Berry production in Montana: varieties and markets Dr. Zach Miller-Assistant Professor & Director at MSU-Western Ag. Research Center, Dr. Mac Burgess, Dr. Heather Estrada, Bridgid Jarrett, Durc Setzer MT Berry Growers’ Workshop , April 2019 Outline •Western Agricultural Research Center (WARC) • History • Mission •Goals, opportunities, and challenges for commercial fruit production •Examples of what MSU-WARC does to help • Berry results • Also Apples, Grapes, and More MSU-Western ARC

•Corvallis, Montana •Excellent Growing Conditions • Zone 5a • >120 Frost Free Days • ~2000 Growing Degree Days •Irrigated: • 11 Inches of Precipitation/Year •Established in 1907 during a Bitterroot Apple Boom •Major production region • 10-15,000 ac • 750,000 trees Mission-Specialty Crops Goal Growing Fruit for Profit Opportunities: Challenges: •Growing demand •Marketing/Market access •High value per acre •High start-up and labor costs •Slow return on investment •Adapted cultivars •New and untested cultivars •Favorable climates •Variable climates •Steep learning curve- less forgiving, more risk than annual crops Growing Demand: Local Food (and Drinks) •Supporting local-grown and sustainable practices •Interest in eating healthy •#2 in microbreweries per capita Growing Demand: Agrotourism Synergizing the two largest segments of the states economy: •in 2016: •$4.3 billion in ag. production •$3.0 billion from tourism •12.4 million visitors

• MT economic development report 2017

http://aeromt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Agritourism-Manual.pdf Marketing/Market Access

•Business-Marketing as or more important than what/how you grow •Access to markets/consumers is your responsibility • Diversify: identify multiple markets/buyers • Explore value-added processing • Learn from peers/leaders Adapted varieties •Many new and old options • Often untested or being tested •Winter temperatures •Growing season length/heat •Frost during bloom •Neutral-Alkaline soils Cold hardy: Winter Low Temperatures Limited growing season Adapted to neutral-alkaline soils

blueberries MT Adapted varieties •Many new and old options • Often untested or being tested •Winter temperatures •Growing season length/heat •Frost during bloom •Neutral-Alkaline soils •Disease/pest resistance •Suitable for markets, labor (mechanical harvest) Montana-Grown Superfood Berries •Opportunity to capture growing market for Superfoods •Dark colored=antioxidant rich •Cold-Hardy Dark Fruit-Tolerate of Neutral to Alkaline Soils • Growing industry • Includes Dwarf sour cherries, Haskaps, Saskatoons, Currants, Aronia, Elderberry Antioxidant potential (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity)

16000

12000

8000 ORAC

4000

0 Aronia Elderberry Haskap Black Currant Blueberry Red Currant Saskatoon Fruit Type A Team Effort Montana-Grown Superfood Berries Approach/Methods •Evaluate •~50 varieties of 6 fruit types: • Dwarf Sour Cherries, Currants, Haskaps, Aronia, Saskatoons (serviceberries), and Elderberry •Across varying growing condition: Orchards in Corvallis, Kalispell (Organic), Helena, and Bozeman, Planted 2015 •Winter hardiness, pests, production, and flavor Aronia •Aronia (Photinia) melanocarpa •Commercial cultivars: • Half native to US • hybrid between mountain ash and black chokeberry •Pure native Aronia (black chokeberry) is not the same as commercial •Many commercial cultivars but not much difference •Very high in Tannins and Anthocyanin's- for processing/blending •Not preferred by birds •Evaluating Viking and McKenzie (and ornamental-Autumn Magic) Aronia

Berry size Sweetness Yield (Lbs./plant) (g) (⁰Brix)

Cultivar Yr2 Yr3 Yr4 FVCC WARC FVCC WARC

Viking 0.1 3.3 15.0 0.7 0.9 25.7 17.4

McKenzie 0.2 2.9 16.8 0.6 1.1 26.3 18.9

Autumn Magic 0.1 1.8 2.4 NA 0.6 NA 24.3 Saskatoons/Serviceberries •Amelanchier alnifolia •Native but commercial varieties are much better •>$20 million/year industry for Canada •Some varieties can be machine harvested with 2-3 harvests/season •Insect pest (Saskatoon sawfly-very damaging, difficult to manage) •Evaluating: Smoky, Martin, Northline, Lee 3, Lee 8, and JB30. Saskatoons/Serviceberries

Yields Yr4 Yr3 (lbs./plant) Appearance Texture Flavor JB30 0.2 1.4 d 3.2 b 2.5 b

Martin 0.4 3.4 c 3.6 ab 3.5 a

Lee3 0.6 4.2 c

Smoky 0.1 8.5 b 2.5 c <3 3.5 a

Lee8 0.5 11.5 a 3.6 ab 3.3 a

Northline 0.6 11.6 a 4.2 a 3.5 a

SCALE: 1=poor, 3=acceptable, 5=excellent Dwarf sour cherries •Prunus cerasus X fruiticosa •Developed by University of Saskatchewan •Short stature-easy to harvest by hand/machine •Great flavor/color •Productive: up to 30 lbs/plant •Evaluating Crimson Passion, Carmine Jewel, Romeo, and Juliet (also Lutowka Rose, Prunus cerasus) •Requires pest management Dwarf sour cherries

Fruit size Cultivar Yields (lbs.) (grams) Sweetness (⁰brix) Comments Carmine 18.0 A 3.2 C 14.8 C Very productive with smaller and more tart Jewel cherries 7.4 B 3.1 C 16.6 B Productive with smaller and sweet cherries Romeo†

Lutowka 6.6 BC 5.7 A 16.1 B Productive with the largest, most red, and Rose sweet cherries 2.4 C 4.3 B 17.4 A Lower production with large and sweetest Juliet† cherries Crimson 0 Very slow to bare fruit. This year total harvest= Passion 6 cherries off one plant in Kalispell

†plants one year younger Currants •Black (Ribes nigrum) and Red (R. rubrum) •Productive: ~10-20 lbs/plant •Popular in Europe, but less known in US •Evaluating 8 types of black and 3 reds • Blacks: Titania, Blackcomb, Stikine, Tofino, Nicola (M12), Cheakamus, Tahsis, and Whistler • Reds: Jonkeer van Tets, Rovada, HRON •Requires pest management (mostly aphids and cane borer) Currants Yields (lbs./plant) Species Variety Yr1 survival Yr2 Yr3 Yr4 Total Black Currant Whistler 100% 0.3 5.7 12 18 Black Currant Nicola (M12) 100% 0.3 6.0 10.8 17.1 Black Currant Tahsis 78% 0.2 5.4 10.9 16.5 Black Currant Stikine 67% 0.1 3.0 9.2 12.3 Black Currant Blackcomb 56% 0.1 4.1 7.0 11.2 Black Currant Cheakamus 33% 0.1 3.8 6.8 10.7 Black Currant Tofino 100% 0.1 2.6 6.0 8.8 Black Currant Titania 33% 0.1 2.2 5.0 7.2 Red Currant Jonkeer van Tets 100% 3.5 14 17.5 Red Currant Rovada 89% 1.1 7.7 8.8 Red Currant HRON 0% 0.1 1.3 1.4 Haskaps/Honeyberries •Edible Honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea) •Native to Boreal region, around the globe-Super Cold Hardy •Traditionally grown in Russia/Japan •Growing production in Canada/Europe •Very diverse: variable flavor/form •Need 2 matched varieties for pollination •Evaluating 15+ varieties: Aurora, Borealis, Boreal Blizzard, Boreal Beauty, Blue Corn, Blue Goose, Indigo Gem, Keiko, Kawai, Solo, Taka, Tana, Wild Treasure, and 3 lines from Oregon State. Haskaps/Honeyberries Variety Maturity Yield (lbs. per plant) Berry weight (grams) Sweetness (⁰Brix) Comments

85-19 Late 8.6a 1.3fg 16.7b Very productive, med-sized berries, sweeter than most other cultivars. Tana Late 7b 1.5de 13.8e Very productive –less sweet, holds larger berries tightly, some leaves remain on berries. Solo Late 5.6bc 1.3fg 15.8bc Productive-med-sized berries, some fruit drop Indigo Gem Early 4.8cd 1.1h 18.8a Large yields and berries. good flavor. Best of early maturing cultivars. Keiko Late 4.7cd 1.3fg 15.8bc Held tightly to fruit (more difficult to pick quickly but less fruit drop) Taka Late 4.6cd 1.5cd 14.8cde Productive, Fruit drop prior to full ripeness Borealis Mid 4.6cd 1.6c 15.5bcd Large berries, excellent flavor . Easy to shake harvest. Fruit drop prior to full ripeness, Kawai Late 4d 1.3fg 13.6e harvested early (at lower brix). 79-91 Late 3.7d 1.5cde 16.4b Moderately productive, med-sized berry, sweeter than most. Aurora Mid 3.7d 1.8b 15.6bcd Large berries, excellent flavor . Easy to shake harvest. Fruit drop prior to full ripeness, 41-75 Late 3.6d 1.2g 13.6e harvested early (at lower brix)

Wild Treasure Early 0.5e 0.9i 15.4bcd Low vigor and yields. soapy taste. Cold damage in 2018

Sugar Mnt. Blue Early 0.3e 1h 16.5b Low yields. Smaller, sweet berry. Cold damage in 2018 Blue Goose Early 0.3e 0.6j 14.2de Small berries-low vigor and yields, flowers hung onto fruit. Cold damage in 2018 Boreal Blizzard Late 0.2e 2a 14.2de Largest berries, plants 1 year younger than most other plants Blue Corn: removed from trials- small, medicinal tasting berries- replaced with Boreal Beauty Montana-Grown Superfood Berries Production Fruit type Uses Pest Management Recommended Varieties (lbs./ac) Dwarf Sour Fresh, Frozen, Must manage insects Carmine Jewel and others-NOT Cherry Processed Crimson Passion 11,000

Currants Processed Some insect issues Red: Jonkeer Van Tets 14,500 Black: M12, Whistler+ Haskaps Fresh, Frozen, Minimal Early- Indigo Gem Processed Mid-Aurora, Borealis 7,300 Late-Several Aronia Frozen, Some insect issues Commercial Varieties 10,000 Processed NOT ornamental Saskatoons Fresh, Frozen, Must manage insects Northline, Lee 8, Smoky Processed 10,400

Elderberry Processed Minimal Bob Gordon, Ranch, Adams 2,400 Fruits Work Well Together

June July August September Haskaps Saskatoons Sour cherries Currants Aronia Thank you-Questions?

http://agresearch.montana.edu/warc/research_current/ High value crops (>$5,000/ac)

Fruit Lbs./Plant Lbs./Acre

Haskaps 4-9 4,000-9,000

Aronia 10-15 12,000-15,000

Currants 5-10 4,500-9,000

Saskatoons 3-6 3,000-6,000

Dwarf Sour Cherries 10-20 7,000-14,000 Goal Growing Fruit for profit Opportunities: Challenges: •Growing demand •Marketing/Market access •High value per acre •High start-up and labor costs •Slow return on investment •Adapted cultivars •New and untested cultivars •Favorable climates •Variable climates •Steep learning curve- less forgiving, more risk than annual crops Ripening Fruit: Growing Degree Days Speed or Speed or Rate

Time Temperature