Apple
Michigan Apple Committee Research Priorities for 2022/23
- 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
- Market research
- To conduct consumer related research that will aid in the sale and profitability of Michigan Apples.
- Improve quality and consistency
- To demonstrate how to improve Michigan Apples in terms such as variety, size, taste and appearance.
- Apple variety evaluation specific to:
- Soils
- Weather
- Storability
- Rootstocks
- Disease resistance
- Technology
- Post-harvest storage improvements
- Packing line improvements
- Drone use (crop, weather, insect/disease monitoring, spray application)
- Growth regulators/thinners
- Apple variety evaluation specific to:
- To demonstrate how to improve Michigan Apples in terms such as variety, size, taste and appearance.
- Improve production efficiency
- To help increase grower profitability by improving production efficiency.
- Training systems - providing uniformity and consistency
- High yield/quality
- Solid set use
- Technology
- Drone use (crop, weather, insect/disease monitoring)
- Mechanization – reduce labor needs
- Precision apple production
- Crop Load Management
- Pruning, thinning
- Soil – rootstock matches to soil types, manipulation and management of soil issues
- Innovative management of fire blight, apple scab and summer fruit rots
- Minimizing pesticide / increasing biologic controls
- Economic drivers – production vs cost
- Training systems - providing uniformity and consistency
- To help increase grower profitability by improving production efficiency.
- 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
- To enhance produce safety systems for all phases of production, harvest, packing, storage, transportation, receiving and point-of-sale environments.
Updated September 2022