Postharvest Nutrition

Yet again, 2022 has been a whirlwind of a growing season and here we, are in mid-September with apples coloring up and pears ready for storage. We started off the year with a cold, wet spring and multiple days of heavy snow during full bloom. For some orchards in the...

Six Common Stalk Rots

Stalk rot development happens most years to some degree and this year it will follow a “vulture on the carcass” analogy as the plant had already pre-maturely died from this year’s weather pattern and then the disease infections began.   Following is a brief...

How Fast Will This Year’s Corn Dry?

Drydown after black layer formation varies greatly from hybrid to hybrid. Hybrid characteristics such as husk coverage and heavy test weight can have a significant impact on field drying. A general rule of thumb is that 30 GDUs are needed to lower the grain moisture...

Physiology of Pre-Harvest Fruit Drop in Apple

Optimizing performance of apple stop-drop products can be improved with a basic understanding of the physiology of pre-harvest drop and some of the factors that can influence it. Apples are a climacteric fruit, meaning that the maturation and ripening processes are...

Post-Harvest Planning for Hops

The past few years have provided unusual environmental challenges to hop production in the PNW growing region. Fluctuating and abnormal precipitation and temperature feel like the new normal. However, September always brings the familiar and welcome constant of hop...