Regional round-up
OSA working bee at NOVA site Olives SA are holding a working bee at the NOVA (National Olive Variety Assessment) site, part of the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy campus and venue for the South Australian AOA IPDM Field Day held in December. OSA President Michael Johnston said the March 16 activity will be the first in an ongoing collaborative project between the state grower organisation and the university, aiming to restore and resurrect the research facility as a learning and teaching site. “It’s been neglected for quite a while and needs a good clean-out, so the plan is to give it a bit of much-needed TLC. There’s a lot of suckering, so the number one thing will be getting rid of the suckers and the dead wood,” he said. “It’ll be a long half day of pruning, cleaning up and tree shaping, under the guidance of long-time olive guru Peter Cox. He has a strong history with the site, and invaluable experience in demonstrating pruning and other grove maintenance, so it’ll also be a learning opportunity for anyone not as confident in their tree management skills. “We wanted to get in and get it cleaned up before the harvest year begins, because then we’re all going to get caught up in our own harvests, and we’ll be scheduling ongoing activity post-harvest. “Hopefully it’ll be a start to eventually bring it back up to a viable plantation. It’s an incredible resource and should be of importance for the whole of Australia; we just have to get it healthy again so we can make use of the facility.” Event details Saturday, March 16 from 9-2pm, at Roseworthy Campus, Mudla Wirra Rd, Roseworthy. Water will be available but please BYO food and tools: pruning saws, loppers, secateurs and a small tomahawk or axe for removing suckers.
Dr Michelle Wirthenson and Fleurieu Peninsula grower Mel Hollick checking tree health during the AOA IPDM Field Day grove inspection at the NOVA site.
For more information, contact Michael Johnston on 0419 815 839 or mj@johnstons.net.au. There’s more information about the NOVA olive research site and the restoration project in the September 2018 edition of Olivegrower & Processor.
NE Vic growers host tour by plant pathologist Esther Townes Olive consultant Dr Vera Sergeeva was invited privately to visit a number of NE Victorian groves in November 2018. Unfortunately, her international schedule prevented participation by many producers in the area, however Mt Sugarloaf Grove, L’Oliveriae and Gooramadda Olives were available for visits. The Wooragee Primary School and the Wodonga TAFE Department of Horticulture/Agriculture, which both use their small olive groves as a teaching tool, also took up the opportunity. As rank amateurs in caring for olive trees, Graeme and I were delighted to receive her helpful, professional advice regarding the condition of our grove, especially relating to our concerns with olive lace bug (OLB), sooty mould and anthracnose. We noted her comment that too high a percentage of yellow leaves on the trees is their message of ‘stress’ of some kind. We realise that each olive grove has unique challenges of soil type, rainfall
Growers Monika Bronsgeest and Esther Townes with Dr Vera Sergeeva during the NE Vic grove visits.
patterns, tree varieties and economies of scale. Vera’s practical, broad-ranging advice, with her preference toward organic, non-chemical solutions, has enabled us to devise strategies which we are convinced will increase our trees’
12 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • March 2019 • Issue 111
capacity to resist disease, while improving the long-term future of our grove. Our private research leads us to believe that usage of chemicals is a short term solution only and has been found, in WA at least during their endemic OLB breakout, to be ineffective for the long term health of the trees. In brief, we are now improving our groves’ soil structure and texture, growing pollen food for beneficial predators of aphids and olive lace bug, pruning the trees to decrease hiding places for diseases, and monitoring local rainfall during times of critical fruit development. What Vera has made us aware is that we should not over-fertilise or over-water this ancient tree, especially where anthracnose could be present. The yellow tinge across our groves has become much, much greener, and we hope for continual improvement in this difficult time of changing weather patterns. Thank you, Vera.