Orchard Outlook

Keith describes why digging for facts is better than jumping to conclusions – because replant disease acts in concert with adverse soil properties. Learn how to modify the soil in a replant situation and have your questions answered about soil fumigation.

Keith Fuller is a soil research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based out of Nova Scotia. He is a familiar face in our local apple industry, fascinated with soil, and currently involved in a project on replant disease.

Jon gets techy – in an approachable way – by explaining what tools are available to tree fruit growers. Make your smartphones smart by downloading tools for pest modeling, predicting fruit set, and pocket pathology.

Jon Clements is an Extension Educator for commercial tree fruit growers with the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Apart from the usual farm calls and meetings, he has an interest in computers that has helped him embrace decision-support tools.

Efficiency Nova Scotia folks share some powerful messages about energy efficiency including how you can save money and lower your operating costs.

Kraig Porter has been the Onsite Energy Manager in Agriculture for Efficiency Nova Scotia since 2012. His passion for environmentalism led him to study in the NSCC Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology program. Janet Tobin has a background in marketing and communications, and was drawn to Efficiency Nova Scotia because of its culture and broad-reaching impact to Nova Scotians.

Dr. Amritpal Singh is a research Scientist in tree fruit germplasm development, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and leads the apple and sweet cherry breeding program at the Summerland Research and Development Centre. He has a PhD from the University of Guelph, and was an assistant professor in the department of agricultural biotechnology at Anand Agricultural University in India for six years.

At a time when there are many new apple varieties to choose from, Dr. Amritpal Singh joins us to explain the science that makes it all possible.

Producer: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Website: www.perennia.ca

Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia @nstreefruit 

Connect with us on: Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia

Music: A Sunny Day by J. Tones

Logo Created by: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Email us at: [email protected]

Recorded by: Podcast Atlantic

Recorded and Edited by Michael Boyd

Scott  Anderson graduated as an Agricultural Engineer from the Technical University of Nova Scotia, specializing in Soil and Water Management. In the past he’s worked with the PEI Department of Agriculture as a water management specialist and also with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada as the Regional Water Resources Engineer for the Atlantic Region. He now manages large collaborative research projects at AAFC.

Scott Anderson joins us after a particularly wet spring to help us visualize how water behaves below-ground, and he describes how water can be managed using surface and subsurface drainage.

Producer: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Website: www.perennia.ca

Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia @nstreefruit 

Connect with us on: Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia

Music: A Sunny Day by J. Tones

Logo Created by: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Email us at: [email protected]

Recorded by: Podcast Atlantic

Recorded and Edited by Michael Boyd

Kristen Obeid is a recent recipient of the Excellence in Weed Science Extension Award from the Canadian Weed Science Society (CWSS). She joins us to explain the risks and rewards of weed control.  Kristen is OMAFRA’s Weed Management Specialist for Horticulture crops. She has a master’s degree in weed science from the University of Manitoba and an honors bachelor of science degree in agriculture from the University of Guelph.

Producer: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Website: www.perennia.ca

Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia @nstreefruit 

Connect with us on: Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia

Music: A Sunny Day by J. Tones

Logo Created by: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Email us at: [email protected]

Recorded by: Podcast Atlantic

Recorded and Edited by Michael Boyd

Bernardita Sallato joins us to talk about the tools and techniques used to monitor plant nutrition. Whether plants can absorb available nutrition is an interesting topic as we reflect on some unusual tree growth from early this season. 

Bernardita is a Regional Tree Fruit Extension Specialist at Washington State University, located in the middle of the Yakima valley – one of the most productive regions for apple and sweet cherry production. She is originally from Chile, where she obtained a degree in Horticulture and Plant Physiology, and now she has specialized in soils and plant nutrition.

Producer: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Website: www.perennia.ca

Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia @nstreefruit 

Connect with us on: Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia

Music: A Sunny Day by J. Tones

Logo Created by: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Email us at: [email protected]

Recorded by: Podcast Atlantic

Dr. John DeLong joins us to talk about how to measure fruit maturity at harvest using traditional and new methods. Thanks to postharvest physiologists like John, we can enjoy fresh apples long after harvest.  Dr. DeLong has been a research scientist with AAFC since 1996 after graduating from the Pennsylvania State University's Department of Horticulture. Over the last 23 years, his research has focused on harvest maturity and storage quality retention of apple fruit and regional wine grapes.

Producer: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Website: www.perennia.ca

Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia @nstreefruit 

Connect with us on: Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia

Music: A Sunny Day by J. Tones

Logo Created by: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.

Email us at: [email protected]

Recorded by: Podcast Atlantic

Recorded and Edited by Michael Boyd

Dr. Suzanne Blatt joins us to talk about apple maggot flies that lay their eggs in apple fruit. The maggots tunnel through apple flesh and can make a real mess that nobody wants to bite into.

Dr. Blatt is a research entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, located in Nova Scotia. Her research focuses on integrated pest management methods for a wide range of commodities including apple - and apple maggot management is of course a major concern.

Producer: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc. 

Website: www.perennia.ca 

Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia @nstreefruit 

Connect with us on: Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia 

Music: A Sunny Day by J. Tones 

Logo Created by: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc. 

Email us at: [email protected] 

Recorded by: Podcast Atlantic 

Recorded and Edited by Michael Boyd 

In today’s episode, we talk about the bacteria Erwinia amylovora that creates a scorched appearance on infected apple trees, accurately termed fire blight. 

Producer: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc. 

Host:  MICHELLE CORTENS, M.Sc., Tree Fruit Specialist
 [email protected]a Michelle is the Tree Fruit Specialist for Perennia Food & Agriculture Inc. and she performs farm extension activities for the province of Nova Scotia. She has a Master of Science through her research on apple trees and is a certified Professional Agrologist. Michelle has been awarded for her achievements in community involvement and leadership.

Guest:  Dr. George Sundin is a Professor of Plant Pathology and runs the Tree Fruit Pathology Lab at Michigan State University. He performs extension and research in tree fruit disease control including management of fire blight, fungicide resistance, and the evaluation of new bactericides and fungicides.  

Website: www.perennia.ca 

Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia @nstreefruit

Connect with us on: Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia 

Music: A Sunny Day by J. Tones 

Logo Created by: Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc. 

Email us at: [email protected] 

Recorded by: Podcast Atlantic 

Recorded and Edited by: Michael Boyd