Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/481870
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER APRIL 1, 2015 7 Growers get tree audits F ruit Rights Australia Inc., a company set up a year ago to deter illegal propaga- tion of stone fruit varieties, announced recently that growers Steve and Ross Mammone of Woodwood, Victoria, Australia, completed FRA's fi rst fi eld audit. During the audit, the number of trees in the ground was compared with the numbers of trees that the orchardists previously reported they had and the num- ber of trees of certain proprietary varieties that had been sold to them. FRA was established a year ago by fi ve large stone fruit companies in Australia: Mossmont Nursery Pty Ltd, Graham's Factree Pty Ltd, Montague Fresh, Sun World Australasia, and QFM Variety Management Pty Ltd. The companies said their main purpose was to educate Australian fruit grow- ers about the advantages of proprietary fruit varieties and their obligations when entering into grower agreements or non-propagation agreements. "The idea was to help growers understand the fi ne print of the contracts they sign," FRA executive offi cer Russell Soderlund told ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) last year. "FRA will deal with illegal propagation, but it's all about education and helping growers, through friendly audits, to know what they have on their properties. "We're not about marching on to someone's property, fi nding illegal propaga- tion, and taking people to court," he said. "We're about working together to do it better between the two parties. Then we don't have to have court cases and costs, and all the trauma that goes with that." In order to have continued access to new stone fruit varieties, which come pri- marily from breeding programs overseas, the licensees need to show the breeders that they are competent in commercializing varieties and have a procedure in place to manage risks, Soderlund said. And one of those risks is illegal propagation. Garth Swinburn, regional licensing manager with Sun World Australasia, said it is not fair that a small number of individuals have a free ride on legitimate growers by illegally propagating trees. FRA is conducting desk audits with the cooperation of growers who want to certify their production base by checking that their tree records match those of nurseries and intellectual property rights holders. Records can become outdated with orchard acquisitions and tree removals. In a recent press release issued by FRA, Steve Mammone, who went through the fi rst FRA fi eld audit, stated, "Our position on proprietary varieties has changed over the years. We want the best varieties, at the right times of the year, and are prepared to pay for them." FRA is currently auditing only stone fruit varieties but might broaden its scope to other tree fruits, grapes, and berries in time. • Grower proven advanced pollination technology SureSet e x A Su S p Ensure your crop investment with Fusion 360 Technology Results Observed from a Side by Side Trial on Chelan Cherries in Lodi, CA Treated Untreated Lbs picked/acre 6,269 2,647 Pack Out % 87.7% 90.3% 18 lb boxes Packed/Acre 305 133 SureSet Apex was applied in two applications. The 1 application was made at ~20% Bloom and the 2 application was made at ~50% Bloom. SureSet Apex was applied at 2 lbs/acre and 1 lb/acre respectively. SureSet Apex was used in conjunction with pollen at a rate of 20 grams/acre in each of the two applications. Enhances the health and receptivity of the flower Increases activity of honeybees and other pollinating insects Increases germination rate and vigor of the pollen grain Effective with controlled pollination or when used alone nd st For additional information contact us at 1-888-634-F360 or quantumyield@suresetapex.com Innovative, Established, State-of-the-Art Pollination Technology Developed and Patented by Thomas T. Yamashita, Ph. D