20 July 1984 Observers sought for research investigating growth patterns of feijoas, kiwifruit and peaches

Observers throughout New Zealand are being sought by a Lincoln College scientist who is researching growth patterns of feijoas, kiwifruit and peaches to find new districts in which these crops can be grown.

Mr Mike Morley-Bunker, lecturer in horticulture at Lincoln College, intends recruiting a couple of hundred observers to watch certain plants and record growth such as bud break, flowering and harvest.

They will mail their observations to him at Lincoln College, and he will match the information on the computer with weather observations from each district.

He is seeking the co-operation of MAF advisory officers, DSIR research orchard officers, the directors of the N.Z. Fruit Federation, and some educational institutions,

He hope they will ref er to him people from different districts who volunteer to take part in the project.

Mr Morley-Bunker said the districts' in which these fruit were presently grown were well known, but the intention was to find if these could be grown elsewhere.

Essentially New Zealand is a country of microclimates, and the potential of many of these has never been fully explored.

"Sub-tropical fruits, like feijoas and kiwifruit, should not grow well in New Zealand, but they do.

"There is something precious about our country that makes growing these fruits possible."

Before the project gets under way the volunteer observers will be briefed on their work at special meetings throughout the country.

The first of these meetings are being planned for Tauranga, Te Puke, Whakatane, Gisborne, Hastings, Motueka, Nelson and Christchurch.

Emphasis of the project will be on the Bay of Plenty, the East Coast of the North Island from Gisborne to Hawkes Bay, Nelson and Canterbury.

Those living on orchards will be asked to observe the bud break of both flowers and leaves, full bloom, fruit size and fruit harvest.

During the project the observers will be asked to complete a questionnaire relating to the plants and location.

Mr Morley-Bunker said the success of the project would depend on how well the information was obtained and recorded.

Further information from Mr Mike Morley- Bunker, Department of Horticulture, Lincoln College, Canterbury, New Zealand.