News about Australia

Somercotes (Tasmania) cherries ready for a promising season

Production

04 Nov 2024

The Somercotes farm was founded in 1823 and currently produces around 20 varieties of cherries on 50 hectares, With the Tasmanian cherry harvest season now imminent, the Somercotes team is very excited about this year's prospects.

Tips on monitoring and control of Botrytis and brown rot in sweet cherry trees

Crop protection

24 Oct 2024

An effective spray program for downy mildew and brown rot involves a combined approach of protective cover sprays and curative fungicides, as needed, from bud burst to flowering and through to harvest, depending on weather conditions and disease pressure.

New climate-resistant cherry varieties for Australian growers

Varieties

22 Oct 2024

The technical manager of Bloom Fresh for Australia and New Zealand, Arisa Hayashi, emphasized that these new varieties, unlike traditional cherry varieties, which require 800-1,000 hours of chilling, these new cherries require less than half that.

Cherries and climate: how new varieties are helping Australian farmers

Varieties

16 Oct 2024

Developed by the international breeding company Bloom Fresh, the low-temperature varieties have been planted with the hope of increasing supply to meet the appetite of Australians and exports for these festive fruits.

Australian season kicks off, the shadow of some overnight frost does not sweep away the good omens

Production

15 Oct 2024

Cherry Growers Australia, an association that gathers Australian producers from all six cherry-growing areas of the country, organized a webinar to discuss the season, as Queensland, New South Wales, and Australia in October, and soon after, Victoria, prepare to harvest.

The 2024/25 season bodes well for Australian cherries

Production

27 Sep 2024

Exports are mainly concentrated from November to March, with a volume for the 2023/24 season estimated at 4,000 tonnes. For the 2024/25 season, exports of fresh cherries are expected to increase to 5,000 tonnes, the second highest ever recorded.

Exports to China: growing cherry numbers from Australia

Production

17 Sep 2024

According to the recent report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the 2024/25 season will see an increase in production in some fruit-growing regions due to above-average rainfall. Cherry production is expected to increase by 8% and exports by 25%.

Drosophila suzukii in the spotlight: protecting Australian crops from the global pest

Crop protection

12 Jul 2024

Although not yet detected in Australia, it is known to spread rapidly and has been identified as the third priority plant pest nationwide. Early detection and reporting is critical to manage and prevent its spread.

Pollination in the time of cover nets: what fate for bees?

Production

25 Jun 2024

The health and effectiveness of honey bees during pollination were examined in the study conducted in Tasmania, Australia, using bird nets and polyethylene rain covers. Bees were fitted with RFID identification systems and were tagged during two consecutive seasons.

Pest control innovation in Australia: optical scanning to combat fruit fly

Tech management

07 Jun 2024

Project leader Maryam Yazdani's approach combines imaging technology with artificial intelligence for rapid and automatic pest detection. The technology can be added to existing optical sorters used for product selection.