Michael Brown

Cornell University | CU · Department of Horticulture

This study presents a unique data set from a laboratory experiment where we explored changes in the chemical composition of deionized water samples exposed to smoke. Inside a laboratory hood, water samples placed into a chamber were exposed to smoke for up to 60 min. The pattern of variations in hydrochemistry observed over time with increasing smo...

Hard cider is made richer and more complex with high tannin apple cultivars which are not widely grown in the US. Many European cider cultivars are extremely biennial and are highly susceptible to fire blight which makes cultivar selection extremely important. The goal of this project was to generate information on horticultural and juice quality a...

The recent growth in the U.S. hard-cider industry has increased the demand for cider apples ( Malus × domestica Borkh.), but little is known about how to manage orchard soil fertility best to optimize horticultural performance and juice characteristics for these cultivars. To assess whether nitrogen fertilizer applied to the soil can improve apple...

Yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) can be a limiting nutritional factor for Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast when fermenting apple ( Malus × domestica Borkh.) juice into hard cider. Endogenous YAN concentrations in apples are often below the recommended thresholds to completely use all of the fermentable sugar and minimize the production of off-flavors...

The quantity and chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in surface waters influence ecosystem processes and anthropogenic use of freshwater. However, despite the importance of understanding spatial and temporal patterns in DOM, measures of DOM quality are not routinely included as part of large scale ecosystem monitoring programs an...

The objectives of this study were to determine the quantity and chemical composition of precipitation inputs of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to a forested watershed; and to characterize the associated temporal variability. We sampled most precipitation that occurred from May 2012 through August 2013 at the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Ob...

Four under-vine management treatments were established in 2011 in a Vitis vinifera L. ‘Cabernet Franc’ vineyard in the Finger Lakes region of New York: cultivation (CULT), native vegetation (NV), white clover Trifolium repens L. (WC), and glyphosate herbicide (GLY) as the control. Previously installed drainage lysimeters were used to monitor nutrie...

The quantity and chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in surface waters influence ecosystem processes and anthropogenic use of freshwater. However, despite the importance of understanding spatial and temporal patterns in DOM, measures of DOM quality are not routinely included as part of large-scale ecosystem monitoring programs an...

Aims Assess the influence of different groundcover management systems on erosion and runoff processes associated with extremely steep hillside avocado (Persea americana Mill) orchards, in a Mediterranean climate with high rainfall variability. Methods We compared several groundcover management systems at a steep hillside avocado planting in a three...

The effect of groundcover management systems on root demography and distribution of newly planted avocado (Persea americana Mill) trees was examined using minirhizotron techniques. We evaluated three groundcover systems: (1) bare soil (BS), pre- and post-emergence herbicides; (2) vegetation strip (VS), post-emergence herbicide applied in a 1-m wide...

Groundcover management systems (GMSs) are essential for fruit production, but very few long-term studies have evaluated orchard GMS sustainability. We evaluated four GMSs-pre-emergence soil-active herbicides (PreHerb), post-emergence herbicide (PostHerb), a turfgrass cover crop (Sod), and hardwood bark mulch (Mulch)-in an apple (Malus domestica Bor...

Excessive nitrogen (N) applications can increase surface and water contamination, and leaching losses may occur when N fertilizer rates are too high relative to crop demands and soil N availability. Quantifying nutrient inputs, cycling, and outputs from orchards provides a method to measure surplus of nutrients, particularly N, that may leach or ru...

We investigated soil quality in a ‘Liberty’ apple (Malus×domestica Borkh.) orchard on ‘M.9’ rootstocks, during and after transition from conventional to integrated (IFP) and organic (OFP) fruit production systems. Chemical composition, physical properties, and biological properties were measured at 0–6 and 6–12cm soil depths over four years. Weed c...

Apple replant disease (ARD) is a soil-borne disease complex that affects young apple trees in replanted orchards, resulting in stunted growth and reduced yields. Newly developed rootstock genotypes with tolerance to ARD may help to control this disease. We determined the effects of rootstock genotype rotations during orchard renovation, by investig...

A systems-based approach was used to evaluate integrated (IFP) and organic fruit production (OFP) (during and after the transition period) in an established highdensity commercial orchard of disease-resistant ‘Liberty’ apples (Malus ·domestica Borkh.). Agroecological and economic evaluations included: yields, tree growth, leaf nutrient levels, arth...

  Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations in stream water often respond uniquely to changes in inter-annual conditions (e.g., biological N uptake and precipitation) in individual catchments. In this paper, we assess (1) how the spatial distribution of NO3-N concentrations varies across a dense network of nonnested catchments and (2) how relationshi...

A pawpaw (Asimina triloba) variety trial was established near Ithaca, N.Y. in April 1999, consisting of 28 advanced selections and cultivars from the USDA PawPaw Germplasm Repository in Kentucky. Eight replicate trees of each genotype were obtained as dormant bench-grafts on seedling rootstocks, and planted in a randomized block design at a site ne...

Minirhizotrons were used to study root emergence, turnover, and depth distribution of apple (Malus xdomestica Borkh.) rootstocks (M.9/MM.111) under four groundcover management systems (GMSs) - pre-emergence herbicide (Pre-H), post-emergence herbicide (Post-H), mowed sod grass (Grass), and hardwood bark mulch (Mulch) - that had been maintained since...

1] Assessing the effects of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on surface water quality requires accurate accounts of total N deposition (wet, dry, and cloud vapor); however, dry deposition is difficult to measure and is often spatially variable. Affordable passive sampling methods are available for estimating ''hot spots'' and spatial variations...

Three vineyard floor management strategies--reflective (white) geotextile mulch, black geotextile mulch, and an herbicide strip in vine rows--were evaluated with regard to canopy light and temperature, vine growth, and fruit composition of Cabernet franc. Using a randomized complete block design, two trials were conducted at commercial vineyards in...

Four undervine floor management techniques - composted bark mulch, reflective (white) and black geotextile mulches, and mechanical soil cultivation - were evaluated with regard to weed suppression, canopy sunlight regimes, soil temperatures, vine growth, and fruit composition of Pinot noir at an organically managed vineyard in the Finger Lakes Regi...

Root observations in situ with a rhizotron camera enabled us to compare the performance of apple (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) trees on 3 rootstock clones planted in a New York orchard with a history of apple replant disease. Visual observations were conducted in situ at monthly intervals during 2 growing seasons through minirhizotron tubes for trees g...

Minirhizotrons were employed to study new root occurrence, turnover, and depth distribution of apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.) rootstocks under four groundcover management systems (GMS): preemergence herbicide (Pre-H), postemergence herbicide (Post-H), mowed sod (Grass) and hardwood bark mulch (Mulch) that have been maintained since 1992 in an orc...

Rhizotron observations enabled us to compare the performance of three apple ( Malu × domestica ) rootstock clones following different pre-plant soil treatments in an apple replant study at Ithaca, NY. Trees were planted in Nov. 2001, with one minirhizotron tube per tree in three replicate plots of three rootstocks (M7, CG30, and CG6210), three pre-...

Stream water chemical concentrations from an undisturbed, temperate, old-growth Chilean forest were analyzed to gain insights into hydrological controls on watershed-scale losses of different nutrients and chemical elements. Our goal was to understand how hydrological and biogeochemical processes interact to control patterns of export of dissolved...

There is much interest in biogeochemical processes that occur at the interface between soils and streams since, at the scale of landscapes, these habitats may function as control points for fluxes of nitrogen (N) and other nutrients from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems. Here we examine whether a thermodynamic perspective can enhance our mechanist...

Our research objectives in this work are: 1) To study the effects of subsoil drainage, with or without drip irrigation, on vine establishment and fruit composition of newly planted Riesling winegrapes; 2) to evaluate subsoil drainage effects on vine survival, pruning weights, and fruit composition of established vinifera grapes; and 3) to determine...