Northland kiwifruit orchard successfully trials Hi Cane alternatives

Craigmore Sustainables project manager Alan Dobbie is pleased with the success of two trials using alternatives to Hi Cane. Photo / Jenny Ling

One of New Zealand’s biggest kiwifruit orchards is having success using alternative sprays to the controversial chemical Hi Cane.

Craigmore Sustainables project manager Alan Dobbie is trialling two products called Synchron and Siberio on a small patch of the kiwifruit orchard he runs in Kerikeri.

Dobbie, who runs ‭kiwifruit blocks at Wiroa Rd adjacent to Kerikeri Airport and near Stanners Rd in Kerikeri, trialled the products on six rows of kiwifruit last August.

“We found it worked really well,” he said.

“We’ve proven it works well once, now we want to do the same trial this year to make sure it wasn’t just a one-off.

“In this case, it worked better than Hi Cane by a margin.

“It surprised me.”

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Hi Cane is an important tool for many kiwifruit growers and is used under strict conditions once a year in late winter when the vines are dormant.

The spray helps to produce greater yields of quality fruit which ripens at the same time, making it easier to harvest. In colder climates, winter frosts do the same job.

However, there has been opposition to the toxic chemical, which has been used in New Zealand orchards since the 1980s.

According to safety data sheets on New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers website, it may be fatal if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

It is also harmful to aquatic organisms and is toxic to birds, animals and bees.

Since 2018, Kerikeri resident John Levers lobbied to have Hi-Cane, or hydrogen cyanamide, banned and persuade the industry to enforce its own spraying guidelines.

In May, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) decided to allow the continued use of a controversial spray widely used on Northland kiwifruit orchards.

Dobbie said Syncron and Siberio, which are safer for the handler and the environment, are mixed with calcium nitrate to ensure the plants absorb the nitrogen.

Siberio is the first CE-approved biostimulant specifically indicated for improving germination in tree crops.

Dobbie plans to trial the product alternatives in the same size area again this year.

“Once we get two years under our belt we’ll reassess and look at expanding it out.

“We would like to start using it in ‘sensitive areas’ such as areas closer to neighbours.

“As an industry we are trying to look for alternatives.

“We’re all part of the community.”

Dobbie, who also runs orchards in the Bay of Plenty, said the company was named Craigmore Sustainables “for a reason”.

“We’re into sustainability.

“The big thing with it is if we can find a more benign product, it’s better off for everyone and the planet.

“If you can use another product that’s more benign why wouldn’t you?”

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.