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Oregon’s tree fruit and nut industries bring many benefits to Oregonians, including an abundance of local products and markets, a variety of healthy foods, money to rural communities, and a national market for Oregon products. Pears, cherries, apples, and hazelnuts are grown, packaged, and processed in four regions of Oregon. These tree and fruit industries were valued at $175 million in 2007.

Teaching

Students learn contemporary production practices including plant biology and genetics, soils, ecology, and economics, with applications in plant nutrition, pest management, business, and marketing. Learning to manage real-world dilemmas with case studies, field trips, and internships encourages students to interact with growers, managers, field reps, and consultants. Student-run clubs provide opportunities for leadership and extracurricular activities. 

Horticulture courses include:

• Fruit and nut identification
• Production practices/systems
• Case studies in crop management systems
• Horticulture management planning
• Internship

Research

New hazelnut varieties that resist eastern filbert blight with imporved kernel quality are being released regularly. Research into quantitative resistance, genetic mapping, and markers are improving breeding success with new immune releases soon. Crosses with Spanish and Russian germplasm also show promise.

Cherry and pear growers are planting dwarf rootstocks in high-density plantings to increase net returns, spray efficiency, and safety (shorter ladders). Altering irrigation frequency and duration has improved water use and efficiency. Control of codling moth and other mites and insects in fruit and hazelnut trees continues with less toxic insecticides, precision spray applications, and bio-based pest management. Pear diseases in orchards and storage have been reduced with substantial improvements of fruit quality.

Extension

Extension faculty continue to develop integrated and sustainable fruit and nut production guidelines in collaboration with the statewide pear, cherry, apple, and the Willamette Valley hazelnut industries. An area-wide codling moth pest management program has been accepted by growers in the mid-Columbia and Medford regions. Strategies for organic management are created and shared with local practitioners. Managers integrate existing practices with soil quality, water use and irrigation, computer-based precision agriculture, and biologically-based pest and riparian zone management. Pest management practices prescribe ways to reduce pesticide drift and contamination of watersheds in Hood River and Wasco counties. A weather station network calculates pest degree-days, automatically informing growers about the best treatment period for pests to obtain optimum efficiency while minimizing environmental impact.

Publications and programs disseminate information about new blight-resistant hazelnut varieties, including characteristics, pollinizers, and integrated production practices.

New directions 

• Create integrative and organic practices that protect the environment, contribute to market advantages, and improve health, such as breeding or selecting new cultivars, bio-based pest control, soil and water conservation, worker protection, and crop and ecosystems management
• Design high-density protected sweet cherry culture using spectral light management
• Form new alliances, products, and ways of packaging or marketing products to achieve consumer interests in health, environmental safety, convenience, and superb quality
• Introduce electronic, time-sensitive monitoring.
• Improve decision making, pest prediction tools, and natural resource management

Benefits

• Currently, 100 students are enrolled in horticulture; 33 graduated in 2007.
• Orchard managers produce quality fruit while minimizing environmental and social impacts according to integrated fruit production (IFP) and organic guidelines.
• Sweet cherry growers extend the harvest season with new varieties, increasing profits by more than $2.7 million in 2003.
• Hazelnut producers are planting new varieties that resist eastern filbert blight with improved kernel quality.
• High density cherry crops planted on dwarf rootstocks generate profits after 8 rather than 15 years while improving worker safety and community economics.
• Innovative research explores bio-based and conservation practices for pests, water, nutrients, and other factors.
• Consumers enjoy healthy food, lifestyles, lively markets, and convenience.
• Orchard management preserves Oregon’s beauty, scenery, environment, and ecosystems.