What variety do I plant?

June 2017 | Presented by Jonathan Brookes and Steve Spark, AgFirst | Future Orchards® notes and slides

Jonathan Brookes and Steve Spark examine one of the highest-risk orchard decisions: what variety to plant. Their starting point is that a fashionable variety is not automatically a good investment. Market demand, access arrangements, production performance and orchard fundamentals all need to be considered before committing to a long-lived planting.

The presentation notes that Pink Lady, Granny Smith and Gala strains accounted for a large share of Australian production and planted area, while newer varieties were increasing. That change created opportunities but also increased the need for disciplined evaluation. Growers who make a poor variety choice need orchard systems that allow them to respond, including the option to regraft where appropriate.

Brookes and Spark stress that basic orchard design still matters: rootstock, tree density, support, netting, irrigation, spacing and site suitability determine whether a variety can express its potential. Market fit should therefore be assessed alongside the physical system needed to deliver target fruit quality and yield.

The notes and slides are best used as a decision checklist. Start with the customer and likely return, then test the variety against local growing conditions, establishment cost, production risk and the orchard’s ability to change course if expectations are not met.