Tree Fruit News – May 2022

Flower receptivity is a limiting factor for the fertilization of several tree fruit. The effective pollination period (EPP) can be used to determine flower longevity and identify limiting factors by assessing stigmatic receptivity, pollen tube…

Microtensiometers are sensors that continuously monitor tree water status with potential to be used for growers to help in making irrigation decisions.

Los microtensiómetros son sensores que se instalan en el tronco del arbol y monitorean continuamente el estatus hídrico de la planta. Estos sensores tienen gran potencial en la toma de decisiones acerca del riego.

Chemical thinning and crop load management is difficult enough in a normal season, but what in the heck should we do this year? Here are some thoughts and resources that may be helpful.

Cold temperatures keep bees from flying. This topic of bee flight and temperature comes up a lot. Almost everything I read says bumble bees and blue orchard bees will forage at lower temperatures than honey…

Given the cold weather that started April 10, 2022, that our region experienced, there were a lot of questions from the growers regarding the frost protection on apple and cherry trees. Below are a few…

Without any intervention, codling moth numbers increase about four-fold from generation to generation. Therefore, targeting the first generation is important to reset the population size to a minimum. Control measures for subsequent generations can be…

Using the pear psylla phenology model in the WSU Decision Aid System can increase the effectiveness of a pear psylla IPM program (i.e., a “soft” program). IPM programs keep pear psylla below economic thresholds using…

Based on the recommendations of the Pear Research Subcommittee (PRSC), the Fresh and Processed Pear Committees (FPC & PPC) approved $255,575 to fund five (5) new pear projects in March 2022.

Written by Dr. Youfu “Frank” Zhao, Professor & Endowed Chair in Bacterial diseases, WSU-IAREC, May 3, 2022 Bacterial canker risks we experienced in April 2022 and what growers should be looking for to assess damage…

This is the last of a four-part series from the sweet cherry cold hardiness webinar held on Oct 29, 2020. In this video, Assessing cold damage, Dr. Matthew Whiting, WSU professor, demonstrates how to assess…

Looking for apple bud damage? Watch as Washington State University’s Matthew Whiting shows how to quickly cut and evaluate apple buds on the tree and identify flower part damage

¿Busca daños en los brotes de manzana? Observe cómo Bernardita Sallato, de la Universidad Estatal de Washington, muestra cómo cortar y evaluar rápidamente los capullos de manzana en el árbol e identificar los daños en…

June 22 – June 23 Ready to take beekeeping to the next level? For those of you who already have a working foundation in beekeeping, the WSU bee team is offering an event to introduce you to…

The interest and need to advance bee breeding techniques and to address the conservation of threatened subspecies and ecotypes is of global concern. The focus of this symposium is to demonstrate and share reproductive technologies…

Join your local NCW conservation districts on a field tour of a local orchard and vineyard and learn about conservation practices that could potentially reduce management costs.