News - August 2016

Staying ahead of the curve

August 13, 2016

What apple variety mix should we grow to be successful in a changing world? This article discusses some of the strategic factors involved in choosing what we produce and offer to our customers.

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Health and Safety – recent reforms and what it means for you

August 4, 2016

The 4th of April this year sees the introduction of new Health and Safety legislation which has some significant implications for those owning, managing and working within the horticultural sector. In this article we discuss some of those changes and then cover some practical things that can be done to manage these.

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Winter is busy in (kiwifruit) orchards!

August 4, 2016

Winter is a busy period in kiwifruit orchards. Some of the work has flexible timing but there are a lot of tasks to complete before the spring growth starts. In this article, I’ll talk about the winter tasks, fitting them together and a few reminders of what is important. The late harvest in 2016 may squeeze winter activities and the weather is another factor altogether!

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Maximising Irrigation Savings in Grapevines

August 4, 2016

This four year SFF funded trial was at Nautilus Estate. This trial looked at the effect on yield and quality in grape vines when less than optimal irrigation was applied. This showed irrigation at levels below general practice for reduced deficit irrigation could still produce a harvestable crop but quality and yield would be compromised,

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