Whole Orchard Recycling benefits
INDUSTRY NEWS
LEFT : Find out more about the process and benefits of whole orchard recycling by watching this video .
Whole Orchard Recycling benefits
● 19 % increase in yield
● 58 % increase in soil carbon
● 17 % increase in soil nitrogen
● 42 % increase in organic matter
● 19 % increase in soil aggregation
● 32 % increase in water holding capacity
SARDI ' s Nigel Fleming discussed the WOR trial at Merbein in January .
Source : Almond Board of California the treatment with recycled tree material and the third has compost added to the soil . SARDI researchers are keeping a close eye on the trial , collecting data on soil moisture and soil respiration , while soil samples are being taken to measure organic carbon and overall soil fertility . SARDI ’ s Nigel Fleming said initially the trees that had compost or recycled amendments grew slower . “ But now the amended treatments are catching up to the control and they really are very similar in terms of height and width of the canopy ,” he said . Mr Bennett admits he ’ s learnt a lot from the trial . “ One is about getting the irrigation right , having the water , having the nutrients there , getting enough nutrients on so you ’ ve got a mix that will not only be used by the chips but also by the trees to provide the growth ,” he said . When asked if he ’ d do WOR again , Mr Bennett ’ s answer is yes but he ’ d do it differently . “ I think I ’ d try and get the chips smaller . I ’ d probably put it all out in the orchard , with a base layer of nitrogen and let it break down for 12 months before replanting .” Brent Holtz , who pioneered WOR in California , visited Australia and spoke to growers as part of ABA ’ s regional tour . “ I was excited in California when growers first started listening to me and started implementing Whole Orchard Recycling and it ’ s been even more rewarding to see it actually being done now in Australia ,” he said . Dr Holtz also had the opportunity to visit the WOR trial at Merbein said it looked tremendous .
“ It ’ s just as good as anything we could do in California ,” he said . Since 2018 the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has provided $ 185 million worth of incentives to reduce the amount of orchards and vineyards being burnt . This included money to purchase new wood chippers and other equipment to process woody ag waste . “ That ’ s where I ’ d like us to go as an industry , be able to obtain grants like that , because if we can prove not only the benefits to the soil but also it cuts down emissions when we burn , a lot of good environmental stories and it also shows we ’ re a closed loop industry , it all stays on property ,” Mr Bennett said . Watch the presentations from Brent Hotz here and SARDI and Neale Bennett here .
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