Robots harvesting fruit, scientists creating the perfect apple trees in petri dishes, and a fruit industry run by conglomerates were just some of the changes envisioned for the next half century by industry leaders, as the Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1987. Because of increased competition from other countries, particularly Southern Hemisphere producers, Washington’s apple industry will have to survive on quality, said Dr. Desmond O’Rourke, director of Washington State University’s IMPACT Center. Competitors are catching up, and Washington must open up a new quality gap by providing consistent internal quality and improving […]