Pears
Washington tree fruit sustains significant damage in hail storm
Thunderstorm-driven hail on July 17 damaged apples and pears in commercial orchards on Manastash Ridge southeast of Ellensburg, throwing most of the fruit out of the running for the fresh market.“This is just devastating, very... more »
Report: Produce prices fluctuate in first quarter 2012
Fruit prices have managed to hold steady while the majority of vegetable products decreased in average retail price compared to the first quarter of 2011, according to the latest FreshFacts on Retail quarterly report from... more »
Pear growers vote to continue marketing order
California pear farmers voted in favor of continuing the state’s pear marketing order for another five years.In a recent grower referendum conducted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 95.24 percent of the voters... more »
Managing orchard nutrition during an early spring
Early spring growth this year raises several questions about nutrient management in orchards. First, when should spring nitrogen (N) fertilizers be applied? Typically, N is applied either in a single application as growth begins in... more »
Spraying oil for pest control
It will be interesting to see just how faithfully arthropod pest development responds to ambient temperatures during this year's unnaturally early spring warm-up, and whether our traditional correlations with tree phenology will break down in... more »
EPA approves Fontelis
EPA has granted registration approval for DuPont Crop Protection’s Fontelis fungicide. Fruit, vegetable, peanut and other specialty crop growers now have a tool to help them produce higher yields with enhanced quality, despite soilborne and... more »
Washington apple, pear growers vote to fund research
Apple and pear growers who pay assessments to the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission recently voted to pass a special assessment that will raise $27 million over the next eight years. The goal of the... more »
Hurricane Irene fruit crop damage not as bad as feared
Fruit growers in the Eastern United States seem to have been spared much of the damage that was feared from Hurricane Irene when it came to land Aug. 27 and 28.So far, FGN has learned... more »