Varroa mite, fall armyworm, cauliflower breeding

04/29/24 • 27 min

Vegalogue is a podcast from Australian vegetable peak industry body AUSVEG. Each month we take a look at issues affecting the Australian vegetable, potato and onion sectors, unpacking levy-funded research and meeting some of the incredible people who make up the vegetable industry.
This month, we discuss:

How the transition from varroa mite eradication to management has gone, and the priorities for the new plan.
The cross-agriculture collaboration to manage Fall armyworm amidst the largest outbreak of the pest since it was detected in Australia.
Why cauliflowers need a sun hat, and what growers are looking for in new cauli varieties.

Guests:

Zarmeen Hassan, National Manager of Biosecurity and Extension, AUSVEG
Dr Melina Miles, Principal Entomologist, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Eliza Seymour, Regional Business Manager - Victoria & Tasmania, Bayer Vegetable Seeds.

Thanks for listening to Vegalogue! You can find out more about AUSVEG and the Australian vegetable industry at ausveg.com.au. Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, or Tik Tok.

How the transition from varroa mite eradication to management has gone, and the priorities for the new plan.
The cross-agriculture collaboration to manage Fall armyworm amidst the largest outbreak of the pest since it was detected in Australia.
Why cauliflowers need a sun hat, and what growers are looking for in new cauli varieties.

Guests:

Zarmeen Hassan, National Manager of Biosecurity and Extension, AUSVEG
Dr Melina Miles, Principal Entomologist, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Eliza Seymour, Regional Business Manager - Victoria & Tasmania, Bayer Vegetable Seeds.

Previous Episode

How levies work, more efficient glasshouses, on-farm food waste

How the Australian horticulture levy system works, and how it gives Australian growers an edge.
New glasshouse films that could reduce energy consumption and increase productivity in protected cropping.
A new plan that's finding ways to reduce the horticulture sector's on-farm food waste for the benefit of growers’ bottom line, as well as the environment and food security. Read the plan here: https://endfoodwaste.com.au/horticulture/

Guests:

Andrew Francey, General Manager of Industry Service and Delivery, Hort Innovation Australia.
Associate Professor Chris Cazzonelli, Professor Zhong-Hua Chen, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University.
Melissa Smith, End Food Waste Australia.

Next Episode

Hort Connections 2024, veg in school canteens, sensor-studded smart farm

Vegalogue is a podcast from Australian vegetable peak industry body AUSVEG. Each episode we take a look at issues affecting the Australian vegetable, potato and onion sectors, unpacking levy-funded research and meeting some of the incredible people who make up the vegetable industry.
This month, we discuss:

The upcoming Hort Connections 2024 conference and trade show, the biggest event of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
How to get more vegetables onto primary school canteen menus, and the changing structure of canteens that may make it possible.
A sensor-studded smart farm that's building a model to squeeze every bit of efficiency out of chilli and avocado production.

Guests:

Nathan McIntyre, National Manager, Events & Partnerships, AUSVEG.
Shadia Djakovic, Senior Project Manager: Schools & Community, Healthy Kids Association.
David de Paoli, Founder and Chairman, AustChilli Group.
Kaushal Gunasekara, Farm Business Development Manager, AustChilli Group.

Vegalogue - Varroa mite, fall armyworm, cauliflower breeding

Transcript

Because at the end of the day, you're out in an open system where there's water, there's wind, there's rain, there's hail, there's bugs.
So the more leaf wrap that you can get on a cauliflower head, the better, but it also needs to not muffle it.
So it's a Goldilocks effect.
Welcome back to the Vegalogue podcast, a dialogue about the Australian vegetable industry from Ausveg.
I'm Tom Bicknell.
We're going to be talking unpleasant bugs this episode, kicking off with an update on