2018 ASHS Annual Conference

In commercial apple production, fruit harvesting and tree pruning are the two major contributors to the overall labor cost, which usually accounts for 60 percent of the total variable costs. The apple industry has long been seeking a viable means to mechanize such labor-intensive tasks in orchard operation. Several labor-aid platforms have been made available, and robotic prototypes for fully automated apple fruit harvesting have also been developed and tested recently. Although important progress has been achieved, it remains a long shot to adapt any of the robotic harvesting systems in orchard at a large scale. One of the major challenges has been the unpredictable fruit setting sites due to the complex canopy of apple trees. Attempting to provide genomic solutions that can simplify apple tree canopy and make the fruit setting locations predictable, we have been carrying out a research project to identify the genes and/or gene-networks responsible for varying tree architectural forms. Currently, we are focusing on the two extreme apple tree architectural forms, columnar and weeping, which are characterized by few upright and numerus downward branches, respectively. The latest results will be presented and discussed in the context of making apple trees friendlier for mechanized orchard management.