B.C. farmers test game-changing cherries developed by federal lab

Sukhdeep Brar, who has cultivated cherries on his father's farm for decades, says recent years have been particularly demanding for orchardists.

"We heard from other farmers that [this year's yield] may be 50 per cent of what they usually expect," Brar said. 

While the Okanagan has long been renowned for its fruit production, increasingly extreme weather conditions are making it harder for farmers in the region as it deals with warmer weather and drought.

"We had a cold winter. We had extreme heat all of a sudden during blossom, which basically made the flowers go from open to gone within half a day, so the bees couldn't do the pollination work," said Brar.

"And there's still lasting effects from the heat dome [in summer 2021]."

However, these challenges have not deterred Brar from striving to cultivate premium cherries — including helping develop new varieties that can withstand the changing extremes in climate.

As part of that work, Brar is participating in the British Columbia Fruit Growers Association's (BCFGA) project, collaborating with a federally operated laboratory to develop more resilient cherries.

The Summerland Research and Development Centre (SRDC), established by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in 1936, has been cross-breeding cherry trees to create a resilient fruit that remains firm and resistant to splitting even in extreme temperatures and heavy rainfall.

Over the past decade, the SRDC has worked closely with the Summerland Varieties Corporation, a BCFGA subsidiary. The corporation assigns farmers in the region to test the cultivation of cherry seeds developed in the laboratory.

Extreme weather

The cherry industry in British Columbia contributes approximately $180 million annually to the provincial economy. 

However, the fruit is highly perishable, particularly with the effects of climate change.

In 2021, the scorching heat dome led to 70 per cent of cherry crops in the Okanagan being ruined.

But the area has also seen extreme cold, with fruit farmers in the Okanagan cautioning that orchards and vineyards affected by early winters with record-low temperatures could experience a yield decline of up to 50 per cent.

Excess rainfall has also been a problem: as the summer harvest approaches, some orchards are resorting to hiring helicopters to dissipate moisture caused by rainfall. This excess moisture can cause cherries to swell, leading to the delicate skin breaking or splitting and potentially ruining the fruit.

Amritpal Singh, a research scientist at the SRDC, reveals that over the past 15 years, his laboratory has been developing two cherry varieties, SPC-470 and SPC-411.

These varieties are notably firmer than their predecessors and less prone to splitting in the face of extreme rainfall and temperatures.

Singh explains that orchardists affiliated with the BCFGA are currently assessing the performance of these laboratory-developed varieties, but it will take years before farmers can cultivate them for market sale.

"From the day we make a crop to the day we are able to commercially regenerate it is two decades," he said.

But, he says, that long timeline doesn't dissuade him.

"We're do not do it for the money," he said. "It's for the general public good."