November 2021 PIT Group Meetings – Paringa, SA and Kyalite, NSW

Topics

Pistachio Branch/Shoot Dieback and R&D Update

Paringa, SA and Kyalite, NSW

November 2021

The November 2021 ‘Spring Sessions’ round of PIT Groups were still influenced by the ongoing Covid-19 requirements of social distancing and border closures.

While it looked promising that the South Australian/Victorian border would be reopened, it did not eventuate, so the Wednesday 3rd Kyalite (NSW) Pit Group meeting was a combination of Zoom meeting for the presentations, followed by a field session at Kyalite Pistachios run by Andrew Bowring.

That 25 growers attended the Paringa PIT Group meeting and 14 the Kyalite meeting shows the importance of the Pistachio Dieback problem on farms in the 2021/2022 season and the necessity of discussing this and initiating a research program.

The program for both Meetings included:

a) Welcome and Introductions after a BBQ lunch

b) Pistachio Branch/Shoot Dieback, Dr. Maha Mahadevan – Presentation here: Pistachio_Dieback_PIT_Maha

c) 2021/22 Pistachio Market Update by Chris Joyce. – Presentation here: 2021 Market Update CJ

d) Pistachio R&D Update,  Dr. Maha Mahadevan. Presentation here: R&D_Update_PIT_Maha

e) Horticulture Innovation, Dr Jay Cummings

f) Storm Damage Assessment, Trevor Ranford

Trevor Ranford delivered the Pistachio Market Update in South Australia, and Chris Joyce delivered the talk at the Kyalite meeting.

In South Australia, Dr Jay Cummings talked about Horticulture Innovation and the management of the PGA project PS20000.

Dr Maha Mahadevan gave a presentation on pistachio research undertaken or continued from Dr Subha Abeysinghe’s work.   This included the chill requirements per region and what was attained, work on polymers to mitigate low chill areas, bud opening and nut set, bud break survey, benchmarking and updating grower farm details.

The main part of the meeting was a presentation on Pistachio Dieback and what we know about it to this date – and looking for grower input into what they are seeing on their farms.

After the presentations there was an extended field walk in the pleasant Paringa heat, through the Simpfendorfer’s Permedah property looking at various blocks with different aged trees suffering from dieback.  Some dieback was identified as bacterial in nature as when the shoots/branches were cut; there was a strong odour similar to wine lees.  Others appeared to have begun to shoot then stopped and the shoots/branched withered and died back.

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.