Tasmania has been struck by massive summer rains; in the state’s driest farming areas a massive 110mm of rain fell over the weekend. About 90mm fell on cherry grower Mick Dudgeon’s 7ha orchard Stonecrest Cherries at Sorell. It caused relatively little damage, but more rain this week is certainly unwelcome, as the owner told news.com.
The orchard aims to harvest about 70 tonnes from 10 varieties of cherries, and picking starts in January. According to Fruit Growers Tasmania’s Phil Pyke almost everything was still positive: “The Maturity Index of the fruit shows it is not in the risk period at this stage. Yield is still expected to be good. And good orchard practice will mitigate the risk of rot events.”
