Extension to build innovative culture and capability in the Australian mango industry (MG21002)
What's it all about?
This investment ensures that Australian mango growers and other supply chain stakeholders are kept informed about current R&D activities, results and resources – supporting the adoption of industry best practices and bolstering mango production in key growing areas across the country.
The overall objective of this project is to improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the Australian mango industry through improved capability, innovative culture, demand creation and more consistent quality.
The project team focuses on three key areas:
- Building industry capability to support cohesion and increase knowledge, attitudes, skills, and aspirations (KASA) to use the investment outputs across the supply and demand initiatives to manage risk better and create positive change.
- Improving industry productivity, profitability, and sustainability by adopting new technologies and best management practices in the priority areas of maximising yield, consistent quality and demand creation.
- Providing opportunities for engagement between and across mango industry members and relevant stakeholders.
Over the past six months, the project team has continued to develop, review and upload fact sheets and other resources onto the AMIA website. The chemical posters have been updated as needed. Pre-season roadshows were held in Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Carnarvon and Gingin (WA). During these events, growers and other industry stakeholders heard about the latest news, R&D updates and resources available to them. Field walks were also conducted where AMIA teamed up with industry partners to improve cross industry collaboration and leverage connections and skills. The calibration and validation exercises of the mango industry’s Felix Produce Quality meters were carried out in Queensland and continued in the NT for late season varieties. Throughout the 2022-23 season, the IDOs conducted dry matter testing and collated crop forecast and weekly dispatch data for weekly publication in our e-newsletter, leading to better decisions, distribution and planning. A grower survey was developed and will assist in establishing a baseline for some of the delivery gap goals identified in the communication and extension strategy. Farm visits have been conducted in Carnarvon and Gingin (WA) with the AMIA team now able to travel again to Western Australia since the pandemic restrictions lifted.
During this reporting period, the following activities were achieved:
- Pest and disease update events: these were held out of season in Darwin on 4 April, Bowen on 5 July and Mareeba on 7 July 2022. This series of events aimed to update growers on the current pest and threats for mangoes ahead of the flowering season (including information relating to the mango shoot looper incursion), and to provide growers with useful resources and material such as factsheets and booklets.
- Mango pre-season roadshows: these were held in Darwin, Katherine, Kununurra, Mareeba, and Bowen/Burdekin on 9, 11, 12, 29 August and 13 September 2022. Growers and other industry stakeholders heard about the latest R&D and industry updates at our pre-season roadshows.
- Farm visits: Industry Development Officers have conducted farm visits to continue building grower relationship and to discuss issues. As a result of a farm visit, northern giant termites were identified as a potential threat to the local mango industry. The QLD IDO worked with the QDAF entomologist, local agronomist and Hort Innovation and an emergency use permit was issued to help growers manage this pest.
- Crop forecast and supply report: The IDOs have started to collect and collate crop forecast and dispatch information from growers in Darwin and Katherine. The Kununurra and Bowen/Burdekin forecast is available here.
- Chemical posters: The handy guide for the major mango pests and diseases provides an overview of the approved insecticides, fungicides, post-harvest, and plant-growth regulator chemical products available to the mango industry.
This project is a strategic levy investment in the Hort Innovation Mango Fund