Passionfruit growers are enduring a horror year according to Passionfruit Growers Association President Clive Muir who grows passionfruit at Glenbrook Beach near Waiuku. He says the vines are "a sponge for fungi". Several different fungal rots attack the fruit, crown canker rots the trunk and phytophthora gets at the roots. No wonder that heavy rainfall during the spring and summer has resulted in marked fruit and leaves dropping off the vines. Controlling rots by spraying has been near impossible.
"Spraying can only prevent infection," Clive said. "No curative remedies exist."
Lack of sunshine has meant fruit is not colouring and green fruit has to be rejected.
On the day The Orchardist visited Clive and his wife Cheryl had reason to feel discouraged as they sorted their fruit for packing. Usually they can export about 60 per cent of their crop but this year only about 25 per cent has the unblemished skin required for export. Their export quality fruit is picked up separately from the rest during each day's harvest. The obvious total rejects are left in the orchard but much of their crop carried into the packhouse is not even fit for the local market. Last year they had a bumper crop and employed nine casual staff to harvest and pack the fruit this year they are doing it themselves.
Careful research
Two and a half years ago Clive and Cheryl decided to plant part of their 5.5-ha property which runs down to the Manukau Harbour close to the settlement at Glenbrook Beach. Clive carefully researched the pros and cons of various fruit crops including tamarillos, feijoas, pepinos and passionfruit. Passionfruit came out on top for best return but with a high labour content. Tamarillos were the second choice, offering a lower return but involving less work. Passionfruit have an average return over export and local markets of $5 a kilogram compared with tamarillos' $2 a kilo. Passionfruit thus have the advantage of requiring only two-fifths of the area for an equivalent return. Both crops yield 20kg a plant under perfect conditions.
Clive looked to all sources for information on growing the crop. When on holiday at Whangamata he and Cheryl heard about someone growing passionfruit at Whiritoa, the next village south along the coast. They called in and found Ralph and Beryl Madsen were most helpful, giving them every assistance, in contrast with the reluctance of some experienced growers to share information.
They were told that half their plants would not grow so they raised 1000 plants, planting them at double the recommended density. However, all grew and this has proved a disadvantage in that fungus control has become more difficult as the vegetation has become more dense. Every second vine is coming out at the end of the season.
Last year's bumper crop was a revelation. Early in the season they began picking up a few buckets a day but suddenly the fruit drop escalated by about ten times. They made a desperate call to the packhouse that leases their kiwifruit, Verikiwi which obliged by sending round a team of workers. Last winter brought heavier frosts to the district than for several years. Contrary to the advice of other growers, Clive and Cheryl pruned the two rows beside the Manukau Harbour before the frosts and left the rest. The early-pruned rows suffered a little superficial damage but the whole orchard produced fruit at about the same time. Clive suggests that the frosts slowed the fruit development on the early pruned vines.
Higher production from A-frames
The Muirs followed the Madsen's advice and grew their vines on A-frames which have the advantage of protecting the fruit from sunburn and getting twice the crop from the same area as fence supports.
"With A-frames you only have to walk half the distance to pick up the crop," Clive said, "But the disadvantage is the less efficient spray penetration."
In the packhouse Clive has converted a tomato grader, padding its walls and installing new six-micron brushes. He finds it works well, the fruit moving continuously from where it is tipped, along a grading belt, over the brushes and then being sized into bins. Export fruit is graded and packed manually.
Clive and Cheryl have leased out their 2.5 canopy ha of kiwifruit on a fixed lease.
"Some years you don't do as well but other seasons you do better than those who have tray-based leases," he said. "But a fixed lease is an incentive for the leasor to maximise the crop and take really good care of the orchard. We prefer it."
After a few years struggling for support the Passionfruit Growers Association now has a committee of eight members and 80 registered growers. Despite a low return rate its poll of growers has given overwhelming support for a renewal of its Commodity Levy. Of the 30 growers who voted, 80 per cent voted for continuing the Levy, and 60 per cent by production. Only four voted against the Levy. Now President Clive Muir and Secretary Lilian Rippey have to work through the final stages of getting the Levy proposal through the Ministry of Agriculture and signed off by the Minister. Three years is the average time a passionfruit grower stays in the industry - for many it provides a cash crop while other crops such as kiwifruit or avocados come into production. But some growers have been in the game for many years, usually growing passionfruit in conjunction with tamarillos. The association can point to some concrete achievements over the past six years. A nutrition report has been written and published as well as a disease control report. Charts illustrating fruit quality standards and the symptoms of pests and diseases have been developed and circulated to growers. A booklet written by Pat Sale, published in 1987 is available to association members. Now a website is being set up. This year's first field day was held in February on Tony and Linda Dimmock's Katikati orchard.
Clive took on the presidency 18 months ago "because no-one else was prepared to do it." Nor was anyone willing to be secretary so he did both jobs, a heavy commitment. This year, however, Lilian Rippey of Katikati is secretary and the workload has dropped.
Article by Rosalie Smith
Reprinted from "The Orchardist" March 2002
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