#iftaitaly2022

Wow, my third International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA) event in 2022. Annual Conference in Hershey, PA in February, Summer Tour in Washington in July, and now just back (as I start wring this anyways) from Italy Study Tour, November 11-19. And we covered a lot of ground -- Bologna, to Venice, to Bolzano, to Milan. Some orchard visits but a good dose of bus time, tourist stops, and trade shows. I posted a real time highlight from each orchard stop on the IFTA Facebook page, I will bounce off those with more detail here, including a bit of one tourist stop for your entertainment.

Starting off in Bologna, spent a day at EIMA International 22, the International Agriculture and Gardening Machinery Exhibition. Simply huge, mostly indoors, many themed buildings. I found a couple toys I wanted, of course I have no money, but it was fun looking. I should mention on arriving in Bologna we -- approximately 150 of us on the Study Tour -- were treated to a visit and dinner at FICO Eataly World. No, not misspelled, apparently Eataly's are a thing that originated in Italy (Eataly, Italy, get it)? Eataly's are in major USA cities too, including an online store. Who would've known?

Little boy in toy store?

While still in Bologna, in lieu of spending another day at EIMA, I chose to go with Greg Lang (IFTA Education Director) and a sub-group of circa 40 grower-attendees to (one of) the University of Bologna research farm(s). First stop with Assistant Professor Luigi “GiGi” Manfrini was to look at various peach multi-leader/variety training blocks. Hmmm, interesting, I have to say there were a lot of questions here, not always answered, but our host definitely expressed some frustration with tree establishment and getting those many-leaders (certainly called UFO in stone fruit?) going at uniform spacing and size. I got the impression it was a hands-on experiment. IMHO peaches will be a challenge growing anything other than some kind of 2-4-6 scaffold steep leader because I think they largely grow like "weeds."

GiGi in the multi-leader peach experiment

We also looked at some apples, first with Professor Luca Corelli Grappadelli, an experimental block of trees where the primary objective was disease control (scab and fire blight) by covering the orchard thus eliminating "wetness."  Unsure how successful it was, but I did notice wooly apple aphid seems to love that protected environment. Corelli also showed us a rover/robot with autonomous navigation they are working on with an industry partner, purported to have multi-functionality (sensors, flail mowing, etc.)  and there was some discussion with him and GiGi about a "smart specialized sustainable" orchard. And GiGi showed us a multi-leader (UFO or 'guyotte') apple system trial, it looked pretty good, I am thinking UFO looks better in apples than stone fruit? And, first detecting a theme here, the sustainable smart orchard and multi-leader trees, we/you will see more...

Luca Corelli Grappadelli in the covered apple orchard

GiGi shows us his nice multi-leader apple trees

OK, enough of Bologna, departed and on way to Venice we did a couple orchard stops. First a cherry variety/training system by Salvi Vivai nursery. It was interesting, and I could relate, but not sure what my take-home is/was? Makes me want to grow cherries again, but planting them very close together (SSA?) and on Gisela 3 or 5 rootstocks (depending on variety)? (Note to self: don't be a glutton for punishment, just-don't-do-it!) 

Jacopa Diamanti shows us Salvi Vivia's cherry experiment

And then a significant planting of 'Rosy Glow' Pink Lady (Cripps Pink cv.) which had not been harvested yet. (Or it might have been first picked?) This was at the Mazzoni Group, a large multi-crop agriculture farm and fruit tree nursery. Again with some different training systems, bi-baum, guyotte(?), etc. Sorry for lacking detail here. I could not help wonder with the heavy crop load if there would be return bloom? Interestingly, fruit cracking was a significant issue, I assume because of the rather wet spring and early summer weather they seem to have? It was worse they said in tops of trees.

Mazzoni's Michele Gerin starts our tour of their large orchard, mostly Pink Lady and Fuji still on the trees

'Rosy Glow' Pink Lady experimental/production block covered with hail net

Crop load not as heavy as I thought, but I don't like that cracking!

In the afternoon, we visited C.I.V. - Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti, apple and strawberry breeders "we enhance nature" and nursery. Think CIVG 198 Modi®. Oh, what can I say? Focusing on "sweet and sustainable" varieties. I'd say half or more of the new apples they showed us were scab-resistant. We taste-tested a dozen or so new apple varieties in their portfolio, many of them numbered so not in orchard production yet. They ranged from "meh" to "pretty good." And got a look at some of their larger plantings for variety evaluation. We could look but not touch... 😎

CIV's Marzio Zaccarini leads us in apple variety tasting and tour of variety field evaluation orchard

So then, a free day in Venice. While in Venice, one must row to get around, seriously, there are no roads on the island of Venice.  So how about a Cicchetto Row with Row Venice and these four jolly rowers, left to right -- Nan, our instructor, not unlike a Marine drill sargeant who was always on your case about your rowing technique, high five! 😅 -- and Marge, Molly, and Nicky. We all got the rowing down for a good 5 minutes straight (w/o being corrected by Nan!), rowing our way to some Prosecco, wine, and Cicchetto from a local bàcaro...or two!

Nan and the Row Venice crew

Nicky, Molly, and Marge enjoy the Cicchetto

Departing Venice headed to Bolzano, we had a choice of going on a just apples (Jeff Cleveringa lead) or an apple-cherry tour (Greg Lang lead). Actually being a glutton for punishment, I chose the apple-cherry tour. Sorry, lacking many details here, but I will do my best. First stop was an experimental orchard site that (apparently) was a collaboration of Societa Cooperative Agricola and the Edmund Mach Foundation, which "promotes and carries out research, scientific experiments, education and training activities as well as providing technical assistance and extension services to companies." We got a talk about apple production practices in the Trento region from Tommaso Pantezzi, Centro Trasferimento Tecnologico, Fondazione Edmund Mach – Instituto Agrario San Michele all’Adige, and Nicola Andreatti, from Fondazione Edmund Mach. (It might, however, be the grower whose orchard we were in according to Greg Lang?) Also, we saw MORE multi-leader 'guyotte' style apple trees!

Tomasso Pantezzi and Nicola Andretti inform on apple production practices in Trento region including here a producting multi-leader block

For the cherry stop, up the road a ways, we were (after a long hike uphill) hosted by Angela Gottardell, Centro Trasferimento Tecnologico, Fondazione Edmund Mach – Instituto Agrario San Michele all’Adige in a cherry systems trial. The usual suspects, spindle, bi-axis, KGB (Kym Green Bush), and SSA (super slender axe). Looked like SSA and bi-axis were outperforming (in terms of cumulative production) the KGB and spindle. Would have been very interesting to see these trees pre-harvest, hint, maybe a summer tour to Italy is called for?

Angela Gottardell hosted and explained results at a stop in a cherry systems researchrch block

Last orchard stop before landing in Bozano was the Laimburg Research Centre. After an introduction by Dr. Walter Guerra head of the Institute for Fruit Growing and Viticulture, three research orchard block vists stood out. First, the Laimburg Integrated Digital Orchard, LIDO for short. Not to be confused with LIDAR, LIDO is an outdoor orchard 'laboratory' focusing on "the latest, state-of-the-art technology available on the market." Just planted with 'Rosy Glow' Pink Lady trained as 'guyotrees' the orchard was equipped with all sorts of sensors communicating over a long range low power wireless network. Also an overhead, fixed spraying set up for pest control. Checked all my boxes. Next a robotic harvester was a big hit with the group, however, it was in a test stage demo mode, yup, it picked apples. That's all I can say. Far more interesting to me was the training system demo by Dr. Christian Andergassen, fruit physiologist at Laimburg. There he was comparing apple yield and quality of Fuji and Pink Lady apples grown to traditional (for Italy) tall-spindle vs. various multi-leader approaches, including 'bi-baum' and 'guyotree.' Bottom line through the early production years? Fruit quality and yield was superior in the many-leader 'guyotree' system. He pointed out, however, that it depends on variety, Fuji being more vigorous and being less suitable to many leaders than Pink Lady. I think anyways...

LIDO, the Laimburg Integrated Digital Orchard, an outdoor laboratory

Dr. Christian Andergassen in his Laimburg multi-leader apple experiment

So, we finally made it to Interpoma 2022, the apple trade show. Words can't quite describe, suffice it to say it is THE International trade show about all things apple and pear, but of course with a focus on what's going on Italy-centric. I should do a word cloud about Interpoma. Wait, maybe I will! Followed by a few picts from the venue, Fiere Bolzano...

What could go wrong? Everything!

The apple variety "garden" at Interpoma

Lunch at Interpoma with my orchard friends from India, Vikram and Kunaal. Thanks guys!

Apple variety booths are a staple at Interpoma and quite flashy!

The "GuyoTree." Do they come like that?

Lots of equipment, platforms rule. N. Blossi is a local favorite?

I do want to thank IFTA (of course), Onward Travel (Molly, Kat, and Barbara), Greg Lang (IFTA Education Director), Jeff Cleveringa (IFTA President) for putting this altogether and (mostly) pulling it off without a hitch. 150 are a lot to herd and keep happy. Highly recommended if you have the opportunity to go on a future IFTA International Study Tour led by Onward Travel, wherever you go? (Hint: Norway, South Africa?) And thanks to Jim Krupa for putting up with me as his roommate for eight nights!