Three new varieties each of
peaches and plums are coming close to release from a breeding program run jointly
by the University of Guelph and the Vineland Research Station.
Prof. Jayasankar Subramanian, who is among Canada’s
leading tender fruit breeders, said the varieties have made it through the
breeding and testing phases in 18 years, which is considered speedy.
They are undergoing the final phases of on-farm
trials.
So far, grower reviews have been positive, and word
about the new varieties is spreading, Subramanian said.
Ontario-grown yellow plums are popular at home and for
export.
In a news release, the university says “the market
appears ripe for a variety that is slightly bigger, with more post-harvest
durability.”
Subramanian said there are enough “clean” buds
available for the two new plum varieties to produce enough trees for
large-scale planting. Growers can then obtain those trees and produce fruit for
the market.
Growers want the new peach varieties “released as
quickly as possible,” Subramanian said. “Both peaches are early season
varieties” which means they will be more competitive with imports from the
United States.
‘If Ontario peach growers can have fruit ready to ship
around the same time, they could get a jump on the imports and achieve a better
price for their product,” says the news release.
“From flowering to fruiting is the key here,”
Subramanian said. “Peaches, whether they are an early or late variety, all
flower within that 10-day window in May.
“But some of them fruit early and some fruit late. It
is the maturity period of the fruit that determines when the final product will
hit the market.”
One of the new plum vareties is larger than other
yellow Japanese varieties, Subramanian said, and is about the same size as
black and red plums currently on the market.
He said the new variety is a complement to the
popular, time-tested Shiro variety, which is smooth, sweet and petite.
“This could even eventually replace Shiro in the local
market,” Subramanian said.
Shiro plums tend to become translucent, as well as
soft and watery, a week or 10 days after picking. The new selection does not
share those tendencies.
Fruit breeders assess the potential of new varieties
based on about 20 characteristics, most related to fruit properties, disease
resistance and the growing season.
