www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER APRIL 15, 2017 3
Centerpiece:
IFTA conference
24 Let vigor be your guide
Precision crop load management strategies
lower risk and raise fruit quality.
28 Give 'em a hand
A grower known for innovation says bloom
thinning by hand gets the results he wants.
Soils & Weed
Management
14 Grown in a birthday suit
Researchers ditch the dirt in effort
to find out how some rootstocks interact
with beneficial microbes.
18 Beneath the surface
Soil scientists share knowledge about
the underground dynamics of fresh
organic matter.
22 The soil of contemplation
Washington State University's continuing
search for endowed chair of soil science is tied
to study of rhizosphere — the complex zone
where microorganisms interact with roots.
Good Grape Grower
6 Go with local
between the rows
Native flora can attract beneficial insects to
the vineyards of the Northwest.
8 Cover under
Studies show no downside to trying cover
crops in Northeast and Midwest vineyards.
www.goodfruit.com
The essential resource for growers
TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER
Mark Mazzola, a pathologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Tree Fruit Research Laboratory in Wenatchee, Washington, shows a heat map comparing the composition in
the soil microbe community. Different soil treatments were sequenced by Mazzola's team, such as compost, grass clippings and an untreated orchard floor, to show how they influ-
enced the soil community. The same analysis will be used to see how different rootstocks change the microbes around them. Read more about Mazzola's research on Page 14.
