Blueberries are one of the province's new and emerging crops.
Thanks to a joint effort between industry and government, blueberry production in the province has gone from under a million pounds in the 1980s to over five million pounds this year. Within the next five years, total blueberry acreage is expected to grow to close to 12,000 acres.
However, the Prince Edward Island Wild Blueberry Grower's Association is determined to ensure that expansion does not come at the expense of the environment.
Group spokesman Leigh Jenkins said the province's 170-plus lowbush blueberry growers have been quick to embrace the concept of Integrated Pest Management -- a technique used in many facets of agriculture that focuses on the prevention of pests in crops rather than treating the cure with pesticides.
With funding help from the Prince Edward Island ADAPT Council, which administers funds from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada CARD Program, the association held a workshop earlier this year giving its members a chance to hear from a variety of experts in blueberry pest management. Jenkins said the hope is that all of the 75 growers that attended will put the techniques to use on their farms.
"Integrated Pest Management relies on the principle that a healthy soil produces a healthy crop that is better able to withstand pest pressure," said Rachael Cheverie, the Integrated Pest Management specialist with the Department of Agriculture and one of the speakers at the conference. "Farm management decisions should not be made independently since everything you do on a farm affects something else."
Cheverie said the key to the technique is understanding the lifestyle and behaviour patterns of the pest insects. Many growers are now hiring crop scouts to check such things as the populations of both the pest and the development of the crop.
Through such techniques as installing windbreaks and ditches and modification of planting dates, Cheverie said it is possible to make the ecosystem more favourable to crops and less favourable to insect pests.
To assist growers in watching for more weather-dependent diseases like Monilinia Blight, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry has established a pest information line. Chris Jordan, the department's berry crop development officer, said the information for the hotline is drawn from monitoring stations in Monticello, Bristol, Tignish and Mount Vernon and provides growers with an early warning system on the risk of disease.
By spraying at the most effective times, Jordan explained growers use less fungicides, resulting in a "win-win" situation for both the environment and the producer's bottom line. However, Jordan noted the line is meant to complement rather than replace the efforts of crop scouts.
The efforts of the association go hand in hand with two other recent developments aimed at helping the industry grow. A Blueberry Commodity Group has been established under the Natural Products Marketing Act, which will allow for the collection of a levy for research, development and promotion of the industry. As well, blueberries are now covered under the crop insurance program.
"All of these developments will enable our industry to move forward and expand in the future," Jenkins said.