Let There Be Light

摘要

BOB Pringle, a cherry grower near Yakima, WA, will never forget the first time he saw Extenday. The reflective fabric was being used in a New Zealand stone fruit orchard, and the peaches and nectarines were getting fantastic color. "I thought it mightwork on my cherries," Pringle recalls thinking, "and so I became the first grower in North America to try it." Pringle, who now grows cherries almost exclusively since pulling out his blocks of apples and pears, has been more than pleased with Extenday's results. He specializes in growing Rainiers, and he says the advantage of using the patented reflective ground cover on Rainiers is that the fruit has increased blush, not only making them more attractive, but that increased color seems to indicate increased Brix. "In Rainiers, when you have color, you have sugar," he says. "I now pick all my Rainiers in one pick, which is a big change."