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Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association
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Grower
Testing Association
Goals:
The Grower Testing Association (GTA) was established by
the Variety and Strains Committee (VSC) of the Nova Scotia
Fruit Grower's Association (NSFGA). The GTA was formed to
help the VSC:
1) seek new cultivars
that will best satisfy the needs of growers and consumers
2) collect the necessary information on those cultivars,
as grown in commercial orchards
3) share the information, particularly with packers and
retailers, to ensure the chosen cultivars are aggressively
marketed
These are all
ongoing activities, as the need to continually evaluate
new cultivars is expected to be long term.
Strategy:
The GTA is looking for cultivars that will increase returns
because they are preferred by consumers, and that will decrease
costs of production because they are well adapted to our
conditions. We look at cultivars that are already named
but new to our area, as well as selections from breeding
programs. The cultivars are identified from the literature,
travel, personal communication, tours of research plots,
or any other means at our disposal.
The GTA works
closely with the Provincial Tree Fruit Specialist and Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada. Those who sign up as members of the
GTA are expected to be progressive growers who will look
after their trees properly. Though cultivar performance
under varying management techniques is one aspect of data
collection that is important in on-farm plots, the varying
management techniques should all be proper ones.
Information
Gathering:
Each year, four cultivars are chosen for planting by the
Grower Testing Association. One hundred and twenty of each
cultivar, on M26 rootstocks, are divided evenly among four
GTA members. Data collected from the GTA trees includes:
total yield, pack out, tree habit, and consumer acceptance.
Growers keep track of their management practices, and the
varying management techniques are part of the study. The
cultivars planted by GTA members since 1996 include:
1)
Honeycrisp
2) Rubinette
3) Gingergold
4) Arlet
5) Fortune |
6)
DeCoster Jonagold
7) Jonagored
8) Creston
9) 8S-26-50
10) Myra Fuji |
11)
S43-44-54
12) Fiesta
13) S23-06-123
14) S47-03-33
15) S47-23-100 |
Information
Dissemination:
As information is gathered, profiles of the entries are
generated and compiled into annual reports that are included
in the annual reports of the NSFGA and the Production Technology
Branch of the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and
Marketing. The Grower Testing Association will generate
a factsheet on each entry judged suitable for production
in our area. The GTA will then collaborate with the Quality
and Storage and Market Development Committees of the Nova
Scotia Fruit Growers' Association to set intake standards
and develop marketing strategies for the new cultivars.
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