Advancing sustainable and technology driven apple orchard production systems (AP19003)

What’s it all about?

This investment is improving crop load management different climates across Australia’s growing regions by providing the knowledge and tools needed by the apple and pear industry to consistently deliver fruit that meets market specifications.

It is establishing research trials and demonstration sites at the experimental Sundial Orchard at Agriculture Victoria’s Tatura SmartFarm, as well as in commercial orchards, to help take this information to growers. The unique Sundial Orchard conditions, with different light incidence and exposure throughout, will allow this project to investigate the effects of fruit/leaf position and sunlight exposure on fruit quality, floral initiation, photosynthesis and stomatal conductance.

Specifically, the project is:

• Investigating how fruit position and light exposure impact colour development, sunburn damage, floral initiation and fruit quality
• Exploring the physiological mechanisms (that is, the chemical signals) involved in the impacts of high crop load on floral initiation and flower development, and subsequent fruit size
• Developing a rapid orchard assessment tool using sensing technologies to determine crop load for optimum fruit size in apple orchards.

This project is part of the PIPS3 program for the apple and pear industry (the third iteration of the Productivity, Irrigation, Pests and Soils program). The other investments that make up this scope of work are:

• Strengthening cultural and biological management of pests and diseases in apple and pear orchards (AP19002)
• Developing smarter and sustainable pear orchards to maximise fruit quality, yield and labour efficiency (AP19005)
• Improved Australian apple and pear orchard soil health and plant nutrition (AP19006)
• Independent program coordination for apple and pear productivity, irrigation, pests and soils program (PIPS3) (AP19007)

The work done through this project, and the PIPS3 program, will be communicated to industry extensively through the levy-funded National apple and pear industry communications program (AP18000) and Future Orchards program Delivery of apple and pear Future Orchards extension program (AP15005). You can sign up to receive industry communications at www.apal.org.au.