Managing orchards for fruit size

28 April 2014 | Written by John Wilton and Ross Wilson, AgFirst | Australian Fruitgrower article

Using Focus Orchard case studies from Victoria and South Australia, John Wilton and Ross Wilson show how fruit-size problems need to be diagnosed at block level rather than treated with a single universal solution. Crop load is an obvious first check, but irrigation, flowering timing, temperature and harvest strategy can all become limiting factors.

At Three Bridges in southern Victoria, Royal Gala fruit had a history of being smaller than OrchardNet® benchmarks. Crop loads were not excessive, so the team investigated water supply and found irrigation below evapotranspiration requirement. Irrigation was increased, and the orchard also stopped using dormancy breaker so flowering would occur in warmer spring conditions more favourable for thinning and early fruit growth.

At Oakleigh Orchard in South Australia, a Galaxy block carried too much fruit after poor thinning conditions and fruit sizing fell well behind normal. OrchardNet® tracking identified the problem early enough for the grower to delay harvest with Retain®, allowing additional fruit growth and improving final size.

The article also covers post-harvest irrigation, nitrogen, disease and vigour management, reinforcing that fruit-size potential for the next season begins well before flowering. The case studies demonstrate how monitoring and site-specific management can turn sizing data into practical decisions.