AHDB Horticulture : Tree-fruit research to focus on sustainability, growers will hear

Sustainable strategies on integrated pest management (IPM) will be the central theme of the latest research presented to tree fruit growers at a key industry event in February.

Growers and agronomists will hear the current findings on priority pests and diseases, from apple canker to spotted wing drosophila (SWD), at the AHDB Horticulture and EMRAssociation's annual Tree Fruit day.

The event is free to attend and confirmed for 22 February 2018 in East Malling, Kent.

Scott Raffle, AHDB Knowledge Exchange Manager, said: 'With increased resistance and reduced availability of plant protection controls, it is critical we are looking at long-term IPM strategies to ensure the UK tree fruit industry remains resilient. There will be a wealth of knowledge shared at the event from AHDB-funded research including: enhancing orchard ecology; monitoring for pear sucker and its natural enemies; and management and control strategies for SWD.'

As well as management options for existing known pests and diseases, attendees at the event will also hear about a new pest of pears, pear blossom weevil, identified at NIAB EMR in 2016.

Michelle Fountain, NIAB EMR, said: 'Given the increasing frequency of introduced non-native tree fruit pests and diseases it is vital that growers are supported to formulate and integrate control strategies into existing integrated pest and disease management programmes.'

There will also be presentations on the latest research for optimising long-term apple storage and a new technique for predicting when to harvest Gala fruit, to reduce waste.

Commenting on the new technique Mehrdad Mirzaee, Landseer Ltd, said: 'Our research is aiming to develop a non-destructive method to find the best harvesting date for Gala apples. The current method is very subjective and doesn't give growers enough time to react. This new tool could provide warnings seven-to-ten days earlier on when best to harvest fruit, meaning more efficient production.'

To book your place, visit horticulture.ahdb.org.uk/events