Spotted wing drosophila is a diminutive but prolific fruit fly pest with a penchant for fresh and ripening fruit. It lays its egg within soft fruit, causing it to decompose and resulting in an estimated $623 million loss in the B.C. soft and thin-skinned fruit export market. Most fruit fly research is in British Columbia, […] Read more
Tag Archives Fruit — page 3
How a parasitoid wasp might address fruit fly pest issue
B.C. and Michigan State research shows promising results
Ontario Food Terminal distributes local produce on a national scale
Canada’s largest wholesale fruit and vegetable distribution centre moves more than two billion pounds a year
As the sun kisses the 40-acre Ontario Food Terminal, there is a frenetic hum and controlled chaos on the street. Forklift trucks and people pulling hand carts trundle between wholesale and farmers market tenants, swiftly and efficiently loading fruits, vegetables and horticultural products for the day. “Today, about 3,000 to 4,000 people are wandering around […] Read more
Produce sector getting closer on financial safeguards for buyer bankruptcy
Victory may be in sight after a 35-year campaign for financial protection
Fruit and vegetable growers are keeping one eye on Bill C-280’s parliamentary progress and the other on the election countdown. The Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act, York-Simcoe MP Scot Davidson’s private member’s bill, received unanimous support in the House of Commons during its second reading mid-May. Why it matters: Since 1985, […] Read more
Smart orchard prediction system moves closer to commercialization
Ontario start-up secures funding to further develop system and expand into other fruits
An Ontario start-up with technology that gives fruit growers accurate, real-time crop data is one step closer to full commercialization. Why it matters: Accurate data helps growers bring more efficiency to the farm and greater transparency to the fruit supply chain. Vivid Machines Inc. has just closed a $5.8 million funding round to further develop […] Read more
Emergency registration approved for Captan
An extension of a 2022 emergency registration will help pepper growers manage anthracnose
Ontario pepper growers will be able to control strains of Anthracnose in their fields this year after an emergency approval of Captan. ADAMA Canada has obtained an emergency registration for Captan 80 WSP, a fungicide that has proven effective in managing Anthracnose including the new Colletotrichum Scovilei strain. “We know that Anthracnose can devastate a […] Read more
Brian Gilroy receives Industry Award of Merit
Former OFVGA chair honoured for contributions to fruit and vegetable industry
Brian Gilroy is the 2023 recipient of the OFVGA’s Industry Award of Merit. He received the award at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association’s annual industry banquet in Niagara Falls Feb. 21. An apple grower from the Meaford area, Gilroy has been involved with the OFVGA board in various capacities since 1990 and was […] Read more
Greenhouse innovator Mastronardi recognized for industry contributions
The Kingsville producer introduced the world’s first branded tomato
Innovative greenhouse pioneer Paul Mastronardi was recently recognized by the Ontario Produce Marketing Association with a lifetime achievement award. “This award is an incredible honour for me and my family,” said Mastronardi. “I was born into this industry and had the great fortune of learning from the legacy of three generations before me. I feel […] Read more
Harrow research team finds key to continuous greenhouse lighting
Unlocking the potential of photosynthesis and growth
Growing greenhouse crops under continuous lighting has been a dream since the 1930s and moved closer to reality with the advent of LED lighting. Now, a team of researchers at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada’s Harrow Research and Development Centre aims to make continuous lighting an actuality. Continuous lighting effectively spreads a plant’s total lighting needs […] Read more
Drought, high costs bring U.S. berry giants to Canada
A warming globe is pushing production into new regions as firms hedge their bets
A swath of Canada better known for maple syrup is being tested to mass produce berries normally grown in warmer locales. That makes the area an unexpected beneficiary of extreme weather, local demand and rising costs in traditional growing areas like California. Driscoll’s and grower-owned Naturipe Farms LLC, two of North America’s largest fruit sellers, […] Read more
Hurricane Ian to worsen bleak outlook for U.S. orange juice industry
New York | Reuters — Hurricane Ian is likely to have worsened what was already expected to be the smallest U.S. orange crop in 55 years after it blasted through a large fruit producing area when it passed through Florida this week, flooding farms and causing oranges to drop from trees. Precise information on losses […] Read more
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