045: J. Cline Ph.D. & D. Plotkowski | Pomology Cider Research, Canada

045: J. Cline Ph.D. & D. Plotkowski | Pomology Cider Research, Canada

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist September 7, 2016 Duration: 1:01:59

Dr. John Cline and Derek Plotkowski chat on the study of pomes, i.e., Pomology and their current research on cider apples. They are based at the University of Guelph in Ontario Canada.

Ep 45 Pomologist John Cline
John Cline

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pomology and Cider in Ontario

The Ontario Craft Cider Association approached Dr. Cline looking for access to cider varieties and to get an understanding of how they would grow in Canada.

Cline and Plotkowski, are researching the horticultural aspects of growing these cider varieties in Canada, such as;

  • How productive are they?
  • What might be the issues facing the cider apple trees selected?
  • How to they work with the root stock M9?
  • What are their disease and insect susceptibility?
  • How prone are they to winter injury in Canada?

Apples and Cider in Canada – Research

 The results of this research and starting data should begin to show preliminary information in 2017.

Says Dr. Cline, "In Canada apples are second to blueberries in terms of fruit crops. In terms of tree crops they are number 1"

Ep 045 Derek Plotkowski researcher
Derek Plotkowski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Derek is working towards his Ph. D. in pomology. He studied previously at Cornell University in New York State.

While in France, he took a "Terroir Management" course. Go to 43 minutes in to the start of this conversation.

"When you are taking about terroir you are talking about a very specific spot" – Derek

What is the difference between a young tree vs an older tree?

  • Between 1-4 years, the fruit is softer and apples do not store as well

The goal is to have trees  producing more fruits and yielding a higher crop load on the tree and consistent size.

The pomologist are studying, young trees grown in a high density orchard: They take leaf samples (mid July) to assess the nitrogen concentration in a plant.

What is the  nitrogen range for apple trees?

  • They are looking to find 2.2% nitrogen on a dry matter leaf.
  • If that is lower than 2.2, orchardist will work towards increasing the nitrogen for that tree.

Too much nitrogen lends to poor quality

Says Derek, "The cidermaker is taking care of the juice as a medium for yeast"

Contact info for Dr. Cline and Derek Plotkowski

Dr. John Cline

Derek Plotskowski

eMaildplotkow@uoguelph.ca

Derk's grad student profile: http://www.plant.uoguelph.ca/treefruit/teaching/grad/current.html

Mentions in this Cider Chat

Donate to Cider Chat! Help keep the chat thriving! via my Pateron page.


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
278: Still Fishing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:31
Gone Fishing Ok, so maybe I'm not full on fishing this week, but if I get a chance you know where I will be - out on the water with my fishing pole...actually the heat is so high this week that maybe I will just take a f…
277: Spotlight on Cider | Bringing the Bellies to the Bar Pt 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:13
Getting Cider into the Spotlight This episode is Part 4 of the 4 Part series from CraftCon 2021 panel discussion on Bringing the Bellies to the Bar. In Part 1 we discussed "Who is Cider's Audience?" and "Who would you li…
276: Tempted by Cider | Bringing the Bellies to the Bar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:59
Tempted by Cider This episode is Part 3 of the 4 Part series from CraftCon 2021 panel discussion on Bringing the Bellies to the Bar. In Part 1 we discussed "Who is Cider's Audience?" and "Who would you like the Audience…
275: Cider Brand Strategy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:19
Listen to Part 1 of this 4-part series by going to episode 274: Cider's Audience. Brand Strategy for Cider Brand Strategy has the same goal no matter what you are selling. In short it is to get your product or services o…
274: Cider's Audience | Bringing the Bellies to the Bar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:09
Who is your audience? No matter what business venture, knowing your audience (targeted consumers) is key to one's success and is the first topic of conversation for the panel discussion titled Bring the Bellies to the Ba…
273: The Mountain & Tub | Stories in Ciderville [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:59
Climb Every Mountain Wendy LeBlanc and Patrick Mann met in Washington State before moving to Germany to settle into the 1785 homestead owned by Patrick's parents. One would think that living near the 14,000 foot (4267.2…
272: Blend Cider & Build an Orchestra | Ask Ryan 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:36
Blend Cider is Like Building an Orchestra Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario has helped Ria sort through the process of getting cider that has been conditon for over two years into the bottle! Now that we have le…
271: The Exquisite Slurry for Bottling Cider | Ask Ryan 2021 Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:07
The Yeast and Sugar Slurry Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Ontario continue on with helping Ria get ready to bottle cider that has been conditioning for over 2 years! In this episode we discuss the amount of sugar to…
270: Cidermaker Tips to Avoid Bottle Bombs | Ask Ryan 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:20
Bottle Safely to Avoid Bottle Bombs If like me you grew up in a house where your parents made homemade everything, chances are they also dabbled in making homemade soda, wine, beer, and cider. Mine sure did and I still r…
269: Gross Lees in the Barrel | Ask Ryan 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:13
The Ask Ryan Series is back! In Spring of 2020 the first Ask Ryan series with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider was posted. This year we return with Ryan once again to dive into more cidermaking questions. In this segment…