By Iona Boase
Crop & Food Research Journalist
19 February 2001

“Innovation has been the key to achieving the $2 billion dollar horticultural export target. R&D is important for new products, added value and market access,” said Brian Garguilo, Vegfed President.

The New Zealand vegetable industry is assisted in improving fresh and processed vegetables by researchers, like those at Crop & Food Research, and with funds from government programmes like Technology New Zealand.

Onion Exporters Association, New Zealand, chairman Graham Russell says it’s a fine line in maintaining and improving the quality of New Zealand’s largest vegetable export crop.

Onion exports have increased 100-fold to $100 million in the past 20 years, due to a large marketing drive, particularly into European markets which took nearly 120,000 tonnes of onions last year.

“We still have challenges ahead of us, particularly with pest and disease control, quality improvement and sustainability. We’ve improved on what we’re doing and we are still learning,” Mr Russell said.

There is much significant research underway including work by Crop & Food Research, with funding from MAF looking at environmentally friendly ways of controlling onion thrips in the field and after harvest.

Guidelines for harvesting and curing onions have been developed by Crop & Food Research to minimize development of bacterial soft rots.

Three hybrid onions that mature four to six weeks faster and have higher export pack outs than the industry standards, Pukekohe Longkeeper and Early Longkeeper, were bred by Crop & Food Research.

There is exciting potential for further breeding of improved onion cultivars based on fundamental science done at Crop & Food Research. A DNA-marker system has been developed and offers opportunities to greatly enhance traditional plant breeding.

A genetic research programme on onions and biochemical research on sulfur metabolism in onions done by Crop & Food Research are highly regarded internationally and offer exciting opportunities for New Zealand and international breeders, particularly for milder, red onions.

The world’s only successful gene transfer system for onion has been developed by Crop & Food Research and provides much potential for future breeding programmes. In containment, Crop & Food Research has produced herbicide tolerant transgenic onions that could save up to an estimated $500 per hectare in pesticide applications.

Carrots
In the past 10 years, New Zealand carrot exports have increased from $0.45 million to $20 million, largely due to ensuring a consistently high quality product, then marketing it effectively. Product consistency for Asian markets has been improved with assistance of Crop & Food Research.

Warwick Preston of Sunrise Coast said research had led to major improvements in handling and storage regimes. Packhouses had been built in growing areas so carrots could be effectively cleaned, cooled and packed immediately after harvest.

“We’ve always known cool-chain and hygiene we’re important and improvements have certainly improved our reputation. Consistency in out-turn has put us in a much better position in relation to our competitors and it has made our season longer – probably 10-15%,” Mr Preston said.

Squash
A heat treatment to increase squash sweetness was developed by Crop & Food Research with Japanese consumers in mind. Researchers are also investigating how to reduce soft rots that develop in squash after harvest.

Asparagus
A hefty $1/kilo fumigation charge for New Zealand asparagus arriving in Japan is now rare with the regular use of a treatment developed by Crop & Food Research and The Tender Tips Company of Levin with funding from Technology New Zealand. The asparagus spears are dipped in hot water for a precise period and at an exact temperature that kills thrips, washes away aphids and enhances appearance.

In addition to avoiding the fumigation charge, delays to market are minimized and shelf-life of the asparagus is maintained (fumigation shortens it). The organic treatment also minimizes chemical applications.

New Zealand asparagus exports were valued at $13 million last year.

Potatoes
The $5 million Philippine market for process potatoes was threatened when New Zealand couldn’t show shipments were free of spindle tuber viroid and virus diseases. Crop & Food Research developed a detection system, which met the approval of the Philippine government, and trade went ahead. The test has opened the Philippine market for New Zealand potatoes.

Currently, Crop & Food Research scientists are upgrading quality assurance systems for Potato Cyst Nematode so markets for potatoes in Korea and Taiwan can be targeted.

Capsicums
Capsicum exports have taken off and were worth $23 million to New Zealand last year. In 1990, they were just $120,000. Capsicums have the potential to increase more as research progresses on the development of sea rather than the present air transport. 

Vegetable exports now exceed $500 million and the Vegfed/Crop & Food Research partnership is now working towards a $1 Billion export goal for the industry in 2010 by investing in R&D to add value, develop new products and improve market access, says Paul Tocker, CEO of Crop & Food Research.