Second Year Performance of Honeycrisp on 31 Dwarfing Rootstocks in the Iowa Planting of the NC-140 2010 Regional Apple Rootstock Trial

To evaluate the adaptability and performance of new and promising apple rootstocks in the dwarfing size-control category, a NC-140 regional rootstock trial was established in 2010 at 12 sites in the United States (CO, IA, IL, IN, MA, MI, MN, NJ, NY, OH, UT, WI), two sites in Canada (BC, NS), and one site in Mexico (CHIH) with Honeycrisp serving as the test cultivar. The Iowa planting, located at the ISU Horticulture Research Station, includes 31 rootstocks with new selections from the Cornell-Geneva breeding program (G, CG.), Russia (Bud), Germany (PiAu), and Japan (Supp), with M.26, M.9 Pajam 2, and M.9 T337 serving as industry standards. Tissue cultured propagated (TC) rootstocks of G.41, G.202, and G.935 were included for comparison with normal (N) stool bed propagated rootstocks. This report summarizes the tree-growth characteristics of the Iowa planting during the 2011 growing season.

Yields of Corn, Soybeans, and Alfalfa in Western Iowa: 1990 to 2011

The ISU Western Research Farm, Castana, Iowa is one of the oldest in Iowa dating to 1946. It also has a unique location in the loess hills of western Iowa. The research farm was set up to study the deep loess soils, particularly crop production and soil conservation methods. Although the work at the research farm has transitioned away from traditional plot work, yields of major crops grown at the farm, and climate data are collected each year. Crop yields are a reflection of current technologies and weather. In western Iowa, rainfall is especially critical and is often the limiting factor.