Sap Yield and Sugar Content of Boxelder and Norway Maple Trees in Northern Utah
Maple syrup is a well-known natural sweetener made from the sap harvested from maple trees (Acer sp.). The North American scientific literature regarding maple syrup has predominantly originated in the Northeastern United States and Canada. However, the range of this Holarctic genus extends across t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | HortTechnology |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/34/1/article-p52.xml |
| _version_ | 1827348787537903616 |
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| author | Jesse Mathews Youping Sun Paul Harris Xin Dai Steven Price Darren McAvoy Michael Farrell Kelly Kopp |
| author_facet | Jesse Mathews Youping Sun Paul Harris Xin Dai Steven Price Darren McAvoy Michael Farrell Kelly Kopp |
| author_sort | Jesse Mathews |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Maple syrup is a well-known natural sweetener made from the sap harvested from maple trees (Acer sp.). The North American scientific literature regarding maple syrup has predominantly originated in the Northeastern United States and Canada. However, the range of this Holarctic genus extends across the continent and all species produce sap with the potential for syrup production. This study focuses on two maple species commonly found in Northern Utah, namely the native boxelder (Acer negundo) and the introduced Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Thirty trees of each species were tapped in Cache Valley, UT, USA, on 19 Feb 2022, and measured for daily sap yield and sugar content until the season ended 37 days later on 27 Mar 2022. The same trees were re-tapped on 1 Mar 2023 and taps were removed 41 days later on 10 Apr 2023. Average 2022 sap yields were 22.1 L for boxelder and 7.5 L for Norway maple per tree. In 2023, average sap yields were 26.4 L for boxelder and 9.3 L for Norway maple per tree. Boxelder trees produced an average sap yield more than double that of Norway maple in both years. Sugar content was similar for both species ranging from 2.2% to 2.8%. Air temperatures were analyzed using data from Utah AgWeather System weather stations nearest to the trees, and air temperature had a significant impact on sap yield. It was found that an average daily air temperature of 0.5 °C and a daily air temperature difference of ∼10 °C with a minimum air temperature close to −5 °C and a maximum air temperature of ∼6 °C was the optimal condition for production. An analysis of the mineral nutrient concentrations in the sap and soil showed no correlation. These findings indicate that there is potential for using Utah’s maple species for syrup production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:18:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-af72ab1b79bc491ba5d718c4176ab47b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1943-7714 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:18:17Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | HortTechnology |
| spelling | doaj.art-af72ab1b79bc491ba5d718c4176ab47b2024-02-16T16:33:18ZengAmerican Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS)HortTechnology1943-77142024-01-01341https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05304-23Sap Yield and Sugar Content of Boxelder and Norway Maple Trees in Northern UtahJesse Mathews0Youping Sun1Paul Harris2Xin Dai3Steven Price4Darren McAvoy5Michael Farrell6Kelly Kopp7Department of Plants, Soils & Climate, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State UniversityDepartment of Plants, Soils & Climate, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State UniversityDepartment of Plants, Soils & Climate, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State UniversityUtah Agricultural Experiment Station, Utah State UniversityCarbon County Extension, Utah State UniversityDepartment of Wildland Resources, S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, Utah State UniversityDepartment of Plants, Soils & Climate, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State UniversityDepartment of Plants, Soils & Climate, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State UniversityMaple syrup is a well-known natural sweetener made from the sap harvested from maple trees (Acer sp.). The North American scientific literature regarding maple syrup has predominantly originated in the Northeastern United States and Canada. However, the range of this Holarctic genus extends across the continent and all species produce sap with the potential for syrup production. This study focuses on two maple species commonly found in Northern Utah, namely the native boxelder (Acer negundo) and the introduced Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Thirty trees of each species were tapped in Cache Valley, UT, USA, on 19 Feb 2022, and measured for daily sap yield and sugar content until the season ended 37 days later on 27 Mar 2022. The same trees were re-tapped on 1 Mar 2023 and taps were removed 41 days later on 10 Apr 2023. Average 2022 sap yields were 22.1 L for boxelder and 7.5 L for Norway maple per tree. In 2023, average sap yields were 26.4 L for boxelder and 9.3 L for Norway maple per tree. Boxelder trees produced an average sap yield more than double that of Norway maple in both years. Sugar content was similar for both species ranging from 2.2% to 2.8%. Air temperatures were analyzed using data from Utah AgWeather System weather stations nearest to the trees, and air temperature had a significant impact on sap yield. It was found that an average daily air temperature of 0.5 °C and a daily air temperature difference of ∼10 °C with a minimum air temperature close to −5 °C and a maximum air temperature of ∼6 °C was the optimal condition for production. An analysis of the mineral nutrient concentrations in the sap and soil showed no correlation. These findings indicate that there is potential for using Utah’s maple species for syrup production.https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/34/1/article-p52.xmlacer negundoacer platanoidesmaple sapmaple syrupair temperature |
| spellingShingle | Jesse Mathews Youping Sun Paul Harris Xin Dai Steven Price Darren McAvoy Michael Farrell Kelly Kopp Sap Yield and Sugar Content of Boxelder and Norway Maple Trees in Northern Utah HortTechnology acer negundo acer platanoides maple sap maple syrup air temperature |
| title | Sap Yield and Sugar Content of Boxelder and Norway Maple Trees in Northern Utah |
| title_full | Sap Yield and Sugar Content of Boxelder and Norway Maple Trees in Northern Utah |
| title_fullStr | Sap Yield and Sugar Content of Boxelder and Norway Maple Trees in Northern Utah |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sap Yield and Sugar Content of Boxelder and Norway Maple Trees in Northern Utah |
| title_short | Sap Yield and Sugar Content of Boxelder and Norway Maple Trees in Northern Utah |
| title_sort | sap yield and sugar content of boxelder and norway maple trees in northern utah |
| topic | acer negundo acer platanoides maple sap maple syrup air temperature |
| url | https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/34/1/article-p52.xml |
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