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.
Processing & marketing New facility open
In celebration 20 years of the Vine
Michael Mobilio
Taking stock of industry wins
Welcome to your spring edition of the Vine magazine! There are a few reasons to celebrate in this edition.
After announcing the winner of the Dried Fruits Australia Quality Awards and Top Crop Awards, we highlight the achievements of the industry’s high performers.
The reasons to celebrate continue in Australia’s table grape industry as Japan removes varietal restrictions and the ATGA heads another five years of market access support.
While the industries take stock of some recent wins, growers are also keeping their eyes on the next season and how they can best position themselves leading into
Allan back at the top
STILL ROOM TO GROW FOR INDUSTRY’S BEST
Allan Long has taken out the Dried Fruits Australia Top Crop Award for the second time in three years – and is confident he can do even better.
The Cardross grower said the win this year was “not unexpected”, given his history of production.
Allan won the inaugural Top Crop Awards with 15.81 tonnes to the hectare in 2022, and was back this year with a winning 14.79t/ha for his Selma Pete.
The Top Crop Awards were introduced to highlight the industry’s best producing dried grape businesses, rewarding those that produce the highest value crop per hectare, based on their final yields, grades and any deductions and publiclyknown base level pricing.
While his first year in the competition was greater than this year’s crop total, Allan said his vines were still recovering after a failed crop in 2023.
“The biggest difference this year was coming off the back of the failed crop from last year with downy mildew,” he explained.
“I lost most – about 80 per cent to downy.”
Allan said there were several unfortunate circumstances – primarily
being away from the block when the first downy mildew event occurred –which impacted the rest of the season.
“It came back alright. The vines come out of it healthy eventually, so there were canes for the next crop,” he said.
“This year I managed things the same. The issue was that previous year, but coming into this last harvest everything was much the same.”
Despite already being at the top of the Australian industry in terms of production value per hectare, Allan thinks there’s still room to grow.
“I’m pretty confident that given some luck, I can actually do a bit better than that,” he said.
“That will be the intention – to get a bit better every year, or make it easier to manage each year, or make some small improvement each year.”
Allan has developed his own narrow row trellis system, a strong contributing factor to his success in producing high yields. The rows are spaced at about 7ft, rather than the traditional 11ft.
However the development of his own system means that much of the work – despite being manageable for one person – is manual or has required the development of his own custom machinery to complete the season’s tasks.
“There’s a lot of stuff that is done manually, so I’m looking a little more at mechanisation. If I can improve that a little bit, it'll make it easier to manage.”
While there is always a degree of risk associated with setting up a vineyard differently, that risk has paid off for Allan.
He offered simple advice for other growers wanting to improve their production.
“If they have some radical ideas on trying to do some improvements, then try to have a go at it,” he said.
“That’s where all these systems come from.
“Fortunately everything did fall in place (with my own system). I did have some back-ups, some simple trellis systems
that we know work but wouldn’t be as effective as what I’ve got now.”
Allan will give a behind-the-scenes look at his block and his vineyard management at a field walk to recognise all of this year’s Top Crop Award winners. Details will be announced through Dried Fruits Australia communications channels. v
2024 TOP CROP AWARD WINNERS:
Selma Pete: Allan Long - 14.79t/ha
Sunglo: TriggsTrellis Supplies - 11.51t/ha
Sunmuscat: RJ & WN Smart - 11.17/ha
Sugra39: M & O Secer Family Trust - 10.1t/ha
Currants: Gardner DJ & BJ - 13.73t/ha
Honourable mentions:
Sunglo: Hidden Brick Vineyards - A & N Chabrel - 10.94t/ha
Sunmuscat: JW & JL
Hunt - 10.72t/ha
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TRI-BASE
Japan says “Konnichiwa” to more Australian table grape varieties
Australian table grape producers have an opportunity to rebuild their export profile in Japan following the removal of varietal restrictions.
The Australian Government recently announced the win for industry, which will open the cool room doors to all Vitis vinifera-only table grape varieties currently available or approved for export to Japan from season 2024/25 onward.
Australia celebrated a decade of sending table grapes to Japan this year, with the improved trading conditions set to make future seasons even sweeter.
Australian Table Grape Association CEO Jeff Scott said the industry’s campaign had been a long time in the
making, and the achievement would transform table grape exports to Japan.
“Interest for Australian table grapes in Japan has increased steadily over the past 10 years, since technical market access was granted in 2014,” Jeff said.
“However, our export market value has been limited by the varietal restrictions in place.
“Australian producers and exporters have sustained strong trade relationships with Japanese importers and buyers, and we know Japanese consumers are eager to take advantage of all Australia’s table grape varieties on offer – which, after a lengthy wait, they’ll now be able to.”
The Japanese Retailers Association played an integral role in driving Australian varietal access up the list of priorities for Japan
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
Japanese importers are keen to strengthen their relationships with Australian table grape producers and exporters and have already begun making enquiries.
Table grape varietal access is expected to increase the export market value by A$30 million over the next few years, to A$50 million – a far cry from the initial 16 containers sent in Australia’s first year of table grape exports to Japan.
Industry responds to opportunity
Producer and exporter response to the news has largely been positive.
Some producers have spoken about previous limitations of trading with Japanese customers due to a lack
of varietal selection, highlighting the improved conditions had already prompted conversations and a renewed interest.
The ATGA aims to capitalise on the interest by conducting pre-season promotional activities such as inbound and outbound trade missions.
“We’re planning several activities for the coming months to build awareness and buzz ahead of the season, about Australian producers and exporters, varieties on offer, growing conditions and availability,” Jeff said.
“That will also be supported through comprehensive export marketing activities pre- and during the season, as part of the Table Grape International Marketing Program, which the ATGA hopes to secure for five years.”
EXIM Trading Global chief financial
officer Julian Panuccio said trading partners were already excited about the potential opportunities.
“Everyone is talking about Japan, and very interested,” Julian said.
“It’ll be great to see how we can use an industry-led marketing program to regain our footing there.”
Costa Table Grapes Divisional Manager Campbell Banfield welcomed the decision and highlighted the efforts of industry.
“ATGA was instrumental in the success of Japan,” Campbell said. “Our share as a country has been eroded significantly by South American producers that had varietal access. It’s now important that we gain that market share back.”
One exporter has raised concerns that consumption levels will not change, meaning that interest will be shared
among more than 100 varieties, rather than the three approved previously.
However, there is still significant opportunity for Australian producers and exporters to take advantage of geographical proximity, quality, and range, and work collectively as an industry to claw back some market share.
“The biggest competition we face is other producers of similar timing in other countries,” Campbell said. “We are going to compete with ourselves internally but we need to take a holistic view and look at what we’re doing to grow the share of the Australian industry."
Campbell said it was important to increase Australia’s market share which would reduce overall competition between producers.
“We compete less with each other if we have a bigger share of other markets,” Campbell said.
“It’s integral that we’re taking share off other competitor markets – but if we don’t have a big enough share of Australian grapes in that market then we do detrimental damage to our industry collectively.”
A win for Australian agriculture
At the time of the announcement, former Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry Murray Watt highlighted the importance
of the positive news for both Australia’s table grape industry and agriculture sector at large.
“Japan is Australia’s second-largest market for agriculture, forestry, and fisheries products and a valuable market for premium Australian fresh fruit,” then-Minister Watt said.
“The lifting of these restrictions is an important development for the industry as Japan is a stable and sophisticated market providing long term growth opportunities.”
The achievement follows on from last year’s success in removing varietal restrictions for Australian mangoes. v
What’s a Vitis vinifera variety?
There are many Vitis viniferaonly varieties, and more than 100 are now eligible for export to Japan. If producers or exporters are unsure whether the variety they wish to export is only Vitis vinifera, they can contact their breeding company. v
Trade and promotions in focus
Enhanced communication for a stronger industry
We're reaching the exciting part of the year – while production work is taking place it's also a key time of year for trade and marketing planning.
First, though, I want to talk about the importance of information.
The Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) aims to keep growers informed about key developments, projects, and industry updates. It is a core function of the ATGA and embedded within the industry’s long-standing levyfunded communications program.
We use various channels, including direct emails, text messages, our fortnightly e-newsletter, Pick of the Bunch, the Vine magazine, our website, and three social media channels – LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook – to communicate important and relevant information to industry on a timely basis.
If you are concerned that you’re not receiving any of these publications, please check to see that you are subscribed to our communications lists, read the newsletters and magazine, and follow us on social media, to ensure you do not miss any industry communications.
If you’re not receiving these updates, you have specific topics of information you’d like us to cover in our publications, or you have suggestions for better communication
methods, please contact Terryn Milner at tmilner@atga.net.au.
Expanding market access in Japan
The recent approval for additional varietal access to Japan marks a significant milestone for our industry. This expansion means that all Vitis vinifera-only grapes are now eligible for export to this vital market. To maximise this opportunity, the ATGA is organising an outbound trade mission to Japan in late November, followed by an inbound mission in late February. These missions are critical for strengthening our relationships with Japanese buyers and promoting the superior quality of Australian table grapes. As details become available, I will send out an expression of interest to all growers. See the lead story on pages 8-10 for more information.
Levy-funded international marketing program
The ATGA is close to securing a major contract with Hort Innovation to lead a five-year international marketing campaign for Australian table grapes in Asia. We have submitted a comprehensive proposal to Hort Innovation, and our proposal aims to boost the industry's presence in key markets, benefiting all growers. Should we be successful, ATGA will ensure inclusivity by allowing growers to provide input and feedback annually, shaping the campaign’s direction.
Challenges in market access negotiations
In other market access news, the ongoing negotiations with the USA regarding improved protocol conditions have encountered setbacks. During the latest bilateral meeting between Australia and the USA, it was disappointing to learn that the USA has requested an Import Risk Analysis (IRA) on Australian grapes. This request could have been made years ago, and unfortunately, it will now delay any progress until the IRA is completed. Additionally, the recent developments in Thailand, where the authorities have requested further information from applicants for onshore cold treatment, have also been a setback. These delays are frustrating, but the ATGA remains determined to pursue all available avenues, including irradiation as an endpoint treatment. Steritech, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Hort Innovation, in collaboration with the industry, are developing an irradiation strategy to present clear and detailed proposals to our trading partners.
Asia Fruit Logistica: A key event for industry growth
Looking ahead, Asia Fruit Logistica is scheduled for the first week of September. This major trade show is a crucial event for our industry, attracting numerous importers and buyers from across Asia. It is an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our products, strengthen existing relationships, and forge new connections. I look forward to seeing as many growers as possible at this event, as your presence is vital to reinforcing our industry’s global reputation and expanding our market reach. v
Jeff Scott | CEO
Winter roundup
During winter the ATGA extension team has been busy. Behind the scenes we have been collating information about biostimulants, which are becoming readily available to the table grape industry.
We have advocated for industry at meetings and events, discussing audits, water, climate change, biosecurity and labour. We have been in discussions about recycling farm plastics (vine covers and drip lines); compared the costs of fruit fly baiting and lures; completed statistical analysis of the dormancy breaker trial results; updated several MRLs in the MRL app; updated lists of the export pests of concern for eight key markets, and more.
In early July, like some of our producers, we made our way to Melbourne to attend Hort Connections to do exactly that – make new connections, as well as find out about new technologies, new trends and science.
In mid-July, we provided over 40 producers and service providers with breakfast and then talked at length about new chemistry in table grapes. It was great to see so many producers take advantage of the chemical company representatives in one room, many of whom had travelled far to attend the events. The sessions, held in Mildura and Euston, had speakers from BASF, Syngenta, Bayer, Corteva, Nufarm and Sumitomo who discussed new chemistry. Agriculture Victoria’s Chemical Standards provided insights into MRLs and compliance, and there were also discussions around the potential loss of chemistry, and the hole that leaves in producer toolboxes.
As an outcome of these discussions, the team is exploring the possibility of a permit for Bifenthrin use in table grapes to aid in the fight against mealybug.
Also on the mealybug front, we started discussions with companies about mating disruption as well as with researchers interested in how spray programs potentially impact on parasitism on mealybug populations in table grape vineyards.
Recently, we helped out at the two export registration sessions. Thanks to the producers who RSVPed prior to these events and to those that lined up on the night and waited patiently while we completed their RSVPs and updated their contact details.
Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) is a topic that, unfortunately, keeps on giving and we are currently working on several fronts to mitigate this pest. Similarly to mealybug, we’re exploring the possibility of Qfly mating disruption and hoping something tangible will come out of those discussions. We’re also producing more Bait Like a Boss videos, which contain information about identification, monitoring, baiting, and spray application and timing.
We’ve spoken to several producers about their strategies for managing Qfly and we’ve been working with the table grape communications project to compile some of those as producer vox pops. Some key points can be found on pages 24-25, and you can hear more from producers in our upcoming Bait Like a Boss video.
One producer who spoke about their experience was Brett Irvine, a wellknown viticulture consultant and producer from Mundubbera, Qld. Brett stars in our upcoming Bait Like a Boss video, and also spoke at the export registration sessions about the importance of managing Qfly like a standard part of a producer’s integrated pest and disease management program. His thoughts can be found here bit.ly/3AAviIW
However, while Qfly has our attention, there are other fruit fly species in the world and some are on our doorstep
– Oriental fruit fly (OFF) being one. While OFF is not in Australia yet, it is particularly worrisome, as it could impact multiple industries and can move swiftly. To keep it away, we need to enhance our biosecurity preparedness – some of our team attended a twoday scenario planning session to have input into possible movement control guidelines and how to best work together to be able to swiftly react if OFF should arrive on our shores.
Our AgriFutures project, trialling Bitwise Agronomy’s GreenView platform, has concluded and we successfully submitted the final report. If anybody is interested in this technology, please contact either Jenny or Karen and they can discuss the results with you.
Last, but not least, the team has been working on compiling a comprehensive list of active and soon-to-be-released Australian table grape varieties.
We're working with the communications project to ensure that all these varieties are on the ATGA website, to raise awareness about varieties, breeders, varietal profiles and availability. The varieties page on the website is the most-viewed page, so this is a prime opportunity to use it to promote available varieties v Alison, Jenny & Karen
Next steps in innovation
A note from our chair Pruning should be coming to an end. There have been some weeks that have been cold and windy, but we all know pruning has to be done so we battle the elements.
This year I again watch with interest how the pruning machine that tidies up the cordon performs.
This was funded by DFA and La Trobe University with dollars from the ADFA branches and has been a great success in time saving and dollars – around $1000 per hectare and two thirds in time.
The Shaw trellis lends itself to automation, including the cane slapper for removing last year’s canes.
Hydraulic cutting of the canes at harvest time may be expensive but the time savings are there.
In saying that, DFA is comparing different trellis types and associated costs. It will be interesting to see that outcome.
Research and development (R&D) dollars that we all pay have been quite scarce due to the smaller crops, so we have been trying to finish any projects with the dollars we have. The new varieties that have been developed over many years by
CSIRO is one of these projects. This project has been extended another year, which means it will come to an end next year.
That is due to extra dollars being found by Hort Innovation going back 10 years.
So at the R&D workshop in June we asked the simple question to all those in attendance: what do you think is the biggest thing holding back the dried fruit industry? Read more about this on page 26.
Murray Bold has been released and we have some 8000 vines being planted this August and Merbein Vine Nursery is taking orders for 2025, so if you are thinking about these give the nursery a ring. The trial rows that were harvested this year show returns of 13.5 tonne to the hectare.
News from our CEO
In great news, the industry received additional matched funding from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, resulting in an new one-off income into the Dried Grape Fund.
The previous year's expenditure over the cap now is being matched, resulting in this income being received.
The total amount is about $1.24m and when this fund is expended into
Mark King | Chair
eligible R&D projects, it will be further matched by the Commonwealth.
Hort Innovation will charge us the Hort Innovation Service Delivery Charge at the appropriate industry rate.
The Dried Grape R&D Planning Session was held mid-June, with growers, processors and industry associates participating and covering areas of production, processing, knowledge, communication and sustainability.
Please make us aware if you have innovative ways to improve our industry in general.
Compared to our recent low crop intake of 2023 (7309 tonnes), DFA is expecting the 2024 crop to recover to reach 11,875t. This is still lower than the 2022 crop volume (14,792t), however it shows recovery as we look forward to next year.
Sultana variety is likely to be a disappointment again this season, but new varieties like Sugra39 and some first-year production vineyards will support our crop estimate.
Working together with CSIRO and Hort Innovation, we launched new variety Murray Bold in January.
We have recently had a DFA New/ Unique Variety Committee meeting and work is in progress on some actions to bulk up some potential new varieties v
Cheung | CEO
Thomas
New updates to spray diary
ONLINE SYSTEM GETTING PREPARED FOR NEW SEASON
Spray diary update
The release of the 2024/2025 “Dog Book” by the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) a month or two back has permitted the dried vine fruit industry’s spray diary to be updated too.
Some chemicals have been dropped from usage because of concerns about meeting MRLs in key export markets, and some new chemicals have been added to the list as new products and formulations have gained APVMA approval for use in Australian vineyards.
The update will be ready for release before the new season kicks off in September. Keep an eye on Currant News email updates.
Producers also need to bear in mind that use of the online spray diary will become mandatory over the next few seasons.
The online spray diary is called Grapeweb, and for those that haven’t used it yet, there is an online training module (https://www.youtube. com/@DASHelpDesk) prepared by Digital Agri Solutions, the firm that designed the diary and host the site.
Using the online diary will save a lot of time and hassle and will be mandatory as mentioned in the not-too-distant future.
R&D levy pool
The industry’s matched R&D levy pool was augmented by an accounting correction a few months ago, and the upshot is that there are more funds available to invest on industry priorities.
The DFA R&D Planning Day exercise conducted in June has provided clear direction on what those priorities are.
Some can be addressed by some small additions to existing projects,
but others will take more substantial planning and commitment to address.
One idea that came up at the day was oxygation; specifically in relation to maturation.
The term “oxygation” describes the injection of air into the irrigation water to increase the amount of oxygen in the rootzone.
Simple Venturi injectors have been the means used to drag air into the water, and local experience suggested that a doubling of the dissolved oxygen in the water could be achieved.
The advantages of that have not been overly obvious.
But, a new approach – developed in New Zealand and spoken about at the Hort Connections event in Melbourne recently – involves injecting nanobubbles of pure oxygen into irrigation water, and perhaps holds a little more promise.
The specific mention of an effect on maturity coupled with the cost of dehydration still being fairly fresh in producers’ and processors’ minds, inevitably led to some speculation whether the nanobubble approach may have a role in dried vine fruit production.
The logistics and cost of setting up a simple trial are being worked out with a view to trying to get something happening in the space soon.
Maturity timing
A reminder that in last edition’s IDO report, attention was drawn to the need to nail down maturation timing of the new drying varieties dried vine fruit producers now have available.
The callout was made to get some feedback from producers
about their observations of the relative maturation timings.
This information is important for making decisions about what to plant and planning the logistics of cutting and harvesting.
To that end, if any producers reading this report have any maturity measurements they’re willing to share, all that is needed is the variety, date(s) the measurement(s) was/ were made, the measurement(s) (Brix or Baume are fine), the location and some indication of the cropping level.
The latter is needed because light crops mature earlier than heavy crops and that sort of information helps define the extremes in a variety’s maturation window.
The information can be sent to projects@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au and will be much appreciated. v
Michael Treeby Industry Development Officer 03 5023 5174 projects@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au
Fortifying exports through renewed market focus
Growers and exporters will receive five more years of market access support, with the renewal of one of the table grape industry’s flagship projects.
The Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) will lead a five-year Hort Innovation levy-funded market access project to help the industry continue to adapt and respond to evolving international trade requirements.
The project is funded by the table grape research and development levy with contributions from the Australian Government, and will build on the strength of previous market access projects.
Despite the industry’s strong export reputation, it has been a challenging few years for producers and exporters, with market instability, rising costs of production and trying climatic conditions among some of the pressures.
ATGA CEO Jeff Scott recognised that the renewal of the market access
project, for an extended period of time, would be timely and present a good opportunity for industry –particularly with Japanese varietal restrictions removed and a greater need for market diversification.
“This five-year program will aim to address current export challenges and mitigate future risks for producers and exporters to sustain and fortify the industry’s long-standing and strong export position,” Jeff said.
Background
The market access program has been an integral part of the table grape industry’s research and development investment over the past 20 years.
Market access projects have accelerated the industry’s export growth over this time.
Driven by the efforts of producers, regional grower associations, the ATGA and strategic market access committees, market access projects have facilitated an impressive export legacy for table grapes over the past decade.
Exports have surged from 30,000 tonnes (valued at $80 million) in the early 2000s, to 152,500 tonnes (worth $623 million) in the 2019-20 season in large part due to the work conducted in the industry’s market access and export readiness program.
“The export market landscape Australia is now privy to is a testament to the success of the various projects, starting with the first industry-led market access program in 2007,” Jeff said. “Market access programs are integral to our industry’s success.”
Over the years, this program has led to access into China, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia, as well as improved trading conditions – most recently, as detailed in the Vine’s lead table grape story, the removal of varietal restrictions in Japan.
Why is the market access program important?
As international market requirements change, Jeff said it was vital to “preserve the industry’s export status through education, communication, relationship-building, strategic planning, and compliance activities”.
Growers and exporters have spoken about the importance of the market access project, which has provided tangible support to help them make smarter business decisions.
Costa Table Grapes Divisional Manager
Campbell Banfield said it was great to see the program renewed.
“As the industry experts, ATGA has an understanding of not just the positives that we experience but the challenges,” Campbell said. “Being based in the growing region and having that level of expertise, it’s an incredible program.”
One key addition to export communications in 2024 was the online weekly release Export Snapshot, which Campbell said was a useful tool.
“The most important thing for my business is the data – what’s being shipped to where – so we can make the best decisions,” he said.
What will the program
deliver?
The ATGA will continue its work within industry to improve market responsiveness through building
export readiness and capacity, refining export compliance, advocating for improved market access conditions, communicating market intelligence, and strengthening in-market relationships.
Critical work will be undertaken to help minimise export risks for producers and exporters through education, awareness, and capabilitybuilding – improving and maintaining the export registration process and supporting growers to navigate the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s audit processes.
Through improved market intelligence and export training materials, growers will be provided with the tools to make informed business decisions with trading partners.
ATGA will continue its industry representation at a regional, state, national and global level, on all export-related fronts.
Industry will also collaborate with Hort Innovation to advance longterm strategies for export that align with industry needs. v
What
will this market access project deliver?
- Industry representation at all levels
- Developing strong trade relationships
- Grower education and awareness
- Building export capacity
- Enhancing export market compliance
- Navigating trade negotiations
- Upholding stringent biosecurity measures
- Five year program
Taking on a new challenge
DIVERSIFYING WITH DRIED GRAPES
A lifelong wine grape grower is preparing to turn his hand to dried grapes in an effort to diversify his property.
Stiven Ludas, from Renmark in South Australia, manages 48.5ha alongside his parents on the family block.
“We’ve been in winegrapes as long as I can remember,” Stiven said.
“We did have apricots – that was when I was growing up – but we pulled those out and put in grapevines.”
Stiven had a connection to the dried grape industry through his brotherin-law Ash Chabrel, an established dried grape grower and board member for Dried Fruits Australia.
While he received some guidance, Stiven said the decision to pull out a 3.53ha patch of 48.5ha was not an easy one to make.
“It’s a big change. The work behind pulling out, remeasuring, planting –
there’s a lot to think about,” Stiven said. He said the decision was made last year, and put into action this year, pushing out a patch straight after vintage and turning to dried fruit.
Stiven joined Dried Fruits Australia at its field walk to launch new dried grape variety Murray Bold early this year.
He’s chosen to plant Murray Bold because he wanted an early and high-yielding variety.
Stiven had considered other crop types but ultimately decided dried grapes best suited his skills and experience.
“For me, if I’d gone with (another crop), I’d have to upgrade my equipment or buy new equipment,” he said.
“I know how to grow grapes and we do it reasonably well, so I decided why not continue with dried fruit.”
Stiven has done the work of removing the old vines, and is preparing the site ready for planting in 2025 to give the new young vines the best start possible before harvesting his first crop in 2027.
Stiven has decided to plant up with Shaw swing-arm trellis and has enough for his first patch, along with another he plans to plant in 2028.
“I’ll still probably keep winegrapes. We’ll keep those going and just go half and half – diversity is important,” Stiven said.
“If you look at trends, we’ll have a good run and then it hits rock bottom. It gets to the point where you need another source of income just to help you get through to carry you through the tougher times.”
In the meantime, Stiven is keen to learn everything he can about the dried grape production and the industry.
He said he felt the dried grape industry welcomed new growers with open arms, and he was excited by the push for innovation and the openness and willingness of others in the industry to share information.
“I’m looking forward to getting that first crop, seeing how well we’ve done and seeing the reward of everything we’ve done.” v
Growers back to claim another Quality Award
Cardross dried grape growers Andrew and Sharee Hobbs have taken out this year's Dried Fruits Australia Quality Awards.
Announced at the Mildura Field Days in May, the awards recognise the growers who produce the best quality fruit of the season across a range of categories.
The Hobbs' were awarded Best Overall Fruit and Best Sultana or Sultana-type.
The couple previously took out the awards with their Bruce's Sport in 2021 after just five years in the industry.
Dried Fruits Australia CEO Thomas Cheung congratulated this year’s Quality Award winners, who represent the best of the Australian dried grape industry.
“These growers have displayed the hallmark of the Australian dried grape industry – worldclass quality fruit,” he said.
The Australian dried grape industry is on the path to recovery.
After several challenging seasons, including a recent low crop total in 2023, growers faced more favourable conditions this year.
Tonnages and productivity is expected to increase over the next few years, with new plantings coming online and existing growers increasing yields.
DFA CEO Thomas Cheung said crop totals were expected to gradually increase to exceed 20,000t in the next few years, which would help keep market supply consistent. v
“Recent years have not been without their challenges, so these award-winning growers should be proud of their achievements.”
Dried Fruits Australia hosted an afternoon tea to celebrate this year's DFA Quality Award winners, where chair Mark King addressed the group, presenting trophies and gift cards to the recipients.
In presenting the awards, Mark explained this year’s Quality Awards would be the last, as the focus shifts to the new-format Top Crop Awards, which acknowledge growers who produce the highest value crop, in terms of yield and quality.
Top: 2024 Quality Awards overall winner Andrew Hobbs.
Bottom: DFA board member Stephen Bennett, SuniTAFE horticulture relationship manager Matt Wilson, SuniTAFE farm manager Kevin Sharman, Stephen Nicholls, Robert Kennedy’s parents Terry and Don Kennedy, and DFA CEO Thomas Cheung.
The 2024 Dried Fruits Australia Quality Award winners were:
Winner Best Fruit and Sultana or Sultana-type: Andrew and Sharee Hobbs
Sunmuscat: Kevin Sharman
Sunglo: Ian Dodd
Currant: Robert and Elizabeth Kennedy
Raisin: Stephen and Jinky Nicholls
CROPS REBOUND IN 2024
2024 CROP TOTAL 11,875t
2023
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Aussie growers learn from US leaders
In late May a small delegation from the Australian prune industry headed to the United States for a study tour of the Californian prune industry.
With more than 600 growers planting more than 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of prunes in two major growing regions – the Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley – the Californian industry is not only large, but quite diverse.
The Californian industry is valued at USD$160 million annually, which enables it to invest in research to improve production and sustainability on-farm and when drying. It also finances several projects to substantiate the health claims associated with eating prunes and assist with marketing and promotion activities in the United State and overseas.
This strong technical base and all its knowledge is a great resource for the local industry.
The Californian study tour enables Australian growers and service providers to tap into this font of information and learn from some of the world’s best producers.
The tour included visits to machinery manufacturers COE and OMC, the world’s largest organic prune grower and the Sunsweet factory.
Numerous farm visits during the two-day Sacramento Valley Prune Research Tour, and meetings with the California Prune Board and California Prune Growers Marketing Association were of great value and completed the study tour.
STORY
Here we take a look at some of the highlights and learnings of the tour.
Denny French Prune variety trees planted on Rootpac 20 dwarfing rootstock in a super high-density planting of 526 trees/acre at Taylor Brothers orchard in Sutter County. The trees come into production a lot earlier, producing 1.3t/acre at third leaf, and 4t/acre from fifth leaf. The fruit is slower to harvest due to the higher yield, but the sample is very clean, albeit, of small fruit size. Thinning and improving size of fruit is very important and difficult in this set up.
The new COE harvesters use a lower horse-power John Deere engine, which runs at a constant rpm, saving fuel and wear and tear on the motor. Each machine takes about 240-man hours to assemble in the Live Oak factory. Innovations include: five different patterns for shaking, auto shaker head return and tree counter all managed through the onboard display, as well as an air cleaning system that extracts dust through the exhaust.
Joe Turkovich practices long pruning on his farm. The technique was developed in the 1980s but Joe has modified the practice to bring trees into production earlier. Trees are not headed, instead developing more upright scaffolding and flatter fruit wood angles which bear earlier than traditionally short-pruned trees and have a less cluttered middle allowing for more air flow.
Yolo Gold is the new variety released from the Californian Prune Breeding Program at Wolf-skill Experimental Station. This self-pollinating tree blooms four days earlier than California French Improved (CFI), but is harvested two weeks after CFI. Producing a large (40 count per pound), sweet (25˚ Brix) fruit Yolo Gold can be sold as fresh fruit
A highlight of the tour was the Sacramento Valley Prune Research Tour where the delegates joined local growers and researchers for a series of farm walks and presentations. Topics included pest and disease control, super high-density plantings, pruning practices, thinning, irrigation methods, fertiliser application and timing, and drying.
Phellinus pomaceus, or heart rot, is a major problem in Californian prune trees. Airborne-fungal spores enter the tree through wounds caused by shaking or pruning, and the only sign are the conks formed on the main limbs of the tree. The trees rot from the inside out, with no effective treatment available at present.
Bob Amarel has 300 acres of CFI on Krysmk 86 rootstock on his Live Oak property. The trees are planted in mile-long mounded rows with a double line of drip tube buried 152-203mm (6-8 inches) below the soil. Moisture sensors are used and on average he waters three times a month running a 24-hour shift.
or dried. Note the flesh is yellowish and dried to a brown colour. APIA strongly suggests that growers should talk to their processer before planting this variety. Michael Zalunardo is talking to the importer of the budwood to try to get a few trees to trial this variety. v
Industries tackle Qfly realities
As we dive into the production season in southern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, it’s more important than ever for table grape and dried grape growers to get serious about Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) management.
Last season was the first real wake-up call for many, moving Qfly from a theoretical problem to a real one. This season, it's crucial to stop thinking of fruit fly as just a potential threat and start treating it as an inevitable challenge.
Dried Fruits Australia and the Australian Table Grape Association asked some
producers about their experiences from last season – what worked, what didn’t, and what they plan to change.
The takeaway? Being proactive is key. By putting a solid management plan in place now, growers will be in a much better position to keep their vineyards safe and limit the impact of Qfly.
Dried Fruits Australia industry development officer Michael Treeby said it was well-accepted now that Qfly was here to stay in the dried grape growing district.
"While infected fruit will be discarded through the drying, harvest and processing stages of production, they still represent a crop loss," he said.
"It’s recommended that growers set perimeter traps and begin a
baiting program as soon as there is a detection of one fly."
Alison MacGregor – Australian Table Grape Association industry development and National Fruit Fly Council member – said adding Qfly to growers’ integrated pest and disease management program is key.
"Winter Qfly numbers have been higher than average in Sunraysia, so last year's high pressure is not a one-off," Alison said.
"Growers must maintain a strong monitoring program, start bait spraying early in the season, remove or mulch discarded fruit to remove a food source and continue management well into postharvest." v
Warren Lloyd, Irymple
We had a bit of damage last season. I think the mistake I’ve made in the past is waiting until I saw damage in the bunch. I think there’s probably a feeling out there that if you put traps out you’re attracting fruit fly into your property, whereas I think we’ve reached a point where fruit fly is there already. I’ve got an acre of old fruit trees, so I’ll push those up and get rid of them. The general advice is to put traps on the perimeter of your property. I’ll put traps out in September and as soon as I see a fly I’ll endeavour to do a bait program.
Tristan Smith, Fresh Produce Group
Last season, by the time we started bait spraying every seven days, it was a little bit too late. This year, we’ll be starting right on veraison or pre-veraison with the our bait spraying. With our table grape blocks, obviously there are some blocks that have been finished by the end of January, the end of February, and so on, but one thing we did do was continue bait spraying until dormancy on the entire farm. Just because the fruit is on the ground does not mean the fruit fly are going to die – and also the dark green canopies can still be a place for fruit fly to hide.
We move into the vineyard at around the 8°Brix mark, putting MAT traps/lures out. That’s a set and forget type lure that will last 2-3 months in the vine. We’ll have a number per hectare. That could be 10 traps per hectare in a grid pattern – we’ve got a few tricks for keeping them near boundaries, but we’re obviously concentrating in the hotspots. At the same time we’ll also start our spray baiting, targeting patches that are closest to harvest. We could be spray baiting every seven days. But if it’s hot or humid or even wet conditions, we’ll be baiting every five days, or even three days, at times, and if it rains, we have to go back in again. A lot of the time we’re doing half the farm in one pass, and then we’ll come back in a few days and do the other half of the farm –and the hotspots are getting hit both times. If all that fails, we do have cover sprays that can have some effect, but we have to be careful and we’d rather not go down that road.
Last season, I saw growers that had early varieties appeared to be impacted the most with up to 25 per cent yield loss in some cases. Whether word travelled to the guys that had later ripening varieties and they were able to put on treatment which minimised the impact to them, I’m not sure. I don’t think fruit fly favours a variety. There aren’t too many options to combat fruit fly so close to harvest. This season I’ll continue to monitor for all pest and disease as usual. I have bait traps to monitor and I have treatment products on hand in case there is an outbreak.
Peter Cottrell, Cottrell Farms
Our strategy to control Qfly in table grapes is to have fruit fly traps around the perimeter of our farm to indicate numbers, and then implement a weekly bait program, regardless of numbers, starting at least six weeks before harvest. This worked well for us last year and kept numbers out of our patches. You can either buy commercial fruit fly traps or buy your own – we do a bit of both and they both work very well.
Allan Long, Cardross
Towards the end of last season, I did have quite a lot of fruit fly. That’s going to be something I’ll need to monitor and address going into the new season. We’re quite restricted on sprays we can use, but I’ll be baiting. It’s a team effort to an extent. If you’re clear for a certain distance around you, you can somewhat control it in your area because generally the females don’t travel very far.
We grow both citrus and table grapes. Last year was a highpressure season for fruit fly. We started monitoring early. We placed fruit fly traps around the perimeters to see just where incursions are. We also have fruit fly traps next to our light brown apple moth traps. We’re checking the moth traps regularly already anyway, so checking a fruit fly trap next to it was no further imposition. I believe part of our success was that we monitored early and we had lots of traps, so we were able to identify where the hotspots were. We also started baiting early.
Larry Dichiera, Australian Premium Dried Fruits
Werner Ullrich, Costa Group
Industry sets priorities
PLANNING DAY HIGHLIGHTS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Dried grape growers have helped to set future R&D priorities for the industry.
Dried Fruits Australia, with support from Hort Innovation, hosted its R&D Planning Day in Mildura in June.
About 20 growers and industry stakeholders attended the event, where DFA chair Mark King facilitated discussion among attendees around their priorities for the industry.
Hort Innovation industry service and delivery manager Nicole Byrnes outlined details of the funding available to the industry, and the consultation and investment process to enhance understanding of the levy system at play.
After recent challenging seasons, 2024 saw favourable weather conditions and an improved season for the industry.
Coupled with a levy windfall, the planning day was an opportunity for Dried Fruits Australia, in collaboration with Hort Innovation, help set R&D priorities for the investment of the industry’s research levies.
June’s event was the first such planning day since 2021.
DFA CEO Thomas Cheung said it was encouraging to see people from across the industry actively participating and contributing by expressing their views at the Planning Day.
“DFA will work closely with Hort Innovation to further discuss the topics raised, prioritise them and put them into action,” Thomas said.
A range of industry pain points were listed and prioritised, including reviewing dried grape trellis systems, dehydration, fruit fly, high-yield early-maturing varieties and accelerating fruit maturity.
Nicole said consulting with stakeholders was critical in identifying opportunities and challenges that R&D projects could address.
“It was great to meet with industry and work together on how we can maximise the impact of their levy,” she said. v
Industry’s top priorities:
- On-farm and packhouse moisture testing – potential to eliminate dehydration process
- Review of trellis/pruning systems given new varieties
- Benchmarking of early varieties and create updated resources on attributes
- Chemicals/crop protection – loss of chemical options, electronic spray diaries
- Fruit fly control and education
- Advancing maturing to bring harvest forward
- Automation or technology adaption – looking at system efficiencies and technology adaptation for fungicides with emulsions/wetters
- Long-term sustainability
- Opportunity to amplify Communications and Industry Development Officer projects with offerings in education and training
Below: The group of growers and industry personnel who attended the planning day.
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Northern exposure
TRANSFORMING NORTHERN AUSTRALIAN TABLE GRAPE PRODUCTION TO YIELD INDUSTRY RESILIENCE
Researchers in Western Australia (WA) are pushing the boundaries to revolutionise table grape production in northern Australia and enhance overall industry resilience amid a changing climate.
The research team is working with WA producer Kimberly Table Grapes – a venture of Fruitico/Fresh Produce Group based in Broome – to overcome the challenges related to growing in subtropical and tropical Australia.
Through adapting production practices, they're hoping to increase yields, ultimately extending the Australian market to reduce import volumes, and – in the long run – improve the industry's climate sustainability.
The project – funded jointly by CRC for Developing Northern Australia, the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Fruitico, and the University of Western Australia (UWA) – is almost at the mid-point of its four-year mission.
Recently, the Australian Table Grape Association spoke to project lead Associate Professor Michael Considine and his father, Professor John Considine, about the project, their learnings so far and what they hope to achieve.
Background
“This project really arrived because Michael and I have had a long interest in vines adapting to climate change, and the impact of climate on vine phenology – so whether a vine goes dormant or not, how dormant it goes, and the impact of growing region,” John said. “So, we picked up this project because of our interest in that topic –
latitudinal effects on vine production.”
Producing grapes in northern Australia delivers its own unique set of challenges – the lack of temperature variability – seasonally and year on year – and daylength that regulate the vine’s production, as well as high ambient temperature, have profound influences on berry development and flowering.
The team has looked at the work done to reduce the impact of high temperatures and tropical climates on grapevine development in other grape-growing countries, and how they are navigating production to help safeguard industry.
“Brazilian growers, for instance, began having the same sort of difficulties our growers are now having, and they had a big breeding program to produce cultivars which are better adapted to a tropical climate,” John said. “The Brazilian’s have an enormous headstart, however we believe Australia can catch up relatively quickly, and we are seeking to build that impetus.”
Addressing the challenges
Michael, John and the research team have over the past two years been targeting temperature control as their first priority to address the impact of high temperatures on flower development.
Originally, it was thought that the accumulation of starch reserves after harvest and during rest/ dormancy was the major limitation in northern Australia. This is because of the differences in seasonality that promote near-continuous growth, fail to enforce dormancy, and potentially exhaust the vines. It is very clear that the “harvest index”, or proportion of total biomass converted to fruit, is very low in tropical regions compared with the Mediterranean.
But now, preliminary data shows the vines in Broome have sufficient reserves prior to bud burst, but one of two things is limiting inflorescence development.
It’s almost like a whodunnit for the team, as they establish the limiting factor.
Either the reserves are being misdirected to continuous vegetative growth, with inflorescences being a poor sink, or the high temperatures are interfering with the genetic signals that promote flowering. These two options are being explored in detail by two bright PhD students cofunded by the project and the UWA.
“We are taking a methodical approach to determine what the limiting process is in Broome, by evaluating energy status, bud vitality and productive performance of the same variety in Broome, Carnarvon, Swan Valley and Harvey, a bit further south” Michael said.
“We’re trying to understand at what stage of development is the most limiting for production, so that we can target that first.”
Going down the rabbit hole
Michael said their team of researchers included Wenyi Xu, who is conducting metabolic analysis, and Cristina Paez, who is coordinating the field and plant growth studies, as well as the two PhD students who had been able to investigate and go “down the rabbit hole a bit further”.
“Pragya Poudel is looking at metabolic control and inflorescence development and the influence of high temperature particularly,” Michael said.
“She’s doing some thorough microscopic evaluations of the inflorescence development in the field, as well as progressively she’ll do some work in controlled environments.
“While Noor Shaik is looking more specifically at a process that we know is affected by high temperature – a process that is well-understood in annual species but not perennials called thermo-morphogenesis. Somewhat remarkably, high temperatures affect the same responses as shade, causing more extension growth, and negatively influencing flowering.”
Keeping cool
Michael and John said they had high hopes for using misting and temperature control to manage the effects of high temperatures on the grapevine’s development.
“If we’re able to implement this properly, it should – we’re confident –result in a significant increase in the yield attainable, in field in Broome where we’re testing this,” John said.
“We also believe other approaches, such as partial rootzone drying, which is widely implemented in wine grapes, could help manage the excess vigour and provide additional strategies to bolster yield in northern table grapes.
“However, a commercial vineyard doesn’t operate in a vacuum, and there are other challenges, including pest pressure from tobacco cutworm (Spodoptera litura).”
Safeguarding industry
The research team hopes that with further insight into reducing the effects of high temperature on flower development, their research will be useful for not only northern Australian producers, but southern producers as well.
Producers in most Australian growing regions and others globally were affected last season by milder spring temperatures which, by many reports, impacted bud fruitfulness.
The timely research of Michael, John and their team aims to help industry understand how to overcome the impact of seasonal invariability, a persistent issue in the north and one that may becoming more relevant for southern producers.
Michael is also casting the net wider, seeking Australian Research Council (ARC) funding to develop a better understanding of genetic control of climate resilience in grapevines.
As one of very few horticultural scientists who has already been awarded an ARC Future Fellowship, he is well-placed to continue his vision to steer grapevine industries to catch up to cereal crops and is partnering with national laboratories to do so.
Michael said he wanted producers to know that there were researchers in their corner, “trying to push the boundaries” on their behalf.
“We hope the work that we’re doing will hopefully also improve the knowledge base for resilience in southern viticulture as well.”
About Michael and John
Michael (Mick) began working with DPIRD on postharvest fruit quality and transitioned to a joint position with UWA in 2007. He has led a number of externally funded projects on table grapes, wine grapes and apples, leading towards strategic growth in value of horticulture in WA. His lab primarily focusses on the effects of seasonality and climate change on crop productivity. He has trained more 30 postgraduate students, many of who are now working in the horticulture industry.
John (Jac) comes from family whose history with grapes began with a grandfather who worked for the Chaffey brothers in establishing the Sunraysia Irrigation area and established Block 15 in Merbein. He grew up on a vineyard in Cardross. His studies included a Masters in Agricultural Science with Bryan Coombe at the Waite Agricultural
institute and he worked for a period for the then Department of Agriculture at the Irymple Research Station. His research has been concentrated on the grapevine: the role of plant growth regulators and of water stress in berry development and berry splitting. His recent research has focussed on the growth cycle of the grapevine, the integration of growth regulation of the whole vine and in particular the impact of geography and latitude. v
Team members
Associate Professor Michael Considine
Professor John Considine
Ms Wenyi Xu
Ms Cristina Paez
Mrs Pragya Poudel
Mr Noor Shaik
Below: Professor John Considine.
Trials to test advancing maturity
A technology trial to test if fruit maturity can be advanced through oxygation will be carried out in the Australian dried grape industry as early as next year.
The concept of oxygation and its application to dried grapes was raised in the industry after a presentation by Nanobubble Agritech at this year’s Hort Connections event in Melbourne.
Dried grape growers in attendance suggested at the Dried Fruits Australia R&D Planning Day that the new technology could be used to advance maturity in dried grape crops.
With the cost of dehydration still being fairly fresh in producers’ and processors’ minds, and dehydration
being a key priority raised at the planning day, there was interest in how the nanobubble approach may have a role in dried vine fruit production.
The technology aims to achieve saturated levels of oxygen in irrigation water through the creation of nanobubbles, which deliver oxygen direct to the root system.
After discussions at the planning day, Dried Fruits Australia intends to support a trial of this technology on a dried grape vineyard, with the intention to begin a trial next season.
More simple oxygation trials have been conducted in the wine grape industry in recent years, with a view of improving wine quality and production, with little evidence to suggest its efficacy.
A report into a project initiated by Murray Valley Winegrowers Inc
into oxygation on wine vineyards was produced in 2016-2017.
The report by Jeremy Giddings said the aims of the project in its fourth year included to determine if the treatment had a beneficial effect on wine quality and production.
That project used a relatively inexpensive Venturi system to aerate irrigation water on a vineyard in Curlwaa, south-western NSW.
This new approach – developed in New Zealand – involves injecting nanobubbles of pure oxygen into irrigation water.
Nanobubble Agritech claims the technology increases crop yields, improves water use efficiency, improves fruit quality traits, and improves root development, with better nutrient and water uptake. v
Talking traceability
N EW FEDERAL FUNDING SET TO ADD ANOTHER TOOL TO GROWERS’ TOOLBOX
The Australian Table Grape Association will use a federal government traceability grant to build a “plug-and-play” style traceability solution for the industry.
Many growers already have some form of traceability system in place, though they might not call it that. As international requirements change, though, data is king, and harnessing that data to make informed business decisions can be a useful tool for growers.
Here, we delve into the traceability project, what it hopes to deliver, and answer some of the questions growers have been asking.
How will the grant be used?
The funding will be used to build on the existing traceability work conducted in a 2021 Victorian Governmentfunded Table Grape Traceability Pilot. Technology partner Result Group developed an end-to-end traceability system through that project, based on a vertically integrated producerexporter-marketer of table grapes.
This project will see the ATGA, through Result Group, conduct further essential work to allow greater scalability and integration with existing picking software, warehouse management, export and operations systems.
The expanded traceability solution funded through this project will be fully tailored to table grape businesses. The funding will allow the ATGA, with Result Group, to remove a substantial part of the burden of costs of developing tailored traceability solutions for producers and exporters.
At the recent export registration sessions, we carried out foundational work, through the business survey, to understand exactly what growers’ needs are, so that this system does that – meet growers where they are. We wanted to learn what their current level of traceability is, what existing software must integrate with this new system, and understand how we manage existing programs with what industry will likely need to adopt to maintain strong traceability compliance.
Does this project use levy funds?
No, this project is funded through the Federal Government’s National Agricultural Traceability Grants program. This round of the grants program focuses on establishing robust traceability practices in Australian agriculture to advance exports to Southeast Asian markets. Will it be mandatory to adopt this system once it is completed?
No. It will not be mandatory. Businesses that have implemented their own traceability systems can still use these. This system will be another tool in growers’ toolboxes, and help them to be proactive regarding traceability,
so that they are essentially “ready to go”. It’s important industry prepares for the future, especially in such a changing market landscape.
Who will this system belong to?
This system will be developed for industry and owned by the Australian Table Grape Association. The commercialisation of the system will depend on several factors, including the scale of the business.
When will the project be completed?
The project-work will take place from July 2024 onwards, with deployment across industry expected in late 2025.
How is my data kept secure?
Let’s start by saying any data loaded onto the system is kept secure and is not shared with any third party without a grower’s consent. User agreements and data agreements will detail strict controls of this element. The most important factor is data collected verses data shared and data security is paramount. All users will have a log in and password that only allows them to access their own data.
What happens to my data?
The system will capture information from picking, packing and supply chain and link all those elements together giving cases, pallets and – if required – unit packs a digital identity. This digital identity is unique to the grower and the process and any detail can only be accessed by the grower. Any information shared with supply chain partners, like importers or sales agents (B2B), or consumers, to prove origin is done so with generic information that uses the data not seen as the proof of the product. Growers are in control of what is shared and what is not. v
Be on the alert in a wet spring
PSEUDOMONAS SYRINGAE
Bacterial Inflorescence
Rot (BIR) is a relatively new disease in Australian grapevines, caused by Pseudomonas syringae .
Pseudomonas syringae appeared in table grape vineyards in Sunraysia during the wet spring of 2022. Young shoots and inflorescences showed symptoms that could be confused with downy mildew and Phomopsis. Bruising of bunch stems resembled the oily brown caused by downy mildew, while the spots on leaves and dark lesions on shoots resembled Phomopsis. Industry collaborated with the ATGA and Agriculture Victoria's Crop Health Services to diagnose the symptoms, as caused by Pseudomonas syringae
There are many strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae – some are pathogenic but there are also nonpathogenic strains – and it occurs worldwide, infecting a wide range of plant species. The earliest reports of Pseudomonas syringae infecting grapevines came from Argentina in the 1970s. Since then, the bacteria have been found infecting grapevines
in several countries, including in NSW in 2006 and SA in 2020 and now table grapes in Sunraysia.
What effect does it have on crop or vines?
In Australian vineyards, Pseudomonas syringae causes early season infection of inflorescences, young leaves and shoots – hence the name Bacterial Inflorescence Rot. However, studies also show that an early season infection by Pseudomonas can also predispose grapevines to Botrytis cinerea, if there is latent Botrytis present, and Pseudomonas syringae has been associated with berry rots in mid- and late-summer table grapes in Italy.
The vines affected by Pseudomonas syringae in Sunraysia during spring 2022 developed bruising on the rachis of inflorescences and bunches on affected vines. Parts of the bunch below the bruising collapsed and aborted. The vines also developed cankers along the growing canes.
How does it spread?
Pseudomonas syringae has two phases to its life cycle. In the first phase the
bacteria survives and spreads on plant surfaces without causing disease. In the second phase a pathogenic strain of the bacteria enters the vine, through stomata or via lesions on leaves or other tissue. This is when disease starts, because once inside the vine, the bacteria grow in intercellular spaces and can be transported in the xylem.
Pseudomonas syringae overwinters on either healthy or infected plant tissues, including buds, cordon wood, suckers and vine trunks. In spring, the bacteria spreads along growing shoots from infected buds, thriving in humid conditions and spread further by rain. There is also potential for cross-infection between grapes and other horticultural crops including spread through and between vineyards on pruning equipment. Conditions in Sunraysia during that wet spring of 2022 were ideal for spread of infection.
While 2022 provided the first formal identification in Sunraysia table grapes, some affected producers believe they have seen it in previous years. The wide distribution across Sunraysia in 2022 does suggest that the pathogen is well established.
Fun fact
Pseudomonas syringae produces ice nucleation active (INA) proteins. These proteins cause water to freeze at fairly high temperatures (−1.8 to −3.8 C) which can result in injury in plants.
Airborne Pseudomonas bacteria serve as cloud condensation nuclei, have been found in the cores of hailstones and are one of the bacteria that play a role in natural "cloud seeding" producing rain and snow. INA proteins are also used in making artificial snow.
Control options
There are no products registered in Australia specifically for Pseudomonas syringae in grapevines. On some other crops its spread has been suppressed by applying copper. Copper in the form of Bordeaux mixture, cupric hydroxide or copper sulfate, is commonly used in vineyards to protect against downy mildew. Note that copper is only effective on the plant surface, and provides no control of bacteria within the vine.
Resistance to copper has been detected in some pathogenic strains overseas but so far there is no evidence of copperresistant Pseudomonas syringae strains in Australian grapes. v
Alison MacGregor
Australian Table Grape Association Industry development amacgregor@atga.net.au
Sources:
Atlas of Living Australia, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. https://bie.ala.org.au/species/NZOR-6113314
Bashan, Y. (1997). Alternative Strategies for Controlling Plant Diseases Caused by Pseudomonas syringae. In: Rudolph, K., Burr, T.J., Mansfield, J.W., Stead, D., Vivian, A., von Kietzell, J. (eds) Pseudomonas Syringae Pathovars and Related Pathogens. Developments in Plant Pathology, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-54727_105
Stewart Hall (2015). Effects of the Plant Pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pathovar syringae on Vitis vinifera. A thesis submitted to Charles Sturt University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. November 2015.
Phylogenetic Relationships of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae Isolates Associated with Bacterial Inflorescence Rot in Grapevine Stewart J. Hall, Ian B. Dry, Christopher L. Blanchard, and Melanie A. Whitelaw-Weckert. Published Online: 19 Dec 2015. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-15-0806-RE
M. A. Whitelaw-Weckert, E. S. Whitelaw, S. Y. Rogiers, L. Quirk, A. C. Clark, C. X. Huang. Bacterial inflorescence rot of grapevine caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. First published: 26 October 2010. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.13653059.2010.02377.x
NSW video by Melanie Weckert. Bacterial rot of grapevine caused by Pseudomonas syringae. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCmOBuedd1U
Pseudomonas syringae can survive on plant surfaces without causing any damage. Disease only starts if it enters the grapevine tissue. Inside the vine, it causes lesions in leaves, shoots, tendrils and bunches.
Domestic table grape retail and consumer snapshot
PURCHASING BY LIFE STAGES
In the past 32 weeks (to 16 June 2024), grape dollar sales increased +4.6% vs the prior year, behind total fruit dollar sales, which increased +7.2%. Grape volume was also down -6.2% vs the prior year, compared with +5.5% for total fruit.
CONSUMPTION FREQUENCY
Families and senior couples represented approximately 65% grape spend in the past 32 weeks to 16 June
7/10 respondents
Households purchased more grapes during summer 2023/24 compared to the year prior, but fewer during autumn.
EATING OCCASIONS
New plan for dried grape marketing
The Australian dried grape industry’s joint marketing team has developed a plan for its next three years after recent international trips have successfully put Australia’s product on the world stage.
The group consists of Dried Fruits Australia, Sunbeam Foods and Australian Premium Dried Fruits, who work together with the aim of growing market awareness and building market demand for Australian dried grapes – internationally and domestically.
The joint marketing team currently promotes Australia’s unique product under the banner of Australian Sultanas with the expectation of improving both processors’ profits and growers’ returns.
The team has reached an agreement on an Industry Export Marketing Program 2024 – 2029.
The group is collectively accountable and responsible for the outcomes coming out of these marketing activities.
Dried Fruits Australia CEO Thomas Cheung said the May
China trip was a great example of how the program works.
The joint marketing team participated in the SIAL Shanghai exhibition and visited some key potential customers after their visit to our growing region back in March and April.
“We achieved a major breakthrough with one of the key large customers, and trial shipments from both processors are on the way to them,” he said.
“Yes, there is a lot more to be done. This highlights that our industry approach to promote our unique and quality products worldwide is powerful and effective.”
In August, DFA chair Mark King and CEO Thomas Cheung visited China after they were invited by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for a presentation to promote Australia’s industry and products at the country’s largest nuts and dried fruits international annual conference.
“This is another opportunity for us to put ourselves on the global map, to positively promote our unique quality products,” Thomas said.
“DFA grabbed the opportunity and, over a very short few days in China, presented and positively
promoted our industry and our unique products on the world stage.
“This assists in putting our dried fruits industry and quality products on the radar in front of major Chinese and international customers, colleagues and associates.”
Thomas said the activity would help Australian processors in marketing their products in the Chinese market and would enhance awareness of quality Australian dried fruits.
“The joint marketing group is planning to participate in the SIAL Paris exhibition in October, one of the largest food exhibitions in the world.
“This is to not only maintain our largest traditional market (Europe), but also expand it systematically.”
In the meantime, the team joined Hort Innovation recently to develop a threeyear strategic joint marketing plan.
The plan will cover both domestic and overseas markets, branding and positioning the industry, its unique products and its new varieties to help to improve market awareness, market share and ultimately profitability for all processors and growers. v
Sunmuscat’s new market opportunities
AUSTRALIAN PREMIUM DRIED FRUITS
Our growers are well into their winter pruning, and most are coming to the end of this important process.
Early reports indicate that there is good cane growth and above-average bud counts on most varieties, which is a positive indication for the 2025 crop.
There is still strong demand in both domestic and international markets, but most attention turns to the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year.
The biggest producers in the world –Turkey, USA, Iran, and China – generally set the tone in the global vine fruit market, which in turn will affect demand and pricing for our 2025 crop.
In May, the Australian industry, represented by DFA and the two processors, visited China and covered significant ground during this trip.
We attended two major shows in Shanghai: Bakery China and SIAL.
These are the largest food exhibitions in the country and are well-attended by major buyers from all sectors of the food industry.
We also visited several major snacking companies that are large users of dried fruits and nuts for their retail offers.
These discussions were frank and constructive.
While we previously had some success in their daily nut snacking segment, this area of the market has become very saturated with many players and offers.
It has shifted from seeking premium ingredients to seeking the cheapest inputs, which means previous demand for Australian Sunmuscats has now switched to cheaper Chinese sultanas.
However, we hope to find more success in other areas of their market, such as kids' snacking and straight retail packs of Australian Sunmuscats.
At the end of June, our company embarked on a tour of the US, with stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York to speak to potential distributors, survey the market, and exhibit at the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center in downtown Manhattan, New York.
We exhibited on the Victorian Government stand.
As US production of Thompson Seedless Raisins (TSRs) continues to dwindle, they will be forced to import dried vine fruit from other origins to meet demand.
We hope to fill part of this demand with our premium product.
The overwhelming majority of those who visited our stand and sampled our Sunmuscat product had nothing but positive things to say.
We hope that eventually, we can gain a foothold in this market and be another outlet in the export market. v
Left: Australian Premium Dried Fruits CEO Craig Greenwood and head of sales Zak Arapovic.
Right: All exhibitors of the Global Victoria stand at Summer Fancy Food, New York, USA.
New facility open for industry growth
SUNBEAM FOODS & ANGAS PARK
The new purposebuilt Sunbeam National Distribution Warehouse on Irymple Avenue, Irymple, began operations on July 1, 2024.
The warehouse is connected to the existing processing facility and combines the end of line packing into the distribution warehouse.
The 9000-square metre warehouse has the capacity of 900 pallets in cool room storage and 3800 in controlled temperature storage.
The facility has been designed to handle all the outgoing freight requirements to capital cities and larger customers as well as the incoming imported raw materials and packaging materials for use in processing.
Sunbeam Foods general manager Steve Sinclair said, “This purpose-built fully integrated National Distribution Centre serves to both supply manufacturing inputs directly into our factory and to receive finished goods from the factory.”
“This facility enables Sunbeam Foods brands and Angas Park brands to be distributed directly to retail food outlets and manufacturers throughout Australia as well as to our international customers throughout the world.
“We are very proud of this new facility and the role it will play in our planned future development of our resurging dried fruit brands.”
While the new warehouse operation is scaled up to handle increased volumes straight away, the efficient design and process flow means that the number of additional staff required is minimal.
2024 dried vine fruit
The volume of fruit received by Sunbeam Foods increased on 2023 by 30 per cent, which was a welcome injection for markets hungry for our Australian product.
On the back of a global market that is slightly undersupplied, our fruit with the high-quality reputation is regaining its rightful place after a couple of very poor seasons for quality and quantity.
The exports this year will build a base for the increasing supply of fruit that will come through in the next few years.
The increased supply will service our long-standing markets but also the emerging Asian market that is looking for fruit with different attributes and for a broad range of snacking and baking products.
Prunes
An extraordinary low Australian crop this year has done nothing for our growers and nothing for our preferred Australian content in our brand.
Again, this year we are reliant on imported prunes to keep our presence in the retail market.
The recent APIA, Horticulture Innovation-funded study tour to the USA in June provided the participants with a great opportunity to see first-hand the orchard operations, processing facilities and the research and development activities that make up the Californian Prune Industry.
It has been over 10 years since the last study tour, so this interaction will be valuable for growers to improve their properties with the latest pruning, nutrition and harvesting practices.
Dried tree fruit
The winter months have provided a good number of chill hours required to produce a reasonable crop.
The increase in temperatures in August has quickly brought the trees to life.
Angas Park is seeking additional volumes of either fresh or dried apricots for processing and marketing.
We are keen to discuss longer term supply arrangements with any apricot growers.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
Below: Sunbeam Foods National Distribution Warehouse
In celebration 20 years of the Vine
From the archives
InnoGrape – all wrapped up!
July/September 2018
In 2015, the Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA), Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), and AUSCAL Viticulture collaborated to deliver a modern “innovation in table grape production” program to table grape growers across Sunraysia.
The pilot program “InnoGrape” was launched following a chance meeting between ATGA CEO Jeff Scott, and the CEO of funding provider Foundation for Rural & regional Renewal (FRRR). With a renewed focus on funding agricultural programs aimed at increasing and improving production, grant funding was successfully secured with philanthropic organisation The William Buckland Foundation, and co-ordinated by FRRR. The program was delivered to growers by industry professionals using a multitude of platforms, including
Stories of note
Table grape quality improvements underway
April/June 2018
A new levy-funded project was underway to help Australian table grape producers consistently supply consumers with great tasting fruit. The table grape maturity project would see minimum maturity standards implemented after several years of data analysis.
The season of 2017/2018 saw table grape maturity data collected from farms and supermarkets for analysis and interim specifications developed, which would be applied for the following season.
workshops, social media and YouTube.
Following strong support from growers with a keen interest in improving their table grape production techniques and extend their learning, the ATGA secured funding to continue the program for an additional two years.
Over the three years, 27 modules were presented to growers and supply chain professionals across 18 regional workshops held in Euston/ Robinvale and Mildura. The workshops were only delivered in Sunraysia/ Victoria, due to limitations in relation to the funding guidelines provided by the William Buckland Foundation.
Much of the program’s success must be attributed to the knowledge and dedication of the research and industry professionals who delivered the technical content. International and domestic experts were engaged to deliver each of the modules over the life of the program.
Mildura consulting Research Plant
Fruit fly – prevention is key for growers
January/March 2019
Fruit fly is a major pest-ofconcern for the table grape industry, for both domestic and international markets. This piece from the former Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area aims to educate and raise awareness about fruit fly, the importance of monitoring, and how bait sprays are a useful preventative spray to attract and kill both male and female Qfly before they build up in high numbers.
Pathologist Dr Bob Emmett, with more than 40 years of experience in viticulture and integrated disease and pest management, presented a number of the pest and disease workshops throughout the three-year program.
Golden opportunity for Aussie grapes in Korea
July/September 2018
South Korea had been a country of interest for table grape exports for several years, in the industry’s attempts to expand Asian markets. Despite the ratification of the Australia-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2014, it took three years to increase trade due to high tariffs that were decreased from 45% to 6% (eventually).
The 2016/2017 export season marked a change for the positive with the launch of the Tams Gold brand.
CELEBRATING YEARS OF THE VINE
Pruning in focus for dried grape innovation
October/December 2018
One of the greatest strengths of the dried grape industry is its ability to innovate and share new ideas and production practices.
Trellis drying and mechanical harvesting have had a major impact on the industry, and rethinking the way winter pruning is performed could have similar benefits.
Reducing the cost of pruning, or making the job quicker, is a priority for the sector.
Pruning is usually the longest activity undertaken on the block and represents about 30 per cent of the total cost of producing dried grapes.
Making the process more efficient may create opportunities for producers to grow their business and continue to manage the property.
Dried grapes win back European market
January/March 2016
Dried Fruits Australia delegates travelled to Europe to represent Australia at the International Conference of Seedless Dried Grape Producing Countries.
DFA chair Mark King said a return to a balanced supply and demand for sultanas meant delegates were keen to build demand through marketing and promotion.
Mark said DFA had taken a proactive approach to promoting Australian dried grapes, having designed resources for buyers to learn more about the quality Australian product.
In June, Dried Fruits Australia brought a group of people from industry and research organisations together to address the issue. The two-day workshop was funded through DFA and the Hort Innovation Dried Grape Fund using the dried grape R&D levy and contributions from the Australian Government.
Participants analysed current pruning operations and considered the high-end robotic, image sensing and engineering technologies available from universities in Australia and overseas.
They suggested and discussed several new winter pruning ideas that could be developed and investigated.
DFA field officer Stuart Putland said the priority of the workshop was the development of a mechanised winter pruning system.
“However, the first thing we would need to investigate is the potential impact of a mechanised cutting operation on the viticultural system,” he said.
Tech to tackle weeds
April/June 2017
Dried grape grower Stephen and Malcolm Bennett are so passionate about innovation in horticulture that they’ve built their own robot.
The brothers spent two years developing an autonomous robot to spray weeds on their property in Merbein, Victoria.
Stephen said technology was enabling primary producers to develop time-saving tools, in the face of rising labour and water costs, and tight profit margins.
“The health and the longevity of the cordon is critical to the success of winter pruning. For the cordon to sustain cane and fruit growth, it is vitally important that none of its sap flow capabilities are damaged by errant cuts into the cordon.”
Preserving 100 years of history
July/September 2018
Dried Fruits Australia was awarded almost $8000 in Victorian State Government funding to preserve materials from its 1120-year history.
The organisation was one of 40 across the state to receive a local history grant from the public Record Office Victoria.
CEO Anne Mansell said the project – which would include working with experts to collate and store memorabilia – would ensure valuable materials were preserved for future generations.v
Profile Michael Mobilio
Michael Mobilio has only been involved in the table grape industry for eight years, but his love of horticulture runs deep.
A family history of farming and background in horticulture property valuation set in motion an interest in table grapes for he and his brother, and led to some exciting ventures for the Mobilio family.
How did you become involved in the industry?
I am one of three boys, raised on a family stone fruit farm in Lake Boga. My parents placed great importance on education and that saw my mother and my brothers and I move to Melbourne to complete high school and tertiary studies while my dad continued farming. After high school, I studied Property at RMIT University. Early on in my studies, I struggled to stay
interested. I was about to go home and help my parents on the orchard, but an opportunity arose to become a property valuer under mentor Danny Thomas, who headed up CBRE Agribusiness at the time. I had a particular interest in horticulture, water and hydroponic property valuation and advisory services. Property valuation was good grounding for me as it required a wide range of skills, like financial analysis, report writing, and client management. Having valued many table grape properties, it was clear the industry was experiencing exponential growth, mainly driven by export market access and new varieties which offer a better eating experience. At the time, my brother Paul had begun farming stone fruit, returning from Sydney a few years prior after working in hedge fund sales and trading with JP Morgan. Between us, we began our foray into the table grape industry in 2016, purchasing four properties over four years for redevelopment, including water entitlements, developed vineyards and associated infrastructure.
In late 2016, I became a director of Western Murray Irrigation Limited. This provided me with invaluable experience in corporate governance and being nonoperational – the complete opposite to family farming where you need to know everything about everything.
We sold a majority stake in our farms in 2020, allowing us to diversify and grow the business. As the business has expanded, my role has become less operational. Seeing teams work well together to achieve the same result (or better) without me micromanaging them is quite gratifying.
During this time, I got married and had three kids (10, 8 and 6 years old), who keep my wife very busy as I have limited time to spend at home.
Where do you see the industry going forward?
As we have scaled the business and implemented better growing practices, “people” has surpassed “climate” as our biggest risk. Over the last five years, our labour force has changed significantly and there is a lot more supervision and training required. As an industry, we need to make longterm investments in people from field workers through to management so we can deliver the best product to the consumer. We need more practical support to train future managers on all aspects of growing table grapes. Is there anything related to technology or innovation that you would like to explore more?
We have cost pressures like every industry now, but we are constantly working on new innovations and technologies to minimise cost whilst maintaining quality – innovations like improved trellising systems and new covering systems to manage climate risk to make day-to-day management more sustainable.
We also have a focus on reducing fungicide and pesticide use through good nutritional balance, integrated pest management and biodynamic farming practices. We are constantly investing in labour management systems to improve day-to-day management, reporting and compliance, as well as into safety systems to ensure all people on farm return home safely at the end of each day. v
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Notice board
Almost 200 producers attended the ATGA’s export registration sessions in Mildura and Euston in early August. Producers heard important updates from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on phytosanitary requirements for the 2024/25 season, as well as trade news from ATGA CEO Jeff Scott, the new traceability project, and an update on investments from Hort Innovation.
Right: (L-R): Riverland producer
Bill Avery of Talia Farms with Brett Irvine, viticulture consultant and producer, and Talia Farms’ Michelle Chen. Brett used his extensive experience in Queensland to present about the importance of Queensland fruit fly management.
Below Right (L-R): Joe Lando, Johnnie Cua and Balwinder Singh were among the many producers who attended the Mildura session.
A group of about 20 growers and industry members joined Dried Fruits
Australia and Hort Innovation in the DFA R&D Planning Day in June.
Left: Malcolm Bennett, Peter Jones and Rodney Trigg.
Right: Adam Surgey, Megan Rogers and Larry Dichiera.
Middle: Stephen Bennett, Thomas Cheung, Manjinder Grewal, Kamal Grewal and Gary Simpson.
Mark King (Chair) Producer, Pomona
Warren Lloyd (Deputy Chair) Producer, Irymple
Stephen Bennett Producer, Merbein
Ashley Johnstone Producer, Irymple
BOARD
BOARD
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
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
Bill Avery South Australia
Disclaimer: Dried Fruits Australia, the Australian Table Grape Association and Hort Innovation acknowledge contributions made by private enterprise through placement of advertisements in this publication. Acceptance of these contributions does not endorse or imply endorsement of any product or service advertised by contributors and we expressly disclaim all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or currency of information in the Vine. Reliance on any information provided in the Vine is entirely at your own risk. Dried Fruits Australia, the Australian Table Grape Association and Hort Innovation are not responsible for, and will not be liable for, any loss, damage, claim, expense, cost (including legal costs) or other liability arising in any way, including from any person’s negligence or otherwise, or from reliance on information contained in the Vine, or your use or non-use of the material.
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