Investments in irrigation infrastructure, protected cropping methods and technology have armed growers for extreme conditions
A record-breaking heatwave has hit parts of south-east Australia, but for the nation’s table grape producers, it’s business as usual across key growing regions.
Australian Table Grape Association CEO Jeff Scott said the export season had started positively.
“Early season varieties look good, and growers are preparing for a promising season,” Scott said.
Across Greater Sunraysia and other table grape-growing regions, growers say fruit quality has remained strong through the extreme conditions.
“Heatwaves are nothing new for our region or our industry,” Robinvale producer Vince Iudica said. “That’s part and parcel for us. Yes, we’ve had excessive heat, but this season has started very well. The early season varieties have come on time, and most growers with those early varieties have done quite well early on.”
Over the past few decades, Australian table grape producers have benefited from significant investments in irrigation infrastructure and technology. Advanced irrigation systems, adaptive vineyard management practices and access to and availability of water through high pressure irrigation and other pump stations have all armed growers for extreme conditions.
“The industry is far better equipped to manage extreme conditions now than it has ever been,” Iudica said. “We have different forms of irrigation now; we have so many more resources – for example, under vine sprinklers, drip irrigation, micro cooling spray misters which have a cooling effect, overheads that serve a purpose.
“A lot of properties are set up with dual if not tri-irrigation, and most have tensiometers, or soil moisture monitors.”
Euston table grape grower Louie Zaffina is among the hundreds of producers who have kept a close eye on their fruit over the past week.
Zaffina, who is also mayor of the Balranald Shire and chair of the Euston Cooperative Rural Society (Euston Coop Irrigation Board), said the warmer summer had supported crop development.
“The fruit is looking good, the hot summer has been beneficial for ripening,” he said.
Both producers acknowledged that proactive management provided growers with greatest protection during extreme heat events.
“Extreme heat is just something producers manage for,” Zaffina said. “Before the onset of the heat, we make sure the irrigation’s right and prioritise it and then monitor the vines and conditions.”
Australian producers have also evolved the way they use protected cropping methods like canopy manipulation, vine covers and permanent netting structures to shield the vines – particularly the fruit – from sun exposure, wind, rain, and hail.
Scott said the table grape industry today looks very different to what it did decades ago.
“Growers have evolved, invested and adapted, and the challenges we faced years ago are ones we’re now far better equipped to manage,” Scott said.
“While there can be added pressures like rising water costs or infrastructure challenges at times that can have an impact on some, producers do everything within their means to manage conditions, availability of water, and protect their crop.
“Growers are practical problem-solvers, and they’ll use every tool available to keep production on track and quality at its highest.”
The Australian table grape industry continues to monitor conditions closely, with growers applying proven practices to ensure fruit quality is maintained through the remainder of the season.
