Good Fruit Grower

September 2011

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Rears Airblast Sprayers POWERBLAST Interchangeable axial flow fans to match blade pitch and air volume to your application and horsepower. Electric fan clutch Rears Constant Velocity Hitch powers through 90° turns Rears centrifugal pump and Rears gearbox: manu- factured by Rears for more than 40 years. Simple pressure adjustment to maintain accurate calibration in different row spacings. This is a time tested design for a wide range of applications. Automatic Rate Controller Option • Enter different row spacings: the controller automatically maintains your rate per acre. • Compensates for changes in ground speed. 400 gallon TTN profile Powerblast Variable pitch fans available in 28" & 36" dia. 100 - 600 gallon units with tank profiles for your application. Rears Constant Velocity Hitch available for most Pul-Blast models Piston actuated diaphragm pump or Rears centrifugal pump. Tony Sunnucks explains how he bends limbs and removes strong branches to maximize cropping in his apple blocks. The plantings are on an upright trellis supported by reinforced concrete posts that cost $18 each. "We're trying to provide as much as we can to keep them out," Sunnucks said. Sainsbury's is particularly interested in sourcing the Delsanne pear, which ranked top in taste tests that the supermarket conducted. Delsanne is a variety from Delbard Nursery in the Auvergne region of France (see "Varieties in the concept pear orchard" on page 17). It has an unusual round shape and russeted skin, and Sunnucks said it has a chunky texture, rather than melting, when eaten. Apple orchard OrchardWorld also funded a 2.5-acre concept apple 400 gallon wheel-well Pulblast • 52" outside tire width w/11Lx15 tires • adjustable width wheel centers Towers bring the nozzle closer to the spray target. Tower height and profiles to match your application. Tune air volume: adjustable air doors independently control target zones Match Rears' aggressive air delivery engineering to your application with Vertical Wall, Over-the-Row, or Grape Elbow towers. trial at Rankins Farm that includes Rubens, Estival, Junami, and Pinova as well as the mainline varieties Galaxy Gala, Braeburn, and Cox. Braeburn are planted 2.5 feet apart and the others 3 feet apart in the row. Rows are 11 feet apart. Sunnucks said he hopes to harvest 60 tons per acre from the Braeburn and Gala, but 40 bins an acre is more realistic for Cox, which is prone to biennial bearing. The plantings are supported by an upright trellis with reinforced concrete posts. Strong branches are bent below horizontal, and any that are more than half the diameter of the central leader are removed, to be replaced with a younger shoot. He's used no growth regulators for vigor control. The planting was established in 2006 and produced 40 tons per acre in the fourth leaf, twice the standard yield of a U.K. orchard. Sunnucks uses ammonium thiosulfate as a chemical thinner and also hand thins the crop. However, Braeburn tends to grow too large, he said, because about 80 percent of English apples are sold in polybags. Far from bringing a premium, large apples often have to be sold through the wholesale market or sold for juice or cider. The largest size of apple acceptable for the fresh market is around 3.25 inches. Supermarkets will take Galas as small as 2.25 inches. OrchardWorld paid the establishment costs for both Agricultural Equipment and Dealer information 800.547.8925 18 SEPTEMBER 2011 GOOD FRUIT GROWER the pear and apple concept orchards. Sunnucks pays for the management and works closely with a Dutch horti- cultural consultant. OrchardWorld receives the proceeds from the fruit until it recoups its investment. Sunnucks then will own all the assets. He estimated that the apple orchard would be paid for by 2015. He expects the orchard will have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. Sunnucks grows 50 acres of apples, 50 acres of pears in total, along with plums, rhubarb, and raspberries. • www.goodfruit.com PULBLAST geraldine warner made in usausa made in Heavy Gauge Stainless Steel Construction Spray tank and all tank hardware Tower casement, shrouds, steps Manifolds, louvers, air doors Fan and blower housing

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