PIPS 4 Profit Program

Now in its fourth iteration, the Productivity, Irrigation, Pests and Soils (PIPS) program began in 2009 to deliver whole-of-orchard system research, development and demonstration that continues to drive Australian apple and pear production today.

The PIPS 4 Profit Program is being delivered over five years, from 2023-2028, with an emphasis on strengthening orchard profitability through focusing research on orchard systems, management and technologies with the greatest potential for economic and sustainable benefit.

Four research and development projects, led by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) and Agriculture Victoria and supported by regional partners, have established a network of research and development activity in Australia’s growing regions.

The key PIPS 4 Profit Program areas of activity are:

• Optimising apple and pear production systems by investigating profitable orchard renovation, crop load management, spatial and temporal management and climate readiness strategies that maximise quality and increase input efficiencies, particularly labour and water.
• Using Integrated pest and disease management (IPDM) by combining knowledge on entomology, plant pathology, genetics, ecology, technology, and risk management, underpinned by a community of practice extension model.
• Building sustainable soils by developing new knowledge linking orchard floor managements with soil health and evaluating the economic impact of potential changed managements to overall orchard profitability.
• Preparation of evidence-based case studies that demonstrate how indicators of environmental sustainability and economic benefit can be informed by research, industry and orchard generated data. These show how orchard businesses are undertaking, or can potentially improve, practices that deliver increased resilience, efficiency, profitability and a stewardship approach to managing natural assets and people.