News & Events

Tree Fruit Newsletter — February 20, 2024

This newsletter includes: An opportunity to participate in research Announcements of upcoming meetings Announcement for an orchard manager position Honeycrisp and Bitter Pit Prediction Research This summer, Dr. Renae Moran will be measuring fruit calcium in Honeycrisp orchards around the state to see how well it predicts bitter pit in storage. She is seeking growers […]

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Profitability of Using Tarps

Researchers at Highmoor have summarized their tarping research with colleagues from Cornell University in this new research paper. To read the full article, click on the image below.

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — January 2024

Weather Update The expected cold temperatures this weekend are not likely to be cold enough to kill peach or cherry buds in southern Maine. We measured hardiness in peach buds last week and found them to have a few degrees more hardiness than last year at this time, probably hardy to -7 °F for about […]

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — October 16, 2023

Maturity Report and Update The photos show unusual markings that have shown up in a few orchards in the northeast. They look like splotches of unblushed peel.  If you have seen this in your orchard, please contact Renae Moran (207-713-7083). She is working with another specialist to narrow down potential causes so that this can […]

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Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert and Berry Notes — October 6, 2023

David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager This will be the final issue of the Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert for the 2023 season. Spotted wing drosophila counts declined substantially in all of our trapping locations this […]

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — October 3, 2023

Maturity Report and Guest Article by Kendra McClure Maturity Report McIntosh: Both strains are past the stage to pick for storage based on starch index and signs of fruit drop during limb shaking. Trees at Highmoor Farm had about 20% fruit drop with a good shake of the limbs. Cortland: Cortland is at a stage […]

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Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert and Berry Notes — September 29, 2023

David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted wing drosophila trap counts continue to rise in most locations this week, as we would expect at this time in the season, especially with the relatively mild weather […]

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — September 21, 2023

Maturity Report McIntosh: Not much change in maturity indicators in the spur type strain, but flavor and texture have improved. Both strains are still ok to pick for storage based on the lack of fruit drop during limb shaking. McIntosh is susceptible to superficial scald when stored longer than three months. If applied within five days […]

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Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert and Berry Notes — September 21, 2023

David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted wing drosophila trap counts were higher in nearly all locations this week, most notably in a field where spraying had been stopped. Although these numbers are relatively low […]

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