News about USA

US season 2024: 355,000 tonnes expected, slight increase over 2023

Production

03 Jul 2024

"The national total number is 355,000 tonnes, technically one could say it is up three-tenths of a percentage point from 2023. But if you exclude Michigan, which was not counted in the total last year, there is a decrease of 5.9 per cent."

Controlling San José Scale with new chemicals: a possible solution?

Crop protection

03 Jun 2024

A US study evaluated the efficacy of two San Jose mealybug defence programmes in black cherry using Sivanto Prime 200SL and flupyradifuron 300SL. Due to the slow onset of action of the treatments, the results did not show significant data.

TOMRA's new LUCAi platform for post-harvest efficiency in the US and New Zealand

Post-harvest​

21 May 2024

Cherry packers Prima Frutta Packing, Dunstan Hills and Panmure Orchards in California, the US and New Zealand have implemented TOMRA's LUCAi technology, achieving ‘improved grading and a productivity increase of around 10%’.

US consumer study ranks quality first, but price is still the most relevant value

Consumption

20 May 2024

A 2023 consumer study that surveyed over 2,000 consumers found that the key factors continue to be quality and flavour. However, once the retail price reaches $4.50 per pound, sales begin to decline.

The pruning period can affect the spread of bacterial cancer

Crop protection

05 Mar 2024

Youfu Zhao recommends pruning in summer whenever possible and switching from sprinkler to drip irrigation to keep the orchard drier. For larger trees, it is possible to cut back the cankers, Zhao said, but this is fatal for young trees.

Grasshopper study in Washington could solve X-disease related problems

Crop protection

04 Mar 2024

"We are trying to understand how X-disease pathogen exploits the grasshopper to facilitate its life cycle," said William Walker, USDA geneticist. "This could provide us with forms of disruption, such as biopesticides, to halt the insect's life cycle."

Crop collapse in the USA: growers in the North-East blame climate and supply chain

Markets Production Press review

09 Jan 2024

The overproduction of Californian cherries affected prices, triggering a downward spiral for Northwest cherries as well. The need for increased communication between Californian shippers and the Northwest industry could be a potential solution to avoid further price collapses.

From waste to resource: sour cherry pits as a cosmetic ingredient

Health

08 Jan 2024

The re-use of these by-products thus seems a better alternative to the disposal or annual incineration of millions of tonnes of cherry pits, which not only mitigates environmental pollution, but also adheres to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.

Post-harvest: WSU compares MAP bag and controlled atmosphere storage

Post-harvest​

08 Dec 2023

Carolina Torres presented the results of three years of field trials comparing different preservation methods for different cultivars (Bing, Sweetheart, Skeena, Rainier) when the aim is precisely to preserve cherries for 30 days + 4.

Michigan State University proposes research against replanting problems

Tech management Planting systems

21 Nov 2023

The MSU team's goal is to test management practices that can reduce replanting problems, decrease nematode damage and increase cherry tree growth, with the aim of producing 'solid recommendations' for growers.