Month: January 2024

Dr. Gregory Peck and his team at Cornell Univesity of David Zakalik, Michael Brown, and Craig Kahlke recently published several papers on the results of their research on crop load management of cider apples. Some cider apple varieties are notorioulsy biennial bearing which “exacerbates supply chain issues for cidermakers in North America.” Their results suggest that summer applications of plant growth regulators do not promote return bloom or reduce biennial bearing in seven cider apple varieties, however, fruitlet thinning did reduce biennial bearing and improve juice quality. These results should be of interest to all cider apple growers. The full papers can be viewed below…

Fruitlet Thinning Reduces Biennial Bearing in Seven High-tannin Cider Apple Cultivars
David Zakalik, Michael G. Brown, and Gregory M. Peck
https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17455-23

Fruitlet Thinning Improves Juice Quality in Seven High-tannin Cider Cultivars
David L. Zakalik, Michael G. Brown, and Gregory M. Peck
https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17096-23

Summer Applications of Plant Growth Regulators, Ethephon And 1-Naphthaleneacetic Acid, Do Not Promote Return Bloom or Reduce Biennial Bearing in Seven High-Tannin Cider Apple Cultivars
David L. Zakalik, Michael G. Brown, Craig J. Kahlke,
and Gregory M. Peck
Journal of the American Pomological Society 77(2): 75-92 2023

Summary:
In January of 2023, a series of 3 virtual nationwide meetings was conducted by the PACMAN Research and Extension team to update growers about the current state of precision crop load management of apples. At the end of February and early March, CCE LOF conducted 3 Ag-tech sessions in person in Rochester, NY, and one statewide virtual session. More than 450 people in total attended the PACMAN virtual meetups and the 4 Ag-tech sessions offered by CCE LOF during the winter months of 2023. CCE LOF carried out one pruning severity study on ‘Honeycrisp’, compared and validated the use of two thinning prediction models (FSDM and the FGRM) on ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Gala’ with grower collaborators, and worked with several companies who are developing rovers or drones to count flowers and fruitlets (Pometa, Orchard Robotics, Vivid, and Outfield). In July, CCE LOF conducted a very successful fruit summer tour in Wayne County where several digital technologies were featured to more than 250 tour participants. In the 2023 growing season and in a few more orchards in the Lake Ontario Fruit region and at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, the research, development, and first adoption of several digital technologies has been taking place to help improve the accuracy and labor efficiency of precision crop load management.

Cornell research and extension team: T.L. Robinson (Cornell AgriTech), L. Gonzalez (Cornell AgriTech), S. Howden (Cornell AgriTech), Kathy Campo (Cornell AgriTech), M. Miranda Sazo (CCE LOF), C. Kahlke (CCE LOF), L. Tee (CCE LOF), and D. Acquilano (CCE LOF).

Full PDF of the report download below…

8-January, 2024. Hosted by Dr. Terence Robinson, Cornell University, via Zoom.

YouTube Playlist of all of the following presentations…or link below to individual video of presentation(s).

Digital needs identified by the PCLM University team Terence Robinson

Progress on digital imaging of tree structure Yu Jiang

Progress on flower/fruitlet/limb identification for robotic pruning, etc. Long He and Paul Heinemann

Presentation of progress by Orchard Robotics Charles Wu

Presentation of progress by Aurea Imaging Bert Rijk

Presentation of progress Vivid Machine Jenny Lemieux

Presentation of progress by Pometa Patrick Plonski

Presentation of progress by Outfield Oli Hilbourn

Luis Gonzalez Nieto¹, Anna Wallis², Jon Clements³, Mario Miranda Sazo⁴, Craig Kahlke⁴, Thomas M. Kon⁵ and Terence Robinson¹

¹Horticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Geneva, NY

²Michigan State University Extension, Grand Rapids, MI

³University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

⁴Cornell Cooperative Extension, Lake Ontario Fruit Program, Newark and Lockport, NY

⁵Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, Department of Horticultural Sciences, North Carolina State University, Mills River, NC 28759, USA

Paper presented by Luis Gonzalez at Precison Management of Orchards and Vineyards (PMOV) ISHS Symposium, Tatura, Victoria (Australia) on 8-December, 2023.

T.L. Robinson, L. Gonzalez, and Y. Jiang (Hort. Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Geneva, NY)
M. Miranda Sazo and C. Kahlke (Cornell Cooperative Extension, Lake Ontario Fruit Team, Newark, NY)

Paper presented by Luis Gonzalez at Precison Management of Orchards and Vineyards (PMOV) ISHS Symposium, Tatura, Victoria (Australia) on 7-December, 2023.

Presentation by Tory Schmidt, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission at the Northwest Hort Expo, Three Rivers Convention Convention Center in Kennewick, WA on December 5th, 2023. This during the Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA) 119th Annual Meeting.