October 2023 - 20

GREAT LAKES EXPO NEWS
Advancing crop management
at Great Lakes EXPO
Irrigation management, apple water needs,
benefits of solar technology
BY MADI SCHAFER
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
G
rowers know that irrigation is one of the most
important management measures during apple
cultivation. Apples can be highly sensitive to
water supplies and irrigation efforts can significantly
affect apple fruit yield.
Technology also plays an important role in the field,
helping growers with crop management while using
renewable energy. During the 2023 Great Lakes Fruit,
Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO, attendees will
have the opportunity to learn more about apple-water
relations, proper irrigation management and how solar
technology is improving yield, return on investment
and more.
Dr. Alan Lakso
Dr. Alan Lakso, emeritus professor at Cornell
University, will have two sessions at Great Lakes EXPO
2023. In one session, Lakso will discuss apple-water
relations regarding water management, and the other
session will discuss challenges growers may face with
new technologies.
During Lakso's session, growers will learn everything
they need to know before implementing a successful
irrigation schedule. According to Lakso, understanding
your soil is crucial in irrigation management - this can
often affect how often you need to irrigate. Lakso also
mentions the size of trees is important.
" Young trees have fewer and shallower roots, which
means less soil water is available, so they may need to
be monitored carefully for stress and irrigated more
often, " Lakso said. " More mature trees have more
leaves, which lose more water, but have deeper and
more extensive root systems. With variable soils and
erratic climate, it is best to integrate experience, water
use models available online and some type of soil or
plant monitoring to get the right amount of irrigation to
avoid stress but not waste water. "
Understanding tree water relations is also important
when conducting an irrigation schedule. Specifically
20 | OCTOBER 2023
for apples, Lakso recommends growers develop a
water use model specific to apple physiology for more
accuracy in humid climates.
" A key difference between trees and annual
crops is that the water stress levels in the tree are
regulated not only by the soil water availability but
also by the weather. Even with wet soi,l a hot, sunny,
dry day will cause stress as the evaporative demand
of the hot, dry air will pull a lot of water from the tree, "
Lakso said.
Soil health is often crucial to a successful crop
season. According to Lakso, the connection of soil
health to water relations isn't well understood yet -
except when looking at how specific water treatments
increase soil health, organic additions and more.
" Understanding how water treatments may increase
the soil water holding capacity can reduce the need for
irrigation and extend the period between irrigations or
rain, " Lakso said. " This helps avoid water stress, but
in the specific case of red winegrapes that need some
summer stress for slower canopy growth and best
quality, it may induce too much vine growth - there is
a lot to learn. "
There are many innovations and technological
advances that can be beneficial - and exciting - for
tree fruit growers. Some include remote sensing,
plant sensors and software packages that collect
and integrate data through the Internet of Things,
according to Lakso.
" There's a lot of potential with new technology, but it
is still early to know which will be the most useful for
growers without overloading them with data, " Lakso
said. " The best usually will be the ones that start with
a grower problem rather than start with a technology
and assume the grower will need it. Each grower may
need different answers for different needs like mineral
nutrition, water and irrigation, thinning and yield
estimation and more. "
Incorporating solar technology
Joe Czajkowski, farm manager at Joe Czajkowski
Farm LLC in Hadley, Massachusetts, specializes in
October 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2023
