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MacAlert September 2024

2024 | Kojetin L | Manual/guide

Key messages this month include: Monitor weekly to fortnightly for pests and diseases that affect flowers. In NSW & SE QLD lace bug damage is peaking in early to open flower. In QLD, flower caterpillar eggs are being found as conditions warm. Review the macadamia flowering and early nut set risks and monitoring considerations table to prepare for pests and diseases applicable to you. Know the appropriate pollinator stocking rates for your orchard. These can depend on many factors, but general rules of thumb can be a good starting point. Tree water demand is increasing, and you need to put in place moisture retention strategies, particularly if you don't have irrigation. Developing nutlets have a high demand for nutrients such as potassium. Ensure you apply a good proportion of your annual potassium budget in the three months following flowering. Have you formalised your plans for orchard floor and canopy management over the next few months? Remember to prioritise safety and ensure that staff are suitably training and equipped for tasks they will be doing. There is increased scrutiny on macadamia spray management and mitigating spray drift. Be aware of spray management best practices to get the best result for all the effort and significant cost. Spring provides opportunity for improving orchard floor cover. Simple strategies include reduced mowing strategies. Be ready for husk spot and macadamia seed weevil when nutlets reach match-head size. Late fruit spotting bug damage was one of the largest quality losses recorded last season. Be prepared for this season.

Spray Management

2022 | Smith A, Kojetin L, Smit T, Searle C | Manual/guide

Applying any product can be complex and, even if you have been certified to apply chemicals, it is best to get professional assistance with the intricacies of spray management if you are not experienced.

Best Practice Bee Management in Macadamia

2020 | Bright J | Fact Sheet

Bees (honey and native) and other insects play a critical role in pollinating macadamias. Inadequate pollination results in poor nut set and lower crop yields. It is important to have bees and other insect pollinators in the orchard at flowering to ensure successful pollination and setting up the crop potential for the season to come.

Macadamia Plant Protection Guide 2024-2025, NSW DPI Management Guide

2024 | Bright J | Manual/guide

This 10th edition of the NSW Macadamia plant protection guide aims to provide commercial macadamia growers with up-to-date information on all aspects of protecting an orchard from pests and diseases.

AMS News Bulletin Spring 2024

2024 | Haase M, Grieve E, Xu X, Rincon-Florez V, Hall M, Hibbert P, Kojetin L, Bond D, Hamilton-Bate C, Commens R, Bright J, Epplett N, Akinsanmi F, Newton I, McConachie I, de Faveri S, Lee S, Price J, AMS, Hosseini Bai S, White E, BASF Australia, Neville B, Russell G, Wightman J, Clark A, Ganeshamoorthy H, Mensa T, Chambers D, Adams K, Hayes A, Hayward A, Farrer M, Nikzad N, Chen T, Khoshelham K | News Bulletin

CEO's report
Strategic plan
Marketing update and news
Industry insights
Nuts for Life update
Technical team starts works on recovery and resilience of Macadamia jansenii
Loss of modern pioneers: Stanley Thomas Henry and Thomas Ashley Hoult
EPPR levy re-activated to fund industry share of Varroa destructor response
Weathering two major storms
Rising star nominated for Young Grower of the Year award
Planting native species to support pollinator in macadamia orchards
New edition of the Macadamia plant protection guide out now
A new strategy to prevent yield losses to flower blight
Innovative pest management solutions for Gympie Region
IOM principles guide McLeans Ridges orchard makeover
CCC macadamia research update highlights benefits of IOM
Building on the National Macadamia Map – your help needed for futureproofing the macadamia industry
Predicting macadamia planting dates using remote sensing and deep learning
Monitoring and managing flower diseases in macadamia
Improving fruit and banana spotting bug control using pheromones
Research investigates new methods for macadamia plant supply
Rapid assessment of brown centre and rancidity in macadamia
Funding supports pollination research

MacAlert August 2024

2024 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide

Key messages this month include: Growers should be monitoring for pests and diseases that impact flowers, paying particular attention to what is happening in more advanced out-of-season flower. In southern regions, monitor for lace bug. Look for damage to flowers such as blackening on racemes. In northern regions, particularly north and central Queensland where flowers will be more advanced, monitor for flower caterpillar. Flower caterpillar eggs are the first sign of infestation. If your orchard has a history of flower diseases, and weather conditions are conducive, you may need to apply a preventative fungicide. As the weather warms, tree nutrition and water requirements increase. Check if boron levels are adequate for flowering. Other elements such as nitrogen, zinc and calcium are also crucial nutrients during flowering. Ensure organic matter is taken into account in your overall nutrition budget. As tree water demand increases, it is important to monitor water at different soil depths. At the end of harvest season, conduct a thorough audit of your machinery. Keep an eye out for mistletoe in your orchard. Many species of mistletoe are now flowering, so it is an ideal opportunity to flag locations. Have you made plans for managed pollinators i.e. native or honey bees? Ensure you have a written agreement in place with a beekeper and are confident that they are complying with any Varroa regulations. Winter is the best time to plan for fire risk season. Wet years have seen an increase in surrounding vegetation, with firebreaks becoming overgrown. There are early indications that we could be back to uniform and more concentrated flowering in 2024.

Mapping mistletoe aids management

2021 | Weinert M, Andreoli S, Johnson M | Article

Mistletoe is a major pest in macadamia orchards and can be crippling to trees if left unmanaged. Controlling mistletoe currently takes much effort and many in the industry are trialling ways to identify and better manage it.

MacAlert July 2024

2024 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide

Key messages this month include: The prolonged wet weather over the harvest period favours the growth and infection of Phytophthora causing root rot, trunk cankers and tree decline. With harvest coming to an end, focus shifts to crop production and protection, with each underpinned by monitoring. Pest consultants will be monitoring for lace bug as well as flower diseases. Watch out for the three common fungal flower blights - grey mould, green mould and dry flower. In some seasons, these can cause massive crop failure. Ensure regular rat baiting continues in the orchard. This month may be your last chance to order your organic inputs for application post-harvest. Discuss with your nutrition consultant if any soil amendments are required for your orchard. With post-harvest late fruit spotting bug and/or leptocoris being present in orchards, it is time to check your mechanical equipment for crop protection activities. Following harvest, ensure shed equipment and vehicles are thoroughly cleaned and conduct and audit of your chemical store.

MacAlert June 2024

2024 | Kojetin L | Manual/guide

We are heading into the peak pest and disease monitoring and control period. Book your pest consultant to monitor for critical pests and diseases in July and begin discussing the season ahead. Ensure you have completed the assessments to compile the new season's nutrition program. Mulch is important to increase water holding capacity, mediate soil temperatures during spring growth and improve soil/orchard condition. Make sure you are prepared for frost risks if you are in an area that is impacted heavily. The BOM has handy weather tools to help you plan ahead. Are you ready for spraying? Calibrate and service your spray equipment, conduct coverage tests, choose appropriate nozzles and ensure weather monitoring tools are ready. In NSW, the Environmental Protection Agency has had macadamia spray management under scrutiny. Ensure you have adequate spray records, chemical storage/handling protocols, spray drift management, weather monitoring protocols, neighbour engagement and farm pesticide management plans in place. Are you managing nuts with increased field moisture adequately? On farm post-harvest storage conditions are critical in seasons that are wetter than usual. Contact a professional beekeeper to bring managed hives to the orchard. Save the dates for the July/August MacGroup events in your region.

AMS News Bulletin Winter 2024

2024 | Ellis K, Moosberger P, Kojetin L, Bond D, Hamilton-Bate C, Bright J, Kaddatz B, Akinsanmi F, Maddox C, Andreoli S, Bryen L, Dunn E, Maier B, Fuller C, Price J, Shephard C, AMS, Grieve E, Yandall E, Anderson J, Xu X, Rincon-Florez V, Yonow T, Kriticos D, Amat Gomez C, Mensah T, Dhakal Poudel P | News Bulletin

CEO's report
Marketing update and news
Industry insights (IDM report)
Brisbane City Council teams with MCT to save Brisbane's rare macadamias
New industry development officer joins AMS
Macadamia production in Brazil
Pest and disease management roundup
Crop protection: more than calibration
Scolytid beetle activity on the rise again
Managing macadamia lace bugs in orchards: where the research is at
Bee Friendly Farming at MFM
Netting macadamia benefits
Spatially enabling the horticulture tree crop industry in Australia
New tree planting year prediction application
New insights into macadamia rachis tip dieback
Modelling for macadamia pest management
Towards predicting husk rot severity in macadamia
Genetic insights into rootstocks for vigour control
Drying macadamias for quality: some observations from my time in the industry
Nuts for Life update
New macadamia crumb a masterclass in versatility
Australian macadamia minor use and emergency permits

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