Vine magazine May 2022

Zigs &Zags

INDUSTRY RESPONDS TO RESTRICTED GROWTH

Early warn ing GR

APE D SUPP ISEASE O RT

VOLUME 18 ISSUE 2 MAY 2022 | NEW CHEMISTRY: SOFT ON NATURE, NOT ON RESULTS THE RETURN OF EVENTS | DFA SPRAY DIARY GOES DIGITAL

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Contents 4

Cover story Springing into action

30 Chemical use Spray diary goes digital

8

News On the alert

31 Pest & disease Botrytis

10 ATGA chair, CEO & industry updates

32 Biosecurity New biosecurity guide

12 DFA chair, CEO & industry updates

33 Biosecurity Exotic mealybugs

14 Table grape news Maturity insights

34 Processing & marketing APDF

16 Dried grape news

35 Processing & marketing Sunbeam Foods

18 Prune news APIA awarded funds for tech update

36 Table grape marketing

20 Insights Dried grape trade report

37 Technology All hands on tech

21 Insights Early results for table grapes

38 Profile James Moriarty

22 News Events are back

39 Community Notice board

24 News A new life for old plastics

39 Board members

26 Best practice Pruning hygiene 27 Best practice Pruning technique for swingarm trellis 28 Chemical use Soft in nature, not on results

The Vine is a joint publication of the Australian table grape and dried fruits industries. For editorial and advertising enquiries, contact: Dried Fruits Australia T: (03) 5023 5174 E: enquiries@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au W: www.driedfruitsaustralia.org.au Australian Table Grape Association T: (03) 5021 5718 E: enquiries@atga.net.au W: www.australiangrapes.com.au Editorial committee: DFA Anne Mansell, Lauren Roden ATGA Jeff Scott, Terryn Milner Design: Kylie Norton Design Printing: Sunnyland Press Cover photography: RSG affected vine from a Sunraysia property.

Photography by David Sickerdick. © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2022 This publication has been funded by Hort Innovation using the table grape and dried grape levies and funds from the Australian Government. Wherever you see a Hort Innovation logo, the initiative is part of the Table Grape, Dried Grape, Dried Tree Fruit or Prune Fund. Some projects also involve funding from additional sources.

For further publication details, see page 39

Table Grapes

Dried Grapes

Combined Industries

Prunes

Season draws to a close...

Slow and steady might typically win the race, but for grape growers this season that hasn’t quite been the case.

The mild season has had its challenges for both dried and table grape producers across the country – off the back of an already difficult season last year.

Labur and weather have both played the role of the antagonist, but a few good characters have entered the narrative.

New projects and new varieties are showing promise for both industries, and events are resuming. It’s great to see familiar and new faces and rebuild the connections of industry which may have drifted due to isolation.

I’m sure many of you are ready for the season’s end – we hope you can all enjoy a break soon!

– from the team

Springing into action INDU ST RY RE S POND S TO REST RI C T E D S PRI N G GR O WTH

It's early October, 2021.

The tone of chats between growers, agronomists and the industry body has become vexed, anxious.

FORMULATING A PLAN

Across Sunraysia, as buds burst and

funded extension project to include

healthy shoots developed ahead of

a focus on vine health, allowing the

the new season, some growers were

team to spring into action.

met with a concerning sight. Random vines appeared stunted – with short zig-zagging shots and leaves forming small cabbage-like clusters – and many of the shoots had a very distinctive browning of the pith.

Inflorescences on affected vines were typically small and appeared frosted or had already aborted.

The symptoms in affected vines resembled damage caused by mites, virus, frost or nutrient deficiency, and weren’t just exclusive to a few varieties – several varieties were affected, some more than others.

The ATGA team responded immediately, assembling experts from across the nation to engage in “think-tanks”. The team also requested an amendment to the Hort Innovation-

With symptoms growing out and harvest just around the corner, the team was on borrowed time to understand the condition..

But where would they start? The quest for answers started not dissimilar to jumping down a rabbit hole.

“Agronomists, consultants, pest scouts and researchers shared insights about whether a range of different management practices might correlate with the occurrence of RSG,” project lead Alison MacGregor said. “And researchers shared experience in viruses, phytoplasma,

What was clear was that whatever

trunk disease, pests, and vine

had caused these symptoms was

physiology.

likely to cause significant economic loss through poor bunch counts in the 2022 harvest, raising the concerns of the ATGA team. However, it wasn’t the first time it had been reported.

Referred to as restricted spring growth (RSG), the condition was reported in wine grapes in Sunraysia in the 1990s.

It also resembles delayed spring growth (DSG) reported in 2019 in table grapes in the United States. DSG has been attributed to temperatures, water and carbohydrates.

4 VINE MAGAZINE

“We also looked further afield, for reports of similar symptoms in the United States, Europe and South Africa.

“One thing was clear. We should first check for pest and disease, in case there was a pathological cause.”

COVER STORY

L E AV E S

BUDS

TRUNK GRAFT ROOTS SOIL ER

DIS

EA

SE

NUT

RESTRICTED SPRING GROWTH

RI

TI

ON W

AT

ER

& S S E I K ET OC I R VA ST R O OT

CU P R LT AC U R A L TIC ES

S

CHEM

ST

IST

PE

RY

W

E

H AT

COVER STORY

DISEASE TESTIN G

P EST TESTS

VIRUS

PHYTOPLASMA

NEMATODES

Initial testing looked at viruses.

Phytoplasma had been suspected of causing RSG in Sunraysia in the early 2000s , but the link was never proven. ATGA didn’t want to overlook phytoplasma as a cause of RSG in 2021, and sent 25 shoot samples to Dr Fiona Constable at Agriculture Victoria for phytoplasma testing.

Agriculture Victoria tested the

Grape producers were already concerned about Grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV), and symptoms of RSG matched symptoms previously seen on vines positive for GPGV. In spring 2021, the team sent 157 shoot samples to Agriculture Victoria’s Crop Health Services for virus screening. The screen included seven viruses: Grapevine Pinot

Verdict: There were no phytoplasma found which could be

roots and soil for nematodes.

Several nematode species were detected, mostly at benign concentrations. The species varied between vineyards, and all were common species.

Verdict: Nematodes are unlikely to be associated with RSG MITES

correlated with RSG symptoms

Mites have been associated

Leafroll viruses 1, 3, 4, 5 & 9.

TRUNK DISEASES

with RSG. Australian studies in

Results confirmed that GPGV is now

On some vineyards with symptoms of RSG, vines also showed some signs of staining in the trunks.

gris virus, Grapevine Virus A and

very widespread across vineyards in Mildura and Robinvale. However, vines without RSG symptoms tested positive for virus while vines with RSG symptoms often tested negative for virus.

Verdict: A correlation between virus and RSG cannot be made at this stage.

BACTERIA OR YEAST OR FUNGUS “Next, we thought – affected shoots

“We needed to check whether trunk disease might be responsible for the RSG symptom,” ATGA industry development manager Jenny Treeby said. “We transported eight trunks from eight affected vineyards to Charles Sturt University for testing by Dr Regina Baaijens in January this year.”

Shoots from five patches were sent

Four of the trunks tested positive for Botryosphaeria, and one trunk tested positive for phompsis. But vines affected by RSG also had no detectable trunk disease species.

to ALTSA’s laboratory, Merbein, for

Verdict: Trunk disease not likely to

bacteria and yeasts culturing. Some

be causing RSG

often showed browning in the pith.

Could this be caused by bacteria or yeast or fungi?” Alison said.

bacteria were present, so another 25 samples were sent to Agriculture Victoria for more detailed analysis in December 2021.

“It turned out that all the species they cultured from those samples naturally co-exist with healthy plant material, or were associated with vine tissue already breaking down,” ATGA industry development officer Karen Connolly said.

Verdict: None of the bacteria or fungi or yeasts cultured from these samples were pathogenic to grapevines.

6 VINE MAGAZINE

the early 2000s showed that overwintering bud mite and rust mite caused stunted and zig-zag shoots at budburst. ATGA will be sending buds for assessment from May.

ROOT DISEASE AND SOIL PATHOGENS The roots and soil balls from six of those sampled vine trunk were sent to Agriculture Victoria to test for soil and root pathogens.

Several fungi and bacteria were isolated from the roots and soil, including Alternaria, Aspergillus, Mucor, Penicillium, Trichoderma, and Pythium.

Verdict: There was no consistent evidence that root or soil pathogens were responsible for the RSG symptoms

References: Bernard, M., P. Horne and A. Hoffmann (2005) Eriophyoid mite damage in Vitis vinifera (grapevine) in Australia: Calepitrimerus Vitis and Colomerus vitis (Acari: Eriophyidae) as the common cause of the widespread ‘Restricted Spring Growth’ syndrome. Experimental and Applied Acarology. 35:83-109 Wilson, Y. (1995) Restricted Spring Growth of Grapevines in South eastern Australia Literature Review. Agriculture Victoria report for Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation. ISBN 0 7306 6441 4

COVER STORY

EXPLO R I N G CULTU RA L PR ACTIC E S

WATER

C H EM I STRY

ATGA staff developed a

Water is such a vital part of

Vineyards can be exposed to a

comprehensive questionnaire, in

production – water source,

range of chemistry – agrichemicals,

consultation with researchers,

irrigation method, timing and

plant growth regulators,

agronomic specialists and pest

volumes all have an important

stimulants, and sometimes spray

scouts.

role to play.

drift from other crops. The survey

Karen said it was important

The ATGA is exploring whether

to understand differences in

pathogens could be transmitted

production practices, grower to

in contaminated irrigation water.

grower.

Verdict: At this stage there is no

“Collating data about grower

link between water quality and

practices may reveal a link

RSG

between RSG and crop load, water quality, soil types, chemical

“We are interested in soil

history or other aspects of

moisture records in autumn

production,” Karen said.

and winter, to see if there are

collated data from 33 different table grape patches. Preliminary

whether there is a link between rates or timing of treatments.

Verdict: RSG symptoms are not consistent with spray drift, or recognisable symptoms of other chemical damage

SOIL MOISTURE

use, compost sources, pest

In December–January, the team

of cultural practices may reveal

any links between postharvest

WEATH ER

irrigation, soil moisture and RSG,” Jenny said.

Vineyard managers have

survey data analysis seems to

Verdict: Dry soil in autumn and

speculated about links between

exclude any direct links between,

winter has been linked to

RSG and regional weather events,

say, RSG and vine ages, varieties,

RSG-like symptoms in the US

including dust and hail storms,

rootstocks, and year or month of

cold springs and dry autumns.

planting.

The survey of practices includes questions around weather events.

Sunraysia harvest interrupted survey opportunities, but Karen said “if enough growers

N UTR I TI O N

links between RSG and cultural practices”.

Verdict: More survey results are required before any correlation can be formed

DSG with unusually warm autumn, winter temperatures, and dry soil

participate in the survey once harvest concludes, it may reveal

US researchers in 2019 linked

NUTRIENTS The nutrient status of symptomatic and non-symptomatic had been tested early in the season by several agronomists working with RSGaffected growers, to no avail.

before budburst. RSG observed in Sunraysia in the 1990s was also linked to dry soil during dormancy.

Verdict: More research is required before any correlation can be found.

Verdict: There were no anomalies in the nutrient tests that might

VAR IET I E S & R O OTSTOC KS

link RSG to nutrient status during

Diving head first into the rabbit hole

spring

has uncovered many more questions

CARBOHYDRATES

will continue to investigate

“The zig-zag shoots are similar to boron deficiency symptoms, so we are not excluding nutrition,” Alison said. “We are interested in carbohydrate status in vines, so we will assess this during autumn.”

correlations between RSG and

Verdict: US studies have linked

As RSG had been reported more widespread across certain varieties than others, the ATGA

varieties, budwood source and rootstocks .

RSG symptoms to carbohydrates in vines going into dormancy

for the team and the communities of practice involved in the investigation of RSG. “The answer is not a simple one,” Alison said. “Although there are questions unanswered, we are striving to do all we can to help combat the effects of this unique condition. The stakes are high for affected growers and we’re in their corner, fighting against it.” v

VINE MAGAZINE 7

NEWS

On the alert ADVA N C I N G DI S E AS E S U P P O RT F O R G R A P E G R O WER S

Plant pathologist Peter Magarey’s disease alerts over the past three decades have saved hundreds of Australian growers time, money and possible heartache.

“I knew I had a calling to the Riverland

risk, which might be high, medium, low

and Australian grape growers, and

or none.

I’ve really been undeterred from that calling.

“Then we’re able to do two things. We can say to growers that the weather

“What I’ve wanted to do all the way

event just passed was not conducive

through is deliver information to

to downy mildew – save your sprays,

growers in a timely manner so they

save your worries, save your money.

Peter is the brains behind GrowCare,

can make decisions with precision,

Equally, we can say the conditions

an online tool and service that alerts

decisions that are correct.”

that just occurred were conducive to

growers to the risk of downy mildew and provides disease management advice.

The GrowCare service, working in collaboration with peak industry bodies like Dried Fruits Australia,

Dried grape growers have benefitted

is now “unparalleled” in its capacity

from the alert system for the past

to provide detailed information and

three years, and particularly over the

advice on downy mildew and other

last growing season where several

diseases and pests.

warnings were issued due to the high

downy mildew and provide a series of options for disease management based on what and when you’ve sprayed.”

Making history Downy mildew was first seen in Australia in the wet season of 1917,

“With the development of weather

and it spread gradually during the

stations and computer technology,

subsequent wet years of the 1950s

Based in Loxton, South Australia,

our knowledge of disease, and a

and ‘60s until the mid-1970s when

Peter has been offering the service to

functional simulator of disease, we

it wreaked havoc in most vineyards

Riverland growers for 27 years. But

are now able to advise if a rain event

across south-eastern Australia.

the story starts long before then.

is going to be conducive to downy

number of rain events.

“I grew up on a pear orchard in

mildew or not,” Peter said.

“Downy mildew only develops really badly when conditions are

the Adelaide Hills, so I saw how

“Using data collected from a number

consecutively favourable for infection

information was provided to my

of weather stations within dried

over the early parts of a growing

parents and I think that’s what’s

and wine grape vineyards, I evaluate

season, and if they stay bad for the

motivated me over the years – to

the weather conditions through

mid part of the season, then bang –

create something that works for

our various simulation models to

you can lose your leaves, you can lose

growers,” Peter said.

determine the likelihood of disease

your crop,” Peter said.

8 VINE MAGAZINE

NEWS

“The seasons of 1973/74 and

Following Peter’s marriage in 1981

“At a glance, they want to know the

1974/75 were consecutively the two

to Carla, an American woman, the

outcome from their nearest weather

wettest years in Australian history at

couple travelled to the USA and met

station and what to do in their

that point.

downy mildew expert Dr Bob Seem,

vineyard – whether to spray – so they

who became his friend and colleague

can be on their way.”

“Many growers suffered near total crop loss and their vineyards were severely defoliated. Some didn’t know

researcher for the rest of Bob’s working life.

Peter said the new project was aiming to transfer all their data, as well as the

what downy mildew was, but they soon

Bob visited Loxton many times to

decades of knowledge stored in his

found out.”

offer specialised help to Peter and his

head, into an application that will live

colleague Malcolm Wachtel. Together

on after he’s gone.

The devastating losses triggered research by the South Australian Department of Agriculture at the Loxton Research Centre, now known as the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

Around the same time, Peter was finishing his degree in ag science at the University of Adelaide followed by an honours year in plant pathology. He was planning on going back to work on the family orchard, but instead took on the role of senior plant pathologist at the research centre and “got straight into the thick of it with downy mildew”.

they built a disease simulator – the first in Australian viticulture and one of the first globally to be used commercially to predict downy mildew infection events for grape growers.

“I’ve been wonderfully blessed in the years I’ve been able to work because of my colleagues nationally and internationally. It’s been so satisfying and just wonderful being able to build

It was put to the test in 1983/84 – the

things together – things that count,

next “really wet” season after the

things that endure,” he said.

1970s events. While growers lost a lot

“That’s what I’m trying to do now. I’m

of crop, the early prediction system helped to save some of it. Then during the “bad” years of 1992/93 and 2010/11, the team was able to offer much more help to growers.

Things that endure Peter is now working on his next

going to be gone one day, and I’ve got Parkinson’s, so when I’m not here anymore, I’d like people to still be able to readily access that information with ease.

“If I can do that before I’m gone, I think I’ve achieved something that may be helpful. Until such time, it’s still head

“It was 1976 and growers really

challenge – developing a GrowCare

wanted some solutions,” Peter said.

mobile phone application to make it

“I was tasked to continue

even quicker and easier for growers to

This page and far left: GrowCare directing

access the information they need. The

for dried grape growers in Sunraysia.

investigations, started by then

to the grindstone.” v founder Peter Magarey presenting at a workshop

first version of the app is expected to

Middle: Peter Magarey and Bob Seem looking

epidemiology of downy mildew. Over

be available in the next year.

for downy mildew in a vineyard with overhead

the next few years, I did more work

“At the moment we push out

conditions in which the disease spreads.

to determine under what conditions

newsletters, but we want growers to

downy mildew infection occurred and

be able to pull in information related

how the disease spread.”

to their vineyard,” he said.

plant pathologist Peter Dry, into the

misting during studies to determine the

VINE MAGAZINE 9

ATGA CHAIR & CEO

Weathering the storm News from our chair As a grower, exporter, and labour hire provider, this harvest season has been a perfect storm of events.

Thankfully, we are almost through the season, but it hasn't been without its tests.

There were some growers who were lucky to escape the full brunt of the mild weather, but even those up north with earlier seasons experienced challenges.

I can’t remember a year that my Crimson Seedless coloured as late as it did this year. I put that down to the milder season, and the humidity we experienced throughout January and February.

The lack of supply of labour means people are screaming for backpackers everywhere – in cotton, blueberries, there is so much choice. Those jobs would normally have to be fought for. If you applied for a job in cotton you’d have to compete with 3000 backpackers.

Now, there simply aren’t enough to go around, and competition from other industries has had an effect. I have paid my workers a good hourly rate but they’re still ready to go elsewhere because the season’s nearly at an end – even though we’ll need workers for pruning.

However, looking forward, I hope chemical and fertiliser supply will get

back into a pattern, and everything in short supply will ease up before we move into next season.

News from our CEO Unusual weather conditions, Covid, and seasonal labour have led to an unexpected and very challenging season.

Talking to growers and exporters, everyone has been faced with different circumstances that have significantly impacted the current harvest season.

Covid has been a catalyst for many of those challenges. It’s no secret that the increasing cost of containers, treated pallets and freight shipping logistics have proved difficult for all exporters and growers.

The seasonal harvest labour workforce is still a major worry for most growers, with estimates the industry has been short of labour by 50 per cent of its normal requirement.

Of the workers available, many are picking and choosing which property to go to and what they will harvest.

The ATGA has invested a great deal of capital resources in attempting to attract seasonal workers, producing resources for seasonal workers and hosting regular meetings with harvest labour providers, stakeholders, and the Victorian Government.

One of the priorities the ATGA has been pushing with state and federal bodies is

Jeremey Boyd | Chair

10 VINE MAGAZINE

the regulation of labour hire contractors (LHCs). Until governments get together to have uniform regulations for how LHCs operate, then issues with labour supply will continue to surface and be problematic for growers. Let’s hope the governments act on this soon.

The Federal Government recently made a positive announcement, with news that one country had finally signed on to the new Australian Agriculture Visa (Ag Visa). However, that has been of no benefit to the industry this year and there is still a great deal of uncertainty around the successful implementation of the Ag Visa going forward. It is definitely something our industry cannot rely on going forward until there are more tangible announcements.

The climatic conditions this year have also not helped, with very cool weather during spring and very little sunlight.

Maturity sampling and retailer data, collected as part of the ATGA’s maturity project, along with a consensus of opinion, show this season’s late maturation, slow colouring and berry softness is likely related to these climatic conditions.

Late maturing of grapes in all regions meant consumer acceptability of grapes declined to worrying levels, where 50 per cent of consumers were not repurchasing within 12 weeks of a poor eating experience. Let’s hope this has been a one-off occurrence and the industry regains its status in the coming years. You can read more the maturity project updates on pages 14-15. v

Jeff Scott | CEO

ATGA NEWS

Out and about News from ATGA’s extension and development team

and how best to manage them. Dr

will use a GoPro camera to capture

Everard Edwards, from CSIRO, gave

side-on, plant-by-plant video footage

producers an overview of innovative

during the season, and then upload the

technologies for yield estimation, fruit

footage to the Bitwise’s GreenView

While travel restrictions were still in

maturity/composition, canopy size/

portal. GreenView will analyse the

place in many areas of the country, we

structure and irrigation optimisation,

footage, identify, count and measure

remained busy.

with brief demonstrations in each

the growth stages of the table grapes

about what they can and can’t do

and generate tailored reports.

As Victorian and new South Wales readers would be especially aware, restricted spring growth (RSG) has been front and centre for many producers since last October – and it certainly occupied a large amount of our time.

We have sampled plant material and conducted an array of testing. We have held information and brain-storming sessions with scientists, agronomic specialists, and producers Australia wide, as you would have read in this edition’s cover story.

Finally, though, restrictions have eased across all states, making travel possible, and (nearly) all producers have finished harvest. Now is the time for the extension team to travel and share some of the research, innovative technologies, and new chemistry we

and where each technology is at. The same theme – new technologies – continued, with presentations from RapidAim about Queensland fruit fly traps and what else is on the horizon. A chemical representative also provided information about newer chemistry options for the vineyard.

so participating growers will receive a 12-month subscription for free, but will either share a GoPro (or purchase one themselves), provide data and ground proof some of the measurements taken, with assistance from the ATGA. This will help table

investigated prospective sites to trial

grape growers make data-driven

replacements for Dormex® – hopefully

decisions through more accurate bunch

to be complemented with trials in

counting of entire patches, adapt

Greater Sunraysia later in July.

crop load management practices and

Grower sessions will be held late in June in Western Australia. The team will work with Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to organise and ensure relevance and accessibility for everyone.

We'll also host grower sessions in

months.

Sunraysia to explore the results of our RSG testing in late May.

travelled to Emerald, Mundubbera, and

In July, we'll be presenting an agtech

St George to talk about ATGA projects

forum in Sunraysia to talk about, see

and find out what growers were

and touch all things agtech. This event

concerned about. Two workshops – one

was planned for last year but was

in Emerald and one in Mundubbera –

postponed due to Covid. We'll keep

were held, with growers from other

you informed about all these upcoming

parts of Queensland able to link in.

events in Pick of the Bunch and on

As trunk diseases were identified

venture into table grapes in Australia,

While in Queensland, the team also

have been looking into in the past few

At the end of April, the team and Jeff

This is the first time Bitwise will

estimate yields of every patch. We’ll be looking for 10 participating growers in June/July, so stay tuned in to our socials for a call out. v Alison, Jenny & Karen Industry development team amacgregor@atga.net.au jtreeby@atga.net.au kconnolly@atga.net.au

social media.

as an area of concern on the team’s

As mentioned in the last edition of

last trip, the latest research and

the Vine, ATGA has received funding

findings were one of the topics of

from AgriFutures Australia to trial

the workshops. Dr Regina Baaijens,

yield estimation via imagery and we

from Charles Sturt University, who

will be working with Bitwise Agronomy

had previously met with Queensland

and 10 growers in the Sunraysia and

producers, discussed trunk diseases

Euston/Robinvale area. Together, we

VINE MAGAZINE 11

DFA CHAIR & CEO

Growing opportunities in dried grapes News from our chair What a trying season it’s been. With a cooler summer, the grapes have taken a lot longer to dry. Some areas have had rain, and some missed it.

wine industry. We’ve had quite a few

to work closely with Hort Innovation

wine and table grape growers, along

through our Production, Innovation

with some corporates, talking to our

and Adoption Program and Industry

field officer Stuart and myself about

Communications Program, and thank

planting some of the new varieties

them for their support in the ongoing

that are yielding about 10 tonnes

development of export marketing.

Workers are few and far between and

the wine and table grape industries

some are just showing up because they have to, while others want you to pay them many times the going rate.

With the removal of the piece rate as we know it, wages will be higher on most properties, and this has also made drying a slower process because of a later cutting of the canes.

Prices appear to have increased worldwide as well as here. The quality of the fruit has been good – big berries and full of sugar – which will help growers with the extra costs.

to the hectare. The forecasts are suggesting that the issues affecting will be around for a few years.

Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment for extending our 10 Tonne Project for a further 12 months.

News from our CEO The DFA team has been very busy over the last few months with lots of projects.

Featured at the Grower Forum, this

Organising our annual Grower Forum

Its continuation means there will be

as well as the Dried Fruit Quality

project has provided a range of benefits through irrigation monitoring and other technology to assist with increasing dried grape production. further data and practices available to

Awards and new Top Crop Awards

growers for adoption on farm.

for Mildura Field Days; working on

Through forums such as the NFF

biosecurity manuals; collaborating with other agencies and hort industry peak bodies to try and

Growers need to be watching the

recruit casual seasonal workers for

weather. If rain is approaching, it’s

pruning; focussing on traceability

better to have fruit that is 18 per cent

by connecting with GrapeWeb for

or below off the vines and in the shed

an online spray diary; and working

able to be dehydrated. Leaving fruit

with archivist Nikki Henningham to

on the vine can cost you more in the

ensure the protection of the dried

long run, considering the extra cost of

grape industry’s valuable historic

drying and possible lower grades.

information.

I’m making it sound all doom and

DFA is appreciative of the support

gloom, but it’s not! We have a great

shown by Hort Innovation in

product that’s in demand by the

sponsoring the 2022 Grower Forum,

processors, which can’t be said in the

which was held in April. We continue

Mark King | Chair

12 VINE MAGAZINE

We’re also grateful to the Australian

Horticulture Council and meetings with government representatives, DFA has been advocating strongly on issues for the dried grape industry, including access to workforce, piece rate issues, traceability, and chemical residues. We’ll continue to work hard in representing these issues to policymakers. v

Anne Mansell | CEO

DFA NEWS

Productive start to 2022 D RI E D G RA PE P R O D U C TI O N I N N OVATI O N & A D OPT I O N P R O G R A M 2 0 2 1 - 2 6

While harvest is normally a quiet time for the DFA extension program, this season has been a little different.

channel and listen to David explain

Kleinlagel from Advanced Technology

how it’s been operating.

Viticulture has installed the system

The robotic pruning project – a collaboration with La Trobe University and Mallee Regional Innovation Centre – continued with more trials

in John Hunt’s harvester as part of the 10 Tonne Project. John has been called on to complete some of the final installation bits and coordinate getting harvest data properly

There have been several things on

on vineyards in mid-April. There was a

the go since late January when we

really important step forward in these

squeezed in the last of our 10 Tonne

trials as it was the first time we were

The system allows us to track the

Project site tours for the season.

able to fully test the LiDAR sensing

harvester in real time operation, and

Thanks to Malcolm and Stephen

system and have it control the cutting

within 48 hours of the completion of a

Bennett, David Lyons, John Hunt and

head.

block, Bernd has been able to deliver

As a first-up trial it was a great

yield maps that compare the relative

Mark Luehman for continuing with the trial sites and giving us all a good overview of their programs.

success. The biggest challenge for me as the tractor driver was just keeping

calibrated and recorded.

yield across the patch – nearly down to the individual vine. The data is great and the maps are fantastic,

It was great to see the scale of

a straight line and not trying to follow

planning that goes into harvest

the cordon! The sensing system

preparations at the Duxton

worked well, moving the cutting

demonstration site in Liparoo. Mark

head in and out to match the cordon.

Luehman and the team were able to

It could move the head in and out a

give us some great insight into how to

distance of about 300mm. All I needed

improve their yields.

run a successful vineyard at

to do was keep the outside edge of the front tyre under the bottom wire

The last chunk of work that has

large scale.

David Lyons took us to another section of his property to look at his sultana production system, which has been fully mechanically pruned for the last four seasons and continues to deliver solid production figures.

The system David has developed gives us great confidence that complete mechanisation of pruning is achievable with a little more research,

of the trellis and adjust vertically for any big dips in the cordon – the robot did the rest. For some great drone footage of the trial, have another look at the DFA YouTube channel.

There is still work to go getting the sensing system “dialed in” to some peculiarities of cordon, but we are

but the real work will begin when we start discussing with the growers how they can use the information to make production system changes that will

been going on during harvest is the development of an online spray diary for the dried grape industry. See page 30 for more details. v Stuart Putland Dried Fruits Australia field officer 03 5023 5174 projects@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au

becoming more confident in the system each time we take it out for

trialling and demonstrations. If you

a run.

want to get more information on this,

This harvest has also allowed DFA to

please check out the DFA YouTube

trial a yield monitoring system. Bernd

DFA field officer Stuart Putland with La Trobe University’s Professor Robert Ross and PhD student Matt Felicetti at April’s trial session with the prototype mechanical pruner.

VINE MAGAZINE 13

TABLE GRAPE NEWS

The sweet and the sour 2021/ 22 M ATU R I TY I N S I G H TS

Season delays due to weather events, low Brix levels and slower colouring presented challenges in consumer acceptance of domestic table grapes this season.

year the low levels of sunlight due

Project leader Tristan Kitchener, of

to overcast weather dramatically

Kitchener Partners, said consumer

stalled the increase in Brix across all

acceptability had taken a hit so far

varieties” Andreas said.

this season, with results showing a

As the table grape maturity project

Andreas said it was important for

decline in repeat purchase.

growers to be proactive, and continue

“Most telling, regarding the impact

testing just prior to harvest to ensure

on consumers, was that in 2020/21,

they weren’t harvesting fruit which

eighty-five per cent of consumers

continues, we take a look at some pre-

hadn’t met the Brix requirements –

repurchased grapes if they had a

season and interim insights.

even if the minimum average Brix may

poor experience in December, but in

Continued testing important

have already been met.

2021/22, only 50 per cent did,” Tristan

“While the minimum average Brix

said.

may be reached by a certain date,

“This would have a significant

achieving 80 per cent grapes above

compounding negative impact on

the minimum Brix means waiting

sales, and likely encourage consumers

It’s no secret that growers must remain adaptive and responsive to hurdles in their way, and meeting maturity standards is no exception, according to maturity project technical lead Dr Andreas Klieber, of Quality Associates.

In the lead-up to picking in Emerald, Queensland, Brix levels were increasing steadily before weather events “virtually stopped further

beyond reaching the minimum average Brix,” Andreas said.

to switch their fruit purchase to competitor products such as berries,

Testing in the Mildura region in

mangoes and stone fruit.”

early January showed the variation

This season has been characterised

in readiness for harvest not just between varieties, but also between areas in the same region.

by low Brix levels, with only 68 per cent of white grapes, and 77 per cent of both red and black grapes meeting

increases”.

How did the results stack up?

consumer expectations in 2021/22.

“When monitoring Brix increases

Interim performance results from the

Andreas said that comparative

close to harvest, allowances need

table grape maturity project provided

analysis of retailer testing in mid- and

to be made for weather events. This

some interesting consumer insights.

late March showed varying results.

14 VINE MAGAZINE

TABLE GRAPE NEWS

Low Brix levels were not consistent

Despite mild weather and weather

“Consistently harvesting and selling

across retailers, grape varieties, or

events evidently impacting colouring

only mature grapes allows us to bring

week to week.

and sugar levels for both Sunraysia

new consumers into the community –

and Emerald growing regions, two

and encourage existing consumers to

thirds of grapes tested met maturity

purchase more often. Let’s continue to

requirements. Careful management

support the huge gains we’ve made.” v

A variation was in place for Menindee grapes from Emerald, due to low sugar levels following significant rain events.

Andreas said while the average of all batches met the lowered requirement (15° Brix), individual patches still fell below the variation.

“A further dip in average was observed around the time of the change from northern to southern supply. This was, however, not necessarily the largest drop of Brix during the season, with white grapes showing large dips in

of blocks can therefore achieve minimum maturity requirements.

In early-to-mid-April, grapes above minimum Brix requirement increased to 84 per cent, indicating great eating quality grapes were available in the market at the end of this season.

ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said growers must keep maturity testing protocols front of mind for the remainder of the season and well into the future.

Brix during November and February,”

“Consumer acceptability has risen

he said.

significantly over the past few

“Red Globe also consistently did not meet minimum requirements."

“Most telling, regarding the impact on consumers, was that in 2020/21, 85 per cent of consumers repurchased grapes if they had a poor experience in December, but in 2021/22, only 50 per cent did,” Tristan said.

years as a result of implementing national maturity standards,” Jeff said. “However, many other product

“Low Brix issues were not exclusive

categories are replicating our table

to generic varieties, but licensed

grape maturity project and will raise

varieties too. For example, the black

their quality standards over time.

grape varieties showed low values at

As an industry, we cannot afford to

times.”

become complacent.”

“Suppliers of improved grapevine rootstock and scion wood to the grape industry” Contact Gary Thomas Tel: (03) 5022 8499 Mob: 0418 997 730 PO Box 5051, Mildura Vic 3502 Email: vamvvia@bigpond.com Please see website for more information & order forms www.vamvvia.org

VINE MAGAZINE 15

DRIED GRAPE NEWS

New agreement for licensed varieties Significant changes to production fees for some licensed dried grape varieties came into effect from this year’s harvest.

Sunbeam foods and Australian

cost to the licenced propagator and a

Premium Dried Fruits.

Registered Grower Agreement signed,

The changes fall under a new five-year agreement for the licensed varieties of Sunglo, Black Gem and Bruce’s Sport FSAC. Dried Fruits Australia CEO Anne Mansell said the Unique Dried Grape Varieties Committee and DFA board had been working with CSIRO over the past year to negotiate a new agreement.

For Sunglo and Black Gem, the annual production fee has changed from a $200 per hectare charge to a $20 per tonne charge, which brings it in line with other levy charges. The fee will

“The good news is that the production royalty will only be charged to growers

said.

with these varieties for 10 years,

“DFA looks forward to working with

starting from when the variety comes

new and existing licensed growers,

into production at year three,”

propagators and receivers as well as

Anne said.

CSIRO in making these changes as

“For existing growers, this will be

seamless as possible.

managed with the information DFA

“We also encourage growers who

has on file via signed Registered

are replanting or putting in new

Grower Agreements, and licenced

plantings to seriously consider these

growers and receivers will be notified

commercialised varieties as they’ve

when the 10-year timeframe is

been developed to suit our regional

complete. It will also be a feature

growing conditions.”

of all new Registered Grower

Please contact the DFA office if you

Agreements.”

have any questions. Fact sheets on

Propagation fees haven’t changed and

each of the licensed varieties are also

will remain at $1.30 per vine for all varieties.

be collected at the delivery point by

“For any new plantings, this fee will

the licensed receivers – processors

need to be paid as part of an overall

16 VINE MAGAZINE

as has always been the case,” Anne

available from the office and DFA website.v

DRIED GRAPE NEWS

Saving history The dried grape industry’s long and innovative history has been preserved for years to come with the completion of Dried Fruits Australia’s history project.

DFA CEO Anne Mansell said it was

production and its development; the

a great relief to see the valuable

Australia Dried Fruits Association –

historical information in proper

as our organisation was previously

storage containers, which will

known; or, more generally, the history

assist with preservation for future

of the production region – from Swan

generations.

Hill through to the Riverland – to

The project officially wrapped up in

reference tool to assist people

March with Melbourne historian Nikki

with accessing various parts of the

Henningham’s final visit to Mildura to

collection,” Anne said.

finish the mammoth task of archiving DFA’s historical records.

“Nikki will now be providing a

contact us so that they can explore the resources we have in storage.” v Below: Historian Nikki Henningham has archived DFA’s historical records, completing the organisation’s conservation project.

“I’d encourage anyone with an interest in the history of dried grape

Nikki made several visits to DFA headquarters over the past year to sort through boxes of thousands of albums, folders, photographs, clippings and records of the organisation.

The archival work, funded through the Victorian Government’s Local History Grants Program, was due to start in March 2020 but was delayed due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

DFA joins INC Dried Fruits Australia is the newest member of the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation.

board of trustees in April, DFA chair

on international trade issues and

Mark King said.

government regulations regarding

“As a member of the INC, DFA now has access to valuable international trade datasets as well as information on nutrition and health that we can utilise for promotion,” Mark said.

trade barriers, food safety, food contaminants and quality standards as well as statistical information, including data on production, imports, exports, supply and domestic consumption

“The INC website contains a full

of tree nuts, peanuts and dried

database that offers key information

fruit.”

The INC is the international source for information on nuts and dried fruits for health, nutrition, statistics, food safety, government standards, and regulations regarding trade barriers and agricultural quality standards.

Its mission is to stimulate and facilitate sustainable growth in the global nut and dried fruit industry.

DFA was welcomed into the INC by its

VINE MAGAZINE 17

PRUNE NEWS

APIA awarded funds for tech uptake The Australian prune

scanning technology and its suitability

fruit size will increase, but you run the

industry has been successful

in prune crops.

risk of having too few fruit and thus

with a grant application

“The problem is that the Australian

to promote adoption of

prune industry produces a large

technology and increase grower profitability via a new grant application to AgriFutures Australia.

Early in 2021, AgriFutures Australia launched a pilot Producer Technology Uptake Program to support eligible producer groups to increase adoption of technology solutions on-farm.

amount of small fruit that doesn’t meet the premium price market channel,” Michael said.

“In recent years we have seen the market move towards pitted products. Unfortunately, small fruit is not suitable for pitting and it is increasingly difficult to find a buyer for this fruit, so the prices are low and often not sustainable for growers.

decreasing overall yield. Conversely, if you leave too much fruit on the tree, each fruit receives a smaller share of the finite nutrient supply resulting in small fruit.”

APIA was unsuccessful with its grant application to the 2021 AgriFutures Australia pilot program but succeeded with a revised application under round three of the Producer Technology Uptake Program.

The revised project aims to help address the problem of crop load

The pilot was a success and the rural

“The solution is to balance crop load

and thinning by demonstrating fruit

research facilitator has recently

to boost both the number of fruit and

scanning technology as a means of

invited applications for round three of

the size of fruit harvested so a greater

accurately determining the crop load

the program.

proportion meets premium price

and mechanical thinning requirements.

Australian Prune Industry Association deputy chair Michael Zalunardo said

grades and maximum profitability is realised.

Michael said there were many reasons why growers had been slow to adopt

APIA had successfully applied for

"However, this can be tricky. If you thin

on-farm technology to address the

a round-three grant to look at fruit

too much fruit from trees, individual

fruit size problem.

18 VINE MAGAZINE

PRUNE NEWS

These include: - A reluctance to thin as current

density maps of fruit number and

AgriFutures Australia will work

predicted yield maps.

closely with successful groups to support the rollout of program

measurements are time consuming

Michael said the trial would use

and use a small sample size

scanning technology to identify crop

- Unfamiliarity with available technologies - Cost to implement new technology (usually an up-front cost) - Scepticism about thinning (and the lack of hard data in prunes) - Reliance on contract tree-shaker

some of these barriers by trialling Green Atlas’s Cartographer platform in prune orchards.

Michael said that Cartographer would

“The spatial pictures allow growers to

be used to scan up to five different

identify areas that are not performing

orchards, with ground-truth counts

well and require targeted strategies

obtained through selective harvest.

to help achieve uniform yield and fruit

Following data analysis and report

quality characteristics,” he said.

Program is intended to provide

The APIA project hopes to overcome

learning across producers.

orchard management.

expensive)

thinning will be sufficient.

and ensure there is peer-to-peer

map is also a useful tool in overall

The Producer Technology Uptake

against thinning in the hope natural

is to leverage learnings across groups

load for thinning, but the resulting

operators for thinning (which is

- Opting to “roll the dice” and decide

activities. A key part of the program

preparation, the plums would be thinned accordingly.

At the end of the season, the

funding for groups of producers

technology will be validated with

to develop a technology adoption

quality assessment, with case studies

program to support greater

produced to inform growers of all

technology uptake on-farm.

sizes about the potential benefits

Successful grant recipients will work

arising from the use of the Green

with individual producers within

Atlas technology. v

their group to deliver activities that provide them with information and

Green Atlas co-founder Dr Steve

knowledge needed to overcome

Scheding said the mobile platform

technology adoption barriers.

Phil Chidgzey APIA national secretariat secretary@ausprunes.org.au

had been independently validated by

The project activities will be

M: 0439 733 321

Agriculture Victoria in commercial apple, pear and stonefruit orchards but was relatively new for prune orchards.

“Cartographer is a mobile hardware

Left page: The Cartographer platform scanning a prune orchard.

undertaken around Griffith, NSW where the Australian prune industry is now largely located and would involve both larger (>150 tonnes) and smaller (<50 tonnes) growers.

and software platform capable of simultaneously counting the number of visible fruit and nuts in the trees (using computer vision) whilst also building three-dimensional models of those trees (using LiDAR),” Steve said.

P – PO M E FE AT UR ED CR O

“Both attributes are known to be

stone fruit Estimating e and colour number, siz Islam, Mark O’Connell*

highly correlated to yield.”

The Cartographer scanning unit is mounted to a fast All-Terrain-Vehicle (ATV) and driven along orchard rows at high-speed to gather data at treelevel.

Steve said the initial process was

T & STO NE FR UI

r calibration facto s). Once the image, calibration zone number per tree rows (i.e., . detected fruit be generated the originally is applied to er per tree can er, of fruit numb s of fruit numb accurate maps ucted field estimation for cond rch was resea r in stone fruit Pioneering and fruit colou Green Atlas fruit diameter reliability of and e Victoria. The a Smar tFarm S

by Agricultur ad S. d at the Tatur on si, Muhamm was first teste rds (Varapodio iques based ercial orcha Alessio Scali Cartographer R&D/CROP nition techn LOAD MANA ate in three comm GEMENT n of fruit recog rtunity to estim then evaluated ria).

The applicatio des the oppo Victo –2021 provi ona, e igenc rmed in 2020 T & R, Ardm rds. artificial intell tFarm was perfo Sun’), peach eters in orcha Smar tree, a param per Tatur number (‘October several crop Work at the to obtain fruit for in st Flame’) and den May’), plum can be used ing demand on apricot (‘Gol ‘Snow Flame 25’ and ‘Augu Detected fruit r There is a grow mn Bright’). skin colour. and fruit colou w Flame 23’, ‘Autu and size (‘Sno and size ’ fruit er, fruit and estic Pearl on s of fruit numb fruit quality, carried out nectarine (‘Maj logistics and situ estimation ber l orchards was ing, harvest ling costs. commercia rine and ‘Octo to improve thinn fruit grading and hand Evaluation on Flare 34’ necta e tion algorithm ly estimate h, ‘Summer potentially reduc that can rapid ‘Glacier’ peac stone fruit detec a SmartFarm. le platforms Green Atlas to generate at the Tatur smar t mobi Sun’ plum. The need to be able es collected In addition, parameters diverse tree that on the imag d crop ed with rds traine ution show was s in orcha high-resol a Smar tFarm rate prediction ple cultivars. ned at the Tatur the error of relatively accu ns and in multi Results obtai ing systems, crops le spacing desig r different train ≤10% in all the grapher, a mobi training and overall, unde per tree was loped Carto fruit number n Atlas deve to rapidly scan estimates of (up Recently, Gree been successfully used fruit counts (Table 1). has (%) under study uce flower and platform that ation error row spacings). rds and prod Estim 4m x. orcha l m commercia rds with appro Training Syste hour in orcha Crop 2 an innovative to 6–8 ha per s (Figure 1) is ution Tatura Trelli R, high-resol Cartographer 3 Apricot Green Atlas (e.g., GPS, LiDA learning Vase n of hardware d on machine 2 base combinatio it are, erfru s and softw the summ Tatura Trelli RGB- cameras) ology offers 5 Plum er, size and This new techn ure fruit numb Vase algorithms.

4 rtunities to meas r industry oppo Vertical leade l 4 Peach er, precise spatia skin colour. s with Cartograph . To obtain Tatura Trelli the orchards 10 1 be produced trellis can r After scanning er tree, ileve per Cant of fruit numb fruit number 8 Nectarine 2 density maps only lute values of trellis r comm abso is ileve with Cant ration 5 accurate maps needed. Calib sections of s m) ration step is Trelli a (7–10 calib er Tatur a furth er of short A6L E S S I O S C r on a small numb ALISI, LEXI carried out Vertical leade predicted E M c C L Y M O N T er per tree s of fruit numb ot, plum, peach ation error apric Table 1. Estim ms at the grapher in Atlas Carto training syste r different with Green rine trees unde and necta ercial tFarm.

Tatura Smar the three comm

hectares per hour in orchards with

Cartographer processing unit, which uses state-of-the art algorithms to process the data into precise spatial

AND IAN GO ODWIN

New crop mapping technology has insights for managin g crop load variability and improving pack outs.

capable of scanning six to eight

This data is then uploaded to the

Predicting flower and fruit

Cartographer ma ps path to uniform, high qua lity pears

relatively fast, with a platform

four metre row spacings.

At an ANP-0131 (marketed as Ricó) blush pear field walk at his Calimna Orchard in November, Ardmona senior fruit grower and industry leader Matthew Lenne made clear the practica l value of a greater underst anding of spatial variability: “Understanding spatial patterns of flowerin g and fruiting will enable growers to prioritis e and plan thinning manage ment,” he said.

Technology that helps quantify spatial variability in flower and fruit number s and maps it for ease of viewing , can deliver that understanding and be used to consiste ntly optimise crop load season after season.

Spatial estimates of flower and fruit number s are fundamental to optimising management strategi es such as thinning and data has the potential to be interfaced with variable rate chemical thinning sprayers for high-pre cision, automated manage ment.

n Atlas Figure 1. Gree T & R. oS at Varapodi 16

rine orchard her in a necta Cartograp

TREE CROP AUSTRALIAN

models in er of prediction s of fruit numb The evaluation 6% good prediction highlighted were 8, 7 and s in this case orchards also example Crop ctive load ly. estimation error , respe andAn yield variability in per tree; the pear orchards in the peach and plum represen tsprod oneuced rine, of tree the biggest per necta er for challenges for growers numb 2.

A significa . in Figur map of fruit nt epart of the challeng of a spatial rd is shown e is the manually assessi ional ng l nectarine orcha difficulty of variability across re the addit commercia not requi and time and measur did blocks Theing estimations the effectiveness predictions. erment of numb manage Fruit diameter the for fruit approac and ed ) hes. need (>90% step good ing research ng, calibration was veryPioneer at Agricult ure Victoria’s crop, row spaci the prediction Taturadless of of racy SmartFa regar accu rm and (i.e.,rcial on py comme was <5mm, demonstrating the cano orchards is ion in the potentia estimation error et of vertical posit l that new flower and fruit d datas m and fruit mappin s a poole g technolo gy has to ars. e 3 show training syste and better crops and cultivimprove understanding and high). Figur low, medium in different management of variability. The current predictions work being undertaken is part of the PIPS3 fruit diameter 21 Program’s Developing smarter n o v e m b e r 2 0 o c to b e r / and sustainable pear orchards to maximis e fruit quality, yield and labour efficienc (AP19005) project y being led by Agricult ure Victoria.

Crop yield variab

ility

Variable yield is seen both between and within blocks (spatial) and between seasons (tempor al). Many factors influence crop load variabili ty including inherent biennial bearing, weather and pollination.

In orchards, both spatial and tempora l variability need to be minimis ed to simplify manage ment and achieve regular cropping .

About the authors: Alessio Scalisi, Lexie McClymont and Ian Goodwin.

Tatura SmartFarm , Agriculture Victoria, Tatura, Victoria, Australia E: alessio.scalisi@ agriculture.vic.gov.au

Green Atlas Cartograp her in the ‘ANP-0131’ planting systems experiment at the Tatura SmartFarm.

number

The application of flower and fruit recognit ion techniques based on artificial intellige nce provides the opportunity to estimate several crop parameters in orchards. Howeve r, only a few compan ies have commercial groundbased or aerial platform capable of accurat s ely predicting crop parameters.

The Australian based company Green Atlas targeted this market gap and recently developed Cartographer, a groundbased mobile platform that has been success fully used to rapidly scan commercial orchard s and produce flower and fruit counts in apples.

Scanning with Cartogra pher can very quickly produce a ‘relative heatmap’ of flower and fruit number per tree that clearly shows the variability across an orchard block. For more accurat e determination of the absolute number s of flowers or fruit, Cartographer requires calibrati on for a specific block. Calibrat ion requires groundtruth counts of flower clusters and fruit in calibration zones. In most cases, spatial and tempora l variability within orchard blocks can be determined by simply assessing uncalibr ated spatial maps.

Flower and fruit variab ility in ‘ANP-0131’ pears

The blush pear cultivar ‘ANP-0131’ produce s fruit with superior texture, flavour and appeara nce, but is known to show a biennial bearing pattern.

“Utilising tools like Cartogra pher can help growers mitigate biennial bearing and assess the success of crop regulation practice s,” Matthew Lenne explained at the field walk.

The Tatura SmartFa rm hosts two experim trials with ‘ANP-01 ental 31’ pears. The Planting systems experiment encomp asses a combina tion of different tree spacings, tree architectures and rootstocks and is an ideal setup to visualise the spatial variability of flower and fruit number predicted by Cartogra pher.

46 | A F G S U M MER 2021 A PA L.O R G.A

U

VINE MAGAZINE 19

INSIGHTS

Dried grape trade report The latest dried grape import and export statistics.

EXPORTS

JULY 2021 – JANUARY 2022 TOTAL EXPORTS

2707 tonnes

WITH EXPORT VALUE OF

GERMANY 589 t $2.69 mil

CHINA 709 t $3.52 mil

TOP EXPORT DESTINATIONS

$14.2 million

VIETNAM 198 t $1.9 mil

JAPAN 445 t $2.41 mil ITALY 481 t $2.28 mil

IMPORTS MARCH 2021 – FEBRUARY 2022 TOTAL IMPORTS

17,800 tonnes

GREECE USA IRAN CHINA

TURKEY

TURKEY

SOUTH AFRICA

GREECE

OTHER (TSRs) Total: 3454 tonnes

CURRANTS TOTAL 1458 TONNES 20 VINE MAGAZINE

SULTANAS

USA: 1707 t

TOTAL 12,887 TONNES

South Africa: 412 t

Chile: 736 t Iran: 178 t Turkey: 176 t Other: 245 t

INSIGHTS

Table grape trade insights Interim trade insights for the 2021/22 season.

TOP 10 COUNTRIES BY TONNAGE EXPORTED (C% DENOTES EXPORT PERFORMANCE OVER SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR) (MS% DENOTES PREVIOUS YEAR MARKET SHARE)

DESITNATION COUNTRY

PCP

YTD

C%

MS%

CHINA

48,571

22,814

-53%

47.25%

INDONESIA

13,455

13,497

0%

14.93%

JAPAN

6,080

5,170

-15%

8.51%

PHILIPINES

6,002

4,275

-29%

7.20%

VIETNAM

5,290

8,154

54%

6.18%

THAILAND

4,888

4,320

-12%

5.60%

KOREA

4,504

4019

-11%

4.00%

NEW ZEALAND

2,060

2,697

31%

2.77%

SINGAPORE

1,538

1,550

1%

1.87%

MALAYSIA

1,590

1,444

-9%

1.70%

93,979

67,940

-28%

100%

TOTAL

TABLE GRAPE EXPORT DATA AS AT APRIL 2022 TONAGE EXPORTED LAST YEAR

THIS TIME LAST YEAR VS THIS YEAR (tonnes)

121,352 t

Jan – 7k / 4k

THIS YEAR SO FAR...

Feb – 24k / 13k

72,000 t

March – 49k / 38k

WA 894t

CURRENT YEAR BY STATE:

(up 79%)

QLD 558t SA 1134t

VIC 64,929t

NSW 5326t

April – 34k / 19k (so far)

by sea 67,111t

by air 5740t

VINE MAGAZINE 21

NEWS

Events are back In vineyards, boardrooms, fields and function spaces, Australia’s horticulture community is coming together again in 2022 to help shape and grow our industry.

Face-to-face events are back on the agenda after almost two years of predominantly virtual workshops and meetings. And while digital platforms have allowed us to safely continue to learn and exchange ideas, they can’t replace the in-person experience.

In Sunraysia this month, Mildura Field Days is going ahead at Mildura Racecourse. The event on 20 and 21 May will share the best of horticulture

Sunmuscat and Sunglo. This year, the

In July, the ATGA will host its tech

industry’s best producing dried grape

hub, which was originally scheduled

businesses will also be recognised

for 2021. The event will include

with the inaugural DFA Top Crop

presentations on traceability and

Awards. There will be an overall

feature the latest in agtech.

winner – the business that produced the highest value crop per hectare – as well as individual awards for all major varieties – Sunglo, Sunmuscat, currants, Selma Pete, Sugra 39 and sultanas.

Another two events that were initially planned for 2021 also recently went ahead in Mildura. DFA’s 2022 Grower Forum in April welcomed expert speakers to the region and explored topics including irrigation technology,

Next month, members from across the

the impact of chemical residues,

industry will converge in Brisbane for

South Africa’s dried grape industry,

Hort Connections 2022 – Australia’s

sustainable farming, water, and

largest horticulture conference and

local projects. Growers also had the

trade show. The event, on from 6 to 8

opportunity to get hands-on with the

June, will focus on how and where the

latest horticultural innovations at the

hort world can connect and grow the

Mallee Regional Innovation Centre’s

industry post pandemic.

Growing Smarter in the Mallee agtech summit from 5 to 6 May.

with the wider community. Dried

DFA and the Australian Table Grape

Fruits Australia will take to the

Association will continue to host field

The August 2022 Vine will bring you

main stage to announce the winners

days and workshops, offering growers

all the details and photos from many

of its annual Dried Fruit Quality

and other industry members a chance

Awards, presenting awards for the

to connect and get a first-hand look at

best sultanas, currants, raisins,

industry projects and innovations.

22 VINE MAGAZINE

of these events. v

ADVERTORIAL

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Moreover, the consumer also benefits from its flavour,

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technical experts aim to give growers the tools to be able to

Timpson™ is indeed an easy to grow grape with minimal

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end-to-end service. The SNFL Australian team has

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developed local production protocols and maintains one-to-

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one collaborations with growers.

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NEWS

A new life for old grape covers & irrigation tube The National Agricultural Plastics Stewardship Scheme is working to develop a viable market to recycle agricultural plastics, similar to the current drumMUSTER program.

What plastics are included in the Victorian pilot?

The target plastic types include table

What are the costs of recycling my plastic in the Victorian pilot?

grape covers and irrigation tube from

During the pilot, it will be free to drop-

horticulture and grain silo bags from broadacre cropping.

The Sunraysia and Loddon regions

Where will the Victorian pilot operate?

have been selected to pilot an

The pilot will operate across the

approach to improve the collection and recycling of selected target plastics, including grape covers, due to the intensity and diversity of

Sunraysia and Loddon regions with collection sites in Mildura, Swan Hill and Ouyen.

off your old grape covers, irrigation tube and grain bags for recycling at one of the three convenient collection sites.

Additional fee-for-service farm collection can be arranged for large amounts of agricultural plastic. Please contact us to discuss further using the details below.

Who will implement the pilot?

tube is part of supporting industry

How do I prepare my plastic so they are accepted at the collection site?

best practice and bolstering table

Grape covers, irrigation tube and grain

consultancy, RMCG, along with

bags need to be clean and rolled to

a number of partners and local

be eligible for the pilot. Follow these

businesses across the Sunraysia and

simple steps:

Loddon region.

Step 1: Separate plastic

Where can I get further information and guidance?

agricultural production.

Recycling grape covers and irrigation

grape production in key growing areas across the country. Sustainability is key to grower productivity and profitability.

Reduce waste and save money Agriculture, fisheries and forestry produce a large and diverse amount of plastic waste. The disposal of

Step 2: Shake or brush of excess dirt and plant matter

The pilot is being led by agricultural

For further information or guidance

Step 3: Tightly roll or coil the plastic

please contact Carl Larsen, RMCG, 03

Step 4: Drop-off plastic at your local

5441 4821 or visit www.rmcg.com.au/

collection site.

agplasticpilotvic

practices that can pollute our

There will be retrieval equipment

This project received grant funding

environment.

made available to assist in the

this waste often involves harmful

Recycling of agricultural plastics in Australia is currently low due to challenges including contamination on-farm, limited collection options, and long transport distances to recyclers.

preparation of your irrigation tube and grain bags.

How long will the pilot run?

The pilot will only accept grape covers, irrigation tube and grain bags between May and October 2022.

There is an opportunity to turn old

After this time, the broader scheme

plastic products back into new ones

will be developed with the potential of

– reducing waste and saving money

reinstating collection of agricultural

(Figure 1).

plastics in the region.

24 VINE MAGAZINE

from the Australian Government. v

NEWS

CLOSED LOOP PLASTIC SUPPLY CHAIN Table Grape Covers

Figure 1: Turning old grape covers back into new ones through a circular economy

VINE MAGAZINE 25

7

BEST PRACTICE

Cool to be clean pruning hygiene Vineyard hygiene is important year-round, but especially so at pruning time. Before workers pick up the pruning secateurs, it’s always good to keep pruning hygiene front of mind.

Prevent the spread

Benefits of good pruning hygiene methods

be phytotoxic and will need to be dried off before use.

When growers discard weak and

If poisoning is suspected, call 000 or contact www.health.gov.au/contacts/

infected canes and select healthy ones to wrap down, it has multiple

poisons-information-centre v

benefits.

References:

It can help promote greater bud

https://vinehealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/ Footwear-and-Small-Hand-Tool-DisinfestationProtocol.pdf

health, improve yield and quality potential, and simplify pest and

www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-andbiological-sciences/pruning-tools

There are several ways growers and

disease monitoring and management

workers can help minimise the spread

programs.

https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/ disinfection/efficacy.html

Establishing a good canopy can assist

www.syngenta.com.au/news/viticulture/usingpruning-keep-vineyards-disease-free

of pests and diseases in the vineyard.

Ensure staff adhere to vineyard

in strong vine health, generating

hygiene protocols.

airflow, and potentially helping to

Clean and disinfect tools, equipment,

prevent disease.

and implements before use, before

Some common disinfectant products

moving to the next plant/row/patch, after working with infected plants, or using your tools at another site.

Dispose of pruning waste especially from suspected infected vines. Waste

Two common disinfectants include bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and "rubbing alcohol" (isopropyl alcohol).

QUICK FACTS: - Dirty tools can spread disease - Tools exposed to dirt and moisture can transmit soil fungi, weeds and nematodes between sites - Secateurs and snips that make contact with affected plants

management options may include

Bleach is a common household

a waste pit away from vineyards,

product that eliminates bacteria,

burning or deep burial. Pest and

fungi and viruses from tools.

Plant pathogens like bacteria,

disease problems can accumulate

Disinfect pruning tools with sodium

fungi and viruses:

from season to season if infected

hypochlorite (2% solution), but be

plant material is left in the field with

aware that bleach can corrode metal

the vines.

with long-term use.

Don’t prune during rainfall, as some

Rubbing alcohol will disinfect surfaces

diseases can overwinter on infected

of tools against bacteria, fungi and

vines, and some trunk disease spores

viruses when used in concentrations

can infect up to 36 hours after rainfall.

of 70 per cent of more (according to

Train workers to be vigilant when

the Centre for Disease Control).

may transmit fungi and viruses

- can cause diseases that can kill or inhibit plant growth and productivity - are microscopic, so while your tools may look clean, these microorganisms may still be present - can be transferred to and infect

pruning. They should remove infected

It’s always important to read

plants through infected sap

canes and trim cordons back to

disinfectant labels (add disinfectant),

on pruning equipment, or via

healthy wood.

use as directed, wear personal

pruning waste, roots or soil and

protective equipment when the label

by insect vectors or personnel

Create a physical barrier to reduce the risk of infection by applying a fungicide, biological control agent or a paint directly to large cuts as soon as possible after pruning

recommends, store out of reach of children and vulnerable adults, and in a dry location with stable temperature. Never mix disinfectants with other chemicals. Chemicals used to disinfect can have harmful fumes or burn skin, and some chemicals could

26 VINE MAGAZINE

BEST PRACTICE

Pruning technique for swingarm trellis There are several things dried grape growers need to consider when pruning on swingarm trellis, which was designed to minimise the amount of work required at pruning.

2019/20. Growers using this system

This system is often accompanied by

may opt to remove canes hanging

some level of rolling canes onto the

below the bottom wire with a

bottom wire to ensure they are held

cutter bar.

in place.

Another common option is to be more

There is currently no evidence of

selective with retaining canes. This is

production, canopy management

usually done by pruning out unwanted

or pest and disease management

One option is to simply capture all

with the floating wire. This system

canes from the non-fruiting side of

canes before pinning them in place tends to increase focus on selecting

benefits from either system. However, evidence from the DFA benchmarking program indicates a 20 per cent time saving during pruning for the less

the cordon by pinning them into place

healthy looking canes, limiting the

with the floating wire. This is usually

number of canes per vine and creating

followed by a clean-up of the old

a more even distribution of canes

With either system, the stage at which

fruiting canes along the harvested

along the cordon.

the trellis is tipped over is best left

side of the cordon by cutting old canes back to the base bud or a single bud spur. When cleaning up the cordon, canes that are damaged, too densely clustered, or not captured in the floating wire can be removed.

Rolling canes onto the bottom wire may not be necessary, particularly with vigorous canopies. Cane and tendril growth during the season ensure canes remain in place through cutting, wetting, drying and harvesting. This is supported by the results of a minimal pruning trial in

A good cane: - appears tan to dark tan in colour - faces in the right direction for cropping the next year - has short internode spaces - has not grown in the shade or isn’t showing long internode spaces - is not a “bull” cane with large internode spaces - tapers off in diameter as it reaches desired length.

selective method.

to management preference. However, DFA and individual grower trials with mechanised pruning systems suggest it should be done after cleaning up the cordon to allow better access for tractor-mounted pruning implements.

This information comes from Dried Fruits Australia’s post-harvest and winter Dried Grape Best Practice Guide. The full guide is available at www.driedfruitsaustralia.org.au/ producer-resources and printed copies can be collected from the DFA office. v

VINE MAGAZINE 27

CHEMICAL USE

Soft in nature, not on results

There’s something to be said about being “soft, but not weak”.

This well-known quote – attributed to many and none – has significant relevance when we think about control. There’s a big difference between being soft and weak, particularly in the case of chemical use.

Embracing “soft” can initiate a change

for growers to use to manage pest

portfolio manager Serge Usatov said.

outbreaks.

Biologically-based chemicals,

The term “soft chemistry” is becoming

including pheromones or active

a buzzword in the horticulture sector,

ingredients derived from bacteria,

but it also raises questions.

also come under a different category

The Australian Table Grape Association spoke to experts in the agrichemical industry to help

– sometimes called “biological solutions” – within the agrichemical industry.

understand what soft chemistry is,

Corteva territory account manager

how it works and what the benefits

Nick Weckert said products developed

are to industry.

with soft chemistry attributes would target specific pests, but efficacy

in mindset, something required at this

What is “soft chemistry”?

critical time in table grape production.

Soft chemistry refers to targeted

as well.

Australian and international

pest solutions that have little impact

“(These products are) supported with

governments are strengthening

on the environment and merge

regular crop monitoring to measure

well with growers’ integrated pest

pest threshold numbers and the

and further protect the environment

management (IPM) programs.

required beneficials,” Nick said.

and consumers from exposure to

“‘Soft chemistry’ generally refers

chemical residues, and a spotlight has

to synthetic chemistry that is very

been shone on food safety standards.

targeted at a specific pest species,

Chemical industry embraces soft side

The result of this attention is fewer

while having minimal impact on any

Stricter regulatory measures in

broad-spectrum chemicals available

beneficial species,” BASF horticulture

international markets mean MRLs

chemical laws to prevent pollution

28 VINE MAGAZINE

required commitment from the grower

CHEMICAL PROJECTS USE

are constantly changing. Chemicals

“Retailers, agronomists and especially

spray less but at the optimum time,

commonly used in table grape

farmers also benefit and have

and ensure good coverage to allow the

production have recently been

been eagerly embracing these new

chemistry to perform best.

affected, having MRLs removed, and

technologies. … We’ve received some

registrations cancelled.

fantastic feedback from growers who

“Maintaining high levels of beneficials

Chemical companies are doing the

have implemented targeted sprays

hard yards to help develop products that meet MRLs, with minimal impact

throughout the growing season to get great results from their production

to the environment, consumer, and

systems."

worker, according to Serge.

“This targeted approach gets the job

“BASF actively invests in pioneering

done properly and early before pest

R&D for new products and solutions that allow flexibility to farmers’ operations and address the toughest pest and disease threats,” he said.

“As part of this research, we develop chemistry that meet the ongoing demands of stricter regulatory criteria and MRLs of export destinations.

“It is reassuring (to growers) to know that companies such as BASF are

and disease gets out of control. This allows the farmer to achieve a highquality produce as well as being able to have the flexibility on farm to do the various jobs required. Growers can only do this when they have chemistry that is more targeted," Serge said.

Nick said soft chemistry meant growers would generally spray fewer times, as “the products used give a longer protection period”.

investing in solutions that support

“Less applications means huge labour

farmers in doing their jobs and give

and fuel savings and less machinery

consumers confidence that they are

wear and tear,” he said.

getting high quality produce.”

Alison agreed that early intervention

ATGA project lead Alison MacGregor

with soft chemistry could lead to

said growers and consumers equally

better overall pest and disease

are becoming increasingly aware

control, partly because beneficials can

about the importance of sustainability

thrive and assist with pest control,

in food production, environmentally

and partly because early intervention

friendly practices, and greater

will delay build-up of a problem,

traceability within the food supply

making it much easier to control.

chain, to which Nick agreed.

Making the switch

“All stakeholders in the food chain are driving this focus to be more sustainable and ensure MRLs are met

is paramount to the success of IPM so removing or at least reducing where possible the use of broad-spectrum chemistry will greatly assist growers hoping to transition.”

Serge said it was important that “as the industry produces more targeted solutions farmers need to ensure the (spray) application is of a high standard, and the water volume, calibration and spray direction achieve a high level of canopy coverage to maximise results”.

He also said that a shift in mindset would help understand the value of soft solutions.

“There is a false perception in the industry that newer, ‘soft’ solutions are ‘soft’ in efficacy results,” he said.

“This is not the case.” v

Soft chemistry refers to targeted pest solutions that have little impact on the environment and merge well with growers’ integrated pest management (IPM) programs.

How growers make the transition to use soft chemistry depends on

as required,” he said.

several factors – but Nick said it’s not

Soft chemistry – not just a benefit to consumers

“We would suggest do a trial only on a

something that happens overnight. block or two initially for year 1, before

Alison, Serge and Nick all agree that

changing the management of a farm

using soft chemistry doesn’t just

completely,” he said.

benefit consumers.

“IPM is about more than just product

“Consumers are not the only group

selection. It requires regular crop

to benefit from the development

monitoring for both pest and

of newer chemistry,” Serge said.

beneficials, a mindset-change to

VINE MAGAZINE 29

CHEMICAL USE

Spray diary goes digital A new electronic spray diary will be rolled out for the dried grape industry in the lead up to the 2022/23 season.

“We hope to see the whole industry go

up and down the supply chain between

digital with its spray records and we

growers, processors and marketers

will be working with the processors to

before the product is even ready for

support growers with the transition

harvest.”

from the paper-based system.

Stuart said the industry was lucky to

“There will be lots more information

be able to pick up the system from the

Dried Fruits Australia has been working

coming your way before the planned

wine grape industry, so development

collaboratively with processors

rollout in July this year.”

time would be relatively short.

The project – Creating real-time

“The Grapeweb platform is ideal as

traceability in the Australian dried

it provides live entry of chemical

fruits supply chain to improve export

application data, and each entry is

market maximum residue limit

immediately checked against an

DFA field officer Stuart Putland said

compliance – is being funded by the

approved list of spray products,

the diary would provide growers

Australian Department of Agriculture,

withholding periods and resistance

with the most up-to-date chemical

Water and the Environment.

management strategies,” he said.

information and an efficient record-

“Current chemical MRL compliance

keeping platform to greatly assist with

“Information will be available to

in the industry is reliant on a paper-

vineyard management.

processors and growers in real time

based, retrospective system to

and help is at hand for growers with

manage the use of chemicals on farm,”

questions about data entry.” v

Sunbeam Foods and Australian Premium Dried Fruits to develop the diary, which will be delivered through the Grapeweb platform.

“For those growers involved in wine grape production, this will be nothing

Stuart said.

new, but for the rest of us it will be a

“The aim of this project is to develop

big step forward from the old sheet of

and implement an online, real-time

carbon paper for duplicate recording.

system allowing information to flow

30 VINE MAGAZINE

PEST & DISEASE

Late season Botrytis There is nothing worse than seeing your beautiful bunches rotting in front of your eyes.

The presence of La Niña – with rain events scattered through the harvest period – could affect grape growers,

What can you do?

If there was a severe Botrytis infection in your vineyard this season next season is high. Varieties with a

your chemical representative. v

high susceptibility to berry splitting will need extra attention.

While it might be only one of many

-R emove mummified bunches

bunch rots, with another La Niña

-R educe spore load by removing vine

your bunches from Botrytis bunch rot?

The answer, to a certain degree, lies in the way Botrytis infects.

debris and remnants -A pply protective fungicide at 80

rains, always paying attention to

have survived in bunch remnants

optimum coverage

Spore germination can occur at any time if conditions are favourable (temperatures around 18-21º Celsius) and if vines stay wet from rain, fog,

-A pply a protective spray at prebunch closure, as this is the last opportunity to get good spray coverage within the bunch, where latent infection often emerges -M inimise berry wounding (wounds

dew or mist. Once tissue is infected,

are entry points) by controlling

the infection can lie inactive – latent

light brown apple moth (LBAM) and

– until conditions are ideal for spread.

powdery mildew

Fortunately, not all latent infection leads to rotten berries, as hot, dry weather through summer and autumn can prevent development. High relative humidity in the bunch zone and excessive soil moisture can activate

https://www.wineaustralia.com/ getmedia/3e2d4ecc-3d70-41db-b2b00b897a513fb8/CORD_Factsheets_ BotrytisManagement

- I f the flowering period is prolonged, protect with a fungicide before it

wind, or carried by insect vectors.

https://www.wineaustralia.com/ getmedia/b78baaea-d1de-469f-a8aa1aec30d4d756/201307-Botrytis-QA?ext=.pdf

flowery parts is critical

for infection to occur. Spores that

can be splashed around by rain,

Information for this article has been sourced and adapted from:

per cent capfall – good coverage of

Flowering is the first opportunity

(floral parts and leaf material)

- There are new chemical options available for Botrytis control – talk to

Steps to take:

year, you might ask how can you guard

Botrytis late season.

and/or wet spring, the risk of Botrytis

with late Botrytis rearing its ugly head.

season currently predicted for next

considered if you need to treat

-L imit humidity in the fruiting zone; manage canopies to allow air flow -B unch thinning, stretching and bunch removal helps prevent compact and crowded bunches

Botrytis.

-P revent excessive soil moisture

Botrytis spores are almost always

- I t is difficult to get good spray

present in vineyards. Late season

coverage inside mature bunches,

infection often occurs when rain

where Botrytis often emerges and

splits berries and spores enter the

spreads. Once botrytis appears in a

wound. Any other berry wounds – from

bunch, spray application of sanitisers

insects, mildew infection, frost, hail

only inhibits the fungus

or sunburn – can be entry points too.

on the surface at best, and even

Preventing berry split reduces the risk

surface mould is killed, the infection

of Botrytis.

remains. MRLs must also be

VINE MAGAZINE 31

BIOSECURITY

New biosecurity guide Plant Health Australia has released its updated guide to biosecurity for the table, dried and wine grape industries.

“The earlier an exotic or notifiable pest

your specific operations, including

incursion is detected, the more likely

risk from the movement of people,

it can be successfully eradicated or

vehicles, equipment, soil and plant

contained.

material onto and off your vineyard.

The Vineyard Biosecurity Manual

be aware of the notifiable pests that

outlines simple principles and

may be established in some regions but

procedures that can be used to

not others. For these pests, it is a legal

minimise the risk of introducing and

requirement to report them if you find

are aware of your biosecurity

spreading exotic and established pests

them on your property.

requirements and adhere to your

and diseases throughout vineyards.

“Regulated pests for viticulture are

It is designed for everyone involved

Phylloxera, which is restricted to

in the viticultural production chain,

some areas of Victoria and NSW,

including vineyard owners, managers,

Queensland fruit fly (present in the

staff, contractors, researchers and

Northern Territory, Queensland, New

The Vineyard Biosecurity Manual can

consultants.

South Wales and parts of Victoria) and

be accessed from the dried fruit and

Mediterranean fruit fly (present in

table grapes industry pages on the

southern Western Australia).

Plant Health Australia website:

The manual details the important role we have to play in protecting our

“In addition to the exotic pests which are not in Australia, we also need to

vineyards, regions and industries from

“Understanding and adhering to your

biosecurity threats.

legal obligations in conjunction with

“Australia’s freedom from exotic plant pests and limited spread of notifiable pests is key to the future profitability and sustainability of Australia’s plant industries,” it says.

diseases which are already established in our vineyards.”

minimising crop losses and avoiding additional costs.

“Once a new pest or disease becomes established in Australia, the ongoing costs of managing it are often far greater than the costs associated with preventing its establishment in the first place.

32 VINE MAGAZINE

biosecurity risks that they present.

Use a visitor register to record who enters your vineyard.

www.planthealthaustralia.com.au v

in your region. “Adopting on-farm

livelihoods of your staff and the

biosecurity and that of your region,

requirements for managing the

as well as helping to protect others

management of damaging pests and

you will improve your vineyard’s

-E nsure all visitors to your property

disease accumulation and spread,

business, your livelihood, and the

in this manual in day-to-day activities

www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/toolkit

will minimise the risk of pest and

biosecurity practices will also help with

“By using the measures recommended

biosecurity plan:

such as those suggested in this manual

practices helps to protect your

industry with services.

a toolkit to assist you develop your

adopting sound biosecurity practices

“Adopting sound vineyard biosecurity

businesses which provide you and the

The Farm Biosecurity website has

What can you do?

- Become familiar with your industry’s exotic pests and notifiable pests (on page 30 of the manual). You may need to refer to these if you find a pest or disease you don’t recognise.

- Report any suspected exotic or notifiable established pests and diseases without delay by calling the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

- Develop and implement a biosecurity plan to address the risks posed to

You have an important role to play in protecting your vineyard, your region and the viticulture industries from biosecurity threats.

BIOSECURITY

High priority exotic pest threat E XOTI C M EA LYB U G S

Mealybugs are small, soft-bodied insects that feed on plant sap, reducing vigour and damaging fruit and foliage, as well as transmitting viruses.

What can they be confused with?

There are a number of mealybugs

present throughout Australia, has

that are damaging to grapevine that are not present in Australia but which would cause considerable damage if they became established. The vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus),

Several different species of mealybugs can infest grapevines, some of which are endemic to Australia. The long-tailed mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus) is long tail filaments and when poked it excretes body contents which are pale yellow. The Citrophilus mealybug (Pseudococcus calceolariae) has dark red body excretions, short, thick tail

trunk, cordons, leaves or fruit. Look for white, waxy clusters of mealybugs in grapevine crevices which will often be covered with honeydew and black sooty mould. How do they spread?

Long range dispersal of adults or nymphs may occur through windassistance, or through the movement of propagation material or fruit.

How can I protect my vineyard from exotic mealybugs?

Only source high health status

grape mealybug (Pseudococcus

filaments and is confined to south-

maritimus) and Comstock’s mealybug

eastern Australia. The tuber mealybug

(Pseudococcus comstocki) are exotic

(Pseudococcus viburni) has orange

mealybugs considered to be high

excretions and short tail filaments. It

priority pests for the Australian

is present in some regions of WA and

viticulture industries.

eastern Australia.

new pests and investigate any sick

They are small mealybugs, about

If you observe mealybugs or signs

3-5mm in length), soft-bodied,

of mealybug infestation that appear

Check for any visible signs of pest

segmented insects covered in a white,

unusual or more severe than usual,

powdery wax. Mealybugs secrete

or are not as responsive to normal

honeydew as a by-product of their

management strategies, you should

feeding activities which can encourage

report this to the Emergency Plant

the growth of mould and fungal

Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

diseases. The grape mealybug has long

What should I look for?

filaments making the mealybug appear to have a tail. The vine mealybug

The vine, grape and Comstock’s

is oblong in shape and has shorter

mealybug can be detected through

filaments around the body, with no tail

visual surveys of grapevines. Look

filament. Comstock’s mealybug has a

for intense ant activity feeding on

pink to reddish-brown colour visible

honeydew secreted by the mealybugs

between body segments.

on grapevines, or honeydew on the

(preferably certified) plant material from reliable and accredited suppliers. Check your vineyard frequently for the presence of grapevines for unusual symptoms. infestation before planting. Keep records of anything unusual and ensure that all staff and visitors adhere to on-farm biosecurity and hygiene practices. If you see anything unusual, call the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881. v

VINE MAGAZINE 33

PROCESSING & MARKETING

Hope beyond challenges of 2022 season AU ST RA L I A N P R EM I U M D R I ED F R U I TS It has been a very challenging harvest period for growers and processors alike.

The regular rain events and unusually humid conditions created quite poor drying conditions that impacted fruit quality and delayed the season significantly. At the time of writing (mid-April), we have received less than 20 per cent of our estimated crop.

Normally we would be well over 50 per cent and expect the majority of the balance within the next few weeks.

The season will finish many weeks behind an average year based on the current conditions.

We have had a full staff ready for harvest to gear up in early March as usual, so it has been difficult to manage the very late season.

Customers are also anxiously awaiting early season deliveries.

The Thompson crop is now smaller than the Sunmuscat volume, which is a big plus in a year like this of wet and humid weather. The Thompson quality has been very poor. The lack of higher grades and light base colour means there will be virtually none of this variety exported this season. This is a strong reminder of our past problems with this variety not having any

export quality grades to keep markets supplied in years of wet weather.

Thankfully we now have Sunmuscat and Sunglo, which we hope will provide some reasonable quality to meet some of the export market demand.

Our industry depends heavily on the premiums offered in export markets, so having consistent supply of higher grades is paramount to continued industry success.

Any Sunmuscat and Sunglo that was cut late after the heavy rain events has still got a chance to dry with a light base colour at this stage. This will be a fantastic result for growers who will get a better return, and for the processors who desperately need some higher quality fruit to supply export demand.

We are seeing the best results (once again) with growers who are well planned and able to manage risks of wet weather with good farming practices and timely attention to each stage of the harvesting process. It is the challenging drying years that usually see growers with good risk management strategies obtain the best overall results.

It has been difficult to get contract services at the right time due to high demand in a short period of time, so

having your own equipment can be a big advantage in a poor weather year. Ashley Johnstone and Warren Lloyd were highlighted in an August 2020 Vine article discussing their collaborative approach to sharing equipment costs. This collaborative approach could be a strong consideration for small growers who cannot justify owning one of every machine required for dried grape growing. Sharing larger and more efficient wetting machines, cutter carts, sprayers, tractors, harvesters, etc. can be a great idea to ensure you have capacity to respond in a short period of time to your vineyards demands. Go back to that edition of the Vine to read about this success story.

Hopefully growers have completed their harvest at the time of reading this article, with many (I’m sure) licking their wounds from a very tough season. At least we see the temporary water market being favourable for the short term, with all the wet weather taking place in catchment areas, so we hope there is still optimism around for the Australian industry within the growing district.

We still feel very positive about the future of dried grapes in Australia and look optimistically ahead for a better drying season in 2023. v Enquiries: Grower liaison officer Larry Dichiera, larry@apdf.com.au 0488 199 221 Pictured: Water flowing through APDF’s Wargan vineyard after rain on 1 March 2022.

34 VINE MAGAZINE

PROCESSING & MARKETING

Rain detrimental to 2022 crops S U N BE A M F O O D S & A N G AS PA R K Dried vine fruit The rain before harvest, which slowed maturity, the rain in the early part of harvest, and the later rain all had negative consequences for the dried vine fruit crop. The delay to harvest compressed the season and then rain events, mild daytime temperatures, cooler dewy nights and humid days was a challenging environment and tested the resilience of all growers.

Only a very small amount of “light type” fruit was delivered and the grades received are predominantly five and four-brown. Concern now is for fruit quality deterioration after the latest rain for unharvested fruit.

The positive is that crop yields are generally up from 2021 and exceeding grower expectations. The new sultana types have again performed well under difficult circumstances and year on year there is less reliance on the traditional sultana variety.

For the 2022/23 growing season, a digital spray diary will be released for all our growers to access. The Dried Fruits Australia project has delivered a great vineyard tool that will allow growers to have the most up-to-date chemical information and efficient record-keeping platform that will greatly assist in their vineyard management. Our field officers will be assisting growers with the transition from the paper-based system to the new format.

Prunes Harvest and fruit drying concluded in late March and everyone was glad to get through what has been a challenging growing, harvesting and drying season. Rainfall on the approach of harvest and then again part way through (up to 100mm) really put pressure on growers’ ability to harvest fruit and even get access to their properties to get fruit off. The

large crop required extended periods of drying as contract dryers were at capacity. The later fruit to harvest showed signs of deterioration from the wet conditions and some fruit was left on trees as it was sub-standard.

The resulting dried product will have a smaller size profile than the 2021 crop and it is anticipated that only around 50 per cent of graded prunes will be in the pittable size range. Sales into the retail market continue to be elevated as there is limited access to imported Chilean and USA fruit.

On the back of a successful export marketing program in 2021, there are strong enquiries for the smaller sizes again this season. The challenge is to lift the profile of Australian prunes to extract premium prices above the abundance of other product in the market to make it a viable market

position and his valuable contribution over the last four years. We wish him all the best in his retirement.v Enquiries: Supply manager dried fruit David Swain / 0407 834 044 Field officer (including SA) Alan Lister / 0409 437 801 Field officer Gary Simpson / 0429 960 234 Dried tree fruits operations manager (Loxton) Luke Fitzsimmons / 0431 894 515 Below: Fruit darkened after rain events.

Young apricot trees (February 2022).

long term.

Dried tree fruit The project to replant our Pike River Apricot Orchard with the new varieties of apricots is moving along.

We have invited local contractors to tender for the replant, including the clearing of old trees, earthworks, irrigation and tree establishment.

Stage one is the planting of 23 hectares of six of the newly developed SARDI varieties that have been selected for their maturity dates, size, shape and favourable dry ratios. Stage two will be a 17-hectare replant to complete the 40-hectare block.

Our orchard manager Kevin Maynard will retire in the middle of this year.

Kevin has been an integral part of transforming the orchard into a productive and viable property that has instilled the confidence in the business that we can not only compete with the imported product but also produce a premium dried apricot. We sincerely thank Kevin for the expertise he brought to the

VINE MAGAZINE 35

ATGA MARKETING

Initiatives set to drive brand awareness Promotion of Australia’s table grape industry has continued this season, with several initiatives aimed at elevating the awareness of Australian grapes.

“They hear about our export history,

closely with Hort Innovation, Austrade

varieties available for export, the

and the Victorian Government to

timing of their availability, and an

promote retail programs with various

overview of our exporters."

retail partners in each of those

On an international front, the

Jeff said it was vital to enhance key

countries.

relationships between exporters and

In May, the ATGA will participate in

importers, which had potentially been

a capability study with Austrade.

impacted over the past two years

Austrade selected table grapes for

Australian Table Grape Association

due to Covid.

this promotional content, determining

(ATGA) has presented at a number of

“The ATGA can support to help rebuild

virtual trade seminars in countries

the relationships and networking

such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines

between exporters and importers,”

and Indonesia.

Jeff said.

Trade seminars are an important part

“We’ll also be focusing on offering

of industry promotion to international

in-bound and out-bound trade

markets.

missions for the next harvest season,

“Major importers, retailers, distributors and media in each of

an offer that was well received by all countries.”

those countries received a brief

The ATGA also participated in several

overview of the Australian table grape

other promotional launches to China,

industry,” ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said.

Japan, Korea and Thailand, working

36 VINE MAGAZINE

the industry would benefit from up-to-date messaging, imagery and branding.

Collateral will include the development of digital and printready industry capability reports and posters which can be utilised by industry organisations, export companies, Austrade and other government stakeholders. v

TECHNOLOGY

All hands on tech I N N OVATI O N I N AG R I C U LTU R E

Whether you subscribe to the latest podcasts, invest in all the gadgets available, or follow precision farming tech trends, or you like to keep things simple, chances are anything that helps reduce the pressure on growers to have a hand on every vine is welcome.

This edition, we feature a podcast, website and app that look at some of the ways technology is advancing agriculture and solving challenges facing the sector.

APP

Capture ideas when inspiration strikes. Bring your notes, to-dos, and schedule together to tame life’s distractions and accomplish more – at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

Tell me more Write, collect, and capture ideas as searchable notes, notebooks, and to-do lists. Clip interesting articles and web pages to read or use later, add different types of content to your notes, including text, docs, PDFs, sketches, photos, audio, web clipping and more. Use your camera to scan and organise paper documents, business cards, whiteboards and handwritten notes! Get organised by setting due dates and reminders, bring your schedule and notes together, see your most relevant information instantly on the Home dashboard.

How does it benefit growers?

Turn chaos into calm. Keep yourself and your team up to date by capturing meeting notes and sharing notebooks. Bring people, projects, and ideas together with shared spaces.

Cost and availability Free or paid versions available on Apple and Android devices.

PODCAST

It’s certainly true that none of us are perfect. Hosted by The Resilience Project founder Hugh van Cuylenburg, his brother Josh and Australian comedian Ryan Shelton, The Imperfects looks to illuminate the struggles and imperfections we all share to not bury our battles but feel open with them.

Tell me more Constantly comparing ourselves to others can not only be exhausting, but extremely harmful. However, when we share our struggles, we start to realise that everyone, no matter how successful, has something they are battling with.

How does it benefit growers?

If you’re looking for a mental health podcast with genuine depth, as well as comradery and lots of laughs – this is the one for you.

Cost and availability Free & available where you get your podcasts.

WEBSITE

The Drought Resilience SelfAssessment Tool (DR.SAT) is a free tool that enables farmers to assess their resilience against climate change, including drought and other climate risks.

Tell me more Resilience assessments include financial, personal and social, and environmental indicators. Based on farmers’ individual assessments, the tool provides tailored options and resources to support farmers to build resilience.

How does it benefit growers?

DR.SAT helps growers proactively build capacity to withstand environmental, financial, social and personal challenges and sets them on a path to thrive.

The assessment is based on farmer-supplied information.

Farmers have complete control over their information to maintain their privacy. The tool also contains: regularly updated satellite imagery, remote-sensed data, climate projections that inform resilience assessments and supports decision making on physical climate change risks.

Cost & availability DR.SAT is a free website.

VINE MAGAZINE 37

PROFILE

Profile: James Moriarty Australia currently has a domestic supply and demand imbalance, whereby we produce approximately 40–50 per cent of our annual consumption, which means that more than one in every two dried grapes consumed in Australia is produced overseas. This is despite the fact that Australia produces the bestquality dried grapes in the world! So, if we can attract further investment into the industry to grow our supply, then we should be able to close that supply and demand imbalance and still have available supply for export opportunities.

The key to attracting further investment is to have attractive returns, which are mainly driven by efficient farming techniques that drive commercial yields and strong pricing from the processors that stack up against the macroeconomic environment.

James Moriarty is the newest and youngest member of the Dried Fruits Australia board, representing corporate dried grape producer Duxton Dried Fruits.

Seeing an investment opportunity in dried grapes, the company – part of Adelaide-based Duxton Capital – acquired a 200-hectare property in Liparoo in 2015/16 and began developing another larger 600-hectare property in Euston in 2017.

James began working for Duxton in 2019 and shares its enthusiasm about the future of the dried grape industry.

Tell us about your role at Duxton and what led you there?

I’m a portfolio manager at Duxton Capital and my role is in the investments team, where I work across several of the portfolio companies – including Duxton Dried Fruits – and act as a conduit between our investors, the board, operations

38 VINE MAGAZINE

teams and other key stakeholders.

The opportunity to work at Duxton attracted me because of the firm’s dynamic culture, investment philosophy and strong moral compass.

I was drawn to the chance to apply my skillset within the agricultural industry and help promote Australia’s world-class produce to the world.

What do you enjoy most about your roles at Duxton and DFA? The chance to work alongside a group of other growers and industry operators with the same primary common goal – to grow the economic value of Australia’s dried fruits industry.

What opportunities do you see for the dried grape industry?

The opportunities and potential growth within the dried grape industry excite me enormously. In recent years, the industry has done a good job at arresting the exodus of local growers and supply and is now able to demonstrate that the industry is a viable and vibrant one into the future.

Can you tell us about anything new or innovative Duxton is doing?

While our total plantings and presence in the dried fruits industry continues to grow, I think the most exciting area that Duxton is active in is the sustainability space. As a large landholder and producer across several different agricultural commodities, we see the huge potential that the sector has to make a tangible difference to the health of the planet and our environment.

We’re pursuing a carbon-negative agenda, assessing the potential to not only reduce our footprint but also remove carbon from the atmosphere by changing our farming practices and regenerating non-productive acreage.

Sustainability is a space that is receiving a lot of attention from our staff, our investors and the end consumer, so actively becoming an industry-leader and doing right by the environment aligns perfectly with Duxton’s philosophy.v

COMMUNITY

Notice board Dried Fruits Australia held its 2022 Grower Forum on 28 April at Willow & Ivie in Nichols Point, giving growers an opportunity to hear from a great lineup of speakers and connect towards the end of harvest.

Hybrid table grape growing events took place in Mundubbera and Emerald last month, to allow speakers and attendees to join if they couldn’t attend in person. Queensland growers received updates on ATGA projects as well as presentations on new technologies, new agrichemicals, Queensland fruit fly trapping and grapevine trunk diseases.

Mark King (Chair) Producer, Pomona

Grant Leyden Sunbeam Foods

Warren Lloyd (Deputy Chair)

Craig Greenwood

Producer, Irymple

Australian Premium Dried Fruits

Stephen Bennett Producer, Merbein

Michael Scalzo

Tony Martin Producer, Merbein

BOARD

BOARD

Australian Premium Dried Fruits

Ashley Johnstone Producer, Irymple

James Moriarty Producer,

David Swain Sunbeam Foods

Duxton Dried Fruits

Jeremey Boyd (Chair), Victoria

Joe Garreffa New South Wales

Rocky Mammone (Deputy Chair), Victoria

Peter Nuich Western Australia

Nick Muraca Victoria

Robert Nugan Victoria

David Agg South Australia

Zoe Dichiera Queensland

Dominic Sergi Victoria

Anthony Cirillo New South Wales

Adrian Cordoma Victoria

Disclaimer: Dried Fruits Australia, the Australian Table Grape Association and Hort Innovation acknowledge contributions made by private enterprise through placement of advertisements in this publication. Acceptance of these contributions does not endorse or imply endorsement of any product or service advertised by contributors and we expressly disclaim all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or currency of information in the Vine. Reliance on any information provided in the Vine is entirely at your own risk. Dried Fruits Australia, the Australian Table Grape Association and Hort Innovation are not responsible for, and will not be liable for, any loss, damage, claim, expense, cost (including legal costs) or other liability arising in any way, including from any person’s negligence or otherwise, or from reliance on information contained in the Vine, or your use or non-use of the material.

Copyright © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2022. Copyright subsists in the Vine. Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation) owns the copyright, other than as permitted under the Copyright ACT 1968 (Cth). The Vine (in part or as a whole) cannot be reproduced, published, communicated or adapted without the prior written consent of Hort Innovation and both ATGA and DFA.

VINE MAGAZINE 39

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