The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission has scheduled a series of field days in Washington this month focusing on apple rootstock performance.

Tuesday October 20, 2015

Stop 1. Oroville

Topic: Excellent performance of newly planted Honeycrisp trees

Host: Dave Taber

Start: 10:45 a.m. Plan to leave Wenatchee by 7:50 a.m. and Omak by 10 a.m.

Directions: Turn off Highway 97 in downtown Oroville onto Central Avenue, which turns into Loomis-Oroville Road. Orchard access is just west of mailbox and house at 3605 Loomis Oroville Road, Oroville. Turn right (north) off Loomis-Oroville Road. There is an older orchard on right of the drive, and a open but fenced field with dry grass and weeds on left.

Discussion:

First-Leaf Honeycrisp in a replicated planting of Geneva apple rootstocks and commercial standards in an unfumigated old orchard site: MM.106, Bud 9, G.969, G.210, G.41, G.935, G.214, G.11, G.890,

M.9 Nic 29, M.9 T337.

Planting and tree training and pruning, fertigation, water management, mildew program,

Trellis construction for 100 bins per acre. Crown rot (MM.106)

Quick fast food stop in Omak, then drive to Brewster.

Stop 2. Brewster

Start time: 1:30 PM

Topics: Pazazz on same rootstocks as in Oroville, but in new ground. Very nicely done.

Host: Jim Divis

Directions: Traveling from Oroville, turn onto Old Highway 97 at Mallot. Go to Old Monse Bridge Road,, turn right (south) on to Golden Lane to Lakeview Way. Turn left at 72 Lakeview Way. Large Honeycrisp grafts on the right, Pacific Rose block on the left.

Discussion: Planting and growing season practices—water and fertigation. 2016 plans for pruning and tree training

Stop 3: Brewster

Start time: 3 p.m,

Topics: Trial was planted in 2006 with Fuji scion in fumigated/unfumigated plots.  Grafted to Pacific Rose in 2011. Rootstocks in 2015: M.9, G.202, G.814 (most are dead due to virus) CG5257, G.11 (not woolly resistant) ,G. 935 (trees labeled as 937 by Cornell) G.214, G.890, Ottawa 3, MM.106, M.7. and several others.  Several rootstocks did not survive the Fuji virus and were replaced with new trees on M.9 most show replant symptoms.

Host: Crane Family Orchards, Crane Road.

Directions: Leave Divis Orchard on Lakeview Way to Golden Lane. Turn left on Crandel Road, merge onto Blossom Lane, turn left on Old Highway 97 to Highway 97. Turn eight on US 97, turn left on to Highway 173 (Les Schwab is on left up ahead). Cross Columbia River, turn right after the bridge on to Crane Orchard Road. Travel 1.8 miles to trial site. Turn right into Pacific Rose block (with the same planting on both side of the drive). Plenty of parking near the river.

Discussion: This site has demonstrated difficulty with replant, especially with M.26 being the original rootstock. Block has been mounded to encourage scion rooting and boost the vigor. Planted in 2004.

Wednesday October 21, 2015

Stop 1: East Wenatchee

Start time: 8 a.m.

Host:  Scott McDougall, McDougall and Sons, at Legacy Orchard.

Directions: Travel east on Grant Road past the airport. As the road turns right to become S. Van Well Road, turn left in the middle of the curve to stay on Grant Road. Turn left at 4507 Grant Road, west of the Northern Fruit CA facility.

Topics:

  1. Honeycrisp trial with Geneva rootstocks: Bud 9, G.969, G.210, G.41, G.935, G.214, G.11, G.890,

M.9 Nic 29, M.9 T337.  Block is in a V trellis spaced 2 feet in the row.

Discussion: Management of Honeycrisp in new plantings.  What can the Geneva rootstocks offer compared to the M.9 standards?

  1. Super slender axe (SSA) vertical trial. Spacing is 12 by 2 feet. Sweetheart on Clinton. The cherry rootstock trial is on a V system with 12 foot row spacing and 2-foot tree spacing on mid-size rootstocks, and 1-foot spacing on small rootstocks.  Firs-t and second-leaf plantings with more traditional spacing.

Discussion: SSA high-density plantings with minimal pruning at planting.

Stop 2: Wapato, south of Yakima

Start time: 2:30 p.m.

Directions: Take exit 44 off of I 82.  Head east towards Yakima Valley highway, turn right. Travel southwest to Konnowac Pass Road, turn left. Pass the USDA Agricultural Research Service lab driveway, take the first orchard road left north of ARS at 5112 Konnowac Pass Road, with Gala on right and pears on left of the orchard road. Drive to loading area at the west end of orchard near ARS lab fence.

Topic: Apple rootstock trials, fire blight resistance, and pruning treatments

Discussion:

Unfumigated replacement tree trials in a site that has shown strong response to fumigation.

Rootstocks: Bud 9, G.969, G.210, G.41, G.935, G.214, G.11, G.890, M.9 Nic 29, M.9 T337.

Fireblight is an additional topic in this block.

Gala trial: in addition to the rootstocks are some pruning treatments:

All rootstocks have a ‘stub’ marked (s) on the tree tag…. All feathers were trimmed to 4 to 6 buds to eliminate blind wood and most bloom. Trees also had a heading cut taking 12 to 18 inches off the leader.

Many rootstocks have a tipping treatment, marked (t) where the end 4 buds were tipped and the leader was tipped. A few roots received a pruning (p) where the limbs were all removed and the leader headed at the waist.

Second trial: Difficult replant scion in an unfumigated replacement tree trial (Red Delicious). All trees received the stubbing pruning treatment. Same rootstocks as Gala plus MM.106, which is not replant tolerant in this site.