Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/43042
GOOD TO KNOW A research report from Tom Auvil and Ines Hanrahan, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, and Kate Evans, Washington State University, Wenatchee sampling, and market testing. We expect enough fruit in 2011 to provide gift boxes of fruit to packers and nurseries. The following traits have been observed during Phase 3 evaluation: W • WA 2 has a compact growth habit similar to that of Ambrosia or semispur Red Deli- cious. It is sensitive to replant disorder, and requires fumigation and aggressive strate- gies to grow the tree, fill the space, and then produce fruit. In virgin ground, WA 2 fills the 3- by 10-foot spacing in the third growing season. On weaker, replant ground, WA 2 has not adequately filled its space. In these conditions, a 24- to 30-inch in-row spac- ing might be the best way to fill the canopy volume. Malling 9 rootstocks will grow more fruit more consistently and have better fruit size than semidwarf rootstocks. • Fruit sets evenly and in singles, which facilitates annual cropping. Fruit size is a little larger than Gala, peaking on size 80 to 100. WA 2 likes to set on one-year wood, but this fruit is small and often russeted. In addition, the stem is often misaligned and grows across the fruit core at a 90-degree angle—a phenomenon known as "parrot beak"(Figure 1). Because of these problems, all fruit on one-year wood should be removed on second-, third-, and fourth-leaf trees. Parrot beak and russet diminish as Performance of WA 2 in industry evaluations Pre- and postharvest traits of WSU's new apple variety are being monitored. ashington State University's new apple variety WA 2 is in its fifth sea- son of intensive industry evaluation (Phase 3). On four climatically different sites, 50 to 150 trees are planted 3 by 10 feet apart, usually on Malling 9 337. Horticultural and storage performance are evaluated, while the remaining fruit is used for packing-line tests, industry FIGURE 1: "Parrot beak" can occur on WA 2 fruit grown on one-year-old wood. www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER OCTOBER 2011 29 washington tree fruit research commission