Now Available: Year 1 Report for 2024 Thinning Trial

Chemical thinning... everyone knows exactly what they're doing, right?!? Maybe one day!

If you were interested in the information that I presented at the NSFGA Spring Workshop on March 19, the technical report is now available to summarize the work in more detail.

This report is a progress update that summarizes the results of the first year of a three-year project. In year one the results are preliminary and should be interpreted with caution. However, through this report we wish to share with industry our progress and early interpretations. The project is a collaboration led by Dr. John Cline, University of Guelph, with field work done in Ontario and supported by additional field work in Nova Scotia representing Eastern Canada by Michelle Cortens, Perennia. The current report summarizes only the Nova Scotia site.

This interprovincial project has several objectives, and the two objectives addressed at the Nova Scotia site are to, 

1. Compare and validate crop load management (computer) models to predict and improve thinning outcomes using chemical thinners, and
2. Determine the effect of chemical thinning products, different timings, and concentrations on fruit thinning efficacy of apple.

You can access the report to download and print from the Perennia website.

This project is generously funded through the Canadian Agri-Science Cluster for Horticulture 4, in cooperation with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriScience Program, a Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership initiative, the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, and industry contributors.

WEBINAR: 2025 Updates to Perennia’s Online Pest Management Guides

 

WEBINAR: Updates to Perennia's Online Pest Management Guides

March 18, 2025
10:00AM – 11:00AM 

The Perennia team is working hard to deliver the best pest guide information to you for your management needs. In 2024, we released an online guide from our new database that has greatly improved our ability to update the information on an annual basis. 

Please register to join us on Tuesday, March 18 from 10 AM to 11 AM for this virtual session as we show you how to maximize the usefulness of the online guide for your farm.

Some of our 2025 updates include: 

• Setting standards for presenting the data in a consistent format so it is easy for you to reference. 
• Updating the design to improve your experience and making printable PDFs available. 
• Including new reference sheets like a list of all pesticides registered on individual crops and efficacy guides for berries and tree fruit. 

Join us this March to learn how we can help you optimize your pest control options.

Feb 13 Tree Fruit News, Resources, and Upcoming Events

I'm sharing another update with a few reminders and new resources or opportunities.

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

SPANISH TRANSLATION NOW AVAILABLE - Fundamentals of Pruning Factsheet

The pruning guide for farm labourers that was published last year has been translated to Spanish and is now available to download and print.

Upcoming Local Events

Webinar Registration Now Available - 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 register now on our website.

'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).

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!

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

Pesticide Exam Preparation Courses 
Marbicon Inc. / Jim Jotcham is offering another round of in-person exam-preparation courses (T 2523)
Points workshops are also being offered (T 2526).
5 recertification points are available at each course (you can only get credit for each T number once).

Exam preparation courses (with 5.0 points available for T2523):
Feb 24 Mon – Truro – Colchester Legion Stadium Lounge, 14 Lorne St.
Feb 27 Thurs – Berwick – Berwick Legion Hall, 232 Main St.
Mar 3 Monday – New Germany – Location TBA.
Mar 24 Mon – Millville, C.B. Millville Community Centre, 270 Millville Highway.
Mar 26 Weds – Heatherton – Heatherton Community Centre, Hwy 104 by Exit 36.

Points workshops (with 5.0 points available for T2526):
Feb 25 Tues – Truro – Colchester Legion Stadium Lounge, 14 Lorne St.
Feb 28 Fri – Berwick – Berwick Legion Hall, 232 Main St.
Mar 4 Tues – New Germany – Location TBA.
Mar 25 Tues – Millville, C.B. Millville Community Centre, 270 Millville Highway.

NOTE: This points workshop is not preparation for the provincial applicator exam.

More courses are being planned at more locations for April & May, stay tuned.

Email/call Jim (marbicon@eastlink.ca) or 902-538-7101 to pre-register.

Pre-exam courses are $130 including HST.
Instruction starts at 9:00. Expect to be done around 4:00-4:30.
People only sitting in for 5.0 recertification points pay $120 including HST.
Points people can expect to be done around 3:15.
Doors open at 8:30 am for registration & settling in.
Pay at the door or by corporate/government purchase order.
If paying by e-Transfer, please add for whom and for which date.
Sorry, no Visa, MC, or Debit.
HST is included in the above prices.
Food & drink is on your own.
A course manual is provided in the pre-exam courses. Bring a pen.

NOTE: Pesticide exams are normally written online, NOT at this course.
Contact NS Environment for further details on writing the exam.
A course is not required before challenging the pesticide exam, but it usually helps.

Cash or cheques (payable to Marbicon Inc.) or e-transfer (marbicon@eastlink.ca).
Contact Jim Jotcham at marbicon@eastlink.ca or at 902-538-7101 for more details and/or to pre-register.

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!

Feb 3 Tree Fruit News, Resources, and Upcoming Events

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!

Reminder of NSFGA Convention - Early bird registration ends today

The Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association is having their 161st Annual Convention on January 28-30th at the Old Orchard Inn. The draft agenda and fillable registration form are on the NSFGA website (www.nsfruitgrowers.ca). Guest speakers include both Jason Londo (Cornell University) and George Sundin (Michigan State University), and there is another great Kitchen Party in the works- you won't want to miss it!

Orchard Outlook Newsletter Vol. 24, No 15

*Updated on Nov 13 to add two bullet points about glyphosate to the fall herbicide section.

Today's newsletter is the final issue for Volume 24 in the year 2024. In the last issue of the season I review a summary of the weather, tree health, crop load, pest pressures and fruit quality which can all be useful information to reference in the future. With hopefully a little rest after harvest, consider November an opportunity to winterize orchards so you have a head start next season. Cheers to you all for wrapping up another harvest season!

Table of Contents:

2024 Growing Season Summary

• Degree Days
• Precipitation
• Tree Health
• Crop Load
• Review of Disease Pressure
• Harvest and Fruit Quality

Winterizing Orchards

• Fall herbicide application
• Fall soil pH adjustments
• Orchard rodent control

Diseases

• Reducing the risk of apple scab
• Peach leaf curl

Events and Notices

• Three Commodities to Create Climate Adaptation Strategies
• Upcoming Conferences

2024 Growing Season Summary

Degree Days

The growing degree day models indicated that this past season the base 5°C plant development and base 10°C insect development degree days were above the five- and ten-year averages. Jeff Franklin explains that although we have had some warmer than average days through the fall, they have been offset by periods of cooler than average temperatures. This year was the fifth warmest growing season on record in terms of base 5°C degree days. 

Figure 1: Heating degree day accumulations for plant (above 5°C) and insect (above 10°C) development from March 1st to Oct 31st for the past 17 seasons. Provided by Jeff Franklin (AAFC).

• Approximately 4% more plant development heat units compared to the 5-year average, and 4% more compared to the 10-year average.
• Approximately 3% more plant development heat units compared to 2023, and 1% less compared with 2022.
• Approximately 4% more insect development heat units compared to the 5-year average, and 5% more compared to the 10-year average.

Precipitation

The season was also dry except for a handful of heavy rain events. The total seasonal precipitation was about 100 mm less than the 25-year average. 

Table 1: Monthly precipitation totals for the Kentville Research and Development Centre in 2024 compared with the 10- and 25-year averages. Data provided by Jeff Franklin (AAFC).

Tree Health

There were some reports of bark peeling, bark cracks, tree decline, and occasional tree collapse that are suspected to be a sign of lingering effects from the polar vortex. A Cornell researcher Jason Londo is exploring similar damage in New York and is hearing of damage in the Northeastern US as well. He explains that, “Cold damage to the rootstock shank causes sublethal damage and while the tree can repair some, eventually the tree collapses as the canopy water requirements exceed what the old xylem can supply.” Susceptible trees may also exhibit less productivity for a time.

By turning our attention to tree health and graft unions, it was noticed that bark was peeling and shedding on rootstocks and in particular the Geneva rootstocks. Through exploring this concern, it was explained that many Geneva rootstocks have a genetic characteristic of the outer (dead) bark peeling off but the interior bark which contains the phloem and cambium is still alive. This explanation made sense where live tissue was found and the foliage was healthy even through warm and dry weather. In such situations, the bark peeling and cracking is not a concern.

Crop Load

In late April, soon after green tissue began to grow there were freezing temperatures recorded. Frost damage caused some crop loss on early apple varieties such as Gravenstein and in many cases damaged the king bloom of the main varieties. Then there was a snowball bloom with good pollination weather but early fruit set from flower fertilization was less than expected. The widespread variability in fruit set does not correlate with our typical cold pockets so it seems that other factors are at play. 

The reasons are unclear and may have included a combination of 1) sublethal injury from freezing temperatures in late April, 2) lack of sunlight in the later part of 2023, and 3) a heavy bloom resulting in heavy drop.

Furthermore, there were reports from AAFC of low populations of natural pollinators and this year the bee boxes were removed from orchards early to be placed in wild blueberry crops. By harvest time, there also seemed to be more parthenocarpic fruit (seedless) than usual indicating a possible role of pollination failure. It serves as a reminder to rethink pollination plans for next year including bringing in bees and having pollinator varieties nearby as insurance for pollination success.

The current year experienced a strong response to the standard thinning program resulting in near-target crop load as fruitlets thinned easily. It is believed that the trees were under a carbohydrate deficit based on weather observations and more information will be discussed this coming winter with regard to thinning models being trialed in our region. Later in the season as fruit sized, it was reportedly common to realize there were more fruit on the trees than originally anticipated.

The stone fruit crop was good for the first time in several years. Buds were initiated in the 2023 season during weak shoot growth from the polar vortex so some buds were weak and died, however, many buds survived.

Review of Disease Pressure

Apple Scab

Above-average temperatures in early spring led to early maturing ascospores and wetting periods produced infection events that occurred roughly every week. Of the spores that were released during infection events, a light to moderate amount were capable of causing infection. This season a total of 8-10 primary infection events were recorded, which is slightly less than has been occurred in recent years. The event on May 26/27 was notable because it released an incredible 74.5% of the total spore load.

Table 1: Summary of apple scab primary infection periods recorded in Kentville in 2024, based on the Modified Mills Table and assuming a green tip date of April 15.

Powdery Mildew

Wet weather diseases were less of a risk than usual but on the other hand the dry, warm and humid weather conditions were conducive to powdery mildew. Newly expanding leaves on terminal shoots were frequently at risk of infection in midsummer. Susceptible varieties like Cortland and Honeycrisp that were unprotected had plenty of infections on new leaf tissue. Buds are infected this year and will overwinter to cause infection pressure next year. More discussion about management options will occur this winter as we reflect on local trial results. 

Fire Blight

The first blossoms in the Valley opened around May 15 with early regions in full bloom by about a week later.  Above-average heat during the bloom period caused multiple successive high risk periods for fire blight blossom blight although the wetting requirement might not have always been realized. According to the Maryblyt model, high EIP values were first noted on May 17 and then there was an especially challenging high risk period from May 22 through to May 25. The EIP was again high on open blossoms in new plantings throughout most of the month of June and July. Wetting events including rainfall and dew during high EIP periods were conducive to bacterial infection, unless antibiotic protection was applied. New fire blight infections developed where protection was not achieved. In some cases the late season flush of terminal growth following a heavy rainfall in July was prone to shoot infections.

Harvest and Fruit Quality

Red colour progressed very well this past season. The excellent colour development is owing to a nighttime cooling trend in mid-August that continued to bring consistently cool nights followed by warm and sunny days. The weather was excellent for the red pigment anthocyanin to develop on the sun exposed sides of the fruit. Meanwhile, the sugar content of the fruit was optimal by harvest maturity and the flavour was excellent in my opinion!

However, the challenge during harvest was that the early season and cool temperatures hastened harvest maturity. Depending on the variety the window of maturity was either a few days advanced or similar to historically early harvest dates. The cool weather and hastened maturity may influence the prevalence of storage disorders like internal breakdown. In October, high winds coincided with the beginning of the harvest window for Ambrosia and resulted in some crop loss.

Winterizing Orchards

Fall Herbicide Application

Fall is prime germination time for winter annuals, and perennials are susceptible to treatment because they’re actively storing reserves in their roots. Those of you that attended the Growing Good Growers tailgate meeting this past summer about weed management with guest Sonny Murray heard discussion about treating weeds at the end of the season. End of season treatment approaches so here are some reminders.

To get out of the cycle of trying to manage large weeds with post-emergent herbicides:

• Think about residual/pre-emergent herbicides as filling windows of time. Most residual products will give about 4-6 weeks of weed control. Some products have longer-lasting control like Alion (trees >3 yrs old) and Sinbar.
• Use residual herbicides through periods of high weed germination (spring and early fall). 
• Early fall is when perennial and difficult winter annuals germinate. You may want to clean up what does germinate before they get too large by doing a late fall cleanup with a post-emergent herbicide. Consider targeting some tough perennials with glyphosate in mature plantings in late November to early December when trees are dormant and while the ground is not yet frozen. 
• If using glyphosate, set up the weed sprayer to minimize the amount getting on the bark and just spray two bands next to the tree and avoid the row middles.
• As long as the weeds aren’t frozen and you can travel without making a mess, glyphosate can be applied. Ideally apply it after a couple of relatively warm nighttime lows above 1.6C. Roundup will work slowly in cool temperatures but should take out the weeds by spring.
• Sencor and Sinbar give suppression of quackgrass and have some pre-emergent activity on bluegrass.
• Consider Prowl H2O and Dual II Magnum (pre-emergent) and Venture (post-emergent) options to improve your grass control spectrum. However, these products won't work for bluegrass species.
• Be aware that Chateau has activity on ragweed whereas Authority does not.
• Sinbar is a good option for fall application of a residual herbicide that is labelled in first year fruit trees. It will have good control of pre-emergent grasses. Next spring, consider Prowl H2O and Chateau in young plantings. Later in the program could include Ignite with Sandea.

Key points:

• Summer and winter annual species have populations that germinate in both fall and spring and therefore troublesome weeds may need to be managed at both times.
• After harvest, consider using a post-emerge herbicide to clean up weeds along with a residual product to save time early next season. Orchards without fall application of residual herbicides are expected to exceed weed thresholds in early spring before those treated with residuals.
• If planning to apply glyphosate, wait until trees are dormant (late November to early December) or late in spring to avoid translocation to fruit tree root systems.
• Even if you are not set up to perform weed control in the fall, now is a good opportunity to identify what weed species are present to inform herbicide choices for early next year.

Fall Soil pH Adjustments

Soils in the valley are naturally acidic, and nitrogen fertilizers will slowly acidify soils over time. As soils acidify, nutrients such as calcium, potassium and phosphorus are less available for uptake by fruit trees. Other nutrients such as manganese and aluminum become more available and uptake by fruit trees can become excessive.

The pH of orchard soil should be between 5.5 and 6.6 (target 6.0) because nutrient availability is best within this range. Fall is the ideal time to make soil pH adjustments because it gives time for limestone to neutralize the acidity before the next growing season. Also in the fall, the dust from limestone applications will not interfere with growth or bloom.

Recommendations:

• The results of a soil test will give a lime requirement based on your soil type and pH.
• Apply calcitic limestome unless magnesium is needed from dolomitic limestone.
• A surface application of no more than 3 tonnes/ha of limestone in any one year is recommended because higher volumes could be washed away and are ineffective.
• If the lime is being worked into soil then you can follow the recommended rate on your soil report. Incorporating lime into soil will show benefits sooner than a surface application. A surface application moves down at a rate of about 1 inch per year.
• If you have ongoing issues with lack of calcium in established plantings, consider banding gypsum at a rate of 4 tons per acre under trees. Annual applications have been shown to reduce bitter pit and senescent breakdown. Gypsum can also improve soil structure and improve water infiltration. Be aware that gypsum can reduce magnesium uptake. Gypsum will not replace the need for lime for pH adjustment.

Orchard Rodent Control

Rodents feed on tree bark in the fall and winter when other food supplies are scarce. The most common issue is when rodent feeding girdles the trunk of young trees at or near the ground surface or at the height of snow accumulation.

Recommendations:

• Mow ground cover and maintain a weed-free strip to expose mice to predators.
• Clean up drop apples from the tree row and alleyways to remove attractive food sources.
• Be aware that using straw mulch can harbour mice.
• If rodent activity is observed (mouse tunnels, droppings and chewed apples), consider the use of rodenticide. Bait stations manage the risk of poisoning other species and the control is long-lasting.
• Bait stations placed on the perimeter of the orchard target mice moving into the orchard from bordering fields, fence lines or ditches. Pay particular attention to orchard blocks that neighbour corn and soybean fields.
• Install tree guards, if feasible, on young trees. Remove after snow melt in spring to avoid fungal problems at the base of the trunks.

Diseases

Reducing the Risk of Apple Scab

Scab spores can be reduced for the next growing season by accelerating the decay of infected leaves in the fall of the current season. The benefit is less disease pressure next spring that can help to reduce the risk of primary scab infections. All efforts to reduce primary inoculum for next year will be helpful for scab control under recent fungicide restrictions.

Recommendations:

• Spraying urea (46-0-0) onto leaves on the ground can reduce spores by about 66%. The recommended rate is 50 kg/ha in 1000 L/ha of water. The solution can alternatively be applied to full trees as leaf fall begins. Urea should be dissolved in warm water before putting it in the tank. The 50 kg/ha rate will supply approximately 23 kg/ha of nitrogen to the ground, so nitrogen application next spring should be adjusted accordingly.
• Flail chopping all plant matter on the orchard floor in November can reduce the number of scab spores by as much as 85%. Flail chopping in only the alleyway can reduce scab spores by as much as 50%. Why does chopping work? Dr. Gordon Braun explained in a year 2000 publication that:
• "By chopping up leaves finely, they are more easily broken down by bacteria and molds to be consumed by earthworms."
• "The apple scab fungus needs to mate with the opposite mating type and smaller leaf pieces reduces the likelihood of the two meeting."
• "The smaller fragments also fall deeper into the grass and have a greater probability of resting in a position which is less than horizontal which reduces the ability of the ascosopres being successfully discharged into the air currents and carried to susceptible leaves."
• Using a combination of both shredding and urea applications can produce the best results.

Peach Leaf Curl

Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease of peaches and nectarines that is usually well-controlled by a fungicide application in spring or late fall. Infections occur in the spring at bud swell when overwintering spores are washed from the surfaces of the bark. Therefore, a fungicide application prior to bud swell in the spring is preferred. However, occasionally early warm temperatures combined with extended snow cover can make spring applications challenging.

Recommendations:

• The spores overwinter on the bark, so fall applications for peach leaf curl should be tailored to provide complete coverage of trunks and branches. Fall application should be made after 75-100% of leaf drop has occurred and when the temperature is above freezing.
• Unusually wet winter weather with heavy rain can wash off a protectant fungicide applied in fall. If residues are washed off, re-treatment in spring before buds swell is recommended. 
• Chlorothalonil (Bravo/Echo) has been the most effective fungicide in Nova Scotia. Only 1 spray of Bravo/Echo may be applied per year, meaning it cannot be applied in both spring and fall. Other products registered for control in the fall are fixed copper products.

Events

Upcoming Conferences

• Dec 10-12, 2025: Great Lakes EXPO, Grand Rapids, MI
• Jan 28-30, 2025: NSFGA Annual Convention, Old Orchard Inn
• Jan 28-30, 2025: Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention, Hershey, PA
• Feb 16-19, 2025: IFTA 2025 Annual Conference, Rochester, NY (Michelle will be there!)
• Feb 19-20, 2025: The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention, Niagara Falls, ON

Perennia Food and Agriculture Corp.

Edited by Michelle Cortens, Tree Fruit Specialist

Ambrosia Fruit Maturity Report - Oct 15

This update on Ambrosia will be the final maturity report for the season. In the regions being monitored, Ambrosia is in the midst of harvest maturity. Situations of lower-than-target crop load encourage early ripening. After the start of harvest maturity there is a window of time before those fruit ripen beyond starch index 4.5 that is recommended for storage purposes. Using Harvista at one of the example sites may have helped to delay ripening as shown by the relatively slow rate of starch conversion (however we don't have an untreated comparison so this is speculation only). 

I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to the farms that have agreed to be the long-term monitoring sites for industry-wide updates on maturity. It is always my wish that you all have a good crop of quality fruit. You have all worked so hard and as harvest continues I just want to take a moment to say you're doing great work!!!

Important Note - The following information about maturity is for general industry purposes only. Growers are encouraged to use their own discretion to harvest trees that are exhibiting delayed colour development or exhibiting maturity indices that disagree with what is being reported here. Values were measured on an average of fruit that were representative of the block's crop load and tree vigour. Fruit representative of size and colour were taken from all sides of the tree. 

Ambrosia Fruit Maturity Report

Fruit were taken from throughout the trees to target a one-pick harvest to strip the trees.

Table 2: Maturity indices for Ambrosia fruit sampled in the current year on Tuesday, Oct 15 2024. Values are compared with the samples taken last week on Oct 7 to estimate a weekly rate of change. Please note that in Lakeville the bottoms of the trees were harvested so the values represent remaining fruit on tree tops.

Table 2 Discussion:

• Local research by John Delong et al. 2013 showed that optimal values of the starch index for long-term storage of Ambrosia are between 2.8 and 4.5. When harvested late, the fruit are at greater risk of developing greasiness, rot, core flush, and senescent breakdown in storage. 
• In the regions being monitored, the starch index values for Ambrosia are in the midst of the window of harvest maturity.
• The starch index value is showing a rate of change of +1.4/wk in fruit that had reached maturity the week prior, representing a faster rate of change than what was observed previously.
• The Lakeville region that was treated with Harvista at about 1 week before anticipated harvest was harvested in the tree bottoms prior to the wind. The treated fruit remaining in the treetops does appear to have a relatively slower rate of change of starch index, being only +0.5 over the last week. The Harvista was applied 11 days ago. It may have bought some time as anticipated.
• The DA value appears misaligned so starch index should be monitored.
• Soluble solids values in our region for Ambrosia tend to be 12% at around optimum harvest maturity but again it depends on crop load. The soluble solids are currently optimal or higher in the regions being monitored.
• Where there is advanced starch movement and above-average soluble solids representing sugar content in the regions being monitored, it is due in part to lower-than-target crop load.

More observations (data not shown):

• Red colour is very good on the sun exposed side and as is typical of Ambrosia the shade side is yellow.
• The fruit size in my samples averaged 226 g which is slightly larger than last week. The diameter is fairly similar to last week at an average of 79 mm/3.11 inches. However, this information is highly dependent on the crop load in a particular block.
  
• It appears as though a small percentage of Ambrosia fruit was lost to the windstorm on the weekend. Hopefully less than what was anticipated.

About each maturity measurement:

Starch Index - Starch is converted to sugars as ripening progresses. The starch-iodine test is used because iodine binds to starch molecules turning them blue/black, whereas sugars are not stained and remain clear. The Cornell chart on a scale of 1 to 8 was used above and values are an average of ten representative samples from each block.

Soluble Solids - Approximates the percentage of sugar content of the fruit. Measured using a digital refractometer. Values are an average of ten representative samples from each block.

DA Meter - The delta absorbance (DA) value is related to the chlorophyll content of the peel. AAFC researchers in Kentville developed a protocol for Honeycrisp and Ambrosia. 

• For Honeycrisp, values above 0.60 are immature, values 0.6 to 0.36 are ideal for long term storage, and values below 0.35 are best for short term storage because they are more prone to storage disorders. 
• For Ambrosia, values above 0.47 are immature, values 0.47 to 0.28 are ideal for long term storage, and values below 0.28 are best for short term storage because they are more prone to storage disorders. 
• Values shown above are the average of twenty fruit taken throughout a block, with readings taken on the transition area between the sun and shade exposed sides. DA values will be noticeably different between the most mature and least mature fruit on a tree. 

Notices

NSDA Programs 

Programs staff would like to inform clients that applications are being accepted at this time for the following 2024-2025 programs. Programs for the 2024-2025 year, along with their applications and guidelines can be found by clicking the following links:

• Market Opportunities and Diversification – Deadline October 24th
• Speaker Series Assistance Program 
• Plant your Roots
• Organic Certification Rebate Program
• Agriculture Skills Student Bursary Program

For more information on these programs please contact your local Ag Rep.

Nova Scotia Loyal Program

Did you know that as a local producer and/or retailer, you are eligible to apply to become an official partner in the government of Nova Scotia’s buy local program, Nova Scotia Loyal?

This program is helping build demand for and consumption of local products and putting more money directly into the hands of local producers. You can register to participate in the program by visiting www.nsloyal.ca.

Registration will provide you with access to program materials and marketing assets to make it easier for consumers to identify and find local products. Additionally, you have the option to participate in a retailer directory designed to connect producers and retailers to increase the number of Nova Scotia products on retailer shelves.

Should you have any questions about the program, please contact: novascotialoyal@novascotia.ca

Perennia Food and Agriculture Corp.
Edited by Michelle Cortens, Tree Fruit Specialist