“In fairness, the weather conditions were much more favorable for
berry development this year than the last two. We did not have the
humidity and constant rainfall during fruit development.
Regardless, the row that was sprayed with TOPAS and PDS™ had a
noticeable advantage. The significant advantage I feel that this
product would have in a high pressure disease year is that it bonds
the chemicals to the surface and their effect is not lost with a
rainfall. The issue that all Saskatoon berry producers face is this
limitation of only three applications allowed. The work Dr. Quinn
Holslag has done with the predicting of harvest time is proving
to be a very useful tool. The addition of PDS™ to our spray applications
should make it possible to further reduce the amount of chemical
needed, and we all know how favorable that is.
There was not a great difference in the fruit quality because of
the favorable weather conditions, but the leaves remained green
and healthy and on the bush. This of course enables better development
for next years fruit bud development.
I believe this product has good potential in the fruit industry
in general. I certainly will be doing further trials with this product
in the future.”
