Remember those unseasonably warm days that we enjoyed at the end of this past winter?
Those days were so unusual, that a threat of “We’re going to pay for this” was a common topic of discussion.
Unfortunately, it’s payback time. Suspicions of those March days have come home to roost for fruit growers, home gardeners and consumers.
Reports are 80% of Ontario’s apple crop will fail this year as those fluctuating spring temperatures will likely wreak havoc on the harvest. The midsummer-like record-breaking heat caused blossoms to come on too fast. They were then plunged into regular April frosty nights. That extreme temperature swing wiped out much of the $60 million apple crop and 30% of Ontario’s $48 million tender fruit crop.
Trees do not consult a calendar to resume their growing season. They, like all other plants, rely on a change in atmospheric temperature to start the process. Obviously, those high temperatures “fooled” Mother Nature and most plants came out of dormancy when they should not have.
In a regular year, with a normal winter and spring, apples do not begin to blossom until later in May. It is this combination of warm spring days and “killer frosts” that have devastated the developing blossoms.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) reported “damage to crops by freezing temperatures will cause crop yield losses somewhere in Ontario every year. The effect that freezing temperatures have on crops will vary. In some cases it results in a total loss of the plant parts affected. For example, frozen apple blossoms will not produce fruit. In other instances, it will only result in a decline in yield or quality.”
This year many orchards have been hit hard. This is especially true for apples and some tender fruit grown in Niagara.
The reason why only certain varieties of fruit were affected is the time when the plant set its blossoms. Plums, McIntosh and Empire apples have been severely affected. Some varieties of peaches, sour cherries, pears and nectarines will be spotted or misshaped.
Varieties of grapes have not been in affected as they set their blossoms much later in the season.
“[It was the weekend of the April 28 – 29] … when temperatures got down to -7C, while things were out in full bloom and it pretty well wiped them out,” said Brian Gilroy, a Georgian Bay area apple grower.
According to OMAFRA the critical temperature range that results in damage to hardy fruit crops (apples) is -2 to -4C.
“It’s very widespread and the worst that anybody’s seen,” said Gilroy.
Generational farmers have reported that they have never heard of this happening before, to all fruit growing areas in Ontario, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York.
Gilroy, who is also the chairman of the Ontario Apple Growers, added, “There is widespread damage and we’re seeing some apple farmers with 100% loss, so they won’t have a crop at all this year.”
In a News release, he said, “Other farmers have varying degrees of damage, depending on their orchard location and region. But every apple grower is affected.”
With many of those farmers losing their entire crop, consumers will no doubt have to deal with a short supply this fall. Limited supplies always mean that prices will increase.
“This year … apple farmers can look forward to damaged and stunted fruit, low yields and substandard incomes. Meanwhile, they must continue to pay the standard, ongoing upkeep costs of their orchards,” said Gilroy.
According to the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers Marketing Board, some growers across Ontario have also lost entire orchards.
A limited supply of last year’s apples is still available. These apples have been kept in controlled atmosphere for storage.
This will allow apples to be available during the winter and into the summer months. They will retain their crispness and flavour. Once last year’s inventory has been depleted they will be a scarce commodity.
Ron Stevenson is a member of the Fergus Horticultural Society
