Results promising for Canadian growers to use bush, trellis training systems. | 9
North shore royalty
Just the second time in 61 years Grape King has come from outside Niagara. | 12
Fresh and new
Research bringing new table grapes. | 14
November/December 2016
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Smaller sweet cherry trees
showing promise for Canadian growers to use novel bush and trellis training systems. | 9
See page 9. Contributed photo
This year marks just the second time in 61 years a Grape King has come from a vineyard outside of the Niagara area BY
JIM MEYERS
TREENA HEIN
CATHY BARTOLIC
Dr. Suzanne Blatt studying fruit tree growth.
Wacky, weird and wild
Have you ever noticed how everything old suddenly becomes new again?
I used to think I was part of the cutting edge back in my teen years. Black clothing, black nail polish, black hats, black elbow-length gloves – I dressed and looked like a professional mourner. And my music? Alternative British all the way, baby. I was the anti-thesis of mainstream, doing my damnedest to stick out like a black cloud in a pastel shaded sky.
Guess what? According to my daughter, that “alternative” edgy music is trendy today. All the kids know the words to songs by the Cure and Depeche Mode.
Sigh – so much for being an original.
As life goes, so too does the fruit and vegetable industry. Case in point – the pawpaw. The what? The pawpaw, a large shrub or small tree that is native to the mid-eastern area of North America from southern Ontario to northern Florida and from New York to Nebraska. It’s typically found in the understory of established forests and likes well-drained, fertile soil. Its fruit is a large yellowish-green “berry” up to six inches long and three inches wide containing large dark brown or black seeds. The fruit matures in September/October with a soft, custard-like flesh and, according to the Toronto Star’s gardening columnist Sonia Day, tastes like a cross between banana and mango.
Day recently penned an article about the forgotten tree, considered the largest edible fruit indigenous to the U.S. and southern Ontario. She highlighted a project in Essex County aimed at raising awareness of the fruit, Project Pawpaw, being operated through the Naturalized Habitat Network of
Essex County and Windsor. A quick visit to the organization’s website [naturalizedhabitat.org] shows they offer pawpaw grower training seminars, “a 2.5 hour training session designed for those who are interested in growing the native Pawpaw tree as a sustainable food crop.”
They also sell a pawpaw grower’s manual.
Since researching the fruit – a favourite of George Washington when served chilled – I’ve discovered everyone is jumping on the pawpaw bandwagon. The topic has proved so popular, Day penned a second article about the plant describing the feedback she received from pawpaw enthusiasts growing it in their backyards. Articles about pawpaw have also been printed in Michigan and West Virginia as people rediscover “America’s forgotten fruit.” Commercial production is also being tried in Ohio and Kentucky.
Does pawpaw have the potential to become the next big thing in the local food movement?
Possibly. But there will be some big hurdles to overcome before reaching any kind of meaningful production level. The plant is a habitually difficult pollinator, resulting in poor fruiting. Crosspollination of at least two different genetic varieties is recommended and many growers hand pollinate or use attractants [fish emulsion, raw meat] to convince pollinators to visit the plant’s flowers. The fruit is also difficult to store, fermenting not long after being picked. Only frozen fruit seems to ship or store well.
And is commercial production the way to progress with pawpaw?
We’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for this interesting fruit.
Ont. supporting fruit wine, cider in farmers’ markets
Ontario is making it easier for craft cider and fruit wine producers to grow their businesses by supporting retail sales at farmers’ markets across the province.
The Ontario government reported it is expanding access responsibly and plans to continue ensuring alcohol sales are conducted in a socially responsible manner. The province is also currently developing a comprehensive alcohol policy to support the safe consumption of alcohol.
There are now approximately 60 businesses that produce cider and fruit wine in Ontario. To date, 250 farmers’ markets and 99 wineries, including 14
fruit wineries, have participated in the Wine and Cider at Farmers’ Markets program, with sales of $3.7 million.
According to a government release, opening farmers’ markets to fruit wine and cider sales has provided more opportunities for Ontarians to purchase and enjoy locally-crafted products and has helped grow the local economy in communities across Ontario.
Currently 60 grocery stores across the province are authorized to sell beer and cider. As of Oct. 28, up to 70 more grocery stores are authorized to sell wine, beer and cider.
BERRY GROWERS SEEK NEW ORGANIZATION
Ontario’s two berry grower organizations are proposing to join forces and create one new organization.
The Ontario Berry Growers’ Association and the Ontario Highbush Blueberry Growers’ Association have received agreement from the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission (OFPMC) for conducting an expression of opinion vote among all eligible growers of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries in Ontario. Berry Growers of Ontario is the new name proposed.
The new organization is not seeking any authorities related to pricing or control of supply. It will be directing its efforts towards marketing and promotion, research and grower advocacy.
The proposed board of directors of nine will be comprised of three growers of each of the three crops.
If growers vote in support of the proposal and subsequently the establishment of a new board is supported by the OFPMC and ultimately the Ontario Government, one of the key differences
between Berry Growers of Ontario and the two existing organizations is that membership in the new organization will be mandatory rather than voluntary. Mandatory membership means that every grower of two or more acres of any combination of the three crops will be required to pay membership fees each year based on the number of bearing acres in production. This structure provides a fair and transparent way to fund the activities of the organization.
The OFPMC expects to conduct the vote this
fall. Producers must be entered in the OFPMC’s database in order to receive a mailed ballot. Growers that do not currently belong to one of the two existing organizations need to inform the FPMC analyst, Laurinda Lang, right away so that they receive a ballot. Laurinda can be reached during business hours by calling (519) 826-3242.
More information is available in the growers and members section of the OBGA website at http://ontarioberries. com/site/growers-andmembers.html.
produces 89 PER CENT of Canada’s sweet cherries
Fungi lends helping hand to potatoes
Life can be difficult for a potato plant when the soil is thirsting for water and nutrients – unless the plant is given a helping hand from a certain group of fungi.
The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) live symbiotically with plant roots. Previous studies at Aarhus University have shown that the fungi can improve growth and yield in wheat that is stressed by drought.
In the course of her PhD studies, Caixia Liu from the department of agroecology at Aarhus University, investigated if the same was the case for potatoes that are stressed due to a deficiency of phosphorous and water. Potatoes are quite sensitive to drought and phosphorous deficiency because of their relatively small root system.
Liu carried out a series of trials with various combinations of irrigation (either full irrigation or alternating partial root zone drying), phosphorous fertilization (none or 0.11 mg P/g soil) and inoculation with AM fungi (inoculation or no inoculation). She found that minimal irrigation reduced the potatoes’ uptake of nitrogen and phosphorous and reduced yield.
This is where the AM fungi come to the rescue. Liu found that inoculating potatoes stressed due to a scarcity of water and nutrients with AM fungi cancelled out the negative effect. That was not all. In potatoes that were not stressed by drought or nutrient deficiency there was also a bonus.
The fungi increase the potato plants’ root system and thereby the plants’ possibilities for absorbing water and nutrients. The potato plants reciprocate by providing a higher yield of potatoes besides which the farmer can save water and nutrients, says Liu.
Intelligent cultivator removes weeds in broccoli, lettuce
The performance of the Robovator (F. Poulsen Engineering ApS, Denmark), a commercial robotic intrarow cultivator, was evaluated in direct-seeded broccoli and transplanted lettuce during 2014 and 2015 in Salinas, CA, and Yuma, AZ. The main objective was to evaluate the crop stand after cultivation, crop yield, and weed control efficacy of the Robovator compared with a standard cultivator. A second objective was to compare hand-weeding time after cultivation within a complete integrated weed management system. Herbicides were included as a component of the system. The Robovator did not
reduce crop stand or marketable yield compared with the standard cultivator. The Robovator removed 18 to 41 per cent more weeds at moderate to high weed densities and reduced hand-weeding times by 20 to 45 per cent compared with the standard cultivator. At low weed densities, there was little difference between the cultivators in terms of weed control and hand-weeding times. The lower hand-weeding time with the Robovator treatments suggest that robotic intrarow cultivators can reduce dependency on hand-weeding compared with standard cultivators.
Experiments show spray drift can injure wine grapes
A greenhouse experiment featured in a recent issue of the journal Weed Technology shows that herbicide spray drift from 2,4-D and dicamba can severely damage wine grapes planted near agronomic crops.
As glyphosate-resistant weeds emerge in corn and other crops, 2,4-D and dicamba are being increasingly used to treat weeds that escape control. Grape growers are concerned that increased use of 2,4-D and dicamba will result in crop losses from spray drift.
To determine if their concerns were warranted, researchers from Ohio State University conducted greenhouse experiments to simulate the impact of 2,4-D, dicamba and glyphosate spray drift on five wine grape cultivars.
Plants were evaluated at one week, 42 days and 357 days after treatment.
“We determined that spray drift from
VRIC to develop new apple, tomato varieties
2,4-D and dicamba can severely injure each of the five grape varieties in our study, with those injuries increasing with greater exposure,” said Mohsen Mohseni-Moghadam of Ohio State University. “Simulated drift from glyphosate alone, though, produced only slight vine injury.”
Full text of the article is now available in Weed Technology Vol. 30, Issue 3, July-September, 2016.
The Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is receiving a $920,000 investment from the federal government to develop new disease-resistant apple and greenhouse tomato varieties that will contribute to the longterm growth and profitability of these two sectors.
The projects announced recently help achieve the federal government’s goal of strengthening the Canadian agricultural sector through key investments in discovery science and innovation.
“With this investment, our apple and tomato growers are benefiting from research on disease-resistant varieties,” said Jim Brandle, CEO of VRIC. “Our goal is always to increase industry competitiveness while meeting consumer preferences for locally-grown crops.”
These projects build on work carried out by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists, who will continue to play a crucial role in developing new breeding lines.
Smaller sweet cherry trees
Long-term study results showing promise for Canadian growers to use novel bush and trellis training systems
BY TREENA HEIN
Bigger may not be better for sweet cherry trees.
“One of the largest costs to a producer is getting the crop harvested from the trees,” says Dr. Suzanne Blatt, a scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Kentville, Nova Scotia. “Climbing up and down ladders takes time and care to ensure the workers are safe and the trees are not damaged in the harvesting process. A shorter tree with fruit that is easily accessible from the ground means faster harvest, better tree care and less risks for harvesters.”
Blatt (at AAFC in Kentville since 2011) and Dr. Denise Neilsen (at AAFC in Summerland, B.C., since 1992) are part of an international team studying fruit tree growth, development and production. Instead of conventional cherry trees, up to four metres in height in B.C. and seven metres high in Nova Scotia, the team is looking at production of trees under three metres high that can be re-shaped on a trellis system into easy-to-
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pick bushes or trees with thin upright branches. Each planting in the international study was produced at the same nursery and distributed to participating sites in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico in 2010. Blatt says trees in B.C., Nova Scotia and Michigan began producing fruit in 2012.
The cherry tree variety scion being experimented on is Skeena, which is late-maturing compared with traditional cherry cultivars such as Bing. Skeena was chosen, Neilsen says, because it is a popular cultivar worldwide, but notes that other cultivars grown at AAFC Summerland would have been suitable, such as early-fruiting Santina and Cristalina, or Lapins and Sweetheart, which mature in mid-late July in the Summerland area. Sentennial and Staccato (mature late July to midAugust in that region) were another option, as well as Suite Note (a newly-released cultivar that matures in between these groups, around the time of Bing).
Dr. Suzanne Blatt, a scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Kentville, NS, is part of an international team studying fruit tree growth, development and production. Contributed photo
On the Skeena scions, three different dwarf rootstocks and three different training systems are being tried.
“The rootstocks all have different levels of vigor,” Blatt explains. “Gisela 3 is the least vigorous, Gisela 5 is moderate and Gisela 6 is the most vigorous.”
The training systems being compared are conventional/standard tree (known as Tall Spindle Axe or TSA), a shorter bushlike tree style called Kym-Green Bush (KGB), and a very novel Upright Fruiting Offshoots (UFO) system.
With UFO, the main stem is planted at about a 45-degree angle so that it’s horizontal and about 30 cm above the ground. It must be trained to a trellis for support.
“This orientation of the main stem encourages the tree to produce ‘side’ branches that shoot straight into the air, which creates a wall of fruit-bearing limbs,” says Blatt. “The ‘side’ shoots are of similar size and length to the main stem, so there’s easy access to the cherries and also a very thin canopy which can allow
for better penetration of spray products.”
The UFO was developed by Dr. Matt Whiting at Washington State University. In a Pacific Northwest Extension Publication called ‘Cherry Training Systems,’ Whiting and his colleagues L. Long, G. Lang, and S. Musacchi state: “Establishing the UFO system is straightforward with little to no pruning required at planting…Unheaded and unbranched (whip) nursery trees are recommended.”
So far, Blatt has found that the small KPG bush or re-shaped UFO trellised trees don’t produce as many cherries as conventional trees in Nova Scotia. However, she says the cost savings with harvest may make up the difference, with the price of the fruit in any given year being a major factor.
“We’ve found that in Nova Scotia, after the first five years, the TSA still produce the most fruit (approximately 4 kg/tree) while the KGB produces approximately 2.5 kg/tree and the UFO approximately 1.5 kg/tree,” she says. “With respect to harvest, using ladders to reach the tops of the TSA to pick the whole tree clean takes approximately 45 minutes compared with the KBG system which takes approximately 20 minutes and the UFO, which is about 13 minutes.”
In British Columbia, the story has been very different. Neilsen found that after the first five years, the UFO and KGB systems
were most productive, averaging about 9 kg of cherries per tree compared to conventional TSA at about 8 kg.
“Gisela 5 and Gisela 6 rootstocks have averaged about 9kg/tree and Gisela 3 about 7.5 kg/tree,” she says. “Gisela 3 has the potential for higher density planting than Gisela 5 and 6, which could offset the lower production per tree.”
All training systems and rootstocks produced large, high-quality fruit up to 14 g (33mm) in size. However, Neilsen says the size can decrease if the number of fruit per tree becomes too high. (In Nova Scotia, the fruit is smaller, averaging 7.5 to 8 g and 24 to 25 mm, but with what Blatt describes as “good colour and lovely taste.”) Neilsen does not have any data about harvesting time comparisons for these tree systems.
Neilsen was not really surprised at the results, as she says “these systems have been proven in other regions,” for example Bing with UFO in the U.S., and Lapins, Skeena and Sweetheart with KGB in Australia.
“Climate and soil type would be the two biggest factors,” Blatt notes. “We are wetter and less warm than the Okanagan. While we do have higher instances of disease in NS compared with BC, these haven’t had as much influence on the results as the climate.”
Indeed, Blatt says cherries in Nova Scotia are a small industry largely because
LEFT
So far, researchers have found that the small bush or re-shaped trellised trees don’t produce as many cherries as conventional trees in Nova Scotia but the cost savings with harvest may make up the difference. Contributed photo
of the climate.
“For that reason, more vigorous rootstocks tend to fare better simply because they are hearty and able to withstand the varying conditions,” she explains. “The trees took a while to get established and start producing, but are performing quite well.”
Measurements on these trees will continue to be made until at least 2020. At this point, Neilsen is comfortable saying that KBG and UFO systems are both feasible in Canada. They may do well in Ontario, because she says they are “doing very well in Michigan, which has similar climate to Ontario.”
Agriculture is our way of life too
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Graham Bolton FCC Senior Relationship Manager
North shore royalty
This year marks just the second time in 61 years a Grape King has come from a vineyard outside of the Niagara area.
BY JIM MEYERS
Jamie Quai is very much a hands-on guy and the blue-purple stains around the cuticles of his fingernails can attest to that.
Just the day before being installed as Ontario’s 61st Grape King, he’d been cleaning up after pressing Concord grapes at the family winery where he is co-proprietor, vigneron (French for grape grower) and winemaker. And while he was scrubbed up and wearing his new Grape King blazer for the event, it’s almost impossible to remove the telltale stain of the grape variety that’s better known as a juice grape than for making wine.
That was at the end of September. In midmonth, he had been named Grape King at a luncheon in St. Catharines, Ont. to launch the Niagara Wine Festival. A second crowning ceremony was held at his 22-acre vineyard, Quai du Vin Estate Winery (roughly translated as “dock” or “port” of wine) near the north shore of Lake Erie, some 30 kilometres south of London Ont.
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Winters can be long and cold and that means the soil stays colder longer – some seven to 10 days longer than in Niagara, Jamie said. That puts blossom time outside the dangerous frost period, a question he fielded when asked by a panel of three academic judges why he didn’t have wind machines, like growers in other areas, to ward off a late spring frost.
“The heavy clay soil presents it’s own challenges.”
While growers in other areas may have no cover crop between the rows of grapes, or only between alternate rows, Jamie has a permanent grass cover crop that competes for nutrients with the grapes.
“Excessive (leaf) growth is as bad as too little,” he said.
Another thing the judges had to consider is his donation of trial plots for Ontario ministry of agriculture and food research.
“The doors are always open. We’re the
2016 Ontario Grape King Jamie Quai, kneeling in his vineyard, considers himself a hands-on grower and winemaker.
benefactors of someone else’s (research) contribution to the industry and like to move that forward.”
From the front window of the winery, he points across the road to a large neighbouring cornfield.
“My grandfather waited to buy this land and made growing grapes and making wine his retirement project,” he said. “He knew grapes could only be grown on the ridge we are on, and that it was suitable for more than gravel pits.”
The top line of that ridge can barely be seen from the back of the winery – which fittingly is on Fruit Ridge Line – past rows of blue Concord and white Niagara grapes and other varieties associated with making sparking wines (Aurore, New York Muscat). There’s also hardy red wine Baco Noir and Marechal Foch which are French hybrid varieties, and red Merlot, as well as harder to grow Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris white vinifera varieties. As well, he grows Ehrenfelser, a German white grape variety that’s a cross between Riesling and Silvaner. It’s not grown extensively in Ontario, but is widely grown in the Okanagan winegrowing region of B.C.
Redi Quai and wife, Louisa, came to Canada in the early 1950s and for 15 years he worked as a subcontractor pouring cement basements for new homes and buying and selling houses on the real estate market.
“He was flipping houses before it became a TV show,” Jamie said.
Redi began growing grapes in 1972, and before he died in 2011, saw his dream of a family winery take root.
In 1990, Jamie’s parents – Roberto and Lisa – opened the winery and it’s being passed on to Jamie, 34, and wife, Kim – a
school teacher – and quite possibly their two sons, Gavin, 4, and Nicklaas, eight months.
The Quai family name (pronounced Kwai, like the movie Bridge on the River Kwai) is of French derivation. His greatuncle believed retreating soldiers, or deserters in Napoleon’s army, may have settled in the area of northeast Italy where Redi came from. It’s at the geographic crossroads of France, Germany and Italy, “but shaded more into Germany,” Jamie said.
“More sauerkraut and bratwurst than croissants or pizza,” he quipped.
Jamie studied wine making at Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) in St. Catharines, Ont., and gained hands-on experience working in large and small wineries in Niagara over three harvest years. At CCOVI, he taught the engineering side of winery operations as the instructor for the OEVI 3PP21 course from 2007 to 2016.
In layman’s terms, the course code means learning how to use pumps, cooling systems, stainless steel tanks, equipment for crushing, de-stemming, and wastewater drainage and storage.
”It’s where the scientific meets the practical (application),” he said.
The Grape King is selected from a handful of growers who are nominated each year by some 500 fellow growers. Except for Jamie Quai and Sal D’Angelo (1999) from Essex County, the king or queen has always been from Niagara. So much so that it’s become an informal competition between growers in Niagara-on-the-Lake and growers in St. Catharines (and Louth), the towns of Lincoln, West Lincoln, Hamilton, and Wellington County.
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A variety of consumer tastes in gardening breeding for desirable plant characteristics
BY TREENA HEIN
“Vineland is scouting the world for new fresh grape varieties suited to the Canadian climate with consumer appeal.”
That’s the summary of an exciting research project currently underway at the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland, Ont.
Funding and other support for this project is being provided through the AgriInnovation program (under the federal Growing Forward 2 funding framework), Ontario Tender Fruit Growers (OTFG), Ontario Fresh Grape Growers (OFGG), Vinetech Canada (a private firm based in Niagara-on-the-Lake that provides grapevines and support services) and the University of Guelph.
“The goal is to replace a certain percentage of the imports, to extend the season for local fruit and provide different flavours produced locally for consumers,” says study lead Michael Kauzlaric, technology scout and grower outreach at Vineland.
The study began in 2014, when Vineland imported six seedless grape cultivars – three green
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and three blue – from a U.S. breeding program for testing with a goal of commercial release starting in 2018. In addition, five other selections were tested after being in quarantine to check for viruses.
This project provides a unique opportunity for the Ontario table grape industry to diversify and reach new consumers with Ontario seedless grape varieties that replace imports, says Sarah Marshall, manager of the OTFG and OFFG.
“Coronation is the main grape we grow now,” she explains. “It has a tart, sweet flavour, a very unique profile, and kids don’t generally like it. So we’re looking for a lunch box seedless grape that we feel we could grow in Ontario. With it, we’d be able to get some of that shelf space in stores every fall.”
With the research project still in its infancy, Kauzlaric could only comment on the entire test block.
“I don’t have enough info to break it down per variety,” he explains, “with 2016 being the first year of fruit observation. [The test block]
Vineland is scouting the world for new fresh grape varieties suited to the Canadian climate with consumer appeal. Contributed photo
showed good signs that all varieties had a satisfactory amount of fruit in their third growing season.”
In addition, all six selections ripened after the industry standards Sovereign Coronation and Himrods, the two varieties used as references.
In terms of fruit, Kauzlaric says each variety provided grapes with several different characteristics such as crunchy, slightly tart/sweet, muscat-flavoured, and even different fruit shapes that he hopes will “provide an excellent eating experience for consumers.” The structure of grape clusters is also being observed in this study, with one main goal of breeders being to develop bunches the shape of the African continent.
Some members of industry, including retailers, have tasted the varieties and all had different comments on each. Kauzlaric says these stakeholders are interested to see how the 2017 fruit will turn out. Some of the harvest was placed in cold storage to see how it will hold up. Further taste and quality sampling will occur in the coming months.
Marshall notes that if samples had been brought from the U.S. for taste tests before these trials took place here in Canada, it would not have provided any meaningful information.
“There’s a totally different flavour depending on where grapes are grown, and we also had to see if certain varieties could even grow here,” she explains.
In terms of the five other selections that were held in quarantine to check for viruses, Kauzlaric says the virus cleaning process moved ahead faster than anticipated.
“Three of the five selections are slated for release in 2017 and through discussions with the Ontario Fresh Grape Growers, the other two selections will go ahead for future virus testing in order to ensure clean plant material is provided to the Canadian industry and to get started on the right foot. The variety owner has provided fruit samples and Vineland has shared them with industry and retailers to garner feedback. The response has been very positive as new flavours and colours are found in these five varieties.”
He adds that the varieties contain some Labrusca parentage in their genes, which helps them tolerate Canada’s cold.
Kauzlaric says everything is on track for an anticipated commercial release of the six seedless varieties in 2018, but it may be possible in 2017.
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Vineland is scouting the world for new fresh grape varieties suited to the Canadian climate with consumer appeal. Contributed photo
“We will find out later as Vineland meets with the OFGG this coming winter to review the 2016 results,” he says.
It’s hoped by 2020 some initial commercial plantings will occur of the five other varieties.
In 2017, the goals for this project include having the plants survive the 2016/2017 winter and providing the best scenarios possible for the grapevines to
continue to grow.
“Over the winter, we will also evaluate the cold tolerance of buds in a freezer,” Kauzlaric says. “From what was learned in 2016 and through feedback from the OFGG, we’ll employ different commercial cultural practices in an attempt to grow a successful crop in 2017 and also provide fruit samples to interested growers across Canada.”
Innovation is a lot like family: It’s all about the future.
Bestway UTV sprayer
Bestway Inc. recently introduced a line of UTV skid-mounted sprayers designed for rugged use by farmers. The new sprayers are offered in 40, 60 and 100 gallon tank sizes, with a choice of a 5.3 gpm 12 volt electric pump or 3 horsepower Honda gas engine models with a Hypro roller pump. A handgun for spot spraying with 25 feet of hose is standard equipment, with a hose reel and 50 ft. of hose optional. Boom mounting systems include a skid mount that allows spraying with the tailgate closed on most UTVs, as well as a receiver mount that utilizes the UTV’s receiver hitch to mount the boom securely. BestwaySalesLLC.com
Kioti PX Series
Kioti Tractor is expanding its PX tractor series with the launch of three new models: PX9530PC, PX1053PC and PX1153PC. They offer operators more gross engine power than previous models and are outfitted with a synchronized power shuttle transmission. The new models also offer a lift capacity of more than 8,000-pounds and deliver PTO speeds ranging from 79.1 horsepower to 92.2 horsepower. The enhanced PX Series models come standard with dual remote hydraulic valves to accommodate a wide variety of attachments and implements. kioti.com
The Stihl SR 430 gasoline-powered liquid-only backpack sprayer delivers a large spraying range, reducing the time it takes users to treat large areas. Its high performance pressure pump provides a constant flow of product with no loss of pressure, regardless of the spray angle. While the engine is running, the pump also continuously mixes and agitates the tank contents, delivering a more consistent application of product. The sprayer is also comfortable to wear, featuring an antivibration system, soft rubber grips and optional chest and hip belt accessory to evenly distribute weight. stihlusa.com
