The Australian Government's Future Drought Fund is supporting a research programme in partnership with the NSW Government and Charles Sturt University to improve drought resilience in apple and cherry production systems.
The five-year project focuses on developing and testing agronomic management practices under changing climate conditions. Long-term trial sites have been established at a commercial apple orchard in Batlow and a cherry orchard in Gulgong, alongside additional demonstration sites across the Central West, southern NSW, and Tasmania.
The trials will evaluate researcher-designed and grower-suggested treatments to assess their impact on drought tolerance and productivity. Growers will be involved in trial design, treatment selection, and implementation.
Research teams from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Charles Sturt University, and the University of Tasmania will collaborate on the project. Long-term trials will track seasonal cycles in perennial crops to provide data on management performance under field conditions.
The programme will assess management strategies, including soil amendments, deficit irrigation, and the use of technology such as soil moisture probes. The aim is to develop a set of tools to support orchard management under drought conditions.
Research findings will be shared through workshops, factsheets, orchard walks, and a training manual focused on drought management practices.
The project is funded with US$5.16 million through the Future Drought Fund's Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Program.
"Drought is always a case of when, not if," said Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins.
"This project is about improving the ability of horticulturalists to make better use of limited rainfall," said Charles Sturt University Vice-Chancellor Professor Renée Leon.
The programme aims to support growers with data and management approaches for orchard systems under variable conditions.
For more information:
NSW Government
www.nsw.gov.au
