Fruit Growers News

Pruning high-density orchards

Modern high-density orchard systems such as the tall spindle are based on simple pruning concepts that include minimal pruning in the early years and limb-renewal pruning at maturity. Pruning is always a matter of compromise, since pruning has both positive and negative effects. The benefits of proper pruning include improved light penetration into the canopy, containment of tree size, renewal of bearing surface and improved spray penetration into the canopy. Young trees One of the most significant differences between the tall spindle and the more traditional central-leader tree management is that the tree is not headed at planting, whether it is a whip or a feathered tree. The lack of heading allows development of a tall and more slender tree more quickly, and also results in earlier flowering – since pruning delays flowering. Another of the important techniques is limb bending. When limb bending is…  » Read more

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Chinese fresh apples step closer to U.S. market

Chinese fresh apples are a step closer to the U.S. market, but it might be years before they’re allowed within our borders – if they’re allowed at all. In November, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) shared a finalized pest list with Chinese officials, in response to a market access request from the Asian country. According to the U.S. Apple Association, sharing the list represents the first official step toward allowing Chinese fresh apples into the United States – a move USApple opposes. But according to Alyn G. Kiel, public affairs specialist for APHIS, sharing the pest list does not necessarily mean APHIS will allow the importation of fresh apples from China. It’s the beginning of a multi-year process, and no timeline has been set for a final decision. Allowing Chinese fresh apples into the U.S. marketplace could have a huge impact on…  » Read more

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Apple promotion needed in international markets

Domestic per capita consumption of apples has been declining by about 1 percent annually for the past 20 years, said Desmond O’Rourke. Despite the domestic decline in consumption, O’Rourke sees tremendous opportunities for domestic growers in the international market. The key for economic survival of U.S. fruit growers lies in expansion into the developing international markets that are experiencing population booms and a rising middle class. “There’s these tremendous opportunities in the international markets; countries like India, China, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia,” O’Rourke said. “Where there’s large populations and incomes are rising vary rapidly – and in many cases they can’t produce all of their apple needs.” O’Rourke, CEO of Belrose Inc., global apple market analyst and former faculty member of Washington State University, addressed the Washington State Horticultural Association in December, during its annual meeting in Yakima, Wash. For apple growers – both nationally and…  » Read more

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Finding right genes could speed up apple breeding

In the last decade or so, apple varieties – even traditional varieties like Red Delicious – have gotten better. Traits like taste and pressure have improved. Tools that weren’t available even 10 years ago – 1-MCP, Retain, CA storage – along with a greater understanding of the best ways to grow, harvest and store fruit, have increased the quality of apples in general, said Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission. As helpful as those new tools have been, they haven’t managed to speed up the breeding process. It still takes years for a breeder to learn if an apple variety has the right characteristics for the marketplace. Even if it does, decades can go by before the variety is ready to be marketed and sold. From the first cross to the final release, the entire process can take up to 30 years. Growers…  » Read more

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