Apple rootstock response varies to threshold water management during 6 weeks of progressing drought

As drought and water uncertainty put increasing pressure on orchard systems, researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia, launched a study in response to strong grower interest in how modern apple rootstocks hold up under drought stress. Apple producers have been looking for clearer, science-based answers about which rootstocks may perform better when water is limited, particularly as intensive production systems expand and weather becomes less predictable.