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QUICK BITES Read more Quick Bites at www.goodfruit.com tion during Macfrut, an interna- tional fruit and vegetable exhibition held in Cesena, Italy, in September. Falstaff comes from a cross of A Abate Fetel and Cascade made in 1991 at the CRA fruit breeding program in Forli, Italy, and selected in 2000 from test plantings in the Po Valley. It was released in 2012. Abate Fetel, a green pear, is Italy's number-one variety, representing about 40 percent of national pear production. Falstaff has a red skin and is commonly referred to as Abate Rossa (Red Abate). It was named after the composer Guiseppe Verdi's last opera. Falstaff matures 25 to 30 days after Williams (Bartlett). It is similar to Abate Fetel in shape and has good eating qualities, particularly after two months of cold storage during which the sugar content and aromat- ics develop. The tree is vigorous. Techniques to reduce vigor are rec- ommended in order to increase yields. wins Oscar Falstaff new pear variety called Falstaff received an "Oscar" for innova- C Breeders involved in the pear's development include: Walther Faedi, Lorenzo Rivalta, Marco Castagnoli, and Sandro Sirri. herry and stone fruit producers in Washington State will be invited to comment on a proposed assessments Cherry special assessment to support research at Washing- ton State University. The state Department of Agri- culture will hold hold two hearings to accept public testimony, one at the W.L. Hansen Building in Yakima on November 14 at 4 p.m. and the second at the Washington Apple Commis- sion building in Wenatchee on November 15 at 4 p.m. The new assessment would be $4 per ton for cher- ries and $1 per ton for stone fruits, which is equal to the assessment they already pay. The Department of Agriculture is expected to send out a ballot to growers in mid-December. In the fall of 2011, all commercial tree fruit grow- ers voted on an additional research assessment. Apple and pear growers voted in favor, but cherry and stone fruit growers did not. Apple and pear growers began paying the new assessment on the 2012 crop. Through the assessment, they will raise up to $27 million for WSU research over the next eight years. Funds will be used to create new endowed research chairs and a new Extension position, as well as to support WSU's tree fruit research orchards. As a result of the industry's financial commitment, WSU has already recruited a new pome fruit pomol- ogist, who will be based in Wenatchee, and a statewide Extension team leader. If cherry and stone fruit growers approve the assessment, an additional $5 million will be raised to support research and information and technology transfer relating to those crops. Dr. Jim McFerson, manager of the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, which collects the research funds, said the funds would help expand research capacity at WSU and not just maintain the current programs. "For cherries, we would expect to support research orchards at Prosser and maybe establish one in Wenatchee," he said. An endowment advisory committee, made up of industry people, would rec- ommend exactly where WSU should allocate the funds. For the latest information, check the Good Fruit Grower Web site, www.good fruit.com. N ominations for handler positions representing the Wenatchee district on the Washington committee nominations Cherry Cherry Marketing Committee will be held at the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association's annual meet- ing on November 12 at noon at the Washington Apple Commission conference room in Wenatchee, Washington. District 1 handler positions that expire on March 31, 2103, are those held by Ron Gonsalves (with Ken Brunner as alternate) and Mike Taylor (with Tate Mathison as alternate). The committee establishes grade, size, pack, and container regulations for fresh sweet cherries from designated counties in Washington. For more infor- mation contact B.J. Thurlby at (509) 453-4837. I n response to increasing industry concerns about complying with maximum residue levels (MRLs) Residue results available for pesticides in export markets, the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission initiated studies in 2011 in apple and cherry to develop residue data for commonly used insecticides and fungicides to help Washington growers make more informed choices about their spray programs. The commission's internal research program recently completed a 2012 study in apple using eleven insecticides and eight fungicides commonly used in Washington State orchards. The study included different use patterns of those products, a component of washing/packing subsamples of fruit, and the use of carbaryl (Sevin) only as a chemical thinner early in the growing season. The results of that study, as well as previous reports from similar projects on apple and cherry are now available on the WTFRC homepage,www.treefruitresearch.com. www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER NOVEMBER 2012 48