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Japanese beetle (Popilla japonica Newman) has caused severe damage on a wide range of horticultural crops since its first introduction to the Eastern United States from Japan in 1916. Leaves are skeletonized by adult beetles feeding in masses, which makes this insect damage easy to identify. In Arkansas, Japanese beetle was first trapped in Washington County in 1997 and has reached epidemic proportions in the most recent three years. Leaf skelotonization and feeding preference on eighteen birch accessions by Japanese beetle were recorded in 2003 and 2004. There was a wide range from no feeding (0% leaf skelotonization) to high feeding preference (89% leaf skelotonization). Betula utilis var. jacquemontii and B. papyrifera `Renaissance Upright' had highest preference. Betula pendula `Laciniata' had no feeding damage from Japanese beetle.
Three studies were established to compare spring (S) vs. autumn (F) N fertilizer applications on apple tree performance. The studies used newly planted trees, 4-yr-old trees, and 8-yr-old trees, fertilized with either ammonium nitrate or urea at 2 weeks after harvest (F) or at bud break (S). In the first 3 years growth in a newly planted orchard, time of fertilizer did not significantly affect tree height or TCSA. In the first cropping year, F fertilized trees had the greatest flower cluster number and bloom density but similar % set and yield compared to S fertilized trees. F fertilized trees in mature orchards studies tended to be shorter and have smaller TCSA increment after 3 yrs. Treatments did not affect bloom density, % set or total yield although spring fertilized trees had a greater % drop. Although spur leaves of F fertilized trees had greater N content at bloom, shoot leaves typically had lower N and Mn, and higher P, K, and Ca at 90 days after bloom compared to S treatment trees.
Summer pruning effects on processing peach on fruit quality, light penetration and interception, and % defects was studied in 2 trials. In study A, pillar-trained trees were pruned with the following treatments: a control, summer pruning at stage II fruit growth, summer pruning post-harvest or, pruning twice (all trees dormant pruned). In the first year, pruning prior to harvest significantly increased blush and flesh firmness but reduced soluble solids content (SSC). In the second year, summer pruning reduced yield per tree and fruit drop (weight and % of total) but did not affect fruit size, blush, or SSC. After 2 years, trees pruned post-harvest or twice had significantly smaller height, spread and trunk diameter.1 In study B, 2 cultivars of central leader trained trees were pruned at stage II fruit growth in the following treatments: a control, canopy thinning, and hedging. Thinning pruning improved light penetration and hedging reduced light interception. Thinning pruning reduced % of fungal rotted fruit but did not affect fruit quality.
Numerous apple (Malus ×domestica) research experiments have shown that organic apples can be both profitable and sustainable, especially in the Pacific northwestern United States. However, there is limited published research on the profitability of organic apple orchards in the southern U.S. region. Surveys of southern U.S. stakeholders have indicated that great opportunities exist for markets of both fresh and processed fruit, but significant challenges still exist. These challenges include a lack of information available on the economic impacts of different organic production practices and the potential returns available from organic production. In response to these challenges, we developed a user-friendly interactive economic decision support tool using spreadsheet software to simulate organic apple production in Arkansas and across the southern United States. The purpose of this interactive economic decision support tool is 2-fold: 1) to assist producers in the evaluation of costs, returns, and risks associated with their organic apple orchard and 2) to assess changes to cost, return, and risk as expected costs, prices, and/or yields change. The production budget components of the interactive economic decision support tool estimate variable and fixed costs, gross revenues, and net returns for 18 years of production. In addition, this interactive economic decision support tool provides economic analyses regarding: 1) the operation’s breakeven (price and yield) points, 2) sensitivity analyses or “what if” scenarios related to changes in costs and returns, and 3) risk assessment by calculating the probability of obtaining a positive net present value (NPV) over the life of the organic apple orchard. This manuscript describes the development of this interactive economic decision support tool and provides an example of how it works.
Temperature is an important factor determining net CO2 assimilation (A). The reported optimum temperature for A in apple (Malus × domestic, Borkh.) under controlled conditions is between 16-30C. Response of A to temperature as it occurs in the field was measured with an open system IRGA for both spur and shoot leaves during 12 days from April through August of 1992. Trees studied were 11-year-old `Golden Delicious', `Spartan' and `Newred Jonathan' on M.7a trained to a three wire trellis. Response to temperature from 17-36C was quadratic for both spur and shoot leaves, but at each temperature A varied by about 10 μmol.m-2.s-1. Part of the variation was attributed to varying ambient [CO2] which varied from 321 to 396 ppm, depending on date of measurement. Covariate analysis using [CO2] as the covariate was conducted. Thus, the A model of temperature response takes into account [CO2]. The data will be discussed in view of interpreting plant response in the field and inherent problems with measuring A in situ.
Ethrel sprays were applied at 50 or 100 ppm at approximately 40%, 70% leaf fall (10/16/89 or 10/24/89, respectively) or at both times on `Redhaven' and `Allgold' peaches. Bud hardiness was determined biweekly by differential thermal analysis (DTA). Stage and percentage of bloom open during the bloom period were subjectively estimated.
Spraying trees with 100ppm Ethrel at 50% leaf fall significantly increased bud hardiness at mid-winter compared to other treatments. After a mid-winter freeze (-21.7 C on 12/21/89), there was no significant difference between % bud survival of any treatments. But, trees treated with 50 or 100ppm Ethrel had 10-20% better bud survival than other treatments. Buds of the 2 cultivars had statistically similar hardiness although DTA analysis indicated that Redhaven had a .5-.8 C lower freezing point than Allgold in mid winter. This trend was reversed close to bloom with Allgold having .7 C lower freezing point than Redhaven. The time of full bloom was significantly delayed by treating trees with 100ppm at 40% leaf fall or 50ppm at both 40 and 70% leaf fall the previous autumn.
Four birch taxa, Betulaalleghaniensis, B. davurica, B. nigra `Heritage', and B. papyrifera, were grown in a greenhouse and exposed to water deficit stress for 35 days. Daily water was withheld from the plants until the combined weight of each container and the plant was reduced to 40% of the control. Supplemental water was supplied to each container to maintain 40% of the initial combined weight. Predawn water potential, gas exchange, and abscised leaf area were measured daily during the first week and at 3-day intervals after the first week. Predawn water potential dropped to lowest value before the containers were rehydrated and remained low throughout the treatment period. Net CO2 assimilation (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and evapotranspiration (Et) of all taxa decreased significantly during the first week of water deficits. Changes in A and Et varied among taxa after the first week of water deficits. Water use efficiency (WUE = A/Et) of four birch taxa decreased to significant lower values than control in the first week that water was withheld, and then increased to significantly higher values than control. Gas exchange data were fit into 2- or 3-segmented linear model. The type and shape of the models, and the joint of each segment gave an indication of how the gas exchange responded to the long-term water deficit stress. At the end of the water deficit treatment, B. papyrifera had abscised most of its leaves and maintained a high A, while B. alleghaniensis maintained more leaves on the tree, but had a relatively low A.
Twelve apple orchards and an experimental orchard were evaluated in 2 years for weed population and diversity, primary pests (codling moth, oriental fruit moth, plum curculio and mites), primary diseases, soil water content, and 37 horticultural attributes describing tree growth, fruit growth, productivity, tree nutrition, and management intensity. Data were collected at 2 week intervals. The experimental orchard contained three apple cultivars grown in three orchard floor management systems.
Increased weed ground cover related to earlier and increased mite predator populations in trees, decreased pest mite-days, but reduced tree and fruit growth. Grass weed species appeared more detrimental to tree growth than broadleaf species. Tree training intensity was negatively related to canopy density, and incidence of pests and diseases. Reductions in fruit size and quality were more closely linked to weed competition, and earliness and degree of pest mite infestation than to crop load.
Net CO2 assimilation (A), evapotranspiration (ET), and stomatal conductance (g s) were determined in two experiments for 14 and 18 raspberry (Rubus sp.) genotypes, respectively, grown in 4-L containers and exposed to 35 °C daytime temperatures 2 weeks and 4 weeks after placement in growth chambers. Measurements were taken on two successive leaves on the same primocane between the third and seventh node (≈75% to 85% of full leaf expansion). In Expt. 1, selections from Louisiana exhibited higher A (3.10-5.73 μmol·m-2·s-1) than those from Oregon (0.50-2.65 μmol·m-2·s-1). In Expt. 2, the genotype × time interactions were nonsignificant, and time of measurement did not affect A or ET (P ≤ 0.05). Assimilation ranged from 2.08 to 6.84 μmol·m-2·s-1 and varied greatly among genotypes, indicating that diverse A levels exist at high temperatures in raspberry germplasm. NC 296, a selection of R. coreanus Miq. from China, and `Dormanred', a southern-adapted raspberry cultivar with R. parvifolius Hemsl. as a parent, had the highest A rates. Evapotranspiration and g s did not differ among genotypes. Average g s for all genotypes declined from 234 mmol·m-2·s-1 in week 2 to 157 mmol·m-2·s-1 in week 4. Our findings, coupled with plant performance under hot conditions, can be used to identify potential parental raspberry germplasm for breeding southern-adapted cultivars.
One-year-old paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) seedlings were exposed to water deficit, ethylene, or inhibitors of ethylene action under greenhouse conditions to investigate ethylene's role in water-deficit stress-induced leaf abscission. Exposing well-watered and water-stressed paper birch to 20 ppm ethylene resulted in more than 50% leaf abscission after 96 h regardless of plant water status. However, application of a physiological level (1 ppm) of ethylene did not cause leaf abscission in either well-watered or water-stressed paper birch. Inhibitors of ethylene action (1ppm 1-methylcyclopropene or 0.1 mm silver thiosulfate) did not affect predawn water potential, gas exchange, or chlorophyll fluorescence. A significant increase in ethylene production was not detected in water-stressed paper birch before the onset of significant leaf abscission. Based on these observations, ethylene would appear to play a minor role in water-deficit stress-induced leaf abscission in paper birch.