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MacAlert May 2025
2025 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide
Key messages this month include:
After months of above average rainfall, assess Phytophthora levels in your orchard.
Planning crop inputs for the season ahead is essential as it gives you time to complete assessments, finalise recommendations and order inputs.
Orchard nutrition is a balance of building soil fertility, replenishing nutrients, supporting tree/crop development at critical periods and managing losses, on a budget.
Cultivars have different nutrient removal rates. Returning husk to the orchard is one of the most cost effective ways to replace nutrients.
Macadamias are not tolerant to frost; apply frost protectants if required.
Continue to audit harvest efficiency.
Removing the heat and moisture from respiration is essential to maintaining kernel quality.
Ensure conditions have been dry for at least 3 days prior to tree shaking to limit bark damage.
Spray Coverage & Calibration Workshop will run in June, covering the fundamentals of spray coverage and how you can get the best protection for your crop.
MacAlert April 2025
2025 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide
Key messages this month include:
Harvest regularly and stay on top of harvester checks. Harvest efficiency and post-harvest handling for the next months is key to maintaining kernel quality and minimising rejects.
Make sure your shed can handle the extra nut volume and larger deliveries to the processor when using ethephon.
Tree and moisture stress can exacerbate sticktights which are NOT impacted by ethephon.
Soil sampling shows key trends in soil properties and nutrient levels, while leaf sampling gives a within-tree view of nutrient status at a phenological stage.
Now is the time to determine organic amendments you will be applying immediately after harvest. Composting requires a minimum of 12 weeks preparation.
Managing soil moisture is critical as resources are replenished in this period.
Controlling vertebrate pests is essential during nut drop. The pests that cause most damage in orchards are rats, cockatoos and pigs.
Are you analysing on-farm crop loss? Discuss a protocol with your grower liaison officer.
Start thinking about frost mitigation if you are in a frost-risk area and have younger trees which are highly susceptible.
MacAlert March 2025
2025 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide
Key messages this month include:
Have you been impacted by Tropical Cyclone Alfred? If you haven't already, please take the time to complete a damage survey.
Triage damage by the most critical in the short term such as safely clearing the orchard then move onto medium term recovery strategies like disease prevention, orchard floor repair and tree health restoration.
Wet weather has made ideal conditions for rats and mice. Controlling rats relies on consistent baiting and managing areas they forage/shelter in.
Phytophthora root rot and trunk canker have a significant impact on production following wet weather. Now is a good time to assess its prevalence. Don’t wait for acute symptoms.
When are you going to complete leaf and soil sampling – in autumn or spring? Talk to your nutrition consultant about these critical tests.
If you are conducting any orchard cleanup post severe weather, don't take on tasks for yourself or staff that you aren't familiar with or qualified to perform. Also, never work alone when pruning or chipping!
Orchard preparation includes cleaning and checking for any contaminants are essential for food safety as well as a supply requirement with your processor.
Keeping ground cover low ensures grass won’t get too tall to reduce harvest efficiency.
Maintaining kernel quality and low rejects at this point is about harvest efficiency and handling/storage.
Start conducting any necessary safety audits.
MacAlert February 2025
2025 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide
Key messages this month include:
Rat populations have exploded following rainy years and are likely taking more nuts than you know! Population control relies on managing shelters and relentless baiting.
Modeling shows that it is a high-pressure spotting bug year in most growing regions.
Botryosphaeria branch dieback symptoms become obvious in late summer.
Pre-harvest clean-up is essential for harvest efficiency, reducing wear on harvest equipment and kernel quality.
Monitor and manage nutrition through harvest, particularly if recent rains have depleted soil of mobile nutrients.
Conduct maturity tests with your processor to guide the start of harvest.
Plan your transport logistics, on-farm storage options and conduct any pre-season audits required.
Be prepared with essential equipment in the event of a storm.
Conduct a harvester service and through maintenance of dehusking/sorting shed.
The AMS is holding two on-farm Showcases on 19 & 21 February in QLD and NSW.
MacAlert January 2025
2025 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide
Key messages this month include:
To manage macadamia nut borer, MacTrix wasp releases should continue into January.
Spotting bugs can be monitored with drop sheet monitoring to confirm FSB/BSB levels.
Leptocoris have been increasingly seen in recent seasons. They are not controlled by betacyfluthrin.
Bark/boring beetles are typically present in drier seasons, but are on the increase generally. Healthy trees with good sap flow are most likely to be able to resist infestation, but keep an eye out for signs of infestation.
Can you tell whether diseased husks are husk spot or husk rot? January onwards is a good time to assess the loss from these two husk diseases in the orchard and there are tell tale signs of each.
Water requirements are now at their maximum.
With severe weather around, make sure you have a plan in place to deal with storm damage to the orchard and farm infrastructure.
Start preparing for preharvest cleanup. Preharvest clean up includes mulching old nuts, branches and leaves, breaking pest life cycles and removing food for rats, pigs, cockatoos, kernel grub, etc.
If you are relying on a third party operations for services, communicate early and book in as many firm dates as you can.
The AMS is holding two on-farm Showcase events in Bundaberg and the Northern Rivers on 19 & 21 February 2025, respectively. There will be machinery displays and in-field demonstrations, giving growers the opportunity to explore a range of harvesters, harvest equipment and spray rigs.
MacAlert December 2024
2024 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide
Key messages this month include:
Keep monitoring spotting bug egg hotspots and be ready to control egg laying spikes that follow rain and increases with day length.
Keep monitoring for Macadamia Nut Borer eggs which helps time wasp releases.
Leptocoris causes kernel damage very similar to spotting bug and green vegetable bug. Contact your processor liason for an indication of the impact if they have experience in differentiating kernel damage.
For young trees, keep an eye out for pests such as leaf miner, twig girdler, felted coccid (FC) and boring beetles.
Trees currently need to support both the spring flush and developing nuts. Assess nutrient availability by monitoring deficiency/toxicity signs.
Tree water requirements are generally at their peak now and will remain high through to harvest.
As part of your storm damage plan, get out chainsaws and ensure any maintenance required is completed.
Safety audits are always a possibility and likely if you are in Queensland, where spot audits are taking place.
Ensure you and all staff understand how best to utilise and manage agrichemicals.
Benchmarking data collection is underway for the 2024 season. Complete the 2024 Benchmarking data collection form and receive your farm’s free confidential report in early 2025.
MacAlert November 2024
2024 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide
Key messages this month include: Check that you are spraying effectively, read the core aspects of good spray management. Monitor for Spotting bug over the next few months. During this high risk period, check for damage at least weekly. Macadamia seed weevil (MSW). Monitor shed nuts on the ground for MSW eggs or larvae. Monitor for macadamia nut borer (MNB) eggs to help time releases of MacTrix wasps. Growing flushes and developing nuts are large nutritional sinks Ensure nutritional demands are being met, particularly nitrogen and potassium during the months of rapid nut growth. Ensure water demand is being met but monitoring soil moisture. A rule of thumb for irrigation is less, more often. Can I reduce November nut drop with crop inputs? The answer is yes and no. Read more for full details. The potential for storm damage increases in late spring and into summer. Triage the damage to target recovery actions. Complete the 2024 Benchmarking data collection form to receive a free, personalised and confidential farm benchmark report in the first few months of 2025.
MacAlert October 2024
2024 | Grieve E, Kojetin L | Manual/guide
Key messages this month include: Northern NSW & Far North QLD be on the lookout for Macadamia seed weevil (MSW). Control starts when nutlets are matchhead to pea-size. Control for husk spot should have started if you have susceptible cultivars, a history of the disease, or you have had/are expecting rain. There were much higher levels of damage from spotting bugs (FSB/BSB) in the previous season. Monitoring is essential to correctly time control strategies. In northern regions, monitor for Banana fruit caterpillar (BFC) in leaf litter. Around match-head size, caterpillars are searching for food. Control is best targeted at the leaf litter where they harbor in by day. If you are unsure of how trees are progressing nutritionally, spring is a good time to sample leaves after flowering and before they flush. Read more for Australian leaf tissue sample standards and a guide to nutrient removal during husk, shell and kernel development. During spraying season, mitigating spray drift is crucial. All staff need to have good knowledge of spray drift mitigation principles and must follow standard operating procedures. The industry is currently under greater scrutiny regarding spraying, so be sure to keep accurate records. With uncertain weather conditions ahead, one of the best ways to maintain orchard resilience and access is ground cover. Read more for ideas on how this can be done. Warming weather with increased vegetation after three wet seasons increases the risk of bushfires.
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.
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.
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