Australian Sweet Persimmon Industry Development Project- Phase 4

Abstract

The Australian persimmon industry grows mostly non-astringent varieties and is totally reliant upon overseas breeding programs for new varieties to satisfy consumer preferences into the future. Several new non-astringent varieties have been identified, mostly from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) persimmon breeding program in Japan, as potentially relevant to the Australian industry.
Australian growers now have the ability to store persimmons for up to eight weeks by treating fruit with 1MCP then cold storing at 0oC. Embracing the new storage regimen will enable the industry to minimize the peaks and troughs of supply in the domestic market and extend fruit supply beyond the Australian harvest season. An export trade to distant markets is now feasible with the improved postharvest storage technique, as exporters and buyers will be confident of fruit quality on arrival.
Persimmon orchard productivity could be improved by moving from the use of seedling rootstocks to vegetatively propagated rootstocks. Firstly, a vegetative propagation technique with the capacity to reliably produce large numbers of rootstock plants is required. Establishing the most productive rootstock selections will require long term field trials in the different persimmon production environments across Australia.
Australian persimmon growers have new options for the control of mealybug following research quantifying the effectiveness of systemic insecticides clothianidin and sulfoxaflor. The systemic insecticides are more compatible with IPM programs where growers are using predators to assist in the control of mealybug.