Extension Fruit Program Research Projects

An summary of commercial fruit production in Massachusetts and how UMass Fruit Extension works to address fruit grower needs...

Hard cider has long been enjoyed here in New England. After a brief hiatus in popularity, it has made a significant comeback. This gives apple growers in the region a new marekting aopportunity. However, there is still a lack of knowledge around which apple cultivars for cider grow best in this region. This project is desined to gain insight onto six different apple cultivars grown specifically for cider production; from growth habits to best harvest timing all the way down the line to the finished fermented product and how it is recieved by consumers. 

Dr. Maria Gannett (Extension Weed Specialist) and Matthew Bley (Extension Educator) have been awarded funding from the Massachusetts Fruit Growers' Horticultural Research Fund. Quinstar 4L has been demonstrated to provide excellent control of bindweeds on the West coast and Chateau EZ is a new formulation of Chateau SW, which will be phased out of production in the coming years. Their project aims to document the field efficacy of these pre-emergent herbicides, Quinstar 4L and Chateau EZ, at different rates. They also will also investigate the benefits of nitrification inhibitors when applied with standard ammonia fertilizers. Since ammonia is blueberry’s preferred form of nitrogen, by slowing the process of nitrification we hypothesize that weed pressure will be reduced as off-target fertilization is reduced. Their work at the Cold Spring Orchard will evaluate these different controls in combination with one another to develop season-long weed management recommendations.

College graduates with expertise in food, agriculture, urban agriculture, renewable natural resources, and the environment are essential in securing our food and energy supply. There is a need to train students with diverse ethnic social, and cultural backgrounds in research and Extension to provide them with better job opportunities. This project is four summer internships at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where students will learn about state Extensions and agricultural sciences. Throughout the program, student interns will evaluate perennial cropping systems, analyze soil health, monitor pests and diseases, and manage automated weather stations, among other activities. Designing and delivering oral presentations will also allow interns to develop their communication skills, especially regarding the translation of science for public use.

Today’s consumers process a lot of information when selecting food products, using sustainability as a decision criterion, and coordination mechanisms for collective action organizations for new sustainability standards and practices need to be explored. The proposed project aims to investigate the adoption of sustainable business practices among Western Massachusetts wine producers and the social and environmental factors that may impede the adoption of these practices. The project will collect qualitative data through interviews with local wine producers and industry representatives. The overarching questions that will guide this research include the legitimization of claims of sustainable food production, awareness of existing sustainable practices in wine production, the role of collective action organizations in the adoption of sustainable business practices, grape growing practices with respect to sustainable land use, and environmental planning and policy dimensions that impact local viticulture in terms of regional economic development.

Honeycrisp is one of the most popular and profitable apples grown in the United States. However, it does have a plethora of problems that make this apple difficult and expensive to grow. One of the most serious and prevalent problems on Honeycrisp is the development of the disorder bitter pit. Corky areas appear on the fruit surface on fruit and their appearance disqualifies afflicted fruit from being brought to fresh fruit markets. Recent work by scientists from Michigan State University have shown that several foliar applications of NAA and ABA early in fruit development may mitigate this problem, but details and confirmation are lacking. This project is to test the effectiveness of NAA and ABA in reducing bitter pit on Honeycrisp apples growing at the UMass Cold Spring Orchard. 

A modern, pedestrian apple orchard system(s) comparison using a disease-resistant rootstock (Geneva 11) and variety (Crimson Crisp) was planted in 2022 at the UMass Orchard. The multi-leader systems comparison includes super-spindle (single leader), bi-leader, and multi-leader cordon. Annual data collection to include fruit quality and yield as well as casual observation of training systems differences.

Advanced apple variety selections from the Midwest Apple Improvement Association breeding program are being planted as they become available and casually evaluated for tree growth and fruit characteristics. In the past, numbered selections have been named, giving apple growers a heads-up on new apple variety selections worthy of planting in their orchards.
 

The NC-140 Regional Research Project is designed to address a number of high-priority areas within the North Central Region as well as other parts of North America. This project seeks to enhance economically and environmentally sustainable practices in temperate fruit production by focusing on rootstocks. At the UMass Orchard: 2014 NC-140 Vineland-Geneva rootstock planting on 14 rootstocks with Honeycrisp as the scion, tree growth and yield data collected annually 2014-2023 (10 years). 2023 was the last year of data collection; Porters Perfection cider apple rootstock planting on 8 rootstocks in Spring 2023.

Controlling the final fruit number on an apple tree is one of the most economically critical management practices in apple growing. Through this project we will further develop precision crop load management tools consisting of computer models, machine vision, robotics and decision support tools to which will allow apple growers to accurately calculate a target fruit number for each tree and then quickly count flower buds and later fruitlets using machine vision and geo-referenced maps to guide the severity of pruning and later guide bloom and post-bloom chemical thinning, and lastly to guide human workers when hand thinning to maximize crop value. This project directly addresses SCRI priority area number 3 “to improve production efficiency, handling and processing, productivity, and profitability over the long term” using a systems approach of plant physiology, crop management, computer vision, robotics, economics, sociology and Extension.