had a lower starch index values (less ripe), higher 

 soluble solids, and higher flesh firmness (data not 

 shown). Fruit quality measurements from all 3 

 rotary till treatments were intermediate. Rotary 

 tilling provided less weed control than the herbicide 

 treatment, although weed control with tilling was 

 considered commercially acceptable (Table 2). 

 Combining rotary tilling with a living mulch or with 

 a pre-emergent herbicide provided better weed con- 

 trol than rotary tilling alone or the control. 



Discussion 



The most striking comparison in the first year of 

 this study is the untreated control vs. any of the weed 

 control treatments. Clearly, the competition created 

 by the weeds is as detrimental to the productivity of 

 bearing trees as it is to the growth and development 

 of young trees. Weed control is a cumulative process, 

 and it will be interesting to see how the rotary tilling 

 treatment performs in subsequent seasons. 



As with all new technology, a few problems 

 remain to be solved. The in-row rotary tiller is a 



complicated piece of equipment that requires com- 

 plete operator attention and slow operating speed. It 

 removes shallow roots, and low hanging branches 

 become entangled in the equipment. Tilling tends to 

 build a berm at the edge of tilled area. Also, the tiller 

 kicks rocks into the drive row causing problems for 

 mowers. The rotary tiller is not designed to be a 

 "sodbuster," so weed control must be reasonably 

 good at the outset in order to achieve good results. 

 Our preliminary results suggest that the in-row 

 rotary tiller may be useful as a substitute for chemi- 

 cal weed control. Further studies are underway at 

 Highmoor Farm to learn how this technology can be 

 made more practical for New England apple grow- 

 ers. 



Acknowledgements 



The authors wish to thank the Technology 

 Transfer Program, Maine Department of Agricul- 

 ture, Food & Rural Resources, and the Maine State 

 Pomological Society for support of this research. 



From Barry, P. 1872. Barry'* Fruit Garden. 

 Orange Judd and Company. New York. 



30 



Fruit Notes, Winter, 1991 



