Possible uses for phenocam in horticultural studies Dr Grant Thorp, Plant & Food Research Australia, Brisbane Presentation to ACEAS Phenocam Workshop, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland 11 March 2014
Possible uses for phenocam in horticultural studies
Dr Grant Thorp, Plant & Food Research Australia, Brisbane
Presentation to ACEAS Phenocam Workshop, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland 11 March 2014
New Zealand-based science company providing research for the fruit, vegetable, cropping and seafood industries.
Crown Research Institute: amalgamation between HortResearch and Crop & Food Research
Over 900 employees: 650 research staff, 15 sites in New Zealand, plus sites in USA and Australia
Plant & Food Research
» Correct timing of management operations is fundamental to successful fruit production
» These operations are often timed to meet the period of highest “demand” which are reflected in the growth cycles of trees
» Understanding the “extent” of each growth cycle, i.e. the size of the demand is also important to understanding the accumulation of reserves in plants and future cropping cycles
Phenology = tree growth cycles
Few challenges with temperate/deciduous trees
» Working with temperate and/or deciduous trees with a single major growth flush each year is relatively straightforward
» Key metrics: time of flowering, time of leaf area development (emergence and senescence) and fruit development (skin colour)
Challenge is with evergreen and subtropical trees
» Evergreen tropical and subtropical trees can produce multiple flushes of vegetative and reproductive growth each year
» Significant variation between seasons and between trees
Key metrics for avocado:
1. Timing of vegetative and reproductive growth flushes
2. Proportion of the tree/orchard involved in each growth flush (ON and OFF cropping trees)