Ian Turk Management Ltd

Dr Pia Rheinländer, Plant & Food Research, Mt Albert Research Centre, Auckland

 This is an article taken from the NZ Feijoa Growers Association.

Simple steps to reduce inoculum build-up and reduce infection and spread of the anthracnose disease in the orchard. The pathogen can infect any above-ground plant tissue such as leaves, fruit and twigs/branches (especially new growth). When infected plant material wither and die the pathogen produces spores that can infect new plant tissue. So it is essential to minimise the source of inoculum and consistently remove any infected plant material.

·       Remove any fruit with symptoms (purple sunken spots) from the trees and from the ground. Be vigilant, inspect your trees daily and remove fruit immediately. Spores are quickly produced from infected plant tissue and it is essential to keep inoculum at low.

·       Use a bucket with a lid when collecting infected fruit and other infected plant material to minimise the spread of spores.

·       Dispose infected plant material (fruit, leaves, branches) well-away from the orchard, preferably by burying or burning it.

·       Do not touch healthy (uninfected) fruit after you have handled infected fruit or other infected plant material. Use a disinfectant (see below) to sterilise your hands.

·       The pathogen can cause dieback which can be seen as withering of twigs and branches. Such branches should be pruned and removed from the orchard, preferably buried or burnt. Monitor your orchard and remove any infected branches and twigs as soon as you see them.

·       When pruning, clean secateurs using a disinfectant e.g. household spirit or isopropyl alcohol – simply wipe, spray or dip blades into disinfectant. Bleach can also be used (1:10 dilution) but requires soaking.

·       After pruning branches with dieback clean the secateurs using a disinfectant before pruning a healthy tree.

·       To prevent the pathogen from entering pruning cuts, Eurogel (octhilinone) or Bordeaux mixture can be applied. Note that no research has been undertaken to test the efficacy of these products against the aggressive anthracnose disease in wood cuts. If using these products, wear protective clothing and follow the instructions on the product label, e.g. dosage, timing of application, and pre-harvest interval.

·       Clean your boots/shoes with a disinfectant after working in your orchard.

·       Do not transfer any plant material outside your orchard.

·       Do not propagate from infected trees.

·       If you visit other orchards unaffected by the disease, wash clothes and disinfect footwear that you have been wearing in your orchard beforehand.

In its 50th year of operations, Barker’s of Geraldine is toasting its success with a pair of awards at the 2019 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards.

We are delighted to have been awarded two very special medals in the 2019 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards,” Barker’s food processing chairman Michael Barker said on Wednesday.

One of these was a gold medal for its feijoa and pear fruit paste for cheese  in the Earth category, at the Auckland University of Technology’s School of Hospitality and Tourism awards.

Judges assessed taste and flavour of more than 20 food professionals at the event before producers were assessed for their sustainability, brand story and packaging.

All gold medal winners are in contention for the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards Supreme Champion, Category Champion and Special Awards, to be announced in April.

Full story here

In a recentarticle featuring London based chef Peter Gordon, he pondered what Brexit means for people from around the world who live in Britaian – “Once Brexit happens, do we have to leave the country?’ There are no clear directives going out to people.”

But of course he’s not seriously considering calling it quits in London; he has his restaurants, his doughnut business Crosstown and his home in Hackney. There’s a feijoa tree in the garden. “In seven years, it’s produced four tiny feijoas. Pathetic!”

He’s such a big fan of the Kiwi favourite, little known in Britain, that he often features them on the menu at The Providores. Imported from South America, they’re not quite as pathetic as his homegrown ones, but “nothing like the feijoas we have here – they’re only 75 per cent what they should be”.

Feijoa features in a New Zealand yoghurt Gordon has recently put his name to, a collaboration with The Collective. The feijoa, ginger and vanilla yoghurt is raising funds for The LAM Trust, which raises awareness of a rare lung condition, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, that affects women between the ages of 25 and 45. The trust was set up by Gordon’s good friend Bronwyn Gray, whose daughter suffers from the condition.

On Wednesday 27 February 2019, the PIC Executive is holding an executive meeting which will be followed by a grower meeting and AGM from 1.00pm. This meeting will be held at The Waipuna Conference Center, Mt Wellington, Auckland.

Immediately following the AGM, we will have the opportunity for further informal discussion over nibbles and a drink.

Ian Turk

<p class=”sics-component__html-injector sics-component__story__paragraph”><a href=”http://www.nzpersimmons.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/livekindly_persimmon_dairy_free_ice_cream-e1548032708913.jpg”><img class=” wp-image-1666 alignleft” src=”http://www.nzpersimmons.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/livekindly_persimmon_dairy_free_ice_cream-1024×576.jpg” alt=”” width=”215″ height=”121″ /></a>WellKit Foods International Ltd has developed a fruit-based, non-dairy icecream called ‘My Goodness!’ – which looks to revolutionise the globally-growing non-dairy dessert market.</p>
<p class=”sics-component__html-injector sics-component__story__paragraph”>”Until now, the big players in the non-dairy icecream category have been soy, almond and coconut,” WellKit director Duane Wells says. The fruit pulp is from NTL Horticulture, the Wells family’s Northland New Zealand-based company, has grown and packed persimmons for export since 1981.</p>
<p class=”sics-component__html-injector sics-component__story__paragraph”>”My Goodness! uses a significantly higher proportion of fresh fruit at around 60 per cent.”</p>
More information at this <a href=”https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/agribusiness/105535395/getting-the-scoop-on-icecream-innovation”>article</a>