Focus Orchard blocks overview

The Focus Orchards blocks are designed to take existing orchard blocks, and through focused management optimise the results they can achieve, and show industry how this is done along the way. The individual Focus Orchard blocks for the regions of Orange and Batlow have had challenges and opportunities identified within them and improvement targets created. The performance of these blocks along with all other Focus Orchards is available on OrchardNet®.

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To make improvements, we identified the specific challenges of each individual block. We identified where our focus needed to be and what needed to be done to achieve our targets. In many of the blocks the management themes are the same:

  • establish a canopy that fills its allotted space;
  • ensure good light distribution throughout the canopy for good fruit colour and bud quality;
  • set up crop loads that allow for fruit of the correct size and quality;
  • maintain a calm vigour status when the tree is fully established;
  • ensure this happens without issues such as biennial bearing; and
  • minimise tree to tree variability.

Orange

The Focus Orchard property in Orange is Bonny Glen Fruits, owned and run by Bernard and Fiona Hall. The local Front Line Advisor (FLA) is Adam Coleman from the NSW DPI who collects a lot of the local data. Assistance is also provided by Anthony Spruce, the local E.E. Muir & Sons representative.

With the business plans on Bonny Glen Orchards, the focus for improvement is multi-pronged. We have looked into the orchard management and support team, the capture and recording of key performance data and the construction and implementation of seasonal management plans.

This season saw a very wet start to spring in Orange with some over shedding of fruit numbers and increased black spot pressure in individual blocks as a result.

The Focus Orchard blocks

Cherry block Royal Gala

A young block at moderate planting distances planted on a powerful (M111) rootstock: The challenges we faced are creating the correct vigour status in this block to ensure we establish a full fruiting canopy without allowing the tree to become over vigorous.

To date we are getting reasonable results using crop load and correct pruning techniques to manage vigour. It is likely that other management tools will be needed such as root pruning, girdling or Regalis® to also assist to bring this block to a calm vigour status.

Dam block Kanzi®

A young intensively planted block on M26: In general, it has started well with significant canopy development in the first couple of years. Tree height at the end of its fourth leaf almost is equal to row width, a great achievement. It does have a slight level of tree to tree variability starting to show up which will be the focus in the next few years. Some areas will need slightly increased vigour status, whilst others will need a focus on vigour reduction.

Assessing and quantifying the level of variability will be important for the future as well as the management plan that will be needed once the data is collected and analysed. It is quite possible that if tree to tree variability is well managed this block could be a very high producing block.

Bonny Glen Dam Kanzi just prior to 2017 harvest (lt to rt) Kevin Dodds, David Williams, Bernhard Hall, Adam Coleman.

Spray block Royal Gala

This block was grafted in Spring 2016 as a stump graft with no sap drawer: Due to the continuously wet conditions in late winter /early spring the block was grafted too late. As a result, the graft success has been highly variable. It has since been decided the block will be fully removed and replanted. This is a good lesson when grafting without a sap drawer, it can be successful but only if done very early before the major sap flow period. Sap drawer branches certainly give greater flexibility with grafting timing.

Hay shed Royal Gala

A relatively young block planted on a rootstock that was more vigorous than ordered:  Need for large numbers of weaker fruitful branches. No tip cutting (shortening), and a significant tree training program. Looking at significant vigour reduction and increased cropping potential focus.

(lt to rt) Photos of the Hay shed Gala block showing canopy development and vigour status.