William Wolmer looked at the carbon footprint of managing Gala apple orchards and fields of Cox's apples at Blackmoor Estate.

The Hampshire-based managing director is to speak on the findings of his two-year project at the Fruit Focus show.

Gala, which had a higher yield and better disease resistance, was easier to grow with fewer agro-chemical applications, he said.

"Like many growers, we have been moving towards intensive systems with 2,800 trees/ha rather than 1,000 to improve yields and grade-out of top-quality fruit.

"This will further reduce carbon footprints, we hope. We will achieve higher yields for not much more diesel and chemical input.

"Modern, intensive orchards, using dwarf rootstock, take fewer years to reach maximum output. We reckon you get 40 per cent less CO2 emissions."

The project, funded by the South East England Development Agency, also looked at storage and packing. The cooling-down period of the apple was energy extravagant.

Trying to cool picked apples to reduce their temperature to 4 degsC in the first four days was a big energy user, said Wolmer.

"If you load your packhouse first thing in the morning or pick the apples earlier in the day, they are colder, allowing you to make energy savings."

 

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