Fruit Matters – Tree Fruit News – May 2025

AgWeatherNet has unveiled an updated, intuitive interface for the Apple Pollen Tube Growth Model. The model continues to serve as a valuable tool for optimizing bloom-time chemical thinning strategies. What’s New? The updated interface now…

The optical sorter is an efficient tool for assessing fruit right after harvest and during postharvest evaluations. It provides valuable insights that can be helpful in making informed breeding decisions.

For 2025, the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC) approved $481,297 of pear reserve funds to help support four new special projects largely focused on infrastructure to support pear research programs.  Although originally collected from…

Based on the recommendations of the Pear Research Subcommittee (PRSC), the Fresh and Processed Pear Committees (FPC & PPC) approved $298,045 to fund five new pear research projects in 2025.

Sweet cherries destined for certain export markets must retain fruit and stem quality for 2 to 6 weeks postharvest and be resilient to breaks in the cold chain. The goal of this study was to…

The Tree Fruit Extension Economics Team released the 2024 Cost and Return Studies for Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Cosmic Crisp™. ‘Gala’ and ‘Granny Smith’ apple production results in negative returns while ‘Honeycrisp’ and Cosmic…

Hot off the press! WA 38 Flower Biology, Fruit Set, and Crop Load Management is the first published chapter of the WA 38: Best Management Practices Handbook. Access the link to download it here.