APFIP operates an independent, secure and efficient evaluation network, which encompasses most major temperate tree fruit growing regions of Australia. Effective evaluation is vital; Australia is only a small producer with around 0.5% of the world's apple production. Effective evaluation gives growers the information they require to make balanced decisions on variety choice relevant to their operations. The growing regions are small and located wherever climate and soil are suitable from southern sub-tropical Queensland to the roaring forties in Tasmania.

In June 1997 a Technical Advisory Group was formed to work with APFIP To develop the National Evaluation Scheme for pome fruit. The Group was made up of the General Manager, 3 growers and 2 state primary industries departments' technical staff.

Operating Procedures for the Evaluation process were drafted by this Group during July 1997 and include procedures for:

• Receiving Evaluation Material
• Trial Design
• Site Selection
• Chemical Use
• Site Preparation
• Handling Trees Before Planting
• Establishing Trees
• Labelling & Identification
• Hygiene
• Post Planting Care
• Training & Pruning
• Removal of Trees
• Record Keeping
• Operation of Regional Evaluation Groups
• Use of Information
• Evaluation Criteria

The Evaluation network has been developed around Regional Evaluation Groups of grower and advisory body members who operate under the control of APFIP.

Within each Regional Evaluation Group there are one or more Regional Custodians upon whose property the trees are planted and managed for evaluation, under agreement with APFIP.

These evaluation sites are planted as part of existing orchards to reflect commercial conditions. The sites are not public access and all members of the evaluation groups sign non-disclosure agreements with APFIP. APFIP also signs contracts directly with the variety owner. All trees supplied to the sites are coded and the evaluation group members are unaware of the variety name or owner. No interest in the material is vested to the custodian or APFIP; it always remains the property of the owner.

Varieties remain in a site for a maximum of 7 years. During this time the varieties are thoroughly tested for suitability to that climate. After this period of required testing they will be removed as part of the ongoing security requirements.

Sites have been established in growing regions based on input from growers. With so many microclimates in each area it is important to have sites in areas that reflect as near as possible the average local conditions and soil types.

The evaluations are carried out in different growing regions to provide performance indicators that growers can use as a guide in selecting varieties and rootstocks that are appropriate to their particular business operations.

The collection of consistent data is very important in comparing varieties and rootstocks as grown in different growing regions. The rootstock MM106 is the standard rootstock for all sites plus the rootstocks M26 and M9 are generally used.

The first 4 sites were established in 1998 additional sites were planted in 1999 and 2000 and there are now 11 in total around the country.

The growers in the evaluation groups are obviously very busy with harvest at the time when most information needs to be collected. APFIP directly contracts information collectors or observers to work with the groups to ensure that all the required data is gathered.

The first full data collections from the sites were completed in the 2001 harvest season. Use of this information is controlled by agreement with the variety owner/agent.

The nature of variety management has changed considerably since APFIP came into being. Third party control of varieties will become more prevalent in the future. Both growers and the third party variety owners will need to know if the variety performs to its specification in a given area before it is commercialised there.

APFIP is an independent evaluator of varieties and is not a variety manager in Australia. This ensures that we have no conflict of interest when performing our evaluation role.

APFIP believes that there is very good value to both growers and variety managers in having independent variety performance data. APFIP allows its name to be attached to the variety performance reports. This gives both the growers and variety owners/agents very valuable information about the performance of the variety in specific growing regions

Evaluation Sites

The first 4 sites were established in August 1998, one each in growing regions in Queensland (Stanthorpe), New South Wales (Orange), Victoria (Goulburn Valley), South Australia (Adelaide Hills). Information gathered from the operation of these sites has been used to assist with the development of sites in other growing regions in Australia and are listed here.

Further sites were established in Tasmania (Huon Valley Aug 1999), Victoria (Yarra Valley Aug 1999), New South Wales (Batlow, Aug 2000), and Western Australia (Manjimup, Aug 2002).

All these evaluation sites operate as secure areas with no public access; the entire evaluation operation is conducted under a quality management system coordinated by the Board of APFIP through its Evaluation Coordinator.

All evaluation enquiries to: greg@apfip.com.au