February 2021 - 1

Group recognizes
engineer for strawberry
spray app
Low-tech strategies for
fighting frost shouldn't
be ignored
7
22
30
Oriental fruit moth
management pursued
February 2021 | Volume 60 |
Issue 2
At left, José Chaparro, University of Florida horticultural sciences department associate professor of fruit tree breeding and genetics. Right, Ricardo Lesmes-Vesga, a Ph.D. candidate
at UF, examines the root systems of peach plants grown by aeroponics in the laboratory. Photos: University of Florida
BACK TO THEIR ROOTS
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
University of Florida researchers are
getting to the root of a problem faced by
peach growers in the state.
Their problem: The tree roots
themselves, or the lack thereof.
With only one major rootstock available
for grafting to peach-bearing cultivars,
disease issues are nearly unavoidable for
Florida growers, who have about 2,000 acres
planted with peach trees meant to supply
fresh fruit sales March through May.
So, work goes on at the University of
Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences (UF/IFAS) where fruit tree
breeders and continue to look for
something better.
In the current state of affairs, " we can
only go up, " said José Chaparro, UF/IFAS
horticultural sciences department associate
professor of fruit tree breeding and
genetics.
In the pits
Florida rootstocks have essentially been
a monoculture since the 1980s, relying on
Flordaguard, while Georgia has heavily
used Guardian, Chaparro said. Most of
the cultivated peach varieties are lowchill
types, said Ph.D. candidate Ricardo
Lesmes-Vesga, who works at the UF/IFAS
Indian River Research and Education
Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce.
As a rootstock, Flordaguard
has genetic limitations, having no
genes from plum trees, and Florida
orchardists battle with an army of root
pathogens, including armillaria root
rot also known as oak root rot, peach
root knot nematode (Meloidogyne
Florida breeding seeks
regionally-adapted
peach rootstocks
floridensis) and peach gummosis
(Botryosphaeria dothidea), Chaparro
said. Also, the rootstock doesn't tolerate
flooding well, and flooding is a reality
in Florida's Indian River area, a narrow
strip of land on the eastern seaboard
that's one of the state's two key regions
for peach-growing. The other region is a
central or " ridge " area near Lake Alfred.
The goal would be at least two peach
rootstock varieties - one for each of
the two Florida regions. Ideally, a
See PEACH, page 5
Sweet cherry evolution a decades-long journey
By Gary Pullano
Editor
This is the first in a series of stories
that marks the 60th anniversary of Fruit
Growers News.
The evolution of sweet cherry production
has brought together three recognized
aficionados on the topic, reflecting on how
the commodity has progressed over several
decades, and documenting successful
cropping strategies being pursued now and
into the future.
Lynn Long, retired professor and an
Extension horticulturist at Oregon State
University (OSU); Gregory Lang, professor
of tree fruit physiology at Michigan State
University and program leader for the stone
fruit physiology laboratory; along with
Clive Kaiser, professor at OSU and interim
director of the the Hermiston Agricultural
Research & Extension Center, have written a
new book, " Sweet Cherries. "
The heavily-illustrated book has been
published by CABI, an international, intergovernmental,
nonprofit organization that
applies scientific expertise to solve problems
in agriculture and the environment. The
book is the latest in CABI's Crop Production
Science in Horticulture series.
This new book provides comprehensive
coverage of the history, genetic
improvements, production physiology of
growth and cropping, orchard establishment
and management, and harvest
considerations for sustainable cherry
production. Sweet cherries are a specialty
crop, subject to significant production risks
for growers, yet with high potential market
returns due to strong consumer demand
for the fruit's intensely enjoyable flavor and
nutraceutical benefits.
Acting as a resource for a scientific
foundational understanding of plant growth
See CHERRIES, page 6

February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2021