SPARC - Strengthening Pear and Apple Resilience to Climate
Extreme temperature events—both heat and cold—have resulted in recent annual insurable losses exceeding $80 million for the U.S. apple and pear industry. These extreme temperature events are forecast to become more frequent. Our knowledge of apple and pear responses to hot and cold temperature extremes is based off older varieties and is insufficient to assess current and future risks for newer varieties.
Our group is made up of 22 scientists from six states (WA, OR, MI, NY, PA, ME) and seven institutions (WSU, OSU, Michigan, Cornell, Penn State, U Maine, and USDA-ARS). We are working to better understand the physiological responses of apple and pear trees to extreme temperatures and seeking to identify the genetic control of those responses, to help growers choose the best varieties to grow. We will also model historical and future risk of extreme temperature events and assess their economic impacts on apple and pear production, which can then inform capital investment decisions and regional cultivar choices. Ultimately, this research will help us refine (or develop new) strategies that continue to help growers limit losses from extreme temperatures.
You can help us achieve this goal. Please complete this voluntary, anonymous survey to help us understand how heat and cold are affecting your orchards and the strategies you use to minimize the resulting losses. Your responses will inform our research and extension activities, so that the tools we develop to assess the risk of losses to extreme temperatures and to mitigate these losses help sustain the U.S. as a leader in apple and pear production in light of the temperature extremes that we will increasingly face in the future.
SPARC SurveyTake the survey in English:
Survey link:https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eyfLFPQZ3dHutUi
SPARC encuestaComplete la encuesta en español:
Enlace a la encuesta: https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/...
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
2025 Apple Social
July 17, 2025 : Wayne County - Apple Social
Please join us at this casual networking event for all apple industry folks from Western NY, proudly sponsored by Valent. There will be a brief introduction of the Lake Ontario Fruit Program, and from attending specialists.
July 24, 2025 : Orleans County - Apple Social
Lyndonville, NY
Please join us at this casual networking event for all apple industry folks from Western NY, proudly sponsored by Valent. There will be a brief introduction of the Lake Ontario Fruit Program, and from attending specialists.
2025 Cornell In-Depth Fruit School Recordings
April 8, 2025
July 31, 2025
: Recording Available for 2025 Cornell In-Depth Fruit School
Access to the 2025 Cornell In-Depth Fruit School recordings are now available for purchase.
3rd Annual Western NY Fruit Growers Tour, Featuring Wayne County
July 31, 2025
Registration open!
We are excited to announce the 3rd annual Western New York Fruit Grower Tour, the premier fruit tour of the northeast brought to you by Cornell Cooperative Extension's Lake Ontario Fruit Program and Lake Ontario Ag Consulting, LLC! Located in Wayne County, this orchard field day will highlight new and existing products, chemistries, practices, technologies & equipment that shape the orchard industry today. The Western NY Fruit Grower Tour will again combine two past orchard tour events, the LOF Summer Fruit Tour and the Wayne County Fruit Grower Tour, giving industry members the opportunity to conveniently showcase their product offerings to ONE unified group at ONE time and place!
* Schedule subject to change.