Apple picking is a fun fall activity but with climate changeamplified by human behavior, is impacting the quality and availability of all kinds of apples.
The Earth just experienced a 13-month streak of record-setting heat.
The USDA warns more frequent weather extremes are altering apple development and affecting the trees they grow on.
“We have two things happening. One is the heat this summer, which essentially sped up the ripening of the fruit that was on the tree. We also were finding that the bloom is starting earlier, so the clock starts early,” said Dr. Chris Walsh, Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland.
This year, apples from Michigan to Maryland are ripening one to two weeks earlier than usual.
Michigan is one of the top apple-producing states and had its warmest winter on record, followed by its warmest spring in more than a decade.
In Maryland, extreme heat this summer hit during a critical stage of apple development.
“It’s the temperature for the tree. It’s also a temperature problem for the fruit because the fruit is sitting there in the sun, and you don’t want it to cook,” Walsh said.
Scientists at Washington State University are leading nationwide research to look at the impact of extreme temperatures on apples and pears. The USDA will fund a new $6.75 million project for the next 4 years.
Dr. Walsh said we need to help apples adapt to the changing climates.
“What we’re trying to do is recognize further north, if you’re still growing McIntosh or varieties like that if they were Labor Day apples a while ago in Michigan and Massachusetts and New York, they might be ripening two weeks earlier now and the market’s not there, and the quality may not be there.” Said Dr. Walsh.
Walsh and a team of researchers at the University of Maryland are also developing hybrids that are more heat and disease-resilient. They may one day end up in a grocery store near you.
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Publish date : 2024-09-22 00:44:00
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