Compiled from Property Registrations as at 31 December 2008

Grower Database and planting statistics

The Board has been working with the Sunrise 21 Land Information System (SunLIS) towards the establishment of a common, interactive crop data base. This is to be underpinned by scale corrected orthophoto maps compiled from aerial photography, enabling the production of large scale property plans for growers and aggregated crop information for the horticultural industries in the region. This project will serve as a pilot program for the system to be taken up on a national scale over time. Information has been sourced from annual surveys conducted by the Board in conjunction with SunLIS.

Property plans are printed for each orchard owner on a yearly basis, with growers utilising their crop plans to plan future plantings etc.

Information Update

The information in this publication was sourced from grower planting surveys conducted by the Murray Valley Citrus Board and completed in January 2009. The statistics are results of the analysis of the collected data. All data is presented on a per hectare basis, assuming the average tree plantings of 417 trees per hectare. The data has not been analysed for tree numbers at this present time.

Definition

Category The category is the main grouping of varieties. It is a crop type, eg: Navel.

Sub Category Is the breakdown of some categories for seasonal or physical, difference purposes, eg:. White and Red/Pink Fleshed Grapefruit or Early and Late Season Navels. The differences for season have been established from NSW Agriculture Maturity Seasonality for the Sunraysia region.

Variety The description of each specific type of planting, eg: Navelina.

Further Example

Planted Trees This is the age of the trees (scions, not rootstocks) that have not been reworked to a different variety.

Reworked also known as 'topworked', are trees that have been grafted or budded to a different variety.

A comprehensive report on all varieties, is available only for registered growers and Approved Recievers. Copies may be obtained by contacting the Board office here.

MVCB Planting Statistics as at 31 January 2009

* Properties that have not specified variety of citrus plantings

The above Planting Statisics lists all the Sub Categories from the MVCB planting database.

Sub Categories by maturity

The following sub categories have been developed to break down the seasonality of different varieties. The separation has been established from published seasonality charts produced by NSW Agriculture for the Sunraysia region. These are guidelines as maturity varies from season to season.

Mandarins Mid Season Mandarins mature prior to the middle of May, while Late Season Mandarins mature later than May.

Navels Early Season Navels mature prior to the middle of May, with Mid Season Navels maturing between the middle of May and July. Late Season Navels mature from July onwards. Some regions separate Navels into winter and summer sub categories. Winter navels can be calculated by adding early and mid season Navel sub-categories together, while Summer Navels are the same as Late Season Navels.

Sub Categories by physical appearance

The following sub categories were used to separate varieties that are the same category, but have significant physical differences, or are aimed at different principle markets.

Grapefruit An obvious physical difference is between white and pink/red fleshed grapefruit.

Valencia Not so obvious is the differences between Seeded and Seedless Valencias. The main market for Seedless Valencias is the fresh fruit market and they tend to mature earlier than Seeded Valencias. Seeded Valencias are primarily produced for juice production, although a significant amount is also sold on the fresh fruit market.

Further enquiries in regard to the planting database should be directed to the Murray Valley Citrus Board on 03 5051 0500, or email executive@mvcitrus.org.au