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Fruit

Orchard Management: Site Planning and Preparation

Orchard Management: Site Planning and Preparation

This course is designed for beginning tree fruit growers. Learn to choose an appropriate orchard site, address climate considerations and prepare for planting.

- Online Courses

Online Courses

Tree Fruit Production Guide 2018-2019

Tree Fruit Production Guide 2018-2019

Get the most up-to-date information on growing tree fruit on a commercial scale.

- Guides and Publications

Guides and Publications

The Mid-Atlantic Berry Guide for Commercial Growers

The Mid-Atlantic Berry Guide for Commercial Growers

Get the fundamentals of growing berries on a large scale.

- Guides and Publications

Guides and Publications

View Fruit Education by Type:

Common Problems:

Be sure to remove fruit mummies from peach trees while pruning to limit brown rot for the coming season. Photo: K. Peter, Penn State

The 2019 Season: Dormant Copper Sprays and Sanitation for Disease Management - News

The 2019 Season: Dormant Copper Sprays and Sanitation for Disease Management

Date Posted03/12/2019

Powdery mildew on blossoms. The powdery mildew fungus likes young tissue. As tissue begins to grow, the fungus will colonize young, green tissue as it emerges. Photo: Kari Peter, Penn State

Spraying by the Numbers: Fungicide Resistance Management - Articles

Spraying by the Numbers: Fungicide Resistance Management

By Kari A. Peter, Ph.D., Alan R. Biggs

Brown marmorated stink bug adult and nymphs. Photo: Greg Krawczyk, Penn State

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Management Survey for Commercial Producers - News

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Management Survey for Commercial Producers

Date Posted01/21/2019

Sanitation will be critical for managing disease for the 2019 season. Photo: K. Peter, Penn State

Disease Update: Cleaning Up the Messy 2018 Season - News

Disease Update: Cleaning Up the Messy 2018 Season

Date Posted11/16/2018

Leaf infected with Marssonina. Photo: K. Peter, Penn State

Apple Disease - Marssonina Blotch - Articles

Apple Disease - Marssonina Blotch

By Kari A. Peter, Ph.D.

Symptoms of potassium deficiency.

Assessing and Managing Potassium Concentration in the Vineyard - Articles

Assessing and Managing Potassium Concentration in the Vineyard

By Michela Centinari, Ph.D.

Tree Fruit Disease Toolbox - Fungicide Resistance Management

Tree Fruit Disease Toolbox - Fungicide Resistance Management - Articles

Tree Fruit Disease Toolbox - Fungicide Resistance Management

By Kari A. Peter, Ph.D.

Photo: Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Respiratory Protection Guide, Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative, Rev. October 2017

Respirator Fit Test - News

Respirator Fit Test

Date Posted03/27/2018

Latest Research:

Photo: Kathy Hunt, University of Maryland

2018 Apple Maturity Assessment: Final Report of the 2018 Season - News

2018 Apple Maturity Assessment: Final Report of the 2018 Season

Date Posted11/02/2018

GoldRush apples in a tall-spindle planting. Photo: Kathy Hunt, University of Maryland

2018 Apple Maturity Assessment: Mid-October Report - News

2018 Apple Maturity Assessment: Mid-October Report

Date Posted10/25/2018

Figure 1. Tree-ripe Gala (Kidd’s D-8) apple picked in Central Maryland on August 29, 2018. This apple had a visible stem-end crack, with little starch (blue stain) in the flesh. Photo credit: Kathy Hunt, University of Maryland

2018 Apple Maturity Assessment: Week Six - News

2018 Apple Maturity Assessment: Week Six

Date Posted08/31/2018

2018 Apple Maturity Assessments: Week Eight

2018 Apple Maturity Assessments: Week Eight - News

2018 Apple Maturity Assessments: Week Eight

Date Posted09/14/2018

Color sorting Premier Honeycrisp apples in the laboratory for storage trials. Photo: Chris Walsh, University of Maryland

2018 Apple Maturity Assessments: Week Five - News

2018 Apple Maturity Assessments: Week Five

Date Posted08/22/2018

Daybreak Fuji fruit size and color in Adams County Pennsylvania on September 6, 2018. Photo: Tara Baugher, Penn State

2018 Apple Maturity Assessments: Week Seven - News

2018 Apple Maturity Assessments: Week Seven

Date Posted09/07/2018

Apple rootstock in tissue culture: Photo by Yongjian Chang, North American Plants Inc.

Advances in Rootstock Genetics and Breeding - Articles

Advances in Rootstock Genetics and Breeding

By Rich Marini, Ph.D.

Dr. Rob Crassweller, second from right, organizes an apple variety sampling. Photo: Tara Baugher, Penn State

Apple Variety Improvement: A Look at the Past, Present and Future - Articles

Apple Variety Improvement: A Look at the Past, Present and Future

By Rich Marini, Ph.D.

Photo: Rich Marini, Penn State

Can Peach Consumption be Increased? - Articles

Can Peach Consumption be Increased?

By Rich Marini, Ph.D.

Drip irrigation in orchard. Photo: Long He, Penn State

Drip Irrigation for Tree Fruit Orchards in Pennsylvania - Articles

Drip Irrigation for Tree Fruit Orchards in Pennsylvania

By Long He, Ph.D., Tara Baugher

A new mobile scouting spreadsheet developed by Penn State enables simple record-keeping on your smartphone.

Orchard IPM: Scouting with Your Smartphone - Articles

Orchard IPM: Scouting with Your Smartphone

By Tara Baugher, Tom Jarvinen

Spotted lanternfly on apple in Berks County, PA in October 2017. Photo: Erica Smyers, Penn State

Spotted Lanternfly on Grapes and Tree Fruit - Articles

Spotted Lanternfly on Grapes and Tree Fruit

By Julie Urban, Dave Biddinger, Ph.D., Ed Rajotte, Ph.D.

Two-Day In-Depth School for Tree Fruit Growers

Two-Day In-Depth School for Tree Fruit Growers - News

Two-Day In-Depth School for Tree Fruit Growers

Date Posted03/07/2019

Bitter rot on apple and pear fruit is caused by the pathogenic fungi Colletrotrichum gloeosporioides and C. acutatum. Photo: Kari Peter, Penn State

Wanted: Bitter Rot of Apple Samples From Pennsylvania Growers - News

Wanted: Bitter Rot of Apple Samples From Pennsylvania Growers

Date Posted08/27/2018

Featured Articles:

Trees trained to a tall spindle system are commonly grown on M.9 rootstock, although new rootstocks are on the horizon.

Apple Rootstocks: Capabilities and Limitations - Articles

Apple Rootstocks: Capabilities and Limitations

By Robert Crassweller, Ph.D., James Schupp, Ph.D.

Spotted lanternfly on apple in Berks County, PA in October 2017. Photo: Erica Smyers, Penn State

Spotted Lanternfly on Grapes and Tree Fruit - Articles

Spotted Lanternfly on Grapes and Tree Fruit

By Julie Urban, Dave Biddinger, Ph.D., Ed Rajotte, Ph.D.

Fruit Harvest - Estimating Apple Yield and Fruit Size

Fruit Harvest - Estimating Apple Yield and Fruit Size - Articles

Fruit Harvest - Estimating Apple Yield and Fruit Size

By Rich Marini, Ph.D.

Stage of maturity can be assessed by performing the starch-iodine test to document starch disappearance. Applying an iodine solution to the cut surface of fruit stains the starch a blue black.

Fruit Harvest - Determining Apple Fruit Maturity - Articles

Fruit Harvest - Determining Apple Fruit Maturity

Fruit Tree Propagation - Grafting and Budding

Fruit Tree Propagation - Grafting and Budding - Articles

Fruit Tree Propagation - Grafting and Budding

By Robert Crassweller, Ph.D.

Golden Delicious Apples

Apple Production - Articles

Apple Production

By Jayson K. Harper, Ph.D., Lynn Kime, Robert Crassweller, Ph.D.

'Abion' strawberries and 'Polka' (left) and 'Josephine' raspberries (right) at Penn State's High Tunnel facility.

Growing Raspberries and Strawberries in Containers - Articles

Growing Raspberries and Strawberries in Containers

By Kathy Demchak, Matthew Cooper

Red Raspberries

Red Raspberry Production - Articles

Red Raspberry Production

By Kathy Demchak, Jayson K. Harper, Ph.D., Lynn Kime

Highbush Blueberry Production - Articles

Highbush Blueberry Production

By Kathy Demchak, Jayson K. Harper, Ph.D.

Peach Production - Articles

Peach Production

By Jayson K. Harper, Ph.D., Lynn Kime, Robert Crassweller, Ph.D.

Guide to Farming: Small Fruits

Guide to Farming: Small Fruits - Articles

Guide to Farming: Small Fruits

By Lynn Kime

Wine Grape Production

Wine Grape Production - Articles

Wine Grape Production

By Jayson K. Harper, Ph.D., Lynn Kime

Irrigation for Fruit and Vegetable Production

Irrigation for Fruit and Vegetable Production - Articles

Irrigation for Fruit and Vegetable Production

By Jayson K. Harper, Ph.D., William Lamont, Jr., Ph.D.

Strawberries on Matted Row

Strawberry Production - Articles

Strawberry Production

By Kathy Demchak, Jayson K. Harper, Ph.D.

Fruit and Vegetable Marketing for Small-Scale and Part-Time Growers

Fruit and Vegetable Marketing for Small-Scale and Part-Time Growers - Articles

Fruit and Vegetable Marketing for Small-Scale and Part-Time Growers

By Jayson K. Harper, Ph.D., Lynn Kime, James Dunn, Ph.D.

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