2010 CHERRY TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND by Ken Gaudion
Cherry Tour Of New Zealand (Central Otago) Jan. 30 th -Feb 2 nd 2010 By Ken Gaudion Organised by Anna Steinhauser, Industry Development Officer, Cherry Growers of Australia, and Fruit Growers Tasmania, driver and tour leader. Including Professor Matt. Whiting, Prosser, Washington. Earncey Weaver cherry consultant and local tour guide. Kevin Paulin of Clyde Kevin grows cherry trees in root restricting bags that have been placed in cool storage to gain extra chill hours, which slows the metabolism of the trees. The aim is to pick cherries in March, when there will be no serious market competition. This may be seen by some as a late end to the season, Kevin however, is claiming that these would be the first cherries of the season, before Spain, (last week of March early April) Japan, Europe and California. The bags are filled with crushed bark as the growing medium, assisted by drip feed irrigation and fertigation. The nutritional program has been adapted by Kevin from tomato hydroponics. No shedding of fruit occurs with this system. The orchard is enclosed and covered by a bird net structure with rain covers underneath. No cracking occurs under the rain covers as there is no uptake of water as the bags sit on top of the orchard floor, resulting in no transfer of water from the root zone as in a traditional orchard. Price returns have averaged $40 per kilogram for export, and $25 per kilogram for domestic sales, with a minimum down to $20. Trees are based on a central leader, with limbs tied down to the base to induce fruit buds. Extra dollars per kilogram are required in order to cover the cost of covers and frost protection. NAA is sprayed at 10 parts per million to assist with stem retention issues with Sweet Valentine and Sweetheart. (it is known as ANA in New Zealand.) Earncey Weaver made a comment that for export, Stella requires a Firmtech 2, reading of 330. In USA, packing sheds require Bing to have a firmness reading of 500. New Zealand is 2
selling ahead of Tasmania because of greater firmness, 34mm have been selling for NZ $22 per kilogram. Kevin Paulin and Sweetheart Sweetheart Trees in bags under rain cover and fixed netting 3
2 jets per tree Staccato above and below left, strong fruit bud formation below right 4
Rain covers with netting above Pull out Rain covers 5
Jeremy Hiscock s cherry orchard has been described as low input. Jeremy managed, the family business, as well as doing most of orchard jobs, his wife managing the pickers, and his Mum managing the packing shed. We saw the packing shed first, and noticed the French made Fachaux cherry stem separator. The cherries enter a water flume and are transported into the stem separator, which works by jets of water hitting the stems and separating them into singles. This process is instead of pickers having to separate stems, or the use of a saw based cluster cutter. The cherries are then size graded and packed cartons according to their size. Mostly we saw cherries going into clam shells, then being packed into cartons. The main varieties were Roseanne, Sweetheart and Skeena. The cost of the water for irrigation is $60 per hectare. In spite of the low input, (or because of it), a very large crop of Sweetheart were on the trees, the Roseanne were finished, and the cherry pickers were bust picking nectarines that day, and would be back harvesting cherries the next day. Crop per hectare could have been up to 18 tonnes per hectare, however size was disappointing because of the high crop load. However, considering many growers had lost high percentages of cherries to rain cracking, Jeremy was well placed with cracking down because of the high crop load. Extra pickers would be required to get the crop off, but as labour was plentiful, it should not have presented a problem. Frost fans are used to mediate weather conditions when required. It was interesting to see Skeena in New Zealand, because in Australia, Skeena was first planted in about 2001, but was found to be a rootstock. Skeena did show more cracking than Sweetheart, and was much firmer, but it could have been because the Skeena trees were a few years younger, with less crop most cherries crack more. Jeremy Hiscock 6
Cherries after stem separation, (except for a pair on the left!) 7
NZ ladders Huge crop load 8
Skeena Staccato 9
Frost fan Top of the block 10
Hugh Dendy of Fortune Fruit Company Hugh ia a well known cherry identity as he is Canadian and has been growing two cherry seasons per year. Situated some 500 feet above sea level above the valley floor near Cromwell, his fruit is very firm. He uses GA (giberrilic acid) at 20 parts per million with high water volume, 3500 litres per hectare. At applies it three times at seed hardening, all on the same day if possible. He likes to use M by M 37 rootstock, a Mazzard/Mahaleb cross, because it grows bigger fruit. Every size increase is worth an extra $2 per kilogram. The hydro-cooler runs at 2 degrees C. and fruit takes 10 minutes to pass through it. Contract grading takes place following the hydro-cooling, stem separation and size grading, cartons are then filled from water flumes and then cartons go into the cool room for stacking on pallets. The orchard tree spacing is 5.5 metres by 3.5 in the row. His idea is to have plenty of space and light. Shading causes soft fruit. Stem retention is not an issue if good fruit to leaf ratio is maintained, over cropping leads to poor stem retention. Rain covers add to humidity, adding to risk of rots, he took his rain covers down. Light on the trunk induces new shoots with his central leader system. He aims to produce 17 tonnes per hectare, growing sweetheart to 30 millimetres, and have no more than 5% at 26 mm. Blast ( bacterial gummosis) is a serious problem there, and one years planting had to be almost totally removed because trees were so badly infected. Harvesting Staccato 11
Staccato Young orchard 12
Putting cherries into the hydro cooler, inside a converted shipping container Graders one side, Quality control the other, fruit goes into water flumes 13
Chris Dennison organic cherry grower Chris aims for a price premium of an extra 30% over conventionally grown cherries. He uses sulphur sprays, oils, and for weeds uses a Weedeater, (a whipper snipper with a small length of chain saw chain instead of a blade). The irrigation jets are on high stakes. Other materials used are seeweed, blood and bone, blood, zinc sulphate, magnesium. Earncy Weaver made the comment that calcium chloride reduced cherry cracking by 50%, although it did knock the leaves off! Magnesium sulphate is used to help control bacterial gummosis. Rain cover structure under net at Chris Dennison s 14
Chris on right, talking to the group about his rain covers Tim Jones at 45 South 15
Exports here are 1200 tonnes with 800 tonnes on the domestic market. Containers of Sweetheart in the packing shed at 45 South 37mm cherry 16
Sorting belts at 45 South Cherries being flumed ready to go into cartons 17
Mike Jones of Suncrest Orchards A family run business with the best road side fruit stall you could wish to see anywhere. Mike grows mostly Staccato and Sovereign, with plantings being 6 metres by 3. His aim is to pick 12 tonnes per hectare from 4 year old trees. 14 tonnes per hectare by the time they are six years old. They picked 18 tonnes per hectare from the mature trees this season with even size 28mm. He uses Vaporgard for anti cracking at 15 litres per hectare 6 weeks prior to harvest, and gains one extra size. The last carton of Staccato at Suncrest Staccato trees at Suncrest 18
Staccato Suncrest road side stall run by Mike Jones Mum, 19
20 Fruit that sells itself