A Hortgro-funded study investigated the effect of different cooling strategies on common storage disorders of Fuji apples. By Anna Mouton. Study highlights summarised The main finding of this study is that room cooling is superior to stepwise cooling for Fuji…
A summary of Hortgro-funded research on water and irrigation. By Anna Mouton. Water scarcity was already a recognised risk in 1998 when Dr Theresa Volschenk and colleagues of what is now the ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij began investigating the Soil Water Balance…
Soil fumigation is the cornerstone of replant control. Can research provide growers with more options? By Anna Mouton. Apple replant is a soilborne disease of apples established on soils previously occupied by apples. The condition primarily stunts the growth of…
Research shows that netted apple orchards need less water – but growers should read the fine print. By Anna Mouton. Deciduous-fruit growers are adopting nets to protect their crops against everything from hailstorms to sunburn. Can nets also help trees…
A Hortgro-funded project assessed the response of new and popular apple rootstocks to deficit irrigation. By Anna Mouton. Dwarfing rootstocks are quite literally the foundation of high-density apple orchards. They encourage earlier bearing that supports the rapid attainment of full…
A summary of past and present Hortgro-funded Forelle research not covered elsewhere in this issue. Hortgro-funded work on other pear cultivars is not discussed here – consult the research inventory in the PDF for a complete list of pear-related projects…
A summary of historical South African research on apple scab starting in 1970 with the work of Dr Wolf Schwabe. By Anna Mouton. Schwabe conducted extensive research on apple scab while with the Fruit and Fruit Technology Research Institute —…
How much water do high-performing apple orchards need? By Esté Beerwinkel. A lingering drought and remarkably high-yielding orchards compel farmers to give their irrigation practices a second thought. A four-year project set on establishing how much water apple orchards need…
Why is there so much variability? By Anna Mouton. Inconsistent fruit quality and ripening is the bane of apple growers everywhere. How is one supposed to harvest at optimum maturity when there is so much variation on the same tree?…
New research projects will help growers plan for the future. By Anna Mouton. We could all use a crystal ball. Imagine if we could know today whether Saturday a month hence will be braai weather? Or whether or not we…