Projects


Crop Load Management for Hard Cider Orchards
David Zakalik, Craig Kahlke, Mike Brown, and Greg Peck

DSC06083The purpose of this NYS Apple Research and Development Program (ARDP) sponsored project was to increase the reliability and profitability of growing European hard cider apple cultivars in New York. This project, conducted 2016–2018, compared the effects of different crop loads on bloom, multi-year bearing patterns, and fruit and juice quality for seven of the most widely planted European cider varieties. This project also assessed appropriate harvest timing for these same English and French cider varieties.

The experiments were conducted on three-year-old trees at LynOaken Farms in Lyndonville, NY. Craig Kahlke and Mario Miranda Sazo from the Lake Ontario Fruit Team collaborated with Dr. Peck on this project. A second experiment looked at the effects of midsummer applications of plant growth regulators on return bloom and multi-year bearing patterns in the same seven cultivars at LynOaken Farms, as well more established trees of two of those seven cultivars at the Cornell Orchards Research farm in Lansing, NY. Research support specialist Mike Brown did treatment applications and lab analysis of juice quality; David Zakalik, technician and MS student, spearheaded data collection and analysis for these experiments.

Zakalik also conducted several dozen interviews with commercial grower-cidermakers about high-tannin apple supply and how it’s affected by biennial bearing, which turned into an industry survey. After being written up in Zakalik’s MS Thesis, data have since been published as three journal papers and one extension article:

Zakalik DL, Brown MG, Peck GM. 2024. Fruitlet Thinning Reduces Biennial Bearing in Seven High-tannin Cider Apple Cultivars. HortScience. 59(1):26–35.
Zakalik DL, Peck GM. 2023. High-Tannin Apple Supply and Demand in North America: Results from a 2021 Cider Industry Survey. Fruit Quarterly. 31(2):30–35.
Zakalik DL, Brown MG, Kahlke CJ, Peck GM. 2023a. Summer Applications of Plant Growth Regulators, Ethephon And 1-Naphthaleneacetic Acid, Do Not Promote Return Bloom or Reduce Biennial Bearing in Seven High-Tannin Cider Apple Cultivars. Journal of the American Pomological Society. 77(2):75–92.
Zakalik DL, Brown MG, Peck GM. 2023b. Fruitlet Thinning Improves Juice Quality in Seven High-tannin Cider Cultivars. HortScience. 58(10):1119–1128.

Highlights:

  • English cultivars ‘Chisel Jersey,’ ‘Dabinett,’ and ‘Harry Masters Jersey’ were found to be most annual-bearing and most cumulatively productive, as well as most responsive to hand-thinning.
  • French cultivar ‘Michelin’ did not quite live up to its reputation as being annual-bearing or highly productive, while English subacid bittersweet ‘Brown Snout’ was fairly responsive to thinning and bore more consistently than expected from previous descriptions.
  • Midsummer sprays of NAA and Ethephon did not enhance return bloom at the rates applied in these experiments, for any of the seven cultivars studied.
  • Crop load affected ripeness differently from cultivar to cultivar, though a broad trend was observed: ripeness (as measured by starch index) is advanced at very low (0–10 fruit/TCSA) and very high (≥30 fruit/TCSA) crop densities, but delayed at moderate (~20 fruit/TCSA) crop densities.
  • All measures of juice quality correlated negatively with crop density. When taken together with cumulative yield effects, overcropping can result in inferior tannin production, sugar content (Brix), and YAN.
  • A target crop load of 9 fruit/TCSA was identified for a tall-spindle production system, to optimize cumulative yield, annual bearing, and juice quality. Though higher than recommendations for fresh-market production, this is well below the range of crop densities observed in cider orchards without thinning. Partial budgeting analysis found that thinning to 9 fruit/TCSA was most likely to result in improved profitability for a grower selling fruit at the farm gate.

    Economics of Mechanically Harvesting Cider Apples

    To compare the cost of mechanical harvesting to hand harvesting, we constructed partial budget models for model 5-acre, 15-acre, and 60-acre apple orchards. The models used different harvesters designed for each farm size and include sensitivity analyses for the use of the machinery on varying orchard sizes and changes in labor costs. The Excel spreadsheet that we developed to compare mechanical to hand harvesting has minimal functionality online, but can be downloaded by clicking the link below the file image.

    The full report and analyses of our findings is published in:

    Karl, A., W. Knickerbocker, and G.M. Peck. 2022. Mechanically harvesting hard cider apples is more economically favorable than hand harvesting, regardless of farm scale. HortTechnology. 32(4):359-368. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04988-21


    Spanish (Asturian) Hard Cider Variety Trial
    Greg Peck

    Located on the west side of the Cornell Orchards in Ithaca, this replicated variety trial was planted in 2018. This project seeks to evaluate Spanish cider (or sidra) cultivars for productivity, adaptability to high-density training systems, what sensory attribute they contribute to ciders (i.e., acidity, aromatic volatiles, tannin), and suitability for New York’s climate. Bloom and optimal harvest timing are also being assessed. Varieties in the trial, identified as “elite” varieties from the Asturias region, are: Blanquina, Collaos, Coloradona, Cristalina, Maria Elena, Piel de Sapo, Raxao, Sangre de Toro, and Solarina. The varieties are each replicated four times in a completely randomized design. The trees were planted 1 m (3.1 feet) between trees and are trained as a tall spindle. Data generated from these field evaluations will benefit both commercial apple growers and cider makers by identifying the top performing Spanish hard cider cultivars for New York. Replicated single-variety fermentations were conducted in 2021 to assess the sensory characteristics and fermentation kinetics of these cultivars.


    European Hard Cider Variety Trial
    Greg Peck

    Located at the Cornell Orchards in Ithaca, this replicated variety trial was planted in 2015. The project seeks to identify European cider varieties that are highly productive, adaptable to high-density orchard systems, contribute desired flavors to ciders (i.e., astringency, bitterness, acidity, and/or volatiles), and are well suited for New York’s climate. Bloom and optimal harvest timing are also being assessed. Varieties in the trial include: Binet Rouge, Brown Snout, Brown’s Apple, Dabinett, Ellis Bitter, Harry Master’s Jersey, Porter’s Perfection, Tremlett’s Bitter (Geneva Tremlett’s), and Vilberie. The varieties are each replicated four times in a completely randomized design. The trees were planted 1 m (3.1 feet) between trees and 3.7 m (12 feet) between rows and are trained as a tall spindle. Data generated from these field evaluations, recently published in New York Fruit Quarterly, will benefit both commercial apple growers and cider makers by identifying the top performing European hard cider cultivars for New York.


    Phenotyping Apples in the USDA-PGRU Malus Germplasm Collection for Use in Hard Cider Production 
    David Zakalik, Shanthanu Krishna Kumar, Nathan Wojtyna, Michael Brown, and Gregory Peck

    The purpose of this project is to phenotype (i.e., identify and evaluate the horticultural performance and juice quality) of accessions in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Plant Genetic Resource Unit (PGRU) Malus germplasm collection in Geneva, NY. As of 2021, well over 400 accessions have been analyzed, comprising European and American historic cider cultivars, as well as various Malus species and hybrids, and other accessions with cider potential. Specialized cider apples can have 5-10 times more tannin (a bittering group of polyphenols) along with higher levels of acidity (sharpness) compared to culinary apples. It is the balance of these characteristics that make cider apples more desirable for hard cider production. These apple accessions are being evaluated for unique juice chemistry, as well as disease resistance and growth habits that potentially lend themselves to mechanized harvesting. Using established protocols to characterize apple trees, fruit, and juice, this will be the most thorough screening of the USDA-PGRU Malus germplasm repository ever conducted for hard cider production.
    2018 ASHS presentation by Nathan Wojtyna.


    Managing Apple Maturity and Post-Harvest Regimes to Increase the Quality of Hard Cider
    Greg Peck, Amanda Stewart (Virginia Tech), Bri Ewing (Virginia Tech Graduate Student), and Andrew Neilson (Virginia Tech)

    unnamedThrough this Virginia Wine Board funded project, we assessed the impact of harvest maturity on cider apple quality. Similar to grape-based wine production, cider makers want to use the highest quality fruit harvested at optimal physiological ripeness for the intended cider style. However, it is not as well understood how harvest timing affects final cider quality as it is for wine quality. Is it better to harvest apples in the pre-climacteric period, and “sweat” them, or is it better to let the apples remain on the trees until they are fully ripe? To what extent does storage time affect cider quality? The research we are conducting will make cider producers more competitive by increasing the quality of fruit that they are using or their ciders. Dr. Peck collaborated with Drs. Amanda Stewart and Andrew Neilson and Master’s student Bri Ewing from Virginia Tech on this project. https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/54/1/article-p143.xml

     

     


    Exploring The Impacts of Light on Cider Apple Characteristics
    Adam Karl (Horticulture Ph.D. student) and Greg Peck

    With the growth of the cider industry, there is an increased demand for bittersweet and bittersharp apples in the United States that help provide body and mouthfeel to ciders. These European cultivars have not traditionally been grown in high-density orchards or in the Northeast United States, and we are interested in understanding how orchard management practices impact fruit quality. I am currently conducting several experiments studying the impact of light environment and fruit position within the canopy on the development of tannins and other polyphenols in cider apples. I have also started studies interested in understanding the impact of different nitrogen fertilization regimes on the development of tannins and yeast assimilable nitrogen in apples. The end goal of my research is to provide growers with information to help them produce higher quality fruit for the growing cider industry.


    Exploring the NYS Hard Cider Supply Chain
    Lindsey Pashow and Cheryl Thayer

    Harvest NY_CCE_3_4cIn the Spring of 2017, Harvest NY surveyed members of the hard cider industry, to include apple growers, hard cider producers, and nurseries, to analyze the current state of the value chain and assess projected growth. The information contained within this report is an analysis of the survey data received. The surveys were developed through a collaborative effort among: Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension Area Teams, and the New York Cider Association. The distribution of the electronic survey was made possible through the support of Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the New York Cider Association, and the New York Apple Association.

    Hard Cider Supply Chain Analysis

    To find out more about this project contact Lindsey at lep67@cornell.edu.


    Apple Tannins from Pomace: Production and Evaluation to Improve Quality of Hard Cider
    Kate Pinsley, Micah Martin, and Olga Padilla-Zakour, Chris Gerling

    Tannin fortification of ciders made from dessert apples increases complexity and quality of the final ciders.  Successful options to achieve higher levels of tannins include blending with ciders made from high tannin varieties, or adding commercially available tannins currently used for other alcoholic beverages.  There are little to no apple-derived tannins for the cider maker looking to increase the astringency in their cider aside from growing cider apples, which presents an opportunity for utilization of spent pomace for apple tannin production.   The objectives of this NYS Apple Research and Development Program sponsored project are to provide a new alternative for the cider industry. The project conducts studies to assess the feasibility of making apple tannins from dessert apple pomace and from cider apple pomace. Pinsley, K. 2019. Optimization of Hard Cider Processing to Maximize Tannin Extraction.