2024 Massachusetts NC-140 State Report

State: Massachusetts

1. Impact

Massachusetts growers continue to plant high density orchards using dwarfing rootstocks. NC-140 rootstock trial(s) at UMass are essential in making local and regional recommendations as to what rootstock(s) to plant that maximize productivity, provide disease resistance, and improve profitability. Currently, depending on variety, G.11, G. 41, G.969, G.214, G.890 and Bud. 10 apple rootstocks are recommended in Massachusetts and New England based on NC-140 trials.

2. New Facilities & Equipment

Three trees on G.11 rootstock in the 2014 NC-140 Honeycrisp Vineland/Geneva planting were outfitted in 2023 with Treetoscope/TRANSPIRA (https://www.treetoscope.com/) direct plant water sensors courtesy of Toro Ag. The sensors are monitored for quantitative water uptake measurement, plant stress, and provided irrigation insight in 2024 via an online dashboard. In addition, TORO Tempus Ag and Onset soil moisture sensors are installed, maintained, and monitored.

3. Unique Project Related Findings

Data collection on tree growth and yield in the 2014 NC-140 apple rootstock planting has been completed and submitted to the trial leader (John Cline) to be combined with other locations data sets to compare the performance of these rootstocks across regions over 10 years. It is expected results will be published in the Journal of the American Pomological Society.

Data collection on tree growth (and root suckers) in the 2023 ‘Porters Perfection’ cider rootstock planting was taken at the end of the growing season in 2024. Data will be submitted to trial coordinator Gregory Peck.4. Accomplishments Related to each Objective

 

Objective 1. To evaluate the influence of rootstocks on vegetative and reproductive growth and development of temperate-zone fruit trees, orchard productivity and labor efficiency, and sustainable orchard management practices across diverse soils and climatic regions.

Tree growth 2024 in the 2023 NC-140 cider apple ‘Porters Perfection’ rootstock planting was generally good and no tree loss/death was observed other than what had already occurred in 2023. Most notably, G.484 rootstock has incomplete blocks (tree mortality in 2023) and data for that rootstock should be noted accordingly. As expected, tree size in 2024 was pretty much aligned with tree size in 2023, i.e., smaller trees were still smaller (as measured by trunk area) and larger trees (G. 969 and G.890) were still larger. See Table 1 and Figure 1.

Objective 5. To integrate and disseminate research-based information and decision support tools that facilitate successful stakeholder adoption of rootstock technologies.

The NC-140 website (nc140.org) continues to be an important Project and Extension tool to facilitate communication and stakeholder adoption. It also facilitates and archives Project activities and publications. The NC-140 website also links to the eXtension Apples Community of Practice (apples.extension.org) where practical and research-based information on apple production includes (in addition to Rootstocks): Cultivars, Establishing an Orchard, Managing Orchards, Propagation, Cider Apples, and Regional Resources.

5. Published Written Works (relative to NC 140 activities) 

b. Refereed Journal Articles

Gonzalez Nieto, L.; Wallis, A.; Clements, J.; Miranda Sazo, M.; Kahlke, C.; Kon, T.M.; Robinson, T.L. 2024. Evaluation of Computer Vision Systems and Applications to Estimate Trunk Cross-Sectional Area, Flower Cluster Number, Thinning Efficacy and Yield of Apple. Horticulturae 2023, 9(8), 880. https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/8/880

f. Other Creative Works (ex. Electronic) 

NC-140 Regional Rootstock Research Project Website, http://www.nc140.org

eXtension Apples Community of Practice, https://apples.extension.org/

 

Half-baked research: Honeycrisp bitter pit and rootstocks, 2019 & 2020, https://jmcextman.blogspot.com/2023/10/half-baked-research-honeycrisp-b…

Table 1 – Trunk area in 2023, 2024, and increase in trunk area 2023-2024 in the 2023 NC-140 planting at the UMass Orchard, Belchertown, MA

Mean separation by Tukey HSD P=0.05

Figure 1 – Trunk area in 2023, 2024, and increase in trunk area 2023-2024 in the 2023 NC-140 ‘Porters Perfection’ planting at the UMass Orchard, Belchertown, MA

Figure 2 – 2023 NC-140 ‘Porters Perfection’ planting on 31-October, 2024 at the UMass Orchard, Belchertown, MA