Cover crops in a custard apple orchard seeded in spring 2021 in northern NSW
Cover crops in a custard apple orchard including sunflower, forage sorghum, buckwheat and other species
Cover crops in custard apple orchard in February 2022 in northern NSW
Predatory assasin bug on sunn hemp in a macadamia block near Gympie
Cover crops in custard apple orchard in northern NSW with mowing continuing under trees for orchard hygiene, particularly for control of fungal pathogens
New macadamia orchard block near Gympie
Checking the roots of inter row species to look at their complexity and length so as to evaluate topsoil depth and soil condition
Young orchard near Gympie
BioResEd loves working with growers and consultants in their environment.
Chris using a soil penetrometer to test soil compaction within the inter row of a young macadamia orchard
Ground preparation in an avocado orchard for cover cropping
Tillage radish and vetch a component of this cover crop in an avocado orchard
Diverse inter row plantings between newly planted macadamia trees
Mown strip awaiting seeding for inter row cover crops in avocado orchard
Mowed and lightly tilled inter row strip awaiting seeding. These steps are not always necessary and re-seeding is often done into existing inter row vegetation.
One of our network seeders- easily transported from one orchard to another
Ross Arnett inspecting the cover crop he planted in his macadamia orchard in northern NSW
This frog has found some good habitat in the inter row vegetation within this macadamia orchard. It will devour many invertebrates living there- a good indication of a healthy ecosystem and a functioning food web.
Sunflowers and buckwheat as part of inter row cover crop in this macadamia orchard in northern NSW
Inspecting root diversity for soil health
Considering seeder calibration options
Mix of cover crop species bringing biodiversity into this macadamia orchard in northern NSW
Striped ladybird beetle adult feeding on nectar/pollen from a linseed flower
Striped ladybird beetle on inter-row cover crop
Sunflowers bring a range of ecosystem services into the orchard
Clover a good nitrogen fixer for soil health
Chris Carr from BioResEd
Green lacewing, an excellent beneficial insect to have in your orchard
Seed mix including phacelia, vetch, rye corn, brassica, white clover and other species at a macadamia orchard in northern NSW
Mallada signata, a green lacewing adult
BioResEd entomologists can help you to identify arthropods
Leptocoris nymphs (late instar)
Spotting bug adult trapped in a spiders web
Banana spotting bug nymph trapped in a spider web
Spotting bug nymph attacked by crab/flower spider (family Thomisidae) in a lychee tree
Banana spotting bug nymph being attacked by a crab/flower spider (family Thomisidae)
Spiders are generalist predators and will feed on lace bugs, thrips and whatever else they can capture
Cover crop of buckwheat in a macadamia orchard in northern NSW. Buckwheat supports high numbers of beneficial insects including parasitoid wasps and native bees. It also has soil health benefits.
Network direct drill seeder- BioResEd has three of these available for growers in Bundaberg, Gympie and northern NSW
Reduced mow option with centre strip retained in a macadamia orchard
Hover flies within an inter row cover crop- hover fly larvae are predatory and feed on small soft bodied insects
Green stink bug- Plautia affinis
Drop sheet spraying to monitor tree pests. This particular spray was done via a drone
Cover crop and native bee box in distance in a macadamia orchard
Mixed cover crop species in a macadamia inter row, including buckwheat, sorghum, sunflower and other species
Lychee orchard near Bundaberg, where options for improved vegetative diversity are being considered
Strips adjacent to trees show promise as specific areas for improving vegetative diversity near Bundaberg
Parasitised green veggie bug. Eggs of Trichopoda giacomelli all over the head and thorax of this GVB
Robber flies utilising the inter row for breeding
Native bee box in a macadamia orchard. These benefit crop pollination rates but require non-crop flowers throughout the year to sustain them
Predatory assassin bug on inter row cover crop- a great asset to have in a macadamia orchard
Orb weaving spider utilising inter-row ground cover vegetation to move between the inter-row and macadamia tree
Beneficial insects love buckwheat flowers! Many parasitoids and pollinators feed on its nectar/pollen.
Robber fly (family Asilidae) on inter row cover crop. Robber flies are efficient predators of other flying insects and their larvae are predators within the soil.
Reduced mow centre strip in macadamias in northern NSW
Native basket grass is a good ground cover option under the drip line in shady conditions
Diverse ground covers beneath a macadamia tree in northern NSW- basket grass, sedges and dichrondra feature here.
Richard Llewellyn paying his respects to this orchard predator
Cricket comprises part of the food web in a biodiverse orchard. Close up on an inter row grass species.
Herbivorous 28-spotted ladybird on this inter row cover crop in a macadamia orchard. This is not a crop pest, but will provide food for insectivorous birds which are great orchard predators
Spider on underside of leaf with various scale and aphids
Predatory assassin bug on inter row cover crop- a great asset to have in a macadamia orchard
Long-horned beetle (family Cerambycidae) in the inter row cover crop
Robber fly (predatory) on inter row cover crop
Beneficial wasp feeding on the nectar of buckwheat flowers in inter row cover crop
Drop sheet spray trials are a tool BioResEd uses to find out what insects are in the tree canopy at any one point in time and how this differs at set locations throughout an orchard