john wilkie - the small tree high - productivity initiative; what we are doing, why we are doing it...

The Small Tree High – Productivity Initiative; what we are doing, why we are doing it and some initial results

Prepared by: John WilkieTitle: Principal Horticulturist, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Date: October 2014

2014 AMS 40th Anniversary Industry Conference proudly presented by

The Small Tree – High Productivity Initiative macadamia project team

Dr John Wilkie (DAFF Queensland, Horticulturist)Dr Jim Hanan (QAAFI Computational Modeller)Helen Hofman (DAFF Queensland, Horticulturist)Jarrad Griffin (DAFF Queensland, Experimentalist)Dr Neil White (DAFF Queensland Computational Modeller)Dr Bruce Topp (QAAFI Plant Breeder)Dr Craig Hardner (QAAFI, Quantitative Geneticist)Dr Neena Mitter (QAAFI, Molecular Biologist)Dr Trevor Olesen (NSW DPI, Plant Physiologist)Prof Christine Beveridge (UQ, Molecular Physiologist)Dr Milos Tanurdzic (UQ, Molecular Biologist)Dr Carole Wright (DAFF Queensland, Biometrician)Dr Inigo Auzmendi (QAAFI, Computational Modeller)


Apples – improving productivity of a tree crop through intensification

Photo with thanks to Simon Middleton


The evolution of apple planting systems in Queensland

Era Pre 1980 1980-90 1990-2000 2000 -

Tree density 280 280-1000 1000-1250 2000 +

Irrigated No No/Yes Yes Yes

Rootstock Vigorous Vigorous Semi-vigorous Semi-dwarfing/dwarfing

Pruning/training Vase Vase-central leader

Central leader Central leader

Yield (t/ha) 10-15 10-20 30-40 60-100+

Time to full production

10 (5-6) 7-10 (3-6) 6-7 (3-4) 5 (2-3)


The old and the new

Photo with thanks to Simon Middleton


Energy requirements for fruit production

Energy in fruit (109 J t -1)

Highest commercial

yields (t ha -1)

Annual energy in fruit (109 J ha -1 year -1)

Relative yield based on

energy capture

Orange 2.6 100 260 1.0

Apple 2.2 100 220 0.85

Avocado 6.7 38.3 257 0.99

Mango 2.7 28 76 0.29

Custard Apple 3.1 14.7 46 0.17

Macadamia kernel

30.0 2.5 75 0.29

(Chapman and Stephenson, unpublished)


What have we done about it?

The Queensland Government through DAFF Q has committed

funds over four years for the Small Tree – High Productivity

Initiative.

Significant additional funding and activities through HAL

Horticultural Transformational Investment Fund.

A collaborative research program with QAAFI and NSW DPI.

We see this as being a long term research program of 20 years

or more

We are working with mango, macadamia and avocado.


What is the approach we are taking?

• Understand and develop key orchard system components

• Identified orchard system components

– Vigour management systems (rootstocks)

– Tree architecture

– Orchard light relations

– Crop load

• Molecular/genetic regulation of floral initiation etc.

• Integrate these key orchard systems components into a highly productive orchard system for growers

– Planting systems trials

– Functional Structural Plant Modelling

The macadamia Planting Systems Trial

Alloway high-density orchard pruning trial


Purpose of the work

• Compare the effects of mechanical hedging and selective limb removal canopy management strategies in a high-density orchard on vegetative and fruiting responses.

• Evaluate the potential for vegetative growth retardants to moderate any negative effects of mechanical hedging on fruit set and yield.


Methods• Experiment undertaken near Bundaberg

• Two pruning strategies:

– Mechanical hedging

– Selective limb removal

• Two levels of growth regulator:

– No growth regulator

– Uniconazole as Sunny (1% a.i.)

• Cultivar ‘A203’ in a high-density macadamia orchard planted at 1000 trees/ha

• Pruning and growth regulator applied in winter 2013

• Shoot growth monitored

• Fruit set monitored

• Yield measured

• Preliminary results presented here


Before selective limb removal


Following selective limb removal


The effect of canopy management strategy on shoot growth

Treatment Shoot growth (cm)

Hedged 28.6 a ***

Hedged + UCZ 22.7 a

Selective 7.7 b

Selective + UCZ 7.0 b


The effect of canopy management strategy on fruit set

Days after full bloom

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200Fru

it p

er

bra

nch c

ross-s

ectional are

a (

Fru

it/c

m2

)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Hedged

Hedged + UCZ

Selective

Selective + UCZ

a

b

a

b

a

b

a

b


The effects of canopy management strategy and limb position on fruit set

Within canopy position

high lowFru

it pe

r br

anch

cro

ss-s

ectio

nal a

rea

(fru

it/cm

2 )

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Hedged

Hedged + UCZ

Selective

Selective + UCZ

a

ab

b

b

a

bb

b


The effect of canopy management strategy on yield

Treatment Yield (NIS t/ha)

Hedged 2.37 b

Hedged + UCZ 3.09 b

Selective 4.44 a

Selective + UCZ 3.96 a


Conclusions and further work

• Selective limb removal leads to less vegetative growth following pruning compared with hedging

• Competition between vegetative growth and fruit set was probably partly responsible for poor fruit set and yield in hedged trees.

• The poor fruit set and yield in hedged trees was probably also partly due to poor light distribution within the canopy.

• The pruning and monitoring the responses to pruning needs to be continued.

• The effect of these pruning strategies on within canopy light distribution needs to be determined.


Acknowledgments• Small Tree – High Productivity Initiative project team.• This work is a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture,

Fisheries and Forestry, The University of Queensland’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation and NSW Department of Primary Industries and is co-funded by these organisations and as well as a significant investment from Horticulture Australia Limited.

• The many growers and advisors who are helping us with macadamia work. This includes Hinkler Park Plantations, Alloway Macadamias, the Manera family and Steinhardt farms for allowing us to undertake trial work on their farms, the work would not be possible without this collaboration. This also includes Ray Norris, Kim Wilson, Kevin Steinhardt, Clayton Mattiazzi, Scott Alcott and Chris Searle for being part of the Macadamia Planting Systems Trial advisory group.

• The program steering committee: Roger Broadley, Jim Hanan, Mark Hickey, Jolyon Burnett, Clayton Mattiazzi, Ben Martin, John Nucifora and John Tyas, Kathryn Young.

john wilkie - the small tree high - productivity initiative; what we are doing, why we are doing it...

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