Oakleigh biennial bearing case study

June 2013 | Prepared by AgFirst | Future Orchards® case study

This Future Orchards® case study examines biennial bearing at Oakleigh and uses a commercial orchard example to illustrate how alternating crop levels can affect management decisions from one season to the next.

The case-study format is intended to connect the principles of return bloom and crop-load management with actual block performance. For biennial varieties, decisions made in the on-crop year are particularly important because excess fruit can suppress flower initiation for the following season.

The resource should be read alongside the broader Future Orchards material on solving biennial bearing, where AgFirst recommends a combination of early thinning, appropriate pruning, vigour control and return-bloom management rather than relying on a single treatment.