Industry Resources

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?

AMS News Bulletin Winter 2023

2023 | Kojetin L, Alt S, Bright J, Jones K, Akinsanmi F, Maddox C, Price J, Elley S, Hamilton-Bate C, Burgess R, Mohankumar V, Rogiers S | News Bulletin

Challenging market conditions continue
Leoni’s orchard rounds
MCT: MCT1 a hit with growers and beyond
Letter to the Editor: Do you have a future in macadamias?
Kernel assessment workshops
Macadamia Grower Guide: what is it, what’s happening and what is available now?
The global macadamia market: top ten facts
Navigating industry challenges
The importance of post-harvest management to kernel quality
Financial and other support for growers
Green shoots of recovery after floods
Managing pests and diseases: practical tips
Monitoring and good management keys to discouraging insect pests
Your levies at work
Growers asked to collect predator samples
Status and gaps in knowledge of ‘BOT’ disease in macadamias
Project to help recovery from inundation
Latest national map of macadamia orchards completed and online
Expert panel explores food trend research in live online trade event
Native bees – key to orchard resilience
Hort360 Phase 2 – get involved
Recreational fishing, healthy habitat and macadamias

MacAlert May 2023

2023 | Australian Macadamia Society | Manual/guide

Key Messages this month include: After months of above average rainfall, assess Phytophthora levels in your orchard. There are a number of ways to plan crop inputs for the season ahead, soil and leaf sampling and crop load assessment. When purchasing organic matter, do you know what you are purchasing? Heading into winter, monitor weather conditions for frost and apply frost protectant if required. Have you considered tree shaking? There are a range of efficiency and orchard health benefits. Continue to audit harvest efficiency and make adjustments as required in the orchard and shed. This season might be the time to consider major canopy rejuvenation if you have the reserves to do so. Analysis of consignment reports is most helpful when done block by block and can direct rationalisation with current farm gate prices. The BOM predicts a likely return to El Nino conditions over the coming months.

Post-harvest NIS assessment guide

2023 | Australian Macadamia Society | Manual/guide

This guide is designed to help you identify nut in shell defects and their causes. It also lists control measures most commonly used to help manage problems in the orchard that cause defects.