Researchers in Michigan are exploring ways to enhance the resilience of apple trees against adverse weather conditions linked to climate change. Professor Steve Van Knocker from Michigan State University is focusing on the native late-blooming apple tree, Mars Coronalia, to combat spring frost damage. This tree blooms two to three weeks later than cultivated varieties, which may help its flowers avoid frost.
Van Knocker aims to identify the genes responsible for this delayed blooming and use them to create more frost-resistant apple varieties. His work is part of broader efforts by various researchers and growers, including Jared Buono at Cornell University, who is implementing solar panels in orchards to protect fruit from extreme weather, and teams at the University of Maryland and Penn State University, which are developing heat-resistant varieties and warming trees with unmanned vehicles, respectively.
The urgency of these innovations is underscored by recent frost events in New York that severely impacted apple yields. A Washington State University study highlighted changes in weather patterns affecting apple-growing regions, noting fewer cold days and increased heat, which pose risks to apple quality due to early dormancy breakage.
Van Knocker and his team are also working on preserving the genetic material of Mars Coronalia by taking cuttings from existing trees to develop healthy hybrid apple varieties. This process can take over a decade, but it is vital for maintaining apple production in Michigan in light of climate challenges. He emphasizes the need for improved apple varieties to ensure sustainability in the face of climate change’s potential impacts on apple farming.
Source link
