Lower North Island Process and Fresh Vegetables
The main vegetable crops grown in the Gisborne/Hawke's Bay/Manawatu/Rangitikei regions are process tomatoes, process sweetcorn, fresh export squash, asparagus, process peas, potatoes, and process carrots.
Key Points
- Process vegetable growing is relatively stable with regard to area, production and prices, particularly in Hawke's Bay.
- Demand for organic production of potatoes and sweetcorn is increasing while other organic vegetable production remains static at present.
- Gisborne experienced an excellent year for sweetcorn with early crops yielding up to 40% above normal.
- Pea yields of excellent quality were up 40% in Hawke's Bay and up 28% in the Manawatu on the previous year.
- Squash yields were disappointing in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, while Manawatu squash growers in general experienced a good year.
Physical Factors
Climate
Gisborne
The 1999/2000 growing season was a challenging one. Above average rainfall and cooler conditions in December posed problems for crops that were flowering at the time, particularly squash and sweetcorn. The cool, wet conditions reduced yields in squash.
In sweetcorn the conditions favoured head smut, a fungal disease which reduced yields. Rainfall late in the season was well above average and made harvest conditions difficult for squash, sweetcorn and tomatoes.
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay experienced a warm, dry winter and a mild spring. The rainfall in November was well above average, which caused disease problems in some crops. December and January experienced below average temperatures causing reduced yields in squash. The weather then remained dry until late March.
The tomato growing season started after a warm, dry winter which continued into August and September with high temperatures and sunlight hours. October was cooler with less sunlight, causing slow seedling development in nurseries. It was dry at planting, with no wind. Heat accumulation slowed in late spring with sunlight hours affected by cloudy, southerly weather patterns.
Rain at the end of November and beginning of December exacerbated plant disease problems. The cycle of hot to cold temperatures and regular small amounts of rain, caused widespread bacterial speck infection. In tandem with the 100 mm of rain, this also caused the start of root disease problems.
Low heat accumulation and sunlight throughout the season caused reduced size, delayed ethrel dates, and low paste colour. Crops from the Napier region averaged 10 Photo Thermal Time (PTT) units above average and were therefore harvested early. However, the bulk of the crop was late in development due to the average Hastings PTT being 20 below average. Low heat caused split set.
Tomato harvest proceeded under dry and cool conditions until late March, when regular periods of rain disrupted harvest. Rain in late April delayed the final few days of harvest and caused 1,000 tonnes to be lost.
The mild spring conditions with little wind or rain produced good yields and excellent quality in asparagus.
Heavy rain in late November disrupted corn plantings, but generally did more good than harm. Blocks planted just before the rain did suffer reduced yields. Once again the conditions were good at harvest.
Temperatures were slightly below average causing a slowing of maturity. Low temperatures and little rain after November resulted in yields slightly below normal.
Spring conditions were very favourable in Hawke's Bay for peas, with 12-15 mm of rain fortnightly. This resulted in a very good year.
Cool weather during flowering in December and January affected squash yields. Dry weather later in the season was ideal, improving eating quality and shelf life.
Source: NIWA
Manawatu
In general, Manawatu growers experienced a successful season mainly due to favourable climatic conditions over the 12 months.
The early season was warm and dry, but overall rainfall was above average. Temperatures were higher than average in October and November. This resulted in high yields of asparagus, with many growers achieving record tonnages.
Conditions were also favourable for the potato-growing season, but above average rainfall meant growers had to work to stay on top of disease management. Crop yields were well above average.
Carrots and peas also experienced good planting and growing conditions. Good rainfall in January helped to maintain pea yields for later season crops.
Production
Asparagus
The growing area in Hawke's Bay increased to around 660 ha. Production this year increased to around 2,300 tonnes. However, these increases are small as the industry remains relatively static. The average production was between 3.2 and 4 tonnes/ha.
Ten hectares of organic asparagus was grown in Hawke's Bay and yielded 30 tonnes. Quality was very good with no Stemphylium. Of the 30 tonnes produced, 10 tonnes went to fresh export markets, five tonnes to local fresh markets, and 15 tonnes to processing. Over-supply from international competitors reduced tonnages exported.
The area of asparagus grown in Manawatu has decreased to about 300 ha. The average yield was around 5 tonnes/ha, with some growers achieving up to 9 tonnes/ha. Total production was estimated to be around 1,500 tonnes, but this is hard to verify as most asparagus grown in Manawatu is processed in Hawke's Bay. Of the estimated 1,500 tonnes, 30% went to fresh export markets, 20% to local markets, and 50% was processed. Ninety percent of fresh and frozen exports go to Japan and other Pacific Rim destinations. Twenty-five percent of canned asparagus is exported to Europe and North America with the remainder sold in New Zealand and Australia.
Carrots
Total production of carrots was estimated at 17,000 tonnes. Of this, 10,000 tonnes are juiced in Hawke's Bay and 2,000 tonnes produced for other uses such as frozen vegetables. One Hawke's Bay exporter will ship 4,000 tonnes of fresh Ohakune carrots to Asian markets. The carrots will be packed into refrigerated containers or temperature controlled holds with squash. A greater proportion of carrots are now being exported, producing excellent prices three years in a row. The quality of carrots this year is very good.
Four hectares of organic carrots were grown in Hawke's Bay producing 200 tonnes. Sixty percent of this went to export and 40% to local markets. The quality was excellent.
Sweetcorn
In Gisborne it was generally an excellent year for sweetcorn. In the early part of the season crops yielded well, with some producing in excess of 30 tonnes/ha, 40% above normal. Some crops had a high incidence of head smut mid-season. Despite this, the average yield was above average at around 19 tonnes/ha.
The area planted in sweetcorn in Hawke's Bay remained stable at around 1,800 ha. The average yield was around 20 tonnes/ha, the same as last year. Quality was not as good as in previous years due to cooler growing conditions. Size was down and 'tip fill' was less than normal. Thirty-eight hectares of organic sweetcorn was grown in Hawke's Bay, producing a total of 836 tonnes for processing. Despite the dry weather mid-summer, organic sweetcorn was of excellent quality.
Source: Agriculture NZ Ltd, Hastings, and New Zealand Vegetable & Potato Growers’ Federation
Peas
The area planted in peas in Hawke's Bay increased approximately 28% to 1,280 ha. Yields increased around 40%, to an average of 6.5 tonnes/ha. Total production was 8,300 tonnes, an increase of about 85% from last year. Quality was excellent.
The area planted in peas in the Manawatu dropped slightly from 1,500 ha to 1,400 ha. Despite the reduction in area, production rose to 9,000 tonnes, an increase of 20%. This was mainly due to good rainfall during the growing season.
Potatoes
The area of potatoes grown in the Manawatu increased by about 15%. The 2000 season produced an above average yield, doubling production of last year's below average crop. Two-thirds of the area is grown for process with the remaining third going to export and local markets. Both size and quality was good.
Fourteen hectares of organic potatoes were grown in Hawke's Bay with a total production of 800 tonnes. Quality was also good. Ninety-nine percent of organic potatoes are processed with the remaining 1% going to the local fresh markets. There is a high demand for organic potatoes for processing, especially into crisps.
Squash
It was a disappointing year for squash growers in Gisborne. Early crops yielded well. Mid-season crops were affected by bad weather over flowering and only yielded 50% of normal at around 7 tonnes/ha. Late season crops looked very promising, but unusually high amounts of rainfall in March and April lead to poor packouts due to rots. The area of squash grown in Gisborne fell by 10% to 2,750 ha.
In Hawke's Bay yields were down by up to 30% on those forecast. The area planted in squash remained static, at about 2,400 ha. It was a difficult year to control disease, especially powdery mildew. Total production was estimated to be around 30,000 tonnes.
In the Manawatu 1,150 ha of squash was grown compared to 1,398 ha last season. However, production rose to 19,500 tonnes, with yields averaging 17 tonnes/ha.
Eight hectares of organic squash grown in the Manawatu produced 40 tonnes, and 75% of this was exported. All organically grown squash was exported as conventional squash, because of the great uncertainty of the organic squash market in Japan. Border control often stops organic squash and fumigates it, thus destroying its organic status. This year the spot price for squash was similar to the price for organic squash, so it was easier and more reliable to export under a conventional label.
Tomatoes
Gisborne tomato crops yielded an average of 90 tonnes/ha. The area planted in tomatoes remained the same as last season at 100 ha. A small area was ploughed in at the end of the season due to weather damage.
The area planted in Hawke's Bay dropped from 550 ha to 525 ha. Despite this, production increased slightly to 42,000 tonnes. Average yields increased by 7% to 80 tonnes/ha. Colour was a problem this season due to cloudy weather during January and February. An increased level of vegetable weevil was found in tomatoes this year, probably due to the decrease in insecticide use.
Other Vegetables
Other process vegetables grown in Hawke's Bay included 3,000 tonnes of beetroot and 5,000 tonnes of onions. Onion prices have dropped due to a world onion price war. Oversupply in the northern hemisphere has meant the excess is being sold in the southern hemisphere, driving demand and prices down. Most of the Hawke's Bay crop was sold on contract to processors in Japan.
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