Orchard walk: Donnybrook, March 2007

27 March 2007 | Atherton’s Orchard, Donnybrook WA | Notes by Alan Hill

The March 2007 Donnybrook field day, led with Craig Hornblow of AgFirst, focused on Cripps Pink harvest and storage, varietal and planting decisions, and using the Future Orchards website as a technical resource. A blind tasting of Gala, Fuji and Pink Lady was used to demonstrate the consumer consequences of harvest and storage decisions and the importance of maturity standards.

The orchard walk compared two Cripps Pink systems and prompted discussion about planting density, nursery-tree quality, vigour and the need to focus on factors growers can control. The group also discussed long-term variety selection, production targets, monitoring-block activity and return on investment.