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| Introduction Sustainability Case Studies Resources | |
| Case Study List | |
Cleaner and Greener FruitJohn and Dot Clement run an orchard on the banks of the Goulburn River in Toolamba. The land has been run as an orchard since the early twentieth century, when John’s father started planting horticultural crops. Currently, the orchard covers 45 hectares of the Clement’s 89 hectare block, which includes a packing shed and cool storage.Orchardists spend a lot of time fighting pests in their crops. Integrated pest management has been developed to minimise the use of sprays. Delta and funnel pest traps and hormone strips are placed throughout the orchard and filled with pheromones. Pheromones are synthesised hormones which confuse the males so that they can’t find the females for breeding. Monitoring the number and type of pests they catch means they only use sprays when they have got a major pest problem. Typical pests include the codling moth, the light brown moth and the oriental moth. John hires a consultant to monitor the types of pests in their orchard and advise on how to deal with problems. John also hires a water consultant to help him monitor water use in the orchard. John has installed an automated watering system which has replaced old sprinklers and significantly reduced their water usage. They monitor the moisture levels in the soil and only water when necessary. Micro-irrigation jets water the area immediately under the tree, which cuts down on the number of weeds in the orchard. The new system also helps John shield his crop from frost damage by programming it to water when the temperature reaches a certain level. "Fruit fads" have a direct influence on the orchardist’s property and in the market place. John remembers "the old days when varieties didn’t change much" but feels that now there is "no longer a season" because controlled air conditioning storage can preserve the fruit for up to one year after picking. To combat these problems the Clement’s orchard contains many different varieties of fruit: eight of apples, six of pears, three of peaches, two of nectarine and two of nashi fruit.
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