Biting into a fresh Ontario peach is one of summer’s greatest delights. While Ontarians are blessed to live in an area with abundant fresh fruit and veggies, it can be easy to forget the work that goes into getting the food into the stores.
Being able to have peaches for longer stretches in the summertime is thanks to plant breeders who spend decades breeding fruit suited to thrive in different parts of the summer.
While breeding flowering plants is a centuries-old practice, in Canada there is only one peach breeder left: University of Guelph professor Jay Subramanian. He’s been researching peaches for 23 years and works in Ontario’s fruit belt, at the Vineland Research & Innovation Centre in Niagara.
“I am the only peach breeder in Canada, and when I retire, I don’t expect this place, this position to be replaced,” said Subramanian.
This wasn’t always the situation in Canada. When Subramanian first began his journey as a fruit breeder in the country, there were ten to twelve others in the industry. Now that number has dwindled to be a small handful of individuals.
“Before I joined, there were two peach breeders. There was one here [Niagara Region] and one in Harrow at the AAFC program,” said Subramanian.
In the late 90s, Harrow discontinued their peach breeding program after the breeder retired. Shortly after, the Niagara Region breeder also retired.
“Because of the industry pressure at that time, the university and OMAFRA decided to continue the position, and so they hired me.”
One of the challenges with keeping peach research going is funding. Unlike massive global sectors like wheat or canola, Canada’s tender fruit industry is geographically localized and small, making it difficult to get the large funds needed for research.
“It’s a very small crop and a small industry, and so you don’t get a lot of money,” said Subramanian.
Over the years, there has been a shift in who funds the research. Government changes and cutbacks by bodies such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have shifted funding responsibility to private institutions, such as the University of Guelph.
Growing peaches also carries a high financial risk since varieties take decades to develop, and peach trees take years to mature.
Another challenge complicating peach breeding in Canada is Plum pox virus (PPV). While the virus doesn’t kill the tree, it severely impacts its yield and fruit quality.
Natural peaches lack resistance to the virus, and there is currently no cure, leaving peach trees vulnerable.
By Meg Deak, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Aug 20, 2026 at 13:15
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