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Requirements for DCA and Suitability for the Industry Th e Collection in Geneva, NY: The software and hardware required for DCA is reliable, relatively inexpensive and easily installed within existing CA fa- A Resource for Th e Apple Industry cilities. However, a feature of DCA that makes it less suitable for many New York storage operations may be that DCA is limited Today and for Generations to Come to those operations that have high quality storage rooms with 1 1 2 3 sufficient air-tightness and gas control to maintain O2 regimes Gennaro Fazio , Phil Forsline , Herb Aldwinckle , and Luis Pons 1 below 1%. Although there is a general rule that CO2 should be Genetics Resources Unit, USDA-ARS, Geneva, NY 2 reduced whenever O2 is reduced, there have been no reports of Dept. of Plant Patholgy, NYSAES, Cornell University, Geneva, NY 3 an increase in CO2-induced disorders when using DCA commer- USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD cially or experimentally (R. Prange, personal communication). The physiological explanation may be that DCA is placing the O concentration at the Anaerobic Concentration Point, which 2 The National means that the internal CO2 production is at its lowest (see Fig- ocated at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station ure 3). The initial recommended CO concentration is 1%. With Figure 2. The HarvestWatch™ fl uorescence system showing the fl uorescence at Geneva, NY is a little known great public resource —the Apple Collection 2 interactive response monitor (FIRM) unit affi xed in an upper sampling kennel experience, this has been increased to higher values, e.g. 2.5% in largest apple collection in the world. Also little appreciated The National (center), in the bottom kennel (right) and a central hub (left). Before L different commercial and research locations, without induction storage, apples are placed in the bottom kennel over which the upper kennel is how critical this collection of apples of any CO2 disorders. The rate of cooling and rate of low O2 housing the FIRM unit is securely fastened. In storage, the FIRM units are wired collection is for was assembled and establishment for DCA is the same as for rapid CA. The benefits to the hub which controls the interaction of electronic signals from a central “The national collection of apples at the future of the is maintained by the provided using the low O levels used in DCA can be achieved in computer to each attached FIRM device. (Reproduced with permission of Dr. 2 Geneva, which was assembled and is industry. More and Plant Genetic Re- both new and existing individual CA rooms of various sizes or a R.K. Prange). maintained by Agricultural Research more of the new sources Unit (PGRU) large number of CA rooms. It depends on the air-tightness of each apple and apple located on the cam- Service of the USDA, has thousands room and the ability of the storage operator to control O2. DCA varieties pus of Cornell Uni- uses a computer to generate and display the fluorescence signals of varieties. But the varieties of Malus that we have today versity’s New York Effect of Oxygen Concentration on 24/7 used by the storage operator to adjust the O2 concentration sieversii, the main progenitor of the come from breeding State Agricultural Ex- O2 Consumption and CO2 Production in each room, either manually or via computer 200 commercial apple collected from the wild programs that periment Station. Th e DCA also requires more training than operating a traditional have utilized the PGRU is part of a net- Plant geneticist Gennaro Fazio (left) and horti- Anaerobic apple forests of Central Asia (Kazakhstan culturist Phil Forsline observe fruit diversity from CA in order to interpret the information provided in the chloro- Compenstion CO2 Production genetic resources work of germplasm phyll fl uorescence measurement. While this may be perceived to Point in particular) have genetic resistance seedling of M. sieversii. (USDA/ARS) 150 being maintained repositories that be- be a negative thing by some storage operators, it is likely to result to diseases that may help apple breeders and characterized long to the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) of the United in earlier recognition of problems with the fruit or malfunctioning breed new varieties and that in these apple States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Ser- CA equipment. For example, drift of the Fα signal (up or down) O Consumption 2 do a better job of defending themselves collections. vice (ARS). Th e PGRU is tasked with “Conservation and Utilization of over weeks or months can serve as a warning to the storage opera- 100 tor that the fruit have changed and that a visual check is warranted against diseases. This genetic makeup (R. Prange, personal communication). Unusual changes in the DCA CO2 Production (fermentation) may revolutionize the nation’s—and signal, e.g. sudden spikes, without an associated drop in the level of 50 perhaps the world’s—apple industry.” O2 concentration have warned commercial operators of equipment Fermentation threshold failures that would ruin the fruit, eg frozen or leaky O2 sample lines, if it had not been detected by the DCA system. 0 DCA requires the use of representative fruit, because a relatively 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 small number of fruit—six fruit for each FIRM sensor—is used to Oxygen concentration (Pressure, kPa) monitor the condition of all the fruit in the CA storage. In commer- Figure 3. Eff ect of oxygen concentration on O consumption and CO produc- cial storages, the DCA recommendation is at least one sensor for 2 2 every 250 bins of fruit. Evidence to date from commercial storages tion (from Prange, Bishop and DeLong, 2003). and research results is that there are diff erences in the mini- mal acceptable low O level between and growing season. 2 however, because the maximum storage period tested was only six Th ere has been insuffi cient work in New York to show whether the months, a short period of time for scald control. variability among blocks typical of our growing region will Although scald was eliminated in ‘’ and ‘Delicious’ permit safe adoption of DCA technology. However, it is somewhat after nine months of DCA storage plus a seven-day shelf life in a reassuring that commercial DCA experience indicates that the low O 2 Canadian study (DeLong et al., 2004a), subsequent research showed threshold within the same in the same DCA room is similar that DCA-stored fruit with no scald at removal can develop vary- with the only diff erences being in the height of the fl uorescence spike ing amounts of scald at shelf temperature (DeLong et al., 2007). amongst the sensors. We have not carried out research in New York, and therefore no research that directly compares DCA and 1-MCP treated apples Eff ects of DCA on Quality is available. Storage disorders. As was fi rst thought with 1-MCP, it has been In Nova Scotia, two studies show that scald control with either suggested that DCA can control superfi cial scald, and therefore use of technology is limited. Scald development in ‘Cortland’ and ‘Deli- the post harvest antioxidant diphenylamine (DPA) could be avoided. cious’ apples was markedly reduced by DCA compared with stan- In Italy, for example, research has shown that scald was completely dard controlled atmosphere (SCA) (Table 1). However, the benefi ts controlled in ‘’ by DCA or 1-MCP treatment in contrast of DCA for Cortland apples were still not acceptable from a com- Portion of National Apple Collection with varieties from natural forests of Central Asia. (Helene Bozzy, SEPPIA) to scald development in ULO-stored fruit. Th is work was limited mercial perspective, only after four months of storage. Control of

24 NEW YORK STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY NEW YORK FRUIT QUARTERLY . VOLUME 16 . NUMBER 1 . SPRING 2008 5 Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere Storage – A New Technology for the New York Storage Industry? 5.5 3500 Chris B. Watkins 5.0 O2 3250 Fα Department of Horticulture 3000 4.5 Fα (air) Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 4.0 2750

ion (%) 3.5 2500 3.0 2250

2.5 2000 Fα he New York apple industry relies heavily on controlled 2.0 1750 atmosphere (CA) storage in addition to temperature and 1.5 1500 relative humidity control to maintain fruit quality during 1250 T concentrat Oxygen 1.0 storage and to ensure 0.5 1000 visually appealing, fl a- 0.0 750 The New York fruit industry is vorful, and healthy ap- 500 “ 0 12 24 36 48 60 72 84 96 ples are available to the very familiar with the new storage Hours TM. consumer. In addition, A grafted produced in Geneva, New York, Phil Forsline and Herb Aldwinckle evaluating ap- Technician Greg Noden characterizes morpho- technology based on SmartFresh SmartFresh technol- Figure 1. An example of the Fα fl uorescence signal detected in ‘Summer- from a scion taken from a tree in a Kazakh apple ple varieties from Kazakstan. (Helene Bozzy, SEPPIA) logical traits of M. sieversii fruit and cuts the fruit However, another fruit storage ogy, which is based on land McIntosh’ apples held at 20°C in air (open circle) and in a progressively in preparation for taking a digital image for the technology has become available forest. William Srmack, farm manager at Geneva, the ethylene inhibitor diminished oxygen environment (dark circle). The spike in Fα begins as the displays the quality fruit of this genotype that has website www.ars-grin.gov/gen (USDA/ARS) within the last several years. The 1-methylcyclopropene chamber oxygen levels fall below 1% at 72 h and continues upward until the potential use by breeders. (USDA/ARS) technology, known as Dynamic (1-MCP), is now used oxygen concentration is increased at 84 h (Prange et al., 2003; Reproduced with permission of Dr. R.K. Prange). Controlled Atmosphere (DCA) extensively by New the Genetic Resources of Grapes, Apples, and Tart Cherries.” In Widening a Narrow Base—Collection Expeditions to storage, which is commercially York storage opera- TM detects tors. Th e advantage of Th e most successful strategy to date is based on real-time sensing total, 6,883 diverse apple varieties are maintained at the PGRU. Central Asia, the Apple’s Ancestral Home available as HarvestWatch the responses of fruit to low O 2 SmartFresh is that it of fl uorescence changes using a Fluorescence interactive response Th is includes 2510 apple clones (1,410 Malus x domestica; 329 Silk Road traders and their predecessors started the spread of Malus hybrids; and 771 clones belonging to ~54 Malus ) in the storage atmosphere. Using helps maintain quality monitor (FIRM; Satlantic inc., NS, Canada). Th is technology is pat- apples from Central Asia to other parts of the world. But the at not only during stor- ented and it has been marketed under the name HarvestWatchTM all maintained in duplicate fi eld plantings at Geneva. Addition- they carried likely represented a narrow genetic sampling. Th at’s DCA it is possible to maintain O 2 lower levels and better maintain age, but also during since 2002 (DeLong et al., 2004a). Th ere are about 120 apple storage ally, 1,565 lots of wild Malus species including approximately probably why today’s American domestic apples have a fairly narrow 950 seed lots of , the main progenitor species of the product quality compared with the entire marketing facilities using HarvestWatch technology worldwide, and this num- genetic base that makes them susceptible to many diseases. chain as it prevents ber is increasing; most are in Northern Italy but units are operating cultivated apple (M. x domestica) from Central Asia are kept in From 1989 to 1996, the USDA sponsored expeditions to Central ‘safer’ atmospheres necessary for cold storage at the PGRU with back ups at the USDA-ARS National CA storage. ” softening at warmer in Germany, the Netherlands and State (R. Prange, Asia to collect seeds and tree samples (scions) from unique apples standard or ultra low O 2 temperatures. personal communication). Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NCGRP) in Ft. Collins trees growing in natural forests. Seven expeditions were completed CO. About 2,808 seedlings representing 310 of these M. sieversii Initially, CA stor- Chlorophyll fl uorescence can be used to measure stress in the from 1989 to 1999. Four of them were to Central Asia to collect the age technology was apple fruit. As the O level in the storage environment decreases seed lots are being grown as trees for fi eld evaluation. Of the 6,883 2 wild apple Malus sieversii, the main progenitor of the commercial restricted to standard or traditional CA storage in which O levels over time, a point is reached when the fl uorescence signal increases apple varieties, a core collection of 255 clones has been designed to 2 apple, M. x domestica. were maintained at about 2-3%. However, improvements in gas (Figure 1). Th e increase is a signal that the fruit is under low O stress. represent the diversity of apple. Furthermore, approximately 2,275 2 Th e Experiment Station’s Herb Aldwinckle was a participant monitoring equipment and storage room structure have resulted in In response, the O level around the fruit can be raised. Relief from clones are backed up in cryogenic storage (liquid Nitrogen) at the 2 on the fi rst trip to Central Asia in 1989. Philip Forsline, who is the the development of several additional CA-based methods to improve stress is refl ected in a decrease of the fl uorescence signal. NCGRP and 436 are also in cryogenic storage on-site at PGRU. curator of the national apple collection, was a member of seven of quality maintenance. One of these methods is ultra low oxygen (ULO) Depending on the storage operation, a number of HarvestWatch Most of the varieties used as parents for breeding new varieties the trips, including four to central Asia to collect apple material, CA storage, which maintains O levels near 1%. ULO has become systems, each containing six fruit (Figure 2), are used to monitor of apples in the U.S. come from what is known as the “North America 2 conserve it, and, after evaluation, distribute it to breeders and ge- routine for some industries, but it has not been successfully used in responses of fruit to the storage environment. Th ese monitors gene pool.” It dates back to seedling planted when settlers neticists worldwide. Other trips were to China (Sichuan), Russian, New York because of our varieties and climate. Fruit stored at low O are connected to a computer control system so that the storage fi rst arrived here between the 17th and 19th centuries. Th is source is 2 and Turkish sectors of the Caucasus region, and Germany. He recalls levels can accumulate alcoholic off -fl avors that result from anaerobic operator can adjust O levels in response to any fl uctuations in the often referred to as the “ gene pool.” Th is alludes to 2 the expeditions as hard work. Herb joined Phil also on the trips to respiration. fl uorescence signals. Th ese changes may occur not only because of John Chapman, who during America’s infancy spent nearly 50 years China and Turkey. Often, the only way of getting to remote mountain deliberately applied low O stress, but also because of changes in planting apple seeds throughout the wilderness of , 2 areas was by helicopter, long hikes, or half-day-long jeep rides down Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA) Storage fruit condition over time. Th erefore, HarvestWatch can be used to , , and . Many common varieties—including bumpy, dusty roads. What we collected made possible our re-creation Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA) uses technologies monitor changes either resulting from natural fruit senescence or , , , and McIntosh—were of Kazakhstan, China and the Caucasus region here in Geneva. All that allow sensing of fruit responses to low O . Th erefore, instead those that may result from problems with equipment malfunction. discovered as chance seedlings from this pool. Apple breeders have 2 that eff ort is now bearing fruit, literally and scientifi cally. We tapped of maintaining the “safe” 2-3% O levels which are higher than In practice, a buff er of about 0.2% O is added to the level at which made great strides already using them to produce new ones that are 2 2 millions of years of adaptations to improve today’s apple. optimum to obtain maximum benefi ts, it is possible to lower the a fl uorescence response to detected in order to provide a safety now in the world marketplace. But the fact is that this gene pool is Th e trips resulted in at least a doubling of the known genetic O levels over time in response to changes in fruit metabolism. By margin. very narrow compared to what can be found by tracing further back, 2 diversity of apples. In all, the scientists returned from Central Asia lowering the O levels in the storage atmosphere to the lowest pos- An important feature of DCA is that it is a chemical-free tech- through Western Europe, to Central Asia where it is thought apples 2 with 949 apple tree accessions. Most of the specimens were brought sible before anaerobic respiration produces ethanol, ripening can be nology that meets the requirements for organic produce. Although originated. Indeed, the mother lode of apple genes is in Central Asia here as seed, but 50 were cataloged as “elite clones”—grafts of the delayed more eff ectively than in standard or ULO CA storage. 1-MCP has a non-toxic mode of action, negligible residue, and is —Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in particular—which is likely the center original trees. Th e seeds gathered on the trips increased PGRU’s Responses of fruit to low O can be detected by measuring active at very low concentrations, it is not a naturally occurring of origin or ancestral home of familiar domestic apples (Malus x 2 apple collection by 1,140 samples, to over 3,900. Th e visits to Ka- ethanol production, fruit respiration, and chlorophyll fl uorescence. post-harvest chemical. domestica) such as Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh. zakhstan and Kyrgyzstan alone added 949 accessions of M. sieversii.

6 NEW YORK STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY NEW YORK FRUIT QUARTERLY . VOLUME 16 . NUMBER 1 . SPRING 2008 23 tential of winter canola as a trap crop. Winter canola is planted in Acknowledgements the fall, overwinters well in the upstate climate, and early. We had assistance from Michael Colizzi, Steve Hesler, James As a crucifer, we expect canola to be a highly preferred host for Roll, Rachel Tucker, Sara Villani, and Megan Wilcox. Funding was TPB. In fact, canola growers consider TPB to be a major pest. provided from NYSIPM Grants Program and National Strawberry In summary, our results indicate that 1) colonization of Growers’ Association. specific host is not random but appears to coincide with flowering status, 2) this occurs at a small scale indicating a good Greg Loeb is research and extension professor of entomology at Cornell ability to discriminate, and 3) either visual and/or olfactory cues University’s NY State Ag. Exp. Station, who specializes in berry and grape may play a role in orientation behavior. Our results indicate, de- management. Julie Carroll is the Fruit Coordinator for the NYS Inte- spite being able to feed on an amazing number of plant species, grated Pest Management Program located on the Geneva Experiment Station TPB shows considerable selectivity, apparently searching for campus. Dong Ho Cha is a post-doctoral research associate who works with plants with flowers and young fruit. An improved knowledge of Greg Loeb. the colonization process and the cues used by TPB to find suitable hosts may lead to the development of new approaches to manag- ing TPB in strawberries and our work has focused on the area of attraction-based trap crops. Technician Todd Holleran waters young apple rootstock seedlings that have Wild apples from Kazakstan that have “almost” commercial quality. (Helene survived the “gauntlet” of disease screens. These disease-resistant seedlings Bozzy, SEPPIA) are derived from a cross between resistant wild M. sieversii selections and elite apple rootstocks from the Geneva breeding program. (USDA/ARS)

Unfortunately many of these natural forests sites are threatened populations, we achieved a 67 percent resistance rate against apple by over grazing, and insidious human practices (clearing areas for scab. Th is may be the source of a more durable, scab-resistant agriculture or construction, forests trees to domesticated apple. Also, about 30 percent of samples inoculated with fi re blight varieties). resisted that disease.

Remarkable Kazak Apples Rootstocks, Too Among all this material, it is the Kazak samples that have be- Th e fi re blight resistance of the Kazak M. sieversii and the Russian come the apple of Forsline’s eye, so to speak. It turns out that this M. orientalis may convey resistance to fi re blight and less sensitiv- gene pool is much more diverse than we had originally thought. Especially noteworthy are accessions collected there of M. sieversii, an important forerunner of the domestic apple. Although many of the Kazak apples lack the size and fl avor needed for commercial success, it’s the trees’ ability to resist diseases that sets them apart. Breeders will be able to cross them with palatable varieties to de- velop high quality commercial varieties. Success Against Plant Diseases Forsline and Herb Aldwinckle from Cornell University along with colleagues from PGRU, and other institutions have been char- acterizing the trees’ germplasm for the last decade. Germplasm re- fers to the genetic material that carries the inherited characteristics of an organism. Th e Kazak trees have shown signifi cant resistance to , the most important fungal disease of apples, whose outbreaks blemish fruit and defoliate trees. Twenty-seven percent of the Kazak accessions were resistant to it. Th is makes sense because the tree co-evolved with the disease through natural selection. In addition, samples from species collected at other expedition sites have provided promising news in the fi ght against fi re blight. destroys apples, pears, and woody ornamentals in the family. Herb Aldwinckle reports that seedlings from diff erent populations of M. orientalis from the Russian Caucasus and Sichuan regions eff ectively resisted the disease, with Russian accessions scoring 50 to 93 percent resistance. Other research- ers have found genes in these apples that allow them to adapt to mountainous, near-desert, and cold and dry regions. In an early eff ort to utilize the natural disease resistance of the Kazak trees, Forsline led a project which involved scientists from Cornell and the University of , as well as collaborators Members of the American National from New Zealand and South Africa, in which the popular family of companies apple was crossbred with seven Kazak accessions. Th is produced seven populations of 200 seedlings each. In one of these

22 NEW YORK STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY NEW YORK FRUIT QUARTERLY . VOLUME 16 . NUMBER 1 . SPRING 2008 7 ity to latent viruses resistance to Phytophthora cactorum, which causes collar rot, and cress, common chickweed, mouse-eared cress, corn than small-fruited Rhizoctonia solani, an agent of apple replant disease. speedwell, and dandelion. Crucifers (e.g. mustards, Th e Nursery Connection - When Quality and Selection Count Malus species. Th is Th e progeny of two of the Kazak trees have stood up particularly penny-cress, shepherd’s purse) may be particularly would be especially well to disease. We put them through what we call “Th e Gauntlet,” important hosts for overwintered hosts and sites Trees Available for Spring 2008 Planting. useful for breeding which is exposure in the greenhouse to a series of pathogens that for early-season egg laying. fi re blight-resistant include fi re blight and Phytophthora. It usually kills 70 to 80 percent One of the surprising results of this study is that rootstocks. Genn- of seedlings. However with this material we got 70 to 80 percent sur- TPB appears to be able to track fl owering phenology Ace® Red Delicious Twin Gala™ Decoster® Red Yorking Acy Mac® Ultima™ Gala Jonamac Redchief® (2000) aro Fazio, director vival rates. Test of this material by Mark Mazzola of ARS’s Tree Fruit even in small 2 by 2m plots, suggesting that TPB is Adams Apple™ Strains: Kumeu Crimson® Redcort® Black Autumn ™ Redfi eld™ Braeburn of PGRU’s apple Research Laboratory in Wenatchee, Washington who specializes attuned to host plant condition, and in particular, Braeburn Auvil™ Fuji Lady Redmax® rootstock breeding in soilborne diseases of apples, showed that it is signifi cantly more fl owering condition. How do they fi nd host plants BraeStar™ Aztec Fuji Law Red Rome Rocket™ Red Braeburn ™ B.C. 2 Rogers Red McIntosh project, sees great resistant to R. solani than the controls he was using. Th e reduction at the correct phenology? Th ere are two possible Candy Crisp™ Banning Fuji Linda Mac Royal ™ Crab Coe Fuji™ Rubinstar® Jonagold potential—especial- in root mass due to infection was 30 percent, compared to 70 percent hypotheses to explain these patterns. First, TPB Cortland Day Break Fuji™ Macoun Ruby Jon® ly with crosses be- for the controls. We are considering seeking the inheritance of this adults, being mobile, explore the environment in a Dandee Red® KIKU® Fuji (BRAK cv.) Mahana™ Braeburn RubyMac® Earlichief® USPP #15261P3 Marquis ® Sansa tween Kazak apples resistance by following it—and the genes causing it—in the progenies more or less random fashion, but once they encoun- Earligold ™ Morning Mist™ Fuji Marshall Mac Scarlet Spur 2 Early Red One ™ Myra Red Fuji uspp9645 Schlect Spur Delicious and elite American of these plants. Th is step will take us closer to cloning and isolating ter a suitable host plant, they stay longer and also Early Spur Rome uspp7328 Red Fuji #12 Midnight® Red Spur Sheepnose material. Th is is the genes responsible for this resistance. lay eggs. Th e second is that they use cues to direct Empire Rising Sun Fuji Delicious Shizuka Enterprize ™ Semptember Wonder™ Mollies Delicious Smoothee® future of the apple Th ese seedlings have already become part of PGRU’s rootstock- their search to suitable host plants. Our observation Eve™ Braeburn Fuji Morgan Spur® SnappyMac® Fortune ® Sun Fuji ™ Delicious Snow Sweet™ industry in another breeding program. With the aid of marker-assisted selection, the that signifi cantly more TPB were captured on white Top Export Fuji® Morren’s® Jonagored fi ve to seven years. progeny from these crosses will become the resistant rootstocks of compared to red sticky cards implies that visual cues Gala Strains: Other Varieties Stamps Red Delicious Autumn Gala™ Freedom® Norhern Spy (201) The natural the future. Also, root tissue from the survivors of the Phytophthora are used at a distance by adult TPB. Similarly, we Big Red Gala® Golden Del. (Gibson) Northwest Greening Superchief® Brookfi eld Gala® Golden Del. (Mullins) Spur® II Sweet Sixteen selection that oc- inoculation has been used to create a cDNA library that will be captured more TPB on white sticky cards bathed Buckeye Gala® Golden Supreme® Paulared™ Twenty Ounce curs in the Central sequenced as part of an ongoing National Science Foundation Ex- with the odors of fl owering E. canadensis than on Crimson Gala™ Goldrush® Pink Lady® Brand Turley Winesap Fulford Gala® Granny Smith Crippes Pink cv UltraRed Jonathan™ Asian forests seems pressed Sequence Tag project. Th e goal is to fi nd the genes that are white sticky cards bathed by fi ltered air lacking host Galaxy Gala Greening (R.I.) Pioneer Mac™ Ultragold™ Gale Gala® Hillwell™ Red Braeburn Pristine® Valstar () to have helped the expressed only in resistant individuals. plant odors, although we caught very few TPB in Kidd’s Gala® ™ Red Free Kazak trees develop Herb Aldwinckle, plant pathologist from Cornell these trials and therefore, defi nitive conclusions can Mitchell Gala® Idared Red Williams Pride® Pacifi c Gala® Joburn™ Braeburn Red Jonaprince™ resistance to soil University, observes a susceptible seedling of M. The Future not be drawn. Moreover, we have no information Royal Gala® Jonafree Red Rome (Taylor) Yellow Transparent pathogens that can sieversii inoculated with the bacterium (Erwinia on the relative importance of visual and olfactory Star™ Gala Jonagold Red York (Ramey) Zestar!™ Th e work to further characterize the collection continues but otherwise stunt amylovora) that causes fi re blight. (USDA/ARS) cues. In the future, we plan to examine these ques- increased eff orts to utilize the germplasm are underway. Th e goal now young apple orchards and lead to poor growth and lost produc- tions under more controlled laboratory and fi eld is to release germplasm lines from the collected materials within fi ve Allstar® Early Red Haven Flamin’ Fury® Jersey Dawn tion. Th is material is “a treasure trove” of new genetic variants for conditions. Arctic Gem Earnie’s Choice (PF-22-007) Jersey Glo years. Th ese collections are now being off ered to breeders to develop Autumnglo Elberta Flamin’ Fury® (PF-23) Laurol A long-term goal of our research on TPB Auntumnstar® Elberta Queen Flamin’ Fury® Loring diverse and useful hybrids for fruit, ornamental, and rootstock value. Goldnine (Arkansas #9) Encore® (PF-24-007) Madison colonization is to use the information to develop Baby Gold #5 Flamin’ Fury® Newhaven Today, it is becoming clear that this collection may have an impact on Fay Elberta alternative approaches to management. As noted in Baby Gold #7 Flamin’ Fury® (PF-1) (PF 24C Cold Hardy) Redhaven domestic apples production that will rival that of John Chapman’s. Beaumont Flamin’ Fury® (PF-5B) Flamin’ Fury® (PF-25) Redskin the introduction, trap crops have been successfully Beekman Flamin’ Fury® (PF-5D Big) Flamin’ Fury® (PF-27A) Redstar® For while Chapman’s iconic work did much to spread apples across Bellair Flamin’ Fury® (PF-7) Flamin’ Fury® Reliance used to help manage other species of plant bugs. Th e Belle of Flamin’ Fury® (PF-28-007) Risingstar® North America, recent fi ndings in the wild apple germplasm from Biscoe Flamin’ Fury® Saturn idea of a trap crop is to attract TPB preferentially to Blazingstar® (PF-7A Freestone) (PF-35-007) Sentry Central Asia—Kazakhstan in particular—have genetic resistance to Blushingstar® Flamin’ Fury (PF-8 Ball) Flamin’ Fury® Summer Pearl™ the trap crop instead of the agricultural crop. If the Bounty Flamin’ Fury® (PF-Lucky 13) Suncrest diseases that may help apple breeders breed new varieties that do a (PF-9A-007) trap crop is highly preferred over the agricultural Brightstar Flamin’ Fury® Starfi re™ better job of defending themselves against diseases. And the genetic Canadian Harmony Flamin’ Fury® (PF-11) (PF-Lucky 24B) Venture™ crop, it may greatly reduce colonization of the crop. Catherina Flamin’ Fury (Lucky 12) Gala Vinegold makeup of the trees may revolutionize the nation’s—and perhaps the Contender Flamin’ Fury® (PF-12B) Garnet Beauty Virgil Or the trap crop can be treated with an insecticide Coralstar® Flamin’ Fury® (PF-15A) Glenglo™ Vulcan world’s—apple industry. Cresthaven Flamin’ Fury® (PF-17) Glohaven White Lady to reduce populations in the area. Earliglo™ Flamin’ Fury® Glowingstar® Other White Fleshed Earlistar (PF-19-007) Golden Jubilee Sub-Acid Varieities Developing a trap crop for June-bearing Early Loring™ Flamin’ Fury® Harrow Beauty Acknowledgements strawberry to reduce TPB damage is challenging Early Elberta (Gleason) (PF-20-007) Harrow Diamond A version of this article “Remarkable Kazak Apples” was pub- because strawberry fl owers very early in the season lished in the January 2006 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. and it appears fairly attractive to TPB. On the other Attika® (Kordia) Galaxy® Montmorency Sommerset Balaton® Gold Napoleon Sonnet Th is research project is part of Plant, Microbial, and Insect Genetic hand, one advantage of June-bearing strawberry is Benton™ (Columbia) Golden Heart North Star Stella Research, Genomics, and Genetic Improvement, an ARS National that the populations of overwintered TPB tend to Bing Hartland™ Rainier Sumleta™ (Sonata) Black Gold™ Hedelfi ngen Regina™ Summit Program (#301) described on the World Wide Web at www.nps.ars. be small and hence, may be easier to control. An Black York™ Hudson Royal Ann Bing™ Blushing Gold Index Sam Surefi re™ usda.gov. ideal trap crop would fl ower before June-bearing Cavalier® Jubileum® Sandra Rose™ Sweetheart™ Chelan™ Kristin Santina™ Tieton™ strawberry, be highly attractive to overwintered Cristilina™ (Sumnue™) Lambert Schmidt Ualster TPB, not become a weed in the strawberry plant- Danube® Lapins Schneider Van Philip Forsline is the curator of the National Apple Collection and is the Early Robin™ Selah™ (Liberty Bell) Selah™ White Gold™ ing, and more generally, be easy to manage. Al- Emperor Francis Meteor Skeena™ research leader of the USDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, on the campus though alfalfa seemed to show promise as a trap of Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station located Also, NECTARINES, APRICOTS, , PEARS, ASIAN PEARS, crop, limited fi eld trials with alfalfa have given poor SOUTHERN , & FLOWERING CRABS... Van in Geneva, NY. Gennaro Fazio is research scientist with the USDA-ARS Plant Moore results. Although several weeds were found in this Genetics Resources Unit located on the Experiment Station Campus. He leads Call us for our Complete Inventories! study that might serve as trap crops for TPB, it is the Cornell/USDA apple rootstock breeding and evaluation program. Luis Pons diffi cult to develop weeds into trap crops because is a writer with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Information Staff . Herb of seed availability and the risk of becoming weeds Aldwinckle is a research professor of plant pathology located at Geneva, NY, who in adjacent strawberry fi elds. More to the point, leads Cornell’s program on fi re blight. preferred TPB weed hosts identifi ed in this study Toll Free: (800) 353-6086 • 269-468-3899 should be eliminated from strawberry fi elds with P.O. Box 875, Coloma, MI 49038 • Fax: 269-468-8195 • E-mail: [email protected] a history of TPB damage. We are initiating new SERVICES Shipping Coordination • Order Management Reporting • Source for Current Industry experiments over the next few years to test the po- ARE FREE! Developments and Informatoin • Representing the best Nurseries in the United States 8 NEW YORK STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY NEW YORK FRUIT QUARTERLY . VOLUME 16 . NUMBER 1 . SPRING 2008 21