In this episode of The Citrus Segment , Kerrie Lush-Robertson sits down with Citrus SA Chair Mark Doecke for a timely update on the South Australian citrus season. Mark shares what’s currently being picked across the region—including early Satsuma mandarins and M7 navels—and why this year’s fruit quality is looking strong after a more typical Riverland summer. He also provides a detailed fruit fly update, including persistent hotspots in parts of Renmark, and outlines the steps being taken to ad...
May 08, 2025•4 min
Welcome to The Citrus Segment, the official podcast of Citrus South Australia, the peak body representing citrus growers in the region. In this episode, Kerrie Robertson sits down with Citrus SA Chair Mark Doecke for the latest instalment of The Chair Chat, covering the current state of the season, fruit fly updates, and insights from international industry visitors. Key Topics Covered: 🍊 Season Update – How growers are managing irrigation, heat stress, and gearing up for the 2025 season. ☀️ Su...
Mar 03, 2025•5 min
In this episode, Kerrie Robertson chats with Mark Doecke, Chair of Citrus South Australia, to discuss the latest updates on the citrus industry in South Australia as the season wraps up. Here’s what you can look forward to: Season Update : Insights into the final stages of the season, including Valencia orange sales and juice fruit trends. Juice Prices : Discover how global factors like Florida's declining production and Brazil’s citrus greening disease have impacted juice fruit prices for South...
Nov 28, 2024•7 min
This month's conversation between Citrus SA chair Mark Doecke and Kerrie Lush-Robertson covers topics including: *Upcoming AGM and why it is crucial for growers to attend to determine the future of Citrus SA. *How the season is progressing *The pickers handbook has been translated to Punjabi and is now available *The Royal Adelaide Show - another successful year
Sep 26, 2024•6 min
The Citrus Segment: Episode Summary Host: Kerrie (Lush) Robertson Guest: Mark Doecke, Chair of Citrus SA In this episode of The Citrus Segment, we catch up with Mark Doecke, to discuss the current state of the citrus season in South Australia and other industry updates. Key Topics Covered: Current Citrus Season Overview: The season has seen good tonnages and high-quality fruit, leading to increased packing shed throughput. The favourable conditions from a normal spring and summer have positively...
Aug 27, 2024•8 min
In this episode of the Citrus Segment, brought to you by Citrus SA we speak to Mark Doecke for his monthly Chair Chat. This month, fruit fly continues to be a hot topic. Particularly with the South Australian season about to kick off. We also cover immature fruit and why it's not helpful for the industry if fruit goes to market too early.
Apr 30, 2024•6 min
In this episode of The Citrus Segment, brought to you by Citrus SA , we’re back to normal programming with our monthly chair chat with Mark Doecke. Mark shares what the committee has been dealing with over the past month or so. These issues include: · Fruit Fly · ICA 30 around fruit movement · Gall Wasp trap development · Freshcare citrus version update
Feb 29, 2024•6 min
Amanda Wells, is a PhD candidate, researching the environmental history of citrus growing in the Riverland between 1948 and 1970. In this episode, Amanda explains what she’s been exploring and why.
Dec 05, 2023•22 min
After every Citrus SA committee meeting, Chair Mark Doecke provides a comprehensive update on the committee's recent activities. In the latest update: Harvest Highlights: Mark reports the navel season has concluded and Valencia harvest is well underway. Growers are reporting a slight kick in prices for Valencia oranges. Fruit Fly Update: The ongoing battle against fruit flies remains a priority. Mark highlights that the number of detections is notably low, thanks in part to the release of steril...
Nov 22, 2023•5 min
Citrus SA held its annual general meeting and grower information day on Friday, October 13 at the Barmera Events Centre. If you missed it – stay tuned because in this episode of The Citrus Segment – we’ll give you a snapshot of the day as I catch up with some of the guest speakers. The day kicked off with the AGM – Citrus SA chair Mark Doecke shared what the committee has been working on over the past 12 months and where SA citrus grower’s levies have been directed. Noel McPherson a citrus and w...
Oct 23, 2023•27 min
Mike Arnold has been a fruit grower at Waikerie for more than seven decades and he’s been instrumental in the development of the citrus industry nationally, particularly in the areas of propagation and variety improvement. Some of his roles over the years have included: Chairman of Auscitrus after the merging of the Australian Propagation and the Australian Citrus Improvement Associations in 2001 and chair of the Australian Citrus Improvement Society of which he was a founding member. He’s also ...
Oct 10, 2023•26 min
In recent years orange juice has received some negative press due to its perceived high sugar content. But researchers at Nutrition Research Australia have been able to provide data from a study, which shows there’s a need to look at the whole product and the benefits it can provide. Tim Casserati is the director of translational science at Nutrition Research Australia and says while vitamin C might be the obvious and most well-known health benefit from 100 per cent orange juice – it also contai...
Aug 24, 2023•11 min
Interested to know what happens behind the scenes at Citrus SA. After each committee meeting (held on the fourth Tuesday of each month), join chair Mark Doecke and Kerrie Robertson as they discuss the issues and activities of the committee over the past month. The latest episode discusses the European earwig project , a season update and much more....
Jul 03, 2023•4 min
Interested to know what happens behind the scenes at Citrus SA. After each committee meeting (held on the fourth Tuesday of each month), join chair Mark Doecke and Kerrie Robertson as they discuss the issues and activities of the committee over the past month. In this chat we talk about the expansion of the Sterile Insect Technology facility at Port Augusta which will more than double the amount of flies being produced to control Queensland Fruit Fly in the Riverland. We also cover the QLD Study...
May 25, 2023•5 min
Interested to know what happens behind the scenes at Citrus SA. After each committee meeting (held on the fourth Tuesday of each month), join chair Mark Doecke and Kerrie Robertson as they discuss the issues and activities of the committee over the past month. In this chat we talk about the season ahead, Freshcare audits, fruit fly management and the annual operations plan. We also ask for growers input into what they see as the main priorities for the next financial year.
Apr 30, 2023•6 min
Wondering what happens behind the scenes at Citrus SA? After each committee meeting, join chair Mark Doecke and Kerrie Robertson as they discuss a few of the issues, progress and activity of the committee over the past month.
Mar 27, 2023•5 min
Fruit fly outbreaks are increasing across the Riverland – but the fight continues. In this episode of the Citrus Segment, we speak with Citrus SA chair Mark Doecke and Summerfruits SA chair Jason Size to hear where things are at in the management and control of the pest. For more fruit fly information visit the PIRSA website
Feb 06, 2023•12 min
It will come as no surprise to growers that albedo breakdown is quite widespread this season across the three major growing areas. At a Citrus SA seminar late last month, former citrus researcher Michael Treeby said it was improbable that every grower in the Riverina, Sunraysia and the Riverland forgot to apply preventative treatments this season. So, what is causing it? “The effect of season appears to us, from our data - from our limited data - to be greater than the degree of control we can d...
Oct 30, 2022•10 min
Sterile Queenland Fruit Fly are being grown out at the McCormick Centre in Renmark, ready for release across the Riverland, to help in the fight against the pest. Fruit Fly coordinator Brett Kennedy took us on a tour of the facility recently and I asked Brett to explain the process.
Sep 06, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Don Thorp has spent decades working in the horticultural spray application sector and is the owner and director of Horticultural Spraying Specialists . Citrus SA brought Don to Waikerie, through EE Muir and Sons, to conduct a spray technology workshop for growers.
Jun 08, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Ben Haslett runs his family owned orchard business, Woolenook Fruits, near Paringa in South Australia. He grows citrus, wine grapes, sugar plums and almonds. He is also a Nuffield Scholar, and has an honours degree in science from the University of Adelaide and the University of California, Davis. Earlier this year he was asked to speak at the ABARES National Outlook Conference to provide his experience and knowledge as a southern basin irrigator.
Nov 24, 2020•19 min
In this episode we discuss the importance of workplace hygiene – in the orchard and the packing shed in the face of the Covid 19 pandemic. Our guest is Steve Burdette, technical manager for Nutrano at Abbotsleigh in Queensland, member of the Approved Employers Association and former chair of Citrus SA. You can find more information about the fact sheet discussed by emailing contact@citrussa.com.au or visiting http://approvedemployers.com.au/
Jul 22, 2020•8 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode of The Citrus Segment we talk to Steven Falivene from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries about frost mitigation strategies and weather forecasting services. Is it worth paying extra?
Jul 17, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In recent years, Citrus SA has been working with Primary Industries and Region’s SA to identify and address the increased risk of fruit fly becoming established in the Riverland. Earlier this year, new regulations were introduced into the SA Plant Quarantine Standard to require that fruit bins coming from interstate be checked and certified as clean. Under SA’s strict biosecurity measures, this also means that the bins need to be checked on arrival and cleared. This episode looks at the new regu...
Jun 23, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Knowing what is the next up and coming citrus variety which tastes good, looks great and most importantly will be well received by markets is always difficult to gauge. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries at Dareton has a range of citrus trials underway to demonstrate new varieties to growers so they can make educated decisions. Each June, Citrus SA hosts a trip across the border to take a look at the varieties being investigated. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to gro...
Jun 16, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 4
The United States still doesn’t have the full picture of the effect Huánglóngbìng or Citrus Greening Disease is having on production. That’s according to Nate Jameson who owns Brite Leaf Citrus Nursery in Florida. Nate said once HLB enters a country, there’s little hope of eradication due to the long lead time between infection and detection. HLB has had a massive impact on Florida’s economy. In 2003-2004, the citrus industry contributed US$9.3 billion into the economy, produced 292 million boxe...
May 19, 2020•8 min•Season 1Ep. 3
This interview was recorded at a fruit fly forum held in the Riverland in 2018. Andrew Finlay is a stone fruit grower from Stanthorpe in Southern Queensland – the native state of the dreaded fruit fly. They've always had to deal with the pest but in 2014, the game changed and it became even tougher.
May 16, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 2
This interview was recorded at a fruit fly forum held in the Riverland in 2018. Joelene Williams is from the Greater Sunraysia Pest-Free Area development committee and is a stone fruit grower and packer. Joelene talks about how Queensland Fruit Fly became established in the Sunraysia and what South Australia can do to avoid a similar situation.
May 15, 2020•6 min•Season 1Ep. 1
This is the official podcast of Citrus SA Inc.
May 15, 2020•42 sec
