Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/751050
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER DECEMBER 2016 33 interested in the impact of netting on soil temperature and moisture. Overall, they found that netting decreased soil temperature by as much as 4 degrees, which he noted was substantial when soil temperatures can reach 88 degrees (31 degrees Celsius) in some places during the summer. "Eighty-eight degrees Fahrenheit is a pretty stressful environment for roots to grow. We're doing some work to see what impact those temperature changes have on root growth in the soil and how that translates to overall tree growth and tree performance," he said. The researchers found that netting also reduced wind speed by 40 percent, which could help reduce wind damage, especially close to harvest, Kalcsits said. Effects on the fruit Kalcsits said he saw a 15 percent increase in fruit size last year underneath the netting and an overall improvement in return bloom regardless of net color. "Color just fine-tunes the differences. They may be significant, but it will take two to three years of data to really exam- ine those differences," he said. After two years of fruit quality results, they have found no significant differ- ences in fruit quality under the netting compared to the uncovered control. However, because of the different light environment and changes in fruit growth and slight changes in maturity, the man- agement of orchards under netting will need to be different than an uncovered orchard. The final year of the project will seek to identify some of these factors. Grower Scott McDougall noted one specific preference among the colors. "Pickers don't like working under the red netting," he said. "It's a brighter environ- ment, and it feels hotter. They like the blue because it feels cooler." The cost of netting is about $3,000 per acre, just for the material alone, plus the cost of installing the structure and labor. The $410,000 project is being funded through grants from the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Kalcsits will present the findings from the first two years of his study at the Washington State Tree Fruit Association's annual meeting. • "The net can increase the way you can fill up your space in a fast way in the beginning. Net is really effective in manipulating the capacity of the tree to grow." — Stefano Musacchi SAND MEDIA FILTRATION 815 Wallace Way Grandview, WA 509-882-2060 2410 N. 4th Ave. Pasco, WA 509-547-1761 800-959-1535 1155 S. Broadway Othello, WA 509-488-5623 800-595-1536 81156 Hwy 395 N Hermiston, OR 541-567-6370 BEST IN CLASS PERFORMANCE Protect your irrigation systems from troublesome algae and organic matter with LAKOS sand media lters, which feature a unique underdrain design for maximum performance. • The most effective ltration available • Industry-leading lowest pressure loss • Longer operating cycles and less backwashing saves water and energy • 15-year warranty on internal components • Growsmart ® by Lindsay MULTI-CONTROL provides exclusive lter ush capabilities LIKE OUR ROOTSTOCK, OUR SERVICE WILL GROW ON YOU. SUPERIOR QUALITY , GROWN IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY Canby, Oregon Our fields are planted with the most popular clonal and seedling fruit tree rootstock varieties. We grow a great selection of dwarf, semi-dwarf and standard vigor varieties for apple, cherry, pear, plum and more... See our website for a complete list of our offerings. www.WillametteNurseries.com 503-263-6405 Toll Free 800-852-2018 Willamette@canby.com I S O R E G O N C E RT I F I E D A L L FR U I T TR E E R O O T S TO C K VIRUS-FREE