Few would need to call upon the services of a certain psychic sea creature to predict how the next few months are likely to unfold for the top-fruit industry.
Despite a late stonefruit season in a low volume European year for stones, top-fruit players have been braced to take the hit that the onset of summer fruit traditionally brings. The continued discounting, largely on strawberries, nectarines and peaches, has made it difficult for top fruit to catch the eye of the consumer.
The industry did receive a boost in the form of the South African Beautiful Country, Beautiful Fruit campaign running alongside the FIFA World Cup during the season but, in truth, it has not been a strong year for the South Africans.
The transport workers’ strike in May paralysed the industry and caused chaos with container shipping, meaning containers were in the wrong place globally and shippers were forced to return to palletised methods.
One source says: “There were plans to export more Packham pears and Golden Delicious, but they had to be sold locally because all the cold stores were full. It made the market short on all commodities for several weeks and then there was a glut of fruit.
Turning to individual lines, Royal Gala has enjoyed a good market this year and that is likely to continue to be the case. The first French Royal Gala is due to be harvested in south east France within the next two weeks and will hit a short market.
Braeburn had struggled to gain good margins in April and May with European product still available in good quality and supplies plentiful, but a shortage of product from South Africa and New Zealand is likely to leave the product, which has suffered from low colouration from South Africa, in demand.
“Golden Delicious has suffered an extremely difficult year,” adds one insider. “The South African crop was down 20 per cent due to sunburn and the local market was so strong that people turned to French stocks for product. French stock movement has been high, which bodes well for the new season and most of the South African volumes have gone to the retail sector. Certainly, there will be more stored fruit on retail shelves than usual.”
The South African Granny Smith crop was down 15 per cent due to sunburn with loose prices proving strong and a slight increase in values on South African and Chilean expected imminently.
Interestingly, the South Africans have chosen to store Sundowner - still a marginal apple in the UK but one which has seen some support from the likes of Morrisons and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range - and promote the product as a “Christmas apple” in November and December, meaning stocks are low.
Meanwhile, Pink Lady experienced a strong first few weeks of the season before the vast 58 per cent increase in production in Chile (all of which is exported) as well as Argentina, hit the premium apple’s market with too much product. An uplift is expected in August.
Forelle pears have proved popular with a strong market despite the fact that more fruit - around 40 per cent more - was exported to Europe. However, one source says: “In the UK, there is a lot of product with very high prices and supermarkets have not been able to run the promotions they would have liked to clear the product from shelves quickly. I expect the Forelle market will be under pressure for the next two weeks.”
Production of early English apple varieties Discovery, Early Windsor and Worcester is forecast to rise some 10 per cent in volume on last year, but Cox output is expected to drop by 15 per cent.
Traditional variety Egremont Russet is predicted to decline 20 per cent on last season and thus bring output more into line with demand for what is essentially a niche variety. Meanwhile, newcomers such as Cameo, Jazz, Rubens and Mondi are expected to enjoy an uplift of some 15 per cent on 2009 as growers respond to market demand.
Elsewhere, Sainsbury’s smashed the previous record for sales of English apples, set by Tesco, seven weeks before the end of the season, clocking 34,150 tonnes on 12 June to set the new record and surpassing Tesco’s 2007-08 total of 34,134t.
Interestingly, Del Monte’s new Fruitini bags, which are to be sold via an exclusive campaign through Tesco, have re-awakened some sources to the opportunities for top fruit in convenience this quarter.
EXPLORING RESIDUE-FREE CODLING MOTH CONTROL FOR TOP FRUIT
As consumers and retailers continue to demand reduced residue produce, top fruit growers are increasingly embracing new solutions and innovations in crop protection. Agrovista agronomist Paul Bennett explains the options for eliminating codling moth.
Integrated pest management (IPM) strategies are becoming much more prominent as the industry shifts away from a reliance on conventional chemistry, towards biological and alternative pesticide solutions. Yet, rather than sacrifice yield and quality growers are turning to effective controls that both fit with market demand and provide effective pest and disease control.
Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) control is a key example. There’s growing pressure from many of the major retailers for reduced residue or even ‘residue-free fruit,’ and with residue detection measures improving there is a real drive towards the use of alternative non-chemical options.
Codling moth is a very serious pest - probably the most important for top fruit growers. They are everywhere. Although the problem isn’t increasing, we have better control of other top fruit pests, making codling moth stand out.
Typically emerging after bloom in early May, the young codling moth adults mate, laying eggs on the tree, leaf or the fruit, if it’s there at that time.
The larvae then eat into the fruit, making a beeline for the apple core, before emerging, pupating and sometimes producing a partial second generation in August, causing more problems at harvest.
The susceptibility of top fruit to pest attack is significant. Codling moth damage can be severe, with fruit becoming unsaleable as soon as the first bite is made.
Integrated Pest Management
When it comes to gaining control of this troublesome pest traditional chemical treatments, such as chlorpyrifos, were previously popular and used to control both the larvae and adult moths. But we want to avoid this type of broad-spectrum product - so need to look to alternatives.
Until recently the best strategy was to apply actives such as methoxyfenozide to control eggs and/or larvae. However in a season when a partial second generation occurs, residues can still be an issue.
We’re starting to use pheromone disruption in some situations. Pheromone lures with electrostatically charged female pheromone powder devices are used. The males are attracted into the device and as they exit, the powder sticks to their body parts, meaning they then carry the female scent. As a result they struggle to identify genuine females and fail to mate which drastically reduces egg lay.
Agrovista has a web-based prediction model - the Agrovista Growers Choice Interactive - which is a forecasting service for top fruit growers to provide predictions of codling moth flight, mating activity, egg deposition, larval emergence and hatch.
Using forecasting models as part of the strategy helps significantly and also means growers won’t waste chemical inputs through better timing of insecticide treatments.
But in high codling moth risk areas, relying on these types of systems alone aren’t enough and I recommend using Cyd-X. This is a granulovirus product, specific to codling moth, effective upon the larval stages of the moth with minimal impact on beneficials and the environment.
But timing is critical. Cyd-X has a different timing to conventional treatments so must be used properly, just before larvae emerge from the egg - which is where prediction systems also have a part to play.
As the moths emerge the first thing the larvae eat is their own egg ‘shell’ before attacking the fruitlet. So as long as virus particles are present on the egg shell they will ingest it. Cyd-X inhibits moth feeding, causing larval death as well as contributing to a gradual reduction in codling moth populations over longer term use.
Cyd-X also has a short harvest interval to control the partial second generation, but this doesn’t make it a solution just for late in the season. It should be used during the first generation from the word go - the point of larvae emergence.
The way forward
So as the need to reduce residues rides up the priority list right across the supply chain, it’s clear that an integrated approach to crop protection can deliver. Companies are demonstrating their commitment to help growers achieve this by bringing to the market a growing number of novel and viable solutions.
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