This is a final research report from Hort Innovation’s historical archives. Please note that as these reports may date back as far as the 1990s, the content and recommendations within them may be superseded by more recent research.

What was it all about?

Dr John Wilkie, Research Horticulturist with Agri-Science Queensland, undertook a study tour to Europe in August/September 2010 to attend the International Horticultural Congress in Lisbon and spend time with pome fruit scientists, growers and consultants in Italy, Spain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The purpose of this tour was for Dr Wilkie to gain a greater understanding of the options available for apple and pear planting systems and improve his ability to create innovative solutions for, and to improve the profitability and productivity of Australia’s apple and pear industries in his role as a research horticulturist.

Research efforts in the European countries tended to focus on improving productivity in their respective environments, with little focus on the comparative performance of systems in different environments. The Australian pome fruit industry, by contrast, has limited resources to undertake research across several production regions with diverse environments. Doing this may have helped the Australian industry better understand environmental influences on productivity, assist in the development of orchard systems and tree management appropriate to our unique conditions, and use limited R & D resources most effectively.