A hot and humid summer with heavy rainfall and flooding has given way to cooler temperatures as Wisconsin's apple crop ripens.
At Sunrise Orchards in Gays Mills, Allen Teach reported favorable growing conditions in the western part of the state. "We here at Gays Mills have avoided any of the big, massive rains that we're kind of famous for here, and it's been nearly an ideal growing season," Teach said. He added that a recent push of colder air has helped apples develop better color. The orchard is preparing to harvest varieties including Rave, Zestar, Premier Honeycrisp, and pie apples such as Paula Red and Dudley.
In central Wisconsin, heavier rainfall has led to more disease pressure. Brandon Leverenz of Alpine Ridge Orchards in Brooklyn, south of Madison, said apple scab had increased due to persistent moisture. Apple scab is a fungal disease that can cause leaf loss and reduce yields.
According to Amaya Atucha, professor and chair of the department of plant and agroecosystem sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, high moisture and warm temperatures create conditions favorable for several fruit tree diseases. "Being moist and having free water and high temperature is ideal for some diseases … that we see on fruit trees and obviously on apple trees," she said. Atucha noted, however, that growers are familiar with these issues and have management practices in place.
She also highlighted root rot as a problem in orchards affected by standing water. "Saturated soils are the worst for plants, and especially for fruit trees," she said. "They're very sensitive to what people refer to as 'wet feet.' They don't like to have wet feet. They want to be moist and nice, but they don't want to be saturated."
Later in the season, high temperatures may cause sunburn on darker-colored apples, including Honeycrisp. Leverenz said that when temperatures reach the 90s, fruit quality is affected. Atucha explained that growers can use nets to provide shade or apply sunscreen-type products to reduce sunburn, methods more common in western production regions but increasingly relevant in Wisconsin as summers warm.
Despite localized challenges, Leverenz said he expected a good harvest season. "We expect a lot of foot traffic and hopefully some good, good apple picking," he said.
Source: WPR
