Fruitcheque Recovery (Season 2006/2007)

Welcome to the Fruitcheque recovery page. If you are visiting this page there is a good chance that you are a Victorian fruit or nut grower that is experiencing a challenging event. Fruitcheque wishes to assist you face those challenges, and has put together the following information to help. Please feel free to contact one of our Fruitcheque Team for further information or assistance. Links to documents on this page: Dealing with Frost Damage Save Water Now To Maximise Fruit Size And Quality Later (Goulburn Valley) Dry Season Information - Maintaining Orchard Trees Dry Season Information - Maintaining your Blueberry Orchard Dry Season Information - Maintaining your Rubus Plantation How much water is in my dam?

Necterines, affected by Hail, Swan Hill, 2005

Links to relevant Information Notes

Dry Season Information: Apples Dry Season Information: Pears Dry Season Information: Stone Fruit Irrigation Scheduling for Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI) Gypsum Blocks for Measuring the Dryness of Soil How to use Tensiometers Trickle Irrigation: The Water Needs of Young Peach Trees Why water Fruit Trees? Dry Season Information: Young Fruit

Dealing with Frost Damage

Written by - Henry Schneider and Mark Collins FruitCheque Facilitators- Cobram Frost has caused varying levels of damage to fruit crops this year. It is important that trees with very reduced crops are managed to control vigour and ensure good budwood is grown in the base of the tree as well as in the tops. By now many of the frosted fruitlets have shed or are obvious because of their smaller size and spongy feel. If still unsure if damage has occurred, orchardists can check this by cutting open the fruitlets and looking for a brown discolouration around the stone. If the seed 'skin' has a brown tinge or the seed 'jelly' is not clear, these fruitlets will usually shed by stone tip hardening. Orchardist’s need to make assessments of the amount of fruit left on the tree. When a tree loses a large proportion of it’s fruit from frost, resources that would have been used to grow that crop are generally diverted into tree growth. This growth is often excessive and will shade buds that are developing lower in the tree canopy for next season.

A peach fruitlet that looks okay may still be frost-affected. The fruitlet needs to be cut to check if the seed inside is not discoloured. Seeds with an amber colour will shed by tip change in late November.

Orchardist’s should reduce or completely stop spring fertiliser applications - especially nitrogen, as this will only promote excessive vigour. Some nitrogen may only be needed after harvest to ensure storage reserves for next season are achieved.

Irrigation should also be reduced on badly frosted trees. Applying as little as half the normal irrigation water can be used to control excessive shoot growth. Soil moisture monitoring is an important tool to aid in this process.

Reducing tree vigour will also benefit a light fruit crop on frosted trees. Controlling tree vigour will also mean fruit size will become too excessive - resulting in firmer, better coloured fruit produced for marketing.

Summer pruning is also an important tool when dealing with lightly cropped trees. Early shoot removal will ensure that light penetration into the base of the canopy will be maintained throughout the bud development stage. Summer pruning will reduce the humidity and shading within the tree and therefore improve spray penetration. This helps reduce the pressure from insect and disease attack.

Trees not substantially affected by frost should not be forgotten. Every effort is still needed to carry out all the routine thinning, irrigation and pest and disease control strategies to ensure fruit of commercial quality is harvested during the coming season. Small fruit is always more difficult to market and costs more to pick and pack.

If these management procedures are put in place then trees will have the best chance of producing strong buds throughout the tree for next season, grow commercial grade fruit from frost affected trees and get the best returns from trees with low impact from frosts.

More Information

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Save Water Now To Maximise Fruit Size And Quality Later (Goulburn Valley)

With no further increases in water allocations for the Goulburn Irrigation District this week, orchardists will need to make crucial decisions on how to maximise the returns from each megalitre of irrigation water. Therefore, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is advising orchardists that they can save between 1 to 1.5 megalitres of water per hectare on their pears and peaches during November and December. By using a technique known as Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI) orchardists can halve the amount of water used to irrigate in the coming months, without affecting commercial quality, and save water for the final stage of rapid growth in the six to eight weeks prior to harvest. According to Henry Schneider, DPI FruitCheque Officer, there is a crucial stage between now and about mid December when orchardists can save water.

Release from a water storage.

“These savings, of about one to one and a half megalitres per hectare, can then be used to maximise fruit size and quality in the final stage of rapid fruit growth in the period 6 to 8 weeks before harvest,” Mr Schneider said.

This system of ‘Regulated Deficit Irrigation’ - or RDI as it is commonly known in the district – was researched and developed locally at the Departments Institute at Tatura. RDI basically means irrigating at the same intervals but only applying half the amount of water during November until 6 to 8 weeks before harvest. “For example, if the irrigations were 8 hours in late October, then only apply a 4 hour irrigation each week during the RDI period.”

These savings are possible because from November until 6 to 8 weeks before harvest it is only shoots and leaves growing on the trees, not the fruit.

It is important to be aware however that unfortunately RDI does not apply to apples.

Some key points then for orchardists who have not lost their peaches and pears to frost is to:

Use RDI to save water NOW whilst pear and peach fruits are not growing and use it in the last 6 to 8 weeks before harvest to maximise fruit size and quality.
If it is still possible, buy more water.

Check carefully if fruit thinning is still needed on some peaches, nectarines and plums, even though the lower parts of the tree may have been frosted.

“Orchardists still need to produce quality, commercial sized fruit despite the difficulties of the season,” Mr Schneider said.

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Dry Season Information – Maintaining Orchard Trees

Most fruit trees across the state have now flowered and set fruit. The following information provides strategies for orchardists to manage their trees using the water available for irrigation as effectively as possible. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document below. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link). (PDF 57kb) Specific information for managing apples, pears and stone fruit in a low rainfall season are obtainable by following the links to the Information Notes above.

An orchard on trickle irrigaton

Dry Season Issues

• Insect and mite pests can flare up quickly in a dry season when trees are water stressed. Monitoring or scouting in orchards will need to be thorough and regular.

• Frosts are likely to be more severe and occur later into the season. Install a frost alarm system. Use the irrigation system, soil management and other frost reduction methods in the orchard.

• If there is no frost damage, heavy fruit set is possible because of fine weather at flowering and will require thinning to produce commercial grade fruit.

• There could be excessive fruit shedding in November if the soil was dry during flowering and fruit set.

• Soil moisture monitoring to avoid over-watering.

• Thinning may still be needed on trees affected by frost - crop load reductions may need to be severe to ensure reasonable fruit size and quality on water-stressed trees.

• Pest monitoring is essential as these can cause substantial damage even in a dry season.

• Where required and if possible, buy extra water

• Root growth commences from late August onwards. Ideally, the soil needs to be moist and soft to establish an early root system before flowering.

• Flowering and fruit set

• Bare ground or closely slashed tree rows with moist soil are needed to absorb heat during the day to minimise the impact of frosts.

• Adequate soil moisture until approximately 4 weeks after full bloom is critical for root growth, fruit set and to maximise cell division (fruitlet size) during the early stages of fruitlet growth.

• If water availability for irrigation is very low, further thinning after flowering and fruit set may still be needed – even though frosts may have removed fruit from the lower areas of the trees.

• Some types of fruit eg. pears and mid-season stone fruit, put on vegetative growth after fruit set which may provide opportunities for Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI). Implement RDI on pears and stone fruit from November until 6 to 8 weeks before harvest. Irrigate at the same intervals, but reduce the amount of water by half.

• Fruit growth by cell expansion, and the accumulation of sugars by the fruit depends heavily on optimum soil moisture and good irrigation during the rapid fruit growth stage (the last 6 to 8 weeks before harvest).

• However in apples, moisture stress at any time during the season reduces fruit size.

• If moisture stress cannot be avoided during the season, thin trees again as early as possible after this decision is made, especially for apples.

• It is imperative that orchardists selling fruit strive for high quality, well-sized, commercial grade fruit. This requires optimum irrigation management all season and crop load regulation by early and thorough thinning.

• Irrigations after harvest can be reduced but not to the level that causes significant leaf loss. Continue post harvest irrigations to water in nitrogen fertilisers and maintain leaf activity (photosynthesis) for some of the day. Minor wilting in the hottest part of the afternoon will not be too detrimental if water is really short.

• Irrigating as long as possible after harvest ensures nutrients are accumulating in the tree for budburst, fruit set and early shoot development in the following spring. This is very important for a good recovery from the currently harsh climatic impacts.

• Measure soil moisture to schedule irrigations during the season. Tensiometers or other soil moisture measuring instruments will indicate when irrigation is needed.

• This will be of great benefit to guide irrigation needs whilst trees are leafing up and if there has been any effective rainfall which can save on irrigation water.

• Strip all fruit off one and two year-old trees and those just planted. Three and four year-old trees should be thinned heavily or the fruit stripped off if water is very low.

• Prune the most valuable and productive blocks first. Leave the lower value blocks to be pruned until last. This gives more time to evaluate the seasonal rainfall and means decisions about abandoning poorer blocks to save water can be left until later.

• Thoroughly and aggressively apply blossom and post-flowering thinning sprays to apples to reduce competition between fruit as soon as - possible even though there is a frost risk. This is especially needed if flowering and weather conditions have been conducive to high fruit set.

• Decide if more thinning is needed at 6 weeks after fruit set and complete the thinning as soon as possible. Secateur thinning can be done until late October in stone fruit, in the top third of the tree (vase shaped trees) to speed up thinning.

• Eliminate all weed competition. If micro-jet irrigated, spray weeds emerging in the irrigated zone during spring and summer.

• Slash the orchard more often and as close to the ground as possible. Spraying out all the grass or weeds ‘shaded’ by the tree may be needed under drastic water shortage situations.

• If possible, mulch the tree-line and irrigate the soil shaded by the tree and not out in the traffic row area.

• Apples on dwarf rootstocks require careful attention. Ensure that the irrigation emitter is close to the smaller root zone and apply water more frequently during the season. If the trees “runt-out” through moisture stress, they will not recover. This is particularly important for one and two year-old trees.

• Eliminate weed competition early and widen the area of weed free soil.

• Irrigate close to the tree, not the whole paddock. (eg. Invert micro-jets so that the surface wetted pattern is reduced. Alternatively, replace existing micro-sprinklers with smaller wetting pattern micro-jets, aimed directly next to the tree.

• Summer prune more frequently.

• Remove any fruit which sets on one or two year old trees

• Make sure the irrigation system is in place and fully operational by the time trees are planted.

• Mulch newly planted trees after the frost period is past if straw or other material is available. This reduces water losses from soil evaporation. Place drippers or micro-jets underneath the mulch, close to the trunk.

When available irrigation water is restricted, the following strategies will help the orchards survive the dry season. You may need to sacrifice yield and fruit size to ensure that the bushes are still alive for the following season. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document below. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link). (PDF 67kb) Dry Season Issues

Blueberrys nearing harvest.

• Insect and mite pests can flare up quickly in a dry season when bushes are water stressed. Monitoring or scouting in orchards will need to be thorough and regular.

• Frosts are likely to be more severe and occur later into the season. Install a frost alarm system.

• If there is no frost damage, heavy fruit set is possible because of fine weather at flowering and may require thinning to size up the fruit.

• There could be excessive fruit shedding in the weeks after fruit set, if the soil was dry during flowering and fruit set.

• Removing weeds from the beds

• Regular mowing of the alleyways

• Soil moisture monitoring to avoid over-watering

• Topping up mulch on the beds

• Fruit thinning may still be needed to ensure reasonable fruit size and quality on water-stressed bushes Summer pruning to keep soft shoot growth under control Pest monitoring is essential as these can cause substantial damage even in a dry season Where required, and if possible, buy extra water.

• Root growth commences from early spring onwards. Ideally, the soil needs to be moist and soft to establish an early root system before flowering.

• Bare ground or closely slashed rows with moist soil are needed to absorb heat during the day to minimise the impact of frosts.

• Adequate soil moisture is critical for root growth, fruit set and to maximise cell division (fruitlet size) during the early stages of fruitlet growth.

• If water availability for irrigation is very low, further thinning after flowering and fruit set may still be needed.

• The most rapid increase in fruit size in blueberries occurs from colour development to ripeness, and the plants should not be stressed during this period.

• If moisture stress cannot be avoided during this time, thin trees again as early as possible after this decision is made.

• It is imperative that growers strive for high quality, well-sized fruit. This requires optimum irrigation management all season and crop load regulation by early and thorough thinning.

• Irrigations after harvest can be reduced but not to the level that causes significant leaf loss. Continue post harvest irrigations to water in nitrogen fertilisers and maintain leaf activity (photosynthesis) for some of the day. Minor wilting in the hottest part of the afternoon will not be too detrimental if water is really short.

• Late summer is an important period for secondary growth and the laying down of reserves for the next season, so although it is a period when precious water can be conserved, the water needs of blueberries cannot be forgotten.

• Irrigating as long as possible after harvest ensures nutrients are accumulating in the bush for budburst, fruit set and early shoot development in the following spring. This is very important for a good recovery from the current harsh climatic impacts.

• Set out a water budget for each block on a weekly basis using long term irrigation requirements, and assume no effective summer rainfall.

• Water available in storages

• Long-term rain forecasts

• Evaporation rates

• Purchase water, if possible.

• Thinning may offset some of the loss in fruit size.

• Not irrigating the bushes at all – decide this as early as possible. Remove the crop and cut back branches to restrict bush size. Wound dressing must be applied to these

• larger pruning cuts. Alternatively, some older bushes may be close to being non-viable. This may be a good time to pull them out earlier than planned, making it possible to transfer the water to productive bushes and ensure some viable fruit can be harvested.

• Measure soil moisture to schedule irrigations during the season. Tensiometers or other soil moisture measuring instrument s will indicate when irrigation is needed. This takes into account any effective rainfall that can save on irrigation water.

• Dig some holes and look at the moisture profile around the root zone.

• Irrigation is best carried out in the evening. Water loss through evaporation is reduced, and stressed plants have all evening to regain turgidity (humidity is higher at night, and plants recover quicker than during the day) and start the next day in the best state to withstand the water stress of the day.

• Decide if thinning is needed at 6 weeks after fruit set and complete the thinning as soon as possible.

• Eliminate all weed competition. Spray weeds emerging in the irrigated zone during spring and summer.

• Slash the orchard more often and as close to the ground as possible. You may need to spray out all the grass or weeds ‘shaded’ by the bushes, under drastic water shortage situations.

• Top up the mulch on the beds and irrigate the soil shaded by the bush and not out in the traffic row area.

• Set up an evaporation pan and measure net pan-evaporation.

• Make sure the irrigation system is in place and fully operational by the time bushes are planted.

• Mulch newly planted bushes. This reduces water losses from soil evaporation. Place drippers or micro-jets underneath the mulch, close to the trunk.

• Eliminate weed competition early and widen the area of weed free soil.

• Irrigate close to the bush, not the whole paddock. (eg. Invert micro-jets so that the surface wetted pattern is reduced.

• Summer prune to keep soft shoot growth under control.

• Remove any fruit that sets on one or two year old bushes.

• For further information contact: Blueberry Industry Development Officer, Heather Field. Phone 03 5336 6640 (Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday)

When available irrigation water is restricted, the following strategies may help you manage your plantation to survive the dry season. You may need to sacrifice yield and fruit size to ensure that the plants are still alive, with adequate primocane growth this year for next season’s fruit. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document below. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link). (PDF 51kb) Dry Season Issues

Rubus cane showing fruit and flower.

• Insect and mite pests can flare up quickly in a dry season when crops are water stressed. Monitoring or scouting in orchards will need to be thorough and regular.

• Frosts are likely to be more severe and occur later into the season. Install a frost alarm system.

• If there is no frost damage, heavy fruit set is possible because of fine weather at flowering and may require thinning to size up the fruit.

• There could be excessive fruit shedding in the weeks after fruit set, if the soil was dry during flowering and fruit set.

• Removing weeds from the beds

• Regular mowing of the alleyways

• Soil moisture monitoring to avoid over-watering

• Topping up mulch on the beds

• Fruit and/or cane thinning (if practicable) may be needed to ensure reasonable fruit size and quality on waterstressed plants

• Summer pruning to keep tip growth under control. Thin out new primocane growth (if practicable)-.

• Pest monitoring is essential as these can cause substantial damage even in a dry season

• Where required, and if possible, buy extra water

• Consider partly shading the crop.

• Bare ground or closely slashed alleyways with moist soil are needed to absorb heat during the day to minimise the impact of frosts.

• Adequate soil moisture is critical for root growth, fruit set and to maximise cell division (drupelet size) during the early stages of fruit growth.

• If water availability for irrigation is very low, thin further by removing smaller, weak canes after flowering and fruit set. You need to consider whether this is practical in your situation.

• Fruit growth, from cell expansion and the accumulation of sugars in the berries, depends heavily on optimum soil moisture and good irrigation during the rapid fruit growth stage.

• If moisture stress cannot be avoided at this time, thin canes again to reduce the overall number of canes per plant. Do this as early as possible after you make this decision.

• It is imperative that growers strive for high quality, well-sized fruit. This requires optimum irrigation management all season and fruit load and vegetative cane regulation by early and thorough thinning.

• Irrigations after harvest can be reduced but not to the level that causes significant leaf loss. Continue post harvest irrigations to water-in nitrogen fertilisers, to continue primocane growth and bud formation for next year and to maintain leaf activity (photosynthesis) for some of the day.

• Minor wilting in the hottest part of the afternoon will not be too detrimental if water is really short.

• Irrigating as long as possible after harvest ensures nutrients are accumulating in the primocanes for budburst, fruit set and early shoot development in the following spring. This is very important for a good recovery from the current harsh climatic impacts.

• Set out a water budget for each block on a weekly basis using long term irrigation requirements, and assume no effective summer rainfall.

• On a regular basis, review:

• Water available in storages

• Long-term rain forecasts

• Evaporation rates

• Commercial market potential for each variety.

• Purchase water, if water trading is an option

• Thinning of the smaller, weaker canes may offset some of the loss in fruit size.

• Not irrigating the crop at all – decide this as early as possible. Remove the fruiting canes (if practical) and thin the primocanes eg with a whipper snipper.

• Alternatively, some older blocks may be close to being non-viable. This may be a good time to pull them out earlier than planned, making it possible to transfer the water to productive blocks and ensure some viable fruit can be harvested and primocanes grown for next year.

• Measure soil moisture to schedule irrigations during the season. Tensiometers or other soil moisture measuring instruments will indicate when irrigation is needed. This takes into account any effective rainfall that can save on irrigation water.

• Dig some holes and look at the moisture profile around the root zone.

• Irrigation is best carried out in the evening. Water loss through evaporation is reduced, and stressed plants have all evening to regain turgidity (humidity is higher at night, and plants recover quicker than during the day) and start the next day in the best state to withstand the water stress of the day.

• After fruit set, decide if thinning is needed and practical. Complete the thinning as quickly as possible.

• Eliminate all weed competition. Spray weeds emerging in the irrigated zone.

• Slash the plantation more often and as close to the ground as possible. Under drastic water shortage situations, you may need to spray out all of the grass or weeds shaded by the plants.

• Top up the mulch on the beds and irrigate directly onto the plants and not out in the alleyways.

• Set up an evaporation pan and measure net pan-evaporation.

• Consider only taking a summer harvest from dual cropping varieties.

• Make decisions on water management of autumn fruiting varieties as late in the season as possible.

• Consider shading the crop using bird netting, hail netting or 20% shadecloth. Put it on as late as possible because shade can delay flowering by up to 3 weeks.

• In the longer term, increase organic matter in the soil by crop rotation eg sorghum followed by hamburg lupins. Rotary hoe into soil prior to replanting with Rubus.

• Make sure the irrigation system is in place and fully operational by the time plants are planted.

• Mulch newly planted plants with straw. This reduces water losses from soil evaporation. Place drippers or microjets very close to the plant

• Eliminate weed competition early and widen the area of weed-free soil

• Summer prune to keep soft shoot growth under control

• Heavily thin the smaller and weaker canes on those varieties that produce very dense cane growth

• Remove any fruit that sets on one-year-old canes (if practicable)

• Use straw to cover tissue cultured plants that were planted this year. Ensure that the dripper is immediately above the plant

• Hold new plants that are not yet in the ground in a nursery area and plant out next winter.

• For further information contact - Raspberry Industry Development Officer, Alison Brinson. Phone 03 9210 9308 (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)

In dry seasons, and with limited water availability, it is important to know approximately how much water is in your dam in order to assist with water budgeting for your crop. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document below. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link). (PDF 40kb) To know how much water is in your dam there are a few measurements that you need to know, such as: Surface area Maximum Depth

Example of a catchment dam.

• Guide to best practice in Water management, Orchard Crops”, Boland, Ziehrl and Beaumont, Chapter 5.
• Dimensions and volumes of farm dams, Farmnote 41/86; Department of Agriculture and food, Western Australia.
• "Planning your farm dam"; Queensland Government- Natural Resources and Water, March 2006 Author: R Fitzimon QNRM03276

Region	Based at	Contact name
Northern Irrigation Region	Cobram	Henry Schneider and Angie Grills
	Tatura	Cathy Mansfield and Harold Adem
North West	Swan Hill	Steven Lorimer
Yarra Valley	Knoxfield	Alison Brinson