SOILLESS - Protected Cropping Australia Ltd · Official Newsletter of the Protected Cropping Australia Industry Vol 4 2010 Incorporated since 1990 SOILLESS

Official Newsletter of the Protected Cropping Australia Industry Vol 4 2010 Incorporated since 1990 www.protectedcroppingaustralia.com

SOILLESSA U S T R A L I A

History of Australian GreenhousesTomato Taste & Flavour

Marketing FlowersWater Analysis

Bacterial CankerBiological Control

Moraitis Growers’ Workshop

2 Soilless Australia Volume 4 / 2010 July 3-6th 2011 National Conference - Adelaide Convention Centre July 3-6th 2011 National Conference - Adelaide Convention Centre Soilless Australia Volume 4 / 2010 3

History of Australian

GreenhousesFrom the Editor ......................................... 2

History of Australian Greenhouses ..................3

Water Analysis; Hortus Technical Services P/L ...... 13

Tomato Flavour; An Experience Worth Having ..... 14

Moraitis & HFF Growers’ Workshop ..................... 18

How To Price Floral Products To Success .......... 22

Hydro Masta Goes Troppo ................................... 26

Australasian Biological Control Association ......... 28

Classifieds ..................................................... 30

Soilless Calendar .......................................... 31

Advertising Rates 2011 ................................... 31

PCA Board Contact Details ............................... 321

DisclaimerSoilless Australia is published by Protected Cropping Australia Inc. All editorial matter and opinions expressed in this newsletter are

those of the author. The PCA does not accept or assume liability or responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from the correctness

of such information. The publishing of advertisements does not imply the endorsement of those products or services. All ads must

comply with the Trade Practices Act and state regulations. Any correspondence concerning the newsletter should be sent direct to

the editor.

From the EditorAll over Australia growers who protect their crops in various ways – from a simple shade cloth to high tech state-of-the-art climate controlled greenhouses are already finding that the new structure of the industry body is beginning to work well for them as members of Protected Cropping Australia Ltd. The special meeting that finalised the adoption of the new constitiution happened on the 11/11/2010. Welcome to all members.

The next AGM will be at our Adelaide conference on July 3rd 2011 and we all hope to get together to contribute ideas and discussion, and to vote in new directors.

The expanded coverage will include food and vegetable growers, and flower growers.

In the meantime PCA is continuing its back for research and development, and you will find in this issue a fascinating article about the history of the industry from very early days till now, when it would be unrecognisable to anyone who started growing this way in the 1860s using glass panes. Saskia.

Contents

Front cover photo

Moraitis glasshouses in Tatura hosted the HFF Growers’ meeting on 15/11/2010. See story page 18

Growing plants in 2010 is easy – relatively speaking of course. One reason for this is due to technological advances that early australian growers could only dream about. Today the country’s high-tech, energy efficient structures offer precise environmental control and optimum growing conditions.

Commercial Australian greenhouses have progressed through the 20th century from simple glass frames and low-walled pit houses to high-walled, well-ventilated, mechanised and computer-controlled glass and plastic houses on a technological par with the best in the world.

Changes in greenhouse structures have been driven by innovations in framing and covering materials, increasing energy costs, new pests and diseases, market demands and the overriding need to adapt northern hemisphere technology to the Australian climate. Protected plant production in Australia has come a long way – even since the early 1990s.

Nineteenth century nursery people in Australia grew large collections of rare and exotic plant species from around the world. They grew them under glass for the same reason as modern flower, vegetable and nursery growers – to propagate and mature plants, fruits and flowers not native to Australia’s climate in a protected environment.

And just as the early growers seemed obsessed with importing plants from overseas, so too has Australia imported much of the technology for growing plants.

Greenhouse design and construction has been no exception. However, unlike growers in the northern hemisphere, Australian greenhouse growers rarely face a lack of light nor the need to insulate against long, cold, dark winters, unless of course you live in the Dandenongs, Victoria, Tasmania or the Adelaide Hills. The biggest challenge facing designers of Australian greenhouses has been to cool and ventilate the structures during summer.

above: Early innovators included C.F. Newman who, in 1875, established the ‘Model Nursery’ in Adelaide. It boasted several large, high-walled glass houses for palms and foliage plants. The houses had bricked or timbered lower walls, hot water piped for heating, side swing-trap windows and raised roof panels for venting. These were significant structures for the Industry at the time with advanced technology for the commercial industry. Photograph: Hall Family Archives

Timeline1860s: Pit glasshouses and glass frames used for propagation

1875: Model Nursery built by C.F. Newman, Water Gully, Adelaide

1920s: First interconnected, low-wall, gable-roofed glasshouses using rustless steel frames

1934: The Seed and Nursery Trader described benefits of electricity for automation and precision of greenhouse climate control and replacement of timber with rust-less steel frames

1950s: Early importation of English or Dutch Venlo glasshouses

1950s: Electric timers, temperature and humidity sensors and increased automation

1954: Forced air glasshouse ventilation pioneered in the United States

mid 1950s: Nurseries adopted UC system for steam/air pasteurisation

1971: First plastic tunnel house built in Australia

early ‘70s: First fibreglass structures in Australia and beginnings of commercial hydroponic production

1979: First solar-powered greenhouse constructed by CSIRO

early ‘80s: First double skin greenhouse in Australia; first use of internal energy saving/shade screens; moving benches, sub-irrigation technology

late ‘80s: More emphasis on passive ventilation

early ‘90s to present: First retractable-roof house imported and greater range of greenhouse profiles and films available

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The early days

The design, glass and even framing, if cast iron, for most early glasshouses was imported from England. Advantages in cast-iron technology, being developed for the ship-building industry of the late 19th century, enabled the construction of increasingly larger glass-clad houses with sufficient strength to support a considerable weight of glass.

The magnificent Palm House at Kew Botanic Gardens, Adelaide is testimonial to the skill of the craftsmen of the period, but most commercial structures were more modest.

Australian nurseries at the time typically used both glass frames, which could be raised, lowered or moved to protect seedlings or young plants according to the weather, and pit glasshouses.

The pit houses had below-ground, bricked lower walls, waist-level bricked benches and above-ground glass on a timber or cast-iron frame, which allowed for head room but little more. The earth walls insulated in winter and summer.

But growers at the time already realised the need to improve design and some pit houses had adjustable hand-operated side or roof vents or movable glass panels to allow hot air to escape in summer.

The raised beds were often filled with shell grit or limestone pieces to ensure good drainage and, in some houses, hot water was piped to raise bed temperatures in winter.

Floors were bricked or earth. Humidity was high and air movement low, but some of these gems are still in use today as propagation or plant houses in retail and wholesale nurseries.

Pre-plastic

From the turn of the century through to the 1950s, most nursery, flower and vegetable growers used narrow, low-walled, timber-framed, ridge and gutter or gable houses covered with glass.

Large arrays were typically multiples of single houses, often with dirt floors, poor drainage, louvred side vents, solid one- to one-and-a-half metre side walls, and a ridge height of about 2m. The glass panes were small, set with putty, and, through the Great Depression and war years, difficult to source.

The houses were white-washed in summer. Well into the 1960s these houses dominated the near-city tomato, cucumber, capsicum and flower industries and variation on this design are still to be found. Crop temperatures in summer could exceed 50°C due to lack of ventilation.

From timber to steel

The 1920s saw the introduction of rustless steel frames, pioneered by the Dutch in the early 1900s. Steel allowed greater strength, fewer supports, and a good seal, gradually removing the need for glass putty. But timber and putty were still used even in quite substantial glasshouses into the 1960s.

Nursery hygiene, especially in the seedling industry, was also greatly improved in the 1920s by innovators such as W Bone and Sons in Melbourne, who, in conjunction with the Victorian Department of Agriculture, were among the first to use steam for soil pasteurisation for seedling production.

Photos Top to Bottom - At turn of the 19th century the first glasshouses were ‘pit houses’, that had below-ground, bricked lower walls, and above-ground glass on a timber or cast-iron frame. Image courtesy Liverpool Herald 25/5/1907

middle - Ventilation was soon improved with raised roof panels (c), and side-swing trap windows (A & B) which “should be opened on bright, sunny days, or during the sunny part of each day, on the opposite side to the wind, so as to maintain an even temperature.” Hot water pipes stabilised the temperature of the fresh air input, along the length of the greenhouse. Image courtesy of Liverpool Herald 16/11/1907

Next - Tasmanian nursery photo courtesy of the Mercury Hobart newspaper 7/9/1949

Bottom - Nursery Innovator, Jack Pike of Pikes Nursery at Rydalmere in New South Wales, was featured extensively in The Seed and Nursery Trader in 1964 when the nursery celebrated its 12-year anniversary in the industry.


Wider, taller Dutch and English single or double gabled, Venlo-style houses, made possible with technology to produce larger panes of flat glass and galvanised steel beams and glazing bars, were expensive imports in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

These houses were sometimes fitted with evaporative pads and fans and increased venting to ensure adequate cooling through summer, although the local technical support to service this technology was sometimes lacking.

Big changes in the ‘70s

Plastic films and fibreglass, available overseas since the late ‘50s, began to replace pane glass in Australia in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, changing the industry substantially. These new materials – some made locally, some imported – were lighter, flexible and, significantly, cheaper.

Galvanised pipe frames allowed for curved profiles and wide plastic sheets enabled relatively large structures to be inexpensively covered.

Plastic also reduced the need for extensive support framing, opening out the interior of the larger houses, allowing good light transmission, and increasing production flexibility.

Industry pioneers at this time included Bob Campbell and Graeme Salter who later formed Sage Horticultural and Croft Polythene Greenhouses, respectively.

According to Bob Campbell: “Those early frames were half-inch water pipe bent around a gum tree. But once the poly-house idea caught on, the industry moved along rapidly.”

The inexpensive houses were a boon to the rapidly expanding nursery industry.

For the first time, the industry moved away from the traditional gable structure. But although the introduction of plastic films and fibreglass sheets enabled a cheaper structure and more flexible design, adapting the new products to Australian conditions, in particular, high ultra-violet levels, dusty winds and high summer temperatures caused problems.

The early plastics and fibreglass often clouded or shattered after relatively brief exposure to Australia’s harsh environment and some products were lucky to last two seasons.

The era of the plastic ‘igloo’ was born, but growers needed to weigh short cover life and poor ventilation against lower set-up costs.

The Faculty of agriculture of the University of Qld, opened by the minister of agriculture included an insectarium on the left and a glasshouse for banana experiments on the right. Brisbane courier 18/11/1927


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These structures – still in use today in many nurseries as inexpensive propagating houses or basic protective shelters – often rely on passive ventilation down the long axis from end to end. No wind, no ventilation. Raised walls, screened or roll up side vents, larger doors, and alternative covers have greatly improved the performance of this design in recent years.

Overseas change

The ‘70s were a period of major change in overseas greenhouse technology with significant improvements in greenhouse climate management and irrigation and promotion of mechanisation.

Hydroponics, drip irrigation, carbon-dioxide enrichment, moving benches, automation and increasingly better sealed structures that reduced heat loss in winter were gaining popularity in Europe and North America.

Many of Australia’s key greenhouse supply and irrigation companies were established during this period along with the first greenhouse production ventures based on the importation of overseas product handling and hydroponic technology – the beginnings of serious private investment in the greenhouse industry.

According to a company at the forefront of fibreglass structures at the time, Controlled Environment Structures’ John Falland says: “Technology suddenly caught up with the industry in the 1970s but, for many, the costs of implementation were not matched by improvements in productivity – especially in the flower and vegetable industries.”

The late 1970s and early ‘80s also brought the energy crisis, big fuel bills for heated greenhouses, and interest by government and university research and funding agencies in alternative energy use, including the use of solar power for heating and cooling greenhouses.

Drs Keith Garzoli and John Backwell, then of CSIRO and, later, Geoff Connellan of the University of Melbourne’s Burnley College, developed demonstration structures that incorporated aspects of new technology. These structures included solar air and water heating, rock piles for heat storage, solar heat pumps, flooded floors and some innovative ventilation designs, and established an ongoing interest in protected cropping structures and technology by Australian horticultural engineers.

TOP - A low-walled tunnel house at Burnley College, Melbourne, in 1982. Similar small ‘polyhouses’ launched many nursery and flower producers into commercial production in the 1970s.

BOTTOm - A multi-span, raised-wall polyhouse with a double-skinned roof and solar-assisted heat pump to provide bench heating, photographed at Burnley College in 1988. This style of poly-house, often with side ventilation, has been widely adopted by nursery, vegetable and flower producers. Photographs courtesy of Geoff Connellan.


Geoff Connellan – known to many in the hydroponics and protected cropping sectors for his commitment to improving greenhouse design and crop microclimate – says: “Big advances in energy conservation through the ‘80s included the use and steady improvement of internal, adjustable screens for heat retention and shading, and the adoption of the double skinned greenhouse.”

Refinements

Increases in vent size, vent to floor ratio and gutter height, and greenhouse profile changes continued through the ‘80s and ‘90s as manufacturers strove to improve production efficiency and climate control.

However, larger internal greenhouse volumes often required greater structural and fabric strength to avoid damage in strong winds.

The cost of the new structures was a major deterrent for many in the nursery, flower and vegetable industries as profit margins began to decline from the good times of the early ‘70s.

a decade of change

Perhaps the biggest changes to the industry in Australia have occurred since the early ‘90s. This has been a period coincident with industry driven promotion of best practice and quality assurance, the adoption of an Australian Standard for steel

frame construction (AS-4100, 1998) and substantial private and public investment in protected cropping, particularly in the hydroponics industry. New pests and diseases have necessitated a total rethink of greenhouse management, screening and hygiene.

New irrigation concepts such as ebb and flow, flooded floor, and better micro-irrigation systems, along with legislated changes to waste-water management have substantially improved greenhouse irrigation and drainage.

The refinements of computer-driven technologies allow the micro-management and automation of greenhouse climate, and crop production and handling at a time of increasing labour costs and smaller margins.

Greenhouse supply company Powerplants Australia Pty Ltd’s David van Loon says: “Australian greenhouses have gone from being merely a cover to protect plants from extremes to a controlled environment structure with temperature regulation to within .5°C and managed air flow to provide optimum growth conditions for any chosen crop.”

Product and technology is entering Australia from Europe, North America, Israel and New Zealand, but there is also a desire to source locally where possible. Framing materials are frequently produced locally, but some plastics and even glass are still sourced overseas.

Improved film

Neil Sutton, general manager of VP Industries in Queensland, a plastics manufacturer that has worked with the industry since the late 1960s says: “Recent advances in plastics extrusion and chemistry, with the incorporation of additives that alter the light transmission characteristics, strength and product life of plastics, have revolutionised the industry.”

New generation single, multi-layer (co-extruded) and woven films have better ultra violet (UV) stability, and an increasing number of properties from anti-condensation, reduced drip, and modified light transmission that can influence plant growth and pest and disease development.

Greater film strength and wider widths enable higher, wider span greenhouses with minimal internal support for more efficient product handling and greater mechanisation, ventilation and screening options.

Most manufacturers agree on the need to maximise the roof vent to floor area ration. And, whereas plastic films and sheet coverings will continue to weather as a result of exposure to Australian UV levels, a new generation of polycarbonate products comes close to glass in performance. For some crops, the slightly diffused light from polycarbonate structured sheets is preferred.

Glass

And what of glass? Whereas plastics have become the trademark of structures designed for more temperate climes, glass has remained the bastion of the northern European industry, still regarded as the home of cutting-edge technology.

The Dutch-style high wall, interconnected Venlo houses continue to hold a strong place in the Australasian nursery and flower industries, particularly in New Zealand and those areas of Australia with a strong Dutch influence such as the east and southeast of Melbourne.

Dutch glasshouses are being constructed in Australia. In some cases these are used facilities, but in other cases, totally new glasshouses are being built.

Improved technology too has lead to major changes in framing and glass pane size. The glassed structures sold by New Zealand’s Faber Glasshouses Pty Ltd feature very high walls, with massive panes giving high light transmission. These houses are used to produce high-margin crops such as export cherries, cut flowers and export vegetables.

The future

The uptake of greenhouse robotics and automation in Australia lags well behind Europe and North America, but the greenhouse of today is still a very different operation compared to a decade ago.

Additionally, best practice protocols for pest and disease management have revolutionised weed management, drainage, irrigation, and greenhouse hygiene.

But ask any manufacturer or consultant working with the greenhouse industry what the key to optimum greenhouse production is and the answer will be “ventilation” and there is still room for improvement.

Effective ventilation is essential to maintain uniform internal temperatures, reduce relative humidity, condensation and fungal disease, and minimise areas of stagnant air.


Fan-forced ventilated greenhouses are not as popular in Australia as in some other greenhouse countries due to high operating (electricity) costs of the fans. The focus here is on naturally ventilated structures.

But options that maximise natural air movement include computer controlled rack and pinion roof vents, small circulation fans, roll-up sidewalls, ever larger ridge vents in gables, saw-tooths and the new breed of gothic arch designs, and retractable roof structures.

Vent position, size and screening options are available to accommodate wind direction, climate, and crop and pest management.

Connellan says: “Geoff Connellan says that high wall and roof heights, together with generous ridge

ventilation, are now accepted as good greenhouse design practice. Optimum growing conditions can now be readily achieved.

The adoption of technologies that improve the growing environment and assist in the better management of the crop exemplify the increasing sophistication of the Australian greenhouse industry. Fog cooling and increasing use of PC based integrated controllers are two examples of technological developments that are being incorporated in greenhouse facilities.

Another characteristic of the industry is the recognition of the value of appropriate expertise to manage greenhouse facilities. Whilst there has been increased reliance on international growers in recent years, excellent training programs and state of the art training facilities have been developed locally to aid growers in producing viable crops in a sustainable way.

The quality of the produce and efficiency of use of valuable resources, such as water, will be strong drivers in the further maturing of Australian greenhouses” he says.

acknowledgments; This paper was first published by Rural Press, in Australian Horticulture, Centenary Special “A century of Australian greenhouse structures” in 2003 by Anne Frodsham. Considerable thanks to Geoff Connellan and others quoted, including the late Keith Garzoli, and Gail Barth for assistance in compiling this brief historical record.

Hortus and Protected Cropping Australia (PCA) are pleased to announce a new partnership for Hortus to provide technical services for hydroponic and greenhouse growers that are PCA members throughout Australia.

After a rigorous tender process, Hortus was selected as the preferred industry supplier of water and nutrient analysis, at the reduced rate of $69 + GST over a two year period, for PCA members and affiliates only.

This partnership was made possible through the ‘National Greenhouse Waste-Water Recycling Project’ as facilitated by Graeme Smith Consulting.

PCA is the peak industry body representing commercial hydroponic and greenhouse growers nationwide. With many membership benefits, including national advocacy for members to government, technical agencies and other industry groups.

The hydroponics industry is the fastest growing food production sector in Australia, with significant crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum, eggplant, lettuce, Asian herbs and greens and cut flowers.

Hortus has over 25 years experience in providing technical services to various crop production industries throughout Australia, Asia, Europe and the USA including the hydroponic sector.

Jack Milbank, the Managing Director of Hortus, is enthusiastic about this new partnership. “Hortus is excited about this opportunity to collaborate with PCA. We believe that our technical services tailored to PCA requirements will help to promote further growth within the hydroponic and greenhouse sector in Australia, and an industry wide approach to increasing productivity is the way to deliver benefits to members” said Mr Milbank.

The range of analytical services to be provided by Hortus to PCA members include a W3 nutrient analysis on drip and drain samples including; pH, EC, NH4-N, NO3-N, PO4-P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, SO4-S, Cu, Zn, B, Mn, Fe, Cl, Si, HCO3, TA, SAR, TDI. Results will be displayed in mmols as well as ppm. Recommendations can be made on request, by one of our experienced agronomists for an additional charge.

Hortus will also be offering a Hydro-combo, which will include the W3 (drain) together with a sap analysis for NO3-N, PO4-P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, SO4-S, Cu, Mn, Fe, B. This will aid in monitoring the crops nutrient utilisation through each phenological interval.

PCA is encouraging all growers to send in monthly samples to improve the performance of the entire protected cropping industry.

“By monthly nutrient monitoring growers will be able to adjust their crops nutrient requirements as demand fluctuates by crop, variety, light intensity, yield and growing media. It is great that Hortus has agreed to offer a discount to all PCA members for samples submitted” Graeme Smith, PCA chairman, commented.

Hortus Technical Services are proud to be leading the way in establishing Bundaberg as the national centre of agronomic technology.

For more information www.hortus.net.au or call 07 4132 5000.

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modern australian glasshouses now can be up to 8m to the roof gutter and fully computerised, including retractable shade screens.


If you ever watched the movie ‘The Matrix’ you may remember the scene when one of the characters was enjoying a juicy steak. He knew the steak was not real. He knew the flavour perception he was experiencing was only the result of electronic signals reaching his brain. But, he didn’t care. The experience was so good, that it didn’t make any difference to him that he was living a lie. Of course that was just science fiction, but when we look at the flavour perception in detail we might as well be talking about science fiction because the complex chemical and physical interactions needed to produce the flavour experience are nothing short of amazing.

The first thing we need to understand is that taste although very important, is only part of the experience we call flavour. The perception of flavour is formed in our brains as the messages from all

our senses are combined. Taste, smell, and touch (mouth feel) are clearly the most important senses, but hearing and sight also play a role. For example, if you place a tomato in the fridge, the low temperature will reduce the aroma released, and it will likely change the texture or mouth feel as well. The taste will be the same, but the flavour experience in your brain will be different. Most people however, will say that the tomato did not taste good, but what they really mean is that the flavour was not as good as expected.

When we talk about taste, we are referring to the five chemical signals we are able to sense because of the taste buds on our tongue. That is, bitter, sour, salty, sweet, and savoury. We could put in our mouth a cocktail of chemicals including acids, sugars, and proteins similar to the chemicals found in tomatoes, and we would probably imitate the taste, but the flavour experience would not be the same. We still need the smell, the mouth feel, and even the sound and visual appeal of the tomato to complete the real experience. That’s why we can say that taste alone can be boring, but flavour give us an infinite range of combinations that make eating so interesting.

Yet, taste is very important because it is the foundation of flavour. In tomatoes, the taste is the result of a number of different compounds. But, the amount and type of sugar and acid they contain have the most dramatic effect. The more acid the tomato has, the sourer it tastes, and the more sugar it has, the sweeter it tastes. A bland tomato is the result of having little of both, sugar and acid. Depending on the ratio and type of sugars and acids, tomatoes can have different ideal uses. A tomato with high sugar levels is likely to be enjoyed as a snack to give your brain a sweet reward. The same tomato may not be as good in a specific type of salad or sandwich which may require a more balanced ratio of sugars and acids. Many times we test tomatoes and we want to see the highest possible sugar levels, but sometimes a well balanced tomato can be even better than a very sweet one. Personally, one of my favourite tomatoes is Amoroso RZ which has a very well balanced taste and an intense and nice aftertaste

Tomato

Flavouran experience Worth Having

By PATRICK ULLOA, Rijk Zwaan Australia

The rijk Zwaan ‘sensational flavour line’ includes cocktail tomatoes such as amoroso rZ

that lasts for a few moments after you have eaten the tomato. It is a memorable experience (well, at least for me).

The ratio and type of sugars and acids present in a specific variety are determined initially and more importantly by its genetic makeup. Growers need to take into account the needs and expectations of their customers, and hopefully of final consumers when selecting a variety that not only grows well under their specific conditions, but that will taste and produce a flavour experience that will motivate repeated sales. In the end, it is repeated sales that help businesses grow and prosper. In some cases, using taste and flavour as a strategy may require customer and consumer education. For example, a tasty tomato such as Elanto RZ has good scores in sweetness, acidity, juiciness, aftertaste, and skin toughness, but it may be a bit smaller than other tomatoes and could be disregarded by customers and consumers if the taste/flavour value of the variety is not explained. Other very flavourful tomatoes such as Montenegro RZ are not even red. They remain green on the outside when ripe. That of course would take a lot of customer and consumer education, but the potential to create repeated sales after that is indeed quite interesting.

From a management point of view, growers may also be able to enhance or inhibit some of the natural taste and flavour potential of a variety. Obviously, the amount of light available will determine the initial sugar production potential of a crop. Also, a balanced crop (vegetative-generative) is more likely to produce good quality and flavourful tomatoes.

rijk Zwaan amoroso tomatoes

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Perhaps one of the most effective tools to achieve the best possible taste and flavour relates to the nutritional and irrigation management of the crop. Nutrients such as Potassium for example help to move water into the cell of the developing tomato producing more juicy fruits. Sulphur forms organic compounds that help with taste and flavour as well. In general, a higher EC (within the acceptable range of course) helps to enhance the taste of tomatoes.

In the end, taste and flavour is something that everybody wants, but it can sometimes be elusive, because it requires all the links of the supply chain to work together to achieve the goal. We begin by determining how a consumer segment will use a specific tomato, then the seed company needs to make available a variety which has the yield and taste/flavour potential to satisfy those needs, the grower needs to steer and manage the crop to achieve its potential, wholesalers and retailers need to handle product correctly, and must work to educate consumers on the special taste and flavour benefits of the product, and consumers should be willing to pay perhaps a bit extra to maintain and support a line of products that actually achieve the memorable food experience they are looking for.

Not easy to achieve, but worth trying.

rijk Zwaan amoroso cocktail greenhouse tomatoes


know that they have got a disease, it is still very important to send samples to the various state agricultural bodies to confirm.

Tomato chlorosis virus is a highly mechanically transmitted virus, so one shouldn’t pull out infected plants and drag them through the greenhouse. Symptoms to look for include anything unusual and can even look like nutritional issues such as yellowing. Therefore sending samples to a laboratory can give growers a structured approach to deal with the various virus and disease outbreaks.

recommendations - Always get a professional analysis, quarantine the infected area and keep people out. Put samples and infected plants and produce in plastic bags. If it turns out not to be anything, you haven’t lost anything, but you may saved your own life.

• Mr Len Tesoriero is plant pathologist with 30 years’ experience, working on diseases of fruit & vegetable crops. Len’s special area of expertise is fungal and bacterial diseases in lettuce, tomato, cucurbits and capsicum, and he has extensive experience with hydroponic and protected cropping systems, in particular areas such as pythium and canker. Len has just published a paper with Leanne Forsyth, and he discussed some of the following outcomes with growers.

Tomato bacterial canker in australia

The purpose of the Tesoriero / Forsyth study was to collect and compare isolates of bacterial canker: Clavibacter michiganensis subspecies michiganensis (Cmm) from across

Recently, in Tatura in Victoria, there was a remarkable gathering of distinguished plant scientists – virologists and pathologists.

Moraitis Hydroponic Tomatoes in conjunction with the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) and the Hydroponic Farmers’ Federation (HFF) hosted the workshop at Moraitis’s tomato propagating, growing and packing facility.

Due to a concurrent academic conference in Melbourne, Moraitis were able to gather the distinguished group of speakers together at their glasshouses in Tatura in November. It was a rare opportunity to meet, talk with and listen to some of the front line plant science personnel in Australia as well as view the impressive Moraitis facility as well as catch up with fellow HFF members.

• Dr. John Thomas is a DEEDI plant virologist with 35 years’ experience in diseases of fruit, vegetables and pasture crops, with special interest in tomato and capsicum disease identification, vector transmission and control.

• Mr. Denis Persley, another DEEDI plant virologist with 40 years’ experience and working in similar areas as above, spoke on endemic and exotic thrips transmitted viruses. Pipino mosaic virus is particularly important in protected cropping as it is easily spread through contact, plant debris and through the vector thrips.

Once the virus is in the greenhouse it is very hard to get rid of it. The result is unmarketable fruit, that are wrinkled and deformed. If one sees symptoms,

growers should respond quickly and send a sample to DPI to get conclusive identification.

Separating growing areas from each other, is one management technique

• Sharon Van Brunschot is a PhD student studying Tomato yellow leaf curl virus and Tomato leaf curl virus. She is developing diagnostic

assays for the viruses for detection in both the plant hosts and the whitefly vector.

• Dr. Cherie Gambley, again from DEEDI and a plant virologist with 10 years’ experience is experienced in bio security and travels extensively to develop contingency plans. Her current areas of interest are virus, fungal and bacterial diseases, especially in Cucurbits, Tomatoes, Lettuce and Capsicum.

Endemic & Exotic whitefly transmitted viruses

Dr Gambley is involved in identification and spoke to growers about the endemic whitefly transmitted viruses including exotic whitefly in Bundaberg QLD, Virginia SA and the Sydney Basin. Although not definitively in Victoria as yet, growers should be vigiliant and able to identify the various whiteflies, because they are all very likely to arrive eventually.

Viruses are transmitted by insect vectors and symptoms include; a reduction in plant vigour, growth and production, mainly at the bottom leaf. A fact sheet is available from DEEDI Qld with further details.

Tomato Chlorosis Virus is likewise important in protected cropping and even if growers think they

Morait is & Hydroponic Farmers Federat ion

Growers’ Workshop


Once Cmm is found on-farm it is particularly hard to eradicate, with reports of it surviving between tomato crops for more than 4 months and up to several years (Fatmi & Schaad, 2002; Gleason, et al., 1991).

Bacterial canker can survive in relatively low numbers in media and nutrients, as it only needs a reduced form of micro nutrients such as sulphites and organic matter. Therefore strict management practices are necessary as it can reside for days on plastic surfaces and cutting implements, and for years in plant material, in water and nutrient solutions, and in other alternative host plants including certain weeds and some solanaceous crop plants such as capsicum and eggplant (Chang et al., 1992).

control & management Practices; Disinfectants, chemicals & iPm strategies

Different disinfectants have different properties and effective lead times.

Currently there are no registered chemical controls for bacterial canker, rather the only effective methods are to quarantine and eradicate infected material.

Some growers leave pruned leaves on the greenhouse floor, even between crops to maintain a habitat for encarsia formosa, whitefly control. But when you know you have the disease then the sacrifice of encarsia is necessary to get rid of the canker.

Wound science; Dropping pruning material down on to the floor, and walking over this compost heap every time you visit your crop, poses a high risk of spreading disease. Imagine a hypothetical hospital situation with used syringes on the ground. Sanitising tools and hands particularly when you know you have the problem, is important.

Elevating ambient temperatures periodically may be a useful strategy to reducing the virulence of Cmm bacteria in greenhouses between crops. A heat shock treatment raising the empty greenhouse or nursery temperature to 42 degrees Celsius, for 3 to 6 hours

may be helpful for reducing the disease development in the subsequent crop.

However, it should also be noted that substrate media and nutrient solutions used for greenhouse fertigation may contain sufficient reduced forms of sulphur and nitrogen to allow Cmm to survive. In particular, degrading roots in substrate media would provide a ready niche for Cmm survival. There is no harm in changing your nutrient solution more regularly, but there is harm in leaving it too long.

Use of microbial biocontrol bacteria such as certain strains of Pseudomonas and Bacillus could be useful to out-compete Cmm in these substrate niches. The microrhizom fungi may positively stimulate the plants defences, and therefore there is some potential here for bacterial canker control.

Two or three properties have quickly become 20 or 30 with various tomato wilting diseases. So good hygiene standards between farms is critical, hence the saying “Come clean. Go clean.”

For more informationDenis Persley DEEDI (Qld)Ph 07 3896 9375 [email protected] Gambley @ DEEDI (Qld)Ph 07 3896 9299 [email protected] Hall SARDI (SA)Ph 08 8303 9562 [email protected] Tesoriero I&I (NSW)Ph 02 4640 6428 [email protected]

acknowledgement for research funding includes;Horticulture Australia Ltd (HAL), AusVeg, DEEDI Qld, Industry & Investment (I&I) NSW, Dept of Agriculture & Food WA, Primary Industries & Resources SA, Dept of Primary Industry (DPI) Vic and the SA Research & Development Institute (SARDI).

Australia with local and overseas reference collections, and to determine if different genetic strains of Cmm corresponded with regional, temporal or international origins.

This information would assist the Australian tomato industry trace origins for the prevention and containment of bacterial canker disease.

History of tomato bacterial canker in australia

Bacterial canker is a devastating disease of both field and greenhouse tomatoes, caused by the bacterium Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm). First found in Michigan, USA in 1909, Cmm has now spread to all major tomato growing areas of the world. It is currently the most serious disease affecting tomato production in the Australian greenhouse industry.

symptoms

Symptoms of bacterial canker in tomato can vary from mild marbling on fruit through to wilting and plant death. Symptom expression also depends on the tomato cultivar, environmental conditions and nutrient management.

Generally Cmm infection is not expressed in young plants and disease symptoms are unlikely to appear before the setting of the third or fourth truss. It lives as a biotroph in the first stages of infection, rapidly colonising the vascular tissue and evading the plant’s defences.

Typical early visible symptoms are scorching marks on the leaves, wilting as well as browning on stems. Peeling away a layer of the stem reveals browning of the vascular tissue inside. Blister type white spots on the leaflets and ‘V’ shaped lesions are common but not exclusively bacterial canker, and a professional analysis is required.

spreading

Cmm is highly contagious and can be spread in a number of ways. Initially it can be introduced onto farms with infected seed, seedlings, soil/media, visitors, machinery, and potentially with contaminated water.

Spreading from primary infections occurs easily through wounds and is associated with cutting tools and handling plants during pruning, defoliation and harvesting. Grafting tomatoes is therefore a high risk activity for spreading bacterial canker.

Cmm can also enter (and leave) through natural openings on plants: stomata, hydathodes and lenticels. Water flowing off infected plants was shown to contain one million bacteria per millilitre (Shirakawa et al., 1991).

len Tesoriero

V shaped lesions on leaflets

One-sided death of leaflets

Birds-eye spots on fruit

Browning of vascular tissues on stems


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All images supplied by the NSW Department of Primary Industries

Background:- case study - a Dozen roses

Wade & Nicky Mann have only been in Australia 8 years come January 2011 but what we have learnt & experienced whilst growing, wholesaling and retailing hydroponic roses on the Central Coast of New South Wales has been invaluable. Therefore, to save other growers (no matter what crop you grow) from the mistakes we have made – I have set out 7 Easy Steps to Price Your Floral Products for Success.

1. Know Your True Value

a. “Diamonds vs. Water” scenario – look at how well priced Diamonds are compared to Water. Do we NEED diamonds to keep alive? No – therefore Water should be more valuable to human beings but it’s NOT! Diamonds are a luxury and marketed to be scarce, very difficult to obtain and process – plus, the ultimate sign of love – “the bigger the diamond the more women think/feel they are loved!”

b. Sad fact – growers always under value themselves & their product

c. Value your time, skills, profession, products, expertise, experience and your industry

d. Know your cost of production – how can you price your product if you don’t know how much it has cost you to produce? Make sure you take into everything into consideration even your Mum packing your flowers for export on a Sunday evening – in the real world you would be paying someone to do that so take it into account!

e. U.S.P. (Unique Selling Proposition) – i.e. hydroponic, out-of-season supply; largest head-size; longest vase-life; travels well; particularly rare species; difficult to cultivate; etc. etc. – know why your product should sell or what makes you different from everyone else

f. Do your homework on your industry, the market, the consumers, the product, the trends BUT don’t necessarily follow like SHEEP

g. Most floral products are perishable and need to be moved through the supply-chain quickly – i.e. making them more valuable when they are fresh & less so when they are old – please keep this in mind

2. Quality & Presentation

a. Have pride in your product and display it to it’s best advantage e.g. it’s not good enough growing the finest Waratahs if you don’t grade, pack, store or present them to really show them off

b. Implement strict quality controls – give customers, wholesalers and the end-consumers confidence in your product – downgrade the quality yourself to A2 when you know it is not your usual standard or quality. This is vital to create trust & credibility – it also makes “the game” fair – not a one-way street

c. Put guarantees in place and stick by them – we guarantee our roses will last 7 days in the vase. This

removes any excuse from purchasing our roses and ADDS value – it’s extremely rare that people abuse this guarantee – so don’t let FEAR hold you back.

3. Value-Add

a. Wrap or sleeve your product

b. Label your product with it’s name, your trading name & the place of origin

c. Bundle in dozens or above weight and or length

d. Differentiate your product from the rest

e. Put flower food with the product or “Care Instructions” especially if the product is rare or unusual – assist people get the best possible experience from your product because this will drive them back for more

f. Even attach information about the cultivation process; the farm; the producer; the flower or plant; - this adds huge VALUE – people love to learn things and be more knowledgeable about floral products

g. Words like “Locally Grown”; “Export Quality”; “Proudly Australian”; shout VALUE – use them

h. Put guarantees in place – take the risk out of purchasing your product

i. Education & Communication – Tours of your farm or production facility are excellent Public Relations tools plus adds a passive income to your bottom-line; go to garden clubs, Probus, Rotary, Lions, Senior Groups, etc and offer to do talks; – tell them what you do – tell them about your product – tell them how to appreciate your product or get the best results, etc – this creates a profile for your product and helps people understand and appreciate your industry – and thus vast quantities of value!

j. We’ve gone a step further and opened retail outlets specialising in selling our product – our staff are knowledgeable and we keep their skills upgraded and consistently train them. Invite your wholesalers/ florists to come visit your farm too – teach them & help them to understand your product more in return they will have more confidence & success in selling your product!

4. Don’t Discount!

a. The minute you discount you are DE-VALUING your product; people then think that is the ACTUAL cost of production and the rest of the time you are ripping them off. They do not realize that you are selling it at a loss and below the cost of production. Do you really think the big stores give you 70% off the cost of production of any item in store – NO, it is only 70% off the recommended retail price.

b. Also the big danger with discounting is – you WILL create a monster – because people will only buy your product when it is on “special” or what they will now consider “good value” for example K-MART’S “Socks & Undies” sale – do you think you will just go out and buy

Pricing Floral Products To

S u c c e s sBy NICKY MANN

Wade & Nicky mann of a Dozen roses


socks & undies when you need them – NO! – you will wait until the next sale and only buy then.

c. By all means give your bigger wholesalers, florists or customers a better deal by giving them MORE in the way of value i.e. upgrade their length, weight, quality or selection. Give them 2 free bunches with 20 bunches purchased

d. If you give a discount they will take the same amount of bunches at your discounted price and you will actually lose money & not move any more flowers.

e. BUT if they normally take 20 bunches – say, if you take 30 bunches at the normal price – we will give you 5 bunches FREE! Those were the bunches heading for the dustbin – that way you’ve got rid of 10 extra bunches & the wholesaler has 5 bunches to make profit with. Everyone is happy!

5. reliability

a. Reliable information on your product, your supply, your quality and WHAT YOU REALLY CAN PRODUCE or SUPPLY

b. This is how you win trust – don’t kid yourself or your customers

c. Better be safe than sorry

d. If you foresee a shortage or a problem notify your buyers straight away so they have time to source elsewhere – remember they have commitments too, remember your misfortune will be another grower’s gain & you will benefit from this same scenario another time – so have an abundant mentality

e. Sometimes the scarcity scenario drives up the demand and sometimes the prices

f. Be a reliable TEAM PLAYER too – don’t just think of yourself – think of other growers as well – your acceptance of poor prices WILL affect everyone else even your suppliers!

6. consistency

Consistency of supply, quality, attitude, quantity/weight, and on PRICE

7. Be strong

a. It’s not going to be easy, yet be firm but fair – it has got to be “Win-Win”

c. Don’t compromise yourself, your staff, your product or your industry – by undercutting everyone’s prices just to make sure your coldroom is empty. It’s amazing how quickly you will go BROKE if you sell lots of flowers below your cost of production

d. Don’t be AFRAID to throw product away if there is a total over supply & the prices have hit rock bottom. Save on your production costs especially labour.

e. Be innovative – think outside the square and do something novel with your excess – we make Pot Pourri with excess roses or we put little bags of “Magic Sex Petals” on the counter as an add-on sale. Or you can feed the roses to goats – a side-line business maybe? Or innovate with a new packaging system like our Roses2Go Pak to extend our geographical market or start selling over the internet;

f. Try farmers markets, try the internet but do something…….

conclusion

In order to survive and be successful in any business – and remember, after all, even though we are flower growers we too run businesses & have to treat them as such – we need to carefully plan how we sell and market our product. And whether you like it or not, pricing must be done – and lastly remember anyone can sell something ONCE but a truly good product that represents good value can be sold over & over again. And by the way, who sets the price of emotions? – And at the end of the day isn’t that what we are really selling in the ‘flower-game’ – “LOVE”; “SYMPATHY”; “HAPPINESS”; “GRATITUDE” !


No one thinks twice about picking up some hydroponically grown fresh salad greens, a lettuce, some herbs, or some vine ripened tomatoes at their local supermarket … Unless you live in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Until just recently no such produce was available, and most ‘fresh’ produce had spent days in transit from the highlands.

But one PNG public company and one Australian hydroponic company have just begun to change what ‘fresh’ means in Port Moresby.

Late last year, Hydro Masta Pty Ltd was contacted by CPL, a mixed retailing business in Port Moresby to discuss a pilot programme initially for producing fresh hydroponic lettuce, salad greens and herbs for their supermarkets. As Trevor Holt, managing director of Hydro Masta says “this was a challenging project, and it needed to be a turnkey operation where we took complete responsibility for everything from seed all the way to the supermarket shelf”. (And he meant that literally: just getting import licenses for the agricultural grade seed was just one of the many hurdles that applied to this project in Papua New Guinea.)

It was decided to build a 24x6 metre bench NFT system to produce lettuce, salad greens and herbs with initial capacity of 4,000 plants in stage one, but extendable to 40,000 plants in stage two. Work on site commenced in March 2010 and the first produce was delivered to the city store in late August.

Shorter 6 metre benches were also chosen over longer systems to try and keep the nutrient solution cooler, a critical factor in retaining dissolved oxygen and maintaining normal root zone metabolism in this tropical climate.

Trevor relates an episode during the construction of the tank room that really demonstrates just how difficult the tropical climate can be. After excavating the holes for the tanks (2x5 thousand litres) and sinking them in the ground, there was a tropical downpour and both tanks were ‘floated’ out of the ground! “Next time I’ll fill them with water immediately” says Trevor!

Shade cloth had to be erected over the entire area too (28m x 16m), as being in the tropics, the full midday sun is directly overhead and fierce enough to overheat the NFT gullies and anything growing in them. Both the propagation and processing rooms needed to have air-conditioning installed to compete with the tropical heat.

Hydro Masta chose the automated dosing system from BlueLab, which consisted of a peristaltic pump for dosing, probes for sampling the nutrient strength, pH and temperature. This automated system meant that maintaining the correct settings could be handled by the staff with just some elementary training, and has been very successful on the whole says Trevor, except for one brief period when the feed line to the pH meter was turned off! “We got that fixed pretty quickly” says Trevor, “and that was the worst problem we’ve had, so all up, it’s a very easy system for them to run.”

In the air-conditioned propagation room trays of herbs, (sage, sweet basil, rocket were the pilot choices, but now the sage is being replaced by coriander which is in big demand), frilly lettuce, mesclun mix are all started from seed on racks under fluorescent light, and transferred outside to the

hardening off area when established, prior to planting out in the NFT gullies.

With just two full time, and three casual staff (all indigenous workers), the whole system is in continuous production, and each bench is producing 120 salad packs, which Trevor expects to increase as they fine tune the system.

It’s been a very busy year for Hydro Masta, with Trevor making a total of 8 trips to PNG in the last 12 months. “It’s been more than just supplying the equipment”, says Trevor, “and has meant that we are involved with every detail of the operation, right down to creating the Profit and Loss spreadsheets for the project.” Getting the produce to market was just one component of the pilot, it also needed close costing and monitoring to see a profit at the farm gate.

Papua New Guinea is getting a huge investment of some US$13 billion over the coming years in their natural gas resources, so there’s going to be increased demand for fresh food as the thousands of expat workers arrive to get this project established.

This one small pilot hydroponic system is hopefully just a start to what could be a big future for Hydro Masta in PNG. Hydro Masta documented the whole project and the videos can be seen on their website at:

www.hydromasta.com.au/PNG.php

NFT in PNGNutrient Film Technique in the Tropics

HydroMasta Goes Troppo

rocket and lettuce being picked for PNG supermarket salad packs.


The Australasian Biological Control Association (ABC) was formed in 1993. It’s members are Australian and New Zealand based breeders of beneficial insects and nematodes that are used to manage pests in many horticultural situations. The association’s main goal is to help reduce the present level of pesticide usage by encouraging the development of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies in a range of crops.

Education is seen as a key driver for the adoption of successful IPM programs. The associations members assist growers to understand how to successfully manage pests and diseases within an IPM framework dealing with the various pressures placed upon crops throughout the growing cycle.

The associations web site www.goodbugs.org.au is a treasure trove of information on IPM and biological control agents. You can also contact members through this site. These members have, over many years in the industry, acquired an amazing level of experience and knowledge. They have been using these skills to support growers use IPM systems in their crops for more than 20 years.

I strongly recommend for growers that wish to pursue an IPM perspective on their crop to take a look at the site and make contact with a member to discuss your individual situation before you start.

There is an established IPM accredited grower scheme with a registered trade mark to identify produce as IPM grown (opposite page)

Research & development by members is ongoing with various projects aimed at broadening and improving IPM as a management system; Bugs for Bugs and Bio Mites are developing a parasitic wasp for the biological control of Silverleaf whitefly. IPM Technologies is developing an IPM program for Potato Psylid. Manchill IPM Services has recently released the Minute Pirate Bug for better Thrips management and continues to develop IPM programs for growers especially in W.A. Bio Works is working on a soil bourn predatory mite that also has potential in Thrips suppression. Bio Resources is working to develop an IPM program for Fruit Spotting Bug. Just to name a few.

The following was taken from the Good Bug Book it is a definition of IPM that I am unable to improve on. So with the association’s permission I have reproduced it here.

“Integrated pest Management (IPM) is a strategy that encourages the reduction of pesticide use. It does this by employing a variety of pest control options in harmonious combination to contain or manage pests below their economic injury levels. The aim of IPM is to maximise the use of biological control. Other control measures, especially chemicals, must play a supportive rather than disruptive role. Chemicals should not be used on a ‘calendar’ basis but strictly when needed, as defined by systematic pest monitoring. Selective rather than broad spectrum chemicals should take preference. The aim is to produce high quality marketable produce at minimal cost and chemical input by intelligently using the various control options to manage pests.”

Slowly but surely a trend away from pure chemical dependence is growing. But adoption of IPM can sometimes be difficult to achieve as a new mind set is required by growers to allow released and naturally occurring beneficials to develop within a crop to manage pests without the interference of insecticides. Generally it will take a grower a couple of crops to change their processes and thinking to embrace the new system and really get the hang of how the various components of an IPM program interact with each other.

Biological control agents:

[email protected]

07 4165 4663

Integrated Pest Management tools:

Australiasian Biological Control Association

www.goodbugs.org.auBy MATTHEW PARKER

aphidiusGBB2

encarsiaGBB2

monty


2011 SOILLESS CALENDAR

25 - 28 January iPm essen, Germany

www.ipm-messe.de

2 - 4 marchFresh Produce indiaShangri-La New Delhi

[email protected]

18 - 20 march 7th international Hydroponic course

& congress, Toluca, MexicoC.P. Gloria Samperio Ruiz

[email protected]

14 - 16 april 2011 AusVeg National Convention,

Trade show & National awards Sebel-Citigate Hotel, Brisbane

[email protected]

25 - 27 mayFresh 2011 rotterdam, The Netherlands

www.freshcongress.com

EXFOLIATORS (AUST) P/L

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100% Perlite Premium Perlite / VermiculiteBlended to suit your requirements

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3-6th July 2011

Protected cropping australia

Biennial conference

adelaide convention centre

Flowers, Fruit & Vegetable Growers

Trade Exhibition

Lectures & Grower Workshops

Hydroponic Farm Tours

Industry Awards, Banquet & AGM

sponsorships available

Conference Organiser; Rick Donnan Ph 02 4567 7960

[email protected]

Biobest Biological Systems

•Bug-Scan sticky traps, • Bug-Scan rolls & ribbons

• Biosweet - Thrip attractant

• ThriPher - WFT Pheromone

Authorized Biobest reseller; Job Roskam 0418 356937

[email protected]

www.roskam-youngplants.com

S O I L L E S S A u s t r a l i a

Quarterly advertising rates 2011

single issue series of 4 ads

Classifieds $ 135 $125ea9cm wide x 7cm high

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inserts (tailored to your market) $1.10 $1ea

material Deadlines; Feb 15th, May 15th, August 15th, Nov 15th p.a.

editorial submissions should emailed to the [email protected]

32 Soilless Australia Volume 4 / 2010 July 3-6th 2011 National Conference - Adelaide Convention Centre

Board of Directors Graeme smith chairmanPO Box 789 WOODEND VIC 3442Phone 03 5427 2143 0427 339 009 Fax 03 5427 3843 [email protected]

marcus Brandsema Deputy chairman8 Brandsema St TURNERS BEACH TAS 7315Phone 03 6428 2319 0409 217 131Fax 03 6428 2694 [email protected]

Mark Millis VegetablesCopelands Rd WARRAGUL VIC 3820Phone 03 5623 1693 Fax 03 5623 [email protected] 0417 394 122

matthew mcinerney VegetablesPO Box 416 SYDNEY MARKETS NSW 2129Phone 02 9764 [email protected] 0417 468 828

Nicky mann FloricultureLot 82 A Hakone Road WOONGARRAH NSW 2259Phone 02 4392 4155 Fax 02 4392 [email protected]

robert Hayes leafy GreensPO Box 274 BANGALOW NSW 2479Phone 02 6621 3451 Fax 02 6684 [email protected] 0418 376 258

Oliver Draganovic allied TradePO Box 1236 SUNSHINE WEST VIC 3020Phone 03 8773 6300 Fax 03 8773 [email protected] 0434 656 168

leigh Taig allied TradeFryers St SHEPPARTON VIC 3630Ph 03 5833 2851 Fax 03 5833 [email protected]

saskia Blanch company secretary & editorPO Box 538 NARRABEEN NSW 2101PCA Ph/Fax 02 9907 [email protected] 0414 333 996

SOILLESS - Protected Cropping Australia Ltd · Official Newsletter of the Protected Cropping Australia Industry Vol 4 2010 Incorporated since 1990 SOILLESS

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