One of the biggest issues our industry faces is biennial bearing, so the AOA is taking an in-depth look at the impact of various practices and circumstances. Of particular interest is the effect of fruit left on trees, or harvested very late, on the following year’s flowering and therefore crop level.
As a basis for research being planned, they need to gauge the level of flowering on trees across Australia for this year’s crop, compared to previous years’ flowering and yields.
Which is where growers come in, providing the baseline information via details of what’s happened in your grove. They’re particularly keen to hear from those who didn’t harvest in 2021, or only removed part of their crop, and how it may have influenced this year’s production.
What they need to know
- Did you have a (comparatively) large, medium or small harvest in 2021?
- Was flowering for the 2022 crop the same, better or worse than the previous year, or compared to your usual experience?
- Was any fruit not harvested in your grove/s?
- Did you finish harvesting late in the season?
- What varieties do you have, and did the above factors differ between them for the 2021 and 2022 harvests?
They’re also keen to hear about any practices which you’ve used to successfully reduce or eliminate biennial bearing in your grove.
Please email your information to AOA Administration Manager Liz Bouzoudis at admin@australianolives.com.au. Thanks in advance for your input!
