News

Kiwifruit, apples and pears drive increasing export revenue

Pome fruit General Jan. 3, 2020



New Zealand's horticulture boom is rolling on, with the sector poised to overtake forestry and become the third most valuable primary industry.

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What triggers biennial bearing in apples?

Pome fruit General Jan. 1, 2020



Biennial bearing in apple induces variable yearly yields. Growers usually manage this by removing excess flowers and fruitlets from ‘on’ trees with heavy fruit loads to increase fruit size in the current season and the amount of bloom in the subsequent season.

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Working on a sweet deal for apples from Western Australia

Pome fruit Dec. 18, 2019



The Western Australian government is progressing plans to take a Manjimup-bred apple out into the world.

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How to make pears blush:

Pome fruit Oct. 30, 2019



Pears have been declining in popularity in recent years, but new blush varieties offer opportunities for an image makeover and a revival in fortunes.

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Managing climate risks

Pome fruit General Oct. 26, 2019



Climate risks to pomefruit crops come in many forms. The main ones are frost, hail, wind, flooding, drought and high temperatures. These are the obvious ones.

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Australian pears show promise in Indonesia

Pome fruit General Marketing & export Oct. 24, 2019



Marketing a mix of pear varieties under a broad Australian Pears brand has the potential to boost sales in the rapidly-expanding market in Indonesia, a levy-funded export marketing pilot has shown.

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Cider expansion supported by new supply

Pome fruit Oct. 21, 2019



The burgeoning local cider industry is set to benefit from a new cider apple supply block at the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Orange Agricultural Institute.

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Construction of new packing and export facility commences

Pome fruit Stone Fruit Sept. 27, 2019



Montague have commenced construction of a new packaging facility at Narre Warren North.

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New state-of-the-art, produce facility in Rocklea, Queensland

Pome fruit Stone Fruit Sept. 22, 2019



Montague open world-class produce and packing facility opens at the Brisbane Markets.

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N&A Group and Plunkett Orchards join forces

Pome fruit Stone Fruit Marketing & export Sept. 18, 2019



The N&A Group & Plunkett Orchards are joining forces in a new partnership that will expand their existing alliance to become one of Australia’s largest growers, packers and marketers of all tree fruits.

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Research under way to strengthen the safety of apple and pear packhouses

Pome fruit Stone Fruit Packaging & labelling Sept. 17, 2019



Australian apple and pear packhouses have the opportunity help build industry wide knowledge of absolute microbial risks, and a develop a risk assessment model to best manage them.

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Protective cropping crucial for apples and pears

Pome fruit Aug. 28, 2019



Flying foxes are considered keystone species in the Australian landscape. However, they have significant impact on orchards – even with netting. Incursions can result in near-total or total losses to crops.

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An effective/organic alternative . . .

Pome fruit Stone Fruit Aug. 26, 2019



Organic Crop Protectants’ latest innovation in plant protection - Ecocarb PLUS - is a dual action fungicide combining the curative powers of potassium bicarbonate with the protective and systemic barrier properties of potassium silicate.

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Soil characterisation in Australian apple orchards

Pome fruit Aug. 8, 2019



By calibrating new data with soil moisture data, growers can know when, how much and for how long to irrigate to supply enough water to meet tree demand, writes Marcus Hardie and Nigel Swarts from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (UTAS).

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An apple carries about 100 million bacteria

Pome fruit July 26, 2019



A new study shows that organic apples harbor a more diverse and balanced bacterial community - which could make them healthier and tastier than conventional apples, as well as better for the environment.

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