The North American Virtual Orchard Meetups are back – and kicking off this Thursday!
These meetups will provide an opportunity to discuss challenges related to heat stress in summer and fall, identify opportunities to improve fruit quality, and remain profitable. Each webinar is led by a panel of scientists and tree fruit growers from across the United States and Canada. Join the conversation!
Managing climate stress in fruit production: sun injury, ripening disorders, and post-harvest quality in north american orchards
thursdays from June 11 – June 25
7:00pm EST
The schedule of topics is as follows:
JUNE 11 – Physiological Impacts, Forecasting, and Monitoring Tools
- Physiology of sun and heat stress on apple – Emily Lavely, Michigan State University
- Trends in sunburn risk – Kirti Rajagopalan, Washington State University
- Smart monitoring tools – Lav Khot, Washington State University
- Seasonal outlook – Jeff Andresen (climatologist), Michigan State University
- Seasonal outlook – Samantha Borisoff (climatologist), Cornell University
- Grower panel
JUNE 18 – Mitigation Strategies, Timing, and Tradeoffs
- Brad Palmer, Reality Research
- Bernardita Sallato, Washington State University
- Grower panel
JUNE 25 – Managing Fruit After Heat Exposure: Maturity, Storage, and Disorders
- Carolina Torres, Washington State University
- Grower panel
The format of each webinar will include brief presentations by scientists, followed by a grower panel of industry leaders across North America. The meetup will conclude with an open discussion in a very inclusive virtual format. Viewers are invited to share solutions, ask questions, and interact with scientists and panelists. While each meeting builds off the one preceding it – and we hope you can attend all three – they also function as “stand-alone” meetings should you be unable to attend them all.
The 2026 Series is sponsored by SPARC: Strengthening Pear and Apple Resilience to Climate (sparcscri.com) and hosted by extension specialists across North America:
- Kristy Grigg-McGuffin (OMAFA)
- Lindsay King (BC-AF)
- Emily Lavely (MSU)
- Bernardita Sallato (WSU)
- Mario Miranda Sazo (CCE LOF)
- Daniel E. Weber (PSU)
- Sonia Hall (WSU)