New Net Solution For Sunburn

Some growers in the Southern Cape are using nets that can easily be draped over tree rows to protect pome fruit against sunburn. Apart from their convenience and flexibility, the new nets cost a fraction of fixed net structures. Daan Brink of Two-a-Day and Ebbie Raubenheimer of Nulandis spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the technology, which was developed in Australia.

- Glenneis Kriel

Pome fruit producers in the Elgin, Grabouw, Vyeboom and Villiersdorp (EGVV) region lose thousands of rand annually to sunburn damage. To reduce these losses, many farmers have started covering higher value orchards with shade nets. However, the high cost of this is often not justified, especially for older orchards with only a few years of production left.

To help growers overcome this difficulty, crop protection company Nulandis imported Drape Net in September last year. Unlike fixed nets, which require permanent structures, these patented nets are draped over trees like a blanket. They are not left on the trees permanently, but used when necessary.

“We heard about Drape Net from members of [fruit and vegetable packing company] Two-a-Day, who saw the product in use during a trip to Australia almost five years ago,” says Ebbie Raubenheimer, regional manager of Nulandis.

Drape Net was developed 15 years ago by third-generation Australian fruit farmer Michael Cunial as a cost-effective solution to protect his orchards against hail. It has since also been found to reduce damage to fruit caused by sunburn, insects and birds.

In addition, it decreases cross variety pollination between citrus trees, helping to increase the number of seedless fruit in seedless varieties and lower the pruning requirements of certain trees, depending on fruit variety and tree architecture. Australian research also found savings of up to 30% in irrigation water demand during the months that trees were covered.

SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERIENCE

Two-a-Day growers last year purchased 15ha worth of Drape Net to test the nets’ efficiency in apple and pear orchards. Raubenheimer foresees that this area will be expanded to about 86ha in the coming season across the EGVV region. Daan Brink, a technical adviser at Two-a-Day, says the growers were happy with the results.