Project Description
Crop Management & Growth Regulators
Featured stories about crop management and growth regulators appear in this issue.
Growing, packing, marketing must work together
Peter Verbrugge, head of a vertically integrated fruit company in Yakima, Washington, sees growing, packing, and marketing as three legs of a stool. “If one
Gutzwiler retires to focus on growing cherries
Norm Gutzwiler of Wenatchee, Washington, has retired after 33 years as a field horticulturist, though he plans to keep busy farming his own cherry orchards
Boosting yields of Balaton cherries
Pollen delivery and availability appear to be key to improving fruit set of Balaton cherries, a new sweet-tart cherry that holds promise to become a
A bee that likes cold weather?
Hornfaced bee (Osmia cornifrons). Photo by Dr. Suzanne Batra A bee that seems to have a penchant for flying in cool and cloudy
Hornfaced bees
Hornfaced bee (Osmia cornifrons). (Photo by Dr. Suzanne Batra) Hornfaced bees are solitary, which means that instead of having queens and workers, each
Progress made in cherry thinning research
Scientists are making headway in the search for effective chemical thinning agents for cherries, though specific recommendations aren’t available yet. Chemical thinning research is complex
Fruit size matters
Lots of small fruit or fewer big fruit—which makes more money for a grower? For answers, growers should analyze their cherry packout reports, suggests an
Economists called on to discuss profitability
A new committee of the North Central Washington Fieldmen’s Association is bringing in speakers to talk to its members about the economics of fruit production.
New York to delay apple crop forecast
The New York apple industry will be more cautious in estimating its crop this year. Last year, the industry’s first official estimate of 27 million
Apple group looks into marketing orders
The Washington Apple Growers Marketing Association is looking into how the volume of Washington apples going to market might be controlled through a federal marketing
Taking the “art” out of pruning
Orchard systems must evolve into highly efficient systems if growers are to stay competitive and profitable, says a Washington State University scientist. Cherry growing in
Marketer recommends percentage sales commission
Washington State is one of the few fruit-producing regions in the United States where the marketers are paid a fixed sum, rather than a percentage
Fibers, flakes and globs
Left: A pheromone fiber with a droplet of BioTac adhesive that sticks it to the tree. Photo courtesy of Michigan State University Middle: Tiny
Scientists hope to improve cropping of Regina
Oregon State University scientists are hoping to find ways to improve fruit set and productivity in Regina cherries, a new sweet cherry variety with exceptional
Is your marketer exploiting the opportunities?
Growers should take the time to visit their warehouse and learn more about how their fruit is being sold, Steve Lutz suggests. Lutz, former president
More apples shipped to Taiwan this season
Fears that the Taiwan market might be closed to U.S. apples because of another codling moth detection seem to have resulted in high volumes of
Plantain is summer host for rosy apple aphid
Rosy apple aphids leave apple trees in the summer to live on plantain, studies by Dr. Elizabeth Beers and colleagues at Washington State University show.
Rust mite is becoming a bigger pest in pears
Although mites don’t have the same pest status as codling moth or pear psylla, they are becoming more difficult to control in some areas because
Canadian growers pitch a national replant program
There’s growing momentum behind a national replant program for orchards and vineyards in Canada. Modeled on the successful replant program that has operated in British
Hang time pits growers against winemakers
Mentioning the phrase “hang time” in a room of winemakers and wine grape growers is a sure-fire way to generate debate. Washington State’s wine industry
Grape growers thin to reduce crop and boost sugar
With juice grape prices so low, it’s hard to imagine growers would even consider spending money to thin their crop. But the practice paid off
Predicting wine grape crops
Crop estimation, an important practice for vineyardists and wineries, can be accurately done using a modified lag phase procedure developed for Washington State conditions, says
Growers report success with hornfaced bee
A Michigan orchardist had nearly twice the volume of fruit in his sweet cherry blocks last year after using hornfaced bees for pollination. It was
Match cherry varieties with rootstocks
Crop management of sweet cherries starts even before trees are planted. Matching productive characteristics of variety to the vigor of the rootstock and using appropriate
Pest control important in market access
Since a single live codling moth in a box of fruit has the potential to close a major export market, efforts are being intensified to