November 2019 - 10

QUEBEC
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
had 100,000 long-cane plants last
year and this year has 200,000, about
13 acres (5.26 hectares) of soilless
production. Already a nursery supplier
for strawberry plants, they now also sell
long-cane raspberry plants, mostly to
other growers in Quebec but also into
the U.S.
Polyculture Plante, also on the Îsle
d'Orléans, raises a wide variety of crops
including strawberries, raspberries,
vegetables, pumpkins and sweet corn,
and sells both retail and wholesale to
more than 50 stores. They started with
0.8 hectare of long-cane production last
year, and doubled that this year.
Tunnels help start harvest earlier
and extend production in fall and both
tunnels and substrate production help
with disease issues. Last year was the
last of their field grown raspberries -
they had phytophthora in field and rain
reduced shelf life.
Simon Plante, the grower at
Polyculture Plante, estimates that
tunnels increase yield by three - but
also cost by three. He said the best
way to improve the bottom line is by
increasing yield. Last year, he got 1.3
kilos/plant, and is aiming for 1.41.5
kilograms. He estimates payback
for the structure at 6-8 years at 1.4/
kilograms per plant. However, with the
variety Kwanza, he feels he might get
1.6-1.8 kilograms/plant - they have it
in the nursery and will try it next year.
These growers all continue to tweak
their systems. Most are switching from
using netting to contain the plants to
horizontal rows of twine, 8-10 inches
apart - it is much easier for pickers
to get at the berries. They are also
experimenting with different plastics
and tunnel designs.
Demers said that with their original
gutter-connected, Spanish-type tunnels,
they couldn't spray on both sides of the
rows because of the posts. Their most
recently erected tunnels, designed and
produced in Quebec, help solve this
problem. These rain-shelter tunnels
have the posts in line with the raspberry
plants, so they do double duty as trellis
posts and don't interfere with spraying.
The long-cane system gives growers
control of harvest time and a very
high-quality crop. At the same time,
the investment is large, with payback
on the structures running many years.
The technical aspects of substrate
production can be challenging,
requiring irrigation up to 15 times a
day and careful attention to fertility and
possible salt build-up in the substrate.
There is a lot of labor involved in
moving and managing all those pots.
It's not a system that just any grower
can adopt. Two things Quebec growers
have going for them is strong support for
Canadian-grown produce, which helps
Long-cane raspberry production at Ferme Oniséme Pouliot on the Îsle d'Orléans near
Quebec City, Canada.
them get premium prices, and a more
reliable and state-managed system for
foreign guest workers.
All of these growers are expanding their
production. They talk to each other and
share their experiences - they see that it
is beneficial for them all to work together,
and it helps their market develop to have
more growers and more production.
" I see plenty of opportunity to increase
over the next five years, just in Quebec,
replacing the imports, " said Plante. " People
are starting to know that raspberries
from Quebec are better tasting. We had
a revolution in strawberries 15-20 years
ago, now we are at the beginning of the
revolution in raspberries. "
In August, TunnelBerries, a five-year
USDA-funded project over many states,
brought a group of mostly Extension
Fruits of the labor.
people from the U.S. to see and hear
what Quebec growers are doing. Learn
more about the project and see its
extensive collection of resources at
www.tunnelberries.org.
Thank you also to Dubois
AgroInnovation, which organized the
tour. FGN
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10 | FruitGrowersNews.com

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November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2019