Record-breaking hot and dry September weather, followed by an unusually warm beginning to October, has meant that top-fruit and grape harvesting could progress without wet weather issues. Reports of surplus grapes for sale suggest that the crop for many vineyards is coming in above estimate. BAPL is promoting the start of the marketing season by saying that, while it may not be a bumper crop, the fruit’s flavour will be second to none. A fun statistic to grab attention is BAPL’s claim that an estimated 22 million apples are being hand-picked every day during October. The effort to maximise sales this year by challenging British retailers to ensure that stores around the country promote British apples during October, which BAPL has designated British Apple Month, is a commendable initiative. Let’s hope that consumers are convinced by ‘in-store theatre’ to raise the profile of the fruit and by more social media advertising that apples are a “homegrown superfood”. The 90th National Fruit Show scheduled for the start of November, with a packed two days of everything impressive about the fruit industry, will be another opportunity to raise our profile.
A profile of Chapel Down, Britain’s largest producer of English wine, confirms that the company will soon have over 1,000 acres of vineyards, plus production through a network of partner growers. The summary of progress by viticulture manager Richard Lewis speaks for the industry as a whole: “We have learnt a lot about what we do in the last 10 to 15 years, we are not feeling our way as we once were. We are now producing high quality fruit for proven, high-quality wines and have been doing so for several years. There is a greater degree of confidence in what we can do now, particularly in the south-east of England”.
There’s good news on R&D funding as the latest round in government agri-tech funding includes technologies to predict strawberry yield and optimise harvesting schedules and a new system to digitally map and monitor vineyards using drones, robots, and sensors. Illustrating UPL’s commitment to more sustainable crop protection, 70% of the research at their new Shray Hill research facility in Shropshire includes work on biopesticides, biostimulants, and plant or soil-health enhancers. The company has invested in a covered growing facility, strawberry beds, a vineyard, and apple and pear orchards, bringing the total sum spent on the site to over £5m.
The October issue also includes
- Precision orchard management
- Orchard competition winner
- Bitter pit solution
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