Fruits
Contest planned to find blueberry harvester
Naturipe wants to hear from innovators, developers and technology integrators who have ideas for a fully functional industrial prototype of an automated blueberry harvester.Although “The Blue Challenge” is a few weeks away from an official... more »
Specialists forecast the fire blight season for 2015
Fruit Growers News asked specialists from several regions to discuss the prospects for fire blight in the coming season. Their observations, made in the last few days, are below.WestTimothy Smith, Washington State University: It rained... more »
The challenges of disease control during rainy spells
While relatively dry, cool conditions in early spring may have delayed pathogen development, recent warm, wet conditions mean that fungal and bacterial diseases are getting a jump start. This even applies to powdery mildews, which... more »
A renewed interest in root pruning
Recent weather conditions are promoting bud break and bloom in stone and pome fruit. The bloom is concentrated and pressing everyone’s schedules with multiple activities simultaneously. Michigan State University Extension has a project in tart... more »
Applying Apogee to apples in 2015
Apogee has two major uses on apples, and they are to reduce vegetative growth and to suppress fire blight. This year, with very dangerous weather conditions during the bloom period, a high risk of fire... more »
New iPhone app provides strawberry pest, disease information
Surendra Dara, a University of California Cooperative Extension educator, recently developed a new iPhone app for information on pests and diseases in strawberries.According to the university, The IPMinfo app was developed in an effort to... more »
UGA expert: Georgia peach crop looks typical this season
The late-March cold spell caused some Georgia peach growers to lose a portion of their crop, but consumers should see a typical selection of fruit when the first Georgia-grown varieties ripen this month, said University... more »
Top 10 things to do now for optimal blueberry pollination
The recent, warm weather and predicted scorching May conditions (86 degrees predicted in Grand Junction, Michigan on Thursday, May 7) predict a super-fast start to bloom this year. It is time again to review blueberry... more »