APPLE ORCHARD OF FUTURE TO HAVE MORE TREES PER ACRE

NEW FRANKLIN, Mo. The apple orchard of the future will contain smaller trees planted closer together.

A demonstration orchard being planted at the Horticulture Research Center near New Franklin will contain 700 trees per acre.

That compares with the current average of about 125 trees an accord, according to Michele Warmund, horticulturist at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

"Another high-density orchard will be planted at Missouri University's Southwest Center at Mt. Vernon," said Warmund. "We will also demonstrate new pruning and training techniques in addition to tree spacing," she said.

A small, high-density, planting has been under study at New Franklin since 1988.

"This has let us learn some of the techniques," she said. "Now, we're ready to try it on a larger scale."

The trees will be planted much closer together than is the standard, she said. In the experimental orchard, trees will be five feet apart on the rows and the rows will be 14 feet wide.

"We'd put the rows even closer together if we had smaller tractors," said Warmund.

Trees planted at the high populations will be varieties grafted onto dwarf rootstock, she said. In addition to being smaller, the trees will start bearing fruit soon.

"The small trees will make an apple crop in the second or third year after planting," said Warmund. "That compares wit the fifth year in an orchard of larger trees. Early production is a big financial benefit for the growers."