NJAES Faculty Expertise Database

Impacts: NC-140, Rootstock and Interstem Effects on Pome and Stone Fruit Tree projects have had significant positive impacts on the tree fruit industry in NJ and nationwide. • Utilization of NC-140 recommendations resulted in significantly earlier returns on investments related to tree establishment. •Since 1992 over 99% of the new apple trees planted in NJ have been on dwarfing rootstock. •Overall, the work of NC-140 resulted in recommendations and educational programs which guided planting of 170,000 acres of fruit trees over the last five years in the U.S. • Mature yields increased by 20% per acre, fruit size was 10% greater, and the percent meeting the highest grade category increased by 20%. • The financial benefit to U.S. fruit growers from earlier returns, greater yield, and higher fruit quality was $200,000,000 over the 5-year period. • Because new apple plantings being primarily in the dwarf category (with substantially reduced canopy volume per acre), pesticide usage on the new acreage was reduced by nearly 40%, with the associated environmental benefit plus $100,000,00 saved over the 5-year period in pesticide cost and application across the US. • Because of the use of disease-resistant rootstocks and better selection of susceptible rootstocks, tree losses declined by 10% over the 5-year period. • NC-140 output guided propagation of fruit trees in nurseries, allowing them to tailor better their output to grower demands and to avoid problematic rootstocks. As an example, a series of cherry rootstocks from Russia were gaining a great deal of interest, but NC-140 work found them to be hypersensitive to Prunus Necrotic Ringspot virus, reducing their suitability for U.S. production. • NC-140 continues to develop advanced experimental design approaches to reduce the costs of rootstock research. • Cumulative state and federal investment in NC-140 for the last 5 years was approximately $5,000,000. Cumulative, measurable benefits to the U.S. temperate tree-fruit industries were more than $300,000,000. Less easily measured benefits, such as averted losses and enhanced environmental quality, certainly increase the financial value of NC-140 to well beyond $300,000,000 in the last 5 years. Plant growth regulator (PGR) research on apple and peach has resulted in four new pgr New Jersey labels for New Jersey fruit growers. Retain for apple and peach, Appogee for apple and Maxcell for apple. These four state labels have enabled fruit growers to have significant management tools with these materials in producing these crops and increased financial return. The work on Apogee and Empire has saved Empire apple growers from significant crop loss. Applied research on tomato, one of the most significant vegetables produced in NJ has resulted in a commercially available disease forecasting system for New Jersey commercial tomato growers.