R&D projects

Management options for reducing the reliance on insecticides for fall armyworm in sweet corn (VG23006)

This investment is providing vegetable growers with reliable crop monitoring methods and a broad suite of tactics to reduce frequency of insecticide applications and ensure ongoing viability sweet corn and capsicum production in high-risk fall armyworm regions.

3 May 2024

• Ongoing project
• Vegetable Fund
• Pests, diseases and biosecurity

Finding opportunities to strengthen innovation in the Australian vegetable industry (VG23000)

This project aims to improve the Australian vegetable industry's ability to innovate by identifying strengths and weaknesses in the current system.

23 April 2024

• Ongoing project
• Vegetable Fund
• Industry development and communication

Consumer usage and attitude tracking 2023/24 (MT23201)

This investment provides a category tracking service to allow various horticultural categories to better understand consumer usage and attitudes and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

21 February 2024

National strategy, baseline and value perception study for Plus one serve by 2030 program (VG23005)

This investment laid the groundwork for the ‘Plus One Serve of Vegetables by 2030’ program by developing a strategy to encourage Australians to eat more vegetables, establishing a baseline to measure progress against, and delivering a study into how Australians currently perceive vegetables.

2 October 2024

• Final research report
• Vegetable Fund
• Completed project
• Health and nutrition

Industry preparedness for exotic root knot nematode (Meloidogyne enterolobii) (MT22012)

This research will use the latest advancements in molecular screening to provide a better understanding of root-knot nematodes occurring in Australia and develop an identification tool for these nematodes that will be more cost effective than methods presently available.

10 January 2024

• Ongoing project
• Potato – Processing Fund
• Potato – Fresh Fund
• Sweetpotato Fund
• Vegetable Fund
• Pests, diseases and biosecurity

Revisiting brown etch of pumpkins (VG22012)

This project seeks to identify the causes of brown etch of pumpkins so that growers can better understand how to manage the condition more effectively.

13 December 2023

• Ongoing project
• Vegetable Fund
• Pests, diseases and biosecurity

Vegetable industry biosecurity and business continuity strategy (VG22004)

This project will create a biosecurity strategy for the vegetable industry, providing an adaptable, flexible approach to preparing for high-priority exotic pests, responding to the arrival of exotic pests, and assisting with the initial monitoring and management of pests that are still establishing in Australia.

28 November 2023

• Ongoing project
• Vegetable Fund
• Pests, diseases and biosecurity

Chemical residue report to support Australia’s Country Recognition Arrangement (CRA) with Indonesia (MT23000) (MT23002)

This project provided a report of national residue testing data to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) for their utilisation in renewal of Australia’s Country Recognition Arrangement (CRA) with Indonesia.

9 November 2023

• Avocado Fund
• Cherry Fund
• Citrus Fund
• Onion Fund
• Persimmon Fund
• Strawberry Fund
• Table Grape Fund
• Vegetable Fund
• Completed project
• Blueberry Fund
• International trade and markets

Glasshouse films (VG21006)

This program seeks to reduce energy use and increase resource use efficiency by employing new light-blocking (Smart Glass) and existing light-shifting (LLEAF) films in glasshouses operated by the protected cropping industry.

28 August 2023

• Ongoing project
• Vegetable Fund
• On-farm and crop management
• Technology

Produce Executive Program Scholarships (VG22011)

This project supports four scholarships annually on the IFPA Produce Executive Program for employees from vegetable levy-paying organisations in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

28 August 2023

• Ongoing project
• Vegetable Fund
• Study tours
• Leadership