From The Field

American Fruit Grower editors report on the major trends discussed at past IFTA meetings.

In the past few years, the location of IFTA's annual meeting has changed annually, spanning the country and sometimes even the globe. In many of these cases, however, the editors and contributing writers for American/Western Fruit Grower have been on hand to share with readers the latest information in orchard production techniques.
Keep reading for a close look at some of these meetings, as reported through the pages of American/Western Fruit Grower.

1971: Start Increasing Your Income
At the 14th annual Dwarf Fruit Tree Association meeting in Benton Harbor, MI, Don McKenzie, fruit tree researcher at Havelock Research Station in New Zealand maintained that profits can be greater from small, well-managed orchards than from large ones. "The detailed attention paid to growing, training, and pruning trees results in larger yields per tree and greater profits." In addition, Washington State University horticultural specialist Dr. Ron Tukey expressed his optimism at the future of the industry, even with the tremendous swell in production. "Dwarfing rootstocks, short pruning, super-red sports, growth regulators, more effective pesticides, improved equipment, and better storages are but a few new developments."

1983: New Systems Covered in Rochester, NY
Interstem trees were discussed by Dick Norton, regional fruit specialist in Western New York, who is recommending interstem plantings for his area. The three-piece or interstem tree - that consists of a rootstock, a dwarfing stempiece, and a scion variety - has many advantages, said Norton, including early production, small tree size, and excellent anchorage. The freestanding interstem trees do not require an expansive support system, and growers in his area find them easier to handle.

1984: Manage Dwarf Trees Intensively
What is the key to keeping a dwarf orchard producing high yields of quality fruit for a long time? According to speakers at the IDFTA meeting in Grand Rapids, MI, the keys are intensive management and knowing the nuances of varieties and rootstocks. One of these nuances was brought to light by Ron Perry, a Michigan State University horticulturist, in his presentation on how rootstocks and interstems affect tree ripening. Specifically, Perry tested Empire on MM.111 rootstock with an M.9 interstem. The presence of the interstem did cause fruit to ripen a few days earlier in the season. If a grower did not recognize this and picked the fruit at the same date as non interstem trees, the fruit from the interstem trees would have a higher internal ethylene content and would break down faster in storage. The length of the interstem, said Perry, seemed to make no significant difference in ripening date.

1985: Investigate Intensive Production Systems
Dutch apple and pear growers have adopted very high tree populations in response to a special set of circumstances, according to Dr. S.J. Wertheim at the IDFTA meeting in Yakima, WA. When national tariffs on fruit were eliminated by the European Community, many Dutch fruit growers found they could not compete with other European apple districts. Acreage dropped sharply after 1960, and remaining growers turned to very intensive production in order to achieve maximum efficiency. Some apple growers have adopted bed systems of three to six rows to achieve tree populations of 1000 or more per acre. However, tree numbers are closely related to site capabilities, and on vigorous soils a single-row planting at around 400 per acre is recommended.

1990: Light Penetration Important
At the 1990 IDFTA meeting in Penticton, British Columbia, Ohio State University's David Ferree compared four different orchard systems and their management concerns. He looked at the pyramid hedgerow, the interstem, trellis, and slender spindle. One key to quality apples was light penetration into the canopy of the tree. Ferree said that early high yields were closely related to the amount of canopy and leaf area available per acre. Light penetration was related to the amount of shoot growth that takes place. This growth must be distributed throughout the canopy.

1992: Ring Girdling
During the Niagara County, NY, orchard tour, part of the 1992 IDFTA meeting in Niagara Falls, a demonstration and discussion of ring girdling was presented. Steve Hoying, with the Lake Ontario Fruit Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension, explained that this technique is an alternative to root pruning for reducing excessive vegetative growth and crowding in mature semidwarf or standard orchards. The technique has proven very effective in reducing both the length and number of shoots, thereby reducing the amount of tree pruning. Fruit set and yield have also been enhanced, and fruit size is only slightly smaller when ring girdling is done.

1994: Newcomers Examined
At the 1994 IDFTA meeting in Grand Rapids, MI, growers looked at some "new" varieties, including Gala, Fuji, and Braeburn. A panel of growers and horticulturists provided insights on growing these new varieties, including their potential among consumers, and the cultural challenges of growing them.

2000: Going Down Under
For the first time, IDFTA held its annual conference outside North America, traveling to New Zealand. Rutgers University's Win Cowgill and Jon Clements of the University of Massachusetts were on hand and guided readers through each day of the proceedings, including orchard tours, meetings, and cultural sites.

2004: Touring South Tyrol
Growers attending the 2004 meeting in South Tyrol, Italy, were amazed at the uniformity in tree density throughout the region, as well as some of the unique growing practices of the area. For example, these growers are very reluctant to cut the central leader of the tree and risk losing fruit at the top. In addition, rather than pruning several limbs to prevent excessive growth and vigor, if the limbs bend easily, they will often bend them down as far as possible and tie them to a lower limb.