Moran speaks to News Center Maine about apple season
Renae Moran, professor of pomology at the University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture and University of Maine Cooperative Extension tree fruit specialist, spoke to News Center Maine about Maine’s successful apple season despite summer droughts. Moran said that apples are a drought-tolerant crop, but the fruit texture and taste can be impacted if its water source is constricted. “My concern with the drought is that it came earlier this year, which could impact the calcium quantity in apples which could be impacted when we put them in cold storage. The trees are surviving the drought quite well, my [concern] is the apples going into storage, not the trees themselves,” Moran said. If extreme drought episodes persist due to Maine’s changing climate, Moran said farmers need to look at irrigation to ensure orchards get enough water.