Tag Archives: top fruit

All-new Landini orchard/vineyard tractors for National Fruit Show

An all-new range of Landini orchard and vineyard tractors will be launched at the National Fruit Show in October.

The new Rex 4 Series tractors bring a greater choice of models, new transmission configurations (including three-speed powershift on power shuttle versions) an improved operator environment in the new cab and optional front axle suspension for the first time. They can be recognised by a sleek new appearance.

In terms of overall size, base configurations and power outputs, the new Landini Rex 4 Series mirrors the current Rex. The ‘F’ models are narrow orchard tractors (down to 1.3m wide), the ‘GE’ versions (minimum operating width 1.35m) have a have a lower stance for added stability, and the ‘GT’ has the wider axles and larger wheel options suitable for wide orchards. In addition, the new ‘V’ models can be configured down to just 1m wide.

A 2.9-litre compact four-cylinder engine provides the power, meeting emissions rules without exhaust filtration or urea injection. It provides 12-15% more torque at the lower end, which the manufacturer says translates into livelier performance under load with attractive fuel economy. The engine is coupled to a new Eco 40kph transmission with four-speed PTO options. Larger fuel tanks, the option of a suspension front axle, and all new cab layouts complete the revamp.

Photo Caption: The new Rex 4 Series vineyard models can get down to 1m yet there is a 111hp version

Photo Credit: Landini

Bumper fruit year coincides with labour shortages

Excellent growing conditions have provided a bumper crop of UK soft fruit this season, but industry organisation British Summer Fruits warns that Brexit means that many growers are struggling to harvest the volume.

“We have been experiencing bumper crops across both strawberries and cherries this year,” said a spokeswoman for British Summer Fruits. Tesco is among retailers who have reported increased sales of British grown fruit from strawberries through to cherries and apricots, and has introduced larger pack sizes to help suppliers move unexpected large volumes of product.

However, growers are reporting a shortage of migrant workers available for fruit picking and grading. Jack Ward, chief executive of British Growers told journalists, “The labour situation has definitely tightened in the last 15 months. It is more difficult and more costly to recruit people. There are fewer returners and the age profile, generally, is going up amongst seasonal labour. I think younger people are more prepared to go and do other things.

“If you wound the clock back 10 years, it would have been the younger people who pioneered the idea of coming from Lithuania or Romania or Bulgaria or the Czech Republic to pick fruit.

“I think what you are finding is that a lot of businesses are spending a lot more time recruiting than they have in previous years. They have got to work a lot harder to attract people.” He added that high levels of employment (the highest since 1971) also meant that there are insufficient numbers of British workers to replace EU labour, even if they could be persuaded to pick the crops.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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Apples top the fresh produce charts

Trade magazine Fresh Produce Journal has announced that dessert apples have once again topped its annual survey of the most important fresh produce lines in the UK in terms of sales value.

According to the FPJ apple sales grew 5.6 per cent in terms of value last year despite a drop in volume of 2.2 per cent. The magazine says that further growth is expected in the category.

The survey, which is carried out in conjunction with Kantar Worldpanel put grapes in second place, followed by tomatoes, bananas and strawberries. While soft fruit and salad vegetables performed well in general, the value of cherries and parsnips both fell over the last 12 months.

“The past year has been a turbulent one for the fresh produce trade, with Brexit raising major question marks and concerns about the future of the industry,” said FPJ Big 50 Products editor, Fred Searle. “For the time being, the sector is in healthy shape. While the supermarket price war continues to affect certain products, such as parsnips and carrots, in other categories growers have breathed a sigh of relief as some price inflation returns. This is a welcome development given the slower volume growth seen this time around.”

Photo Credit: Public Domain Pictures

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Late season cherries could be profitable

A report by 2016 Nuffield Scholar Jan Redpath of Angus Soft Fruits suggests that late season cherry production could provide a lucrative crop for Scottish growers prepared to invest in suitable production methods.

In Cherries: the late season opportunity, Mr Redpath argues that, ‘Late season cherries can be produced successfully and profitably in climates as demanding as Scotland’s.’ His conclusion comes after visiting growers in Chile, New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Canada and Norway, as well as closer to home in the UK and the Netherlands.

“Visits to Norway and Tasmania in particular showed that climatic adversity can be overcome with robust covering methods,” he explained. “Ongoing research in Europe and North America is likely to lead to better later varieties. I additionally noted that storage techniques exist that enable ‘not so late’ varieties of known potential to give a safe option to season extension.”

Mr Redpath added, “We should not be afraid to grow cherries under covering systems developed specifically for cherries – these have been proven in some demanding climates. New entrants to late cherry production must pay great attention to the pruning requirements, especially during tree formation. It’s vital to decide on a system prior to establishing the plantation, with an end in mind at that point. Lastly, we can grow great varieties that are known to work, and also store them well. This can be better than growing the very latest variety that may have other lesser characteristics and may not store so well.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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Tesco will take surplus cherries from suppliers

Having already helped suppliers sell larger than forecast quantities of strawberries, lettuce and carrots, the retailer is now taking advantage of the bumper crop of British cherries.

“Working with our suppliers we’re able to start the British cherry season two weeks earlier this year than in 2016. The abundance of cherries will be available for customers for an impressive eight weeks,” said Karen Bee, Buying Manager for stone fruit.

“The wonderful weather we’ve experienced across the UK has meant that our British cherry crop has come-on in bigger volumes than we’d forecast. Our supply partners have told us about a crop flush brought on by the bonus British sunshine. They have extra cherries from their growing sites in both Kent ‘the Garden of England’ and Herefordshire. We’ve worked with them to take their extra crop.”

So far Tesco has bought an extra 80 tonnes a week of British cherries, with larger 1 kg boxes available for £4.00. The retailer also said it aimed to have promotions on all different packs sizes to suit a variety of budgets.

Photo Credit: Tesco

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Cold weather could create shortage of British top fruit

Fruit grower and chairman of the NFU horticulture board has warned that the cold weather in April could lead to a shortage of British top fruit later this year. She told The Guardian that her own apple harvest could drop by 70-80% as a result of frost damage.

“There’s damage to both top and stone fruit, which includes apples, pears, plums and cherries,” she said. “But it’s difficult to know what this means until we see the fruit sets, which is the point when it becomes clear how much fruit has stayed on the trees. However, I think there is enough evidence there will be less English fruit this year.”

English wine makers have already said that the frosts have wiped out up to 50 per cent of the national grape harvest. ““We will need our retailers and customers to be less fussy this year if they want beautiful-tasting English apples,” added Ms Capper.

Photo Credit: Alison Capper, Twitter

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Opal apple says expected to increase in UK

Golden yellow apple variety Opal, a cross between Golden Delicious and Topaz, is continuing to see steady year on year growth in sales according to Opal Apples UK.

The variety which has a distinctive colour, attractive taste and is resistant to browning continues to attract interest from growers and customers according to marketing director Rosemary Lalley. She recently told reporters, “Discussions continue as interest grows in what is a ‘stand out’ apple variety, offering the consumer something really different that delivers great eating qualities on a consistent basis.”

From just 2,000 trees in 2009, there are now 45 hectares or around 136,000 trees in the UK. The largest concentration is in Kent, but there are also orchards in Hereford, Norfolk, Essex and Hampshire, after the company sent potential growers sample trees as Crhistmas presents to attract interest in the variety. Further planting are planned for 2019.

Photo Credit: Opal Apples UK

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Mechanisation could be future for apple growers

Adopting fruit-wall orchards instead of traditional systems could make mechanical pruning of apple trees easier and reduce costs according to AHDB Horticulture.

Increasing labour costs and uncertainties about future labour availability means that many growers are looking for ways to reduce their reliance on human labour. Modern intensive orchards are already simpler and easier to prune than traditional ones but can still require 25-40 hours of labour per hectare. In fruit-wall orchards, mechanical pruning work rates vary between 1.5 and 2.5 hours per hectare, so even though some hand-pruning will be needed, there is potential to save around £3,000 per hectare over an orchard’s 15-year life.

AHDB Horticulture has spent the last four years investigating the tree types and pruning regimes most suitable for use in a fruit-wall orchard in the UK in two projects and has now generated a number of recommendations about the timing of pruning.

Scott Raffle, Knowledge Exchange Manager at AHDB Horticulture, said, “The results from these projects could have a really positive impact on fruit growers and we look forward to sharing these results, and other research project updates, with our growers.”

An update from the research projects will be presented at the AHDB/EMR Association Tree Fruit Conference, which takes place on 28 February at NIAB EMR in Kent.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons.

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Effective controls for apple canker identified

Two new fungicides have been identified for the control of apple canker, caused by the fungus Neonectria ditissima, while research into integrated pest management of the disease is also providing promising results.

Canker is one of the most important diseases of apple and pear, causing cankers and dieback of young shoots, as well as fruit rot that can result in losses as high as ten per cent or more in stored fruit. In a two-year AHDB Horticulture funded trial examining control of Neonectria fruit rot, a range of experimental fungicides, a biofungicide and several alternative chemical treatments were tested for effectiveness. During the trials, fungicides Delan Pro and Syllit 400SC were found to be effective at reducing the incidence of fruit rot.

A five-year IPM study, also commissioned by AHDB Horticulture, is looking at how apple canker spreads. The project aims to identify an approach to reduce losses during tree establishment by targeting infection at propagation phase and improving the efficacy of orchard control.

Mark Holden, from Adrian Scripps Ltd is an industry representative of the project. He commented, “Losses of trees due to canker have risen significantly over the last 10 years due to more intensive tree planting, particularly with more susceptible varieties such as Gala, Braeburn, Kanzi & Jazz.

“The main issue is the lack of systemic chemical products in the growing season which are effective so it is encouraging that some new chemistry is coming through. It is hoped that, after the registration process is completed for these new products, the label requirements are not too restrictive.”

Photo Caption: Neonectria ditissima

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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AC Goatham wins award for Best Orchard

AC Goatham & Son has won the East Kent Fruit Society’s Best Orchard competition for an orchard of Zari at Shrubbery Farm in Eastry near Deal in Kent.

Shrubbery Farm also won the award for the Best Orchard under 1,000 trees and Zari also won the Class D Best Dessert category.

The farm includes 120 acres of topfruit, including 28 acres of Royal Gala, 34 of Zari, eight of Cox and 17 of Comice and Conference pears.

The Zari orchard is planted on wires with a 3m cane system, as part of a company-wide scheme to plant one million new trees across 17 farms by 2020. The planting distance is 3.5m between the rows and 1.2m within the rows and the orchard uses Malus and Golden Delicious as pollinators.

Nigel Stewart, technical director at AC Goatham, said, “We are absolutely delighted to have won the Orchard Competition, along with the other two titles. We strive for uniformity and perfection across all of our orchards and this particular Zari orchard is a real showcase of the team’s growing skills.”

Photo Caption: Nigel Stewart

Photo Credit: A C Goatham & Son

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