This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Going for apples is still popular in Quebec. All you have to do is take Highway 640 on a beautiful autumn afternoon near Oka or Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, in the Basses-Laurentides, to be convinced! After all, the apple remains one of the most emblematic fruits of our region. The future of apple growing here nevertheless requires the adoption of sustainable practices, as well as the modernization of orchards, both large and small. A look at some of them.
If the 2024 harvest promises to be abundant in the province’s orchards, thanks to Mother Nature, Quebec apple growers do not intend to sit on their laurels. Among their biggest challenges? “Facing foreign competition,” responds the president of Quebec Apple Producers, Éric Rochon.
It’s a fact: despite the quality of the fruit grown here, supermarket shelves leave a lot of room for imported apples. One in two apples come from other countries, particularly the United States. “This is why all producers are gradually renewing their orchards with new varieties historically produced elsewhere, such as Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and Gala, sweet and crunchy, which are very popular and very fashionable at the moment”, lists -he.
This is the case of Vergers Hillspring, near the American border, which focuses in particular on Gala and Honeycrisp. In total, the place offers around ten pick-your-own varieties. “When we bought, our land had 75% McIntosh apple trees, which we partly cut down to introduce other, more popular ones,” explains one of the co-owners, Lyne Mckenzie.
Let lovers of McIntosh (by far the most common in Quebec with no less than 36% of the productive apple trees in the province), Cortland or Lobo rest assured all the same, since the objective is in no way to make these disappear. old cultivars. “The varieties we know will remain,” emphasizes Éric Rochon. But climate change is changing that. When I started in the field, 25 years ago, it was suicidal to plant Gala in Quebec because of the cold, whereas today, it’s a great risk to take. »
The environment at the forefront
Beyond local purchasing, more ecological production methods are also required in the orchards. “Canada imposes a lot of rules regarding pesticides,” recalls Éric Rochon, also the owner of Ferme Rochon et Frères, in Saint-Benoît de Mirabel. This is why, for at least ten years, the majority of producers have used the mating disruption method to combat codling moth. [insecte dont la larve se développe dans le fruit]a completely biological method based on synthetic pheromones. »
Others, like the Lacroix cider factory in Saint-Joseph-du-Lac or the Verger biologic de l’île Saint-Bernard, to give just these examples, have banned the distribution of plastic bags for pick-your-own purposes.
The modernization of orchards also includes a technological component. On the commercial plantation side, we are starting to explore high-density production methods such as fruit hedges, which make it possible to increase harvests tenfold without requiring larger land areas.
“To ensure the sustainability of our industry, we must produce differently,” believes Éric Rochon. In the 1970s, huge trees were planted and you had to wait up to 15 years to get a harvest. With the fruit hedge, we have apple trees that produce more quickly and we obtain a maximum of fruit per linear foot. »
Eco-responsible efforts
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