To help the Northern New York apple industry with a farm gate value of $16 million, the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is funding orchard improvement research and grower education focused on improving fruit quality through systems management, precision orchard thinning, and precision irrigation techniques. “Controlling the final fruit number on an apple tree is a critical process for profitable fruit growers,” says Cornell University Horticulture Professor Terence Robinson. “Only 3 to 10 percent of the initial flowers and fruitlets should be carried to harvest for the best economic value.”
Robinson and his research team have developed a precision thinning technique that helps growers prevent too many fruits from reducing apple size and yield. This Summer the research team demonstrated the use of motorized platforms for hand thinning orchards as well as use of mechanized sidewall shearing at Everett Orchards in Peru, NY. “Dr. Robinson has had trials comparing four different growing systems in our orchards since 2002. His research work has been the clearest indicator of what types of systems work best for our operation. He has calculated the best return on investment for the different systems and that has helped us and all the growers in the region,” grower Tom Everett says.
The NNYADP-funded apple research also includes the development of a precision irrigation calculation model to help apple growers boost crops in dry years. Forrence Orchards in Peru has hosted the NNYADP irrigation trials. Once the fall 2013 harvest is complete, Robinson will begin evaluating data on fruit set, size, quality, and yield, and will calculate gross crop value for the apples grown using the thinning techniques and the irrigation technique at three Northern New York apple orchards.
The results will be presented to growers at the Cornell Winter Fruit School in February 2014 and reported in a 2014 issue of the NY Fruit Quarterly Magazine sent to nearly 700 commercial apple growers in New York State.
Source: madisoncountycourier.com






Announcements
Job Offers
- Head Grower Greenhouse Canada
- Post Entry Quarantine Facility Manager
- Economic Policy Officer Agri-Tech Kentucky
- Licensing Manager North America
- Junior Sales Executive
- Fruit Breeder/Trait Discovery Scientist
- General Manager
- Regional Sales Manager – DACH Region
- Country Manager – Italy
- Country Manager – Spain
"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
Top 5 -last week
- “Black growbags could benefit vegetable crops as well”
- Latvia: First greenhouse to grow cucumbers under LEDs uses landfill waste to produce energy
- "Moisture is the big danger in the next two months"
- "Even light intensity at every spot in the greenhouse"
- US (OH): 80 Acres Farms makes layoffs as tech job crunch continues
Top 5 -last month
- How farmers are cutting out supermarkets
- Combining vertical farming and greenhouse horticulture to decentralize lettuce production
- Higher light transmission and lower heat demand with double foil greenhouse
- Fresh produce chain hit by Lakeside Produce’s bankruptcy
- 30MHz declared bankrupt, curator 'optimistic about restart'
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2023-01-25 “Our dehumidifiers still control humidity after 13 years”
- 2023-01-24 Chilly Arizona temperatures and winds impact lettuce production
- 2023-01-24 Organic farm results higher than for conventional farms
- 2023-01-24 Grower guidelines released for strawberry variety Malling Centenary
- 2023-01-23 Exotic vegetables bloom in India's desert state of Rajasthan
- 2023-01-20 "For a long time, iceberg lettuce was much too cheap"
- 2023-01-18 "Traditional winter vegetables seem to be filling greenhouse vegetable supply gap"
- 2023-01-18 US (GA): Kennesaw State-based mushroom farming business takes honors at innovation challenge
- 2023-01-18 In Iceland, greens are grown in geothermal-heated greenhouses
- 2023-01-18 US (PA): Penn State assists Cameroonian refugees with specialty mushroom ventures
- 2023-01-16 Growers with the Real Organic Project present real ideas for solutions
- 2023-01-13 Eating dark green vegetables can aid in losing visceral fat
- 2023-01-13 The Tea Podcast with Camille Schuneman of Cajun Acres Hydroponic Greenhouse
- 2023-01-13 Photo report: Record attendance for International Soft Fruit Conference
- 2023-01-12 "Plant loss? Investigate what causes it"
- 2023-01-12 UAE: “Growing in soil is more expensive, but the plant is so much better”
- 2023-01-12 Local farmers growing vegetables in underused spaces feed Singapore sustainably
- 2023-01-11 US: New bulletin on transitioning to organic production released
- 2023-01-11 Indonesian agriculture minister impressed by how UAE grows fruits and vegetables in desert
- 2023-01-10 14 weeks after sowing first crop of strawberries grown on rockwool