Upcoming NIAB webinar to showcase latest tree fruit research
20th January 2023
Growers from the UK and overseas are encouraged to join NIAB’s annual Tree Fruit Day technical webinar, a free-to-attend event featuring the latest research and advice for all those involved in the tree fruit industry.
Research into the use of precision dosing sprayers forms part of NIAB’s Tree Fruit technical webinar event.
Taking place on Tuesday 21st February from 11.00 am to 4.20 pm, this year’s Tree Fruit Day webinar will cover the latest findings from NIAB’s Plum Demonstration Centre, updates on new research into spray application, post-harvest technology, and pest and disease control.
In addition, delegates will be updated on SWD research developments and learn about some interesting findings from three CTP studentship projects.
The event will kick off with a presentation featuring a precision dosing orchard sprayer and fluorometer technology to assess spray application, delivered by NIAB crop protection researcher Dr Charles Whitfield.
Richard Colgan, from the University of Greenwich, will then share details of his research detecting and predicting internal browning in apple, while Scott Raffle will update delegates on work carried out at NIAB’s Plum Demonstration Centre. The morning session will conclude with Robert Saville discussing how Growing Kent & Medway is supporting sustainable innovation in horticulture.
The afternoon sessions will entertain participants with new findings on pest and pathogen ecology from research led by NIAB in collaboration with universities and the industry. Presentations will feature apple canker and replant research, bacterial canker in cherry, as well as pest research on the forest bug, apple sawfly and brown marmorated stink bug.
Moreover, PhD students speaking at the event will share their work on pear sucker, the impact of wildflowers on pest control, and solitary ground-nesting bees in apple orchards. The event’s final session will deliver a comprehensive update on the development of new control techniques for spotted wing drosophila in plum and cherry trees.
Scott Raffle, NIAB knowledge exchange manager, commented: “With the winding down of AHDB horticultural activities last year, NIAB has welcomed the opportunity to ensure this annual industry event remains on the calendar. Presenting it on a virtual platform has proven popular over the past few years, with a larger audience drawn from across the UK and abroad.
“I encourage everyone with an interest in tree fruit production to attend, to keep abreast of some really exciting new findings in a range of research and demonstration projects being managed by NIAB at East Malling and elsewhere.”
Spaces at the webinar are limited and are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. To view the full programme and register for the event, head to https://www.niab.com/webinar-niab-tree-fruit-day-21-feb-23
