Aug 30, 2017

WA38 Cosmic Crisp field day set for Sept. 27

A field day offering tips on production of WA 38 (Cosmic Crisp) apple fruit quality will be Sept. 27 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Washington State University’s (WSU) Sunrise Orchard test block in Rock Island.

Join WSU for a free fall field day discussing horticulture and tips to optimize fruit quality of WA38 Cosmic Crisp, WSU’s newest breeding program release. With more than 637,224 WA38 trees are in the ground already. WSU and the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission are working hard to provide growers with the information they need to choose training systems, pruning systems, rootstocks, pollinizers and management techniques for high-quality fruit.

WA 38 Tips to Optimize Fruit Quality is the second of the two field day events. The focus of this field day event is management tips for consistently superior fruit quality. Stefano Musacchi, WSU professor of horticulture, will demonstrate a new top grafting trial and discuss how horticulture systems impact pack out.
Ines Hanrahan, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission researcher, will describe tips to achieve high packouts, including how to determine optimal harvest dates, pluses and minuses of one versus two picks, and the utility of pre-harvest fungicide applications.

Karen Lewis, WSU Tree Fruit Extension, will show ways to incorporate mechanization, such as hedging, in WA 38 management.

Attendees will:

• See the impacts of pruning, hedging, and training strategies on the canopy and fruit quality
• Learn how to use the new WA 38 starch scale.
• Taste WA 38 fruit.
• See mechanical pruning tools.

Note the first field day event, WA 38 Sept. 6, 2017, at the WSU Roza Orchard in Prosser had to be canceled.

Directions: The WSU Sunrise Orchard is off Highway 28 on Sunrise Lane, about 11 miles south of Wenatchee.