Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/473131
34 MARCH 15, 2015 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com ProTree Nursery provides exceptional customer service and high-quality trees at a fair price. These are the reasons why our customers keep coming back year after year. We have over 40 years of experience in selecting the best root stocks matched with top varieties. We provide hearty trees and a great value. No bells… no whistles… just a business built on exceeding our customers' expectations. Call ProTree Nursery today — get the value you deserve in each and every tree. 10500 Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, CA 94513 800.634.1671 or 925.634.2191 (Alison Clegg or Richard Chavez) 877.457.6901 (Henry Sanguinetti) Apples Aztec Fuji ® (DT-2 cv) Banning Red Fuji (USPP 16,624 P2) Blondee™ (USPP 19,007 McLaughlin cv) Buckeye ® Gala (USPP 10,840) Firestorm™ Honeycrisp Honeycrisp™ (USPP 7197) JonaStar JonaGold™ (USPP 20,590) September Wonder™ Fuji (USPP 11,193) Ultima™ Gala (USPP 13,753 P2) These apple varieties are available on B-118, BUD-10, EMLA-7, EMLA-26, EMLA-106, EMLA-111, G-30, M-9 (T-337), NIC ® -29, or Pajam #2. Cherries Benton™ Bing Black Tart BlackPearl ® Brooks™ BurgundyPearl ® Chelan™ Coral Champagne Cristalina™ EbonyPearl ® Lapins RadiancePearl ® Rainier Selah™ Skeena™ Sweetheart™ Tamora Tulare™ Vans Available on Colt, Gisela ® , Krymsk ® , Mahaleb, or Mazzard. * * Not all varieties are available on all rootstocks. Call for specific grafting information. M E M B E R O F w w w . p r o t r e e n u r s e r y. c o m Value from the ground up. supplier of pollen. The team is beginning to develop the concept into viable tech- nology for pome and stone fruit. Major research goals this year include: —Improving pollen suspension solu- tion to hydrate pollen faster and keep pollen viable. —Determining optimum pollen rates. —Evaluating effects on fruit quality and quantity. Whiting is also seeking funding from other sources, such as specialty crop research block grants funded through the Farm Bill. The idea of collecting pollen and applying it to fruit trees is not new. Putting pollen at the entrance of beehives and dusting pollen on trees are long estab- lished practices within the tree fruit indus- try. A host of companies sell pollen to tree fruit growers. Similar approaches of mechanically spraying pollen also are being tried around the world. Pollination machines were first used in New Zealand's kiwifruit production. Researchers there are work- ing to develop a "Robobee" machine that could deposit pollen where it's needed by PHOTOS COURTESY MATT WHITING, WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY A Washington State University technician applies pollen with an electrostatic sprayer, which is pulled by an ATV through a cherry orchard, depositing pollen on stigma surfaces.