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Finding the Answer to Weed Control on Organic Orchards
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The two common organic weed control strategies of cultivation and mulch lack sufficiency when used solely. However, when combined with the use of herbicides, they function fairly well, according to new research. Greg Peck, assistant professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section at Cornell University, shared his research findings of a 4-year…
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Study Charts How Orchards Can Leverage Mechanical Thinning and Pruning without Spreading Fire Blight
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Apple fire blight is a devastating disease that causes an estimated $100 million of damage in U.S. orchards annually. Pruning an apple orchard comes with many rewards for commercial apple growers including optimal crop load, ripeness and sugar levels. Mechanical pruning and thinning is an effective alternative to long and laborious hand pruning, but commercial orchards have…
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Precision Apple Thinning with Computer-Based Plant Growth Models
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A new bloom thinning model, developed by Virginia Tech researchers, might offer New York apple growers more precision and increased yields. In eastern New York, there has recently been increasing interest in thinning apples earlier at bloom to improve return bloom in biennial varieties like Honeycrisp, and to begin the thinning process earlier in hard…
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Tipsheet: Transitioning to Organic Management of Orchards
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By Guy Ames, ATTRA Organic certification verifies that fruit is produced according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic standards. See www.ams.usda.gov/nop for details of the standards. In general, the regulations make several requirements of certified organic fruit: Produced without genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge Managed in a manner that conserves natural resources and biodiversity …
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Apple Scouting Time: Growers Make Good Use of Research Data
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Apple growers can put recent pest identification research to good use this spring as they scout their orchards for troublesome insects. The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program funded a collaboration by Cornell University faculty and laboratory personnel and Cornell Cooperative Extension educators to scout regional orchards, identify apple pests, and enter real-time data…
orchard management
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