What is it all about?
This project aims to increase the percentage of carrots that meet market specifications by improving how crops are grown, handled and stored. Carrots that are downgraded or rejected due to defects such as splitting, disease, or poor shape significantly reduce farm profitability.
The work will be delivered in three stages.
- Working with growers across Australia to identify the key issues affecting packout through interviews, on-farm monitoring and a review of existing research. The project will also track export supply chains to understand how handling and storage affect quality and shelf life. This information will be used to prioritise research and guide the next phase.
- Conducting targeted trials to better understand and manage major issues such as splitting, scab and fusarium disease, as well as postharvest handling. The trials will investigate factors like irrigation, nutrition, climate, storage conditions and supply chain impacts. An economic analysis will assess the cost-benefit of improved practices.
- Sharing results with growers through workshops, field demonstrations, case studies, videos, webinars and best practice guides. These outputs will help growers adopt practical strategies to improve carrot quality, reduce losses and increase profitability.
