Mechanical harvesters or mechanical aid equipment could be used on this fruiting wall of Bing cherries on Gisela 12 rootstock. Dr. Matt Whiting is using a new approach as he works to develop cherry orchard systems that can incorporate mechanization. He has enlisted eight to ten growers in Washington State to cooperate in his orchard systems research, which is part of a comprehensive three-year project budgeted at around $140,000 a year. Funding comes from the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, Oregon Sweet Cherry Commission, and Washington State University’s IMPACT Center. Two other components—efficient orchard systems and crop load management—were separate […]