1. Cedar Meadow Farm
Can vigorous rootstock be used to manage verticillium wilt?
‘Maxifort’
How does grafting fit in with fumigation?
Additive or alternative
Can we reduce economic constraints through cultural methods?
Plant spacing

2. Cedar Meadow Farm Disease ratings Data collection Mid-October
Fall Fumigation
‘BHN 589’
“Twin-heading”
Disease ratings
Data collection
Mid-October

3. Grafting

4. Scion
Rootstock

5. Marketable Fruit WeightY YZ Z A B
LSD based on P=0.01

6. Marketable Fruit Weight Marketable Yield (tons/acre)
Non-grafted
Maxifort
(Max-Non)
18" Spacing
50.13 B
58.74 C
8.61
24" Spacing
48.50
56.87
8.37
36" Spacing
40.94 A
52.13 BC
11.19
LSD based on P=0.05

7. Yield Dynamics
P<0.01
P<0.01

8. None grafted

9. Grafted

10. The Bottom line… 20% increase in yield Grafted-55.9 tons/A
4, lb boxes/A
Non-Grafted-46.5 tons/A
3, lb. boxes/A
20% increase in yield

11. The Bottom line… 9.4 more tones per acre Or, 752 more boxes per acre
@ $12.00 per box (#1’s and #2’s) = $9,024 increase
Or, $1.88 per plant increase

12. How much does it cost to graft?
Healing chamber
Labor costs
Grow 2 sets of plants

13. Summary
Fall fumigation did not reduce disease incidence and had no effect on fruit yield. Fumigation should have been done in the spring.
‘Maxifort’ rootstock increased yield across at all levels of plant spacing and fumigation.
Fruit size and number
Similar per acre yields were seen with half the number of grafted plants.
Increased spacing and ‘Maxifort’ slowed early season production.
Per plant yield was increased by 4-10 lbs/plant with ‘Maxifort.

14. Permanent Cover Cropping System
Steve Groff
Cedar Meadow Farm
Holtwood, PA