Vine magazine November 2022

Ready for the picking season?

Dual weight ranging compact scale

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Contents

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 Thomas Cheung, Megan Frankel-Vaughan

ATGA Jeff Scott, Terryn Milner

Design: Kylie Norton Design Printing: Sunnyland Press Cover photo: Perfection Fresh farm, Robinvale Victoria. Photography © Perfection Fresh.

© 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.

Challenges and collaboration

It looks to be a challenging time for many of our dried and table grape growers. With flooding in various parts of the country, as well as a La Niña event ongoing, water is putting significant disease pressure on growers. In this edition, we've highlighted some of the common disease threats seen in mild/wet seasons, so that growers can be aware of how to spot the difference. Meanwhile, DFA has welcomed new CEO Thomas Cheung and field officer Stephen Kelly in recent months, who bring a renewed focus on collaboration and advancing the industry.

Both dried and table grape industries have been working hard on a range of field walks and events to support our growers as they work towards a hopefully positive 2023 season.

– from the team

Table Grapes Dried Grapes Combined Industries Prunes

Information and innovation

TRACEABILITY PILOT HERALDS PROGRESS FOR INDUSTRY

The Australian Table Grape Association’s traceability pilot began with a little QR code and a lot of power behind it.

Now, after a year-long effort between project partners, the table grape traceability pilot has wrapped up, garnering an illuminating experience for participants.

For the duration of the 2022 export season, Agriculture Victoria and the ATGA partnered to trial traceability practices across the table grape supply chain.

The ATGA engaged Perfection Fresh, a large-scale producer and exporter, technology provider Result Group, with global standards backed by GS1 Australia.

Pilot at a glance

More than 840,000 saleable units of table grapes were labelled with unique serialised QR codes, enhanced with a GS1 Digital Link, including naked pack cartons, bunch bags and clamshells.

These units were sent to 12 wholesale business-to-business countries, and two business-to-consumer countries.

Labelled cartons sent to wholesale customers totalled some 459,121, while retail customers received 192,495 clamshells and 190,952 bunch bags.

Fourteen grape varieties featured tailored varietal information on the mobile web app (the microsite), meaning customers could find out about the variety before they purchased.

End-to-end traceability

Perfection Fresh integrated leadingedge traceability practices into their already efficient processes to implement end-to-end traceability.

Perfection Fresh export sales manager Christian Jones said that while it was a challenging season for most exporters, the pilot still provided a learning experience.

“Learning more about the technology and the data we have access to with enhanced traceability systems was valuable,” Christian said.

On-farm, Perfection Fresh’s existing farm systems and harvest data were linked to GS1 standards and export data.

Product labelling with the sophisticated QR code allowed for data sharing and data collection, meaning the exporter could manage their product well past the loading dock.

On the technology front, integration encompassed label design, printers, label codes, GS1 Digital Link, product cloud with GS1 EPCIS protocols, farm software, mobile scanners, temperature tracking, picker data, a microsite with interactive wholesale and consumer interface, dashboard for data access for four farms and head office.

“Result Group’s role as the technology provider in this pilot was to build a traceability solution that fits with current picking and packing methods for the table grape industry, that was priority number one – no change to current methods!” said Michael Dossor, Result Group group general manager.

Data revealed vs data on record

The microsite and associated cloud database created to house the information and link producer and supply chain with consumers and customers enabled both data sharing and data collection.

Supply chain partners, customers and consumers could use a single scan to verify the product, find out product information, including variety, harvest data, harvest location, business information, temperature storage instructions and more. Consumers could also access a feedback tool to provide information to the exporter.

Information was collected in a cloud database, including both on-farm, export traceability data, and scan data.

Producers benefitted from customer and consumer scans by accessing location scan data, scan numbers, feedback survey data, and access to any fraudulent scan data (none encountered during the pilot).

Data privacy is a common concern when sharing traceability

information with supply chain partners and consumers.

The data revealed through the microsite was at the discretion of the producer/exporter, providing reassurance that the microsite could be designed to suit the comfort level of data sharing.

Future-proofing industry

As international government regulations change, food traceability practices are becoming increasingly important for export industries.

“The ATGA wanted to conduct this pilot as a test case, of course, to see how easily we could embrace end-to-end traceability systems, but also as a way forward for industry,” ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said.

“The United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has proposed a Food Traceability Rule, which will come into effect in January 2023, with compliance expected by 2025.

“I expect that other importing countries may replicate these traceability regulations, and

that’s why we want industry –producers, exporters, and supply chains – to be prepared.”

While producer uptake has been low so far, adapability and scalability of traceability systems is a vital element moving forward.

Michael said the scalability of technology was key to “building a solution for the entire industry, largescale exporter and small grower alike”.

“The pilot has demonstrated that it’s important for traceability systems to work seamlessly with producers’ existing processes,” Christian added. “Having the right tools is critical for traceability success.” v

Table GrapesTRACEABILITY PILOT FINAL REPORT

New team working to support industry

MEET THE TEAM

Dried Fruits Australia has welcomed two new team members with a strong focus on supporting growers while progressing the dried grape industry through innovation and collaboration.

Starting together in September were new chief executive officer Thomas Cheung and industry field officer Stephen Kelly.

Both Thomas and Stephen bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the industry and have a strong focus on growth, innovation and supporting growers.

Thomas steps into the role of retiring CEO Anne Mansell, while Stephen will continue the work of former field officer Stuart Putland.

Having started his career in the dried fruits industry, Thomas is looking forward to contributing more and working with the people who make up the industry to

“strategically build a brighter future”.

“I have been involved with the dried fruit industry in one way or another for over 22 years,” Thomas said.

He said he was excited by the opportunities that exist in the industry, and he was motivated to see the industry progress together.

To do that, Thomas and Stephen will work closely with growers and stakeholders to address the five key priorities of DFA, including extension, innovation, marketing, variety development and biosecurity, and sustainability.

“I hope that our industry can be profitable to growers, processors and investors; innovatively reduce production cost; actively promote our superb quality and unique product to achieve best possible prices; and be a responsible and sustainable industry,” Thomas said.

Cheung CEO

How long have you been involved with the dried grape industry and in what capacity?

I have been involved in the dried fruits industry in the past 22 years, starting with Angas Park Fruit Company back in 2000. I have been heavily involved with procurement, sales and marketing, import and export in the dried fruit business.

What drew you to the industry?

I always wanted to be in the position to be able to contribute more to the industry and my dream has come true.

What is it you like about the dried grape industry?

People, people and people again. We have got a group of hard-working growers, corporate investors and processors. Working with them collaboratively, we together can build a sustainable, innovative and prosperous industry for many new generations to come.

What are your priorities as CEO of DFA?

There are five pillars of priority for DFA:

- Extension program: Work and communicate with growers and members closely

Thomas

- Innovation: Plant and equipment/tool (i.e. fully automated/mechanised)

- Marketing promotion: Enhance and promote our unique premium product to both domestic and overseas markets

- Variety development and biosecurity: Continue to develop suitable varieties for our dried fruit industry and commit to the protecting our industry

- Sustainability: Responsibly manage water, Soil, fertiliser and chemicals to ensure our industry is a sustainable and positive contributor to our environment

What challenges do you see/want to focus on to progress the industry?

There are many challenges we are currently confronting, including shortages of skilled labour; inconsistent supply; outdated equipment and tools. I believe the key for the industry to address these challenges is to be more inclusive, collaborative and progressive.

What do you see for the future of the dried grape industry?

I believe that we have passed the most challenging point of time in the industry and we are building our way up again. Continuous growth of our crop intake volumes is a clear indicator and we are looking up to an annual crop intake volume of 25,000 tonnes in the next three to four years’ time.

Stephen Kelly Field Officer

How long have you been involved with the dried grape/horticulture industry and in what capacity?

I commenced working in dried fruits in July 1995 as the Australian Dried Fruits Association field officer, operating the Drying for Profit Program. In July 1997, I joined Agriculture Victoria as a winegrapes field officer.

What is your working background?

I grew up on a family farm, driving tractors and woolclassing for pocket money in school holidays. After university, I worked as a regional economist for the Soil Conservation Service in Cobar, before taking up a role at Buronga as a Landcare coordinator for two years.

After my roles in dried fruits and wine grapes, I took up a statewide role as senior project evaluation officer with Agriculture Victoria. I continued with project facilitation and evaluation through my own private consulting business for five years. In 2012 I started My Solar Company Pty Ltd providing standalone and gridconnected solar panel installations.

I still maintain an interest in the solar industry, designing systems for approvals in NSW for two Sunraysia businesses.

What drew you to the industry?

I have kept an eye on the developments in the industry since my first foray into the industry development role. When this opportunity recently came up, I grabbed it immediately.

What are you most passionate about/interested in when it comes to the dried grape industry?

The potential for early season varieties.

What is it you like about the dried grape industry?

The collaborative approach of the whole industry.

What challenges do you see the industry facing and how can these be addressed?

To keep young people engaged in the industry through adopting new approaches. To extend the harvest window through increased plantings of earlier varieties.

What are your priorities in your role as field officer?

To get to know as many growers as I can over the next six months or so and find out how Dried Fruits Australia can best help them.

What do you see for the future of the dried grape industry?

The future looks bright. Lots of new varieties are available and there is ample demand for Australian fruit. v

Welcoming change

A note from our Chair

I recently attended an eye-opening tour of India with the ATGA, visiting several cities, markets and cold store facilities.

The experience was so worthwhile and I gained great insight into the export scope and opportunities for Australian producers.

The gap between supermarket types is unlike in Australia. While there are a lot more “wet markets”, traditional supermarkets are getting more traction, with highend retailers developing.

Australian table grape producers, because of high production costs, need to aim for those high-end markets.

We would need to test the market with small volumes and build on that. It would be a slow burn, certainly not a quick fix for market diversification, but there is scope.

As far as production goes, the rainfall has made the vines look good. They’re growing vigorously – I hope they slow down a bit before flowering.

I know some growers in the north and across Sunraysia have been impacted by downy mildew – I hope the rain eases from now and we see some positive conditions.

News from our CEO

Another season, another La Niña. Last season many believed the wet and humid weather impacted grape quality and maturity and we hope this year isn’t a repeat.

Sunraysia has had some rainfall to date, but not the amount predicted. Although it’s early in the season, there have been some warm sunny days to promote growth. The same cannot be said for Queensland growers, unfortunately, with rain coming at the wrong time and causing some concerns for growers in the north. The good news is the rain came after flowering. In Western Australia, positively, all seems to be on track at this stage.

Hort Innovation is undertaking a reset and refresh activity, reviewing and reassessing their relationships with all peak industry bodies.

The ATGA has the opportunity to work with Hort Innovation to assist with levy investment decision-making. The Strategic Investment Advisory Panel is under review, which would allow the ATGA greater say. Hort Innovation has also changed the process for deciding marketing levy spend.

The table grape international marketing program out for tender, and the ATGA is responding to the invitation. If the ATGA is successful we believe we could target promotional activities and receive greater value for levy payer spend.

After raising concerns about the repetition of export and quality audits, our voice has finally been heard.

Recently the Federal Government announced they will not audit duplicate elements from certification bodies (e.g. GLOBALG.A.P., Freshcare, HARPS) if growers have evidence of pack house certification.

Freshcare and HARPS have also said they will streamline their processes to minimise duplication. While this could be better, these changes will hopefully reduce inconvenience to growers. For these organisations to meet and recognise that there is duplication in their certifications, and streamline their processes, is a welcomed change. We’re looking forward to the Korean inspector’s arrival in late November/ early December. The inspector will conduct annual verification audits on Sunraysia properties and also visit Mundubbera farms for the first time, so early season growers in the north can export to Korea in November/December.

The ATGA extension team has been very busy lately with workshops, trials, grower visits and vine sample collection. Recently Alison conducted some successful workshops on spray application, which provided useful insight into spray coverage and callibration.

The ATGA has also released some video content for growers and will continue to produce more on topics of relevance. I encourage everyone to attend future workshops and engage with our communications content. v

Jeremey

Boyd | Chair

Jeff Scott | CEO

Ready, set, grow

A combination of ongoing project-work and planning for producer events has kept the team very busy over the past few months.

Producer sessions

The team was proud to work with producers and industry service providers on the following sessions:

Mildura & Euston AgTech Sessions

Back in July we hosted the first of our agtech sessions, hosting AME Group with their recirculating sprayer and autonomous tractor. The almost 50 attendees combined from the two sessions enjoyed breakfast, coffee and on-site demonstrations. Grower feedback was positive, with short, sharp and targeted sessions proving beneficial.

AgriFutures Australia Producer Uptake Program – onboarding session

The AgriFutures Australia project has finally officially begun, with a small selection of participating growers introduced to the software/hardware.

Tech software and GoPros will be trialled this season to gather crop prediction data. At the start of August, Bitwise Agronomy, the provider of the machine vision data packages, introduced a small selection of producers to the technology, and assisted in setting it up. The session was online, facilitated by the ATGA team on two producer properties. The team also assisted producers in preparing their computer systems for the software required.

2022 export registration sessions

The two registration sessions (Mildura and Euston) were well attended. Presentations provided important updates on using the export registration system for 2022/23

exports, the Hort Innovation-funded table grape maturity project, the Victorian Government-funded traceability project, table grape market access and trade developments, and MRL compliance and agrichemicals in export table grapes.

Field walk – dormancy breaker demonstration trial

The trial is investigating the efficacy of several alternative treatments to Dormex®, which have or will become available. Dormex® has been around for more than 40 years but has been banned in Europe since 2015. The field walk in September to observe budburst, was well attended by industry and will be followed up with another in early November to find out if the applications have had an effect on the evenness of flowering. Thanks to Damian Nice for making his vines available.

Spray application workshops

In October about 70 table grape producers in Mildura, Euston and the Swan Valley took time out of their busy schedules to seize the opportunity to spend time with New Zealand spray guru David Manktelow and ATGA’s Alison MacGregor.

The sessions focussed in detail on spraying methods (speed, airflow, droplet size, and target area), equipment (nozzles, and sprayer type) and adjuvants (non-ionic and organo-silicone) for the treatment of mealybug and other key pest and disease issues. The workshops included demonstrations of a range of equipment, provided by local producers and retailers.

These successful events wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Agriculture Victoria for providing the Mildura location, Joe

& Mick Garreffa for hosting the Euston session, and Tony Kundid and Brad Davis in the Swan Valley.

Behind the scenes/ongoing

Late last year the ATGA established a stakeholder group to enhance the information exchange between harvest labour providers, industry and regional communities. The stakeholder group – involving Harvest Trail, Approved Employers of Australia, Labour Hire Authority, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Jobs Victoria, Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council, Agriculture Victoria, Mildura Regional Development and other horticulture industries – will continue to work on attracting seasonal labour to the regions. Last season we produced a seasonal worker brochure for the Sunraysia region (see ATGA website).

The ATGA is also a member of the National Grapevine Collection Industry Advisory Committee, which looks at establishing clean germplasm collections and nursery standards. Recently, the team also gave input and feedback into a Sunraysia climate change project involving the modelling of its impact on table grape production.

Best practice tools

In September we filmed and produced a sprayer maintenance video featuring a number of Sunraysia producers and local horticulture machinery retailers.

The video is available on the ATGA’s YouTube channel, website and social media networks.v

Alison, Jenny & Karen Industry development team

Strong focus on future success

A note from our chair Pruning should be done and dusted.

For us it has been a long and slow process. Labour was a big issue and what they wanted to be paid was another issue.

The industry has been developing a new pruning head for swingarm trellis, and some growers have developed their own.

I think this will be the way of the future. Some figures estimate it will save growers up to $1000/ha.

The weather forecast to December is looking wetter than normal, so growers need to keep up their sprays.

DFA will again send GrowCare disease alerts to email subscribers as part of the extended 10 Tonne Project.

As all should be aware, you can do your spray diary online. If you have not received information on this, contact your processor.

Thomas Cheung and Stephen Kelly have hit the road running and been out meeting growers and processors. With the prospect of higher yields in future years, DFA, Australian Premium Dried Fruits and Sunbeam Foods have been discussing starting our joint international marketing campaign in 2023.

This was a successful campaign but was put on the backburner when Covid hit.

We want to let the world know we are coming back into the market.

News from our CEO

In my first column, I would like to thank the DFA Board for their trust and I am ready and committed to contribute more to the industry.

I would also like to thank former CEO Anne Mansell for her warm welcome and carefully planned hand-over program. It is important to follow her legacy and continue to elevate our industry.

A big thank you to Stuart Putland for his effort and excellent contribution to the industry and welcome to Stephen Kelly, who joins DFA as our field officer.

In my first few weeks, I was extremely impressed with the people in our industry. Growers, processors and stakeholders are truly hardworking, passionate and smart operators.

I am keen to meet more in coming months and see what DFA can do to help them achieve their goals.

Updates on key milestones: Industry development: Secured funding on extension program until 2026.

R&D communication: Work in progress to secure funding from 2023.

10 Tonne Project: On track to be completed by end of April 2023. Seasonal workforce program:

On track to be completed by end of November 2022.

Mechanised winter pruning project: Completed successfully.

DFA website redevelopment: Work in progress to update website to better service the industry and members.

Database development: Working with SunRISE Mapping, processors and growers to ensure sufficient and accurate industry database is maintained and fully utilised.

Proposal to wind up DFA branches:

There has been discussion among remaining DFA branches and with the Board of DFA about how best to deliver innovation for the industry.

Due to the reduction in activities and limited funds available, most of the dried fruit branches are currently not fully functional. DFA, in consultation with branch members, is proposing an option to restructure the existing arrangements to ensure the original purpose and functionality of the DFA branches can be maintained and further developed.

These proposals will also ensure dried fruit growers can be better serviced in alignment with industry through the recent formation of a new Innovation Committee, which will assist with direct input to future developments, directions, strategies and initiatives. v

Thomas Cheung | CEO

Mark King | Chair

Welcome return to industry

It is a great pleasure to present my first field officer report for DFA.

I began my first foray into dried fruits in this role back in 1995. Over the past few weeks, in between developing an understanding of the DFA Innovation and Adoption program, I have been out and about reacquainting myself with growers and processors. There are numerous exciting events and opportunities for the industry now.

The Dried Fruits Electronic Spray Dairy is live and operational through the GrapeWeb platform.

Assistance is available directly through GrapeWeb or your processor.

The full list of chemicals registered for dried grapes for the 2022/23 season is available in PDF format on the GrapeWeb platform.

The 10 Tonne Project has received a continuation of funding till March 2023. This project is funded by the Australian Government under the Murray–Darling Basin Economic Development Program.

Components of the project include the GrowCare disease monitoring, Ceres Imaging remote crop sensing, and GrapeInvest.

GrowCare disease monitoring alerts will continue for the 2022/23 growing season, provided by Peter Magarey,

using the project's weather stations at Merbein, Red Cliffs and Liparoo.

Regular updates will be provided in Currant News, and any urgent alerts will be emailed out immediately.

Ceres remote monitoring at the project sites will be continued. Scott Gillett from Ceres met with Stephen Bennett, John Hunt and Ashley Johnstone to review last year’s data, and plan the timing of this season’s fly overs. Flights began on 20 October and will continue through to just before summer pruning to get the best assessment of the vines’ response to the irrigation and fertiliser programs at each site.

Field walks are planned for the 10 Tonne Project sites in December and February to continue sharing the learnings from this project.

The GrapeInvest software package is still proving useful for small- and large-scale growers. Recently potential new investors approached DFA via a local accounting firm to explore the commercial returns from large-scale dried vine fruit. I am keen to guide any of you who would like to look at the economics of replanting patches or developing new patches using the GrapeInvest tool.

Field assessment and evaluation of the robotic winter cordon pruner by Merbein Robotics and La Trobe University is continuing. The final fieldtesting stage using older commercial

tractors is being conducted by Stephen and Malcolm Bennett from Merbein Robotics. A field walk was conducted to look at the impact of mechanised winter cordon pruning on cordon health of vines that have been mechanically cordon pruned for the last two seasons. This event looked at vines that have been mechanically pruned using a custom-built machine using a simpler operator guided system.

I have met with Nicole Dimos Byrnes who has recently commenced in the role of Regional Horticulture Extension Manager with HortInnovation for our industry. Nicole and I will work closely together to ensure that dried fruit growers get the most out of our Innovation and Adoption Program.v

Stephen Kelly

Dried Fruits Australia field officer 03 5023 5174

projects@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au

Left and below: Stephen Kelly has joined DFA as industry field officer. He has spent his first few months in the role meeting growers, including Malcolm Bennett (pictured), coordinating field days and acquainting himself with the DFA Innovation and Adoption program.

Ripe for the picking

MATURITY SAMPLING CRITICAL FOR SUCCESS

Time of harvest is one of the most critical and challenging viticultural decisions for table grape producers.

Assessing grape maturity requires experience to ensure sampling is conducted appropriately and genuinely reflects the maturity of the crop.

As maturity varies year to year, and with a third straight La Niña season expected, milder and cloudier conditions may lead to the late maturation of grapes, and therefore delayed harvest.

This is nothing new for table grape producers, who were faced with the same issue for the 2021/22 season. However, growers must do everything in their power to ensure consistency and quality procedures are met to enhance consumer acceptance, both domestically and internationally.

Consumer acceptability of grapes fell last season to 71 per cent, below the 80 per cent goal set as part of the table grape maturity project, funded by Hort Innovation using the table grape research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government.

“Consumers are ready and waiting to switch to other fruit

categories,” project lead Tristan Kitchener, of Kitchener Partners, said. “Their loyalty lies in fruit categories with higher consistency of fruit maturity and quality.

“We have known for several years now that when a customer has a negative eating experience, it takes them 14 weeks to repurchase and re-enter the category. In the 2021/22 season, however, only 60 per cent of consumers repurchased at that point compared to 80 per cent in previous seasons.

“While table grapes didn’t meet the consumer acceptability goal, things could have been much worse if the industry hadn’t implemented minimum maturity standards three years ago.”

“In-field testing and store sampling showed that Brix levels appeared to steadily increase initially, only for weather conditions to delay or stop further increases,” said technical lead Andreas Klieber of Quality Associates. “Ongoing testing in the lead up to the harvest and adjusting planned harvest dates was crucial.”

Australian Table Grape Association CEO Jeff Scott said maturity sampling pre-harvest and harvest was one tool growers have in their toolbox to ensure they are only sending ripe fruit to market.

“The ATGA has made small adjustments to its maturity testing procedures at

harvest to give growers the confidence in their sampling techniques,” Jeff said.

“Leading up to harvest, testing at various times of the day and in various locations in your patch ensures you’re getting a representative sample.

“Make sure harvest workers are experienced in or informed about maturity testing accurately, and that at harvest time they take a larger sample batch to work with.”

The ATGA has increased the number of berries to be collected for a sample, as set out in the 2022 maturity testing procedures, which are available on the ATGA website.

“A larger sample count means more reliable data, less rejections, greater consumer acceptability, and, therefore, less risk for producers,” Andreas said.

“Take berries from all the parts of the bunch (top, middle and bottom) and also sample from the bottom of the bag to have a representative sample.

"Don’t just choose berries that look good. You can’t judge a book by its cover when it comes to the sweetness of grapes.” v

The Australian table grape industry communications project – TG18004 –has concluded.

This project has enabled the Australian Table Grape Association’s communications to producers, exporters, marketers, service industry, government, media and more.

The project began in early November 2019, when whispers of Covid could not be heard. The project and the ATGA’s communications followed the journey of the industry – of our growers and supply chain partners – and now it concludes as we begin to experience a “new normal” – three years on.

We look forward to bringing you more news and information the way you want to receive it when the new table grape communications project begins.

What did the project achieve?

We thought we’d take a look at some of ATGA's activities conducted as part of TG18004.

PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS

Innovation paves way for industry efficiency

The dried grape industry is making innovative strides to become more efficient and cutting production costs to growers.

The Dried Fruits Australia industry mechanised pruner project, in collaboration with Mallee Regional Innovation Centre and La Trobe University, has come to an end. Since 2020, the project worked to develop a robotic pruner, using lidar technology to control a cutting head, which underwent its final trials this past winter.

The pruner aims to speed up the winter pruning process and reduce the need for manual labour.

The system uses a lidar camera to provide input to a micro-computer system that then maps the cordon and controls a cutting head.

The system is tractor-mounted, hydraulically-driven and can operate at speeds up to 2km/h.

It allows the operator to set the distance away from the cordon that the cutting head will track and therefore cut the canes protruding from the cordon.

Counting the savings

In assessing the project, DFA found that the unit could significantly reduce the time associated with manual hand winter pruning, reducing time by up to two-thirds.

This was based on the DFA Benchmarking Project 2018-2020, which calculated an average of 62.68 hours (about 8 days) to prune one hectare on a block set up with 3.35-metre row spacing.

This included all of the pruning operations such as: pulling out,

tipping trellis, pruning, pinning canes, rolling on canes.

While each grower makes different decisions on how they approach the pruning process, the pruning project found the new system, using the mechanised pruner, takes about 21 hours per hectare to complete and 40 per cent of the process can be done from the tractor seat.

Translating this time saving to cost, the DFA mechanical pruner could significantly reduce the cost of winter pruning, about $940/ ha saving, including taking into account tractor running costs.

Points to consider

The DFA pruner project found there was still some experience to be gained and long-term monitoring and trials to be put in place to optimise this mechanical pruning system and process.

One key consideration is that the user of the mechanical pruner must cut the old canes correctly to limit damage to the cordon by the cutting head.

There could be a possible tradeoff between labour/time savings and risks of losing yield resulting from damaged cordon.

Based on current grower payment, only a 5 per cent reduction in yield could be enough to offset the financial benefit of moving to a fully-mechanised pruning system.

Innovation across the industry

The industry’s mechanised pruner adds to other machines developed by dried grape growers in the Mildura district.

Three simpler mechanical pruning machines have also been developed by growers privately and used in the industry over the past few years.

A DFA field day at Ashley Johnstone’s property in October highlighted one of these other machines, as well as looked at the cordon response to being mechanically pruned.

DFA field officer Stephen Kelly said the group was encouraged to see the cordons’ resilience to mechanical pruning, and the shooting of basal buds for new canes.

“In finalising the pruner project, it is also worth noting that the project has stimulated much discussion and analysis within growers about the overall process of pruning the swingarm trellis system, including timing of operations, and the amount of labour and detail required for certain operations,” Stephen said.

“As a result, some growers are reporting significant overall reductions in labour costs and time required to complete the pruning operation.”

DFA will continue to monitor the progress and outcomes of mechanical pruning across the industry.

Pruner plans available

For people interested in building a computer-controlled cordon pruner, schematic plans are freely available by contacting Dried Fruits Australia, while complete computer systems are available for purchase through contacts available at DFA. v

The DFA mechanical pruner could save up to twothirds of the time associated with manual winter pruning, while reducing costs by up to $1000 per hectare.

Bottom right: Grower Ashley Johnstone showcased his simple mechanical pruner at a field day in October, as well as discussed the cordon response to being mechanically pruned.

Spotlight on sustainable farming and prunes

Prunes require less water than other perennial crops and have a low carbon footprint.

There are 46,000 acres of prune orchards in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys in sunny California. The long growing season, rich soil warmed by a steady sun, and cool evening temperatures make prunes from the region sweet and unique. But there’s also a responsibility that comes with farming one of nature’s perfect fruits.

California prunes are sustainably grown, using scientific orchard techniques to produce a healthy, safe food that conserves natural resources.

Under federal and state requirements, the California prune industry works closely with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (DFA), University of California, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure best practices with regards to sustainability and farming.

In a life cycle assessment conducted on California prunes, researchers found that California’s prune orchards

are very biodiverse systems with a lower carbon footprint per yield than other perennial orchard crops.

Prunes are also responsible for substantial environmental benefits including temporary carbon storage in standing biomass, and long-term carbon storage in orchard floor soils.

Each grower makes business decisions for what is best for the long-term health and viability of their farm.

There is no one-size-fits-all farm or farmer, and likewise there is no onesize-fits-all approach to sustainability.

Farmers choose a variety of tools and techniques to help ensure their orchards are left better than when they began. Here are some specific examples of the ways in which California prunes are a sustainable choice.

What about water usage?

Prune trees require less water than many other crops, and water conservation was the first big sustainability advancement in the prune industry. Growers use precise micro-irrigation systems that reduce

water needs by 30-35 per cent.

What about pesticides?

Pesticide residues in food and beverages are closely monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US, and pesticides must be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The California prune industry takes an additional step and diligently tests for pesticide residues and polices itself via the California DFA. The DFA tests more than 100 samples annually – 20 times more than the FDA.

In addition, California’s prune growers see value in beneficial insects and work closely with pest control advisors to limit the need for inputs such as sprays and pesticides.

They moderate the use of pesticides via integrated pest management, an ecosystem-based strategy that looks at the environmental factors affecting the pest and its ability to thrive, creating conditions less favourable for them over the long term (rather than eliminating the pests once the problem occurs).

What about cover crops?

Prune farming cultivates a robust cover crop throughout the orchard to provide nutrients for the soil and food for honeybees. California prune growers also rely on cover crops to increase carbon sequestration, prevent erosion, and improve irrigation efficiency.

What about renewable energy?

The California prune industry has made significant investments in solar power to decrease energy use and directly enhance operations.

Across the industry, growers and handlers use solar to produce energy for pumping water, running dryers’ fans, and lighting facilities.

What about food waste?

Reducing food waste is an essential component of making food choices more sustainable.

Shopping for dried fruit such as prunes not only reduces transportation emissions because there is no need for refrigeration, but pitted prunes are a low-waste fruit because there’s no peel or other inedible plant parts to be tossed in the garbage.

And as a shelf-stable fruit, prunes make a great pantry staple that you can keep on hand for many months without the worry of spoilage.

Now more than ever, consumers care about sustainability and where their food comes from.

This article appeared in the 2022 Summer edition of California Prunes News for Health Professionals, a newsletter with information and research updates from the California Prune Board, and was reprinted with their permission v

APIA recognises that sustainable practices are not only important for the Australian prune industry, but also of interest to the general public, our consumers. However, as economic viability is vital for industry survival, we will continue efforts to maximise efficiency and contain rising costs of production (such as fuel and energy costs) as well as fund a range of promotion activities to increase demand for Australian prunes.

Prune trees require less water than many other crops, and water conservation was the first big sustainability advancement in the prune industry. Growers use precise micro-irrigation systems that reduce water needs by 30 to 35 per cent.

Above: Robust cover crops in prune orchards provide nutrients for the soil and food for honeybees.

Investing in the future

PORTAL HIGHLIGHTS POTENTIAL PROFITS

An online portal is helping dried grape growers see a clear picture of their potential earnings in the industry.

GrapeInvest allows growers to input data – grape variety, hectares and other variables – to see their earning potential.

GrapeInvest was initially designed to promote investment in the dried grape industry from growers previously involved in other sectors.

However, DFA field officer Stephen Kelly said not only could GrapeInvest support new investment in the industry, it could also help to guide current growers and help them make the most informed decisions about their properties and businesses.

“Many growers are assessing their varieties and how their business operates,” Stephen said.

“Some are pulling out the

traditional sultanas and looking at planting other varieties.”

Stephen said while this season was well under way, now was a good time for growers to think ahead to the action they might take after harvest next year.

Planting new early varieties like Sugra39 and Selma Pete is a great way to spread the harvest season and get better value from your investment in harvest machinery and labour resources.

“Our growers are welcome to get in touch, make a time to come in to the DFA office or set up an online meeting to run through the GrapeInvest portal to help guide their decision making,” Stephen said.

“The earlier you can decide, the sooner you can organise planting material and finance if needed.”

DFA CEO Thomas Cheung said it was encouraging there was demand for Australia’s premium

dried fruit, both domestically and in international markets.

"The current market prices stand firm at reasonably high levels, and these hope to be strategically maintained and further reinforced over the next forthcoming years,” he said.

“The prospect of investing in dried grapes has built some momentum with more inquires coming into the office from both domestic and overseas potential investors as a result of strong demand and better returns.

“GrapeInvest is a fantastic business modelling system invested by DFA and specifically designed for our dried grape industry.

“Comparing to other industries, we are ahead in this area and we need to encourage growers and members to use it regularly and widely as a very helpful and handy tool.”

To make a time to explore GrapeInvest with Stephen, email projects@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au v

Alerts for vine health

10 TONNE PROJECT ENTERS FINAL SEASON

Pest and disease alerts will return for the final year of Dried Fruits Australia’s 10 Tonne Project, guiding growers in the best ways they can protect their vines from the risks that come with wet weather.

Plant pathologist Peter Magarey from GrowCare has again signed up to provide his services for the final installment of the project.

GrowCare is an online tool and service that alerts growers to the risk of downy mildew and provides disease management advice.

The 10 Tonne Project has confirmed that good pest and disease management was one key pillar to consistently producing 10 tonnes of dried fruit per hectare.

The extension and final year of the project will prove especially valuable to growers entering another wet year.

The Bureau of Meteorology last month declared a La Niña weather system this year, bringing with it an increased chance of above average spring and summer rainfall in northern and eastern Australia.

BoM modelling predicts an easing of the La Niña in early 2023.

DFA field officer Stephen Kelly said the increased rainfall over summer provided conditions that increased the risk of downy and powdery mildew infections.

“Growers should monitor their properties closely and keep an eye out for Special Updates landing in their inboxes to alert them to potential infections, as well as advice on how to mitigate the risks and damage,” he said.

GrowCare alerts will be provided through DFA newsletters as the season progresses.

If you’re not already receiving DFA newsletters, including Currant News and Special Updates, email communications@driedfruitsaustralia. org.au to be added to the list.

Final year takes flight

The first flight to capture highresolution imagery and data for the final year of the 10 Tonne Project has taken place.

In gearing up for the final season, DFA hosted Scott Gillett from Ceres Imaging to plan and prepare for this season’s fly-overs and data capture.

Scott met with the DFA team, along with 10 Tonne Project participants, to look back at previous years and plan for this season.

The agtech company is contracted to perform six plane flights over the four 10 Tonne Project properties throughout this season to capture a range of imaging, including water stress, thermal and NDVI, to give growers a clearer picture of how their crops are performing.

This data is collated through the 10 Tonne Project to guide best practice and optimise yields across the entire dried grape industry.

To build on previous years’ data, this year’s aerial monitoring will include data collected just before cutting, when the vines are at their most stressed. The first flight took place on 20 October.

Project site field walks are planned for December and February to continue to spread learnings from the project.

The 10 Tonne Project is funded by the Australian Government under the Murray-Darling Basin Economic Development Program. v

Bottom left: Plant pathologist Peter Magarey will provide his expertise through GrowCare to the 10 Tonne Project, ensuring growers stay aware of disease risks.

Bottom: Scott Gillett from Ceres Imaging prepares for the final fly-overs as part of the project.

Muraca closes curtain on 20-year board career

growers, and generally transitioning from dried fruit, looking to make a better dollar,” Nick said. “We were all driving trucks to the markets and selling our own fruit there. We were dabbling in table grapes back then and then it grew from there.”

Nick said Keith Leamon, from the then Department of Agriculture, was instrumental in the push to develop a national voice.

“We had representative voices from each area – Mildura, Robinvale, the Riverland, Swan Hill. We’d formed local associations, but we’d talk to politicians individually,” Nick said.

David Minnis was there batting for us and willing to help the table grape industry as well as all the horticulture industries in Australia.

“He had huge input of information and that helped us achieve access into China. His knowledge, and the respect people had for him, has been largely unrecognised.

“Jeff knew all the official stuff, I knew the cultural stuff, but when it came to real knowledge – it was David.”

Nick was chair of the ATGA during some of the industry's most integral times, according to Jeff.

Nick Muraca still has a “burning enthusiasm” for the table grape industry.

He has been, after all, one of its earliest advocates.

One of the founding members of the Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA), Nick was a driving force in the development of a national body, a voice not afraid to champion for industry growth.

“If the ATGA was ever going to have a Hall of Fame for recognition to the industry, Nick would be one of the first selected,” ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said.

Nick was an inaugural board member of the ATGA in the early 2000s, and been involved with the peak industry body for the past 20 years, either as chair, deputy chair, or delegate – until now.

Recognising the passions of the younger generation shining through, Nick retired from the ATGA at a recent board meeting, and he reflects on his time.

Nick reminisces about the “early days” of the industry in the Murray Valley region, when regional associations were popping up in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

“We were doing the best we could as

"They went on to form the Murray Valley Table Grape Growers Council, which was the representing body for the industry in Sunraysia. Each of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland had their own representation and were doing their own thing well, and we didn’t at the time have much to do with them.”

Table grape production was growing in potential and yields, with supply greater than the needs of the domestic market and limited international markets available at the time – to make waves, they would need a national levy and association.

Once the Australian Table Grape Association formed it grew legs quickly. The next 10 years was spent working extensively with federal and overseas governments on market access.

“Our biggest achievement, of course, was market access into China (in 2012),” Nick said of his proudest moment. “Access into China changed our industry. I travelled a lot with (CEO) Jeff at the time. I did two study tours. The contacts that I made and the people I met – those who hosted us and those who we hosted over the years – were the most memorable.

“In the days of market access,

“Nick provided me with a great deal of insight into the table grape industry and was always innovative and enthusiastic in his thought process to enhance the industry,” Jeff said. “Exports were always going to be how the industry would grow and Nick afforded a lot of time and effort in gaining access to China with many trips to China and hosting of Chinese delegations when they came to Australia.”

Nick said while his time was a great “learning exercise” that he gave his best, he would be remiss in forgetting the toll that the travel and long working hours took on his family.

“While I’ve enjoyed it as much as I have, much of the time it was Nancy and the boys who copped it,” he said. “I was so grateful to have the flexibility to do that.”

When asked what was his most enjoyed moment, Nick said he couldn’t name just one.

“The last 42–43 years that I’ve spent on industry matters has been rewarding for me and hopefully rewarding for the industry,” he said.

“There’s not one thing I’ve enjoyed the most. There was never a period that I’ve thought 'that wasn’t worthwhile'.” v

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Pillar of industry “second to none”

A TRIBUTE TO IAN CAMERON

Ian Cameron OAM was described as having a loud laugh that could fill a room, and a passion, enthusiasm and confidence for his job which was second to none.

A former champion of the Western Australian table grape industry, Ian passed away recently following a short illness.

He was highly regarded by the local industry and national and international peers, and awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the viticulture industry in Western Australia (WA) in 2011.

After a brief stint at CSIRO in Merbein, Ian took to the west, starting with the then Department of Agriculture.

It was 1967 at the time, and he worked for the department for 42 years – until his retirement in 2009 –beginning as a Horticultural Instructor based at Midland District Office.

Much of Ian’s first 10 years in WA was spent helping the wine industry establish in the SouthWest, but he also provided a service to the state’s vegetable, stone fruit and citrus growers.

In 1976, Ian began what was to become a long and distinguished career of research and extension to improve table grape production in WA.

He introduced and evaluated new varieties, rootstocks and production regions, as well as better trellising and was instrumental in the development and implementation of legislated minimum standards of maturity for table grapes sold in WA, which led to industry expansion and better grower returns.

Ian was well known for overseeing the development of world’s best

practice for growing Red Globe and Crimson Seedless table grapes, where his aim was to produce grapes of the best quality and biggest berries for consumers.

His extension methods and handson research were well regarded by colleagues around the world, as he strived to produce products that consumers wanted and was a regular presenter of his work at national and international conferences including California, South Africa twice and India.

When grapes destined for export markets kept being rejected for failing to meet specifications, Ian took it upon himself to visit every export table grape grower who had trouble meeting export standards on the day of inspection.

With a lack of good research available, Ian found it difficult to help growers improve the quality of their fruit, so he undertook research and extension work on growing table grapes in WA himself, propelling him forward in the local industry.

In 2000, Ian was awarded the coveted Graham Gregory Award, a prestigious national award for his pivotal role in the development of the WA table grape industry.

He retired from the department with the satisfaction of knowing that he had given his all to an industry which transformed from humble beginnings to one which is as informed and technologically advanced as any table grape industry around the world. Even in retirement, Ian continued his passion for grapevines, including continuing to volunteer at the WA Museum Boola Bardip where he cared for two 170-year-old muscat vines. Last year, he was recognised by the

WA Government for giving more than 50 years of service volunteering at the WA museum, pruning and harvesting the vines which thrived under his care, producing up to 100 bunches of muscat table grapes per year –highly unusual for such old vines.

His passion, drive, commitment and endurance to the cause of the table grape industry will be remembered by many.

Ian was a great mentor to many staff at the Department but also to table grape research officers in other states as well. He was committed to passing on his knowledge and experience, ensuring a legacy that will endure for years to come.

Ian is survived by wife Laurel, daughter Helen and family.v

Colin Gordon Senior Technical Officer, Horticulture & Irrigated Agriculture Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development colin.gordon@dpird.wa.gov.au

Opposite page: Top:

Left: Ian at the farewell field day Swan Valley 2009 Middle: Horticultural Instructor 1968 Right: Field Day Swan research station 1985 Middle: Left: 1st Field day Dried Fruit Swan Valley 1969 Middle: Ian and David Ramming USDA 2006 Right: Autumn in the Swan Valley 2009

Bottom: Left: Ian Cameron & Ray Rodda, Forrest Hill vineyard Mt Barker 1969

Middle: International Table Grape Symposium South Africa 2007

Bottom: Consumer tasting Carnarvon CSIRO varieties 2007

Seasonal worker project

RESOURCES TO ATTRACT WORKERS

Dried Fruits Australia has released a suite of resources to help producers recruit workers when it comes time for winter pruning next year.

DFA has produced a seasonal worker brochure, a short film on winter pruning, a fact sheet about mechanical pruning, as well as created the schematic plans for the DFA’s mechanical winter pruning project.

The brochure and fact sheet will be made available via the Dried Fruits Australia website, while the film will be uploaded to DFA’s YouTube page. The schematic plans for the pruner are available by contacting the DFA office.

While the resources will be made available industry-wide, importantly, they will also be distributed to labour-hirers to better educate them and their clients on the needs of the dried fruits industry.

The brochure, combined with the short film, gives a snapshot of dried

grape industry and what workers can expect, as well as an outline of the work and processes involved.

DFA CEO Thomas Cheung said while great strides had been made in terms of industry innovation, manual labour on dried fruit properties was still essential.

“In recent years we have seen the development of tools and practices that make the vineyard more efficient, especially in terms of mechanisation with mechanical winter pruning,” Thomas said.

“It might take some time for these technologies to really be adopted on a broad scale across the industry, so we need to make sure we’re supporting growers to attract the workers they need.

“This is most important after a couple of difficult years of disruptions and barriers due to Covid-19.

“As the move towards a mechanised industry progresses, we will still need workers, but they might be skilled tractor drivers, rather than pruners.

“For now, though, we need resources that will make it that little bit easier to attract the workers our growers need now.”

The initiative, funded through the Victorian Government’s Seasonal Workforce Industry Support Program (SWISP), aims to educate potential workers on the work required in the dried grape industry.v

Revised plant deed to meet changing needs

Growers directly affected by the detection of a suspect emergency plant pest will be better supported through a revised version of the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed that came into effect in October. The revised version of the plant deed aims to meet the needs of its signatories and a contemporary Australian biosecurity system by offering enhanced operation and clarity across a number of provisions and outcomes.

The plant deed is a formal legally binding agreement between Plant Health Australia (PHA), the Australian Government, all state and territory governments and national plant industry bodies.

The EPPRD covers the management and funding of responses to Emergency Plant Pest (EPP) incidents, including the potential for owner reimbursement costs for growers.

It also formalises the role of plant industries’ participation in decision making as well as their investment in the costs related to EPP responses.

“Importantly the plant deed also provides clarity regarding roles and responsibilities, assisting in managing expectations of each other and allowing for those involved to effectively prepare,” PHA chief executive officer Sarah Corcoran said.

Working collaboratively, PHA, plant industries, and all governments identified a number of opportunities to enhance the functionality of the plant deed, negotiating to action improvements and embedding practices that have evolved over time.

Other amendments include:

- Supporting growers directly affected by emergency containment activities that may be implemented immediately following the detection of a suspect emergency plant pest. The plant deed now allows for the National Management Group to determine the provision of reimbursement for losses,

even if a national response does not occur. This is a discretionary decision point and aims to facilitate equity for impacted growers and support early reporting and response actions.

- Flexibility to respond to exceptional circumstances in a transparent and collaborative way, extending timeframes for the previously short period of time where national coordination and funding could continue while the response transitioned from eradication to ongoing management.

“The EPPRD will continue to provide a platform for improved preparedness and raising the profile of plant biosecurity, providing for better outcomes for all stakeholders,” Ms Corcoran said.

“Overall the plant deed provides for a cohesive, structured national approach to plant biosecurity responses, to benefit all Australians.” v

Above: Khapra beetle is a Category 2 Emergency Plant Pest in Schedule 13 of the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD).

At risk

MILDER SEASON DISEASE THREATS

BOTRYTIS PHOMOPSIS

Many producers are aware of the challenges milder seasons bring for pest and disease management.

But can you accurately diagnose grapevine diseases? Do you know your rots from your spots?

Another La Niña season may bring with it symptoms of multiple diseases, and growers, pest scouts and agronomists must be able to spot the differences. Here we take a look at the common disease threats seen in mild and/or wet seasons.

References: awri.com.au/information_services/ ebulletin/2022/10/27/a-wet-season-updatemanaging-downy-mildew-and-other-fungal-diseases/ wineaustralia.com/getmedia/605078c1-f14d467b-9c42-dc9752884ac5/201206-Phomopsiscane-and-leaf-spot-management?ext=.pdf agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/plantdiseases/grapevine-diseases/black-spot-ofgrapevines#:~:text=Black%20spot%2C%20 or%20anthracnose%2C%20caused,grape%20 varieties%20are%20relatively%20resistant. wineaustralia.com/getmedia/19913e2240ac-4aad-ab93-4f9c42a77b1f/201406Non-Botrytis-bunch-rots-QA?ext=.pdf wineaustralia.com/getmedia/3e2d4ecc3d70-41db-b2b0-0b897a513fb8/ CORD_Factsheets_BotrytisManagement wineaustralia.com/getmedia/c1d730e37a9a-4d43-b254-d271f1f24d2c/201003Managing-powdery-mildew?ext=.pdf awri.com.au/industry_support/viticulture/

Botrytis cinerea causes botrytis bunch rot and grey mould.

Conditions that favour Botrytis

Botrytis rot is a weatherdriven disease that can cause significant loss of grape yield and quality, even after application of a full fungicide program.

Where does infection start?

Botrytis spores are almost always present in vineyards.

Botrytis infection can occur at flowering, although symptoms may not be obvious until close to harvest. Tissue is infected via wounds and natural openings, including scars at cap fall, micro fissures in the berry skin, or berry splitting.

What does Botrytis look like?

On leaves, look for V-shaped brown areas (with a yellow margin) between main veins and circular brown areas where physical damage has occurred. On shoots, look for patches of soft brown rot on young stems. On bunches, look for small brown spots with “slip skin” on soft berries.

After infection, berries change colour and grey fungal growth appears. Botrytis spreads easily to other berries as the fungus sporulates. Berries may shrivel and mummify if hot conditions occur after infection.

Phomopsis cane and leaf spot of grapevines is caused by the fungus Phomopsis viticola

Conditions that favour Phomopsis

The disease is favoured by wet spring weather.

Where does infection start?

Infections occur on leaves, shoots and bunches

What does Phomopsis look like?

On leaves, look for tiny brown to black spots with a 2-3mm wide yellow halo around the dead spot. The spots appear 3-4 weeks after rain and mainly on the lower leaves.

On shoots, look for small spots with black centres, usually at the base of the shoot. These join up to become thin black cracks about 5-6mm long. Similar spots also develop on flower clusters or bunch stems. Canes become discoloured, with dark brown or black patches surrounded by white bleached areas. Infected patches may appear speckled with tiny black fruiting bodies.

Monitoring Phomopsis

Start monitoring for Phomopsis about three weeks after budburst, and then 1-2 weeks after that if wet conditions persist.

Black spot is caused by the fungus Elsinoe ampelina

Some table grape varieties are highly susceptible, although incidence has been significantly reduced by management.

Conditions that favour black spot

Cool, wet weather during spring and early summer favours black spot, and disease can develop quickly. Surface moisture favours production and spread of spores from cankers.

Where does infection start?

Black spot can attack all green tissue. Young shoots and leaves are most susceptible to infection. Mature tissues are less susceptible, but spore-producing cankers on mature canes can last for 3-5 years.

What does black spot look like?

On leaves, look for small, brownblack spots 1-3mm in diameter. These quickly grow into circular grey-black patches with red-brown margins. The margins gradually darken, and the centres tear away, giving leaves a tattered appearance.

On shoots, look for small, brownblack spots with slightly sunken centres and raised edges. These spots gradually elongate and develop grey centres. Shoots die if spots merge and girdle the shoot.

On young berries look for round, sunken, brown spots which expand to form “birds-eye spots” with grey centres and dark-red margins.

On canes, look for scars or cankers with pitted or cracked centres. Surrounding wood may look blackened or burnt.

Monitoring black spot

Tag any previously infected vines and monitor them early season.

Powdery mildew is caused by the fungal pathogen Erysiphe necator Conditions that favour powdery mildew

Powdery mildew thrives in dry overcast conditions. It does not require rain.

Where does infection start?

Leaves are most susceptible while they are expanding. Shoots and clusters are also very susceptible.

Berries become resistant 3-4 weeks after flowering, but the bunch stalk and stems remain susceptible.

What does powdery mildew look like?

On expanding leaves look for discolouration and distorted growth. Look on the upper surface of expanding leaves in spring, for small, yellow-green blotches 2-10mm in diameter with an irregular outline. A web of hyphae may be visible with a hand lens.

Look for flag shoots 2-8 weeks after budburst. Flag shoots will be stunted and covered with ash-grey to white powdery growth, with distorted leaves that curl upwards.

On bunches look, at immature berries and bunch stalks, for ash-grey to white powdery growth.

Severely infected berries may develop irregular shapes, crack, or split and rot. Red varieties may colour unevenly. Post-veraison, berries develop a brown weblike pattern on the surface, very noticeable on white varieties.

Monitoring powdery mildew Early detection is critical. Monitor fortnightly from budburst. Monitor areas where powdery was previously present, e.g. densely shaded vines, susceptible varieties, and ends of rows that may have been unsprayed.

Downy mildew is caused by an algae Plasmopara viticola and spread by wind and water.

Conditions that favour downy mildew

Primary infection is driven by wet weather and requires: - soil to be wet for 16 hours - temperatures at or near 10°C - followed by rain to splash spores onto foliage and leaves wet for a further 2-3 hours.

Oil spots appear five days after primary infection.

A warm, wet night following primary infection is enough for secondary infections to spread rapidly.

Where does infection start?

Downy mildew survives in soil as resistant oospores. After the right weather conditions, oospores germinate and release zoospores which land on susceptible vine tissue. If leaf wetness and temperature are sufficient then primary infection occurs.

What does downy mildew look like?

On leaves, look for yellow oil spots. Do a “Bag Test” – seal a suspect leaf in a ziplock bag and leave it in a warm dark cupboard overnight. White downy growth will appear on the undersides of oil spots.

On shoots, stems and tendrils look for oily brown patches. Shoots may break at the point of infection.

Infected rachis, flowers, or young berries may turn brown and appear oily. After suitable warm humid weather, white downy growth grows on the surfaces of infected tissue.

Berries become resistant to infection 3-4 weeks after berry set, but the bunch stem remains susceptible. Infected berries turn purplish then brown before shrivelling and falling.

POWDERY MILDEW

DOWNY MILDEW

BLACK SPOT/ANTHRACNOSE

Grapevine Red Blotch virus awareness

Grapevine Red Blotch Virus (GRBV) has been detected for the first time in Australia in grapevine germplasm collections in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia and the virus (with vector) is a High Priority Exotic Plant Pest for table, dried and wine grapes.

Back in 2021, Vinehealth Australia conducted a vineyard owner survey asking wine grape growers how concerned they were about the potential impact of GRBV –many responses indicated a lack of knowledge about the virus, which was unsurprising given it was not present in Australia.

The bad news

One table grape variety (Perle de Csaba) and six wine grape variety/clone combinations have tested positive and trace back shows that GRBV likely entered Australia in infected propagation material as early as 1985 – well before the virus was discovered or a diagnostic test developed.

Trace forward activities are in progress to confirm the extent of the spread and the involved viticulture organisations will keep producers updated on any news – and this is where the bad news stops.

The good news

Perle de Csaba, the infected table grape variety, is not commercially grown in Australia.

Long distance spread of the virus primarily occurs through infected propagation material.

Short distance spread vectors have not been identified for Australia yet, which could be what is preventing transmission.

About GRBV

Grapevine Red Blotch disease, caused by GRBV, can reduce an infected vine’s capacity to move sugar from the vine leaves into the grapes.

This sugar remains trapped in the leaves, consequently causing delayed fruit maturity, lower sugar, and compounds responsible for flavour and aroma.

GRBV has not been reported to kill grapevines, but it can decrease the lifespan of a vineyard given lower yield and vine vigour and can negatively impact grape and wine quality. While the virus can impact yields, delay maturity, and reduce quality in the United States, it does not pose a threat to grape consumers.

What are the symptoms?

Both red and white grapevine varieties are susceptible to GRBV, but the symptoms are more pronounced in red varieties.

Symptoms that may indicate the presence of GRBV include irregular red blotches across the leaves or reddening of veins in autumn.

However, there are many causes of red leaves in vineyards, such as nutrient deficiency, mechanical damage, variety specific autumnal colours, physical restrictions like strings or ties and other viruses such as leaf roll.

Managing affected vines

Maintain good general virus preventative management programs, including sourcing virus free propagation material and regular vineyard monitoring for virus-like symptoms and potential vectors.

If unsure if GRBV is in the vineyard, producers can always send off a sample for diagnostic testing to either Agriculture Victoria (Crop Health Services, Victoria), Affinity Labs (AWRI, South Australia), or the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Laboratory (WA).

Growers can also report anything unusual by contacting the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.v

References:

https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/movingplants-and-plant-products/biosecurity-updates/ grapevine-red-blotch-virus-detections https://vinehealth.com.au/2022/09/ grapevine-red-blotch-virus-detections-inaustralia-your-questions-answered/ https://www.awri.com.au/wp-content/ uploads/2020/07/Grapevine-red-blotch-virus.pdf https://www.planthealthaustralia.com.au/ pests/grapevine-red-blotch-virus/

SNFL Australia: delivering high-quality seedless varieties to Asia

Australian table grape growers produced almost 200,000 tonnes of table grapes last year, with 70% grown for export to an increasing number of countries and the remaining 30% consumed domestically, according to the Australian Table Grape Association.

Asia is the main destination for Australian table grapes, especially China, representing 25% of the total imports into Asia, followed by Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, representing all together 38% of table grapes imports.1 In fact, 26% of imported table grapes in China come from Australia.2

CHINESE GRAPE CONSUMERS ARE RATIONAL AND MOTIVATION-DRIVEN

Grapes are underrepresented in the fruit basket, with only 29% of Chinese consumers purchasing grapes3. However, when they chose grapes, Chinese consumers prefer

sweet taste, seedless and medium-priced grapes. Safety and quality characters, such as clean appearance, freshness, firmness, and taste, are ranked as the most important grape attributes.3, 4

RED GRAPES STILL DOMINATE

Red colour is still the #1 preferred among 70% Chinese grape shoppers. It gives people a festive feeling and arises the desire to eat. Red varieties are linked to sweeter flavours.3

Also, red and black grapes are associated with featuring more nutrients and anthocyanin, which are good for health

ALLISONTM: SNFL RISING STAR FOR CHINESE MARKET

AllisonTM is a very late season red variety with large crisp-flavoured berries. Its large size bunch and high productivity make it ideal for growers and consumers.

Moreover, its very good condition after 6-10 weeks in storage trial has been recognised by Asian buyers, such as other varieties like TimpsonTM, MelodyTM or Great GreenTM, maintaining high quality during 21-28 days on the sea. AllisonTM is a very good alternative to Crimson.

Leading grape innovation for a healthier future.

SPONSORED CONTENT BY SNFL GROUP

References:

1. Asian Fresh Fruit Import Trade in 2021. Wayne Prowse. Fresh Intelligence

2. ITC Trade Map, CIA World Factbook, FAOSTAT, World Bank; Fresh Intelligence analysis

3. Source: SNFL GROUP Internal Report based on online research across 300 Chinese table grape consumers. Sample is representative by age, geographical region and gender. January 12th, 2022.

4. Mu Weisong; Li Chengcheng; Tian Dong; Feng Jianying - British Food Journal, 2016, 118(1): 231-246. - Chinese consumers' behavior and preference to table grapes Based on a comparative study of 2009 and 2014.

New hope after painful season

AUSTRALIAN PREMIUM DRIED FRUITS

The pain of the 2022 harvest has continued at APDF, with dehydration of wet fruit expected to continue up to Christmas.

The volume and the extremely high moisture level has meant dehydration challenges have been much slower than in any other season we can remember.

A lot of the fruit was more than 25 per cent moisture, which required two cooks and up to two days of dehydration time.

APDF accepted all the high moisture fruit from growers in 2022 and has worked extremely hard to salvage the desperate situation that Mother Nature dealt us.

In a normal season with dehydration moistures more in line with the average 16-20 per cent (if rain affected), the volume requiring dehydration from 2022 would already be complete.

Unfortunately, the higher moisture of 2022 is more like dehydrating 10,000 tonnes rather than the actual 5000 tonnes on hand.

We have heard anecdotally from most people in the industry that you could not harvest fruit above 30 per cent moisture. But we now know from experience that fruit as high as 40 per cent moisture and above can be machine harvested, which is something we must avoid in future if possible.

Maybe the robust nature of Sunmuscat, Sunglo and Carina deliver less damage when harvesting at this level, whereas the anecdotal assumption may have been based on the thinner-skinned Thompsons, which do not handle mechanical harvesting without major damage if above 30 per cent.

We sympathise with growers who bore extremely high dehydration costs and

lower grades from the wet harvest, which took most or all of the cream a good season would deliver in returns.

This pain has continued to flow through to the processors as well. It has been a season to forget, whenever we see its end!

A lot has been learned from this unprecedented season, including the inaccuracy of the moisture tests (using the industry accepted Californian Dried Fruit Method) when fruit is above 20 per cent. Apart from the tests themselves, the fruit at these very high moisture levels has a certain level of variability through the batch and even each bin from top to bottom.

It is impossible to get a close enough reading to apply a moisture level to an entire consignment. In some instances, we have seen more than 10 per cent variance in actual weight to the very inaccurate test result on this wet fruit in 2022.

We continue to push on with the challenge of trying to make the best of a bad situation, with knowledge that this season’s crop will soon be processed, and a new season of optimism is around the corner.

The early signs of the 2023 crop are looking promising at the time of writing.

The continued rain has been welcomed by the vines with the only downside being the inability to deliver the fert programs on time with little or no irrigation needed.

The latest advice from the Bureau of Meteorology is for wet conditions to continue through spring and summer, with the possibility of conditions returning to normal early 2023.

We are very hopeful this plays out as predicted so we might receive a better drying season than 2022.

It is unusual to not receive some rain in any season, but continued rain makes it almost impossible to produce dried grapes as we all know.

We would encourage growers to take a risk averse approach this season based on the current weather conditions and try to begin harvest as soon as physically possible.

It is also recommended to have dehydration equipment on hand to be in a position to manage the risks quickly and at lower costs.

We have found the dehydration costs at factory level increasing in the past 12 months, so it will most likely be more cost effective for most growers to manage their own dehydration if we have another wet season.

Growers who are able to act quickly and get dehydration close to harvest can also see an improved grade on some of their fruit.

Many growers have benefited from this approach in the past, so there can be a potential monetary benefit from doing your own dehydration also.

As with most seasons, 2022 will soon be a distant memory and we hope 2023 gives us some great quality to remind customers how good the Australian product is compared to any other origin. Fingers crossed for a great season ahead.v

Enquiries:

Grower liaison officer

Larry Dichiera

larry@apdf.com.au 0488 199 221

Planning critical for 2023 success

SUNBEAM FOODS & ANGAS PARK

The wet weather experienced through harvest continues and the forecast for a third La Niña event will probably see consistent rain periods through to next harvest.

It will be important that growers are on top of their preventative spray programs to minimise any opportunities for disease.

Also, this season has been a reminder that good preparation and planning is needed to get the crop off in a timely manner.

Attention is needed to have all the equipment required, owned or contracted, to be in place well before it is needed.

The bottleneck experienced this year with harvester and dehydrator availability caused a great deal of stress. Planning around having everything in place early is a necessity.

This season’s bud burst has been prolonged due to the wetter, cooler conditions.

Early indications are that the crop will be like last year or slightly lighter, but as usual there are a lot of factors that will affect the crop development, positively and negatively, from here.

DVF Electronic Spray Diary

The GrapeWeb Sunbeam electronic spray diary is being rolled out to our grower base. Our field officers have been trained and can guide people through the chemical database and the process of entering their sprays.

This will be a great management tool to not only manage this season’s spray program, but to easily refer to previous years to review spray applications and timing, all in one spot.

New dried vine fruit variety - Sugrathirtynin e

A new variety field walk was held in early October at the Chevlin Vineyard to view Fabian’s new planting of the Sun World variety Sugrathirtynine.

This new variety to Australia shows the beneficial attributes of strong vigour, high fruitfulness and early season maturity, attributes that our industry has been searching for in alternative varieties.

This is a sultana type that is attracting a great deal of attention from our grower base and should be a complementary variety for the other consistent high yielding varieties, Sunmuscat, Sunglo and Carina currants.

We are planning another field walk in December – keep an eye out for an email invite to the event.

Prunes

The 2022 prune grading result is lower than the previous year and the ratio of larger pittable fruit to smaller fruit is not as high as expected (or needed). Only 50 per cent of the prunes received have graded out into the pittable size range. This will leave us very close to water level with demand until the new season crop is realised.

The domestic market remains strong for pitted prunes and to a lesser extent whole prunes and the export market has been positive with widespread enquiries due to the smaller international supply.

Dried tree fruit

The stage one redevelopment of our Pike River Orchard has been completed with 17,000 new trees planted and they are bursting out of dormancy.

This has been a major project by the company, and it reflects the

confidence we have in the future of Australian produced dried apricots and the potential the market holds.

We are very keen to purchase additional supplies of fresh or dried apricots for this year.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: Sugrathirtynine grapevine development, early October.

Bottom: New trees planted at the Angas Park - Pike River Orchard in September, 2022.

Promoting the season ahead

The Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) has worked with industry and government trade departments to produce new promotional assets ahead of the upcoming export season.

The ATGA’s 2022/23 Table Grape Exporter Directory is now available and features industry, export statistics and data, varietal and serving information, as well as business profiles for 40 exporters.

The new directory was produced by the ATGA in time for Asia Fruit Logistica, and additional trade promotion that CEO Jeff Scott will conduct in the coming months ahead of the 2022/23 export season.

“It’s vital to have print promotional assets when travelling for any trade promotion,” Jeff said.

"The Exporter Directory is a great resource and provides a valuable first glance at industry for potential buyers."

The directory will be available on the ATGA website, promoted in its email footer and will be dowloadable for all exporters in high resolution format.

The ATGA also assisted Austrade as it recently overhauled its table grape promotional assets.

Austrade published the Industry Capability Report, which contains customer and consumer-focused information, export statistics, growing regions, serving suggestions and much more.

The ATGA is also exploring opportunities with Hort Innovation to gain full access to the table grape marketing levy in order to make more effective and better use of table grape marketing levies.v

Vietnam: grape, cherry, citrus

New Zealand: grape, mango, lychee, tomato, capsicum, melon, strawberry, squash

Indonesia: grape, cherry, stone fruit, berry + 20 more.

Thailand: persimmon

Malaysia: mango USA: mango, lychee

Service Locations

steritech.com.au NEWS

VIC 21 Titan Drive, Mickleham VIC 3064 03 9216 3500

Australian Table Grapes

All hands on tech

INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURE

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 website, app and video series that look at some of the ways technology is being used to share pest and disease data and information directly to growers.

MyPestGuide Grapes

MyPestGuide Grapes allows growers to use their smartphone or tablet to identify and report pests and diseases in their grapevines.

Tell me more

MyPestGuide Grapes app provides a mobile field identification guide to allow users to quickly search for a pest or disease of grapevines according to either the damage seen, or the type of pest or disease.

How does it benefit growers?

When combined with MyPestGuide Reporter app, they become a powerful, on the spot, mobile surveillance tool. MyPestGuide Reporter allows growers to easily create a report, link up to four images and send this direct to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development for identification confirmation.

Cost and availability

Free. Available for Apple and Android.

Grower’s Edge

The Grower’s Edge video series from Bayer aims to help growers achieve best practice and maximise returns through crop based solutions, services and information.

Tell me more

Australian growers have a long standing reputation for producing some of the best fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables in the world.

To sustain the reputation of Australian growers delivering premium produce, Grower’s Edge, with Bayer’s industry partners, brings to you the latest trial data, best use guides, product updates, new releases and industry information to help you grow better.

How does it benefit growers?

The video series includes films on spray planning, travel speed, nozzle choice, driving direction, inspecting the sprayer, sprayer set-up, spray coverage, run off and droplet size.

Grower’s Edge is geared to providing growers with information that adds value to their business.

Cost and availability

Free to access on YouTube.

GrowCare

GrowCare provides easy access to weather data from growers’ local areas. The platform provides timely information on the risk of weather-driven diseases and pests like downy mildew and bunch rot of grapes.

Tell me more

GrowCare uses established networks of automatic weather stations (AWS) to assess disease risks.

The platform provides some resources without the user subscribing, including recent Bureau of Meteorology weather observations and forecasts and a wide range of general information.

How does it benefit growers?

For subscribers, GrowCare provides recent weather observations from any AWS, shown on a graph, disease modelling information, and SMS and email alerts when an infection is predicted from a grower’s nearest AWS. These alerts aim to save the grapegrower at least one spray per season.

Cost and availability

Subscriber and free options available at growcare.com.au

Profile Angie Panagiotaros

For Angie Panagiotaros, growing grapes is in his blood.

His long experience in the vineyard was this year rewarded with a Dried Fruits Australia Quality Award for his raisins.

Angie lives in Irymple with his wife Anna and manages their 16 hectares of table grapes and 8 hectares of dried grapes. Here he reflects on his time in the industry, and his family who came before him.

How long have you been in the dried grape and table grape industries?

I’ve been involved in the industries my whole life. My parents had a dried grape property when I was growing up, and slowly added on table grape varieties.

I got my HSC and went to Caulfield Institute of Technology to become an accountant, and I just couldn’t handle the city life.

My sister got married when I was about 18 and I came home for the wedding and I never went back.

My dad bought me a pair of pruning shears and said “I’m on this side of

the row, you’re on that side of the row”, and that’s how it all started.

Is the family involved too?

The growing of grapes has been in my family since back in the 1700s. They came from Greece and came from a wine growing region, so viticulture is in the blood.

How have things changed over the years?

A big shift was the change in trellising to Ivan Shaw swingarm trellising.

Some things like weather monitoring and automated irrigation systems have made things easier, while some things are getting more challenging.

It’s getting harder and harder. There’s not much wiggle room when it comes to inputs and the costs of running a vineyard. It’s different to what it was years ago. You’ve got to be really savvy without compromising quality.

Challenges facing growers now?

Labour is a real challenge as far as the table grape industry is concerned. Mechanisation in dried fruit is trying to combat that, but it’s balancing

the costs of paying for those innovations and managing the inputs.

Where do you see the industries going?

Production has gone up, the quality of everything has improved. The consumer, I believe are eating with their eyes and looking for the perfect berry on the bunch. They want to know how everything’s grown, so things have changed in that way. We’re lucky they’re healthy and clean snacks. They’re easy to grab. Australia’s got a good reputation for green practices and good tasting fruit.

What do you like about the industries?

There’s always changes and challenges, but it’s just a way of life.

You recently won the DFA Quality Award for your raisins. What do you credit with your success?

After so many years of growing raisins and with a great deal of luck from Mother Nature. v

BOARD

Notice board

DFA hosted a recent field walk at grower Ashley Johnstone’s property, where attendees were shown the technology behind a mechanical winter pruner, as well as the cordon response to mechanical pruning.

In addition to the field walk and visits to growers, DFA also hosted recent visits from both Hort Innovation and Plant Health Australia where the groups discussed challenges and opportunities in the industry, as well as their ongoing working relationships.

Growers in Mildura, Euston, and the Swan Valley recently had the opportunity to hear from New Zealand spray guru David Manktelow and the ATGA's Alison MacGregor on spray application in table grapes. The sessions were well attended and highly worthwhile, with growers all reporting they would review their practices after the demonstrations.

Mark King (Chair) Producer, Pomona

Warren Lloyd (Deputy Chair) Producer, Irymple

Stephen Bennett Producer, Merbein Tony Martin Producer, Merbein

Ashley Johnstone Producer, Irymple David Swain Sunbeam Foods

Jeremey Boyd (Chair), Victoria

Rocky Mammone (Deputy Chair), Victoria

David Agg South Australia

Dominic Sergi Victoria

Adrian Cordoma Victoria

BOARD

Grant Leyden Sunbeam Foods

Craig Greenwood

Australian Premium Dried Fruits

Michael Scalzo

Australian Premium Dried Fruits

James Moriarty Producer, Duxton Dried Fruits

Joe Garreffa New South Wales

Peter Nuich Western Australia

Robert Nugan Victoria

Zoe Dichiera Queensland

Anthony Cirillo New South Wales

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.

Using fresh science to protect fresh produce