This national workshop in Moama, NSW on 16 May 2023was the first of its kind since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Covering the Summerfruit season in review, government research, a case study on table grape exporting, retailer behaviour and chemical use and risk management were the key topics discussed, Glenn Hale* writes.

Attracting around 60 attendees from across Australia, participants included stone fruit growers and exporters, agricultural suppliers, and presenters from Agriculture Victoria (AV), Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA), and Apple & Pear Australia Ltd (APAL).

CEO of Summerfruit Australia Limited (SAL) Trevor Ranford opened the workshop with a review of this seasons’ trade statistics for both domestic and export markets. He then went on to describe several of the current R&D projects that SAL is collaborating on with industry.

Researcher, Glenn Hale (AV) presented information on the benefits of using real-time temperature loggers, fruit quality after irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment, and the accuracy and reliability of non-destructive equipment to measure fruit maturity, firmness and sweetness.

Scientist, John Lopresti (AV) highlighted the importance of harvesting stone fruit at its optimal maturity (i.e., ripening stage when ethylene production has commenced) and its impact on fruit outturn quality after simulated long-term sea freight and ripening in the Controlled Environment Rooms at Agribio (Agriculture Victoria, Bundoora).

He also described the benefits of stepwise cooling for fruit pre-conditioning and the use of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to extend storage potential and reduce quality issues in stone fruit exports.

Senior scientist, Dr Mark O’Connell (AV) spoke about the recovery responses of nectarine trees subjected to long-term deficit irrigation. Research conducted at the Tatura SmartFarm showed that trees with the best fruit quality and recovery were those that had undergone traditional regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) where irrigation was reduced during Stage 2 of fruit growth approximately four to five weeks after flowering.

Jeff Scott, CEO of ATGA, highlighted risk minimisation strategies and described the changes the table grape industry has made including implementing minimum maturity standards to ensure a better long-term outcome for both domestic and export markets.

Christian Patterson, head of sales at Escavox described how to understand your supply chain better by utilising their trackers in local and international consignments, whilst Dean Morpeth from Sharp Fruit and representing SEDA, reviewed the TOPA marketing campaign and maturity standards for their export program.

Guy Rishmueller and Charlotte Brunt from SAL focussed on using MRL information in spray programs, results from a grower survey, extended WHPs and native vegetation and toxicity to beneficial insect species. Jeremy Griffith from APAL shared insights on his dealings with the federal government and major retailers in Australia.

The workshop provided networking opportunities, trade displays and productive discussions regarding the future for the Summerfruit industry.

Opportunities for further research include identifying fruit maturity classes for other nectarine cultivars to ensure fruit is harvested at its optimal maturity, deploying temperature loggers to monitor export consignments especially in identifying ‘hot spots’ within containers, reviewing the current use of MAP liners in sea freight exports, and continuing the stepwise cooling of stone fruit to ensure premium fruit lands in export markets.

Michael Trautwein, GM from Zest Fruit, said “I am very impressed by the research done by Agriculture Victoria for the stone fruit industry. We now need to collect our thoughts and develop a plan to implement the many research findings into our business”.

The industry event was organised by SAL and sponsored by several key stakeholders including Steritech, Escavox, Grahams Factree, Frostfans, HTIS, Organic Crop Protectants and Agriculture Victoria.

More information on Summerfruit research is available on the Horticulture Industry Network website.

*Glenn Hale is horticultural scientist, crop physiology at Agriculture Victoria’s AgriBio Centre Bundoora, Victoria. Contact: glenn.hale@agriculture.vic.gov.au