Member login
Berry day wrap-up
Fruit Growers Tasmania | Friday, 17 April 2020, 2.10pm
Fruit Growers Tasmania hosted a Berry Information Day on March 10 at Launceston's Tailrace Centre.
Held as part of Berries Australia and supported by the Tasmanian Government, the event brought together more than 50 commercial producers, agronomists, local growers and students.
Throughout the day, attendees were provided with opportunities to gain insights and ask questions on all topics from berry health and production to career development.
Highlighting the event were guest speakers Klaas Plas (BerryKonsult) and Michael Gangi (EE Muir and Sons), who shared insights gained from working closely with producers in Europe and Australia.
Klaas shared his experiences from Europe on Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) and the impacts that had made during its invasion of Europe, as well as insights about Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as well as the tools and techniques for understanding and managing vegetative-generative balance in strawberries.
Michael complemented this by providing a national perspective on advances in SE Australian berry production systems, outlining interstate propagation, tunnel systems and substrate practices, as well as tools and approaches for managing botrytis, powdery mildew and two spotted mite.
Concluding the workshop was a discussion panel moderated by Rachel MacKenzie from Berries Australia with commercial growers Simon Dornauf (TAS) and Richard McGruddy (QLD) joining the guest speakers.
