Canadian Horticulture Industry Lecture 1 PDF

Canadian Horticulture Industry AGO-3053 Lecture 1  Identify the major fruit and vegetable crops grown in Canada, and where are they grown. Describe the soil and landscape requirements for fruit and vegetable crops So...

Canadian Horticulture Industry AGO-3053 Lecture 1  Identify the major fruit and vegetable crops grown in Canada, and where are they grown. Describe the soil and landscape requirements for fruit and vegetable crops Soil type Soil drainage Soil pH Slope Class Air drainage Outcomes Discuss the important climate considerations for fruit and vegetable crops: Annual – growing degree days Frost free days Perennial crops Plant hardiness zones Availability of water Daylength Opening Facts More than 120 different fruit and vegetable crops 7,845 fruit farms 9,057 vegetable farms Total farm gate value >$2 Billion Only 7% of Canada’s land area is farmable Note: Farm-gate value is the value received by producers at the point of first transaction, when ownership first changes hands. This value excludes any separately billed costs such as delivery, storage, marketing and administration.  Apples Asparagus Cranberries Beans Canada’s Grapes Potato Apricots Corn Major Fruit Peaches Onions and Cherries Carrots Vegetable Pears Cabbage Nectarines Cauliflower Crops Other Berries Celery Fruits Southern Ontario and British Columbia – 180 Frost Free Days Quebec and Maritimes – 120 Frost Free Days Canadian Fruit Production Volume (Metric Tons) 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Apples 402,978 382,771 390,995 351,565 380,571 Cranberries 178,537 156,846 162,243 156,575 209,205 Grapes 110,713 121,511 103,353 104,203 90,182 Highbush blueberries 73,297 88,540 77,154 71,916 69,984 Lowbush blueberries 81,932 87,950 71,290 73,773 110,132 Strawberries 28,039 27,270 24,134 24,615 25,072 Peaches 23,777 22,862 19,837 19,427 20,815 Cherries - sweet 26,182 22,079 17,994 16,404 18,345 Pears 9,053 9,396 8,526 7,533 9,003 Fruit Production Volume by Province (Metric Tons) 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Newfoundland and Labrador 391 313 472 978 981 Prince Edward Island 9,535 10,143 9,518 10,486 9,917 Nova Scotia 43,045 51,252 53,140 65,925 64,595 New Brunswick 36,482 40,567 26,555 39,176 43,033 Quebec 282,437 268,489 266,757 235,008 321,363 Ontario 280,161 271,731 259,863 235,277 264,075 Manitoba 434 468 345 274 294 Saskatchewan 525 549 566 496 496 Alberta 714 723 701 671 655 British Columbia 308,601 300,878 280,029 259,051 251,165 Canada 962,325 945,112 897,946 847,155 956,576 Fruit Exports Value in Thousands CAD 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Lowbush blueberries $238,821 $294,821 $314,238 $303,938 $366,179 Highbush blueberries $236,021 $257,944 $224,599 $226,998 $296,710 Cherries, sweet $90,594 $67,608 $72,628 $79,402 $129,925 Cranberries $82,586 $47,682 $57,864 $65,164 $70,767 Apples $45,222 $41,088 $42,318 $50,368 $51,230 Raspberries $9,216 $9,068 $12,881 $16,774 $23,546 Strawberries $10,169 $11,451 $11,523 $14,478 $34,637 Almonds $80 $547 $550 $11,195 $5,224 Hazelnuts or filberts $417 $179 $1,877 $1,959 $927 Grapes $882 $1,339 $177 $950 $368 Others 105,849 111,504 140,710 $135,240 $142,120 Total $819,948 $843,295 $877,527 $906,466 $1,121,633  Vegetables Most field crops are grown in: Ontario – 48% Quebec – 38%  2011 2016 Newfoundland and Number of Labrador 112 78 Field Prince Edward Island 299 250 Vegetable Nova Scotia 140 177 Farms by New Brunswick Province 280 236 Quebec 974 1,172 Ontario 1,531 1,856 Manitoba 189 196 Saskatchewan 108 115 Alberta 277 299 British Columbia 912 1,135 Canada 4,822 5,514  2017 2018 2019 Corn, sweet 17,968 17,551 17,516 Planted Peas, green 11,176 11,387 11,493 Area of Field Beans, green or wax 8,179 8,477 8,497 Vegetables Carrots 8,662 8,344 8,442 by Tomatoes 6,557 6,559 6,216 Commodity Dry onions 5,776 5,624 5,702 (Hectares) Cabbage 5,458 5,912 5,580 Broccoli 4,423 4,570 4,550 Lettuce 3,975 3,931 3,902 Pumpkins 3,427 3,197 3,275 Squash and zucchinis 3,300 3,218 3,042 Cucumbers and gherkins 2,532 2,433 2,465 Asparagus 2,381 2,320 2,431 Peppers 2,556 2,514 2,252  2018 2019 2020 Mushrooms 262,745 320,337 360,963 Vegetable Cabbages 79,292 68,056 68,179 Exports Carrots 72,067 71,446 66,918 Value in Thousands Lettuce 60,274 70,857 66,435 CAD Onions and shallots 58,831 55,525 57,073 Beans 58,373 57,205 56,079 Peppers 38,449 38,952 42,666 Sweet potatoes 26,763 30,175 31,230 Pumpkins, squash and gourds 23,978 27,452 30,707 Tomatoes 23,500 29,230 28,457  Soil and Crop Fertility Three ways to access soil and crop fertility Visual deficiency symptoms Soil testing Plant analysis  Yield losses may have already occurred once visual symptoms are found May be confused with other production problems Visual Herbicide injury Deficiency Leaf disease Root disease Symptoms Nematodes Insect damage Compaction Air pollution Confirmed through plant analysis Early blight is caused by the fungus Alternaria solani - common on tomato and potato plants  Soil Testing Most accurate for crop nutrient requirements Analyzes the following: Plant-available phosphorus Potassium Magnesium Manganese Zinc pH Lime requirement Different crops have various requirements for soil  Sample fields separately Take at least 20 soil cores for fields up to 12 acres Soil Testing The more samples you have the more accurate the analysis Samples Take samples in a zig-zag pattern to have a wide range of variation Sample should consist of a 15cm core depth Nitrate- nitrogen – 30cm core depth Plant Tissue Analysis Measures the nutrient content within the plant tissue Indicate whether a specific nutrient is excessive, sufficient or deficient Goal is to maintain tissue concentrations at the low end of the range Useful for evaluating: Phosphorus Potassium Magnesium Manganese Yield losses may have already occurred once results are received Confirmed with visual inspection of the crop and soil conditions Plant Tissue Samples Cont’d Sample the most recently mature leaf from each plant Very old and very young leaves can provide misleading results Take samples from problem areas rather than entire field to diagnose specific issues Sample from at least 20 plants Collect samples into paper bags Ensure leaves are clean of soil/debris, rinse if required Soil pH pH is a measure of the level of acidity or alkalinity of the soil pH affects: Crop growth Nutrient availability Soil-borne diseases pH scale ranges from 0-14 7.0 is neutral 7.0 = Alkaline/Basic 5.0 to 7.5 is the ideal range for many crops How to Affect pH Raising pH Calcitic or dolomitic limestone 1. Neutralizing Value Amount of acid a given quantity of limestone will neutralize when it is totally dissolved 2. Fineness Rating The higher the fineness rating, the more rapidly the limestone reacts with the soil pH  Lime Application to Soil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H-LKv Y1DqE -  Limestone Purity The fineness of grind refers to the speed of reaction of the limestone with soil acidity. Finer ground products react more quickly with acidity and increase the soil pH faster than coarsely ground products. Limestone particles larger than 10 mesh have essentially no liming value. Particles between 10 and 60 mesh average about 40% liming value and Particles finer than 60 mesh have 100% liming value. How to Affect pH Lowering pH Sulphur or ammonium sulphate Always consider other crops in the rotation as it is not possible to adjust pH up and down from year to year Proper planning should be done to consider all crops in the rotation Soil Types Sandy Soil Gritty and loose, water can drain quite quickly which can cause a lack of essential nutrients due to washing away Silt Soil Rich in nutrients and easy to work with, it’s comprised of fine particles that can be easily compacted Clay Soil Sticky and lumpy soil rich in nutrients but can be difficult to work with. Roots can struggle to grow through the dry season when clay is hard, and water is difficult to penetrate through to the roots Soil Types Cont’d Loamy Soil Soft, fine texture having the positive characteristics of sand, silt and clay Rich in nutrients, drains well but not too fast to wash away nutrients Drainage Basics Redirects water to reduce the risk flooding Helps to minimize ponded water and soil saturation in the root zone Allows for a wider selection of crops Helps lengthen the growing season Reduces erosion and soil slippage Drainage Categories Surface On the surface of drainage the soil Subsurface Below the surface drainage of the soil Surface Drainage Simply sloping the terrain to increase flow to ditches Creating surface channels to redirect water flow The least costly option  Subsurface Drainage Perforated plastic pipes are buried in the ground to remove excess water and lower the water table Various layouts can be installed Subsurface Pros Cons Drainage Increases crop Excess yield phosphorus Less variability in transport yearly crop yield Excess nitrate Increases soil transport aeration Less groundwater Improves soil recharge structure Accelerates loss Decreases of soil organic matter surface runoff Provides timely field operations and trafficability Slope The topography in Canada varies greatly from region to region Slope is the cause of increased erosion Slope can be measured but is difficult due to the variation in the farm There are two ways to measure the long-term soil erosion affects USLE – Universal Soil Loss Equation RUSLE2 – Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation Tools that can be used to measure the slope Soil reports Field contour or topographic map  Air circulation throughout a crop can assist when frost hits the farm Cold air is denser than warm air This will cause cold air to Air accumulate to the lower parts Drainag of the farm and closer to the ground until it’s dispersed by heat or wind e Fog analysis On a foggy morning, make note of fog patches and observe possible obstructions that is trapping the flow of air  Removed obstructions such as trees, bushes, etc. that are inhibiting air flow Air Increase air drainage by keeping drainage flows mowed and making Drainage steeper slopes to increase airflow Solutions to lower elevations The use of frost fans to increase airflow and heating the cold air allowing it to rise Removing obstructing trees to increase air flow Frost fans forcing the cold air up to increase the flow and to reduce the risk of frost  The number of days in the forecast period with a minimum temperature above the frost temperature at which frost damage occurs Frost Planning around frost is integral to your planting/seeding date Free -1.7° to 0°C = Light freeze, tender plants are killed Days -3.9° to -2.2°C = Moderate freeze, widely destructive to most crops -4.4°C and colder = Severe freeze, heavy damage to most crops Frost Free Days/First & Last Frost Days How to Plan Around Frost Growing Degree Days Used to estimate growth & development of plants and insects during the growing season and is closely tied to temperature GDD = (Tmax + Tmin) / 2 – Tbase Calculated daily and accumulated as the season progresses Plant Hardiness Zone Illustrates what can grow in a particular zone Measured by the annual minimum temperature extreme Availability of Water Water is a key requirement for the growth of crops Agriculture is the biggest user of freshwater It is just as important to consider water runoff as it is to use the water for irrigation purposes Water sources can be from rivers, reservoirs, lakes and groundwater Rain and proper drainage places less need for utilizing watering techniques What did we learn? Identify the major fruit and vegetable crops grown in Canada, and where are they grown. Describe the soil and landscape requirements for fruit and vegetable crops Soil type Soil drainage Soil pH Slope Air drainage Discuss the important climate considerations for fruit and vegetable crops: Annual – growing degree days Frost free days Perennial crops Plant hardiness zones Availability of water Daylength