PACMAN precision cropload webinars scheduled

Washington State University (WSU) Extension’s tree fruit team is scheduling a series of briefings to help apple growers.

The briefings will be presented by the PACMAN Research and Extension teams. PACMAN refers to Precision apple cropload management. The show and tell is designed to display progress towards precision apple cropload management, according to a news release.

The sessions are scheduled for three Thursdays in January via Zoom. They start Jan. 12. The meetings are scheduled for 9 a.m. Pacific time. Registration is required.

The sessions are designed to update growers on what researchers view as the current state of precision crop load management of apples, according to the release.

The seminars are presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) PACMAN Extension team, which includes.

• Jon Clements (UMass Amherst).
• Karen Lewis (WSU) and Tory Schmidt (Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission.)
• Mario Miranda & Craig Kahlke (Cornell University).
• Anna Wallis (MSU) & Phil Schwallier.
• Long He & Daniel Weber (Penn State Extension)

“We are entering our third year of the USDA/NIFA/SCRI-funded research and Extension project titled “Precision Crop Load Management for Apples” and we have interesting insights to share with on you [on] vision-based technologies and potential management implications,” the researchers said in the release. “In addition, industry partners have been hard at work developing ‘turnkey’ solutions to assessing your apple crop load management efforts and are invited to participate in a ‘show and tell’, (Barring any hard sales pitch of course!).”

On Jan. 12, the top is “How can PACMAN help you make more money?” The session will be led by Jon Clements and Terence Robinson. Robinson plans to provide updates on horticultural work and a flow chart for precisions crop load management while Clements plans to address RECIPE: Predicting fruit set using the fruitlet growth rate model apps. Greg Peck will discuss the pollen tube growth model while Todd Einhorn will tackle the fruit growth model, a new method.

Jan. 19’s session is called “Innovative new technology to implement PACMAN (Part 1).” Led by Anna Wallis and Craig Kahlke, the session will also include Dave Brown and Patrick Plonski of the Meter Group (formerly Farm Vision), Chris Hall and Matt King of Fruit Scout, Ross Kranz and Tim Cromwell of LaGasse/Aurea/Munckhof, and Jenny Lemieux of Vivid Machines.

On Jan. 26, the subject is “Innovative new technology to implement PACMAN (Part 2) & How’s your adoption going?” Headed by Mario Miranda Sazo and Mauricio Guerra Funes, it will include presentations by Innov8’s Steve Mantle, Oli Highbourne and Andrew Schmack of Outfield, AgerPix’s Karina Lau, and Orchard Robotics’ Charlie Wu. Mauricio Guerra Funes will discuss adoption.

Updates and announcements will be posted on the PACMAN website.

For additional information contact Jon Clements at Jon.clements@umass.edu