Deadline approaching for vote on council’s fate By Judie Steeves


T


o continue the work of the New Variety Development Council, growers must vote before March 31 in favour of continuing its mandate.


Voting will cease on that date and all votes will be counted. Continuation will require at least 65 per cent of votes to be in favour.


Council chairman Bruce Currie explained that the council’s mandate must be renewed every five years, as it was in 2001 and 2006, by a vote of members. If this year’s vote is successful, the name will be changed to the Ambrosia Council, since it is the ‘new’ variety that has proven itself and where most of the council’s efforts are focused now. A renewed mandate will mean efforts to market and promote the variety and conduct research into all factors that affect its quality will be able to continue, along with grower workshops on techniques for improving storage quality and tips for growing top quality fruit. There also will be an increased emphasis on pruning and thinning in order to provide growers with the highest returns and the consumer with the best size and quality


research projects in the DIAP program, including work on sensory evaluation and storability.


Margaret Cliff, research scientist, and Kareen Stanich, research technician, studied the influence of ethnicity, gender and age for urban consumer preferences for three apple cultivars at the 2010 UBC Apple Festival held in Vancouver. Taste and visual assessments were conducted on Ambrosia, SPA493 and Honeycrisp by approximately 1500 consumers.


In general Asian consumers had a high preference for sweet apples, whereas those of European background were almost evenly split between sweet and tart.


While mean scores for sweet apples (Ambrosia) for Asian and European consumers were not significantly different, Asians gave significantly lower scores to tart apples (SPA493). Sweet apple eaters of both ethnicities did not like apples with a hint of yellow-green, expecting them to be sour.


“Studies like this help to do target marketing which can be especially important when new varieties are grown in small


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Ambrosia apple that’s possible, he said. Currie said growers may vote by e-mail at ambrosiacouncil@gmail.com, mail in their ballots or vote at the Horticultural Forum March. 10 and 11. Jim Campbell, tree fruit specialist for the agriculture ministry, said he expects a positive vote on extending the council’s mandate, which he said is essential for the variety’s continued success. More than 400 Ambrosia growers are eligible to vote. Ballots were mailed out in late February.


Council members include Mark van Roechoudt of Lake Country; Jamie Kidston of Vernon; Bob Thompson of Summerland; Linda Edwards, the organic sector representative, from Cawston; Wilf Mennell of Cawston, the variety owner; Tom Kinvig of Summerland; Steven Brown of Summerland; consultant Rita Yastremski from Penticton; Charlotte Leaming, Ambrosia coordinator and Okanagan Tree Fruits employee; and Jim Campbell, Osoyoos grower and representative of the agriculture ministry. The latter two are non-voting members of the council board.


In all, there are seven grower representatives and two non-growers who are all voting members of the council.


quantities,” Birzins said.


Peter Toivonen, research scientist, is spearheading a study on the optimum storage regimes for new varieties using 16 small controlled atmosphere chambers.


“This is a brand new facility which allows for precise testing of small


quantities of fruit on an hourly basis,” Toivonen said.


The conditions in each chamber including temperature and levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide and ethylene are measured and adjustments made to keep parameters within 0.1 per cent of target.


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