March newsletter
Weather information at mesonet
There is another online tool available to monitor weather conditions which is particularly useful for spraying at the correct times and being aware of inversion layers.
Launched this year, https://midnorthmesonet.com.au/ provides a detailed summary of weather conditions across a number of Riverland locations including Renmark, Murtho, Loxton, Loxton North, Monash, Wappilka, Kanni, Murbko, Cadell and Markaranka. Information includes current temp, vertical temp difference, relative humidity, dew point and wind speed and direction at two metres and 10M.
The Mid North Mesonet and the Riverland & Mallee Mesonet were built specifically to combat agricultural pesticide spray drift. They are the only permanent networks which measure and publicly display the Vertical Temperature Difference (10m – 1m) to show the presence of a thermal inversion.
The presence of an inversion during spray application can lead to long-distance spray drift.
Spray day postponed
Due to a lack of interest and potential duplication, Citrus SA will postpone its proposed spray technology day until later in the year. If you would like to be kept informed about its rescheduling, please register your interest via email to contact@citrussa.com.au
ABAREs Outlook goes virtual
This year’s ABARES Outlook conference will be held virtually. It will run this week from Tuesday, March 2 to Friday, March 5. There is no registration fee to attend the online sessions.
Outlook 2021 is a virtual conference, with 12 sessions running from Tuesday 2 to Friday 5 March 2021. There will be three, one hour sessions each day. There is no registration fee to attend the online sessions.
Details: Phone 02 6272 2303 or 02 6271 6495.
HIA membership
Did you know paying a levy does not automatically make you a member of Hort Innovation? If you are interested, you will need to sign up.
As a member you will receive alerts to news, information and opportunities from Hort Innovation, including investment updates regarding new, ongoing and completed investments and the resources produced. You will be able to access Horticulture news – Hort Innovation’s Growing Innovation newsletter brings you news and articles from across Australian horticulture. There is also invitations and networking opportunities at event where you can hear about the latest investments in R&D and market. You’ll also have voting rights at HIA’s AGM.
Believe it or not? Can citrus restore sense of smell and taste after Covid?
A video has gone viral on social media site TikTok in which a Canadian man shows how a Jamaican remedy where an orange is cooked over an open flame, then mixed with brown sugar and consumed was used to restore the sense of smell and taste in some people after having Covid 19.
Apparently, it is a form of olfactory training, a method which helps retrain the nerves.
You can read the article here
March production hints and tips
Skirting: those that have registered for KCT should ensure that no more than one in 20 trees are touching the ground if registered for Korea and Thailand.
KCT Audit’s: [SL1] . Please ensure all monitoring records, spray diaries, calibration records and farm diary are all updated prior to this date. Your packing shed will be in touch with growers prior to DAWR audits to give approximate dates early in the month.
Pruning and desuckering: Keep on top of this in both young and mature trees.
Irrrigation: Continue to monitor soil moisture as we move into autumn and modify as required. Check irrigation systems and flush regularly.
Fruit sizing: With a year of moderate blemish in some exposed areas, dropping heavily blemished fruit and excessively small fruit will also help what fruit is left to increase in size.
Nutrition: Take leaf samples for nutrient analysis to ensure effective fertilizer programs are implemented
Spraying: Seek professional advice before spraying oil/GA as this could retard colour development of particularly early maturing varieties. Consider your strategy for the application of copper in March as not only does this control pre-and post-harvest diseases but can be useful for snail control and some protection against frost.
Heat damage: Inspect trees for sunburn. Varieties such as Satsuma, Honey Murcott, Cara Caras and Amigos are most susceptible. Determine whether any fruit should be removed prior to harvest.
Texas freeze affects citrus crop
A historic cold snap which hit Texas in February has caused widespread damage to citrus crops. Temperatures dropped to between -29 to -30 degrees Celsius for several hours.
Texas Citrus Mutual president and grower Dale Murden told the US Citrus Industry magazine that about 60 percent of the current grapefruit crop remained on the trees, along with 100 percent of the Valencia orange crop.
He said the freeze came at a devastating time. Next year’s crop was already beginning to form on the tree, so there’s no doubt that yields from next season’s crop will also be impacted by the freeze.
The Citrus Industry magazine reports that citrus in the Rio Grande Valley represents a $468 million commodity in Texas. So, if 60 percent of the grapefruit crop is lost, that could mean hundreds of millions in losses.
Road closures and power outages also created challenges for harvest.
“The power outages have pretty much shut us down, leaving us unable to pack anything remaining in the sheds. Many employees are unable to come to work, and truck traffic on the road has come to a complete standstill,” Mr Murden told the magazine.