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| HORTICULTURE |
- Investigating the vigor and production
efficiency of experimental rootstocks and interstem combinations
for apples as part of the NC-140 national rootstock testing
program.
- Effect of controlled atmosphere
storage on storage quality of Ginger Gold, Gala, Braeburn,
and Fuji apples (cooperative with USDA, Beltsville).
- The potential of new untested apple varieties
to perform in the southcentral area of Pennsylvania is being
investigated. Over 50 varieties are now planted as part of
the NE-183 national apple variety testing program.
- Evaluations of new plant growth regulators
including Apogee® that can reduce the vegetative vigor
of apple and pear trees may dramatically change the way that
apples are grown and may reduce the severity of fire blight
epidemics.
- Develop apple thinning programs for the major
apple varieties in the Mid-Atlantic area to overcome alternate
bearing, a major limitation in annual production.
- Major efforts will continue in the testing
of apple varieties and rootstocks that can thrive in the Mid-Atlantic
area. Both varieties and rootstocks must be able to overcome
the environmental limitations here and must be able to efficiently
produce the quality of fruit demanded by the fresh and processing
industries.
- Continue research on plant growth regulators
in large orchard trials to determine effects on orchard management
and productivity.
- Refinements to the current recommendations
for thinning apples will most likely focus on environmental
and plant growth regulator factors. Less emphasis will be
placed on an optimum fruit size, and effective programs will
be available to thin apples from full bloom to the 20 mm fruit
size.
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