Flower power fights orchard pests

Washington State University researchers have found they can control one of fruit growers' more severe pests, aphids, with a remarkably benign tool: flowers. The discovery is a boon for organic as well as conventional tree ...

Unlocking cedar's hidden potential against pests

Trained as an entomologist, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Fred Eller still has a soft place in his heart for insect-related research. When he noticed ants climbing up the pole of his backyard hummingbird feeder ...

The tremendous supply of apple cultivars in Wyoming

A study out of the University of Wyoming sought to identify heritage apple cultivars planted in the state's homesteads, orchards, and nurseries from as early as 1870. Using microsatellite markers, surviving apple trees identified ...

Zinc sulfate, sugar alcohol zinc sprays improve apple quality

Zinc is vital for the healthy growth and reproduction of all organisms. In plants, zinc plays a key role in essential functions such as carbohydrate metabolism, photosynthesis, and sugar and starch synthesis. Apple, one of ...

The bee's knees for detecting disease

Fire blight is a serious threat to fruit trees. Now a quick test has been developed at the Vienna University of Technology, which can indicate the danger early - with the help of bees.

Anti-allergy genetically modified apples

Scientists are trying to engineer apples so that the most widely consumed fruit in Europe no longer triggers allergic reactions. But would people want to eat them?

WA apple farmers may see boon from bad weather

(AP)—First, warm spring weather in the Northeast and Midwest tricked apple trees into budding earlier. Then an untimely frost damaged the delicate blossoms.

April showers bring May glowers from N.Y. growers

The first of May in upstate New York usually finds fields plowed, corn planted and apple trees sprouting leaves. But this year's record April rainfall -- 7.31 inches in Ithaca, more than double the 3.29-inch 30-year average, ...

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