A message from Avocados Australia’s New Chair

 

Hi Everyone,

I am proud to have this opportunity to address you all as the new Chair of Avocados Australia Limited.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a North Queensland Avocado grower. My wife Louise and I own Lakeshore Pty Ltd and have farms in Kairi and Walkamin in North Queensland. We also own and operate a large commercial packing facility called Pack Center NQ Pty Ltd and are shareholders of Green Skin Avocados Pty Ltd. Like our previous chair, Brad Rodgers, I too am excited about the future of the Australian avocado industry. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brad for his years of service and look forward to continuing to work with him in his continued role as a Western Australia Director.

On Wednesday 23 October I chaired my first Avocados Australia Board Meeting and the Board welcomed two new directors, Lawrence Masasso (the second director for the North Queensland region) and Duncan Wells (the second director for Western Australia). Lawrence and Duncan will add their valuable experience and expertise and I welcome their input into our decision making moving forward.

As Chair of Avocados Australia I am trying to hit the ground running, contributing to our efforts to open new markets. I am currently in China now involved in high level meetings that will bring our industry closer to accessing the Chinese market. I want you all to know that I am determined to deliver results for the industry, to help find new pathways for our wonderful high quality avocados and grow demand, both domestically and overseas.

Avocados Australia’s latest “Facts at a Glance 2023-24 Report” is now available. The avocado industry facts and figures it contains are an essential resource for anyone looking to understand the Australian avocado industry trends to June 2024. In order to plan for the future, it is important to know where we are, and where we have been. I recommend that you take a look at its valuable insights.

Avocados Australia’s purpose is to support Australian avocado growers in becoming world leading sustainable producers. To achieve this we need sustainable, profitable farm gate prices and Avocados Australia’s four industry priorities – as outlined in our Strategic Plan for 2022 – 2026 – were developed with this in mind.

I value the contribution that all of our stakeholders make to our industry as you all have a part to play in ensuring that our industry has a positive future. I particularly call upon our government stakeholders to continue to support our industry in pursuit of our goals, particularly in increasing exports and in opening new markets.

I look forward to working with my fellow Avocados Australia Board members and Avocados Australia’s staff in doing all that we can to support growers and the industry.

I wish you all the best for the rest of the year.

Sincerely,

Matt Kleyn
Chair
Avocados Australia

This article is part of the 4 November 2024 issue of Avocados Australia’s enewsletter – Guacamole.

Poor conditions, plenty of good results?

Plenty of North Queensland avocado growers did a good job of producing quality avocados this year despite an exceptional wet season which disrupted spray programs and delayed picking (Figure 1). The bulk of North Queensland packers (12 packers) sampled in AV22011 retail quality monitoring this year achieved average fruit acceptability above the industry standard of >90% of fruit with less than <10% internal defects. The average acceptability of all 98 retail quality samples from these 12 packers was 96%.  Of the 3 packers that achieved an average fruit acceptability below 90%, the average of their 29 retail quality samples reported was 88% acceptable.

Figure 1. How internal defect levels differed in 2024 between North Queensland packers whose samples averaged above or below the industry standard (90% of fruit with <10% internal defects).

You wonder how this is possible when actual rainfall exceeded the long term mean from November 2023 to April 2024, ranging from a 40% to almost 500% extra (Figure 2). The number of wet days per month also exceeded the long term mean from December 2023 to April 2024 (Figure 3). In February 2024 there were 7 “dry” days and only two were consecutive. In reality there was probably only one or two spraying opportunities in each of January, February and March.

Figure 2. Walkamin actual and mean monthly rain (Nov. 2023 – May 2024).

Figure 3. Walkamin actual and mean monthly wet days (Nov. 2023 – May 2024)

Although the season is behind them now, their lessons are certainly applicable to other districts. In talking with a couple of North Queensland growers recently, their success was due to determination to get as many key factors contributing to quality as perfect as possible. That included grabbing any opportunity to apply fungicides, ensuring dispatch temperatures were ideal and matching supply to orders to minimise time to customer.

The systemic fungicides, Switch® and Score® (Permit 94009) were particularly useful when applied after periods of extended rainy weather when coverage with protectant fungicides (e.g. copper) was difficult to maintain.

Remember that a high proportion of Colletotrichum (cause of anthracnose) in Queensland is resistant to strobilurin fungicides. Samples of Colletotrichum from a range of orchards were tested by Liz Dann and her team to discover that 60% from north Queensland, 65% from central Queensland and 65% from southeast Queensland were resistant.

For the simple method to test if your Colletotrichum is resistant and to discover the latest recommendations for orchard fungicide usage click HERE for Liz’s article on the BPR.

For further information on AV22011 monitoring results and quality management resources, click HERE or contact John Agnew from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (john.agnew@daf.qld.gov.au) or Anne Larard (idm@avocado.org.au) from Avocados Australia.

This article appears as part of the 4 October 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Are Your Strobilurin Fungicides Effective Against Anthracnose?

Strobilurin-resistant strains of Colletotrichum have been detected in avocado orchards, raising concerns about the continued effectiveness of strobilurin (Group 11) fungicides, such as azoxystrobin (for example, Amistar, Agristar, Stellar or others). As these fungicides are a key component of an integrated anthracnose management program, it’s crucial to ensure they are still providing effective control on your farm.

Have you tested the effectiveness of strobilurin fungicides on your farm?

Resistance testing is essential for managing resistance and ensuring that your investment in spraying is delivering results. Below is a simple method to assess whether strobilurin fungicides are effective against anthracnose when applied before harvest:

1. Select and tag trees: Choose several trees or 1-2 rows in each block that have fruit at commercial maturity.
2. Apply fungicide: Spray the selected trees or rows with a strobilurin fungicide.
3. Harvest fruit: 1-2 weeks later, harvest at least 1-2 trays of fruit from both the sprayed and unsprayed trees. Keep the fruit from each group in separate, clearly labelled trays. Ensure the fruit is taken from all sides of the canopy.
4. Incubate fruit: Store the trays in a warm, humid environment to ripen. You can place the trays inside loosely tied garbage bags to create this environment.
5. Evaluate disease development: Once the fruit is ripe — or slightly overripe — check for anthracnose symptoms. In the case of Hass avocados, you may need to cut and peel the fruit to observe any signs of disease.
6. Interpret the results:

  • Similar disease levels in both groups: If the disease level is comparable in both the strobilurin-sprayed and unsprayed fruit, it’s likely that the Colletotrichum in your orchard is resistant to the fungicide, and continuing to use these sprays may not be worthwhile. In such cases, consider switching to systemic fungicides like Score® and/or Switch®.
  • Minimal disease in both groups: This may indicate that you have an effective protectant spray program in place, are dealing with early-season fruit (which usually has less disease), or that disease pressure is currently low due to unfavourable conditions for fungal infection and disease development.

This protocol was developed by Liz Dann from the University of Queensland. For more detailed information on a revised orchard fungicide program for managing anthracnose in avocados, you can access the full paper here.

Information in this article is most relevant in North Queensland and Central Queensland growers given their known resistance issues. Although growers in Tristate and Western Australia have historically applied fewer strobilurin sprays, we know there are low levels of resistance in Colletotrichum in WA, and periodic rotation with the new chemistry available on permit will ensure the longevity of all fungicides in the future.

This article appeared as part of the 6 Sept 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Early season Hass showing good robustness under storage challenges

As part of the Monitoring avocado supply chain quality (AV22011) project the monitoring of Queensland avocado domestic consignments is underway and will continue as the season progresses. Samples are being collected from wholesalers and ripening distribution centres, and assessed following a normal commercial ripening program (Standard sample), as well as following a 14-day storage challenge (Challenge sample). Results from this monitoring are presented to the supplying pack house, and used to evaluate fruit quality under normal supply conditions, as well as under the upper limit of best practice ‘time in the supply chain’ conditions.

To recap – two (2) avocado tray samples are taken from each consignment to measure quality and fruit robustness.  Both standard and challenge trays undergo an external quality assessment at collection. The first sample tray (standard) is collected after commercial ripening, kept at 20oC until med-soft ripe when it is assessed for internal defects. The second sample tray (challenge) undergoes a challenge fruit quality assessment, where fruit are stored for 14 days under recommended storage conditions. Fruit are then commercially ripened, kept at 20oC until med-soft ripe when it is assessed for internal defects.

A total of 12 Hass consignments from Queensland have been assessed between May and June this year. Overall, 9 out of 12 (75%) challenge samples (orange bars) have achieved  >90% acceptable fruit (<10% defects). This demonstrates that the majority of consignments had consistent fruit quality and good fruit robustness. Five of the 12 paired samples showed no decline in acceptability as a result of the additional 14-day storage challenge, with these reports providing important traceable feedback for packers and their suppliers on the robustness of these batches of fruit.

 

Average acceptability of the Hass challenge samples assessed from May to June was 89.9%. The average decrease in acceptability between the standard and challenge samples was 4.8%, noting that in the consignments where decreased acceptability was reported, the range of drops in acceptability was from -4% to -30%. No flesh discolouration affecting >10% flesh has been reported in Queensland Hass in 2024 to date. Total rot (>10% flesh affected) was the main defect in challenge samples, rising from 5% in standard samples, to 8% with the additional 14 days cool storage. Under 1% of both standard and challenge samples had bruising (>10% flesh affected)

The average fruit age of standard samples was 14 days and challenge samples was 26 days. A range of Standard sample ripening treatments and collection temperatures have been reported for the consignments sampled (refer below).

Monitoring of Queensland avocado consignments will continue as the season progresses and timely updates on quality will be provided. Key resources available to assist in identifying opportunities for quality improvements relating to monitoring reports from industry and customers include the Avocado Fruit Quality Problem Solver, the Australian Avocado Supply Chain Best Practice Guide, the Traceback Self Assessment guide and the Avocado Problem Solver Field Guide.

For further information on supply chain monitoring results, contact John Agnew from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (john.agnew@daf.qld.gov.au) or Anne Larard (idm@avocado.org.au) from Avocados Australia.

This article appeared as part of the 9 August 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Food Service Program activation to grow category, boost consumption

Hort Innovation Marketing team and delivery partner Papaya are developing a Food Service communications and content strategy to drive category growth in the sector and increase Australian Avocado usage and adoption within priority outlets Quick Service Restaurants (QSR), Restaurants and Cafes, Pubs and Clubs. The strategy builds on a prior market research program conducted by FreshLogic providing insights into the foodservice sector and the role of providores. The Hort Innovation Marketing team and Papaya will engage with a PRG at the beginning of August to share the strategy.

This year for National Avocado Day on 31 July, there will be three Food Service activations, 1) an Australian Avocado Fiesta at Sydney’s leading Mexican restaurant Mejico (see the above photo showing the menu), 2) an Avocado market tour and avocado usage demonstration at Sydney Markets and 3) a morning TV segment with Sunrise featuring an Australian Avocado grower and a leading chef.

Launching at Sydney’s leading Mexican restaurant, Mejico are hosting an Australian Avocado Fiesta with dishes and cocktails featuring avocados in ways you’ve never experienced before. Embracing avocados throughout, the menu highlights different usage occasions for avocados and stretches perceptions of how avocados can complement a range of flavours in food and cocktails. This campaign will be supported by earned media and pitched out to key trade and food publications loved by foodservice operators.

Sydney Direct Fresh are hosting a market tour at Sydney Markets with a focus on Australian Avocados to celebrate National Avocado Day, inviting 30 of their Sydney chef customers. As part of the tour, Australian Avocado grower Josh McMillan from McMillan Farming will join to talk to the chefs about the provenance of Australian Avocados and share the grower story, taking the chefs on the journey of an avocado from the field to their kitchens. Following the tour, Jamie Gannon (Group Executive Chef of Laundy Hotels) and Christy (Head Chef Mejico) will showcase avocado usage, and both create their own guacamole for chefs to watch and taste.

Lastly, Executive Chef from Sam Prince Hospitality Group, Amada Fuller and Australian avocado grower Michael Coulson will be live on Australia’s most watched morning show, Sunrise. To celebrate National Avocado Day, Amanda Fuller will make Mejico’s table-side guacamole (one of the items on Australian Avocado Fiesta menu) while grower Michael Coulson from Coolio Farms will talk about his experience growing avocados.

This article appeared as part of the 26 July 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Keeping exports on track – a priority for industry

It is expected that domestic market prices will be higher over the next 6 months.  Will the expected increase in the domestic price of avocados prompt marketers to divert volume from their export programs? Keeping exports going, even now, is important if the industry’s export programs are going to be successful into the future.

Avocados Australia spoke with two key export stakeholders, Antony Allen (AA) from The Avolution and Josh Franceschi (JF) from The Avocado Collective, to hear their perspectives. Here is the result of our recent Q&A session:


Question: How do you anticipate the expected increase in domestic prices to impact your export program?

AA: “The Export program will continue it just lightens or lessens depending on what’s happening with other supply countries. It really then depends on what the dynamics are across the planet.”

“So into Asia, Mexico and Peru are the main competitors. If they have a bigger crop or their other market’s are soft in terms of pricing then more of their fruit will move into Asian markets.”

“That then creates pressure on us in terms of pricing, or access to lesser sales. Our sales will drop off.”

There will always be demand for some Australian fruit in those markets, even at higher prices, and in the past 10 years Australian fruit has been sold at $40 per tray into some of those markets, but when you are talking about $40 it’s obviously the ultra-premium sales or supermarkets, or food service operators that will take that fruit. The balance flips to the cheaper fruit. That’s essentially what will happen.

“Going into this lighter summer we are going to see sales continue but it is likely to be a lesser volume. That price pressure brings us to a lower volume point.”

“We always want to stay in the mix in these markets, so that we don’t have to fight to get back in.”

“It’s very important to keep a crack in the door open, so we have an opportunity to open the door further when we have a higher volume.”

“That means there is a need for growers and marketers to understand that you also need to be thinking about twelve months’ time.”

“You don’t want to be a spot seller.”

“We are careful to make sure that everyone understands that we need to stay in that market.”

“We don’t want them to think we are an unreliable partner.”

“It’s about communication and keeping export partners informed.”

JF: “With any kind of lighter season there will be less supply in total. Our export volumes last season didn’t ramp up until December, so we had big export volumes through December, January and a bit into February.”

“This season we expect domestic price to be in line with export price for the first few months of the Western Australian season so from a comparative point of view we will be looking to use our export markets to leverage up our domestic market.”

“Our total export volumes in general will be down, last season we put through close to a million trays of export on a 3.5 million tray season and this season I’m expecting it to be potentially half of that, or a touch more than half.”

“We’ve got a really heavy focus on our protocol markets in Japan and Thailand early, to take early volume out of domestic market systems.”

“There will be plenty of focus on Japan and Thailand so we can build those markets over time.”

“Exporting is definitely a focus of our business.”

“It will be interesting to see what happens with Shepard in terms of their volume and programming, there’s the suggestion they will have a lighter season. That could also impact our plans in playing its role to make sure we supply volume through February and March.”

Question: From your perspective, how critical are export markets in the medium to long term for the Australian avocado industry?

AA:  “In the medium to long term, exports for the Australian avocado industry are fundamental.”

“There is no choice. We need to have around 40% of our volume going to export and that will allow our domestic market to stay healthy and functional and give us the ability to grow markets. And supply markets with quality product as they develop, such as markets that are not used to having a lot of avocados in their diets.”

“So we need to have a base level in terms of supplying those markets and that means getting to around 40% of our crop exported is fundamental for us in terms of our growth profile and a good balance in terms of production. It gives us a much more flexible customer base.”

Question: There is the issue of irregular bearing, this year we will have a lighter crop and next year most likely a larger crop, so what steps should growers and exporters do now to plan for this year and next year?

AA: “Essentially for this year it’s all about making sure we are in the mix, supplying our export markets. It’s about making sure the space is still available for us when we have the extra crop that we need to move into those markets to remain viable.”

“It’s about balancing it out over those two seasons to understand that it is not an instantaneous model. You have to look at it over the long term.”

“Some of those export markets will always pay a lot more money than the domestic market and that’s more about those markets developing and how much money they have to spend on good quality product.”

“As long as we can continue to supply quality product, comparative to the rest of the world, we will always have a premium position at the top end. The key from our grower perspective, is to make sure we still remain focussed on a good quality product that is going to compete in that quality zone.”   

“We can’t go to the lowest common denominator, we will never be the cheapest producer, but we can certainly always be the best quality producer.”

“We are not competing on price, as such, we are competing on quality and our ability to supply all year round.”

Question: Based on your experience with years of exporting what recommendations do you have for the industry, growers and exporters, for having a stable and profitable market in the coming years?

AA: “It’s about crawling, walking and running. It’s about starting evenly and not rushing into something. Making sure we understand those markets and then grow with those markets as we go. We have got to have a quality product to start with. It’s not an instantaneous opportunity, it’s got to be over a medium long-term approach. In that way export becomes a very stable, very successful model.”

“Larger markets create the opportunity of being the equivalent of the domestic market in one instant. A Singapore is the same as having a Melbourne. That’s how we look at it. It’s just exactly the same but like having another market and you compare it and supply it with what it is looking to use.”

“When you look to the bigger markets like India and China it’s about understanding that those markets have the potential like a tenfold of the Australian market, but you need to first think of them like Adelaide.”

“They’re small, easy to crash, easy to create drama in, if we don’t approach them in a sensible and considered way and have that approach that allows us to learn as well. Not everything will be perfect in the first instance. It’s also about teaching them as well. Their [importers] expectations need to be managed as well.”

“Each market is different, and the way the Japanese market has evolved and developed will be different to how the Indian market will develop and evolve.”

“It takes time. Nothing is instantaneous.”

“The domestic market has never been instantaneous either, but because we are in it, we all forget it’s been a thirty-year development. It’s just easier, it’s closer, we are more easily able to react and change things, whereas the export markets are a slow burn.”

“It’s taken us four years for one supermarket to take fruit directly in one market. That is something you don’t give up on, if that was in Australia you’d go to someone else but in export markets once you are in, you are in. That’s the different approach to business in Asian markets.”  

“If you are in there is something else you have done and there are huge advantages and returns.”

Question: How important is it for exporters to maintain their commitment to export customers, during a fluctuation of supply and prices?

JF: “We treat our export customers like our supermarket customers domestically, where we set supply programs and sales programs and we have targets that we try to meet so we see year-on-year growth. Growth doesn’t necessarily have to happen from a volume, growth can be on value as well.”

This article appeared as part of the 26 July 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Biosecurity Update 14 June 2024

ACTIVITY IN QUEENSLAND

On 19 February 2024, Biosecurity Queensland (BQ) detected a single suspect varroa mite in one of the six sentinel hives at the Port of Brisbane. The sentinel bee hives at the Port of Brisbane are in place as part of a national bee pest surveillance program.  The mite was identified as Varroa jacobsoni by the BQ Biosecurity Science Laboratory. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) bee pathology laboratory then confirmed the identification on the 22 February 2024.

On 28 February 2024, during enhanced surveillance, a single Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) nest was found in mangroves at the Port of Brisbane. The whole nest was retrieved and euthanised. Diagnostic results confirmed 37 female V. jacobsoni mites within the Asian honey bee nest. Diagnostics have also confirmed relatedness of these mites to the mite found in the sentinel hive. Genetic testing has indicated this is a new exotic incursion of Asian honey bee. For more information go to the Queensland Government website HERE.

As part of enhanced surveillance a total of fourteen feral European honey bee (Apis mellifera) nests were also found in the mangroves. Twelve of these feral European honey bee nests were euthanised, removed and sent for diagnostic testing to confirm the absence of mites.

Exotic bee virus testing results are negative for six colonies tested to date. Preliminary diagnosis has determined mites are not present in four of the six remaining nests, with final results yet to be reported. Entrances of four of these nests were sampled for eDNA analysis. The remaining two nests won’t be sampled as one has collapsed and disintegrated and the other is inaccessible.

Surveillance is continuing for Asian honey bees at the Port of Brisbane and surrounds to ensure this was the only nest in the area.  Testing of hives within the local area is continuing to confirm they are free of varroa mite.

The varroa mites found at the Port of Brisbane are a different species to Varroa destructor, which has been subject to a national response following a detection in NSW in 2022, and which has recently entered a Transition to Management phase.

From 23 May 2024, a movement control order (MCO) covers suburbs within 10 kilometres from the sentinel hives at the Port of Brisbane as a precautionary measure to minimise the risk of varroa mite spread.

All beekeepers in Australia are being asked to inspect their hives regularly for signs of varroa mite and other exotic pests using techniques including the sugar shaker test and alcohol wash. We need to stop the spread. If you are a grower that utilises the services of commercial beekeepers be sure to check that they are aware of these requirements and are compliant.

Sightings of Asian honey bee or varroa mite are required to be reported to the national Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881. Find out more at the Queensland Government website HERE.

ACTIVITY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

On 22 March 2023, the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) received a report from the Pilbara Port Authority via MyPestGuide® Reporter of suspect exotic bees observed at the Pilbara Ports Authority site in Dampier, WA. After investigations and analysis the bee samples were confirmed to be Apis florea (red dwarf honey bee). A Quarantine Area (QA) surrounding the Burrup Peninsula was established on 5 September 2023 to prevent further spread of the red dwarf honey bee. DPIRD is investigating and managing the response. The department is calling on the State’s beekeepers and land managers to monitor their area for any unusual bees or nests.  For more information see DPIRD’s website HERE.

DPIRD Pest and Disease Information Service:
Ph  +61 (0)8 9368 3080
Ph  padis@dpird.wa.gov.au

This article appears as part of the 14 June 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Domestic Supply Chain Monitoring of QLD avos in full swing for 2024

 

As part of the Monitoring avocado supply chain quality (AV22011) project the monitoring of Queensland avocado domestic consignments is underway and will continue as the season progresses. Samples are being collected from wholesalers and ripening distribution centres, and assessed following a normal commercial ripening program (Standard sample), as well as following a 14-day storage challenge (Challenge sample). Results from this monitoring are presented to the supplying packhouse, and used to evaluate fruit quality under normal supply conditions, as well as under the upper limit of best practice ‘time in the supply chain’ conditions.

To recap – two (2) avocado tray samples are taken from each consignment to measure quality and fruit robustness.  Both standard and challenge trays undergo an external quality assessment at collection. The first sample tray (standard) is collected after commercial ripening, kept at 20oC until med-soft ripe when it is assessed for internal defects. The second sample tray (challenge) undergoes a challenge fruit quality assessment, where fruit are stored for 14 days under recommended storage conditions. Fruit are then commercially ripened, kept at 20oC until med-soft ripe when it is assessed for internal defects.

A total of 9 consignments from Queensland have been assessed thus far in 2024. Overall, 5 out of 9 (56%) challenge samples (orange bars) could achieve >90% acceptable fruit (<10% defects). This demonstrates that the majority of consignments had consistent fruit quality and good fruit robustness. However, 44% of samples could not hold up to the challenge treatment, producing significantly worse quality compared to the standard. In these samples the percentage of acceptable fruit dropped by 13%, 17%, 27% and 35% respectively. This is important feedback for packers and their suppliers.

To date, the majority of identified defects in Queensland challenge samples include body rots, diffuse discolouration, vascular browning, and minor quantities of bruising. Understanding a batch level of fruit robustness and managing this risk is crucial for delivering consistent fruit quality particularly in longer domestic supply chains and in export.

Monitoring of Queensland avocado consignments will continue as the season progresses and timely updates on quality will be provided. Key resources available to assist in identifying opportunities for quality improvements relating to monitoring reports from industry and customers include the Avocado Fruit Quality Problem Solver, the Australian Avocado Supply Chain Best Practice Guide, the Traceback Self Assessment guide and the Avocado Problem Solver Field Guide.

For further information on supply chain monitoring results, contact John Agnew from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (john.agnew@daf.qld.gov.au) or Anne Larard (idm@avocado.org.au) from Avocados Australia.

This article appears as part of the 14 June 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Advisory Panel prioritises R&D levy funded projects

On Thursday 2 May, the Production R&D and Market Development panels had a joint meeting to consider and prioritise 23 R&D funded investments for FY 24/25. The combined market development and production R&D panel group of 18 members provided information and the opportunity to ask questions on each investment. Panel members were then asked to individually prioritise each investment on it’s merits, level of investment and alignment to the strategic investment plan. The collated results will be used to guide Hort Innovation in the development of the annual investment plan which will outline the project investments for the upcoming financial year.

The Avocado Strategic Investment Plan is available to all industry members on the Hort Innovations website, along with the current Avocado Annual Investment Plan which outlines the project investments for FY23/24.

To support the panel in considering the strategic alignment, Hort Innovation provided an analysis of the current and past projects in regard to the current 2021-2026 Avocado Strategic Investment Plan. The graph below indicates the broad allocation of funds for each key strategic outcome:

If you would like further information on the Hort Innovation levy investment advisory process or more information about the current investments please contact Gemma Burger on 0458 650 876 or email gemma.burger@horticulture.com.au

 

 

 

This article appeared as part of the Guacamole enewsletter – 20 May 2024 issue.

RD&E Projects Update – Irregular Bearing Project (AV23014)

Workshop and Roadmap for the way forward for Irregular Bearing (AV23014)

The irregular bearing workshop and roadmap project is a Hort Innovation avocado levy-funded initiative aiming to provide strategic direction for subsequent industry investments, specifically focused on improving the management of irregular and alternate bearing.

Identified as a high-priority area for practice change in the ‘Australian Avocado Industry Extension Strategy 2023-2027 – Transition to 2027’, the management of irregular and alternate bearing have a range of causal factors that can differ with production regions, which extend from Far North Queensland to South West Western Australia.

Led by Wilkie Horticulture with support from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in Queensland, the project will have a duration of six months, culminating in the development of an irregular and alternate bearing R, D&E Roadmap.

The process for developing the Roadmap has several stages. First, a project reference group will be set up to guide the project activities. The project will then collect information on growers perceptions and practices around irregular and alternate bearing through a grower survey. The project will also undertake a literature review on alternate and irregular bearing in avocado and other tree crops. The information from the survey and literature review will be presented at the Workshop and used in the Roadmap development. An expression of interest (EOI) will be used to select growers and consultants for attendance at the workshop, at which a range of presentations, discussion sessions and co-design sessions will occur and be used to develop the Roadmap. Following the Workshop, industry will be given the chance to provide feedback on the draft Roadmap through a subsequent one-day feedback session in Western Australia, webinars and written responses.

Specific project activities are outlined as follows:

All the activities will be communicated with a project reference group (PRG). Members will provide feedback to the project team on the draft surveys, the Workshop design and planning, and the Roadmap. We welcome input from the entire industry and encourage everyone to participate in the surveys. For further information, please feel free to reach out to the project lead, Dr John Wilkie (wilkiejd01@optusnet.com.au).

This workshop and roadmap for the way forward for irregular bearing has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the avocado research and development levy, contributions from the Australian Government and co-investment from the Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.

This RD&E Project Update is part of the 19 April 2024 issue of the Guacamole enewsletter.