Experimental summerfruit orchard – phase II (SF17006)
What’s it all about?
The world-class Stonefield Field Laboratory (also known as the Summerfruit Experimental Orchard) was established at DEDJTR-Tatura in Victoria under an earlier Hort Innovation Summerfruit Fund investment.
The site contains trials for innovative high-density plantings, multiple rootstocks and cultivars, alternative canopy architectures and advanced irrigation and fertigation technologies. This investment is tasked with carrying on this work.
At the time of project contracting in late 2018, the trials were reaching full production, meaning a substantial volume of data is set to become available during the life of the project to inform advice around orchard design and agronomic practices, and help growers achieve optimum fruit quality and yield.
- Four technical scientific papers were published, researching the effects of crop load, canopy architecture, rootstock and irrigation on yield and fruit quality of summerfruit.
- Fruit yield and quality data and associated findings were summarised for each growing season (2016/17 – 2021/22) for each agronomic experiment. Reports with more details can be found online at the Horticulture Industry Networks.
- Planning for an industry nationwide roadshow during winter and/or spring 2022 is underway
- Communications have continued for the project via email updates in the Profitable Stonefruit Newsletter
ACT NOW
Visit the Horticulture Industry Networks website to find all the information and updates provided by the project team.
Read the Profitable Stonefruit newsletters.
Read the scientific papers below:
- Effects of rootstock and crop load management on yield and fruit quality of early-season nectarine ‘Rose Bright’ and late-season peach ‘September Sun’
- Effects of crop load and canopy architecture on yield and fruit quality of 'Golden May' Apricot
- Effect of crop load management and canopy architecture on yield and fruit quality of late-season plum ‘Angeleno’
- Sensing fruit and tree performance under deficit irrigation in 'September Bright' nectarine
Project progress continues at the experimental research orchard at Tatura with a suite of field experiments, designed to determine the effect of agronomic management practices (crop load, rootstock, irrigation management and canopy architecture) on fruit quality in selected cultivars of peach, nectarine, apricot and plum.
A Regional Roadshow was delivered virtually in August 2021. The format was changed to webinar presentations due to state (Victoria and South Australia) lockdown restrictions and ongoing uncertainty for interstate and regional visits.
Project updates including grower production protocols for crop load and canopy architecture, fruit yield and quality management practices, seminar presentations, web updates, e-newsletters, grower events and scientific publications were posted to the Horticulture Industry Networks website.
ACT NOW
Visit the Horticulture Industry Networks website to find all the information and updates provided by the project team.
The project has conducted the research program for season 2020/21 through a suite of 11 field experiments in the stone fruit experimental orchard at the Tatura SmartFarm to determine the effect of agronomic management practices (crop load, rootstock, irrigation management and canopy architecture) on fruit quality in selected cultivars of peach, nectarine, apricot and plum.
The production (yield, fruit quality) data for season 2020/21 and associated summaries for each agronomic experiment are available online at www.hin.com.au.
Several experiments have been set up at the experimental research orchard at Tatura to investigate the effect of management practices including crop load, rootstock, irrigation management and canopy architecture, on fruit quality in selected cultivars of peach, nectarine, apricot and plum.
Ultimately the team will develop production protocols that will guide growers to produce consistent high quality stonefruit to meet the expectations of export and domestic markets.
Local growers have been able to see the work with several orchard field walks and harvest facility tours held in recent months.
The team has posted information about the trials online for other growers to keep up to date with progress. This includes a series of 360-degree virtual orchard tours at various stages of fruit growth development stages, which are worth a look.
In addition to the outcomes of the experimental trials, the orchards are providing the summerfruit industry with a resource for grower training and education. Later, roadshows will take the findings to key growing regions, so keep an eye out for announcements.
Regular updates are being provided through monthly Profitable Stonefruit Network newsletters, which you can sign up for here.
ACT NOW
- Have a look at the 360-degree virtual orchard tours which show the differences between the plots in the various experimental treatments, at different developmental phases in the orchard.
- Read about all of the aspects of the research on the Horticulture Industry Network pages.
This project is a strategic levy investment in the Hort Innovation Summerfruit Fund