AuStar News & Research

Looking for information on Latin America? Está buscando información sobre América Latina?

If you are in Latin America and would like local information on what Austar is doing in your area then please use our excellent web site based in Mexico.

Click on the LATAM link on the right hand side of the main menu.

Si usted está en América Latina y desea obtener información local sobre lo Austar está haciendo en su área, por favor use nuestro sitio web excelente con sede en México.

Haga clic en el enlace de LATAM en el lado derecho del menú principal.

AHC Opens in Africa

Austar comes to Africa with a new subsidiary opened in April of 2012 based in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. The subsidiary trades under the name of Australian Horticultural Chemicals Limited (AHC). Kenya was chosen for the first African office because of the sheer scale of horticultural enterprise amongst commercial and small scale farmers as well as its communication and transport networks. Major crops of interest to Austar in the region are mangos, citrus, avocados and dates.

AuStar: Transforming the Mexican fields

AuStar
Mexico

Recently the Agricultural Livestock International Forum at Puerto Vallarta, Jallisco was held, where AuStar helped producers to obtain better results and a bigger return in their orchards or plantations.

What is AuStar?

AuStar is an Australian company which brought Paclobutrazol to Mexico in 2005. This growth inhibitor retards the vegetative development since it interferes, by blocking gibberellins (hormone responsible for the plant's growth, inducing blossoming) synthesis.

Flowering and Fruiting in Mangoes in the Top End with Paclobutrazol

Mango

The profitability of growing mango is influenced by two key factors: 

  • Productivity, which consists of yield and quality. 
  • Supply and demand which rule market prices. 

Top End mangoes are the earliest to reach domestic markets and therefore attract a premium price. However, as Queensland mangoes reach the market, prices fall steeply. Besides, the onset of the wet season increases the incidence of pests and diseases, which lower fruit quality. The manipulation of fruit maturity in favour of an early harvest would therefore be of great value to growers. 

PGR's & Avocado - whats all the fuss about residue with fruits?

Avocado

The USDA have legislation stating the fruits that have detectable levels of PBZ above .005 PPM will not be allowed in to the USA. It does NOT state that trees treated with PBZ cannot enter the USA. With the application of AuStar during recommended times there is sufficient time for any residue to degrade hence ensuring detectable limits of PBZ on the fruit are well within the limits.