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Summer’s a good time for learning


New research, field days highlight berry industry activity.


By Grant Ullyot B


lueberry and raspberry growers attended separate field days this summer where they were brought up to date on irrigation techniques, research development work and minor use pesticide use.


At the raspberry field day in Abbotsford, growers got details of this year’s crop. Trays of raspberries from research trials were on display, and some growers took time to examine the raspberry bushes.


The field day for blueberry growers took place in Agassiz at the Pacific Agricultural Research Center (PARC). New plant physiologist Dr. Martine Dorais, who recently joined the staff in Agassiz from the Horticulture Research and Development Centre in St. Jean sur


GRANT ULLYOT A large crowd hears details of blueberry seedling plantations.


Richelieu, Quebec, addressed growers on the methods covering proper irrigation and fertilization. Both growers and processors have indicated that their priority is to find new varieties to replace two current ones, Bluecrop and Elliott.


Bluecrop is harvested in late July after harvesting of the popular Duke berry is complete. Elliott is the berry harvested in September.


With the Chinese government opening its border to imports of fresh BC blueberries, the pressure is on to find replacement varieties that are superior to existing ones, and no one knows that more than Michael Dossett. He heads up the blueberry breeding program that now has variety trials under way at the Clearbrook Road research facility in Abbotsford. The berries in the trial plots look promising, he says.


“They have better fruit quality and seem to be as firm as Draper or firmer, with a lot of nice flavour. So I think we are definitely moving closer to developing replacement varieties for Bluecrop and Elliot.”


Standing in front of his seedlings planted at PARC, Dossett updated growers as to how things are going in Agassiz.


GRANT ULLYOT


Dr. Martine Dorais stresses the need to use proper irrigation methods.


Six thousand seedlings were planted in 2012 and the first evaluations were carried out last year, he said, and they will be wrapped up this year.


12 British Columbia Berry Grower • Fall 2015


“Another 2,500 seedlings planted in the last couple of years we are now looking at for the first time, so the total right now is about 8,500 seedlings.” On top of these, he added, there are another 4,000 seedlings ready to put in the ground. “


They would have been planted in the spring if the season hadn’t been so advanced the way it was. We would have planted them in May, but instead we ended up putting our bird netting up because we knew we were going to have ripe fruit very early.


“If we had a normal season we could have planted the seedlings and then got the bird netting up. Instead, they are sitting in the greenhouse now waiting for some cooler weather.”


Dossett was asked to explain the term ‘evaluating’.


“I walk through the field once or twice a week and I am checking for size, looking for any plant that catches my eye.


“Does it look like it might have enough yield? Are the berries an okay size? If a plant catches my eye I stop and squeeze the berries. Are they firm or soft? I taste them for acidity. Are they sweet or bland? Our specific objective is to find berries that are firm with good fruit quality.


“Because 99 per cent of these seedlings are worthless, by my initial evaluation, we save doing objective measures of yield, firmness and fruit


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