Smart Orchard 2.0
An ongoing project in Washington State puts technology to the test. By Anna Mouton. The explosion of new technologies has been a mixed blessing for fruit growers. Never before have growers had access to so much data — and never…
Protective netting in Washington State
Research results demonstrate the many benefits of putting nets over apple orchards. By Anna Mouton. Sunburn is as much a problem in Washington State as it is in South Africa. Washington growers have historically managed sunburn through overhead evaporative cooling.…
Exploit physiology to transform yields
Will 200 tonnes per hectare become the new normal? By Anna Mouton. Debates about the relationship of yield to planting systems and tree structure are as old as horticulture, according to plant physiologist Dr Ken Breen of the New Zealand…
Thirst trap
How much water do high-performing apple orchards need? By Esté Beerwinkel. A lingering drought and remarkably high-yielding orchards compel farmers to give their irrigation practices a second thought. A four-year project set on establishing how much water apple orchards need…
Sunburn research summarised
Highlights of projects funded by Hortgro Pome and Hortgro Stone Hortgro Pome and Hortgro Stone have funded — and continue to fund — extensive research into the development and control of sunburn. The goal is to better understand the causes…
Drawing the line on plastic use
A new project to reduce plastic in pome-fruit packaging. By Grethe Bestbier. As the pressure on producers and pack houses to use environmentally friendly practices increases, a group of researchers is asking how we can reduce the use of plastic…
Graymead
Innovation adds value. By Anna Mouton. “M.9 has been used successfully as a rootstock all over the world,” says Keith Bradley, general manager of agri-services at Fruitways Farming, “but there was always the perception that M.9 wouldn’t work in South…