4000 COPIES DISTRIBUTED WEEKLY IN THE SOUTHERN DOWNS REGIONAL COUNCIL AREA + DAILY JOURNAL & STANTHORPE RECORD
CountryJournal Week commencing 2nd May 2022
Depression... and recovery
Spring Creek revival
A Killarney ANZAC day
Apples get sunburn too...
The Agriculture Climate Network spoke with apple grower Dr Kate Evans about the impact of climate change on one of the Southern Down’s biggest crops. Dr Evans is the professor of the Department of Horticulture with Washington State Universtiy, and director of the Pome Fruit Breeding Program. Question: What tradeoffs do you consider, or would
you need to consider, in breeding for warmer conditions, longer frost-free periods, and likely wetter springs and winters, drier summers, and a shift in the availability of irrigation water to earlier in the year
Answer: Warmer conditions will lead to more sunburn, so we need to understand more about the genetically controlled aspects of the fruit surface that enable different seedlings to respond differently to high temperatures. Wetter springs could increase the prev-
Remember the horticulture award
Minimum hourly rates and requirements for pieceworkers kick in this week under the new Horticulture Award. Growers who are uncertain are encouraged to access resources provided by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
alence of certain diseases in apple. Luckily most other production areas of the world have wetter springs than central Washington, so there is germplasm available with differing levels of resistance to disease, some of which are already in my breeding parent pool. Predicted climate change here shows we are likely to retain sufficient winter chill for fruit bud formation. A bigger potential problem would be more frequent erratic temperature changes which damage trees and buds. Addressing irrigation water availability is more about rootstock choice and tree management than about scion traits. However, there are most likely genetically-controlled differences in water-use-efficiency that could be selected for. Servicing Warwick, Stanthorpe and Beyond Made from Bluescope Australian Steel FULL SERVICE - SLAB, ERECTION & COUNCIL
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