The collaborative research project between the Northern Territory and Queensland governments has seen 27 varieties of banana planted, looking for signs of tolerance or resistance to the disease.

Queensland scientists are striving to develop new varieties to keep Australia’s most popular fruit on the menu for years to come.

Avocados may not be a common item in the diet of the average Indian, but with a population that is on track to being the world’s largest after 2022 there is a bright future for the crop in the South Asian nation.

Both countries this week announced they’ve agreed on rules for market access, which will allow Australian watermelons, along with pumpkins, to be sold in Japan.

Tagum Agricultural Development Co. (Tadeco), the world’s largest contiguous banana plantations, expects to bounce back this year and next year given improved weather conditions and a new irrigation system.

Biosecurity Queensland will build a high-security fence around the boundary of the property, destroy the bananas, and plant ground cover to prevent the spread of the fungicide resistant plant disease.

The Mango Development and Processing Centre, established at Madikere Cross in Chintamani taluk of Chickballapur district, has been opened up for the service of mango cultivators after a long wait.

An organic solution has been proven effective against the dreaded banana “crown rot” disease that spoils up to 20 percent of banana shipments from the Philippines, and is a safer alternative than chemical treatments, the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) reported.

Riverland citrus producer Nippy’s Waikerie Producers has partnered with Shenzhen-based importer Gold Anda to build its Australia citrus exports to China.

The early fruit from Kununurra is expected to fetch a premium price, with previous years suggesting a price-tag of up to $100 a tray.

Australia has given the green light for Vietnamese fresh mango to be imported into the country after nine years of negotiations, making it the second Vietnamese fruit, after litchi, to be presenting in the demanding market.

Northern Territory Mango Industry Association president Leo Skliros said he expected crops to increase up to 15 per cent in the Northern Territory this year.

An early start to the wet season saw more than 100 millimetres fall over a few days in the main melon-growing regions around Katherine and Mataranka.

Wastage of mangoes cultivated in India, the world’s top producer, due to flawed post-harvest practices can be countered by tweaking certain genes in the “King of Fruits”, say Indian researchers who have identified the ones most prominently involved in ripening of the juicy ‘dashehri’ variety.

Avocados Australia chief executive John Tyas said the fruit trees were highly susceptible to drowning in wet conditions, which could lead to reduced availability of fruit.

The Federal Department of Agriculture has released a draft report proposing the importation of dragon fruit from the South-East Asian country, provided quarantine and food safety measures are met.

Members of the Union of Citrus Growing Ejidos from the State of Yucatan expect to harvest more than 400,000 tons of different varieties of citrus fruits before the end of this year, said the association’s president, Luis Cetina Garcia.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry intends to exploit emerging technologies of “the fourth industrial revolution” such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and robots to improve the quality of agricultural products and efficiency of farm work.

Korean research institute, the Rural Development Administration, is cultivating 42 tropical plants and vegetables at its greenhouse in Jejudo to determine which will be the most profitable, reports the Korea Herald.