Apricots for Ontario?

Apricots have always been the "weak sister" of the tender fruit industry. Historically, there has not been enough fruit to market through chain stores and the cropping has been erratic due to spring frosts. Today, new cultivars developed from Harrow that show good tolerance to bacterial spot and also have superior colour with a deep red blush have given growers hope that apricots can gain some market share. As growers look for alternatives to peaches and grapes, apricots may offer the diversity.

Several new cultivars and selections were evaluated during the 2008 season at grower sites and the University of Guelph, Vineland Campus Vic Farm research station. The ratings are published in a second article in this newsletter.

Old cultivars like Veecot, Harcot and Goldcot, that were the standard cultivar for several years, has problems with bacterial spot, firmness, colour or size. Haroblush™, Harojoy™ and Harostar™ are the new kids on the block and offer growers a better choice than the last few decades. There are also other Vineland and Harrow selections that also might offer promise for the future.

The series of five fact sheets (Apricots, Cherries, Peaches/Nectarines, Plums and Pears are available at the OMAFRA resource centre at Vineland or on line at www.ontario.ca/crops. The fact sheets include more information on pollination, rootstocks and more cultivars of lesser importance. The tender fruit photo gallery is also available to view specific cultivars on the website.

Chain stores and consumers are always looking for new products and perhaps Ontario growers can consider apricot production to meet the consumer demands.

Haroblush™