Bay of Plenty avocado growers will be assessing the extent of damage to their orchards this morning following yesterday's high winds.

Avocado Industry Council Chairman Ashby Whitehead says it was too dangerous to venture into many orchards yesterday and there would have been no fruit picked, despite the fact the harvest season is well underway.

Yesterday's high winds have blown avocados to the ground and damaged trees.

Winds of 111km/h battered Tauranga and the Western Bay yesterday, bringing down trees, lifting roofs and causing power outages as well as causing damage to orchards.

“I cautiously drove round my orchard late yesterday and saw quite a lot of fruit on the ground and some broken limbs. It was too dangerous to walk through the orchard because of the risk of something falling on you.”

A full assessment of how bad the effects of equinox winds have been for the avocado industry probably won't be known until the AIC holds its board meeting on Thursday when representatives from the growing regions will report on damage.

Despite the fact this is a high crop year, Ashby says that's small comfort to growers who see their fruit blown from trees.

“There will be an on-going effect too with fruit damaged by wind rub. But that's Mother Nature. There's nothing you can do about it.”

Hugh Moore, avocado and kiwifruit orchardist and co-owner of Kauri Pack packhouse at Katikati also expects there will be significant fruit loss for avocado growers from the storm and vines on kiwifruit orchards are likely to suffer some damage.

“Winds like that will certainly shake fruit off avocado trees and there will be some wind damage to new leaves and shoots on kiwifruit vines. These are ideal conditions for Psa-V (the bacterial disease) because the leaves are very tender.”

The disease infects the plant more easily through damaged tissues, including in leaves.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/