Tree Fruit News, Resources, and Upcoming Events

Monday, February 3, 2025

Winter is a time for learning and planning so today I'm bringing this communication to you to summarize new information and opportunities for tree fruit growers.


News



Funding - Wild Blueberry and Apple Harvest Efficiency Program 2024-2025
Announced just last week at the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association (NSFGA) Annual Convention, this new funding program supports the modernization of wild blueberry and apple harvesting equipment for growers to reduce labour requirements, increase productivity, and improve profitability. Applicants can apply to receive Program funding up to 30% of eligible expenses, to a maximum of $50,000 for harvest assist platforms. The application deadline is February 19, 2025. Successful applicants must purchase the equipment and submit a claim before March 28, 2025. For more information, visit the Nova Scotia Programs website.


Resources


Report - Strengthening Powdery Mildew Management for Improved Resilience in Nova Scotia Orchards
At the NSFGA Convention I presented the results of a project on powdery mildew. This integrated project sought to, 1) evaluate new biological and conventional products that have the potential to improve local management programs, 2) monitor infection risk according to the RIMpro decision-support system using on-farm weather stations to refine application timing, and 3) identify fungicide resistance of existing fungicide product mode-of-action groups. Hardcopy reports were available at convention and PDF reports are also available if interested. Please reach out to Michelle if you would like a copy.

Funding for this project was provided by the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association and through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP) Program by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).


Presentations from NSFGA Convention
Copies of presentations might be available from presenters. Emily has shared the presentation from Farid Makki and may be sharing others. If there is a specific presentation that you would like to have, please let me know. I do have permission to share George Sundin's slides but they are large file sizes.


Sprayer Requirements - Closed Transfer Systems
Please note some recent requirements on pesticide labels. The liquid Captan label states that, "When applying using airblast, use a closed mixing/loading system or a closed-cab sprayer when handling more than 10.9 kg a.i./day (22 L of product).” Similarly, the product Sevin XLR requires a closed mixing system and a closed cab with physical and respiratory barriers for airblast application. For more information and options, check out the excellent detailed article by Jason Deveau's on Sprayers 101.


Update - Perennia Online Pest Guides
The Perennia team has been actively working on updating the annual pest guides since November. The guides will continue to be offered in an online format but this year we are committed to making them easy to print. Our current changes are being in the background until we publish the new guides and we are targeting a release date that is earlier than usual to support your winter planning. Our focus this year has been to make improvements, apply product updates and discontinuations with input from chemical suppliers, and refine the information with our own standards and consistency. We plan to offer a webinar to explain this year's changes so stay tuned.


Fundamentals of Pruning Factsheet - Undergoing Translation to Spanish
The pruning guide for farm labourers that was published last year is undergoing translation to Spanish and should be available soon.


Upcoming Local Events



Webinar - Protecting Pollinators Information Session on February 11
On February 11, The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture (ATTTA) is offering a Protecting Pollinator session in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture Extension Services and Nova Scotia Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program. This session will educate growers and beekeepers on the importance of protecting pollinators from environmental stressors and providing suitable habitat to support pollinators. The session will include two guest speakers - Dr. Nancy Maclean and Dr. Nigel Raine. Registration for the session is open until February 7: https://forms.office.com/r/yTCrDKtevJ. This session is also supported by the best management practice guide developed by ATTTA, which can be accessed at: https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/P2C_WildBlueberry_Guide_ENG-FINAL.pdf.




Webinar Series - Getting into the Weeds Seminar Series in February
Join us for the next season of Getting into the Weeds! This year, our theme is Continuous Agricultural Learning and Pest Management Updates. We are hosting four sessions focused on discussing agricultural production in depth, including the plants’ responses to excessive water and nitrogen input during growing seasons, pest management updates on weeds and insects, and the latest updates on chemical applications by drones. Pesticide points and CCA CEU points will be available!

REGISTER TODAY
February 11, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Plant Eco-Physiological Responses to Excessive Water and Extra Nitrogen Input

February 19, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Insect Management Updates – Blueberry Fruit Fly and European Corn Borer

February 21, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Developing Effective and Durable Weed Management Programs

February 27, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Drone Chemical Application Research and Policy Updates



Webinar SAVE THE DATE - Annual Pesticide Product Information Impacting Horticulture and Field Crops on February 26
Every year, crop production is impacted when pesticide products are cancelled or when labels are updated to include amendments to use patterns. Join us to learn updates from our team of Perennia specialists who are here to support you in the horticulture and field crops sectors. The focal crops during the session are apples, wild blueberries, wine grapes, cranberries, vegetables, berries, cannabis, and field crops. Each specialist will bring information on products that are relevant to their sector. This event is virtual and is happening on Wednesday, February 26 from 12 PM to 1 PM. Please save the date and stay tuned for registration details.

Perennia’s Annual Pesticide Product Information Impacting Horticulture and Field Crops course is NS Environment and Climate Change (ECC) course T2535 and is worth 1.0 point in Pest Management (agriculture).


Workshop SAVE THE DATE - NSFGA Spring Workshop March 19-20
The NSFGA is planning their spring workshop for the mornings of March 19 and 20. Hope to see you there!


Blog Archive