NC-140: Improving economic and environmental sustainability in tree fruit production through changes in rootstock use

Principal Investigator/Project Leader: 
Jon
Clements
Extension Educator
Co-Principal Investigator/Co-Project Leader: 
Daniel
Cooley
Professor
Sponsoring Unit(s): 
Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station
UMass Extension
Department of Project: 
Center for Agriculture, Food, & the Environment
Project Website: 
NC-140 Regional Rootstock Research Project
newnc140logo
Project Description: 

The NC-140 Regional Research Project is designed to address a number of high-priority areas within the North Central Region as well as other parts of North America. This project seeks to enhance economically and environmentally sustainable practices in temperate fruit production by focusing on rootstocks. 

Massachusetts OBJECTIVES (2022-2027)

  1. To evaluate the influence of rootstocks on vegetative and reproductive growth and development of temperate-zone fruit trees, orchard productivity and labor efficiency, and sustainable orchard management practices across diverse soils and climatic regions.
  2. To integrate and disseminate research-based information and decision support tools that facilitate successful stakeholder adoption of rootstock technologies.

At the UMass Orchard: 2014 NC-140 Vineland-Geneva rootstock planting on 14 rootstocks with Honeycrisp as the scion, tree growth and yield data collected annually 2014-2023 (10 years). 2023 was the last year of data collection; Porters Perfection cider apple rootstock planting on 8 rootstocks in Spring 2023.

2023 Massachusetts NC-140 State Report