Industry Resources

AMS News Bulletin Summer 2023

2023 | Ellis K, Kojetin L, Bond D, Hamilton-Bate C, Currey A, Epplett N, Price J, Mainali B, Islam S, Whitehouse M, Arnett R | News Bulletin

In-shell demand surge from China sees market dynamics shift
Industry insights
MCT: Macadamia habitat zones to inform conservation actions
Hort Innovation Reset and Refresh – macadamia R&D advice model confirmed
Interim funding model for WMO
WMO – looking ahead
Support for flood and rainfall recovery in Queensland
Mulch a winner in orchard management
Drought preparedness built on soil health
Understanding the impact of natural disasters on rural land managers
Growers focus on maintaining annual routines
AMS Awards of Excellence – Production
Testing new ideas key to lifting productivity
All-rounder skills for orchard management
Long-term investment pays off
New growers optimistic about future of floodplain orchard
A glimpse into Banyula’s seasonal journey
Non-levy funded research projects
Can lace bugs be controlled with predators?
New study of on-farm crop losses underway
Expanding horizons: Australian macadamias start making their mark in India
IMS23: Symposium roundup
Australian macadamia minor use and emergency permits

MacAlert November 2023

2023 | Australian Macadamia Society | Manual/guide

Key messages this month include: • Spotting bug. Monitoring for spotting bug is critical. Look for damage at least weekly and preferably more regularly in warmer regions. The next few months are a period of high risk and potential crop loss. • Red Shouldered Leaf Beetle. This swarming pest has impacted many orchards over the last year, feeding on leaves (particularly new flush) that are left skeletonised or appear scorched. • Macadamia nut borer (MNB). Monitor for nut borer eggs (which signals the start of flights into orchards) to help time releases of the parasitic Trichogramma wasp, MacTrix. • Macadamia seed weevil (MSW). Monitor shed nuts on the ground for MSW eggs or larvae, particularly if control such as indoxacarb spraying was missed. • Husk spot. There are several new products available for control. If you have to spray for husk spot, ensure you are rotating chemical groups, which is more complicated with the new compound products. • Nutritional demand. Growing flushes and developing nuts are currently large nutritional sinks. Nitrogen and potassium are particularly important at this crop stage. • Water demand. The declared El Niño will lead to months of drier, hotter weather ahead. Macadamia trees have excellent ‘poker faces’ when it comes to environmental and soil water stress. • The potential for damage from intense storms (even during El Niño conditions) is increasing, so be prepared. • The Benchmarking project team has commenced data collection for the 2023 season.

MacAlert October 2023

2023 | Australian Macadamia Society | Manual/guide

Key messages this month include: • Macadamia seed weevil (MSW). Although MSW is a NNSW and FNQLD pest, every region should be on the look out. • Husk Spot. Control for husk spot should have started if you have susceptible cultivars, and or a history of the disease. • Spotting bugs (FSB & BSB). Early in the season look for distinctive damage on nutlets as they reach pea size and fall from trees when stung. • Banana fruit caterpillar (BFC). In northern regions, monitor for BFC in leaf litter and when they are active at night. • If you are unsure of how trees are progressing nutritionally, spring is a good time to sample leaves after flowering and before they flush. • During spraying season, mitigating spray drift is crucial. • With dry weather ahead one of the best ways to maintain soil moisture, improve soil productivity and ensure orchard resilience is ground cover. • Warmer weather with increased vegetation, after three wet seasons, are ideal conditions for many pests and increase the risk of bushfires.

MacAlert September 2023

2023 | Australian Macadamia Society | Manual/guide

Key messages this month include: • Monitor weekly to fortnightly for pests and diseases that affect flowers depending on the risk to your orchard. • If you have known hotspots, pay close attention to them first. Best practice is to select controls that have the least impact on non-target species. • If you’re still harvesting, be aware of withholding periods and products that you cannot use if you are still going to pick up nuts (such as Sivanto Prime). • With the number of Varroa mite infested sites increasing, make sure you know where your honey bee hives are coming from. • Tree water demand is increasing, you need to put in place every moisture retention strategy you can. • The AMS website has a weather monitoring page where you can see real time conditions on a large network of weather stations located on macadamia orchards. • You are likely to be doing some sort of canopy management over the next few months. Remember to be safe. Ensure that all staff are suitably trained. • There are so many benefits of letting ground cover grow. Consider reduced mowing strategies to save costs and improve orchard health, leaving a habitat for beneficials and improving orchard floor moisture retention as we head into drier months ahead.

AMS News Bulletin Spring 2023

2023 | Kojetin L, Bond D, Hamilton-Bate C, Bright J, Langfield K, Broadley R, Mulo S, Bignell G, Price J, Toegel H, Mainali B, Manson D, Sun D, Rose M, Rose T, Coco L, Haberman A, Grunennvaldt R | News Bulletin

Global macadamia environment remains highly competitive
Leoni’s orchard rounds
MCT: Cat’s claw creeper and other weeds – humans the most effective biological control
Industry and AMS stalwart celebrates 100th birthday
Searching for systems in macadamia orchard nutrient management
NSW DPI releases new nutrition and soil health module
Are your fertilisers labelled correctly?
Manure wood chip and urea: both sources of nitrogen but not the same
Zunkers embrace the learning journey
Regenerative agriculture: why the buzz?
Inter-row cover crop effects on soil health in macadamia plantations
To hedge or not to hedge?
Drone offers another option in the orchard
Benchmarking insights from 2009-2022
Promising NIS yields from high-density planting of cultivar P at Bundaberg
Bundaberg growers delve into canopy management at workshop
Understanding Leptocoris bugs better
Macadamias crack 40,000 ha
40th World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress spotlights opportunities on the horizon
Monitoring the top tip from consultants
Keeping a check on seasonal conditions with NSW DPI program
Australian macadamia minor use and emergency permits

The complex macadamia landscape (July 2023 MacGroup)

2023 | Hamilton-Bate C | Video

AMS CEO Clare Hamilton-Bate outlines the key roles and responsibilities of the main players and stakeholders in the macadamia industry.

Marketing update (July 2023 MacGroup)

2023 | Price J | Video

Australian Macadamias’ market development manager Jacqui Price provides an update on the state of the world nut market and outlined the new Australian Macadamias domestic campaigns designed to stimulate demand for Australian macadamias.

MacAlert August 2023

2023 | Australian Macadamia Society | Manual/guide

• Monitoring should be underway for pests and diseases that impact flowers. Cutting back on monitoring is a risky strategy, the small investment is invaluable. • In southern regions, monitor for lace bug. Previous hotspots are a good place to start. • In northern regions, monitor for flower caterpillar. Eggs are the first sign of infestation. • Flower blights. If your orchard has a history of flower diseases and weather conditions are conducive, you may need to apply a preventative fungicide. • Husk spot. Shortly after flowering, husk spot control is important if your orchard has a history of the disease, has stick tights and/or susceptible cultivars. • Rats are always an issue, but they are reported to have been more damaging this season following wet years. You have an opportunity at the end of harvest to reduce populations. • As the weather warms, tree nutrition and water requirements increase. An El Nino is expected to form in the second half of the year and conditions will likely be hotter and drier. • At end of harvest season, conduct a thorough audit of what needs to be repaired and make notes while it’s fresh in your mind of how machinery performed. • Do you have a plan to bring managed pollinators into your orchard? Honeybee and native beehives have different distribution and management considerations. • As the weather warms there is an opportunity to plant cover crops which improve orchard productivity and resilience. • Winter is the best time to prepare for fire season and as a landowner you are responsible for this preparation.

MacAlert July 2023

2023 | Australian Macadamia Society | Manual/guide

MacAlert June 2023

2023 | Australian Macadamia Society | Manual/guide

Key messages this month include: • We are heading into the peak pest and disease monitoring period. The impacts of this year’s weather conditions need to be factored into your management. • There is still time to adjust nutrition before flowering, so discuss your soil/leaf sampling results with your consultant and develop a nutrition program. • With current prices, the incentive to harvest and its cost are being weighed by each grower. Your grower liaison can help sample in blocks you aren’t sure are worth picking up. • Do you understand how kernel assessments on samples from your consignments are conducted and what this means for grower payments? The AMS is holding kernel assessment workshops. • Winter is the best time to prepare your farm for the fire risk season ahead. • Are you ready for spray activities over the next few months?