Prof. Jay Subramanian, from U of G’s Department of Plant Agriculture, was hailed as a peach of a hero to Ontario fruit growers in a story in the St. Catharines Standard .

Subramanian developed a new peach variety, called the Veeblush in the tender fruit breeding lab at the Vineland Research Station and introduced it into Niagara orchards three years ago.

Veeblush is a bigger, redder, and tastier peach, but Subramanian said what makes it special is that it’s s ready to harvest sooner than other varieties, which he said is critical for Ontario peach farmers.

If local growers can have fruit ready to ship early, they can get a jump on the imports and secure consumer loyalty.

“The demand in the industry is more peaches early because the early ones are the best ones from the public’s point of view,” Subramanian said.

Subramanian researches tender fruit breeding biotechnology, focusing on developing new varieties of peach, plum, nectarine and cherries to meet the Ontario fruit industry needs.