TREE FRUITS

The tree fruit industry in Nova Scotia is predominantly apple production, with relatively small volumes of peach, pear, plum and sweet cherry production. The majority of apples are sold wholesale in Canada, with a growing export market for premium NS apples in the United States. The industry has continued the long-term trend of apple orchard renewal to high-density plantings that produce higher yields of quality fruit compared with traditional systems. The other major development is the replacement of processing varieties such as Gravenstein and McIntosh with plantings of new varieties including Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and ‘club’ varieties that are high-value in the fresh market. Nova Scotia has an excellent environment to grow premium-quality fruit, yet growers are faced with pest pressures including fire blight bacteria, apple scab and apple maggot that limit production. The adoption of the right tools and technologies is becoming increasingly important to industry competitiveness.