Survey of Subtropical Fruit Orchards

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 99, Issue 6, 15 December 1959, Page 570

Survey of Subtropical Fruit Orchards

By

W. A. FLETCHER,

/ 1 Horticultural Advisory Officer (Citriculture), Department of Agriculture, Auckland

MANY kinds of subtropical fruits have been introduced into New Zealand, but the only ones which are being produced on a relatively large commercial scale at present are Chinese gooseberries (Actinidia chinensis), feijoas (Feijoa sellowiana), passionfruit (Passiflora edulis), and tree tomatoes (Cyphomandra betacea). In recent years a small commercial orchard of avocados has been developed at Gisborne. Plantations of the four main subtropical fruits mentioned were included in a survey of New Zealand's fruit growing industry carried out by Horticulture Division officers during the autumn and winter of 1958.

A FEW of the properties surveyed are devoted to the production of subtropical fruits . alone, but these fruits are grown mainly in conjunction with citrus at.Kerikeri, Auckland, Tauranga, and Te Puke. Recording was restricted to plantations with at least 50 subtropical fruit plants. Where any of the four principal fruits comprised only part of an orchard being recorded, 10 Chinese gooseberry vines and 25 plants of any one of the other subtronical fruits were the

upiuai iruus were me smallest numbers recorded. Plant condition was. recorded for. Chinese gooseberries only.

the main to poor setting of fruit in the Bay of Plenty caused by cool, dry weather during the spring and early summer. Chinese gooseberries: Production was estimated at 353 tons, a considerable increase on the previous year as a result of many young vines coming into bearing. Passionfruit and feijoas: Production remained more or less static at about 94 tons and 28 tons respectively. Planting Trends and Outlook Between the 1953 and 1958 orchard surveys the number of Chinese gooseberry vines has increased by 30 per cent and tree tomato plants by 54 per

cent. The overall area in passionfruit has remained unchanged, but plantings have now become concentrated in the Bay of Plenty and production has increased because of better yields per acre in that district. The area in feijoas has decreased by 15 per cent, but there has been little change in production. As long as present good prices for tree tomatoes are maintained the trend to increase plantings is likely to continue. More than 13,000 new trees (not recorded in the survey) were planted during the year. Yields of tree tomatoes can be markedly affected by frosts and other vagaries of the weather, but once Kerikeri plantations recover from damage caused by a tropical cyclone last March, Dominion production could again increase to more than 800 tons within 2 or 3 years. There was a marked decline in the rate of planting Chinese gooseberries during the year, possibly because of an increasing awareness of the danger of over-production. Nevertheless, as many young vines come into bearing, production is likely to increase steeply over the next few years to about 500 tons and supplies reaching the market during the peak of the. season could become excessive. Growers are therefore looking to cool storage, canning, and export to help spread their marketing. Chinese gooseberries were canned commercially for the first time during the 1959 season, when 100 tons . were processed. If this venture is successful, it could have far-reaching effects on future expansion of Chinese goose-' berry production. ■ Exports About 20 tons of Chinese gooseberries were exported to Britain and Australia in 1958. As a result of improved handling and packing treatments, resulting from Department of Agriculture experiments (see the July 1959 “Journal”, p. 15), returns were very satisfactory, especially in Britain. Attempts to export tree tomatoes have been abandoned, owing to unsatisfactory results on the Australian! market.