Sarah A. Weis

Cultivar and growing region influence efficacy of warming treatments for amelioration of superficial scald development on apples after storage

Abstract Single warmings of ‘Cortland’, ‘Delicious’, ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Pacific Rose’ apples to 20°C for 0–9 days after cold storage of 0–27 days were tested as a potential non-chemical method to control superficial scald development. Only in ‘Granny Smith’ was scald development reduced to commercially acceptable levels by warming, and even for this cultivar the response varied among growing regions. Warming treatments greatly advanced ripening, as indicated by softening of ‘Cortland’, and to a lesser extent ‘Delicious’, but had only small ripening effects on ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Pacific Rose’. The extent of any warming effects on fruit ripening was greater with longer storage time before warming and with longer warming periods. Warming ‘Cortland’ apples twice reduced scald to the level of DPA treatment but increased the amount of ripening induced. There was no evidence that warming could delay rather than prevent scald development.

Assessing Tillage Systems for Reducing Ammonia Volatilization from Spring-Applied Slurry Manure

The effect of tillage management on NH3-N volatilization and its influence on succeeding corn (Zea mays L.) silage production were studied at the University of Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station (South Deerfield, MA) during 2010–2012 growing seasons. Tillage treatments consisted of disking before and after manure application, solid-tine aeration before and after manure application, and no-till management. The greatest NH3-N loss (61 percent) occurred within the first 8 h after slurry manure application regardless of tillage management. The greatest NH3-N emission occurred with surface application (no-till), which ranged between 5.2 and 10.3 kg NH3-N ha−1 (9–20 percent of NH3-N applied) over the 3 years of the study. Immediate incorporation of manure into soil through disking reduced NH3-N loss by 66 to 75 percent. Ammonia loss abatement with aeration before or after manure application ranged from 13 to 41 percent compared with surface manure application. Tillage management did not influence corn silage yield or quality.