WSU-OSU Tree Fruit Extension Webinar Series #1 March 27, 2020
Speaker: Matthew Whiting, Professor, Scientist, Extension Specialist, Washington State University, Department of Horticulture.
Flowering is a critical time for growers because fertilization rate has a fundamental relationship to yield and there is a short window of opportunity to set the crop for the year. The processes of pollination and fertilization are dependent upon many factors and these can vary from year to year and among cultivars.
Matthew Whiting, professor at Washington State University, hosted the first of the WSU-OSU Tree Fruit Extension Webinar series organized by Ashley Thompson (OSU Extension) and Bernardita Sallato (WSU Extension). The webinar covered the basics of pollination/fertilization biology as well as strategies for reducing variability and optimizing fruit set. Specifically, the following topics are addressed:
- Fundamentals of flowering and fertilization
- Pollenizers + pollinators
- S-alleles and compatibility
- Environmental effects on flowering and fruit set
- Practical strategies for optimizing fruit set
