A Central Australian quandong grower says yields are significantly down this year, thanks to the high amount of grasshoppers in the area over summer.
Gunnar Nielsen, who grows the fruit on his block in Alice Springs, said the influx of the insects in the area in January destroyed many of the trees, some of which did not recover.
"Some years we have good harvest, some years we don't. This year's down a fair bit," he said.
"[The grasshoppers] were really hard on all the trees, they scoffed all the leaves, and the trees have been flat out recovering.
"That's just how it goes, when the grasshoppers eat [the] leaves and flowers then we have a bad year.
However Mr Nielsen said despite the tough conditions, small amounts of the fruit have started to come through, albeit late.
"This year's a late ripening, it's only now they're starting to arrive, and usually we'd be out flat out picking right now," he said.
According to Mr Nielsen, picking will continue for the next six weeks as the fruit comes through, and whatever is picked will be packed and frozen.
Mr Nielsen said the fact that it was a drier, warmer winter could also have contributed to the lack of growth.
Last year Mr Nielsen told the Northern Territory Country Hour he sent 110 kilograms of the fruit interstate.
"Locals don't really want to know much about it, so they can have it down south, they can't get enough of it by the looks," he said.
Despite the tough conditions, Mr Nielsen said he had managed to propagate a further 50 trees on the block, but it will be a while before he gets any fruit off them.
"That'll take at least five years before we see anything out of them, it all takes time," he said.
Source: abc.net.au
