Research and Innovation

PandA in Avocados Trial Results

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 08:19:00 GMT

Avocado and PandA - Trial Results
Bundaberg, Central Queensland.

A trial co-ordinated by John Leonardi, Project Officer with Avocados Australia using Panda as a foliar spray on avocados demonstrated its potential to improve the disease resistance and post harvest keeping quality of avocados.

In this trial PandA tended to enhance the grower's normal applications of Norshield only.

Objectives: To identify the effect of treatment on shoot growth, tree health, fruit yield and quality.

Treatments:

Untreated control, foliar treatments of Panda @ 1:250 or 40 ml/10L (blue/orange) and Panda @ 1:500 or 20 ml/10L (orange) - applied at monthly intervals commenced 21^st Jan 2010.

Treatment dates: 21^st Jan, 26^th Feb, 18^th Mar, 15^th Apr, 13^th May and 10^th Jun

Fruit was harvested on the 3^rd June 2010

Experimental Layout: 3 treatments x 5 replications in a completely randomised design

Measurements:

1. Yield – total number of fruit, total fruit weight (kg) and mean fruit weight (kg)

2. Dry matter percentage was determined from 3 fruit sampled at harvest from each tree for each treatment

3. Fruit quality assessments – one tray of fruit (20 fruit per tray) per tree from 5 trees (total 15 trays per treatment)

Results:

Table 1 Effect of treatment on yield (number of fruit and total fruit weight), mean fruit size and dry matter percentage of the fruit at the time of harvest in 3 year Hass avocado trees grown in Central Queensland

Treatment

No. of Fruit

Total Fruit Wt. (kg)

Mean Fruit Size (g)

Dry matter % at harvest

Grower

(Norshield at 3-4 week intervals)

47.2

13.8

302.2

26.9

Grower +

Panda @ 20ml/10L

48.4

13.9

307.4

26.3

Grower +

Panda @ 40ml/10L

44.4

12.7

310.7

27.0

Table 2 Effect of treatment on the days to eating soft (DTES) and the percentage of flesh affected with stem-end rots, vascular browning and body rots in fruit harvested from 3 year Hass avocado trees grown in Central Queensland. Values are the means 60 fruit for each treatment (20 fruit sampled from 3 trees of each treatment).

Treatment

DTES

Stem rots

Vascular browning

Body rots

Grower

(Norshield at 3-4 week intervals)

8.6

5.1

4.1

7.0

Grower treatment + Panda @ 20ml/10L

8.0

5.3

3.4

5.1

Grower treatment + Panda @ 40ml/10L

8.3

3.2

2.5

5.7

Table 3 Effect of treatment on the percentage of fruit affected with stem-end rots, vascular browning and body rots in fruit harvested from 3 year Hass avocado trees grown in Central Queensland. Values are the means 60 fruit for each treatment (20 fruit sampled from 3 trees of each treatment).

Treatment

Stem rots

Vascular browning

Body rots

Grower

(Norshield at 3-4 week intervals)

60.0

66.7

80.0

Grower treatment + Panda @ 20ml/10L

60.0

51.7

78.3

Grower treatment + Panda @ 40ml/10L

48.3

45.0

83.3

Table 4 Effect of treatment on the percentage of fruit affected with 10% or more of the flesh affected by stem-end rots, vascular browning and body rots in fruit harvested from 3 year Hass avocado trees grown in Central Queensland. Values are the means 60 fruit for each treatment (20 fruit sampled from 3 trees of each treatment).

Treatment

Stem rots

Vascular browning

Body rots

Grower

(Norshield at 3-4 week intervals)

25.0

23.3

36.7

Grower treatment + Panda @ 20ml/10L

33.0

18.3

26.7

Grower treatment + Panda @ 40ml/10L

18.3

6.7

30.0

Husk Spot Trial on Macadamias treated with PandA-FBS (Seasons 2010 and 2011)

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 07:26:00 GMT

“There are more ways of killing a cat than to choke it with butter”. This old proverb may well apply to controlling husk spot with fungicides in macadamias. There may be more holistic ways to reduce the impact of husk spot than reaching for a drum of fungicide.

A trial using the natural plant bio-stimulant PandA provides good reasons to be optimistic. Over the last two seasons at Branson Park, Whian Whian (near Lismore) Frank, Joy and Ryan Hathaway have been co-operating in evaluating PandA on the A16 variety and comparing it against the conventional treatment of Spin (Carbendazim) and Copper.

This trial clearly indicates that nuts with husk spot symptoms treated with PandA fell earlier than those treated with conventional fungicide (Figures 1 and 2). In 2010, 30% of the nuts fell early in Rounds 1 and 2 as compared with only 11% in the conventional fungicide treatment.

Figure 1 :

2010 HARVEST Rounds 1 & 2

NIS kg/ha - % of total harvest

Figure 2 :

2011 HARVEST Rounds 1 & 2

NIS kg/ha - % of total harvest

In 2011, 69% of the PandA treatment nuts fell early in Rounds 1 and 2 as compared with 37% in the conventional fungicide treatment.

But here is the new twist to the story – Excellent nut quality.

By visually accessing the early fall of nuts showing husk spot symptoms, the conclusion was drawn by some that PandA failed to control husk spot. However, contra-intuitive the nut quality was significantly better than expected or at least equal to the conventional fungicide treatment. PandA treated nuts were not immature or of inferior quality as shown in Figures 3 and 4 (2010) and Figures 5 and 6 (2011) as a result of being sprayed with PandA.

Ryan Hathaway harvesting the PandA trial

Figure 3 :

Harvest Round 1-2010 - MPC

Figure 4:

Harvest Round 2- 2010 - MPC

Figure 5:

Harvest Round 1-2011 - Pacific

Figure 6:

Harvest Round 2 – 2011 - Pacific

The key message here is that this trial has now been running for two seasons of low and high levels of husk spot disease pressure without any fungicide being applied. This is a good reason for optimism and illustrates our potential to adopt more holistic approaches to disease control in macadamias.

Our results are in line with Asian research that suggests the application of PandA in some way alters the metabolism and disease resistance in the plant, enabling it to cope with stresses without impacting on yield or quality.

At this stage the safe option is to use the ‘belt and braces’ approach and apply PandA along with normal fungicide treatment.

The trial will continue this year, but the number of applications of the PandA FBS will be reduced to fit in more with farm practice, while the conventional treatments will remain unchanged.

Trial Summary 2010

Treatment

NIS – kg/ha @ 10% moisture

MPC value $/ha – ($/kg)

$/hectare due to PandA over conventional

Spin (Carbendazim) + Copper + PandA

5690

$17,158.96   ($3.02)

+ $3,374.22

Spin (Carbendazim) +Copper

5230

$13,784.74   ($2.64)

PandA

5693

$15,752.66   ($2.77)

+ $1,967.92

The trial suggests that a relatively safe option is to add PandA Foliar BioStimulant (FBS) to the conventional fungicide spray where the additional cost for two applications at 6 Litre/ha costs $56/ha.

The 2010 trial showed an increased income of $3,374/ha for that investment.

The author acknowledges that the 2010 result was achieved in a low husk spot pressure year and no claim is made or implied that PandA Foliar BioStmulant (FBS) or PandA will control husk spot.

O’Grady Rural will continue to fund the trial in co operation with the Hathaway Family at Whian Whian and we appreciate the testing provided by Kevin Quinlan from the Macadamia Processing Company, Bob Evans at Pacific Plantations and Dr Olufemi Akinsanmi (Femi), Senior Research Officer, University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences.

Details: PandA on Macadamia Trial 2010 & 2011

Previous history of severe husk spot problems

Variety: A16
Age of trees: 12-15 years approx
Tree spacing: 8 x 4m
Plot size for each treatment: 3 rows x 39 trees

Middle row of each plot was mechanically harvested three times per harvest round to pick-up all nuts
All nut and husk were weighed and sub-sampled in the field and immediately dehusked on the farm. Post dehusking NIS kg were recorded.

In 2010 the NIS of each treatment were split into 3 x 1 kg samples for testing by MPC, and in 2011 the NIS of each treatment were split into 6 x 1 kg samples for testing by MPC and Pacific Plantations. The samples were randomised for testing and were accessed for quality and value. The mean of 3 tests/treatment/harvest were used to value the overall treatment yield.
Number of harvest rounds in 2010 was six: (12 March, 9 April, 30 April, 1 June, 30 June, 4 August 2010)
Number of harvest rounds in 2011 was five: (13 March, 11 April, 03 May, 6 June, 20 June, 2011)

Treatments:

Spin Flow (Carbendazim) + Copper + PandA in 2,500 L/ha = 8 L/tree

Sprayed twice 22.9.09 and 30.10.09

2010

Spin Flow (Carbendazim) + Copper in 2,500 L/ha = 8 L/tree

Sprayed twice 22.9.09 and 30.10.09

2010

PandA @ 6 L/ha in 2,500 L/ha = 8 L/tree

Sprayed six times. Commenced July 31 – then monthly to 2.1.2010

Sprayed 4 times

Spin Flow @ 50ml/100L : Coppox @ 160gm/100L PandA @ 6L/2000L