AgBioResearch

Michigan Apple Committee Research Priorities for 2024-25

• Increase demand: To conduct consumer related research that will aid in the sale and profitability of
  Michigan Apples.
  • Market research
    • Variety specific demographics
    • Economic drivers related to markets, varieties and consumer preferences
  • Packaging/New Product Development
    • Lengthen shelf life
    • Reduce bruising
    • Overall consumer appeal
• Improve quality and consistency: To demonstrate how to improve Michigan Apples in terms of variety, size, taste and appearance.
  • Apple variety evaluation specific to:
    • Soils
    • Weather
    • Storability
    • Rootstocks
    • Resistance to diseases and other pests (insects, mites, nematodes)
  • Technology
    • Cultural approaches to protect or enhance fruit quality
    • Genetic approaches to improve fruit quality
    • Post-harvest storage improvements
    • Packing line improvements
    • Remote sensing or AI-assisted technologies (for detecting tree stress, environmental conditions, and/or insect/disease monitoring including smart traps and decision-supported tools)
    • Drone use (crop, weather, insect/disease monitoring, spray application)
    • Irrigation
  • Growth regulators/thinners
• Improve production efficiency and resilience: To help increase grower profitability by improving production efficiency and resilience to climate change induced stressors, regulatory changes, and market shifts.
  • Training systems - providing uniformity and consistency
    • High yield/quality
    • Solid set use
  • Technology
    • Remote sensing or AI-assisted technologies including drone use (crop, weather, insect/disease monitoring)
    • Mechanization – reduce labor needs
    • Irrigation
  • Precision apple production
    
    • Predictive models for dormancy, bloom and fruit growth development
  • Crop Load Management
    • Pruning, thinning
  • Soil – rootstock matches to soil types, manipulation, irrigation and management of soil issues
    • Including regenerative practices and improved orchard floor management
  • Innovative management of fire blight, apple scab, and summer fruit rots
    • Minimizing pesticide / increasing biologic controls
  • Innovative management of insect and mite pests
    • Improving application timing
    • Optimizing pheromone mating disruption for Michigan conditions
    • Minimizing pesticide/increasing biologic controls
    • Developing pest control programs that address regulatory and marketing changes
  • Economic drivers – production vs cost
• Food safety: To enhance produce safety systems for all phases of production, harvest, packing, storage, transportation, receiving and point-of-sale environments.
  • Production/Harvest Practices
  • Food Handling Practices
  • Pathogen/Microbial Risk
  • DPA/Fungicide Methods
  • FMSA & GAP

Updated August 2024