Tree Crop News

Pome fruit

Procurement for beginners

Drowning in a sea of supplier contracts, rising costs and process inefficiencies? Dr Hugo Britt outlines seven reasons why it might be time to hire a procurement professional.

Stone Fruit

Science backs plum's blood pressure benefits

Researchers have found that daily consumption of nectar from the Queensland-bred Queen Garnet plum decreases blood pressure and the risk factors of metabolic syndrome.

Pome fruit

Coles Nurture Fund lets pear growers invest in new cool room technology

A VICTORIAN pear-growing business will regulate fruit humidity and limit water use by introducing new cool room technology. The Damianopoulos family of Masalki Pty Ltd have received a $400,000 Coles Nurture Fund grant which will allow the Shepparton-based operation to reduce its water use by up to 80 per cent. The family is among 16 farmers and food producers across Australia who will share in $5 million from the Coles Nurture Fund to help combat drought.

Pome fruit - Marketing & export

Australian pears land in Indonesia

New season shipment of Australian pears complemented by promotional ‘Love Australian Pears’ campaign.

Nuts

Walnut genome sequencing opens door to new protections

Researchers seek breeding that could provide better resistance to pathogens.

Pome fruit

Bravo apple harvest commences

WA’s 2019 Bravo apple harvest has kicked off, with the premium apples now available in retail outlets.

Stone Fruit

Mulch-in cherries

Researchers are studying how mulch affects yield and fruit quality in a mature sweet cherry orchard, including packout, cherry size and flesh firmness. The study also is examining how mulch affects soil quality — physical, chemical and biological factors.

Olives

Olive growers face challenging season with limited water supply, extreme heat

Multiple hot spells with day temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius, and little to no seasonal rainfall, are just some of the challenges olive producers have had to battle this season.

Avocado

Scientists invent a sniffing method to detect rotten avocados

UK scientists are working to invent a type of portable sniffing device that can detect whether avocados are rotten without breaking the skin and damaging the fruit.

Pome fruit - Marketing & export

Impressive sales of Australian Kanzi apples

Sales of Kanzi apples in Australia is growing at a significant rate.

Pome fruit

Ricó pears ready to roll

New red-blush pears being grown in Australia's Goulburn Valley, with sales to begin in July.

Specialty tree crops

Small, sweet and high in Vitamin C — Australian growers are backing the jujube

With an increasing international population and a big focus on healthy eating, some Australian horticulturalists are pushing to expand and establish plantings of a fruit barely known to most of the country — the jujube.

Business solutions & labour - Technology in agriculture

Goulburn Valley farmer cuts power costs by $62,000 a year

A fruit grower in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley has cut its grid power consumption by one-third.

Mangoes - Business solutions & labour - Technology in agriculture

New software boosts mango operation

Software developed for Australian mango producer Piñata Farms, was instrumental in streamlining ripening and distribution operations during the 2018-2019 season.

Nuts

Demand for pistachios is going nuts giving growers good reason to smile

A cold winter and hot summer has given pistachio growers good reason to celebrate, with many farmers harvesting great volumes despite being in the "off-year" crop cycle — and demand for the green nut is rising rapidly.