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Ministry of Agriculture & Lands

Tree Fruit & Grape News, July 2000

Notes From New Zealand Trip

This article contains Jim Campbell's notes from his New Zealand trip and will provide you with his impressions of the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association Conference and the orchard tours in New Zealand.

Background

The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and the B.C. Investment Agriculture Foundation provided funding for Jim Campbell to attend a conference and tree fruit tour of New Zealand and Australia. In order to keep costs reasonable, he teamed up with other horticulturists from the B.C. Fruit Packers Cooperative (Henry Markgraf, Bob Fisher-Fleming and Jack Barkwill). A tour was organized around the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Conference in Napier, New Zealand and included visits to the major fruit growing areas of New Zealand and southeastern Australia. In this issue, Jim is reporting on the New Zealand part of the trip and the next issue will contain the Australian leg of the journey.

Conclusions From New Zealand

  • New Zealand growers are suffering from lower prices just as North American growers are - caused by the general global overproduction of apples.
  • New Zealand is a very export-rientated industry and must compete at a higher price level (because of their shipping costs) than many other countries.
  • New Zealand must produce high yields of high quality, in-demand varieties to compete with other areas.
  • Yields are higher in New Zealand because of climate advantages, maximizing light interception with vigorous trees that fill their spaces quickly and minimizing thinning practices.
  • New Zealand benefits from spending large sums of money on promotion and partnerships with other countries
  • New Zealand is promoting production-based royalties on new varieties and is convinced that they will work.
  • Small apple size is predominant in New Zealand, which may be a factor in their declining price return to growers

Hastings/ Napier

John Paynter is the President of Yummy Fruit Company and is a very busy executive and organizer of the IDFTA conference. He took time for us on a Saturday afternoon to tour us around the Hastings - Napier area. His general comments are as follows:

  • M106 is the main rootstock. The rootstock is precocious, resistant to wooly aphid and fireblight, self supporting and high yielding.
  • Most plantings are 16 x 11 spaced and are trained to the McKenzie central leader system.
  • Some newer plantings are on M26, Mac9, Mark and M9 but are at 600 to 750t/a.
  • Yields are 5,000 - 6,000 cartons per hectare.
  • Packing and selling costs are $8NZ per carton.
  • New Zealand industry reeling after hail in 1994, '95 and '96 followed by low prices in 1999.
  • ENZA aims marketing efforts at the consumer not to the wholesaler or the retailer.
  • Fruit quality is based on Brix levels.

International Dwarf Fruit Tree Conference Meetings in Napier

The main tree fruit growing areas are Hawkes Bay and Nelson with minor growing areas in Otago, Waikato, Marlborough and other small pockets of New Zealand. Nelson is at the same latitude as Portland Oregon. Rainfall varies from 600mm to 1,500mm depending on location. Apple production averages from 55 - 65 tonnes per hectare depending on location and variety grown.

Varieties grown are as follows:

  • Braeburn 45% of production
  • Gala 25%
  • Fuji 8%
  • Coxs Orange 5%
  • Granny Smith 5%
  • Red Delicious 2%
  • Rest including Pacific Rose 10%

Fruit size varies by variety. Average size for Braeburn is 100; Fuji 100; Granny Smith 100-115; Red Del 120; and Galas 115-120. Fruit size in New Zealand is very small as compared to North America. It is particularly small in 2000.

The New Zealand climate is variable with moderate summer and winter temperatures, a long growing season (300 growing days), high rainfall by our standards and high light intensity. Winter freeze damage does not occur.

Soils in New Zealand range from area to area, but in general are alluvial. My observations indicate that their soils are very fertile and promote good tree vigour with normal management. The Nelson area tends to have lighter soils than Hawkes Bay.

Older plantings are McKenzie central leader systems, but most new plantings are trellis axe type systems. The rootstocks used are M26, Mac9, Mark and some M9. Other rootstocks such as M793 are also used.

ENZA, the export marketing arm of the Apple and Pear Marketing Board, is the exclusive export-marketing agent for New Zealand apples and pears. In April 2000, the Board converts to ENZA Ltd with shares allocated to growers.

Peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries are a small industry as compared to apples in New Zealand. The export market is the main attraction as very high prices are realized for these commodities. Because of the wet climate, rain damage and rots are limiting factors.

Structure of New Zealand Horticultural Industry

  • New Zealand Fruit Growers Federation - generic issues such as quarantine, taxation and land, and environmental issues.
  • Pipfruit Growers of New Zealand - political issues.
  • ENZA - export marketing.
  • 1,500 growers.
  • New Zealand is the world's second largest apple exporter and considered the best (NZ returns double US average returns to growers).
  • ENZA realizes the best prices for apple sales in the world.

Weather Problems

  • Spring frosts are a problem in Hawkes Bay and hail can be a problem everywhere.
  • Bloom is extended.
  • Regular cropping is experienced even with heavy crop loads.
  • Transition from fall to winter is prolonged.

Other Horticulture Industries

Kiwi

  • success story with 10,000 ha planted
  • yields of 10,000 trays per ha
  • prices depressed at present
  • need high quality
  • fuzz less varieties being pursued

Wine Grapes

  • 10,000 ha currently planted
  • white grapes the main variety
  • $123 million current export value - exports to increase to $500 million by 2010

Avocados

  • exports of $20 million to Australia and US
  • 20 - 30 T/ha yields

Others - Citrus, Hops and Berries

New Zealand Research

  • Horticulture research is privately owned and funded by government and growers.
  • Programs include breeding, IPM, water management, maturities, post harvest technology.
  • Safe food is a major priority at present.
  • Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) is practiced by 73% of the growers and 80% of the export fruit is IFP.

Trends in Europe

  • Restrictive use of agricultural chemicals.
  • Prices will remain low for the foreseeable future.
  • Nursery tree quality of prime importance.
  • Marigolds are planted as a treatment for replant disease on light soils.
  • Tree density is now less than 4,500 trees per hectare or 1,800 trees/acre.

Light Interception

  • Optimum yields are at 60 - 0% light interception.
  • To increase light interception:
  • increase density
  • increase leaf area per tree
  • reduce tree row spacing
  • north- south rows
  • increase tree height
  • Light distribution is important for fruit quality.
  • Cell division 0 to 60 days after bloom.
  • Cell expansion 60-120 days after bloom.

Apple Breeding

- Alan White

  • Crispness most important characteristic.
  • Must be beautiful and distinctive.
  • Need 10,000 seedlings to produce one promising selection.
  • Disease resistance important but resistance breakdown does happen.
  • Fruit quality is important.
  • Need one new variety every two years.
  • Some new varieties include Pacific Beauty, Pacific Queen, Pinky, Cygold, 899-C.

Apple Biotechnology

  • 30 million hectares of GMO crops are grown in the world.
  • Less chemicals are used.
  • Improves existing varieties.
  • Disease and insect resistance.
  • Pollen transferred to the mother flower does not carry genetics to the fruit of the mother tree. However the genetics can be transferred to the seeds.

ENZA Marketing

- Pat Murray

  • Trends toward new products rather than new varieties.
  • Oversupply of fresh apples continues.
  • China is causing a major oversupply situation.
  • Retail consolidation is causing major problems across continents.
  • Production based royalties (PBR's) seem to be the way of the future.
  • Under PBRs, production will be controlled according to world market demand.
  • Need long term reliable partners.
  • Club concept.
  • Several marketers.
  • Volume and quality controlled by agreement.
  • ENZA strategy.
  • Total country production.
  • Strategic alliances with Intellectual Property.
  • Franchise alliances.
  • License other growing areas to produce variety.
  • North and Southern hemisphere marketing.
  • No need for CA storage.
  • New varieties are a must.
  • New varieties need protection.
  • Need to look at global market by variety.

IDFTA Tour

  • Most orchards are IFP. Sprayers must be calibrated every five years. Spray records are monitored for compliance; residue testing on 66% of the orchards
  • OP's are used for leaf midge control (1 spray); pheromone disruption for codling moth/leaf roller.
  • Land cost is $25,000 per hectare.
  • Replant establishment costs are $20,000 per hectare.
  • Horticulture research - testing CG rootstocks 210 and 202.
  • 60% research funding from government - the rest from growers.
  • Fruit growing costs -
    • $10 per carton growing costs
    • $9 per carton shipping costs
    • $3 per carton packing costs
    • $5 per carton marketing, promotion
  • Expected yields for replanted blocks
    • Year 2 20t/ha,
    • Year 3 - 40t/ha,
    • Year 4 - 65 t/ha
  • Pacific Rose problems - necrotic ring spot and leaves drop prematurely.

IDFTA day 4

Rootstocks

  • M9 clones
    • Pajam 1 and Pajam 2
    • M9 - 337
    • EMLA 9
    • M9A
    • NAKB
  • CG - Geneva series
  • AR series

Trend to larger rootstocks for environmental reasons.