November news
As the year winds down, it’s the time that most growers are at their busiest, long lists of jobs requiring your attention in and out of the greenhouse, wholesale and retail requests to be urgently filled and prices at some of the lowest they’ve been all year. It can be a thankless job. I will keep this update short and hopefully relevant.
Crate supply
I have worked with the crate companies to ensure that supply is running at capacity over the busy Christmas period. As there are a chain of people involved in this, it’s important that everyone plays their part, which means that you the grower must do the following:
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Attempt to tell your crate supplier how many crates you need as early as possible so that these can be factored into their planning
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Don’t over order – hoarding crates will mean that there aren’t enough for all growers
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If possible, organise contracts with all crate companies that operate in your region so that you can utilise any of these if supply is tight
Finally, from a hygiene point of view, please don’t take supplied crates into your greenhouse. There is no way to ensure that even washed crates are free of viruses so to minimise risk, use your own crates / buckets inside your greenhouse and returnable plastic crates at the end of your grader only.
Boiler Consents
If you have a boiler that emits more than 500T of CO2 per year and you either don’t have a current boiler or air discharge consent, or it’s due to expire, you must make contact with your regional council by 26th January to check their requirements for a new consent to be issued.
For boilers that emit between 500T and 1999T of CO2 per year, you can submit your own emissions reduction plan. For boilers over 2000T of emissions, the emissions reduction plan will need to come from a qualified energy engineer. Babbage, with offices in Auckland Waikato and Christchurch are offering a free advice service to growers. Please see their information here but be aware that you should check that the questions you are asking are covered by their free advice offer.
For more information including a DIY template of an emissions reduction plan see here
Call for Participation: Help Us Characterise Tomato Leaf Mould in New Zealand
Tomatoes NZ is sponsoring vital research to better understand the strains of tomato Leaf Mould (Fulvia fulva, formerly Cladosporium fulvum) affecting growers across the country. This fungal pathogen may pose a significant threat to glasshouse tomato production, potentially impacting plant health, yield, and profitability.
Why This Matters?
Tomato Leaf Mould manifests as pale-yellow spots on the upper leaf surface, with distinctive olive-green to brown velvety mould spots on the underside. In severe cases, it can lead to defoliation, blossom drop, and fruit loss. Your input can make a critical difference in managing this disease across the industry.
How You Can Help
We invite growers to participate in this study. If you have observed symptoms of Leaf Mould on your property, please reach out to us. By contributing samples, you’ll help us:
•Identify the strains of tomato Leaf Mould present in New Zealand
•Develop improved tools for effective management across the industry
Participation Details
Contact Dinah Cohen Dinah.cohen@tomatoesnz.co.nz phone 021 922 414 or the research lead, Francis Ferrada-Hartley, francisco.ferradasotelo.1@uni.massey.ac.nz, phone 021 227 8411 to request a sampling kit and detailed instructions or to find out more about the trial.
Together, we can advance the understanding and management of this pathogen, safeguarding tomato production for all.
Fruit Logistica
We are joining with Vegetables NZ to send a small delegation of growers to Fruit Logistica in Berlin in early February followed by a busy week of meetings in the Netherlands covering topics such as ToBRFV resistant breeds, latest greenhouse technology and research including energy and heating tech. This trip will be followed up with articles in the NZGrower and grower workshops and we look forward to sharing our learnings from the educational trip with you.
We would like to thank Fruit Logistica for the tickets they have provided for our party.
