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Meticulous training of these 17-month-old apple trees on Malling-Merton 106 lays the foundation of a productive apple orchard. The positioning of the secondary framework (branches) of these Open Tatura trees ensures there won’t be gaps in the canopies between trees. Light interception in third, fourth and fifth leaf is estimated at 45 percent, 55 percent and between 65 and 70 percent, respectively. Trees produced 11 tonnes and 45 tonnes per hectare (4.9 tons and 20.1 tons per acre) in the second and third years, respectively. (Courtesy Bas van den Ende)

Why gaps are money losers

October 14, 2016
Experiments with Bartlett pear trees on Tatura Trellis began in 1975 at the Research Institute, Tatura, in the Goulburn Valley. The Bartlett trees are now producing commercial yields near Ardmona that we believe are at the biological limit of pear production. Yields of 114 to 123 tonnes per hectare/bins per acre is two to three times the average yield of commercial orchards with Bartlett trees in the Goulburn Valley, Australia. (Courtesy Bas van den Ende)

110+ bins of Bartlet pears per acre

March 23, 2016

Manage pears for higher yields

September 4, 2015

Six steps to good orchard site preparation

April 20, 2015

Good to Know: Maintain good soil structure

April 4, 2015

Understanding soil organic matter

March 25, 2015

Growing fruit without branches

February 10, 2015

Use winter weeds to improve soil

December 16, 2014

Calculate target yield

April 16, 2014

Spreading shoots of young apple trees

April 10, 2014