Muralappi grafting case study

June 2013 | Prepared by Steven Spark, AgFirst and Kevin Dodds, DPI NSW | Focus Orchard case study

Following grower interest in reworking established orchards, the Muralappi Orchard case study was developed to demonstrate common grafting techniques under commercial conditions. The orchardist was James Oag, with the work prepared by Steven Spark of AgFirst and Kevin Dodds of DPI NSW.

The trial compared notch or step grafting with crown-bark grafting on mature Pink Lady® trees on M26 rootstock. Half of each treatment was stapled and half wrapped with grafting tape, and grafting wounds were sealed after the operation.

The case study places grafting in an economic context. When an established orchard framework remains useful but the variety is no longer competitive, reworking may offer a way to change the fruiting cultivar without bearing the full cost and production delay of replanting.

The resource is particularly useful for growers considering a small demonstration before scaling up, because it sets out the objective, methods and practical variables that should be observed.