Smart Orchard 2.0
An ongoing project in Washington State puts technology to the test. By Anna Mouton. The explosion of new technologies has been a mixed blessing for fruit growers. Never before have growers had access to so much data — and never…
Smart sensing for digital horticulture
Creating a virtual orchard requires advanced data collection and processing. By Anna Mouton. Innovation in pome- and stone-fruit production often progresses one orchard or one season at a time. Researchers developing new tree-training systems or growers trying to understand mixed…
SNAP-E orchard systems
Design planting systems that are simple, narrow, accessible, productive, and enduring. By Anna Mouton. “Orchard systems are not about what we know right now,” said horticultural consultant Craig Hornblow. “Every time we plant a tree, we’re planting with the belief…
Soil health in Washington State
Q+A with Tianna DuPont. By Anna Mouton. The United States is the second largest apple-producing country — total production in 2020 was 5.1 million tonnes. Seventy percent of these apples come from Washington State. Fresh Quarterly spoke to Tianna DuPont,…
South African apple-rootstock trends
The industry has come a long way since M.793 ruled the roots. Three technical advisers discuss the journey and where we might go next. By Anna Mouton. The story of M.793 begins in 1920 when selective breeding for woolly apple…
Stone fruit rootstocks revisited
We bring you an update on our rootstock series from the December issue — now including salinity tolerance and drought sensitivity. Information provided by Dr Piet Stassen with input from Petru du Plessis and other technical advisers. The success of…
Stranger things: invasive alien plants’ coup of water-catchment areas
The Western Cape loses a dam’s worth of water due to invasive alien plants each year. Plant water-use experts, Drs Mark Gush and David le Maitre of the CSIR, share insight on this topic and how it affects fruit farmers…
Sunburn
Why it happens and how to prevent it. By Anna Mouton. Sunburn is the damage caused by too much sun exposure — anyone who spends time outdoors knows this. People tend to find a tan attractive in humans but not…
Sunburn research summarised
Highlights of projects funded by Hortgro Pome and Hortgro Stone Hortgro Pome and Hortgro Stone have funded — and continue to fund — extensive research into the development and control of sunburn. The goal is to better understand the causes…
Technology for irrigation scheduling
Growers have more — and better — options than ever before. What do they need to know to choose the top tool for their orchards? By Anna Mouton. Understanding your soils is the starting point for accurate irrigation scheduling, says…