Vine magazine May 2024

Licenced for Sun World table grape varieties, and all dried fruit varieties

KC VINES & ROOTSTOCKS

6527 Sturt Highway Trentham Cliffs

Justin: 0427 808 998

Andy: 0407 309 961

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: admin@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au

W: www.driedfruitsaustralia.org.au

Australian Table Grape Association

P: 0438 316 339

E: tmilner@atga.net.au

W: www.australiangrapes.com.au

Editorial committee:

DFA Thomas Cheung, Megan Frankel-Vaughan

ATGA Jeff Scott, Terryn Milner

Design: Kylie Norton Design Printing: Sunnyland Press

Cover photo: A chef-prepared meal at the Shanghai trade promotion event in March, held as part of the 2023/24 Table Grape International Marketing Program.

© Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2024

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.

End of one season starts the next

Now’s the time for growers and industry to reflect on the season that was – with all its challenges and hurdles – and look ahead to what’s to come.

While both the dried grape and table grape industries are taking stock of the season, it’s also prime time to prepare and set up for the following season. This edition looks at the postharvest period and how growers can best prepare for the year ahead.

While table grape growers have been busy on their blocks, the industry has been pushing its marketing efforts as the season draws to a close. We showcase what’s been done over the past few months.

Meanwhile in dried grapes, we look at how the industry is evolving with new plantings and varieties, and look ahead to an R&D planning day this year.

Table Grapes Dried Grapes

Combined Industries Prunes

Serving grapes to the world

Australia’s table grape industry has served up a successful 2023/24 promotional campaign to customers and consumers around the globe.

The 2023/24 Table Grape International Marketing Program, funded by Hort Innovation using the table grape marketing levies, was a one-year project designed to promote Australian table grapes for the export season in key international markets.

In November 2023, the Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) was approved as the delivery partner for the upcoming export season, unlocking an opportunity for an industry-led program.

What has unfolded has been a six-month-long bid to enhance trade relationships, improve varietal awareness and education about table grapes, and create a value proposition, while bringing industry along for the journey.

ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said he was grateful for the opportunity to deliver an industry-led international marketing program.

“It’s been a challenging year for a lot of our grape growers and exporters, but we’ve still endeavoured to pursue every avenue of opportunity for growers and exporters through our marketing activities,” Jeff said.

“The feedback we have received from all our international partners is that those activities have been very successful and they have benefited Australian grapes in the market quite substantially.”

The program was implemented by consultant program manager Jesse White, an international marketing expert who has had a successful 10-year career building brands in global markets

Strategy is key

Jesse highlighted three key strategic objectives necessary in enhancing the value and reputation of Australian grapes in-market.

“One was forging strong alliances and building trade relationships – we wanted to really deepen the relationships we have with retailers and importers inmarket and enhance those relationships for commercial benefit,” Jesse said.

“The second was driving awareness and education – communicating with the consumers about the Australian table grape export season, and delivering product education around handling and the benefits of consuming Australian table grapes.

“The third was around building competitive value proposition for Australian grapes, justifying the product behind the price, improving shelf value, shelf presentation, and honing how we’re marketed in these really important export markets.”

Enhancing brand awareness

In developing the creative look of the campaign, an important consideration was enhancing brand awareness, and setting Australian grapes apart from other imported grapes and Australian horticulture products.

Previous levy-funded marketing programs, run by Hort Innovation, had used the Australian Grapes brand, which they used alongside holistic horticulture-wide campaigns such as Now! In Season, Taste Australia and Grown In Good Nature.

The ATGA opted to use the Australian Grapes logo, using the opportunity to build an individual identity that channeled the successes of past campaigns while highlighting the individual potential of Australian grapes as a brand.

“What we were really able to do this year was lean into the positive qualities that Australian grapes have on their own, as distinct from the other export commodities we have in horticulture,” Jesse said.

Boldly decorated flag liners, wobblers, hanging banners, floor stickers, standees, aprons, sampling trays and tote bags adorned the campaign pointof-sale materials (POSM). Invitations, hand props for photography, postcards, menu tents and press holders also featured the branding for launch events.

“Retailers really liked how this brand found its way and how it looked instore,” Jesse said. “The imagery and colours worked really well to bring the product off the shelf, which was complemented by the POSM.”

Embracing industry

The marketing project placed a significant emphasis on involving key stakeholders from the sector every step of the way.

Embracing industry meant hearing industry voices, understanding the needs of industry and ensuring that producers and exporters were kept informed about the project for its duration.

While the project kicked off in November, with pre-season teasers, activity commenced in earnest in February.

ATGA hosted a trade seminar tour – or international trade briefings – at the commencement of the project in November/December, and these, though a relatively small component of the project, had significant benefit for industry.

“The trade briefings were really important in that we were able to have really key conversations with key importers or retail partners,” Jesse said.

China

ATGA held successful events in Shanghai and Guangzhou, China, in March. About 20 guests attended the Shanghai event at Vic House, including importers and retailers, enjoying a chef-prepared meal and AutumnCrisp® grapes. Despite being a late addition to the program, the event garnered significant interest, leading to enquiries about various grape varieties. Meanwhile, the Jiangnan Wholesale Market event targeted value-chain participants, with cultural performances and entertainment enhancing its appeal.

Vietnam

The Vietnam launch focused on generating media coverage and awareness at a consumer level, to drive traffic into both online and bricks-and-mortar stores.

Aussie grapes were heavily promoted where Vietnamese consumers spend their time – online. The launch included key opinion leaders (KOLs) who received a chef-prepared meal, and targeted media to secure print, social media and other online coverage. Digital marketing in Grab (online food delivery and taxi service) put Aussie Grapes front and centre when consumers were shopping online.

Philippines

The Manila launch focused on media and stakeholders, including retail importers, buyers, social media influencers and conventional media. Coverage across social media and the conventional news cycle followed the event and generated a real buzz for Australian grapes leading into the retail program. KOLs tagged @austablegrapes in their Instagram reels and posts as a collaborator. Head to the @austablegrapes Instagram page to see how the Philippines launch looked.

Thailand

In Thailand, a large-scale retail program saw Australian Grapes take over nine retail brands, across 89 stores, with an accumulated 250 sampling days – a huge program including both retail store and wholesale market promotion. Strong market launches occurred in several retailers, including samples and high visibility in-store displays. Highlights included the POSM and branding collateral, which really stood out in the retail setting.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, mini in-store/ activation launches took place at two retailers, due to the delayed start of the season. Growers and exporters were also enhancing relationships with Indonesia, with presence at the outbound trade mission reciprocated by Indonesian retailers who then opted to join the inbound tour.

Malaysia & Singapore

Small-scale retailer programs took place in Malaysia and Singapore, which will conclude in late May.

“Participating growers and exporters saw a lot of enquiries as a result of the pre-season briefing, as well as the in-season campaign launches. On the whole, being present in-market was critically important. It’s something that, if we are successful for next season’s promotional campaign, that we would want to cultivate more.”

The outbound trade missions and visits played a vital role in advancing current trade partnerships. By uniting industry stakeholders and facilitating the participation of growers and exporters in outbound tours and retail launches, the program gained extra momentum and resilience.

Several producers and exporters took the ATGA’s invitation to participate in the trade seminar tour and relevant campaign launches, including Cordoma Group’s Mario Cordoma.

“The pre-season trade seminars were a great benefit to our business, as we were able to meet with existing customers to discuss the up-coming season and establish new relationships for potential business,” Mario said. “Further, it was also good to have insight on where markets and consumer trends are heading for future trade.

Mario said the program presented good opportunities for his business to be involved at various stages of the campaign.

“The program provided good exposure for our business and gave us the opportunity to be involved in the in-store marketing activities,” he said. “Off the back of this we were able to continue supply with retailers

throughout the season with the opportunity for future programs.”

In addition to the outbound trade tour, the ATGA – as part of the levyfunded International Table Grapes Marketing Program FY24 (P1) – also collaborated with Global Victoria and Citrus Australia to organise an inbound trade mission through the Victorian Horticulture Exports Program.

The week-long Sunraysia showcase included vineyard and packhouse visits, infrastructure facility tours and a joint industry networking event, designed to entice prominent buyers from five Southeast Asian markets. You can read more about this on pages 32-33.

Having industry as the central point of contact not only streamlined and optimised marketing efforts but also fostered enhanced trust between industry players and market buyers.

“Trade and consumer marketing activities were better integrated through a single face of industry which greatly improved stakeholder engagement and enabled us to quickly respond to opportunities like the Shanghai launch event and the inbound trade mission,” Jesse said.

To ensure ongoing communication and transparency, three online industry briefings were conducted throughout the season, providing updates on planned activities.

Additionally, newsletters and articles in the Vine magazine served to raise awareness about the campaign among industry stakeholders.

Initial producer and exporter feedback demonstrated that most producers felt

they were informed about the project, and saw the benefits of an industryled marketing program. The most highly valued element of the campaign seemed to be the in-store promotions, followed by point-of-sale materials.

Final thoughts

Despite the challenges faced by producers and exporters this season, the marketing program remained a consistent force, its steady commitment to enhancing trade relationships and fostering export growth unwavering in nature.

"ATGA is really proud to have led the charge with the Table Grape International Marketing Program, shaping things from an industry angle,” Jeff said, acknowledging the challenges and opportunities of the season as a whole.

“Though it’s been a tough season, working closely with the industry to try something new has been rewarding and the program has been strong nonetheless.”

“The experience gives us a good insight moving forward.”

Jesse said he felt “immensely privileged” to be able to lead the program.

"Through proven marketing strategies and close collaboration with Australian producers and exporters, as well as in-market retailers, and importers, this campaign has not only highlighted the superior quality of Australian table grapes but also reinforced our commitment to industry growth on a global scale.” v

Left: Attendees at the Shanghai standalone event, including marketing program manager Jesse White (third from left) and ATGA CEO Jeff Scott (fifth from left), exporters and government.

Previous page:

Top left: Growers like Mario Cordoma (far right) and his exporter Fruit Buddy attended several events, enhancing connections before and during the season.

Middle left: ATGA CEO Jeff Scott (right), along with growers and marketers attended the Guangzhou wholesale market event.

Bottom middle: Mildura Fruit Company's Jon Watson at the Philippines launch event.

Industries making new connections

The table grape and dried grape industries will unite with others across Australia and New Zealand at Hort Connections 2024.

Australian Table Grape Association and Dried Fruits Australia have this year joined the event as industry partners.

Hort Connections 2024 will be held in Melbourne on 3-5 June and is Australia and New Zealand’s largest horticulture conference and trade show.

About 200 exhibiting companies will be on show at the Melbourne Convention Centre, representing the fruit, vegetable and floral sectors of horticulture.

ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said Hort Connections provided an opportunity to bring industries together – in one place – in a professional and social setting to celebrate everything horticulture.

“The sideline events allow industries to tackle sector-wide challenges, and the expo is great for growers to see what’s happening next for agtech, packaging and sustainability,” he said.

A program of more than 40 industry expert speakers will discuss the big issues in industry.

Hort Connections will showcase new products, services and technologies to help shape the Australian and New Zealand industry, highlighting solutions in agricultural technology,

finance, labour, energy and environmental sustainability.

DFA CEO Thomas Cheung, along with board members, growers and industry staff will be among the more than 3000 anticipated delegates at the event as they represent the dried grape industry.

“From an industry perspective, we believe this event will provide us with an excellent platform to engage with other industries in terms of R&D, best practice farming, innovation, supply chain and marketing,” he said.

Growers and industry stakeholders can access event passes and find out about grower funding opportunities at hortconnections.com.au. v

Talk to us about a career in horticulture

Almost 75 per cent of Victoria’s agriculture, forestry and fishing is based regionally. There are currently 68,800 employed in this sector. The number of new workers needed (next 3 years) is 3,000.” (Victorian Skills Commission Report 2022).

Making change for progress

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Season 2024 marks the end of an era for dried grape grower Warren Lloyd and his family farm.

This season was the final harvest of Sultana at his Irymple property as he transitions the block to newer, more productive varieties.

Warren said it had long been evident that changes needed to be made to ensure the property was producing efficiently.

The Lloyds’ property was part of Dried Fruits Australia’s Benchmarking Project several years ago, and the results from their Sultana patch were clear.

“It was clear you cannot achieve 10 tonne to the hectare with Sultana, and I don’t think it responds as well to fertiliser programs as other varieties,” Warren said.

Last year Warren farmed 13ha of Sultana. This year that was reduced to about 6ha.

“Next year it will be zero,” he said. It’s part of a gradual plan to transition and replant to newer, more productive varieties.

“You want to get rid of the stuff that doesn’t produce a lot, that’s high in labour, and really focus on increasing tonnage so you're getting

a better return,” Warren said.

“I’d rather produce 4 tonnes to the acre off 50 acres, than 2 tonnes to the acre off 100 acres.”

The Lloyds’ family property historically produced mainly Sultana, which had also been the mainstay of the Australian dried grape industry until recent years.

Sunmuscat has now overtaken Sultana as the predominant variety for the Australian industry (see graph of 2023 crop figures).

Warren said while the move away from growing Sultana was difficult for his dad to accept, it was a decision made after looking at the data and seeing

the variety had passed its peak.

“They were pretty old. This year I had a reasonable crop, but with the rain we had in January, I ended up with mould,” he said.

“I’ve bitten the bullet and time will tell whether it’s a smart move or not. I’m trying to focus on the other varieties and maximise what I can get with what I’ve got.”

Over recent years, Warren has planted Sunglo, as well as top-worked two former Sultana patches to Sunmuscat.

Now, he’s got 3ha being prepared for a new planting of Sunmuscat on a patch that had been vacant for 18 years.

“I’ve chopped off a lot of vines and that definitely has an impact on your psyche, but there’s nothing like new vines going into the ground – that’s a completely different feel,” he said.

“We’ve got the posts, we’re waiting on the irrigation to go in. Vines are already ordered, so that’s my development for 12 months.”

After this patch, Warren has another 5-6ha left to develop and plans to work on 2ha each year.

One of those patches will be Murray Bold, while the others are yet to be decided.

“I might target another early variety so I can spread things out,” he said.

Warren took on the management of the family farm in 2021 and has since been creating a plan for developing the property.

He said this year was good timing to plant the new Sunmuscat patch because water storages were currently full.

“This most likely means that for new

vines that I put in, I won’t have to buy water just to keep them alive before they start producing,” Warren explained.

The first crop for the newest planting won’t be until 2027, and while the results won’t be immediately evident, the development was part of Warren’s longer term-plan to continually make small improvements to the farming operation.

“I’ve always felt that in the farming operation you have to make improvements. If there was a year in which I didn’t improve in some way – if I just left it at the status quo – I’m not moving forward, I’m going backwards,” he said.

“Any one improvement may not make a lot of difference in one year but across three years it can make a huge difference.”

Warren said record keeping was particularly important for each patch so that it was clear in the numbers what was working and what wasn’t.

Warren said it was also important to reach out to others for support and assistance.

After Dried Fruits Australia hosted the social Grower Evening late last year, with Rural Financial Counselling Services as a guest, Warren reached out to the organisation to find out

what assistance was available.

With their help, he was successful in receiving flood recovery funding.

“This isn’t a case of propping me up, it’s going to really help me move forward.” he said.

“We suffered through the conditions that created the flood even if there isn’t a river near us.”

Warren worked with Rural Financial Counselling Service to create a

cashflow budget for 12 months.

“They really have been fantastic in helping me work out a future plan,” he said.

“There’s such a lot of benefit in having someone to talk to and use as a sounding board.

“Don’t be an island – make sure you’ve got someone you can talk to about your plans and test your thinking.” v

Indonesia renews CRA with Australia

Australian table grape producers and exporters have breathed a sigh of relief with the renewal of Indonesia’s Country Recognition Agreement for Fresh Produce of Plant Origin (CRA) earlier in May.

The CRA, an agreement which recognises an importing country’s commitment to food safety systems for fresh produce of plant origin, was officially renewed in early May and backdated to 27 April 2024.

While the CRA is not related to phytosanitary market access and is not a technical market access condition, it does however provide favourable conditions including priority access to Jakarta port and smooth processing of import goods as products are not detained for food surveillance testing upon arrival.

Indonesia requires countries to apply for recognition of their food control systems every three years, and Australia has maintained successive CRAs since 2009.

Despite this, and reassurance provided by Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), and the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), some exporters who had containers on the water or ready to ship experienced an anxious 10-day wait for the renewal.

In 2021, exporters experienced similar nervousness following a delay to the CRA’s renewal.

ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said he was confident the CRA would be approved and Australia would successfully continue exporting for the remaining weeks of the season.

“For the many growers/exporters I had individual conversations with, the

outcome is exactly as I advised via my dealings with the embassy,” Jeff said.

“The Australian Embassy in Jakarta was highly confident that all would be good based off the United States (US) experience where their CRA had expired, but the US continued to export.

“Any product that landed after the expiry date was cleared as Indonesia back dated the new CRA to the expiry date.”

The conditions of the CRA include that all consignments must be accompanied by Prior Notice issued by the exporter or their representative in Australia, and Prior Notice must be issued before the product arrives in Indonesia.

Indonesia is Australia’s second largest export market for table grapes. More than 23,000 tonnes of Australian table grapes have been exported to Indonesia across the 2023/24 table grape export season. v

Biostart biological programme increases:

• First grade fruit

• Cane size

• Vineyard establishment rate

• Resilience against weather/ disease

• Soil biology

• Nutrient uptake

• Fruit storage.

Ready to rejoin market

A note from our chair

There was great weather to start season 2024.

A few of us got some storms, which slowed down the drying, and the weather got cooler with dews in the mornings, so dehydration has started.

Yields have been down on most vineyards, though the new varieties have stepped up and some very high yields have been achieved.

Light fruit has made up a high percentage of the early deliveries.

What has been disappointing is the old Sultana has not bounced back from downy mildew last season.

Looking at the canes, they should yield well next season.

Many of these acres have not even been harvested because there were not enough bunches. Some growers cut canes and have dried them as naturals.

It’s great to see growers making these decisions at a tough time and we are lucky the old Sultana only makes up about 30 per cent of our industry.

We are hoping for a total crop between 13,000 and 14,000 tones, which is nearly double last year.

For those who have these old Sultana, please look at the new varieties available, talk to your nursery, our industry development

officer at DFA or your processor for they may be able to help.

Predictions of climate change show we can expect a higher chance of rain events at harvest time. New varieties help reduce the risk of crop damage and deliver higher yields.

In the last month, DFA has had visiting delegates from around the world, including two groups from China, one from USA and one from Germany, all wanting to know about this year's crop.

They were all greatly impressed by the quality of the fruit they saw and both processing facilities.

Australia has not been a supplier of any quantity into these countries in the past couple of years due to low volumes.

Prices around the world are firm, demand is strong and this is a great opportunity for our industry to get back into these markets.

For our industry, predictions show we will need to grow established markets and look for new ones that will pay a premium for Australian sultanas.

News from our CEO

We are ready to re-engage markets again.

Our 2024 crop intake forecast remains between 13,000 and 14,000 tonnes at this stage.

Shortfalls on Sultana are expected to be filled with new vineyards coming into production this season.

We are expected to almost double last year’s crop volume if this eventuates.

The hangover from last season’s downy mildew damage to Sultana is evident and is likely a good indication of the 2024 Turkish Sultana crop, too.

Total world supply is expected to be short if this assumption becomes reality.

Australian quality dried grapes across all varieties are expected to re-engage with both domestic and export markets.

We need to regain confidence from both our loyal and new customers.

Traditional European markets and emerging Asian markets are our focus.

DFA and the industry’s two processors are working together closely to promote our quality dried grapes to these markets and customers.

Overseas visitors show generous interest in our quality fruit and are very impressed with the innovation, traceability, yield improvement, new variety development and high level of quality assurance and control standards.

We hope this is the year we can fully re-engage with our markets and customers, to build a solid foundation for future years expecting continuous crop volume increases. v

Thomas Cheung | CEO

Mark King | Chair

2023-24 season in review

Having been in the industry development officer position for about six months now and the 2023-24 season being almost at a close for many dried grape producers, it is an opportune time to reflect a little about how the season looked at the outset and how things actually panned out.

One issue that few dried grape producers saw coming was Queensland fruit fly (Qfly), but more about that later.

Most producers would be well aware of the industry’s need to move away from the Sultana clones that served the industry for many years.

Those clones had traits that made weather-related risk management difficult.

Producers now have the choice of planting consistently higher-yielding varieties that mature earlier and later than Sultana and are less prone to splitting. These new varieties are the result of long-term public and private investment in grapevine breeding.

Two more varieties were released over summer, namely Murray Bold – bred by CSIRO at Merbein – and SheeGene-27, bred by Sheehan Genetics and trialed and released by the SNFL Group. Both are higher-yielding Sultana-types; the former a mid-season variety that can replace Sultana directly, and the latter an early season variety.

The upshot is that risk management is a lot simpler than it once was.

A not unrelated exercise has been the updating of DFA’s variety factsheets. This is quite timely because with the release of the two new Sultanatypes mentioned above there are

now 18 vinifera varieties being used to produce Sultanas, raisins, currants and other types of dried vine fruit.

That level of choice and the amount of experience being accrued by the industry can make for a heady mix of confusing detail.

Hence the effort being invested in summarising all the information into a format that is easily accessible and able to be readily updated as the need arises. The aim is to improve the information existing producers and potential investors have available to make informed decisions.

The old belief that Qflies weren’t interested in grapes – especially grapes for drying – was finally laid to rest this season.

The level of Qfly infestation seen this season indicates that Qfly is well and truly endemic in the region now.

Unfortunately, for some producers it only became obvious when cutting started in late January, and by then considerable damage had been inflicted.

Mercifully, conditions were mostly dry meaning that berries from which grubs emerged for the most part simply dried up.

When there’d been some rain coinciding with grub emergence those damaged berries went mouldy and that spread to other damaged berries and beyond. Either way, and depending on the proportion of berries that hosted eggs/ larvae and whether those damaged berries managed to hang on through the cutting/drying/harvesting process and reach the processor, a waste deduction would likely be imposed when the fruit was graded at the weighbridge. Those berries that hosted larvae represent an economic loss.

Another point to make here is that female Qflies will lay their eggs in both white and red grapes. The “sting” on the berry indicating where the female injected her eggs into the berry may be less obvious on red grapes compared to white, but they’re still there.

But, Qfly is controllable.

Reports from the table grape industry indicate that some table grape properties had minimal Qfly damage. These producers set out traps around the boundaries of their properties in spring and inspected them regularly.

A baiting program was started and maintained when the first Qfly was detected. This is an important point: one Qfly in a trap is enough to trigger a baiting program.

This is the type of approach that DVF producers will need to follow if this season’s experiences are to be avoided. One important lesson this season also provided us is that the chemical used in the bait may not be available when it is needed. Growers will need to plan ahead. v

Michael Treeby Industry Development Officer 03 5023 5174 projects@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au

Time to embrace a table grape biosecurity levy

News from the CEO

There has been a lot of attention given over the past six months to Australia’s biosecurity systems, and protecting the nation’s borders longterm against exotic pest and disease threats.

As a peak industry body, biosecurity has been of paramount importance, and we have seen over the past couple of years the financial and other ramifications of exotic pest incursions on industry.

One way the Federal Government was looking to address biosecurity was through a proposed Biosecurity Protection Levy (BPL), announced as part of the 2023 federal budget for introduction on 1 July 2024.

The government proposed that the BPL would "strengthen Australia's biosecurity system through a new sustainable funding model" – a model which would see everybody that benefits from Australia's strong biosecurity measures contribute financially to its upkeep.

The proposed BPL received substantial backlash from the agriculture sector –including table grapes – regarding flaws

in the government's consultation with industry and in the proposed levy itself.

Many horticulture industries – including the ATGA – and the National Farmers' Federation (NFF), have raised concerns about how the BPL would be collected and implemented. This came to a head in mid-May, when the Senate was due to vote for the BPL, but there was a lack of support from crossbenchers.

The Bill can still be listed in the Senate, and there are still many moving parts to this, but the government might be reluctant to do so knowing it would likely not pass.

Separate to this, industry does have an opportunity to help mitigate the financial impact of biosecurity incursions.

The way to do this would be through a national table grape biosecurity levy – like other industries already have. This differs significantly from the BPL, which would act to protect Australian borders from an incursion. A table grape biosecurity levy would act as an insurance policy, collected and reserved for the table grape industry’s financial contribution to an actual response.

A table grape biosecurity levy would work in tandem with the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD), a legally binding commitment

Scott | CEO

between Plant Health Australia, state, territory and federal governments, and the plant industry signatories.

The EPPRD is a framework for all signatories on how and what to do (and pay for) in an exotic plant pest response, allowing all signatories to determine what and how a possible response is implemented. The EPPRD also sets out how the expenses will be split between all the governments (with the Federal Government typically paying the most) and industry, based on GVP and pest impact on the industry crops.

Other industries were forced to navigate this situation recently, and with this in mind, and with the BPL on the agenda, we have a collective opportunity to lessen the blow as an industry, and be proactive about our biosecurity future v

Jeff

Extension project enters new phase

As you will now be aware from the last edition of the Vine , the ATGA successfully procured the next iteration of the extension project, a five-year project funded by Hort Innovation using the table grape research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government.

Project goals and preparation

During the planning and procurement phase, we’ve spent hours reflecting on the past project, and planning for the next five years. Soon we’ll be out and about to seek your feedback, input, suggestions and ideas to add into the project, and we invite producers and wider industry to contact us at any time.

Inbound missions and international inspectors

The team has helped to facilitate recent farm visits across Greater Sunraysia for trade promotion and trade verification. In March,

Southeast Asian delegates visited farms, packhouses and infrastructure facilities as part of the Victorian Horticulture Exports Program. We have had feedback that the delegates were impressed with what they saw, and developed some good connections with participating producers, which has great potential to enhance trade to these countries. You can read more about that on pages 32-33

Additionally, during April, a senior Korean official visited producers, pack houses, treatment facilities and shipping lines, to verify Australian production practices met Korean export regulations.

Out West

Members of the team have just made their first trip to the regions for 2024 during May with a visit to Western Australian producers. Topics discussed revolved around the 2023/24 season, impact of Queensland fruit fly and the subsequent implementation of a systems approach to address this in the Swan Valley, audits, and levy collections, along with some updates from recent trial work and project activities since the team’s last visit.

Have a field day!

The team, along with the other viticulture industries – Dried Fruits Australia and Murray Valley Winegrowers – held an innovative technical event within the Mildura Field Days. Using our expansive network and connections ensured that the range of exhibitors were relevant to the viticulture industry. We hope the concept will continue each year, addressing different but valuable topics.

All about chemistry

We invited several chemical companies to provide the Mallee Horticulture Technical Network a rundown on how the season unfolded, from their point of view, what chemistry we might lose and what new chemistry is around the corner.

We also discussed the areas of most concern to the viticulture industries and where these companies could possibly direct their focus for future chemical development. We are planning to host a similar event with a producer focus. v

Alison, Jenny & Karen

New vines ready to go

MURRAY BOLD SET TO MAKE INDUSTRY ENTRANCE

The next stage of new variety Murray Bold’s release to the Australian dried grape industry will soon begin.

Murray Bold was officially launched by the industry in January when about 60 dried grape growers attended the field walk to find out more about the variety, as well as see a small trial planting before cutting and harvest.

The rain-resistant variety offers a substitute to Sultana, maturing about the same time, but importantly without splitting.

The field walk event was held at the Secur family’s Merbein South vineyard.

Not far away, at Merbein Vine Nursery, Andrew Zrna was tasked

with propagating the initial 10,000 vines for planting this year.

While the 10,000 Murray Bold vines are accounted for and will go to four growers for trial plantings, Andrew hoped many more would be ready for the industry the following year.

“Hopefully we can do a lot more than we did this year, but that will come down to whether we can get some extra material,” he said.

“It’s really limited because there’s not much in the ground to get the material that I use to graft.”

All grafting work for this year is now complete and Andrew said the priority was to ensure the vines remained healthy.

“We’re now looking to settle them into dormancy when we’ll start

harvesting and digging vines out for sale in July,” he said.

“We dig out in July and customers pick them up as bare-rooted vines from mid-July to mid-September and they get them out to the field.”

He said now was the time for growers to put orders in for the following grafting year, over spring and summer 2024-25.

Andrew said growers could help alleviate nursery guesswork, and also ensure they secured the vines they wanted, by planning ahead and ordering in advance.

“It’s difficult because they work hard and there’s a lot on their plate, and still a lot are dehydrating now, so it’s hard to sit down and think ‘what do I want to do’ when all you want to do is have a break,” he said.

“But think about your rootstock and your varieties and how they work with what you’ve already got. Try to have that spread of early to late varieties.”

Andrew has been in the nursery trade for nearly 30 years, starting with a small parcel of his father’s dried grape property in the 1990s.

The nursery has now grown to about 14ha, supplying vines to the dried, table and wine grape industries.

While he said new varieties were common in the table grape industry, the release of Murray Bold for dried

grapes could be a “game changer” for the Australian industry.

“Any new variety that comes out like this is exciting, especially something that’s early, high yielding and something that can possibly have rain tolerance – it could be a real game changer for the industry,” he said.

“Sunmuscat is a big variety in the industry and that’s a late one. There’s a lot of good varieties that are late, but not so many early, so with Murray Bold, Sugra 39, Selma Pete … there are a lot of options now for growers.” v

Commercialisation of Murray Bold

Irrespective of planting size, there is a $200 annual trademark licence fee per party

For further information, please contact Thomas Cheung (CEO DFA) email ceo@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au

Know your nursery

Now’s the time to get orders in with your vine nursery.

Here are the details for nurseries supplying the dried grape industry.

VAMVVIA: (03) 5022 8499

Sunraysia Vine Nursery: 0419 113 471

KC Vines and Rootstock: (03) 5024 8812

Merbein Vine Nursery: (03) 5025 2120

Talk to your processor about any support or guidance they could offer when it comes to choosing which varieties you plant.

Season ends as quickly as it began

The short and sharp 2023/24 table grape season is almost over – with the curtains set to close several weeks earlier than last year’s season.

Australian grapes burst out of the gates quickly this year, but now the dust is settling on the season, with almost all producers either taking some time off, commencing postharvest treatments, or preparing for pruning.

As the season comes to its end, we spoke to Australian Table Grape Association’s (ATGA) industry development officer Karen Connolly to get a wrap-up of some of Australias production regions.

By all reports, the 2023/24 season was challenging, complete with an early start, lower yields, shortened season, minor trade considerations and environmental influences.

Sunraysia

Across Sunraysia, lower-thantypical yields brought forward the maturity of a range of varieties and led to a shorter season for most.

“Producers described the season as a real mixed bag,” Karen said.

“Many had good quality fruit, despite lighter crop volumes – though, as always, this was dependent on variety, location, timing, etc.”

Last year’s slow and late season produced an oversupply in the

“Many producers, but not all, have been pleased to see this season in the rear-view mirror,” Karen said.

“As I’ve been conducting some late/post-season check-ins, one thing that stands out is just how resilient producers remain.

“Those who have had really challenging seasons will talk openly about them and, in the same breath, move on to discuss their hopes for the new season.”

There were some silver linings identified by producers. Fruit coloured and matured well in most regions, pricing stayed relatively steady for domestic channels, there was more available labour and, thus far, bud fertility looks good for next season.

Weighing up the season

The 2023/2024 season started, on average, around 2-4 weeks earlier than last year. The consensus among industry was that this was due to the cooler, more overcast

market, and fears that an early and short season would lead to something similar were at times accurate. Several producers reported using domestic channels rather than export to move fruit that was maturing quickly.

Producers exporting their fruit reported that, other than small issues, global pressures had decreased – although overall export volumes were much lower than previous seasons.

weather around bud initiation time, producing lighter crops, resulting in earlier maturity. As a result, many producers experienced a very condensed harvest period.

“Many producers reported good crop loads but smaller bunches in some varieties, resulting in lower overall yields,” Karen said.

“Crops matured quickly and for the most part developed well in colour despite the mild weather from veraison onwards”.

ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said that he had reports of yields being down by between 20 and 40 per cent this season in some areas.

Fortunately, climatic conditions presented less of a challenge for Sunraysia producers than they have in the past 2-3 years, however Western Australian and Queensland producers were less lucky.

Riverland, South Australia

South Australian producers reported that fruit looked “fantastic but had no weight to it”.

According to Riverland growers, the cool spring led to lower yields, consistent with what occurred across other growing regions, and brought forward the season by a varying amount, between 1-2 weeks.

Riverina, New South Wales

Griffith producers were some of the latest to begin their harvest, starting in mid-to-late April.

Their season was not significantly earlier or shorter, due to varieties grown, however it still experienced some crossover of Sunraysia's harvest window.

Swan Valley, Western Australia

In WA, most producers faced the same seasonal challenges as those in other regions – lighter yields and earlier harvest dates, but theirs were also exacerbated by heat waves.

“Even though sugars were at desired levels, colour was slow for producers with with some red or black varieties due to extended periods of extreme daytime temperatures and warm nights,” Karen said.

“With one heatwave lasting for 12 days with temperatures over

Queensland

Queensland’s unpredictable weather stayed true to itself, as timing became critical for producers.

Producers also experienced lower yields and early maturation.

“Some producers thought their season would come in exceptionally quick, but it did slow down a bit to come in between 1-2 weeks earlier than average,” Karen said.

“We heard from Emerald, Mundubbera and St George growers, some of whom reported a ‘good but short’ year, while others said it was a ‘funny, unpredictable season’.

“Those who managed to get fruit off in time, before rain events, were quite lucky, as there were reports of some growers stuck for up to 14 days without being able to start harvest.”

40°C, some producers also reported fruit being boiled or stewed on the vine before full colour was reached.”

As with other regions, the lighter crop also caused the earlier onset and completion of harvest.

“One grower, in fact, finished three days before they started last year, and others reported finishing their entire harvest in six weeks, significantly quicker than the usual 12 weeks of previous years.”

In the Swan Valley, producers who were affected by the conditions of the Qfly eradication response and subsequent quarantine zone implemented last

season, which seriously affected fruit movement, took proactive measures for this season. Despite the fact no Qfly were found in the Valley last season a systems-based approach was introduced and coordinated by the Department of Industry and Regional Development (DPIRD) –similar to Sunraysia’s self-managed Qfly management program.

The Swan Valley had no Qfly incursions this season, and area freedom was declared on 11 March 2024. v

Aussie growers head to USA

A group of 11 Australian prune growers will embark on a study tour of the Californian prune industry in late May.

APIA chairman Michael Zalunardo is keen to consolidate the friendships and industry networks formed with Californian growers and processors when APIA last visited in 2014.

“We are extremely fortunate to have such positive relationships where there is a willingness to share knowledge and research findings,” Michael said.

“This year I am excited that we will have three young growers – Samuel Raciti, Anthony Raccanello and Matthew Zalunardo – joining us on the study tour.

“The APIA executive recognises that we are part of an ageing industry and that we must invest in our youth to develop their skills and networks to take us into the future.

“Many of the executives have been on study tours in the past and we have all come home with new ideas to try and improve our own farms.”

Michael said it was important the next generation had that same eyeopening experience and to begin their own international networks.

“To achieve this, APIA offered a $5000 scholarship to young prune growers to help meet the costs of participating in the study tour and we are delighted that we had three well-respected candidates apply and be granted the scholarship opportunity,” he said.

Michael has had a leading role in planning the study tour, which will include visits to the California Prune Board, machinery manufacturers, researchers, farms and processors.

He said a highlight of the tour will be the Sacramento Valley

Research Tour conducted by the University of California Cooperative Extension team on 29-30 May.

This two-day event occurs annually and takes place on various farms in the Sacramento Valley region.

California Prune Board managing, advisor, production research and partnerships Zach Bagley said the field tour was designed to be engaging with ongoing applied research and grower standard/trial practices observed and discussed in the field.

“This is not a sit down powerpoint meeting, but a true field tour where we go farm to farm and talk about different practices, outcomes and how ongoing research might change things for the better,” he said.

This year’s field tour will look at four to five high yielding (>4 tons per acre) orchards with round table discussions around what made these orchards more productive while maintaining size and quality.

The discussions will include the topics of nutrients, water, and pruning management practices.

The tour will also stop at John Taylor’s orchard to see a high-density planting.

Discussions will include the tradeoffs in production costs and benefits this provides, as well as the potential “orchard of the future” opportunities that high density plantings present.

It will also be a good opportunity to talk about the role of rootstocks.

Another stop will be a collaborating orchard to see the ongoing research into understanding the biology and epidemiology of Phellinus, a wood decay fungus affecting prune trees, and subsequent prevention and control strategies.

APIA’s California study tour is a Hort Innovation project, which will be jointly funded via the statutory Prune Levy and individual participants. The tour will take place from Sunday 26 May to Tuesday 3 June, 2024.

All participants will contribute to discussions and preparation of a final report for Hort Innovation. v

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Table grape trade insights

Export snapshot to 20 May 2024 TOP 10 COUNTRIES BY TONNAGE AS AT 20 MAY 2024

PRODUCTION BY REGION FOR 2023

Understanding emissions

WORKING WITH GRAPE GROWERS TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Increasingly, more attention is being paid to the emissions performance and carbon sequestration potential of our agricultural industries and farms.

For the horticultural industry, including grape producers, the total on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are relatively small compared with other agricultural sectors, such as in dairy and beef where enteric methane from livestock contributes significantly to total GHG emissions.

Agriculture contributes around 14 per cent of total national emissions, while horticulture typically contributes only around 1 per cent of agricultural emissions in Australia.

Even so, “most businesses want to play a part in being environmentally sustainable”, according to a Queensland report on emissions in horticulture1

In the not-too-distant future, as production efficiency and sustainability begin to play a greater role in market

conditions, understanding and reducing emissions presents an opportunity to decrease costs through minimising energy loss from the farm system.

Agriculture Victoria is currently working with Victorian growers to help calculate, understand, and investigate opportunities to act on their emissions number through the On-farm Emissions Action Plan Pilot Program (pilot). With a large team of agricultural specialists, utilising specifically designed onfarm emissions tools for the various sectors, this program is underway to empower growers to know, understand and act on their emissions number.

A small selection of table and dried grape growers from Victoria’s north-west are part of the cohort participating in the pilot program.

From this work, Victoria’s table and dried grape industries will develop a better understanding of the specific areas their emissions are coming from and create on-farm action strategies that will both enable better production efficiency and enhance green credentials within the grape industry.

Understanding GHG emissions

All food and fibre production systems generate GHG emissions, to varying levels depending on enterprise type and management practices within the enterprise. For horticultural crops such as grapes, most GHG emissions are from the consumption of electricity associated with refrigeration to cool produce and run irrigation pumps, fuel for farm equipment, the application of nitrogenous fertilisers and management of crop residues.

These emissions are mostly in the form of carbon dioxide, methane or nitrous oxide, with each gas having a different global warming potential that is converted to a carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) number.

To calculate a farm’s emissions footprint, total emissions of the farm production system are broken into Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. For horticultural systems, the main direct emissions from farming activities (Scope 1) relate to nitrous oxide

emissions associated with nitrogen fertiliser use, manures, crop residues or pruning and management, and carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use by equipment and machinery when undertaking activities such as spraying and slashing.

Scope 2 emissions relate to on-farm electricity use for irrigation, pumps, cool rooms and packing sheds. Scope 3 emissions are those generated offfarm but captured in purchases used on the property, known as “embedded emissions” in products such as electricity, fuel, fertiliser and pesticide manufacture. Scope 3 emissions can’t be directly managed, however, still need to be considered, as informed purchase choices could reduce a farm’s overall emissions number.

Opportunity to store (“sequestering”) carbon also exists through building carbon stocks in trees and soils. The sequestering of carbon onfarm can help to balance the net emissions footprint of the farm.

Developing tools for the future

By estimating their GHG emissions using specifically designed calculators and web tools, growers can know their number and understand where in the farm production system most emissions are coming from. These tools estimate the total tonnes of

carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-e) being generated at the individual farm level each year and determines the emissions intensity of the produce by dividing the total emissions footprint in tCO2-e by the total tonnes of product.

Importantly, this information provides grape growers with clues on where to increase on-farm production efficiencies, while also increasing long-term sustainability and competitiveness of their enterprise.

See infographic

To produce grapes, electricity consumption will typically contribute around half of the total on-farm emissions footprint and tackling energy consumption represents a major opportunity to increase production efficiency, reduce on-going costs and targeting emissions.

For example, on-farm solar and batteries will reduce dependence on grid power for running electrical plant and equipment such as cool rooms, pumps and lights. Reducing overall power demand also offers a strategy through transitioning to new generation refrigeration systems, variable speed drive pumps for better coupling of power draw to pumping demands and energy efficient LED lighting in processing sheds.

The impact of applying nitrogen fertilisers and its combined footprint

from nitrous oxide emissions and upstream embedded emissions can be reduced by emerging green products, utilising nitrification inhibiting formulations and ensuring maximum crop use efficiency by applying the “Right Product, Right Rate, Right Place” philosophy.

As for the participating grape growers, and other agriculture industries that stand to benefit from the pilot, the journey has just begun.

Further information on horticultural emissions, emissions calculators and actions that can be undertaken to reduce emissions can be found on the Agriculture Victoria website. v

James Nuttall

Climate Change Communications, Agriculture Victoria

More information: agriculture.vic.gov.au/climate-and-weather/ understanding-carbon-and-emissions agriculture.vic.gov.au/climate-and-weather/ understanding-carbon-and-emissions/greenhousegas-emissions-from-horticulture agriculture.vic.gov.au/climate-and-weather/ understanding-carbon-and-emissions/onfarmgreenhouse-gas-accounting-tools

References:

1. Carey, D., Deuter, P., Chen, Y., White, N., (2022). Identifying and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Horticulture (HortCarbon info). Final report – Hort Carbon Info, June 2022 DCAP2.1 – DAF#7 Project. DCAP website.

Top: An infographic used to explain where calculated emissions are coming from on individual farms, as part of Agriculture Victoria’s On-farm Emissions Action Plan Pilot Program.

Reviewing industry priorities

DFA TO HOST PLANNING FORUM

The dried grape industry will this year host a research and development planning forum for the first time since early 2021.

The last such event was held in February 2021 and, after a day of facilitated discussions and workshopping, resulted in three major themes for DFA to investigate: education and training, new production systems, and automation and mechanisation.

This year’s planning day in June will be facilitated by DFA industry development officer Michael Treeby, whose extensive industry knowledge and experience will help guide discussion among growers and industry stakeholders.

The event will be open to all dried grape producers and processors, along with stakeholders including industry engineers, agronomists and Hort Innovation.

DFA chief executive Thomas Cheung said after more than three years since the last such session, now was good timing for the industry to review and refresh its priorities to establish a clear focus of what the industry need over the next few years.

“Significant progress has been made so far in some of the areas outlined from the last planning forum in terms of new equipment and automation, trellis design and on-farm management, and new varieties,” he said.

“There are also areas we need to continue to improve on, such as education and knowledge transfer, nutrition, agronomy services et cetera.”

Thomas said he hoped the forum would provide a platform for anyone interested in the dried gape industry to express their views, opinions and to bring their experiences and suggestions forward.

“It will enable DFA to clarify its future priorities and focus by collectively streamlining our thoughts, ideas and recommendations before putting them into a realistic action plan and setting objectives to deliver.”

The planning forum will help to set DFA priorities in alignment with its strategic plan vision for a profitable and sustainable industry delivering innovative growth and quality dried grapes.

The 2024 Dried Fruits Australian R&D planning forum will be held on Wednesday, 12 June, at The Office Wine Bar and Lounge, Langtree Avenue, Mildura, with lunch provided.

Register for the event by contacting the Dried Fruits Australia office on (03) 5023 5174 or email admin@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au for planning and catering purposes. v

Getting clear on maturity timing

SPOTLIGHT ON VARIETY CLASSIFICATION

The release of Murray Bold and the revision of the variety factsheets has prompted a re-think of how the dried grape industry classifies maturity timing. The re-think is warranted because maturity timing of the new varieties becoming available to dried grape producers is often described relative to Sultana, a variety diminishing in importance.

Maturity timing here is taken to mean attaining a target Brix level.

Nominally 23 Brix is considered “mature” because that level of sugar in the berries results in a drying ratio of around 3.5.

Maturity timing varies from season to season due to weather conditions and crop load, but industry experience suggests that the relative timing between varieties remains more-orless the same. Cutting earlier or later than 23 Brix is an operational decision

reflecting likely weather conditions and a host of logistical considerations.

These days, the cutting/drying/ harvesting season goes for about nine weeks from roughly 17 January 20 March, but it is really the timing of reaching 23 Brix that is important here.

An arbitrary division of that nine-week period into three three-week periods corresponding to “early”, “mid” and “late” allows initial classification of maturity timing of the old and new varieties the industry uses to produce Sultana-, raisin- and currant-types and other dried grape types (see table below). This initial classification should be considered a first pass because it isn’t based on many measurements at all.

Rather, the classification is based on a lot of anecdotal evidence such as variety x is earlier than variety y, which is earlier than variety z, and so on.

For that reason, no doubt there’ll be some robust discussion around this initial classification, but to get

that order of maturities absolutely right all these varieties would need to be growing on the same rootstock on the same site, managed in the same way and carrying the same number of bunches per vine.

That’d be an expensive exercise, and it’d need to be conducted over a few seasons.

As dried grape producers gain more experience with the new planting material – hopefully supported by maturity measurements conducted in a standardised manner – the relative maturity timings depicted in the diagram could move about a bit.

The need or otherwise for future modifications aside, the classification set out in the table does provide producers and new investors with a common basis to assess how those varieties may fit into their operations. v

Michael Treeby Industry Development Officer

Sultana

Sugra

Selma Pete

Merbein seedless

Murray Bold

Bruce’s Sport FSAC

muscat

muscat

Muscat Gordo Blanco

Waltham Cross

Zante (Black Corinth)

Maximising postharvest carbohydrate storage

Growing a crop is exhausting – for the grapevine. Nurturing vines through autumn helps maximise their performance in spring.

Carbohydrates

After growing a heavy crop, table grape vines need to recover and start storing carbohydrate and nutrient reserves, so postharvest care is an important consideration.

To build up reserves of carbohydrates for overwintering, the vines need to continue photosynthesis after harvest and, for that, they need adequate postharvest nutrition and irrigation.

In grapevines, reserves of available carbohydrates might be stored as starch or converted to sugars. In roots, most is present as starch. In wood, the concentrations fluctuate because the starch is converted to sugar as fruit ripens.

Why do vines store carbohydrates over winter?

In spring the vines will mobilise their winter carbohydrate reserves, stored in roots and wood, to support new shoot and root growth.

- At budburst, because there is no canopy to photosynthesize, vines rely on the winter reserves of carbohydrates to build plant cells for new shoots. Usually, around

half of the carbohydrate stored over winter in permanent roots will be used in spring to feed the new shoots and feeder roots.

- Shortly after budburst, the expanding leaves start the process of photosynthesis, drawing energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates. The amount of photosynthesis correlates to total leaf area.

- By flowering the canopy is approaching its maximum leaf area, and therefore maximum capacity for photosynthesis. Any excess carbohydrates will be laid down in the wood as reserves. However, there is no guarantee of having excess carbohydrates by

Vines accumulate carbohydrate reserves

From senescence to leaf-fall, carbohydrate levels are at maximum, and stay until the vine emerges from dormancy

Stored carbohydrate reserves in roots and wood throughout season Low High

flowering – low reserves at flowering have been reported in table grape vines grown in the sub-tropics (with associated inconsistency in yields).

- After harvest, vines may be depleted of available carbohydrates and nutrients, so the postharvest period is important to build up new reserves.

- As the vine approaches dormancy, reserves of carbohydrates must be stored in wood and roots for the following spring, and some converted to sugars to protect buds from cold damage.

The challenge for managers is to make sure that despite producing a large crop, vines have good reserves of stored starch for winter.

How can you assess carbohydrate reserves?

Starch is stored as tiny granules in the plant’s transport system (in xylem and phloem cells) in roots and in wood. Usually there is more stored in roots than wood.

A simple test in the vineyard can show whether starch has been stored in the wood. Use 1% iodine from the pharmacy and carefully apply drops to exposed cut wood. The iodine turns starch black, and it becomes visible as strings of tiny black granules within the xylem and phloem ray cells.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t quantify how much starch is present, but it does show presence or absence. Note that the

iodine does not stain sugars, just starch. Some laboratories offer carbohydrate testing of grapevines. Two different approaches focus on either:

1. Testing wood – either as cores extracted from the trunk, or as sawdust extracted after inserting a drill bit into the trunk. Results after testing wood are expressed in terms of how much carbohydrate was present as a percent of the total dry weight (%DW).

2. Testing foliage and fine roots – the laboratory will want a sequence of samples sent at critical growth stages during the season. Results are expressed as an index of sugars and starch, in roots and shoots at specific phenological stages.

is mobilised as sugar which accumulates in bunches

Postharvest management can affect carbohydrate reserves

Keep monitoring soil moisture after harvest – avoid water-stress. Vines need water after harvest to maximise photosynthesis, to generate new carbohydrates.

Delay the start to pruning as long as is practical – a longer delay between the end of harvest and start of pruning allows vines more opportunity to generate and store new carbohydrates. To ensure that early harvested/early pruned varieties have time to lay down reserves, start postharvest care as soon as the crop has been removed.

Keep up postharvest nutrition –maintaining nutrition through autumn will maximise vines’ photosynthetic

potential and carbohydrate reserves before they go into dormancy (note that nutrients required for that autumn flush are additional to the nutrients required for storing over winter).

Acknowledgement and resources

The ATGA acknowledges the basis of this article has been drawn from “Post-harvest care of grapevines: Irrigation and nutrition”, a GWRDC Factsheet by Jason Smith, Charles Sturt University, and Bruno Holzapfel, NSW DPI, as well as other useful resources. Scan the QR code to learn more. v

Delayed budburst

spring growth

and stunted

can be symptoms of low carbohydrate reserves in dormant vines.

If vines have insufficient stored carbohydrate to support growth in spring, then budburst can be delayed and new shoots can be stunted. This is most likely to arise when vines have been over-cropped or were in irrigation deficit in the previous autumn.

NOTE: Stunted spring growth can also be caused by other conditions – mites, compromised vascular system, virus, and more. Carbohydrates are only one possible cause.

Scan the QR code to find out more

Before iodine testing

After iodine testing

Rethinking postharvest vine care

UPDATING PRACTICES TO SUIT MODERN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

We’re all aware that postharvest vine care refers to maintaining water and fertiliser supply to keep leaves producing carbohydrates following the removal of the crop off the vines. Those carbohydrates are exported from the leaves to the bearers, trunks and roots and mobilised to support shoot growth early next season.

Nitrogen taken up during this period too is important for leaf function and forms an important part of the vines’ nitrogen reserves mobilised in spring to support shoot growth.

In the past, postharvest vine care was easier because of the physical separation between the vines and drying crop. Usually, picking was over by early March or so, leaving about two months of reasonable weather for photosynthesis provided leaf function wasn’t limited by water availability and/or vine nutrition.

But the adoption of trellis drying means that bearers on mid-season varieties such as the new Murray Bold, for example, could still need to be fully functional for about three months following the bearers being cut in mid-February.

Early varieties could be cut in the last week of January, which means that the remaining leaves on those varieties may need to be functional for nearly four months. Perhaps a better term might be “post-cutting vine care”.

A feature of trellis drying is that the drying grapes and the remaining canopy are in close proximity. It is highly desirable not to wet drying grapes no matter how transiently. With a modern

drip-irrigation/fertigation system that lack of separation is not an issue. But, avoiding wetting the drying grapes while using overhead or undervine sprinklers is difficult, though not impossible.

A work around is to ensure that the soil profile is full when the bearers are cut.

The elimination of about half of the water demand means there probably will be enough soil water to meet demand until the dried grapes are harvested off the trellis. Early in the drying season this may only take about two weeks, and maybe three weeks later in the season when water demand is likely to be lower in any case due to cooler temperatures. Those complexities aside, keeping water up to the remaining canopy simply follows normal practices but remembering that demand will be about half what it was prior to the bearers being cut. Demand will also taper off as the temperatures start dropping.

The amount of nitrogen to be supplied needs to be sufficient to keep leaves fully functional, but not enough to stimulate shoot growth or to encourage leaves to stay on the vine longer than normal.

On the latter, leaves normally begin yellowing about late April/early May, and have normally dropped off the vine by the end of May/early June.

Early leaf yellowing and defoliation across a management unit is indicative of a general nitrogen deficiency. Conversely, leaves staying green into June is indicative of excessive post-cutting nitrogen supply.

Sometimes a specific area within a management unit defoliates before the rest of the management unit. This probably indicates poor distribution of nitrogen and/or a soil constraint such as waterlogging or hard pans restricting root growth and function. The yellowing

of leaves is due to the loss of chlorophyll as most of the nitrogen in those leaves is sent to the bearers, cordon, trunk etc.

Some restraint needs to be used when deciding on the amount of nitrogen that needs to be supplied. No more than 10-15 kg of nitrogen per hectare is needed from late January through to early April; that amounts to about 22-33 kg urea/ha. Reduce that amount by half if starting supply in late February and half again if starting supply in late March. As a general rule, it is wise to avoid stimulating shoot growth in the post-cutting period by only supplying small amounts, but often; a little bit is good, but a whole lot isn’t. Now is a good time to check in with the DFA Postharvest and winter best practice guide, available in digital format on the DFA website’s producer resources section. v

Michael Treeby Industry Development Officer

Trade program puts table grapes in spotlight

Australia's table grape industry captivated prominent Southeast Asian buyers recently, with a recent trade program fostering strong export relationships.

Global Victoria, the Victorian Government's trade facilitation agency, joined hands with the Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) and Citrus Australia (CA) to organise an inbound trade mission in March.

The initiative aimed to attract buyers from five key Southeast Asian markets to Sunraysia for a comprehensive four-day exploration of the region's fresh fruit offerings.

Running from 18-21 March, the

Victorian Horticulture Export Program facilitated crucial connections between key Southeast Asian fresh fruit importers, buyers, retailers, and Sunraysia's table grape and citrus producers and exporters.

Australian Table Grape Association

CEO Jeff Scott lauded the success of the program, and acknowledged the significance of the achievement, considering the four-year trade mission hiatus caused by the Covid pandemic.

“Many of the delegates have not been to Australia in a long time, some had never been, and the program provided an invaluable opportunity for them to visit vineyards, pack houses and infrastructure facilities,” Jeff said.

“The response from participating delegates and market representatives was really positive and we had

a lot of interest as a result.”

Delegates were able to see the scale of industry, from smaller family-owned farms to larger corporate operations.

The timing of the visit allowed producers to really demonstrate a key part of the journey their grapes make, from the moment they’re harvested to the time they leave the pack house.

The program was made possible by Global Victoria, and facilitated with the assistance of their four wellestablished trade and investment offices in Southeast Asia, who invited representatives from Vietnam, Indonesia, The Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. The program was also part of the marketing levyfunded International Table Grapes Marketing Program FY24 (P1).

A joint industry networking event aboard the PS Mundoo was a highlight of the week, hosted by Global Victoria in collaboration with the participating industries.

More than 50 table grape producers and exporters attended, taking up the opportunity to develop new relationships or strengthen existing connections in an informal setting. v

Bottom

Top right: John Cicchini and Mark Leng.

Bottom right: Nadia Argiro and Sezen Zappia.

Opposite page: Southeast Asian retailers, buyers and importers exploring Sunraysia vineyards with ATGA industry development officer Karen Connolly.

Top left: John Argiro and Charlie Costa.

left: Jeff Scott and Louise Osborne.

Focus on quality

AUSTRALIAN PREMIUM DRIED FRUITS

As the 2024 harvest season draws to a close, initial assessments indicate a notable improvement in the quality of produce compared to previous years.

Once again, Australia's renowned golden, juicy sultanas are set to enhance premium baking and snacking products in both domestic and export markets.

However, it is disheartening to note that yields appear to be lower than originally projected.

The lingering impact of last season's severe downy mildew outbreak seems to have adversely affected the volume of fruit reaching the factory.

Furthermore, a significant portion of the harvest will require dehydration before processing can be completed.

Despite initial optimism due to extremely favourable drying conditions, which led to the belief that further dehydration would not be necessary this season, repeated rain events dashed those hopes. Market conditions continue to be favourable, with demand remaining

robust across various market segments.

This trend is expected to persist until there is more clarity regarding the upcoming Northern Hemisphere crops.

Our initial shipments to major export markets such as Italy and Germany are under way, albeit with heightened scrutiny on transit times and potential delays in transshipment ports.

It is anticipated that geopolitical instability in the Red Sea region may add an extra three to four weeks to transit times.

The potential resurgence in production from major global producers such as Turkey, the USA, Iran, and China could exert downward pressure on global prices, potentially impacting demand for our products.

Despite facing limited customer interactions over the past few years due to the pandemic and crop-related challenges, we are pleased to report a renewed interest from customers, both domestic and international.

We have welcomed numerous visitors, including our agents from Germany and representatives from large snacking companies in China.

Additionally, several domestic customers have made the journey from Melbourne and Sydney to tour our farms and production facilities, signalling a positive shift in engagement.

The positive reception from customers reflects their confidence in our brand and the resilience of the Australian agricultural industry.

Moving forward, we remain optimistic about the opportunities ahead and are dedicated to fostering mutually beneficial partnerships to drive growth and prosperity in the global marketplace. v

Enquiries:

Grower communications officer Megan Rogers (03) 5025 6210 | megan@apdf.com.au

Bottom left: Visitors from Qia Qia Foods, China, stop in at Australian Premium Dried Fruits.

Bottom right: Customers from China's Be & Cheery snack brand visit the APDF processing facility.

Crop brings mixed results

SUNBEAM FOODS & ANGAS PARK

The 2024 dried vine fruit crop is coming to a close and the yield and grades across the various varieties is mixed.

Sultana yields are down on expectations and also the quality is slightly disappointing considering the generally dry conditions experienced.

The January rain accounts for some of the damage and browning of the fruit but there must be other influencing factors that have caused the inconsistent colours.

Was there a carryover of the effect of downy mildew from 2023? Was the humidity in January a factor? Were preventative spray programs sufficient? There are probably other influences that have affected the results that growers will be able to reflect on.

The new varieties, Selma Pete and Sugra39 also were affected by the January conditions and inconsistent coloured fruit was produced.

Sunmuscats and Sunglo both yielded well and the colour was typical for these later varieties, with the Easter rain reducing the base colour, but there was still to a good even amber sample.

Carina currants returned to their long-term average grade after two poor seasons and the yields were to expectations.

Raisins produced a nice sample as the earlier maturity allowed these to be wet and harvested earlier than usual.

Over the last two months we have hosted a number of export customers from Europe and Asia. This has been at a time where they have been able to inspect the crop, both on the vines and harvested, visit the production facility and meet face to face.

This is the first time in many years that this has occurred due to Covid19 and the poor crops of 2022 and 2023. It is particularly important to build these relationships with an eye on the future increased supply and the new emerging varieties.

Dried vine fruit grower spray diary

The industry has made some great improvements to the production of dried fruit and the recognition that this is a great food product. The professional approach has lifted to a new and better level thanks to trellis drying.

The next level we need to get to is the 100% utilisation of the electronic spray diary that was introduced two years ago. The uptake of this has been disappointing considering it is free to growers and it provides the most up-todate chemical list and application rates.

Prunes

The crop result has come in at a 70 per cent reduction on the 2023 crop.

This is proving to be a massive challenge as the sales demand for Australian prunes is very strong.

The only upside to the small crop is the fruit size is excellent and over 85% of the fruit graded to date is in the larger, pittable sizes.

Again, this season we will have to rely on imported fruit to fill this hole, which doesn’t sit comfortably with the business.

There is a while to wait before the new plantings of prune trees come into production from our planting incentive program, but we have an eye and a commitment to the future of the Angas Park brand and our grower base. The uptake of the initial incentive

program has been successful, and we are now looking at extending this to secure increased production going forward.

Dried tree fruit

Reviewing this tree fruit harvest, the lower yield in apricots we believe was a combination of low soil nutrient reserves due to the previous wet conditions and tree stress, insufficient chill hours and unfavourable flowering conditions. Some of these are out of our control but these factors have led to low fruit numbers setting and the smaller harvest.

Analysing the trees and soil nutrient levels, and reacting, will be an important part of setting up the orchards for a successful 2024/2025 harvest.v

Enquiries:

Grower Services | 03 50514 400

Supply Manager - Dried Fruit

David Swain | 0407 834 044

Field Officer - Dried Vine Fruit

Gary Simpson | 0429 960 234

Dried Tree Fruits Operations Manager – Loxton

Luke Fitzsimmons | 0431 894 515

In celebration 20 years of the Vine

From the archives

Growers hammered by constant rain and disease

April/June 2011

Prevailing rains, floods and cool weather tested dried fruit growers as they battled with disease control and poor drying conditions.

After several years of drought, Sunraysia growers were happy to see a bit of rain falling in spring 2010. The trouble was, it never stopped.

In the three-month period from October to December 2010, Mildura had 25 days in which more than 330mm fell. The mean annual rainfall is only 287.4mm.

As the rain fell on 15 October, Australian Dried Fruit Association members were warned via email that conditions for a primary downy mildew infection were close to being met and advised growers to apply preventative or eradicant fungicides to their vines.

“Unfortunately the boggy conditions

Stories of note

Preparing to combat Qfly

October/December 2011

Victoria was facing one of its worst seasons for Queensland fruit fly outbreaks, and quarantine zones were declared around outbreaks in most of Victoria’s key fruit-producing regions.

During the cooler months, the Victorian Department of Primary Industries carried out Qfly management activities including targeted larval searches and monitoring high risk areas as part of its eradication and suppression program.

restricted access onto many properties and did not allow spraying to occur, and the weather that followed was conducive to an outbreak of downy mildew,” industry development officer John Hawtin said.

“At such an early stage of development, bunches were extremely susceptible to the disease. Many were infected and destroyed.”

ADFA executive officer Phil Chidzey said rainfall on 22 March, with more than 80mm of rain falling in 24 hours, compounded an already poor situation for dried grape growers and other horticulturists in the region.

“While the National Disaster Relief arrangements have provided emergency grants for those who have been flood or storm damaged, growers who had limited direct flood or storm damage, but were adversely affected by rain and ensuing disease, have not received direct assistance,” he said.

Representatives from all local

Promoting improved dried grape outlook

January/April 2012

Dried Fruits Australia was actively pursuing a strategy to highlight the positive outlook of dried grape production.

The industry’s future looked promising, with demand exceeding the ability of the industry to supply and strong price signals.

DFA chair Mark King said the industry had to protect the existing production base, but also attract new entrants if it was to remain viable.

horticulture groups formed the Horticulture Industry Flood Recovery Committee, set up as part of the Mildura Rural City Council Flood Recovery Plan.

The committee was instrumental in establishing a Grower Newsletter which was circulated regularly with details of emergency assistance measures.

Aims to increase dried grape sales

October/December 2013

The Australian dried grape industry embarked on a major marketing activity focused on driving domestic sales. The industry faced a number of challenges in recent years, including a shortage of fruit, lower grade fruit and greater imports, leading to a decline in consumption. The marketing activity focused on advertising, supermarket placement, a digital strategy and public relations with publications and bloggers.

CELEBRATING YEARS OF THE VINE

Australian grape access to China approved

January/March 2011

Australian table grape growers have been given a boost with the announcement that their application for market access to mainland China was approved.

The protocol between China and Australia was agreed and initialled on 11 October 2010 in Beijing and the first exports are due to leave Australian shores in February 2011.

Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) chief executive Jeff Scott said the result was the culmination of eight years work and could see China become the most valuable market for Australian table grapes.

“China is the world’s largest producer of table grapes, accounting for one-third of global production,” he said. “The majority of that fruit is consumed domestically,

Mildura to host 7th International Table Grape Symposium

April/June 2014

Mildura gets the gong for the 7th International Table Grape Industry Symposium (7ITGS).

The premier event for table grapes is held every 3-4 years, and the ATGA and organising committee were busy preparing for the November 2014 event.

Some 200 table grape researchers, industry experts and growers were expected to converge on Mildura for the event.

7ITGS celebrated the event’s 20-year anniversary.

with very little exported, so it is an enormous market for table grapes.

“As a southern hemisphere producer, Australia can provide grapes in China’s off-season, enabling the Chinese consumer to have yearround access to fresh grapes.”

ATGA deputy chair Ang Panagiotaros said as a grower it was frustrating to have watched other countries gain access and send their fruit to China.

“We are capable of producing some of the best grapes in the world, and direct access means Australian grapes can be fully identifiable in the market as such,” he said. “We can now build product and brand recognition and establish Australian grapes as a favourite. We want consumers to seek out our product.”

This was reiterated by fellow board member Vince Dimasi.

“The Chinese have a huge population base to tap into, and provided we

Japan and South Korea markets open

October/December 2014

Japanese and South Korean market access breakthroughs created new opportunities for growers and exporters.

After years of negotiation between the Australian Government and the Japanese and Korean governments, export protocols for table grapes had finally been agreed to.

More than 120 key Japanese representatives gathered at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo for the Japanese launch, while South Korea’s launch took place at a large retailer.

get it right and supply the quality they require, the potential of the market is enormous,” he said.

“Quite simply, if the product is consistent, good in colour and mature, we can’t go wrong.”

2015 – Year of the Grape Caeser

April/June 2015

The Australian table grape industry was calling on Aussies to help make the Caeser Selfie go viral.

Industry aligned with HeartKids

Australia to raise awareness about children born with heart defects, while promoting the health benefits of eating Aussie grapes.

Want to take a #CaesarSelfie?

Snap a selfie with a bunch of grapes. Share it on socials. Should we bring back the #CaesarSelfie? v

Profile Larry Dichiera

Larry Dichiera had his start with processor Australian Premium Dried Fruits as grower liaison officer. Now, he’s putting his knowledge and experience to work in his new farm manager position.

Larry shares what he’s been up to in his new role and what he sees for the future of the industry.

How long have you been with APDF and what is your new role?

I started off with APDF in 2017 as the grower liaison officer, and really enjoyed the position. Highlights of the role included meeting some fantastic growers, seeing different techniques and procedures growers do on their own blocks, helping growers with decision making and listening to stories they had to tell.

In 2022, APDF purchased the 100 acre property next to the factory and I embraced a dual role in the company by managing the vineyard as well as the grower liaison role.

As of the start of this year, I’m purely now the farm manager, as doing both roles was very exhausting, especially with the seasonal challenges we were dealt over the past two years.

What does your new role involve?

The new role is straight out farm manager. I have great support and a fantastic team to work with.

Our challenges at the moment are turning around a vineyard that was previously mismanaged and somewhat neglected to a healthy and sustainable vineyard.

The prime movers in our team include Ash Johnstone, Craig Greenwood (our CEO) and Shannon Sharp (Golden Dried Fruits) as well as some key staff from the APDF factory.

With this team we are aiming to minimise our winter pruning costs on large scale vineyards, consistently yield four-plus tonnes an acre and complete harvest operations seamlessly and as smooth as possible.

What do you like about working in the dried grape industry, and in your role?

I’m a little biased I guess, but I was raised on a fruit block and drying fruit is in my blood.

I liked seeing the industry evolve with trellis designs, grape varieties and technology and also dealing with the other people in the industry.

I quite enjoy seeing the fruits I grow and being a part of making it all happen.

Where do you see the industry going and how do you see things changing?

I see the industry growing for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, we are a reasonably highly mechanised industry which helps reduce labour needs. I see labour (both cost and supply) being a huge problem for high manual required products like table grapes and citrus. This could persuade growers who are considering a development to lean towards a mechanised industry.

Technology is also evolving so fast

and the cost for these items are becoming cheaper to purchase, this can make our already mechanised procedures work autonomously. The other area of growth could come from winegrape growers switching to dried fruits. The poor returns for wine grapes lately making them not worth growing, but having the basic infrastructure already set up, could make it an easy switch for the grower.

Newer, earlier ripening and heavier yielding varieties are also making it a more attractive industry to be in.

I can’t wait to see where our future is heading.

Is there anything new or innovative you're doing on the property you manage?

I’ve got a few trials I’m doing with trying to grow bigger bunches as well as increase berry size, while maintaining a high quality product.

I’m also trialling drying fruit without summer pruning, which could potentially mean not spraying out cordon fruit and retaining those bunches, no need to summer prune or crown pick.

We’re also implementing cordon shaving to our vineyard, which is a good bit of innovation to help reduce winter pruning costs. v

Notice board

Producers and exporters traded freight ships for a river cruise for a joint industry networking event as part of Global Victoria's Horticulture Exports Program in March.

Left: Global Victoria Lead Food and Fibre Exports Louise Osborne with Mildura Fruit Company’s Jon Watson and Fresh Produce Group’s Sally McKay.

Middle: Algona’s Louis Joseph and Budou Farms’ Enrique Rossi.

Right: Premier Fresh Australia’s Frank Frappa and Perfection Fresh’s Christian Jones.

The Australian dried grape industry has recently come together to host several international guests.

Dried Fruits Australia, along with processors Australian Premium Dried Fruits and Sunbeam Foods, hosted the groups from Be Cherry and 3 Squirrels, China, showcasing the industry’s growing region and processing facilities.

BOARD

Mark King (Chair) Producer, Pomona

Warren Lloyd (Deputy Chair) Producer, Irymple

Stephen Bennett Producer, Merbein

Ashley Johnstone Producer, Irymple

Ashley Chabrel Producer, Barmera

Rowena Smart Producer, Red Cliffs

Jeremey Boyd (Chair) Victoria

Rocky Mammone (Deputy Chair) Victoria

Dominic Sergi Victoria

Adrian Cordoma Victoria

Robert Nugan Victoria

BOARD

David Swain Sunbeam Foods

Steve Sinclair Sunbeam Foods

Craig Greenwood

Australian Premium Dried Fruits

Michael Scalzo

Australian Premium Dried Fruits

James Shopov Producer, Duxton

Nathan Jilbert Specialist, Cardross

Don Albanese Victoria

Joe Garreffa New South Wales

Anthony Cirillo New South Wales

Peter Nuich Western Australia

Bill Avery South Australia

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Copyright © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2024. 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.