian Government. v
NEWS
CLOSED LOOP PLASTIC SUPPLY CHAIN Table Grape Covers
Figure 1: Turning old grape covers back into new ones through a circular economy
VINE MAGAZINE 25
7
BEST PRACTICE
Cool to be clean pruning hygiene Vineyard hygiene is important year-round, but especially so at pruning time. Before workers pick up the pruning secateurs, it’s always good to keep pruning hygiene front of mind. Prevent the spread
Benefits of good pruning hygiene methods
be phytotoxic and will need to be dried off before use.
When growers discard weak and
If poisoning is suspected, call 000 or contact www.health.gov.au/contacts/
infected canes and select healthy ones to wrap down, it has multiple
poisons-information-centre v
benefits.
References:
It can help promote greater bud
https://vinehealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/ Footwear-and-Small-Hand-Tool-DisinfestationProtocol.pdf
health, improve yield and quality potential, and simplify pest and
www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-andbiological-sciences/pruning-tools
There are several ways growers and
disease monitoring and management
workers can help minimise the spread
programs.
https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/ disinfection/efficacy.html
Establishing a good canopy can assist
www.syngenta.com.au/news/viticulture/usingpruning-keep-vineyards-disease-free
of pests and diseases in the vineyard. Ensure staff adhere to vineyard
in strong vine health, generating
hygiene protocols.
airflow, and potentially helping to
Clean and disinfect tools, equipment,
prevent disease.
and implements before use, before
Some common disinfectant products
moving to the next plant/row/patch, after working with infected plants, or using your tools at another site. Dispose of pruning waste especially from suspected infected vines. Waste
Two common disinfectants include bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and "rubbing alcohol" (isopropyl alcohol).
QUICK FACTS: - Dirty tools can spread disease - Tools exposed to dirt and moisture can transmit soil fungi, weeds and nematodes between sites - Secateurs and snips that make contact with affected plants
management options may include
Bleach is a common household
a waste pit away from vineyards,
product that eliminates bacteria,
burning or deep burial. Pest and
fungi and viruses from tools.
Plant pathogens like bacteria,
disease problems can accumulate
Disinfect pruning tools with sodium
fungi and viruses:
from season to season if infected
hypochlorite (2% solution), but be
plant material is left in the field with
aware that bleach can corrode metal
the vines.
with long-term use.
Don’t prune during rainfall, as some
Rubbing alcohol will disinfect surfaces
diseases can overwinter on infected
of tools against bacteria, fungi and
vines, and some trunk disease spores
viruses when used in concentrations
can infect up to 36 hours after rainfall.
of 70 per cent of more (according to
Train workers to be vigilant when
the Centre for Disease Control).
may transmit fungi and viruses
- can cause diseases that can kill or inhibit plant growth and productivity - are microscopic, so while your tools may look clean, these microorganisms may still be present - can be transferred to and infect
pruning. They should remove infected
It’s always important to read
plants through infected sap
canes and trim cordons back to
disinfectant labels (add disinfectant),
on pruning equipment, or via
healthy wood.
use as directed, wear personal
pruning waste, roots or soil and
protective equipment when the label
by insect vectors or personnel
Create a physical barrier to reduce the risk of infection by applying a fungicide, biological control agent or a paint directly to large cuts as soon as possible after pruning
recommends, store out of reach of children and vulnerable adults, and in a dry location with stable temperature. Never mix disinfectants with other chemicals. Chemicals used to disinfect can have harmful fumes or burn skin, and some chemicals could
26 VINE MAGAZINE
BEST PRACTICE
Pruning technique for swingarm trellis There are several things dried grape growers need to consider when pruning on swingarm trellis, which was designed to minimise the amount of work required at pruning.
2019/20. Growers using this system
This system is often accompanied by
may opt to remove canes hanging
some level of rolling canes onto the
below the bottom wire with a
bottom wire to ensure they are held
cutter bar.
in place.
Another common option is to be more
There is currently no evidence of
selective with retaining canes. This is
production, canopy management
usually done by pruning out unwanted
or pest and disease management
One option is to simply capture all
with the floating wire. This system
canes from the non-fruiting side of
canes before pinning them in place tends to increase focus on selecting
benefits from either system. However, evidence from the DFA benchmarking program indicates a 20 per cent time saving during pruning for the less
the cordon by pinning them into place
healthy looking canes, limiting the
with the floating wire. This is usually
number of canes per vine and creating
followed by a clean-up of the old
a more even distribution of canes
With either system, the stage at which
fruiting canes along the harvested
along the cordon.
the trellis is tipped over is best left
side of the cordon by cutting old canes back to the base bud or a single bud spur. When cleaning up the cordon, canes that are damaged, too densely clustered, or not captured in the floating wire can be removed. Rolling canes onto the bottom wire may not be necessary, particularly with vigorous canopies. Cane and tendril growth during the season ensure canes remain in place through cutting, wetting, drying and harvesting. This is supported by the results of a minimal pruning trial in
A good cane: - appears tan to dark tan in colour - faces in the right direction for cropping the next year - has short internode spaces - has not grown in the shade or isn’t showing long internode spaces - is not a “bull” cane with large internode spaces - tapers off in diameter as it reaches desired length.
selective method.
to management preference. However, DFA and individual grower trials with mechanised pruning systems suggest it should be done after cleaning up the cordon to allow better access for tractor-mounted pruning implements. This information comes from Dried Fruits Australia’s post-harvest and winter Dried Grape Best Practice Guide. The full guide is available at www.driedfruitsaustralia.org.au/ producer-resources and printed copies can be collected from the DFA office. v
VINE MAGAZINE 27
CHEMICAL USE
Soft in nature, not on results
There’s something to be said about being “soft, but not weak”. This well-known quote – attributed to many and none – has significant relevance when we think about control. There’s a big difference between being soft and weak, particularly in the case of chemical use. Embracing “soft” can initiate a change
for growers to use to manage pest
portfolio manager Serge Usatov said.
outbreaks.
Biologically-based chemicals,
The term “soft chemistry” is becoming
including pheromones or active
a buzzword in the horticulture sector,
ingredients derived from bacteria,
but it also raises questions.
also come under a different category
The Australian Table Grape Association spoke to experts in the agrichemical industry to help
– sometimes called “biological solutions” – within the agrichemical industry.
understand what soft chemistry is,
Corteva territory account manager
how it works and what the benefits
Nick Weckert said products developed
are to industry.
with soft chemistry attributes would target specific pests, but efficacy
in mindset, something required at this
What is “soft chemistry”?
critical time in table grape production.
Soft chemistry refers to targeted
as well.
Australian and international
pest solutions that have little impact
“(These products are) supported with
governments are strengthening
on the environment and merge
regular crop monitoring to measure
well with growers’ integrated pest
pest threshold numbers and the
and further protect the environment
management (IPM) programs.
required beneficials,” Nick said.
and consumers from exposure to
“‘Soft chemistry’ generally refers
chemical residues, and a spotlight has
to synthetic chemistry that is very
been shone on food safety standards.
targeted at a specific pest species,
Chemical industry embraces soft side
The result of this attention is fewer
while having minimal impact on any
Stricter regulatory measures in
broad-spectrum chemicals available
beneficial species,” BASF horticulture
international markets mean MRLs
chemical laws to prevent pollution
28 VINE MAGAZINE
required commitment from the grower
CHEMICAL PROJECTS USE
are constantly changing. Chemicals
“Retailers, agronomists and especially
spray less but at the optimum time,
commonly used in table grape
farmers also benefit and have
and ensure good coverage to allow the
production have recently been
been eagerly embracing these new
chemistry to perform best.
affected, having MRLs removed, and
technologies. … We’ve received some
registrations cancelled.
fantastic feedback from growers who
“Maintaining high levels of beneficials
Chemical companies are doing the
have implemented targeted sprays
hard yards to help develop products that meet MRLs, with minimal impact
throughout the growing season to get great results from their production
to the environment, consumer, and
systems."
worker, according to Serge.
“This targeted approach gets the job
“BASF actively invests in pioneering
done properly and early before pest
R&D for new products and solutions that allow flexibility to farmers’ operations and address the toughest pest and disease threats,” he said. “As part of this research, we develop chemistry that meet the ongoing demands of stricter regulatory criteria and MRLs of export destinations. “It is reassuring (to growers) to know that companies such as BASF are
and disease gets out of control. This allows the farmer to achieve a highquality produce as well as being able to have the flexibility on farm to do the various jobs required. Growers can only do this when they have chemistry that is more targeted," Serge said. Nick said soft chemistry meant growers would generally spray fewer times, as “the products used give a longer protection period”.
investing in solutions that support
“Less applications means huge labour
farmers in doing their jobs and give
and fuel savings and less machinery
consumers confidence that they are
wear and tear,” he said.
getting high quality produce.”
Alison agreed that early intervention
ATGA project lead Alison MacGregor
with soft chemistry could lead to
said growers and consumers equally
better overall pest and disease
are becoming increasingly aware
control, partly because beneficials can
about the importance of sustainability
thrive and assist with pest control,
in food production, environmentally
and partly because early intervention
friendly practices, and greater
will delay build-up of a problem,
traceability within the food supply
making it much easier to control.
chain, to which Nick agreed.
Making the switch
“All stakeholders in the food chain are driving this focus to be more sustainable and ensure MRLs are met
is paramount to the success of IPM so removing or at least reducing where possible the use of broad-spectrum chemistry will greatly assist growers hoping to transition.” Serge said it was important that “as the industry produces more targeted solutions farmers need to ensure the (spray) application is of a high standard, and the water volume, calibration and spray direction achieve a high level of canopy coverage to maximise results”. He also said that a shift in mindset would help understand the value of soft solutions. “There is a false perception in the industry that newer, ‘soft’ solutions are ‘soft’ in efficacy results,” he said. “This is not the case.” v
Soft chemistry refers to targeted pest solutions that have little impact on the environment and merge well with growers’ integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
How growers make the transition to use soft chemistry depends on
as required,” he said.
several factors – but Nick said it’s not
Soft chemistry – not just a benefit to consumers
“We would suggest do a trial only on a
something that happens overnight. block or two initially for year 1, before
Alison, Serge and Nick all agree that
changing the management of a farm
using soft chemistry doesn’t just
completely,” he said.
benefit consumers.
“IPM is about more than just product
“Consumers are not the only group
selection. It requires regular crop
to benefit from the development
monitoring for both pest and
of newer chemistry,” Serge said.
beneficials, a mindset-change to
VINE MAGAZINE 29
CHEMICAL USE
Spray diary goes digital A new electronic spray diary will be rolled out for the dried grape industry in the lead up to the 2022/23 season.
“We hope to see the whole industry go
up and down the supply chain between
digital with its spray records and we
growers, processors and marketers
will be working with the processors to
before the product is even ready for
support growers with the transition
harvest.”
from the paper-based system.
Stuart said the industry was lucky to
“There will be lots more information
be able to pick up the system from the
Dried Fruits Australia has been working
coming your way before the planned
wine grape industry, so development
collaboratively with processors
rollout in July this year.”
time would be relatively short.
The project – Creating real-time
“The Grapeweb platform is ideal as
traceability in the Australian dried
it provides live entry of chemical
fruits supply chain to improve export
application data, and each entry is
market maximum residue limit
immediately checked against an
DFA field officer Stuart Putland said
compliance – is being funded by the
approved list of spray products,
the diary would provide growers
Australian Department of Agriculture,
withholding periods and resistance
with the most up-to-date chemical
Water and the Environment.
management strategies,” he said.
information and an efficient record-
“Current chemical MRL compliance
keeping platform to greatly assist with
“Information will be available to
in the industry is reliant on a paper-
vineyard management.
processors and growers in real time
based, retrospective system to
and help is at hand for growers with
manage the use of chemicals on farm,”
questions about data entry.” v
Sunbeam Foods and Australian Premium Dried Fruits to develop the diary, which will be delivered through the Grapeweb platform.
“For those growers involved in wine grape production, this will be nothing
Stuart said.
new, but for the rest of us it will be a
“The aim of this project is to develop
big step forward from the old sheet of
and implement an online, real-time
carbon paper for duplicate recording.
system allowing information to flow
30 VINE MAGAZINE
PEST & DISEASE
Late season Botrytis There is nothing worse than seeing your beautiful bunches rotting in front of your eyes. The presence of La Niña – with rain events scattered through the harvest period – could affect grape growers,
What can you do? If there was a severe Botrytis infection in your vineyard this season next season is high. Varieties with a
your chemical representative. v
high susceptibility to berry splitting will need extra attention.
While it might be only one of many
-R emove mummified bunches
bunch rots, with another La Niña
-R educe spore load by removing vine
your bunches from Botrytis bunch rot? The answer, to a certain degree, lies in the way Botrytis infects.
debris and remnants -A pply protective fungicide at 80
rains, always paying attention to
have survived in bunch remnants
optimum coverage
Spore germination can occur at any time if conditions are favourable (temperatures around 18-21º Celsius) and if vines stay wet from rain, fog,
-A pply a protective spray at prebunch closure, as this is the last opportunity to get good spray coverage within the bunch, where latent infection often emerges -M inimise berry wounding (wounds
dew or mist. Once tissue is infected,
are entry points) by controlling
the infection can lie inactive – latent
light brown apple moth (LBAM) and
– until conditions are ideal for spread.
powdery mildew
Fortunately, not all latent infection leads to rotten berries, as hot, dry weather through summer and autumn can prevent development. High relative humidity in the bunch zone and excessive soil moisture can activate
https://www.wineaustralia.com/ getmedia/3e2d4ecc-3d70-41db-b2b00b897a513fb8/CORD_Factsheets_ BotrytisManagement
- I f the flowering period is prolonged, protect with a fungicide before it
wind, or carried by insect vectors.
https://www.wineaustralia.com/ getmedia/b78baaea-d1de-469f-a8aa1aec30d4d756/201307-Botrytis-QA?ext=.pdf
flowery parts is critical
for infection to occur. Spores that
can be splashed around by rain,
Information for this article has been sourced and adapted from:
per cent capfall – good coverage of
Flowering is the first opportunity
(floral parts and leaf material)
- There are new chemical options available for Botrytis control – talk to
Steps to take:
year, you might ask how can you guard
Botrytis late season.
and/or wet spring, the risk of Botrytis
with late Botrytis rearing its ugly head.
season currently predicted for next
considered if you need to treat
-L imit humidity in the fruiting zone; manage canopies to allow air flow -B unch thinning, stretching and bunch removal helps prevent compact and crowded bunches
Botrytis.
-P revent excessive soil moisture
Botrytis spores are almost always
- I t is difficult to get good spray
present in vineyards. Late season
coverage inside mature bunches,
infection often occurs when rain
where Botrytis often emerges and
splits berries and spores enter the
spreads. Once botrytis appears in a
wound. Any other berry wounds – from
bunch, spray application of sanitisers
insects, mildew infection, frost, hail
only inhibits the fungus
or sunburn – can be entry points too.
on the surface at best, and even
Preventing berry split reduces the risk
surface mould is killed, the infection
of Botrytis.
remains. MRLs must also be
VINE MAGAZINE 31
BIOSECURITY
New biosecurity guide Plant Health Australia has released its updated guide to biosecurity for the table, dried and wine grape industries.
“The earlier an exotic or notifiable pest
your specific operations, including
incursion is detected, the more likely
risk from the movement of people,
it can be successfully eradicated or
vehicles, equipment, soil and plant
contained.
material onto and off your vineyard.
The Vineyard Biosecurity Manual
be aware of the notifiable pests that
outlines simple principles and
may be established in some regions but
procedures that can be used to
not others. For these pests, it is a legal
minimise the risk of introducing and
requirement to report them if you find
are aware of your biosecurity
spreading exotic and established pests
them on your property.
requirements and adhere to your
and diseases throughout vineyards.
“Regulated pests for viticulture are
It is designed for everyone involved
Phylloxera, which is restricted to
in the viticultural production chain,
some areas of Victoria and NSW,
including vineyard owners, managers,
Queensland fruit fly (present in the
staff, contractors, researchers and
Northern Territory, Queensland, New
The Vineyard Biosecurity Manual can
consultants.
South Wales and parts of Victoria) and
be accessed from the dried fruit and
Mediterranean fruit fly (present in
table grapes industry pages on the
southern Western Australia).
Plant Health Australia website:
The manual details the important role we have to play in protecting our
“In addition to the exotic pests which are not in Australia, we also need to
vineyards, regions and industries from
“Understanding and adhering to your
biosecurity threats.
legal obligations in conjunction with
“Australia’s freedom from exotic plant pests and limited spread of notifiable pests is key to the future profitability and sustainability of Australia’s plant industries,” it says.
diseases which are already established in our vineyards.”
minimising crop losses and avoiding additional costs. “Once a new pest or disease becomes established in Australia, the ongoing costs of managing it are often far greater than the costs associated with preventing its establishment in the first place.
32 VINE MAGAZINE
biosecurity risks that they present. Use a visitor register to record who enters your vineyard.
www.planthealthaustralia.com.au v
in your region. “Adopting on-farm
livelihoods of your staff and the
biosecurity and that of your region,
requirements for managing the
as well as helping to protect others
management of damaging pests and
you will improve your vineyard’s
-E nsure all visitors to your property
disease accumulation and spread,
business, your livelihood, and the
in this manual in day-to-day activities
www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/toolkit
will minimise the risk of pest and
biosecurity practices will also help with
“By using the measures recommended
biosecurity plan:
such as those suggested in this manual
practices helps to protect your
industry with services.
a toolkit to assist you develop your
adopting sound biosecurity practices
“Adopting sound vineyard biosecurity
businesses which provide you and the
The Farm Biosecurity website has
What can you do? - Become familiar with your industry’s exotic pests and notifiable pests (on page 30 of the manual). You may need to refer to these if you find a pest or disease you don’t recognise. - Report any suspected exotic or notifiable established pests and diseases without delay by calling the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881. - Develop and implement a biosecurity plan to address the risks posed to
You have an important role to play in protecting your vineyard, your region and the viticulture industries from biosecurity threats.
BIOSECURITY
High priority exotic pest threat E XOTI C M EA LYB U G S
Mealybugs are small, soft-bodied insects that feed on plant sap, reducing vigour and damaging fruit and foliage, as well as transmitting viruses.
What can they be confused with?
There are a number of mealybugs
present throughout Australia, has
that are damaging to grapevine that are not present in Australia but which would cause considerable damage if they became established. The vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus),
Several different species of mealybugs can infest grapevines, some of which are endemic to Australia. The long-tailed mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus) is long tail filaments and when poked it excretes body contents which are pale yellow. The Citrophilus mealybug (Pseudococcus calceolariae) has dark red body excretions, short, thick tail
trunk, cordons, leaves or fruit. Look for white, waxy clusters of mealybugs in grapevine crevices which will often be covered with honeydew and black sooty mould. How do they spread? Long range dispersal of adults or nymphs may occur through windassistance, or through the movement of propagation material or fruit.
How can I protect my vineyard from exotic mealybugs? Only source high health status
grape mealybug (Pseudococcus
filaments and is confined to south-
maritimus) and Comstock’s mealybug
eastern Australia. The tuber mealybug
(Pseudococcus comstocki) are exotic
(Pseudococcus viburni) has orange
mealybugs considered to be high
excretions and short tail filaments. It
priority pests for the Australian
is present in some regions of WA and
viticulture industries.
eastern Australia.
new pests and investigate any sick
They are small mealybugs, about
If you observe mealybugs or signs
3-5mm in length), soft-bodied,
of mealybug infestation that appear
Check for any visible signs of pest
segmented insects covered in a white,
unusual or more severe than usual,
powdery wax. Mealybugs secrete
or are not as responsive to normal
honeydew as a by-product of their
management strategies, you should
feeding activities which can encourage
report this to the Emergency Plant
the growth of mould and fungal
Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.
diseases. The grape mealybug has long
What should I look for?
filaments making the mealybug appear to have a tail. The vine mealybug
The vine, grape and Comstock’s
is oblong in shape and has shorter
mealybug can be detected through
filaments around the body, with no tail
visual surveys of grapevines. Look
filament. Comstock’s mealybug has a
for intense ant activity feeding on
pink to reddish-brown colour visible
honeydew secreted by the mealybugs
between body segments.
on grapevines, or honeydew on the
(preferably certified) plant material from reliable and accredited suppliers. Check your vineyard frequently for the presence of grapevines for unusual symptoms. infestation before planting. Keep records of anything unusual and ensure that all staff and visitors adhere to on-farm biosecurity and hygiene practices. If you see anything unusual, call the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881. v
VINE MAGAZINE 33
PROCESSING & MARKETING
Hope beyond challenges of 2022 season AU ST RA L I A N P R EM I U M D R I ED F R U I TS It has been a very challenging harvest period for growers and processors alike. The regular rain events and unusually humid conditions created quite poor drying conditions that impacted fruit quality and delayed the season significantly. At the time of writing (mid-April), we have received less than 20 per cent of our estimated crop. Normally we would be well over 50 per cent and expect the majority of the balance within the next few weeks. The season will finish many weeks behind an average year based on the current conditions. We have had a full staff ready for harvest to gear up in early March as usual, so it has been difficult to manage the very late season. Customers are also anxiously awaiting early season deliveries. The Thompson crop is now smaller than the Sunmuscat volume, which is a big plus in a year like this of wet and humid weather. The Thompson quality has been very poor. The lack of higher grades and light base colour means there will be virtually none of this variety exported this season. This is a strong reminder of our past problems with this variety not having any
export quality grades to keep markets supplied in years of wet weather. Thankfully we now have Sunmuscat and Sunglo, which we hope will provide some reasonable quality to meet some of the export market demand. Our industry depends heavily on the premiums offered in export markets, so having consistent supply of higher grades is paramount to continued industry success. Any Sunmuscat and Sunglo that was cut late after the heavy rain events has still got a chance to dry with a light base colour at this stage. This will be a fantastic result for growers who will get a better return, and for the processors who desperately need some higher quality fruit to supply export demand. We are seeing the best results (once again) with growers who are well planned and able to manage risks of wet weather with good farming practices and timely attention to each stage of the harvesting process. It is the challenging drying years that usually see growers with good risk management strategies obtain the best overall results. It has been difficult to get contract services at the right time due to high demand in a short period of time, so
having your own equipment can be a big advantage in a poor weather year. Ashley Johnstone and Warren Lloyd were highlighted in an August 2020 Vine article discussing their collaborative approach to sharing equipment costs. This collaborative approach could be a strong consideration for small growers who cannot justify owning one of every machine required for dried grape growing. Sharing larger and more efficient wetting machines, cutter carts, sprayers, tractors, harvesters, etc. can be a great idea to ensure you have capacity to respond in a short period of time to your vineyards demands. Go back to that edition of the Vine to read about this success story. Hopefully growers have completed their harvest at the time of reading this article, with many (I’m sure) licking their wounds from a very tough season. At least we see the temporary water market being favourable for the short term, with all the wet weather taking place in catchment areas, so we hope there is still optimism around for the Australian industry within the growing district. We still feel very positive about the future of dried grapes in Australia and look optimistically ahead for a better drying season in 2023. v Enquiries: Grower liaison officer Larry Dichiera, larry@apdf.com.au 0488 199 221 Pictured: Water flowing through APDF’s Wargan vineyard after rain on 1 March 2022.
34 VINE MAGAZINE
PROCESSING & MARKETING
Rain detrimental to 2022 crops S U N BE A M F O O D S & A N G AS PA R K Dried vine fruit The rain before harvest, which slowed maturity, the rain in the early part of harvest, and the later rain all had negative consequences for the dried vine fruit crop. The delay to harvest compressed the season and then rain events, mild daytime temperatures, cooler dewy nights and humid days was a challenging environment and tested the resilience of all growers. Only a very small amount of “light type” fruit was delivered and the grades received are predominantly five and four-brown. Concern now is for fruit quality deterioration after the latest rain for unharvested fruit. The positive is that crop yields are generally up from 2021 and exceeding grower expectations. The new sultana types have again performed well under difficult circumstances and year on year there is less reliance on the traditional sultana variety. For the 2022/23 growing season, a digital spray diary will be released for all our growers to access. The Dried Fruits Australia project has delivered a great vineyard tool that will allow growers to have the most up-to-date chemical information and efficient record-keeping platform that will greatly assist in their vineyard management. Our field officers will be assisting growers with the transition from the paper-based system to the new format.
Prunes Harvest and fruit drying concluded in late March and everyone was glad to get through what has been a challenging growing, harvesting and drying season. Rainfall on the approach of harvest and then again part way through (up to 100mm) really put pressure on growers’ ability to harvest fruit and even get access to their properties to get fruit off. The
large crop required extended periods of drying as contract dryers were at capacity. The later fruit to harvest showed signs of deterioration from the wet conditions and some fruit was left on trees as it was sub-standard. The resulting dried product will have a smaller size profile than the 2021 crop and it is anticipated that only around 50 per cent of graded prunes will be in the pittable size range. Sales into the retail market continue to be elevated as there is limited access to imported Chilean and USA fruit. On the back of a successful export marketing program in 2021, there are strong enquiries for the smaller sizes again this season. The challenge is to lift the profile of Australian prunes to extract premium prices above the abundance of other product in the market to make it a viable market
position and his valuable contribution over the last four years. We wish him all the best in his retirement.v Enquiries: Supply manager dried fruit David Swain / 0407 834 044 Field officer (including SA) Alan Lister / 0409 437 801 Field officer Gary Simpson / 0429 960 234 Dried tree fruits operations manager (Loxton) Luke Fitzsimmons / 0431 894 515 Below: Fruit darkened after rain events. Young apricot trees (February 2022).
long term.
Dried tree fruit The project to replant our Pike River Apricot Orchard with the new varieties of apricots is moving along. We have invited local contractors to tender for the replant, including the clearing of old trees, earthworks, irrigation and tree establishment. Stage one is the planting of 23 hectares of six of the newly developed SARDI varieties that have been selected for their maturity dates, size, shape and favourable dry ratios. Stage two will be a 17-hectare replant to complete the 40-hectare block. Our orchard manager Kevin Maynard will retire in the middle of this year. Kevin has been an integral part of transforming the orchard into a productive and viable property that has instilled the confidence in the business that we can not only compete with the imported product but also produce a premium dried apricot. We sincerely thank Kevin for the expertise he brought to the
VINE MAGAZINE 35
ATGA MARKETING
Initiatives set to drive brand awareness Promotion of Australia’s table grape industry has continued this season, with several initiatives aimed at elevating the awareness of Australian grapes.
“They hear about our export history,
closely with Hort Innovation, Austrade
varieties available for export, the
and the Victorian Government to
timing of their availability, and an
promote retail programs with various
overview of our exporters."
retail partners in each of those
On an international front, the
Jeff said it was vital to enhance key
countries.
relationships between exporters and
In May, the ATGA will participate in
importers, which had potentially been
a capability study with Austrade.
impacted over the past two years
Austrade selected table grapes for
Australian Table Grape Association
due to Covid.
this promotional content, determining
(ATGA) has presented at a number of
“The ATGA can support to help rebuild
virtual trade seminars in countries
the relationships and networking
such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines
between exporters and importers,”
and Indonesia.
Jeff said.
Trade seminars are an important part
“We’ll also be focusing on offering
of industry promotion to international
in-bound and out-bound trade
markets.
missions for the next harvest season,
“Major importers, retailers, distributors and media in each of
an offer that was well received by all countries.”
those countries received a brief
The ATGA also participated in several
overview of the Australian table grape
other promotional launches to China,
industry,” ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said.
Japan, Korea and Thailand, working
36 VINE MAGAZINE
the industry would benefit from up-to-date messaging, imagery and branding. Collateral will include the development of digital and printready industry capability reports and posters which can be utilised by industry organisations, export companies, Austrade and other government stakeholders. v
TECHNOLOGY
All hands on tech I N N OVATI O N I N AG R I C U LTU R E
Whether you subscribe to the latest podcasts, invest in all the gadgets available, or follow precision farming tech trends, or you like to keep things simple, chances are anything that helps reduce the pressure on growers to have a hand on every vine is welcome. This edition, we feature a podcast, website and app that look at some of the ways technology is advancing agriculture and solving challenges facing the sector.
APP
Capture ideas when inspiration strikes. Bring your notes, to-dos, and schedule together to tame life’s distractions and accomplish more – at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Tell me more Write, collect, and capture ideas as searchable notes, notebooks, and to-do lists. Clip interesting articles and web pages to read or use later, add different types of content to your notes, including text, docs, PDFs, sketches, photos, audio, web clipping and more. Use your camera to scan and organise paper documents, business cards, whiteboards and handwritten notes! Get organised by setting due dates and reminders, bring your schedule and notes together, see your most relevant information instantly on the Home dashboard. How does it benefit growers? Turn chaos into calm. Keep yourself and your team up to date by capturing meeting notes and sharing notebooks. Bring people, projects, and ideas together with shared spaces. Cost and availability Free or paid versions available on Apple and Android devices.
PODCAST
It’s certainly true that none of us are perfect. Hosted by The Resilience Project founder Hugh van Cuylenburg, his brother Josh and Australian comedian Ryan Shelton, The Imperfects looks to illuminate the struggles and imperfections we all share to not bury our battles but feel open with them. Tell me more Constantly comparing ourselves to others can not only be exhausting, but extremely harmful. However, when we share our struggles, we start to realise that everyone, no matter how successful, has something they are battling with. How does it benefit growers? If you’re looking for a mental health podcast with genuine depth, as well as comradery and lots of laughs – this is the one for you. Cost and availability Free & available where you get your podcasts.
WEBSITE
The Drought Resilience SelfAssessment Tool (DR.SAT) is a free tool that enables farmers to assess their resilience against climate change, including drought and other climate risks. Tell me more Resilience assessments include financial, personal and social, and environmental indicators. Based on farmers’ individual assessments, the tool provides tailored options and resources to support farmers to build resilience. How does it benefit growers? DR.SAT helps growers proactively build capacity to withstand environmental, financial, social and personal challenges and sets them on a path to thrive. The assessment is based on farmer-supplied information. Farmers have complete control over their information to maintain their privacy. The tool also contains: regularly updated satellite imagery, remote-sensed data, climate projections that inform resilience assessments and supports decision making on physical climate change risks. Cost & availability DR.SAT is a free website.
VINE MAGAZINE 37
PROFILE
Profile: James Moriarty Australia currently has a domestic supply and demand imbalance, whereby we produce approximately 40–50 per cent of our annual consumption, which means that more than one in every two dried grapes consumed in Australia is produced overseas. This is despite the fact that Australia produces the bestquality dried grapes in the world! So, if we can attract further investment into the industry to grow our supply, then we should be able to close that supply and demand imbalance and still have available supply for export opportunities. The key to attracting further investment is to have attractive returns, which are mainly driven by efficient farming techniques that drive commercial yields and strong pricing from the processors that stack up against the macroeconomic environment.
James Moriarty is the newest and youngest member of the Dried Fruits Australia board, representing corporate dried grape producer Duxton Dried Fruits. Seeing an investment opportunity in dried grapes, the company – part of Adelaide-based Duxton Capital – acquired a 200-hectare property in Liparoo in 2015/16 and began developing another larger 600-hectare property in Euston in 2017. James began working for Duxton in 2019 and shares its enthusiasm about the future of the dried grape industry. Tell us about your role at Duxton and what led you there? I’m a portfolio manager at Duxton Capital and my role is in the investments team, where I work across several of the portfolio companies – including Duxton Dried Fruits – and act as a conduit between our investors, the board, operations
38 VINE MAGAZINE
teams and other key stakeholders. The opportunity to work at Duxton attracted me because of the firm’s dynamic culture, investment philosophy and strong moral compass. I was drawn to the chance to apply my skillset within the agricultural industry and help promote Australia’s world-class produce to the world. What do you enjoy most about your roles at Duxton and DFA? The chance to work alongside a group of other growers and industry operators with the same primary common goal – to grow the economic value of Australia’s dried fruits industry. What opportunities do you see for the dried grape industry? The opportunities and potential growth within the dried grape industry excite me enormously. In recent years, the industry has done a good job at arresting the exodus of local growers and supply and is now able to demonstrate that the industry is a viable and vibrant one into the future.
Can you tell us about anything new or innovative Duxton is doing? While our total plantings and presence in the dried fruits industry continues to grow, I think the most exciting area that Duxton is active in is the sustainability space. As a large landholder and producer across several different agricultural commodities, we see the huge potential that the sector has to make a tangible difference to the health of the planet and our environment. We’re pursuing a carbon-negative agenda, assessing the potential to not only reduce our footprint but also remove carbon from the atmosphere by changing our farming practices and regenerating non-productive acreage. Sustainability is a space that is receiving a lot of attention from our staff, our investors and the end consumer, so actively becoming an industry-leader and doing right by the environment aligns perfectly with Duxton’s philosophy.v
COMMUNITY
Notice board Dried Fruits Australia held its 2022 Grower Forum on 28 April at Willow & Ivie in Nichols Point, giving growers an opportunity to hear from a great lineup of speakers and connect towards the end of harvest.
Hybrid table grape growing events took place in Mundubbera and Emerald last month, to allow speakers and attendees to join if they couldn’t attend in person. Queensland growers received updates on ATGA projects as well as presentations on new technologies, new agrichemicals, Queensland fruit fly trapping and grapevine trunk diseases.
Mark King (Chair) Producer, Pomona
Grant Leyden Sunbeam Foods
Warren Lloyd (Deputy Chair)
Craig Greenwood
Producer, Irymple
Australian Premium Dried Fruits
Stephen Bennett Producer, Merbein
Michael Scalzo
Tony Martin Producer, Merbein
BOARD
BOARD
Australian Premium Dried Fruits
Ashley Johnstone Producer, Irymple
James Moriarty Producer,
David Swain Sunbeam Foods
Duxton Dried Fruits
Jeremey Boyd (Chair), Victoria
Joe Garreffa New South Wales
Rocky Mammone (Deputy Chair), Victoria
Peter Nuich Western Australia
Nick Muraca Victoria
Robert Nugan Victoria
David Agg South Australia
Zoe Dichiera Queensland
Dominic Sergi Victoria
Anthony Cirillo New South Wales
Adrian Cordoma Victoria
Disclaimer: Dried Fruits Australia, the Australian Table Grape Association and Hort Innovation acknowledge contributions made by private enterprise through placement of advertisements in this publication. Acceptance of these contributions does not endorse or imply endorsement of any product or service advertised by contributors and we expressly disclaim all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or currency of information in the Vine. Reliance on any information provided in the Vine is entirely at your own risk. Dried Fruits Australia, the Australian Table Grape Association and Hort Innovation are not responsible for, and will not be liable for, any loss, damage, claim, expense, cost (including legal costs) or other liability arising in any way, including from any person’s negligence or otherwise, or from reliance on information contained in the Vine, or your use or non-use of the material. Copyright © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2022. Copyright subsists in the Vine. Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation) owns the copyright, other than as permitted under the Copyright ACT 1968 (Cth). The Vine (in part or as a whole) cannot be reproduced, published, communicated or adapted without the prior written consent of Hort Innovation and both ATGA and DFA.
VINE MAGAZINE 39
IT’S TIME TO
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