Horticulture Section News

CALS News, Spotlights, Field Notes and FutureCasts of interest to the Horticulture Section community in the School of Integrative Plant Science.

The latest news ...

Kenong Xu stands in an orchard and measures a weeping apple branch in an orchard at Cornell AgriTech

News

Gene variation makes apple trees ‘weep,’ improving orchards

Plant geneticists have identified a mutation in a gene that causes the “weeping” architecture – branches growing downwards – in apple trees, a finding that could improve orchard fruit production.

  • Cornell AgriTech
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
A hummingbird at a feeder.

News

Hummingbirds may help control invasive berry pests
Ten years ago, Juliet Carroll was intrigued when a New York state berry grower asked if hummingbirds could be used to prey on spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), a pest species new to the region but quickly wreaking havoc on the state’s $20 million...
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • New York State Integrated Pest Management
  • Department of Entomology
A vegetable field

News

Recent smoke not a problem for New York vegetables
Canadian wildfires are impacting air quality here in the Northeast. Smoke has filled the sky and warnings have been issued for outdoor activities. This is making many growers and gardeners worried about the potential impact the smoke will have...
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
(L-R) Fred Frank, Richard Ball, and Hans Walter-Peterson survey vineyard damage along Keuka Lake

News

Spring freeze: Cornell helps vintners recover growing season

Following a mid-May freeze, two Cornell viticulture experts are advising grape growers in New York on how to rescue their season, as vineyards now face a reduced crop and economic loss.

  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
Antonio DiTommaso in the Cornell Weed Science Teaching Garden

News

Unlikely coincidence blooms as classic weed guide gets updated

The classic identification guide “Weeds of the Northeast” sprouted from a collaboration of Cornell researchers. Now, a new edition of the book brings together a pair of uncannily named weed scientists: Antonio DiTommaso and Joseph DiTomaso.

  • New York State Integrated Pest Management
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section

Land Acknowledgment

Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York State, and the United States of America.  We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' people, past and present, to these lands and waters.