New fruit tree trials planned

Thursday, March 12, 2015

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario farmers are needed to test new peach and nectarine trees selected for assessment by the provincial industry’s Tender Fruit Evaluation Committee.

The trees are available though Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, which works to connect researchers’ breeding programs with industry. “We’re hoping to have apricot and plum” trees available for testing by 2017 or 2018, notes Michael Kauzlaric, Vineland technology scout and grower outreach.

Kauzlaric says the testing program began last year and 500 trees were planted. The testing program continues this year with another 500 trees scheduled to be planted. Seven varieties in total are being tested – three peach and four nectarine.

A specific number of growers aren’t needed to plant test trees, Kauzlaric says. Instead, Vineland is trying to get growers in various climatic areas in the Niagara-area.

Growers are planting 50 to 100 test trees at a time so it’s a representative test, he says. They’re “starting to understand they can’t plant five trees here and there because they lose track of them” in the orchard, he adds.

Vineland is working in collaboration with the Tender Fruit Evaluation Committee to assess peach, nectarine, apricot and pear trees bred by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada along with nectarine, apricot, and plum trees from the University of Guelph’s breeding program. The University of Guelph has the only active breeding program currently in Ontario.

The first planting of test trees was last year. Vineland has scheduled on-farm testing to last for five or six years and “that should be enough time for a grower to get a large enough tree and a big enough crop to determine if the variety is worth pursuing,” Kauzlaric says.

In the varieties selected for on-farm testing, the number one quality researchers are looking for is winter hardiness. Other qualities include good yields, earlier ripening varieties for peaches, disease resistance and easier handling for growers, he notes.

Kauzlaric says Statistics Canada numbers from 2013 show there are 1,000 acres of pears, 4,500 acres of peaches, 700 acres of nectarines and 700 acres of plums grown across Ontario. He adds he has heard unofficially there are 100 acres of apricots grown across the province.

For tender fruits, Ontario-grown peaches continue to be the top seller, according to a Vineland press release. But retailers are demanding alternatives, including Ontario-grown nectarines, plums and apricots.

Kauzlaric says industry sources have told him consumers’ eating habits are changing. “They’re looking for something new. A lot of consumers are looking to get away from the fuzz” found on peaches.

Demand for changing fruit varieties is also coming from retailers looking for better flavour and “that better piece of fruit that’s going to excite the consumer to come back and buy more,” he notes. “There’s only so much shelf space so they need to put stuff out there that’s going to sell.” BF