Wed, Apr. 2, 2025 3:00pm |
Where: Lowburn Cherry Orchard, 95A Radford Road, Lowburn, Cromwell. There will be signs indicating where to go.
This field walk is an opportunity to view young planar cordon and pergola cherry plantings and discuss the recent harvest.
Please check in on arrival through the Onside link below:
https://get.onside.co.nz/Kiosk/36831/55177F23
The Plant & Food Research team will also provide an update on the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund programme entitled ‘Future Orchard Planting Systems (FOPS)’.
This programme is investigating the following areas in experimental and commercial planar cordon orchards of apple, pear and summerfruit:
- Potential barriers in adopting new growing systems.
- Tree performance, management techniques & metrics for sustainable yield & fruit quality.
- Orchard water use and nitrate leaching (apple only).
- Economic modelling and evaluation of planar cordon orchard performance versus other emerging and conventional systems.
A Lighter Touch & Summerfruit NZ Understorey Field Walk
Summerfruit NZ and the A Lighter Touch programme have been establishing understorey plantings in orchards over the last 2 seasons with the aim of enhancing the abundance of beneficial insects and also to explore other potential benefits such as improving soil structure, weed control and disease management. Plant & Food Research have been regularly monitoring trial orchards for beneficial insects and understory establishment. This field walk will showcase the understorey plantings established this last season at Lowburn Cherries
Refreshments will be provided afterwards to enable informal discussions
All welcome!
For enquiries, please contact Tiff.DaSilva@plantandfood.co.nz.