2019 Cornell Fruit In-Depth School Presentations Now Available!
In-depth School on
Precision Crop Load Management and Plant Growth Regulator Use in Apples
March 26-27, 2019
DoubleTree Inn
Syracuse NY
We welcome you to the 2019 Cornell In-depth Fruit School on Precision Crop Load Management
PCLM). We envision this school to be both an opportunity to learn concepts of PCLM and the impacts
that managing crop load more precisely has on the bottom line. We also hope this will be an
opportunity to give input to a future federally funded project on precision crop load management of
apple. We invite your input throughout the program but especially at the end of the first day on where
the greatest opportunities lie for research and implementation on farms in the East to increase orchard
income and grower profitability.
Tuesday March 26 Precision Crop Load Management
8:30am 1.Welcome to In-depth School and Objectives -Terence Robinson
8:45am 2. Pruning Studies to Manage Crop Load in Pennsylvania - James Schupp
9:30am 3. Precision Pruning in NY - Terence Robinson
10:15am Coffee Break
10:30am 4. Precision Thinning using the Pollen Tube Growth Model - Greg Peck
11:15am 5. Precision Chemical Thinning in Michigan - Phil Schwalier
12:00pm Lunch
1:15pm 6. Precision Chemical Thinning in NY and updates to the Carbon Balance Model-
Terence Robinson
2:00pm 7. The New phone App for Precision Thinning - Poliana Francescatto and Jon
Clements
2:30pm 8. Precision Pruning and Thinning in Washington - Stefano Musacchi (zoom
presentation)
3:15pm Coffee break
3:30pm 9. Precision hand thinning - Mario Miranda
4:00pm 10. How computer vision can help with crop load management - Chris Layer
(Moog Corporation)
4:45pm 11. Grower's perspective on fruitlet counting and precision crop load management
5:00pm Discussion period with all presenters and input from grower community
5:30pm End of school for the day
6:30pm Dinner for grower participants on their own
Wed March 27 Plant Growth Regulator Uses
8:30am 12. Advances in PGR's for chemical thinning -Terence Robinson and Poliana
Francescatto
9:30am 13. Use of PGR's to induce branching in the nursery and the orchard - Mario
Miranda
10:00am Coffee break
10:15am 14. PGR's to control growth and bitter pit - Terence Robinson and Poliana
Francescatto
11:00am 15. PGR's to manage harvest - Craig Kahlke, Poliana Francescatto,
and Keith Culver
12:00pm Lunch
1:15pm 16. Harvista treatments on quality and storage disorders of Gala and Honeycrisp - Chris Watkins
2:00pm 17. Using PGR's to increase return bloom and fruit set - Terence Robinson
2:30pm 18.Using PGR's to defoliate nursery trees - Poliana Francescatto
3:15pm Break
3:30pm 19. Use of PGR's to reduce russetting, or improve color - Terence Robinson
and Poliana Francescatto
4:15pm Panel discussion of PGR's - Terence, Mario, Poliana, Craig,
Chris and Keith
5:00pm Adjourn
Agenda for In-Depth School 2019 (pdf; 54KB)
Intro to Precision Crop Load Management (pdf; 95KB)
- article by Terence Robinson
Intro to Precision Crop Load Management (pdf; 4129KB)
- by Terence Robinson
Pruning to Manage Crop Load in Pennsylvania (pdf; 3538KB)
- by Jim Schupp, Becky Wiepz, Melanie Schupp & Edwin Winzeler
Precision Pruning to Partially Control Crop Load in Apples (pdf; 18990KB)
- by Terence Robinson, Poliana Francescatto, & Jaume Lordan
Precision Pruning of Gala Apples (pdf; 1995KB)
- article by Terence Robinson, Poliana Francescatto, & Jaume Lordan
Precision Pruning to Help Maximize Crop Value (pdf; 2137KB)
- article by Terence Robinson & Leo Dominguez
Precision Thinning using the Pollen Tube Growth Model (pdf; 2043KB)
- by Greg Peck
Precision Cropload Management Syracuse NY Fruit School (pdf; 6476KB)
- by Philip Schwallier
PGR's and Thinning Strategies 2019 (pdf; 3658KB)
- article by Philip Schwallier & Amy Irish-Brown
Precision Chemical Thinning (pdf; 37100KB)
- by Terence Robinson, Alan Lakso, Duane Greene, Poliana Francescatto, & Jaume Lordan
Precision Crop Load Management: Part 1 (pdf; 230KB)
- article by Terence Robinson, Alan Lakso, Duane Greene, & Steve Hoying
Precision Crop Load Management: Part 2 (pdf; 229KB)
- article by Terence Robinson, Steve Hoying, Mario Miranda Sazo, & Andrea Rufato
Precision Chemical Thinning (pdf; 666KB)
- article by Terence Robinson, Alan Lakso, Duane Greene, & Steve Hoying
Introducting the Malusim App (pdf; 4346KB)
- by Poliana Francescatto, Jaume Lordan,
Precision Pruning and Thinning in Washington (pdf; 6868KB)
- by Stefano Musacchi & Tory Schmidt
Precision Hand Thinning (pdf; 489KB)
- by Mario Miranda Sazo
Autonomous Orchard Efforts (pdf; 2027KB)
- by Chris Layer
A Growers Perspective on Crop Load Management (pdf; 4373KB)
- by Rod Farrow
Advances in PGR's for Chemical Thinning (pdf; 8081KB)
- by Terence Robinson & Poliana Francescatto
News in Fruit Thinning: Testing New Alternatives to Carbaryl (pdf; 1276KB)
- by Poliana Francescatto & Terence Robinson
Use of PGRs to Induce Branching in the Nursery (pdf; 12076KB)
- by Mario Miranda Sazo
ABA for bitter pit control of HC (pdf; 34546KB)
- by Poliana Francescatto & Terence Robinson
Use of Plant Growth Regulators to Control Growth and Bitter Pit (pdf; 1473KB)
- Terence Robinson & Poliana Francescatto
Are combinations of ReTain™& Harvista™better than either alone? (pdf; 6106KB)
- by Craig Kahlke
ReTain Plant Growth Regulator - Harvest Management (pdf; 895KB)
- by Poliana Francescatto, Jim Wargo, & Gregory Clarke
Harvista™ by AgroFresh An Evolution (pdf; 2949KB)
- by Keith Culver
Harvista treatment effects on quality and storage disorders of Gala and HC (pdf; 31530KB)
- by Chris Watkins, Yosef Al Shoffe, Jacqueline Nock, & Yiyi Zhang
Use of AVG (ReTain) to increase fruit set (pdf; 1685KB)
- by Poliana Francescatto & Terence Robinson
Use of Plant Growth Regulators Improve Return Bloom and Fruit Set (pdf; 26703KB)
- by Terence Robinson & Poliana Francescatto
Chemical Defoliation of Apple Nursery Trees (pdf; 10640KB)
- by Poliana Francescatto & Terence Robinson
Improving Fruit Finish (pdf; 2518KB)
- by Poliana Francescatto & Terence Robinson
Use of Plant Growth Regulators to Control Russet and Improve Color (pdf; 4172KB)
- by Terence Robinson
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
2026 Tree Fruit Scouting Online Course
February 25, 2026 : Week 1 - IPM Fundamentals + Tools
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
March 4, 2026 : Week 2 - Insects: Part 1
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
March 11, 2026 : Week 3 - Insects: Part 2
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
March 18, 2026 : Week 4 - Diseases
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
March 25, 2026 : Week 5 - Weeds, Wildlife, + Wrap-Up
This course trains tree fruit growers, orchard employees, industry professionals and interested students on the biology, identification and monitoring of major economically significant orchard pests, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This course is FREE and provides an annual opportunity for growers to refresh their knowledge in advance of the growing season. Register by February 18th.
Northeast Fruit Consortium Winter Webinar Series
February 4, 2026 : Management of Up and Coming Strawberry Diseases in the Northeastern United States
February 11, 2026 : Kiwiberry Production in the Northeast
February 18, 2026 : Apple Color and Sunburn
February 25, 2026 : The Dating Game; Updates in Lepidopteran Mating Disruption
March 4, 2026 : Update: USEPA Endangered Species Act and Implications for Pesticide Use
March 11, 2026 : Practical Drought Management for Fruit Growers
2026 Orleans County - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training
March 9, 2026 : DEC Certified Applicator Pre-Exam Training Day 1
Albion, NY
This training is only for those with experience and does not qualify for the 30-hour official DEC training - you are exempt from the 30 hour training (and eligible for this coaching session) if you have pesticide application experience, either through working on your own farm or through employment on another farm.
March 13, 2026 : DEC Certified Applicator Pre-Exam Training Day 2
Albion, NY
This training is only for those with experience and does not qualify for the 30-hour official DEC training - you are exempt from the 30 hour training (and eligible for this coaching session) if you have pesticide application experience, either through working on your own farm or through employment on another farm.