Custard Apple Information Kit. Agrilink, your growing guide to better farming guide

Each Agrilink kit has been designed to be both comprehensive and practical. As the kits are arranged to answer questions of increasing complexity, they are useful references for both new and experienced producers of specific crops. Agrilink integrates the technology of horticultural production with the management of horticultural enterprises. REPRINT INFORMATION - PLEASE READ! For updated information please call 13 25 23 or visit the website www.deedi.qld.gov.au (Select: Queensland Industries – Agriculture link) This publication has been reprinted as a digital book without any changes to the content published in 1998. We advise readers to take particular note of the areas most likely to be out-of-date and so requiring further research: see detailed information on first page of the kit. Even with these limitations we believe this information kit provides important and valuable information for intending and existing growers. This publication was last revised in 1998. The information is not current and the accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed by the State of Queensland. This information has been made available to assist users to identify issues involved in the production of custard apples. This information is not to be used or relied upon by users for any purpose which may expose the user or any other person to loss or damage. Users should conduct their own inquiries and rely on their own independent professional advice. While every care has been taken in preparing this publication, the State of Queensland accepts no responsibility for decisions or actions taken as a result of any data, information, statement or advice, expressed or implied, contained in this publication.

Bromus catharticus striate mosaic virus: a new mastrevirus infecting Bromus catharticus from Australia.

Although monocotyledonous-plant-infecting mastreviruses (in the family Geminiviridae) are known to cause economically significant crop losses in certain areas of the world, in Australia, they pose no obvious threat to agriculture. Consequently, only a few Australian monocot-infecting mastreviruses have been described, and only two have had their genomes fully sequenced. Here, we present the third full-genome sequence of an Australian monocot-infecting mastrevirus from Bromus catharticus belonging to a distinct species, which we have tentatively named Bromus catharticus striate mosaic virus (BCSMV). Although the genome of this new virus shares only 57.7% sequence similarity with that of its nearest known relative, Digitaria didactyla striate mosaic virus (DDSMV; also from Australia), it has features typical of all other known mastrevirus genomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that both the full genome and each of its probable expressed proteins group with the two other characterised Australian monocot-infecting mastreviruses. Besides the BCSMV genome sequence revealing that Australian monocot-infecting mastrevirus diversity rivals that seen in Africa, it has enabled us, for the first, to time detect evidence of recombination amongst the Australian viruses. Specifically, it appears that DDSMV possesses a short intergenic region sequence that has been recombinationally derived from either BCSMV or a close relative that has not yet been identified.

Climate Change - Risks and Opportunities for the Custard Apple Industry

Climate affects the custard apple industry in a range of ways through impacts on growth, disease risk, fruit set and industry location. Climates in Australia are influenced by surrounding oceans, and are very variable from year to year. However, amidst this variability there are significant trends, with Australian annual mean temperatures increasing since 1910, and particularly since 1950, with night-time temperatures increasing faster (0.11oC/decade) than daytime temperatures (0.06oC/decade). These temperature increases and other climate changes are expected to continue as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, with ongoing impacts on the custard apple industry. Five sites were chosen to assess possible future climate changes : Mareeba, Yeppoon, Bundaberg, Nambour and Lismore, these sites representing the extent of the majority of custard apple production in eastern Australia. A fifth site (Coffs Harbour) was selected as it is south of the current production regions. A mean warming of 0.8 to 1.2oC is anticipated over most of these sites by the year 2030, relative to 1990. This paper assesses the potential effects of climate change on custard apple production, and suggests strategies for adaptation.

Evaluation of APFIP (apple) varieties

Evaluation of APFIP (apple) varieties.

Apple Stealing Artworks

Signed Eli 1943 Terezin Ghetto

: Parasitoids of the painted apple moth Teia anartoides Walker (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) in Australia.

Painted apple moth Teia anartoides Walker (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), a native to Australia, was discovered in Auckland, New Zealand in late 1999 and eradicated by 2006. It was recognised in 2002 that biological control would be the most effective long-term control strategy if eradication was unsuccessful, and a search was initiated for potential biocontrol agents in Australia. In 2003, autumn and spring surveys were undertaken in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia of the guild of parasitoid natural enemies of T. anartoides. Eggs, larvae and pupae were collected and held to rear out any parasitoids. In addition, localised searches were made in Queensland in late 2003 early 2004 and laboratory-reared juvenile stages of T. anartoides were released for recapture in both Victoria and Queensland. Acacia dealbata Link (Fabales: Fabaceae) was the main plant from which T. anartoides was recovered, followed by apple. Most T. anartoides samples were collected from Victoria and Tasmania. Eighteen species from 13 genera of egg, larval and pupal parasitoids were reared and included Diptera (Tachinidae) and Hymenoptera (Braconidae, Encyrtidae, Eulophidae and Ichneumonidae). Of the seven Hymenopteran genera recovered from the larval stage, the most common in Victoria and Tasmania was a previously unidentified larval parasitoid Cotesia Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) sp. Echthromorpha intricatoria (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) was the dominant pupal parasitoid. The survey showed that the parasitoid complex associated with T anartoides is structurally very similar to that on other pest Lymantriidae in the northern hemisphere such as gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). Meteorus pulchricornis (Wesmael) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was recorded for the first time in Australia.

Pond apple (Annona glabra L.) - Investigating novel mechanical control options

Pond apple usually occurs in swampy areas, but mechanical control may be a viable option in some locations during drier periods. Two machines, the Positrack™ and the Tracksaw™, have been trialled for initial kill rate, amount of follow-up control required, safety to field operators, cost-efficiency and selectivity (effect on native vegetation), compared to other control options. The Positrack™ is a tracked bobcat with a slasher-type attachment that cuts individual trees off near ground level and mulches them. It has no on-board herbicide application capability and requires an additional on-ground operator to apply herbicide by hand. The Tracksaw™ is a tracked mini-excavator with a chainsaw bar and spray applicator on the boom that cuts individual trees off near ground level and applies chemical immediately to the cut stump, requiring only a single operator. Initial trials were done in infestations of similar sizes and densities at the Daintree (Positrack™) and in Innisfail (Tracksaw™) in late 2009. Kill rates to date are 83% for Positrack™ mechanical, 95% for Positrack™ mechanical plus herbicide, and 78% for the Tracksaw™ combined treatment. If ongoing comparison proves either of these machines to be more cost effective, selective, and safer than traditional control methods, mechanical control methods may become more widely used.

Stability and structural transitions of tomato aspermy virus and cucumber mosaic virus

The properties of the S-strain of cucumber mosaic virus (S-CMV) and the B-strain of tomato aspermy virus (B-TAV) have been studied with respect to their (i) size and sedimentation behavior, (ii) requirement of divalent metal ions for stability, (iii) sensitivity towards chloride salts and the anionic detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate, (iv) solubility in ammonium sulfate-containing buffers, and (v) pH-dependent structural transitions. The results indicate that the coat protein of B-TAV is more hydrophobic than the other well-studied strains of TAV and CMV. Circular dichroism and uv absorption studies reveal pH-dependent structural transitions, although these do not result in particle swelling. These transitions appear to alter the strength of protein-nucleic acid interactions in these viruses.

Pathogenic variation of Alternaria species associated with leaf blotch and fruit spot of apple in Australia

Four Alternaria species groups (A. longipes, A. arborescens, A. alternata/A. tenuissima and A. tenuissima/A. mali) are associated with leaf blotch and fruit spot of apple in Australia. There is no information on the variability of pathogenicity among the species and isolates within each species causing leaf blotch or fruit spot. We used a detached leaf assay and an in planta fruit inoculation assay to determine the pathogenicity and virulence of the four Alternaria species. Our results showed that isolates within the same species were not specific to either leaf or fruit tissue and showed great variability in pathogenicity and virulence, indicating cross-pathogenicity, which may be isolate dependent rather than species dependent. Generally, virulence of A. tenuissima and A. alternata isolates on leaf and fruit was higher than other species. Isolates of all species groups were pathogenic on leaves of different cultivars, but pathogenicity on fruit of different cultivars varied among isolates and species. Implications of our findings on prevalence of the diseases in different apple-producing regions in Australia and the development of targeted disease management of the diseases are discussed

Timing of Infection and Development of Alternaria Diseases in the Canopy of Apple Trees

Alternaria leaf blotch and fruit spot of apple caused by Alternaria spp. cause annual losses to the Australian apple industry. Erratic control using protectant fungicides is often experienced and may be due to the lack of understanding of the timing of infection and epidemiology of the diseases. We found that Alternaria leaf blotch infection began about 20 days after bloom (DAB) and the highest disease incidence occurred from 70 to 110 DAB. Alternaria fruit spot infection occurred about 100 DAB in the orchard. Fruit inoculations in planta showed that there was no specific susceptible stage of fruit. Leaves and fruit in the lower canopy of trees showed higher levels of leaf blotch and fruit spot incidence than those in the upper canopy and the incidence of leaf blotch in shoot leaves was higher than in spur leaves. Temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall affected leaf blotch and fruit spot incidence. The gained knowledge on the timing of infection and development of disease may aid in the development of more effective disease management strategies.

Phylodynamic evidence of the migration of turnip mosaic potyvirus from Europe to Australia and New Zealand

Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) is a potyvirus that is transmitted by aphids and infects a wide range of plant species. We investigated the evolution of this pathogen by collecting 32 isolates of TuMV, mostly from Brassicaceae plants, in Australia and New Zealand. We performed a variety of sequence-based phylogenetic and population genetic analyses of the complete genomic sequences and of three non-recombinogenic regions of those sequences. The substitution rates, divergence times and phylogeographical patterns of the virus populations were estimated. Six inter- and seven intralineage recombination-type patterns were found in the genomes of the Australian and New Zealand isolates, and all were novel. Only one recombination-type pattern has been found in both countries. The Australian and New Zealand populations were genetically different, and were different from the European and Asian populations. Our Bayesian coalescent analyses, based on a combination of novel and published sequence data from three nonrecombinogenic protein-encoding regions, showed that TuMV probably started to migrate from Europe to Australia and New Zealand more than 80 years ago, and that distinct populations arose as a result of evolutionary drivers such as recombination. The basal-B2 subpopulation in Australia and New Zealand seems to be older than those of the world-B2 and -B3 populations. To our knowledge, our study presents the first population genetic analysis of TuMV in Australia and New Zealand. We have shown that the time of migration of TuMV correlates well with the establishment of agriculture and migration of Europeans to these countries.

Seed bank persistence and germination of chinee apple (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.)

Chinee apple (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.) is a thorny tree that is invading tropical woodlands of northern Australia. The present study reports three experiments related to the seed dynamics of chinee apple. Experiment 1 and 2 investigated persistence of seed lots under different soil types (clay and river loam), levels of pasture cover (present or absent) and burial depths (0, 2.5, 10 and 20 cm). Experiment 3 determined the germination response of chinee apple seeds to a range of alternating day/night temperatures (11/6°C up to 52/40°C). In the longevity experiments (Expts 1 and 2), burial depth, soil type and burial duration significantly affected viability. Burial depth had the greatest influence, with surface located seeds generally persisting for longer than those buried below ground. Even so, no viable seeds remained after 18 and 24 months in the first and second experiment, respectively. In Expt 3 seeds of chinee apple germinated under a wide range of alternating day/night temperatures ranging from 16/12°C to 47 /36°C. Optimal germination (77%) occurred at 33/27°C and no seeds germinated at either of the lowest (11/6°C) or highest (52/40°C) temperature regimes tested. These findings indicated that chinee apple has the potential to expand its current distribution to cooler areas of Australia. Control practices need to be undertaken for at least two years to exhaust the seed bank.