Fruit Science Commons^™

Removing Sooty Mould On Oranges, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SOOTY Mould is one of the most common and most disfiguring blemishes on oranges.

A chemical dipping treatment has recently been perfected by a joint effort of the New South Wales Department of Agriculture and C.S.I.R.O.

Pruning Citrus Trees. 2. Pruning The Mature Tree, D B. Argyle

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

EXAMINATION of a mature tree in full production will show the natural pattern of growth already explained.

It will be seen that over the years the frame has developed by a system of layers with new growth, stimulated by sunlight, constantly appearing on the top side of the older wood.

Eventually the terminal portions of the older layers are weakened by lack of light, they become unproductive and in turn adversely affect the general fruitfulness of the rest of the tree by shading and crowding.

Internal Decline Of Lemons, O M. Goss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

LEMONS maturing on the trees during summer sometimes become affected with the condition known as internal decline.

Better Peach Varieties, Frank Melville

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The PEACH is a very versatile fruit and a universal favourite. It is surprising then that the area of peaches in this State is very little different today to what it was 15 years ago. This is in spite of the fact that the population has increased by 48 per cent.

New peach varieties now under test could help satisfy the consumers' demand for a better range of high quality eating peaches— and expand the market for peaches in Western Australia.

Delayed Foliation In Apple Trees, J E L Cripps

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

DELAYED foliation refers to the late leafing out and production of small leaves by fruit trees.

However, the weak and protracted blossoming which precedes the appearance of the leaves has more serious consequences for it may lead to a reduced set of fruit.

The Pruning Of Fruit Trees : Deciduous Fruit Trees (Japanese Plums) (European Or English Plums), H R. Powell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Many varieties of Japanese plums are grown in this State, the main ones being Santa Rosa, Ruby Blood, Satsuma, Delaware, Wickson, Narrabeen, Elizabeth, Beauty and Wilson.

Citrus Psorosis, H L. Harvey

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

CAREFUL selection of propogating material will prevent the spread of citrus psorosis, a disease which reduces the yield and economic life of infected trees.

Spray Thinning Of Japanese Plums, J E L Cripps

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE hand thinning of Japanese plums is the most tedious work which the orchardist is called upon to undertake so that any method of crop reduction other than by hand should be welcome.

Growers may, therefore, be pleased to know that in experiments conducted by the Department of Agriculture several varieties have been successfully spray thinned. The material used was D.N.B.P. (Dinitro secondary butyl phenol).

Spraying with this material considerably reduces but does not eliminate hand thinning.

Citrus Growers : Don't Blow Up Your Colouring Rooms, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE have been several dangerous incidents associated with the use of acetylene in citrus colouring chambers recently, and growers are warned to take care when using this explosive gas.

Preserving And Pickling, O. Evans Scott

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AT this time of the year many housewives wish that fruit trees would bear little and often throughout the year rather than a lot in a comparatively short space of time.

We preserve fruits to try to spread this short period, and to have them on hand to vary menus when fruit is out of season.

A cupboard shelf packed with bottles of colourful, neatly arranged preserved fruits is indeed a satisfying sight.

Bottling is the most popular method, with pickling being done to a smaller extent.

New Recommendations For Fruit Fly Control, D G. Shedley

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY (Ceratitis capitata Wied) is one of the most serious horticultural pests in Western Australia.

For more than 50 years growers of stone fruit and pears have not been able to relax their activities against this pest.

Despite all their action however, there have been many occasions when fruit losses have been very severe.

The Half Dump For Easier And Better Fruit Packing, J S. Bloomfield

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the first cases used for the marketing of citrus fruit in Western Australia was the "flat bushel," which is similar in size to the "long bushel" used extensively for pears in Victoria.

In a bulletin on fruit packing and the marketing and exporting of fruit issued in 1915, the fiat box was illustrated and recommended as a suitable container for the local market.

This case was superseded by the "dump" case when the Harvey area came into production about the beginning of World War I.

Brown Spot Of Passion Fruit, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

BROWN SPOT caused by the fungus Alternaria passiflorae, is found in plantings throughout Western Australia. Severe outbreaks of the disease have occurred in most districts, including Serpentine, Manjimup, Nannup and Denmark. Although isolated young plantings may remain healthy for two or three years the disease eventually becomes established in the vines.

The Fruit Industry In Other Lands. 4. The United States Of America (Continued), Frank Melville

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

COMMERCIAL pear growing was seen only in Washington State where production is in the vicinity of five million bushels or about 12 per cent, of the total fruit production of the State.

Two-thirds of the pears are Bartletts which are used extensively for canning. The other main variety is D'Anjou with lesser quantities of Bosc and Winter Nelis all of which are used for the fresh fruit trade.

In the last six years a serious depletion in tree numbers has occurred due to the inroads of Pear Decline a new disease the cause of which at present is unknown.

Fruit Fly Control With Rogor 40 And Lebaycid : Progress Report, D G. Shedley

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Mediterranean fruit fly has been present in Western Australia for over 60 years and during that time many types of insecticides have been tested against the pest.

Traps and lures were amongst the earliest control measures adopted, but these gave way to sugar solutions poisoned with such materials as arsenic and sodium fluosilicate.

Chemical Thinning Of Apples, S E. Hardisty, N. H. Shorter

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TWO important related problems of apple-growing in this State are biennial bearing and poor fruit size.

Early thinning by chemical means, is providing a valuable and practical means of tackling these problems.

With every prospect of heavy crops in most districts this year, many growers will be interested in the possibility of spray thinning.

The Fruit Industry In Other Lands. 5. The United States Of America (Continued), Frank Melville

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE United States grows in the vicinity of 64 million bushels of peaches, 83,000 tons of plums, 470,000 tons of prunes and 225,000 tons of apricots.

About half the peaches and the major portion of the plums, prunes and apricots are grown in California which is the centre of the canning industry.

There is also a large cherry industry concentrated mainly in the eastern side of the country. Production amounts to almost 100,000 tons of sweet cherries and 125,000 tons of sour varieties.

Banana Packing And Waxing, J A F Lawson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN 1955, representatives of the Carnarvon banana growers approached the North- West Branch of the Department of Agriculture with the suggestion that tests be made concerning the value of waxing bananas prior to consignment.

It was claimed at the time by the Director of Horticulture of the Queensland Department that, by means of wax dipping, bananas had been transported from Northern Queensland to Brisbane, ripened artificially, and then returned to Northern Queensland for sale in the middle of summer, whereas the undipped fruit arrived completely unsaleable.

Hormone Sprays For Apricots, J E L Cripps

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

VARIOUS hormone sprays have been applied to apricots with the object of increasing fruit size and hastening maturity, and of these 245TA, the tri-ethanol amine salt of 245 trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, has in general, proved the most successful.

The increase in fruit diameter obtained with this spray in Western Australia has varied between 5 and 15 per cent, and is due to an increase in the size of the cells within the fruit, not to the production of a greater number of cells.

Bitter Pit : A Progress Report On The Use Of Calcium Nitrate Sprays For Its Control, Frank Melville, S. E. Hardisty

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FREEDOM from serious pests and diseases such as Black Spot and Codling Moth and relative immunity from storage rots has greatly simplified apple growing in Western Australia.

However, what has been gained in this respect is often countered by pre-harvest and post-harvest physiological troubles which are rather common to apple growing in this State.

The Fruit Industry In Other Lands. 3. The United States Of America, Frank Melville

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

MY visit to the United States extended over a period of ten weeks and in this time fruit areas in New York State, Washington State and California were seen.

In addition, certain other activities were covered in other centres. Contact with Research and Extension personnel was made.

The Fruit Industry In Other Lands. 1. The United Kingdom, Frank Melville

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE following report deals with the many aspects of fruit growing both technical and commercial covered during a tour of three overseas countries undertaken on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and the fruitgrowers of Western Australia.

In the course of the three and a half months spent on this work, 13 research establishments were visited and contacts were made with research personnel both within these organisations and elsewhere.

Visits to commercial fruit growing areas were made with extension officers and these included brief visits to packing houses.

Altogether I had discussions with 127 research and extension personnel and industry …