Tree Crop News

Insect & mite control

Varroa mite Townsville update

No further varroa mites found at Townsville Port since May 2019

Avocado

The avocado genome has been sequenced

Scientists have sequenced the avocado genome, shedding light on the ancient origins of this buttery fruit and laying the groundwork for future improvements to farming.

Flowering, thinning & PGRs

Animal carcasses and their flies could be 'the new bees'

Flies are well known to be as efficient pollinators as bees but are not as abundant.

Pome fruit

Soil characterisation in Australian apple orchards

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).

Avocado

Is that avocado brown already? Genetic research could help

Avocados are famous for having a frustratingly short period of consumption. They’re hard as rocks for a while and as soon as you try to eat one, they’ve turned to brown mush.

Business solutions & labour - Harvesting

A Robotic Hand With a Human Touch

Soft robots are being developed that may be able to handle fruit.

Cherries - Citrus - Nuts - Olives - Stone Fruit - Disease & weed control - Insect & mite control

Defending Australia against Xylella

The number one plant biosecurity threat to Australia is now under the spotlight through a new Hort Innovation funded project.

Business solutions & labour

Indians, Mexicans set for Aussie work under backpacker visa expansion backed by farm lobby

Backpackers from 13 countries are being targeted by Immigration Minister David Coleman as he seeks to find workers wanted by regional businesses.

Specialty tree crops - Tropical trees

Quest for custard apple new varieties a long and difficult road, paved with misfires and mutants

A 25-year quest to produce delicious, commercially successful, new varieties of custard apples is inching closer to completion. But the road has been long and paved with mutants.

Packaging & labelling

Australian start-up creates alternative to plastics

An Australian start-up has developed a biodegradable alternative to plastic food packaging produced from the chitin and cellulose contained in crustacean skeletons.

Avocado - Citrus - Macadamias - Mangoes - Olives

Accurate yield forecasting and better tree crop managment focus of $5M project

A grant worth more than $5 million dollars has been awarded to Hort Innovation to continue work in optimising the management of Australian tree crop industries through innovative mapping and monitoring tools.

Avocado

Could Tissue Culture Meet Avocado Plant Demand?

Plant tissue-culture is a cost-effective means of plant propagation that has been widely applied in the horticulture and forestry industries.

Pome fruit

An apple carries about 100 million bacteria

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.

General - Marketing & export - Technology in agriculture

Tying up the digital space

Tie Up Farming delivers technological and managerial solutions to farmers

Mangoes

No longer just a summer fruit, NT mangoes hit Sydney and Melbourne markets in July

It might be the middle of winter for some, but in the Northern Territory things are starting to heat up with the first trays of mangoes for the 2019/20 season getting picked and sent to the major markets of Sydney and Melbourne.