Entry 10: My Time as a Fruit Orchard Research Assistant

 This entry will cover my final thoughts on my internship at HortTREC in the fruit research department.

Before participating in this internship, I had very little experience with horticulture work. My only exposure came from my classwork and lab work at Texas A&M. Although it has broadened my knowledge of this field, the work I did in this internship showed me how to apply the things I have studied. 

Firstly, caring for plants at different stages in their production allowed me to better visualize the crop life cycle. Using the peaches grown in this program as an example, I had the opportunity to work with the fruit crop at different stages. 

This included tending to peach 'nemaguard' rootstocks, observing the process of grafting nemaguards, disbudding as the scion shoots grew, and pruning back more rootstock for the same budding process.

In the field, I got to work with mature peach tree varieties, harvesting their fruit and taking data on them. The data included BRIX tests, diameter testing, and the weight of the variety yield. With some varieties, we separated the seeds to use for future planting and placed them through a chilling process to prepare them for it. 

Another important aspect of the field I learned in this internship is the importance of proper plant irrigation. Since this was a summer internship, watering was a big focus. By early July, watering the plants twice a day became a necessity. Making sure they were completely saturated with water was the ideal way to maintain them. Sometimes it would take several sprays of water before the pots were fully saturated. It took time to learn how to tell when the plants were adequately watered, and having to do this every day gave me the practice I needed. 

Trellising, especially apricot trees, the main fruit focus in this program, was another enlightening experience I got to be a part of while working here. I learned how to use bamboo rods to manipulate the branches and trunks of trees to grow in the most optimal pattern for maintenance. Bending the branches took practice to learn where to tie and warp, but it allowed me to get more comfortable with the process overall. It also presented a good example of everything that goes into the process of maintaining an orchard to work for you. 

Although these points do not cover the full scope of what I learned while being an intern here, these are aspects of the job that helped me grow in my understanding of this industry the most. 

I will be able to use the knowledge I gained here in many future situations and career steps to come; interning here as a fruit research assistant was truly an invaluable experience. 

Thank you🌳