The continuing dry and warm conditions this spring means that the pome fruit season is starting early, similar to last year.

Even though water is scarce, it needs to be applied to apples and pears now so that fruit will have the potential to get to commercial size at harvest.

Pears and most apples in both the Murray and Goulburn valleys are at the green tip stage and some Packhams and Granny Smith trees are already flowering.

This is somewhat similar to last year, which turned out to be an early harvest for most fruit varieties.

Orchardists should be prepared to irrigate apple and pear trees at the "finger" stage of bud emergence or at the latest, the first sign of flowers.

The damp soil surface will then better accumulate heat during sunny days and help reduce the frost risk.

This should be done in conjunction with tree line weed control and tree rows slashed close to the ground.

Fortunately, those areas which received good rains in late July, mainly around Shepparton, still have reasonable moisture levels 10 cm to 20 cm below the soil surface.

This means only light irrigations are needed to dampen the surface soil.

Apples or pears on lighter soils and more advanced in bud development may need to be irrigated earlier.

In those areas where the whole soil profile to about 50 cm is dry, irrigation water is needed to assist early root development in trees approaching late green tip stage.

Because of variable rain patterns and different soil types in different districts, soil moisture sensing instruments will become useful at judging how much soil moisture is available and where it is in the soil profile.

This is useful information when planning irrigations and seeing what value any rainfall has had in your particular area and orchard.

For further information on the topic or advice on how to set up and maintain soil moisture monitoring equipment phone Henry Schneider (DPI Cobram) on 5871 0600 or Harold Adem (DPI Tatura) on 5833 5222.

- Henry Schneider

FruitCheque officer

DPI Cobram