1. Nursery Production
The Key to a successful
Industry
Kim Wilson
Gray Plantations

2. “The Forgotten Sector”
The nursery is equally important as the
processor & grower.
Poor quality trees are with you for the life of
the orchard.
Poor NIS prices are only there for 1 year!!!!

3. Nursery Production in Australia
Nurseries & Orchard Rejuvenation
Nurseries around the World
Nursery Accreditation
Nursery R & D

4. Nursery Production in Australia
• 30 years experience – watching
• Demand for trees closely follows NIS price.
• > 90% Grafted – H2 Rootstock
• Small % - Budding & Cutting – variety
related
• Process
– Germination - Sand beds
– Potting up – 8lt bags
– Grafting

5. Nursery Production in Australia
Seed germination
18 – 24 months

6. Nursery Production in Australia
Currently very strong demand (high NIS)
 18 month – 24 month wait
Current varieties
North
 842
 A203
 Daddow
 741
South
 842
 816
 246
 741

7. Nursery Production in Australia
Lot of nurseries come & go
 Mainly due to waiting time
Only two large commercial nurseries
 Others supplying own needs
 General fruit tree nurseries

8. Nurseries & Orchard Rejuvenation
• Obviously nurseries will play a big part
– Commercial nurseries
– Nursery for own use
• Rejuvenation
– Existing varieties
– New varieties from breeding program
• I believe anybody propagating the new
varieties should require approval – AMS

9. Nurseries & Orchard Rejuvenation
• Based on current methods of propagation
nurseries will require a large source of
scion wood.
– Preferably close to nursery
– Trees need to be a few years old at least
– Varieties clearly identified
– These trees can’t be data trees
• Release of Regional Variety Trial scion
wood in the late 80’s??????????

10. Nurseries around the World
• Poor nursery stock
• Poor orchards trees
• Poor performance
• Major influence on quality
Potting Mix
Water quality

11. Brazil – Most good quality

12. South Africa

13. Vietnam – Most nursery poor quality – 1 very good quality
100,000 seedlings

14. China – Many nurseries, mixed quality

15. Thailand - Marcotting

16. Burma – 100,000 seedlings

17. Sri Lanka – Trials 2,000 trees

18. Nursery Accreditation
• The AMS has no official “Accreditation
scheme”
• Nursery Industry – N. I. A. S. A.
• Strong demand = back yard nurseries
Can lead to poor quality
I like the SAMAC system of “affiliated
nurseries”

19. Nursery R & D
• Australian industry spend $2m / year on
R&D
• Zero $ on nursery R & D
• Why do the two largest producing countries
propagate in complete opposite ways?
• Why do we still use H2 rootstock?
• Cuttings – Large numbers would be difficult
sell. !!!!

20. Nursery R & D
• Why don’t we “mini” graft?
• Producing nursery stock is expensive &
not very profitable.
– Researched Avocadoes, Citrus etc
– Most sell at higher price & quicker to grow
• Perhaps there is an opportunity for joint
R & D between countries!!!!!!!!!

21. Thank You