Farms: Overcoming avocado's biggest challenge

Australia's biggest avocado grower is investigating the use of organic compounds to help combat the disease problem phytophthora by improving soil health and increasing beneficial soil microbial activity. It is hoped the research, being carried out at Simpson Farms in Childers, Central Queensland, will help reduce the avocado industry's reliance on synthetic chemical fungicides. Simpson Farms produces about 11,000 tonnes of avocados per year -- about two million trays -- and distributes them to Woolworths stores across Australia. This is about 20 per cent of total national supply. The company has been supplying Woolworths for more than 10 years and also exports to a range of markets, predominantly in Asia. A $55,000 Woolworths Fresh Food Future grant, administered by Landcare Australia, is being used to set up a 10-hectare trial at the Simpson Farms property. It will assess the efficacy of various organic amendments including molasses and humic acid in arresting tree decline due to root rot.