Fruit Growers News

Researchers testing disruption devices

Since the first commercial pheromone devices for disrupting moths became available in the early 1990s, thousands of U.S. apple growers have been using these devices. In Washington state, between 80-85 percent of apple growers use mating disruption devices, said Jay Brunner, a research scientist at Washington State University. “This is up from about 60 percent of the growers in 2000,” Brunner said. New types of mating disruption devices might be making their way to the market within the next few years, devices designed for dealing with a variety of pests. Codling moth is an especially key pest in apples, since 0.5 percent damage is enough to disqualify an apple from the export market, Brunner said. “And if you don’t get good control, you can end up getting as much as two or three percent damage,” Brunner said. Mating disruption devices have become increasingly more important…  » Read more

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Sundance berry getting ready for release

The newest cranberry cultivar release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison cranberry breeding program has shown itself to be a reliable and consistent performer. In fact, the new hybrid – tentatively named Sundance – has been so predictable in field trials it’s almost boring, joked Brent McCown, a UW-Madison cranberry research professor. Speaking at the 2011 Wisconsin Cranberry School, McCown said Sundance has excellent yearly bud set, large berry size, good color, high tolerance to both high and low nitrogen fertilization rates and has exhibited reliable performance over multiple seasons in trial plantings. “The two things that you really notice about this variety is the large berry size and the heavy flower bud production. Almost every upright has a flower bud, and we’re also seeing multiple buds per shoot,” McCown said. In multiple field trials, Sundance produced 215 to 500 barrels per acre compared to 217…  » Read more

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Dietary guidelines recommend greater fruit, vegetable consumption

On Jan. 31, USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the federal government’s nutritional guidance that seeks to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obese U.S. citizens. “The 2010 Dietary Guidelines are being released at a time when the majority of adults and one in three children is overweight or obese, and this is a crisis that we can no longer ignore,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The bottom line is that most Americans need to trim our waistlines to reduce the risk of developing diet-related chronic disease. Improving our eating habits is not only good for every individual and family, but also for our country.” The new guidelines encourage Americans to consume more healthful foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products…  » Read more

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Florida blueberry pioneer still planting away

For Alto Straughn, owner of Straughn Farms in Waldo, Fla., farming is much more than a business: It’s his life’s work. Not only has he been personally involved in agriculture for almost 40 years, his work through the University of Florida and the Florida Cooperative Extension Service has been instrumental in helping develop the state’s blueberry industry. In 1959, Straughn became an Extension agent in Ocala and Marion County in central Florida. “I was there for three years, and then I had the opportunity to go back to school at the University of Wisconsin and get my Ph.D. in Extension Administration,” he said. For the next 20 years, Straughn worked statewide in Florida’s Cooperative Extension Service in program development and evaluation – while he continued to develop his farm. “I farmed a little with my father-in-law before I became involved in Extension,” he said. “Then…  » Read more

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Plantings are closer, denser than they were 50 years ago

Three Extension educators shared their thoughts on the ways tree fruit growing systems have changed in the last 50 years. Jerry Frecon, Rutgers University: In the 44 years I have been working with commercial orchards, I have seen a trend toward denser and more intensive orchard plantings in the United States. This conversion has been more complete in apples, but has also been apparent in cherries, pears and, to a lesser extent, in peaches. Using dwarfing rootstocks and manipulating and managing tree growth have obvious advantages. The greatest is the earlier return on orchard investment and greater profitability over the life of the orchard. There are other obvious reasons that have driven growers to these planting systems, including lack of skilled labor and the use of growing and harvesting aids and bulk handling equipment. Fifty years ago, there were many apple orchards planted with standard…  » Read more

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Tree training in 1973

Tom Rasch of Greenville in west-central Michigan is shown with his 9-year old son, Tommy, examining training techniques used on a semi-dwarf apple tree in March, 1973. Between 90 and 95 percent of Rasch's fruit production is in apples.

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