Aronia, Haskaps, and Saskatoons: The Potential is Not Unlimited

Mark Longstroth Small Fruit Extension Educator Michigan State University Extension Four Ps of Marketing

• Product • Placement • Price • Promotion

Don’t plant anything unless you know where you are going to sell it! Aronia, Haskaps, and Saskatoons New berry crops with potential to provide more income to berry and other fruit growers • Aronia or Chokeberry • Haskap or Honeyberry • Saskatoon or June berry, Service berry Native fruits, marketed primarily for health benefits. High levels of phenolics, flavonols and anthocyanins. • These berries do not have restrictive site requirements of blueberries. Aronia Aronia melanocarpa Chokeberry or Aronia grows wild in upper Midwest and is also used as a landscape shrub. Health benefits: Antioxidant, phenolics and anthocyanins (2,500- 3,500 mg/100g). Aronia Cultural Requirements

Vigorous grower. Adaptable to a wide variety of soil textures and pH. Less fertile soils help to keep plants in check. Self fruitful do not require cross pollination. Flowers reported to be tolerant to spring frost damage Aronia Culture Plastic mulch (shallow roots; don’t cultivate close). Plant 3 – 4 feet apart. Fruit can pull young plants down (3-4 yr.) Prune at 5-7 years old. Cut only biggest branches. Keep center open. Option to cut down entire plant every few years. Aronia Season Bloom early in May Apomictic! Fruit development from June to August June and July • Scout for insects and diseases Harvest • Brix of 18 to 20 Aronia Pests Insects: Aphids, Plant bugs, Japanese beetle. No direct fruit pests, SWD? Diseases: Fire blight, leaf spots, Brown rot, Rust similar to Cedar-apple rust. Weeds: Vigorous plants, they can crowd out weeds. Aronia Harvest

Yields up to 5 tons per acre. Mechanical harvesting. Mid Aug.- mid Sept. Comes after many other berry crops, so is a good crop to compliment other crops. Spread harvest labor or make use of harvester twice. Aronia Products Berries are frozen or processed into puree or juice. Cooking and sugar mask astringency. Harder to mask astringency with artificial sweeteners. • Tea • Syrup • Juice • Jam Marketing: Where to sell

Illinois buyer and promoter John Pilcher Coldbrook Farm, Inc. Crete, IL 60417-2145 Midwest Aronia Association 61817 650th St Atlantic, IA 50022 [email protected] Haskap Lonicera caerulea L. A perennial shrub native to , Japan and Russia Edible blue honey suckle, Honeyberry Requires cross pollination. Typical pollinizer ratio is one pollinizer for 8 of the main variety. Haskap Cultural Requirements

Prefers well drained soils pH 5.5 – 8 USDA zone 2 or above. Plant height 4-8 ft. In-Row spacing • 2.5 feet for a hedge, • 4 – 6 ft. for individual plants Row spacing 10 ft. Tolerates many soils. Haskap varieties The University of began breeding honeyberries (haskap) in 2002. Using lines from Russia and Japan, this program is producing superior. Royalty fees support ongoing research. Over 60 named Russian varieties. Haskap varieties Aurora Berry Blue Borealis Honey Bee Tundra Indigo Gem Indigo Treat Remember to plant at least 2 varieties Sugar Mountain Blue Svetlana Haskap growth Plants bloom at base of current seasons growth. Bloom is in April – May Insect pollinated Need at least 2 varieties for cross pollination. Fruit harvest is very early, around June strawberry harvest. Pruning: Remove older canes to open up bush. Pruning Haskaps • Fruit is produced on the growth year's growth. • Young, vigorous branches yield the highest quality fruit. • Remove large older canes which have lost their vigor. • Pruning should be done in late winter after severe cold weather before the plants start to grow. • Also remove of all weak, diseased, damaged and low branches. • Generally, major pruning is not required until the plants are 6 to 8 years old. Haskap harvest Generally hand harvest, some varieties may be suitable for machine harvest. Haskap pests Relatively few generalist insect pests. No direct pests. (SWD?)

Disease – powdery mildew

Birds like the fruit!

Gophers and mice can be a problem Powdery Mildew

Powdery Mildew on Japanese Honeysuckle Bird Protection Birds can eat a lot of fruit especially if you have the only fruit around. Some spray are effective as repellents, but they need to be applied early and often. Best protection is bird netting to keep the birds OFF! Haskap Potential Haskaps have real potential as fresh fruit into Farmers Markets or established U-pick Farms. Lack of special soil requirements means these fruit can be grown anywhere in the Midwest. Haskap Plant Sources

Honeyberry USA PO Box 512 Bagley, MN 56621

Hartmann’s Plant Company P.O. Box 100 Lacota, MI 49063-0100

Both have websites. Saskatoons

Amelanchier alnifolia (Nutt.) Family Rosaceae Fruit is a pome Related to the Eastern Juneberry or Serviceberry, A. canadensis An important Native American fruit Should this fruit be marketed as “Saskatoons” or “Juneberries” in the United States? Saskatoons are popular in parts of Canada

A. alnifolia is native to Canada and NW United States.

Known as Saskatoon serviceberry, Juneberry, Pacific serviceberry, western serviceberry, western shadberry, sugar pear, Indian pear. Developed as a commercial fruit by University of Saskatchewan to provide the provinces with a fruit crop that would survive extremely cold winters. Canadian Saskatoon Production

A commercial saskatoon industry has existed on the Canadian Prairie since the 70s Marketed as a Local Fruit and local fruit products.

Provence Acreage Production (tons) 1,500 140 Saskatchewan 763 121 229 46 Saskatoon Health Benefits High levels of phenolics, flavonols and anthocyanins Excellent source of manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, copper and carotene. Saskatoon berries are considered a better source of calcium than red meats, vegetables and cereals Saskatoons as a horticultural crop Michigan’s first commercial plantings in the early 2000’s • Over a dozen named varieties • Some A. stolonifera genetics Culture is similar to highbush blueberry Does not require acidic soils Likes well drained sites Saskatoons as a horticultural crop In the wild and cultivated plantings in Canada, they yield a average crop 7 out of 10 years, a bumper crop 1 in 10, and no crop 2 in 10 due to frost or freeze In Michigan they are very cold hardy, we have seen at least a half crop in very frosty springs that wiped out cherries and apples. Saskatoon culture • Extremely adaptable and grows under a wide range of environmental conditions. • The natural habitat for saskatoon is on sandy and other well drained soil. • A slight slope to provide for both air and water drainage is important. • Planting must be kept weed free and well watered the first few years or they will not grow. Saskatoon culture and fruit quality Plants begin to bear fruit when three to five years old. Plants produce significant yields at six to eight years. Yields average4,000 lbs. in Canada. Production is a long-term commitment. Plants can be hand harvested as well as by machine. Berries are firmer than blueberries (fleshy) and have a pleasant almond flavor. Ripen in late June and early July (about the same time as early sweet cherries). Saskatoon varieties • Smoky is recommended for production of good quality, medium-sized fruit. • Honeywood for large fruit of fair quality. • Other cultivars worthy of consideration are JB-30, Martin, Thiessen, and Northline • Be careful of plant produced from seed. Pruning Saskatoons • Fruit is produced on the previous year's growth and on older wood. • Young, vigorous branches yield the highest quality fruit. • Pruning should be done in early spring after severe cold weather is past before the plants start to grow. • Removal of all weak, diseased, damaged and low branches and thin the center growth to keep it open. • Generally, major pruning is not required until the plants are 6 to 8 years old. Saskatoon Pests • Saskatoon sawfly • Apple curculio • Plum curculio • Hawthorn weevil • Rose chafer • Japanese beetle • Saskatoon bud moth • Woolly elm aphids • Pear slug Saskatoon diseases • Entomosporium leaf & berry spot

• Saskatoon-juniper rust

• Brown fruit rot • Cytospora canker • Powdery mildew • Fire blight Michigan Saskatoon Production

• About 50 growers, many at “hobby” level • Less than 100 acres of bearing age plants • Many still learning the basics • Pest control is a challenge • Successfully marketing the crop • Fresh fruit at Farmers Markets • Saskatoon products Uses for Saskatoons • JAMS/JELLIES • SAUCES • WINES • ICE CREAM • PIE • PASTRIES • SYRUPS • IQF • DRIED Saskatoon Berry Institute of North America

• Formed in in northern Michigan in 2012 • Seeking grower members from any state • Vigorous agenda making progress • Building ties with MSU Extension Questions?