Peter M Hirst

Facts for Fancy Fruit Editor & Professor of Horticulture
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Area(s) of Interest: Commercial Tree Fruit Production

198 articles by this author

Article List

I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again – Pixie Crunch is a no-brainer for retail orchards. The more I see this apple, the more I like it. Although we think of this as a relatively new apple, the original cross was made 45 years ago at Rutgers University and it was selected from…Read more about Pixy Crunch Apple[Read More]



Hydroponic Workshop II September 8, 2017 Purdue University-HLA Contact Lori Jolly-Brown ljollybr@ purdue.edu Register at http://tinyurl.com/yb4dnwrh Purdue Wine Grape Team Fall Workshop September 25, 2017 Purdue West Lafayette campus Contact Jill Blume blume@purdue.edu Indiana Horticultural Congress February 13-15, 2018 Indianapolis Marriott East Indianapolis, IN Contact Lori Jolly-Brown @ljollybr@purdue.edu Visit www.inhortcongress.org for more details


Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center High/Low Tunnel Tour co-sponsored with Dept. of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies at Indiana University August 10, 2017 Vincennes, IN Contact Wenjing Guan, guan40@purdue.edu, or Dan Egel at egel@purdue.edu Registration: Call 812-886-0198 Pinney Purdue Vegetable and High Tunnel Field Day – co-sponsored with Dept. of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies at Indiana…Read more about Upcoming Events[Read More]


Grapes are starting to ripen (veraison) in Lafayette. Marquette and Brianna are the earliest varieties and both are about 2 weeks from harvest. Floricane producing blackberry harvest continues. Primocane fruiting blackberries and raspberries are just getting started. Japanese beetles continue to be a major problem in addition to Spotted Wing Drosophila. Peach harvest is winding…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]


Although PristineTM was selected in 1982, its history goes back to the early days of the PRI breeding program. From an original cross of Rome Beauty with Malus floribunda 821, selections and hybridizations were made incorporating Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Starking Delicious  and Cazumat along the way. The cross that resulted in PristineTM was Coop 10…Read more about PristineTM Apple[Read More]


Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center High/Low Tunnel Tour co-sponsored with Dept. of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies at Indiana University August 10, 2017 Vincennes, IN Contact Wenjing Guan, guan40@purdue.edu, or Dan Egel at egel@purdue.edu Registration: Call 812-886-0198 Pinney Purdue Vegetable and High Tunnel Field Day – co-sponsored with Dept. of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies at…Read more about Upcoming Events[Read More]


Weather the past couple of weeks has been a bit unsettled. Many parts of the state have experienced rounds of heavy rainfall from storm fronts. More are predicted. Peach harvest is underway in Lafayette and quality is very good. Early apples such as Pristine are also ready for harvest. Summer fruit blackberry harvest continues. Spotted…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]


Shirley Reisner Janick It is with great sadness we report the passing of Shirley Janick. Shirley was the wife of Dr Jules Janick for almost 65 years. Shirley was born on August 11, 1932, in New York City, the eldest of three daughters and lived in Israel in her early years. She attended the New…Read more about In Memoriam[Read More]


Although PristineTM was selected in 1982, its history goes back to the early days of the PRI breeding program. From an original cross of Rome Beauty with Malus floribunda 821, selections and hybridizations were made incorporating Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Starking Delicious  and Cazumat along the way. The cross that resulted in PristineTM was Coop 10…Read more about Pristine™ apple[Read More]