July 2021 PIT Group Meeting – CMV Farms, Bannerton, Victoria

33 pistachio growers and PGA staff were able to cross the SA/Victoria border or from near border communities/areas in NSW with the requisite travel permits.
Covid-19 safety/recording and social-distancing procedures were followed during the course of the meeting.All SA/NSW growers were able to return home before the borders closed once again.
After a splendid barbeque lunch the welcome and introduction spoke about the beginning of the third PIT Group project with grower and Hort. Innovation funding, what we were going to see today and future PIT Group meetings.This included the need to research ‘Pistachio Dieback’ that had been seen in previous years.

The program for the Tuesday afternoon included: –
a) Introductions
b) Mechanical skirting and tipping of mature pistachio trees – Phil Hewett CMV Farms
c) Orchard floor mulching – Orchard sanitation demonstration
d) Grower discussion on Pistachio Dieback

The growers also were introduced to a large mulching machine that shredded quite large tree cuttings – mostly from the previously seen hedging machine.
Orchard sanitation – or lack of it – is a problem for propagating diseases from old rachis and kernels that remain on the tree or the orchard floor after harvest.   This large mulcher turned trimmings into matchwood.

James Simpfendorfer filmed all proceedings from the day and they are available to growers who could not attend the PIT Group on the PGA website under the Industry Videos tab.