Written by Sarah Gafner-Bergeron, Washington State University Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center, February 1, 2025
On January 19 to 23, 2025, the North Central Washington Tree Fruit Days took place in Wenatchee, WA, showcasing the newest research in tree fruit and horticultural expertise from industry experts. Organized by WSU Extension Tianna DuPont with partners NCW Fieldmen’s Assoc, NW Cherry Growers and Pear Bureau NW, the event reached between 250 and 350 people daily. Participants included orchardists, fieldstaff and industry professionals from North Central Washington and accessed online from around the world. A selection of presentations are now posted!
What is North Central Washington Tree Fruit Days?
North Central Washington Tree Fruit Days is an annual three-day event where scientists discuss their newest research findings in tree fruits, and farmers and industry experts present friendly horticultural advice. Each day tackles a different tree fruit: Pear Day, Stone Fruit Day, and Apple Day (which encompasses the Spanish session Manejo de Frutales). The event was free and open to the public thanks to the generous donations from our sponsors, WSU Extension, NW Cherry Growers, Pear Bureau Northwest, and North Central Washington Fieldmen’s Association.
Who was presenting?
This year’s speaker roster included scientists from Washington State University, Oregon State University, Cornell University, USDA-ARS, Blue Bird, and more.
The topics included strategies to manage key pests and disease like codling moth, aphids, fire blight, cherry cankers, x-disease, and little cherry disease; horticultural reminders regarding irrigation, biennial bearing, heat and cold extremes, and thinning fruit; and background on the new WA 64 ‘Sunflare’ apple from WSU’s very own breeding program.
What if I missed Tree Fruit Days, but want to listen to the presentations?
A selection of the many excellent talks are posted at here at treefruit.wsu.edu and additional will be posted later this month. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Lacewing releases: Increasing your odds for success, Rebecca Schmidt Jeffris, USDA-ARS
Rebecca Schmidt Jeffris discusses lacewings as a method to control aphids and mealybugs, the secret to a successful lacewing release, and how to tell if your lacewing releases are successful.
80% of listeners learned “a good deal” or “a great deal” about lacewing releases from Rebecca Schmidt Jeffris’s talk.
Access Lacewing Releases: Increasing your odds for success Recording Here
Optimizing tree fruit nutrition for fruit quality, Bernadita Sallato, WSU extension
Bernadita Sallato introduced the basic concepts of fertilization in tree fruits and discussed how to use the concepts to optimize fertilization for fruit quality and yield.
“I would rate Bernadita Sallato’s presentation as one of the best ever and most useful presentations I’ve listened to in 35 years of attendance.” ~ Anonymous
Access Optimizing tree fruit nutrition for fruit quality Recording Here
Panel: Basic Horticulture Reminders with Lee Gale, Northwest Wholesale, and Eric Zavala, Blue Bird
Lee Gale and Eric Zavala discuss practices in pruning, spray programs, irrigation, and harvest that can lead to increased pack outs.
“I really enjoyed the grower panel about horticultural practices and was reminded of useful ways to get the best out of a cherry block.” ~Michael Meyer, Washington Tree Fruit Commission
Access Panel: Basic Horticulture Reminders Recording Here
Thank you!
A huge thank you to the sponsors and everyone who attended for making this year’s event a success. For those who could not make it this year, we hope to see you at next year’s session. Until then, happy growing!
Contact
If you have any questions, or if there is a presentation that was not posted but that you would like to listen to, please contact:
Sarah Gafner-Bergeron
Washington State University Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
(509)293-8792
Fruit Matters articles may only be republished with prior author permission © Washington State University. Reprint articles with permission must include the following: Originally published by Washington State Tree Fruit Extension Fruit Matters at treefruit.wsu.edu and a link to the original article.
