Sustainable soils for the apple & pear industry (PIPS 4 Profit)

Project details

Status: Current

TIA is leading two new projects as part of Hort Innovation’s Productivity, Irrigation, Pests and Soils (PIPS 4 Profit) program - a flagship national research program for the Australian Apple and Pear Industry.

'Building sustainable soils for apples and pears' will provide a national approach to sustainable soil and nutrient management practices with trial sites in Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, NSW and Western Australia.

This long focus research investigates how orchard floor management can enhance nutrient cycling and water availability through improved soil health.  It builds on the 'SINATA' software developed to track and model orchard inputs to improve efficiency, profitability and measure the impact of orcharding on the environment.

It will allow growers to measure the economic impacts of their orchard floor management decisions, how they impact nutrient and water use, fruit yield and quality.

Key focus on sustainability

Sustainability of production and supply chains is really important to both growers and consumers and is a key focus for this project.

The project aims to demonstrate an apple growing system that is not only good for the environment, but also improves efficiency and reduces costs for growers.

Growers key to trials

Research trials will be established in existing commercial orchards to determine what stacks up economically and environmentally.

The team will be working closely with growers to provide relevant and practical knowledge on improving efficiency through soil, water and nutrient management.

The goal is to put hard numbers around the way growers can manage biodiversity and sustainability within their orchard, while enhancing their soil health and land productivity.