May 2022 PIT Group Meetings – Robinvale, and CMV Farms Bannerton, Vic
Topics
Modified Central Leader Pruning
Robinvale, VIC & Bannerton, VIC
May 2022
This meeting was very well attended with 49 growers and industry personnel attending both the presentations and field walk. James Simpfendorfer filmed proceedings at the Golf Club and during the field walk and spliced in the presentations. These will be posted on the PGA website as soon as possible with this reports and the presentations in PDF format.
PGA researcher, Dr. Maha Mahadevan kicked off the presentations after an introduction by Trevor Ranford. Maha presented a summary of her research to date including;
- Chill measurements
- Oil and polymer sprays to offset lack of chill, and
- Pistachio Dieback
This fungus species occurs naturally in orchard soils and has both toxigenic and atoxigenic strains. The atoxigenic AF36, spread on orchard floors, displaces the toxigenic strains that can cause formation of aflatoxin when the nuts are damaged.
Themis Michailides, UCCE plant pathologist at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center and a lead researcher on the efficacy of AF36, has been conducting research on AF36 for the past eight years. Field studies in both pistachios and almonds achieved aflatoxin reduction of up to 45% in crop samples. Displacement rates in the soil reached 90 to 95%.
In his research, Michailides said effectiveness of AF36 is measured by the displacement of the toxigenic strains and also by the lower frequency of rejected loads in export markets.
In pistachios, application of AF36 in orchards is recommended every year, usually mid-July to mid-August (in the USA, Mid January, to mid-February in Australia). In almonds, Michailides’ research showed that the first year it is applied in an orchard, the biocontrol strain reaches very high levels and can survive for a second year in high levels. Research suggests AF36 is more effective when used every year as it helps build up the population in the soil. Michailides said if applications ceased, it is likely that the competitive effect would diminish. Nearly all California pistachio acres are treated annually with AF36, said Bob Klein, manager of the California Pistachio Research Board.
PGA has a successful permit application for using AF36 in Australian Pistachio orchards, and has 40,000lbs being shipped to Australia.
Scott has been part of Ceres Imaging since 2018, where he works with Australian customers to ensure that the imagery and data they receive contributes to improving their production and sustainability
Remote sensing and smart data systems will help us make better decisions in real time, while irrigation automation, robotic harvesting and yield estimation are just part of a new generation of agtech tools that will let us grow smarter and more sustainably.
How it works
Fixed-wing aircraft are flown over the property taking high resolution multi-spectral images that provide more accurate, higher resolution images than satellite-based services.
The imagery is processed using crop-specific data models to generate specific and actionable insights that assist on-farm decision-making.
How it can be used on your property
Using advanced analytics and high-resolution aerial imagery, Ceres Imaging delivers irrigation management solutions including; detection of clogs, leaks and pressure failures before the issue affects your crop analytics tools to quantify and track progress so you can make the right decisions and on-farm investments.
Also improved farm level strategy from; correction of overwatering and underwatering to improve water use efficiency and crop uniformity, matching irrigation system design and scheduling to terrain and soil conditions and creation of accurate, precise variable-rate zones to reduce costs through targeted applications.
Ceres Imaging integrates seamlessly with farm management software and is mobile friendly so you can easily view imagery on your phone or tablet.
A bumper year with 3,600 tonnes harvested, with no major dark stain problems. Some light stain and some growers getting better than 5 tonne/heactare with the best around 7 tonnes. This highlights the fact that a good fertilizer and watering regime – particularly during nut fill leads to good yields. This will be looked at in more detail in an upcoming PIT Group meeting.
After lunch the attendees drove to CMV farms Bannerton where, although too early to actually prune the pistachio trees, Phil Hewett, Andrew Bowring and Pip Crawford went through pruning techniques and what they were trying to achieve with modified central leader pruning. The format was slightly different to previous years where the discussion was led by questions posed by growers. Several blocks were looked at that had undergone modified central leader pruning for a number of years.
In California, pistachio trees pruned using a modified central-leader training system are performing better than conventionally pruned trees, according to UCCE Integrated Orchard Management Specialist Bruce Lampinen. In reporting on research that he and co-principle investigator Fresno County Nut Crops Farm Advisor Mae Culumber are conducting in grower orchards, Lampinen said unpruned pistachio trees and those pruned under a modified central-leader training system are yielding better in the early years than conventionally pruned trees. And what may have longer term ramifications, the research is showing that unpruned trees and those pruned on a modified central-leader training system have better branch angles, stronger connections and are less prone to breakage. “We haven’t seen any breakage in grower orchards trained with the modified central-leader system up to seven years of age,” Lampinen said.
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.