Located at Ardmona in Victoria, the Turnbull family is targeting consistent 80-tonne per hectare yields and minimum 80 per cent class 1 pack-out, an enormous jump from current 55t/ha yields and 60pc pack-out with their Cripps Pink and Rosy Glow apples.

Brothers Alex, Philip and Chris are the fifth generation on the 1892-established orchard, taking over from parents Ross and Daphne.

They grow apples, pears, peaches, cherries and nectarines, with 130ha of the 220ha property currently under orchard production, excluding young trees.

Alex said speculation over the future of the industry, including the impact of imports as well as labour costs and water supply concerns, had led the production change at the orchard to ensure a profitable business for the future.

“We are battling imports that are produced where labour costs are very low compared to Australia. We need to supply a higher quality product with higher yields, and without raising production costs, to compete and be profitable,’’ Alex said.

“There is a focus in the fresh industry that lower tonnages produce better quality, but we need challenge that.’’

A research trip by Alex and Chris to Washington State in the US, a region noted for its excellent orchard technologies and good water supply, was influential in the family’s new direction.

One of the keys to their move to the higher production, high quality system has been investment in a specialist Netafim drip irrigation system that is automatically controlled by the company’s NMC SingleNet unit. This also uses Netafim’s FertiKit fertiliser injection system for total nutrient application control.

Prior to this the family was applying nutrients through their irrigation system and had previously broadcast fertilisers.

Alex said four new production blocks, comprising 15ha, were now being fed via the FertiKit and drip irrigation, while the drip system also had been installed on two existing blocks. An existing mini jet system is watering other areas.

“We are changing over to drip irrigation. We will go drip with any new plantings and wherever we have the ability to do it.

“We like the low output drip line in terms of getting water use efficiencies. We use a pulse irrigation method to reduce soil compaction, improve capillary wetting and to achieve a continued supply of water to the tree – less water, more often.

“We also plan to have overhead cooling and netting to improve fruit colour,’’ Alex said.

The Netafim drip and NMC SingleNet system is achieving significant water savings.

“We estimate that we are saving 45-50 per cent of our usual water application with the new system on the four new blocks. And together with the use of straw mulch, we are saving about 70pc.’’ Alex said.

“We would normally be watering for 46 hours a week, whereas with the new system we are doing 14 hours a week.’’

He said the NMC SingleNet automation unit had improved irrigation management.

“There is less involved in terms of management by an irrigator. Instead of paying someone to turn taps on and off and switch channels, they are spending more time on crucial things.

“The system waters from Saturday through to Friday night with low rates and the irrigator puts the whole schedule in on the Friday afternoon and he only needs to check that it is turned on and the fertiliser is going in.

“We check the filters every two weeks and we flush the system four times a year.’’ Alex said.

Netafim agronomist Sam Birrell said the full NMC SingleNet, drip and FertiKit system offered a new level of irrigation and nutrition control to orchardists and was now being adopted by an increasing number of growers. The systems also are available separately.

“Fertiliser injection is crucial for growing high quality fruit and drip irrigation works well in all systems to reduce water requirements and better control moisture in the profile,’’ Birrell said.

“The majority of wine grapes are now irrigated by systems similar to this.’’

Netafim also offers a more advanced automation system, NetaJet, which comes with EC and pH control as standard and is particularly suited to situations where there are water quality issues. EC and pH control is an option with the NMC SingleNet.

Flow meters and pressure sensors also are added options with the systems.

While the Turnbulls are not necessarily saving money on fertilisers per hectare through their new fertigation system, they recognise they are getting much better use out of the fertiliser applied.

“We are using much more of the fertiliser that we are paying for. With broadcasting you know you are losing a significant amount,’’ Alex said. “

In previous times we fertilised three times a year by dumping it in the irrigation pits and then sucking it through a pump in five seconds without knowing that it was getting spread through the block evenly. We are now fertigating five days out of a week.

“We are now pulsing so often – every four hours while it is hot – and so we are able to spread the fertiliser application out over a series of waterings. And we are putting it right where we need it around the root zone.

“We are applying 25-35 kilograms of fertiliser a week spread over 10 applications of water. We are also watering at times when we are not fertigating.

“We are fertilising a lot because we are pushing the hell out of the trees, but we will slow this down.

“We hope to see with this efficient system that we will be able to reduce the amount of fertiliser we need to use. It is about applying less, more often – applying a little bit all the time to optimise fruit size and colour, but being careful not to overinvigorate the trees.’’ Alex said.

With the young trees on the four new production blocks established last winter, the Turnbulls are targeting one metre of vertical growth over the growing season.

“Consultants were saying that the 1m aim was too large, however we have passed 85 centimetres of growth on overage for the year already,’’ Alex said. Tree density on the new blocks also has been increased, equating to 3000 trees/ha.

Alex said this was still too low and by spacing trees 1.2m apart on 4m row spacings in future, he could increase this to 4160 trees/ha.