Pineapples: celebrating, collaborating & innovating
So much more than a vital pizza topping, a delicious snack, or an accompaniment to a holiday cocktail, pineapples have been a mainstay of Queensland’s horticulture industry for over 100 years. For the year ending June 2021, 71,084 tonne of pineapple was produced in Australia, at a value of $46.8 million. Of that, 34 percent was sent to be processed, 66 percent was sent to the fresh market, and almost all of it was grown here in Queensland.
Last week over 160 participants made up of growers and industry supply chain members, converged on the Sunshine Coast to share knowledge and celebrate at the industry’s annual Pineapple Field Days. Whilst the pineapple industry, like horticulture generally, is dealing with its fair share of challenges right now, there was a strong sense of cohesion between growers and a shared commitment to staying at the cutting edge of technology and best practice.
Demonstrating this innovative mindset, the event provided an opportunity to showcase a recently constructed farm-wide bioreactor. Given the weather conditions of late, the bioreactor received much attention given its ability to address the issue of nitrate transfer from farms into the surrounding aquatic environment. A joint project between Growcom, the Department of Environment and Science (DES), Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) and Healthy Land and Water, the scientific goal behind the bioreactor is to achieve de-nitrification. The bioreactor creates a home for naturally occurring bacteria, which use the woodchips as a food source and due to the anerobic – underwater – situation, they use the nitrate in the water to respire or breath. As a result, the bacteria convert the nitrate in the water into normal nitrogen gas. This innovation was just another example how growers over the years have implemented and trialled new practices to help keep nutrients in the soil where the crops need them. Bioreactors are set to become one of the ways forward.
Also on show at the event were farm trials and demonstrations including a pineapple plant material collector, a geopolymer soil erosion demonstration trial, precision boom sprayers, alternative fumigation application methods, an overview of Favco’s pineapple varieties and demonstration of a robotic plant material size grader developed by LYRO Robotics.
Celebrating the next generation of growers at the industry Gala Dinner, young growers Rian Pace, Jeffrey Pace, Hayden Marshall and Caitlin Marshall from Pace Farming in North Queensland jointly received the Rudy Wassman Award, recognising their achievements in the industry. Celebrations continued, recognising a 40-year veteran of the pineapple industry. DAF Principal Horticulturist Garth Sanewski was awarded the Col Scott Award for his outstanding contribution to the Australian pineapple industry. Garth is recognised as a leading pineapple agronomist internationally with career achievement including breeding three commercial pineapple varieties – Aus-Jubilee, Aus-Carnival and Aus-Festival; the publication of the second edition of the international CABI book ‘The pineapple – botany production and uses’; and developing genetic markers for out-of-season flowing, phytophthora resistance and smooth leaves – all world leading.
Also recognised at the Gala Dinner were former Growcom staff members Janine Clark and Rowena Beveridge who both received Industry Appreciation Awards – Janine for her invaluable support to the industry around all things biosecurity, pest management and chemicals and Rowena for bringing the industry together to put the focus on sustainable farming practices.
Congratulations to all award winners, growers, industry supply chain members, and Growcom staff on yet another hugely successful event.
