by AshWalmsley, Queensland Country Life
Pineapple growers have taken the opportunity to get up to speed with updated diuron application requirements at this year’s Pineapple Field Days in Yeppoon.
The two-day conference, on yesterday and today, attracted more than 100 people, with suggestions that 80 per cent of Australia’s pineapple farms were represented.
Diuron is a broad-spectrum residual herbicide and algaecide used in agriculture for pre-emergent and post-emergent control of broadleaved and grass weeds.
The widely-used chemical appeared to be on the chopping block in 2011 by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) before lobbying from key grower groups saw its use extended with stringent parameters in place.
The afternoon of the first day of the pineapple field days was dedicated to a training and accreditation course for growers.
In his address to the field days crowd, Pineapples Australia chairman Stephen Pace encouraged growers to make the most of the new diuron allowance.
“We’ve got this permit- do not abuse it. The industry will be scrutinised,” he said.
The field days kicked off with a tour of the Sherriff family’s plantation at Tanby.
The family has been trialling various nutrient techniques on their mostly hybrid crop and also aiming to reduce sunburn on young fruit through irrigation.
Peter Sherriff said the property received more than 400mm of rain last weekend however the farm held up considerably well.
Golden Circle’s Doug Jones spoke briefly on the company’s decisions in recent years to increase the base price for its fruit and moves to reduce rejected fruit numbers.
This has included re-classifying what is considered canning fruit sizes, and paying an incentive on top of the regular juice price to recognise that.
He said the company has also been looking to take more hybrid varieties, having found recent success in processing some new varieties.
Other topics on the agenda included updates on the levy structure, pineapple marketing and the opportunity to take part in Growcom’s Hort360 Innovation Coach program.
A further healthy sign for the pineapple industry was a sold-out gala dinner last night which included an address from dairy farmer Greg Dennis, who is driving a tractor from the Scenic Rim through to the Atherton Tablelands in order to raise awareness of the importance of agriculture.
Source: Queensland Country Life