News

Expansion into Mahachanok mangoes pays off with huge harvest and high demand

Mangoes Oct. 29, 2018



A Top End mango grower says their decision to invest in Mahachanok mangoes is paying dividends, with the trees producing 50 per cent more fruit than any other varieties. Tou Saramat Ruchkaew owns the breeding rights for the Thai mango variety in Australia and has spent the past few years expanding her orchard with only that variety. Some of those trees were harvested for the first time this year.

Read full story

Field determination of sugar and dry matter in nectarines

Stone Fruit Oct. 28, 2018



Monitoring fruit quality over time using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy technologies offers the opportunity to correct agronomic practices and determine the right moment for fruit picking.

Read full story

Almond orchards give bees weakened by drought a vital boost during pollination season

Almonds Oct. 28, 2018



While the word drought conjures images of cattle skulls and withered crops, few consider the effect a drought can have upon the insect kingdom. But the devastation brought by the big dry has been revealed during the annual bee muster in north-west Victoria, which concluded in August.

Read full story

New fruit fly handbook and website

Fruit Fly Oct. 25, 2018



Get familiar with the diversity of fruit flies worldwide with a new handbook and website that makes identification easier – hopefully aiding in the early detection of exotic pest incursions.

Read full story

New varieties flesh out mango offering

Mangoes Oct. 24, 2018



Mango harvest has started in the Ord Valley as packing houses pump out boxes of fruit to be delivered to markets across Australia.

Read full story


Mangoes hit the shops in ‘extra flavoursome’ season

Mangoes Oct. 19, 2018



Tropical mango madness is taking hold, with fruit as cheap as $1 and claims that this year’s crop could be the tastiest on record.

Read full story

New start-up sets sights on fruit fly

Fruit Fly Oct. 19, 2018



The Coalition Government is helping Australian farmers through a new tech start-up taking aim at Australia’s biggest biosecurity barrier to trade: the fruit fly.

Read full story

Australia's citrus industry set for another record year but nurseries run short of tree stock

Citrus Oct. 18, 2018



Citrus growers across Australia have good reason to celebrate, with prices and global demand predicted to hit new records.

Read full story

Stingless bees put to use in new study aimed at improving rambutan yields

Tropical trees Flowering, thinning & PGRs Oct. 17, 2018



Stingless bees that were rescued from a building before it was demolished in the Top End are now being put to use in a research project focusing on improving rambutan yields.

Read full story

How to double your mango tree yields

Mangoes Oct. 17, 2018



A NEW trial could see mangoes grown in an alternative way around the country. The project will look at methods to potentially double the per-hectare productivity on mango farms.

Read full story


Avocado growers say prices have hit their peak while supply continues to skyrocket

Avocado Oct. 11, 2018



In good news for avocado lovers, they have likely paid the most they will ever pay for an avocado during summer, and the popular fruit will keep getting cheaper.

Read full story

Govt on North West citrus canker case

Citrus Oct. 11, 2018



The State Government has sent surveillance teams to the North West to confirm the absence of citrus canker.

Read full story

Separating ripe and unripe avocados results in higher sales

Avocado Oct. 7, 2018



A new initiative to stop shoppers squeezing avocados to test the fruit's ripeness has resulted in a halving of bruised fruit and higher avocado sales.

Read full story

Bees get stressed at work too

Flowering, thinning & PGRs Oct. 4, 2018



A honey bee’s life is hardly relaxing. Every day forager bees make many trips, travelling long distances, to gather vital resources of pollen and nectar from flowers. They have to deal with predators, challenging weather conditions and the very real risk of getting lost.

Read full story

Protect crops against pests and diseases

Disease & weed control Insect & mite control Oct. 3, 2018



Deciduous fruit growers have access to the latest information on all aspects of protecting orchards from pests and diseases in the new Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Orchard plant protection guide for deciduous fruits in NSW.

Read full story