Tree Fruits

Our experts support the industry through the development of successful new varieties, cutting edge horticultural practices and disease and pest management knowledge.

Cornell AgriTech is world renowned for its apple breeding program and has released 69 apple varieties including famous varieties such as Empire, Ruby Frost and Jonagold. Apples are developed with New York climate, disease and pest conditions in mind as well as consumer and growers needs.

We support the health of tree fruit industries by getting out in front of disease and pest conditions through innovative research and the development of practical solutions that help growers thrive.

 

Woman crouched down in orchard examining tree.

Tree fruit toolkit

Person holding some apples.
Our Pest Management Expertise
Woman holding up an apple.
Our Fruit Breeding Expertise
People standing in orchard having a discussion.
Our Disease Management Expertise
Barrels of apples outside.
Our Hard Cider Expertise
Play What makes the Cornell AgriTech apple breeding program unique

What makes the Cornell AgriTech apple breeding program unique

Our tree fruit experts

A man at an information booth
Peter Jentsch

Extension Associate, Sr.; HVRL Station Superintendent

Cornell AgriTech

Hudson Valley Research Laboratory

Department of Entomology

Peter Jentsch
Art Agnello portrait
Arthur Agnello

Professor Emeritus

Department of Entomology

Cornell AgriTech

Arthur Agnello
  • ama4 [at] cornell.edu
A smiling woman holds an apple next to more apples piled on a table
Susan Brown

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Cornell AgriTech

Susan Brown
Plant breeding (apples)
Marker-assisted breeding
Terence Robinson
Terence Robinson

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Cornell AgriTech

Terence Robinson
Orchard production systems
Crop load and canopy management
Fruit tree physiology
Man at desk smiles.
Jan Nyrop

Emeritus Professor

Department of Entomology

Jan Nyrop
  • jpn2 [at] cornell.edu
A man in the greenhouse examines grape plants
Marc Fuchs

Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Cornell AgriTech

Marc Fuchs
Virus diseases of fruit and vegetable crops
Grape viruses
Plant virus-insect vector interactions
A man stands smiling in a fruit orchard
Kerik Cox

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Cornell AgriTech

Kerik Cox
Orchard fungal ecology
Fungicide resistance
Pesticide stewardship, fruit pathology
kenong xu
Kenong Xu

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Horticulture Section

Cornell AgriTech

Kenong Xu
Tree fruit genomics
Apple gene regulatory networks
Man examining an apple tree
Awais Khan

Associate Professor

School of Integrative Plant Science

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

Cornell AgriTech

Awais Khan
Mechanisms of host disease resistance in apples; particularly to fire blight and apple scab
Quantitative genetics, genomics, genetic diversity, and pre-breeding
Rapid disease detection, pathogen identification, and high-throughput phenotyping tools
Load more
Man measuring trees.
Woman picking tree fruits.

Professor Kenong Xu measures a tree in an orchard.

Graduate student Anna Wallis assesses an apple tree for disease.

Grower resources

New York Fruit Quarterly

A journal published four times a year by the N.Y. State Horticultural Society, Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, and the N.Y. State Apple Research and Development Program.

Scaffolds Fruit Journal

A weekly update on pest management and crop development published from March to September by Cornell AgriTech with assistance Cornell Cooperative Extension.

National Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Program

The National GAPs Program provides training on the prevention of food-borne illnesses outbreaks through sound farming and produce handling practices.

Cornell Fruit Pages

Cornell's fruit production resources, including information on production, IPM, post harvest handling and food safety, wine and other value-added products, business and labor management, and marketing.

Horticulture Section of the School of Integrative Plant Science