Jay Subramanian, a professor at the University of Guelph, says peach trees in Ontario's Niagara region may be severely impacted by recent historic flooding, which could lead to significant losses for the fruit industry. The professor estimates that up to 40% of peach trees may die due to waterlogged roots, and it may take weeks or months for the full extent of the damage to become clear. The flooding has also affected grape vines in the region, with one winery estimating a $250,000 loss in revenue. Subramanian notes that climate change is also causing peaches to ripen earlier, leading to smaller and less flavorful fruit.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Peach trees in Ontario's Niagara region under threat due to recent historic flooding
Could be some time before fruit industry learns full impact of recent storms, Guelph researcher says
Recent torrential rains in Ontario's Niagara region that flooded thousands of homes and overwhelmed sewage systems had another significant impact: Threatening the region’s peach industry.
Peach and other tender fruit trees, including ones bearing nectarines and cherries, don’t tolerate excess water and can die when their roots are waterlogged for too long.
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roots → learn → water
That means the multiple storms that flooded the region between July 21 and Aug. 2 are likely to take their toll on peach trees.
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that → mean → trees
“That's a given,” said Jay Subramanian, a professor of tree fruit breeding and biotechnology at the University of Guelph.
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Subramanian → give → Guelph
He said it could take weeks or months for affected trees to die, so it'll be some time before the full loss is known.
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loss → say → ?
“It could be anywhere between, you know, 20 per cent … even upwards of 40 per cent.”
Peaches, wine may cost more
An organizer of the Winona Peach Festival, which is this Friday to Sunday in the east Hamilton community of Winona, told CBC Hamilton its peaches haven't been affected.
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peaches → know → Winona
Vendors come mostly from the immediate area, including Winona and Beamsville in Niagara.
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Vendors → come → Niagara
The festival will have its usual amount of pies and peach sundaes, said Terry Gudgeon.
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Gudgeon → have → pies
Subramanian said several peach trees on his Vineland research farm in the Niagara region already show signs of being impacted and are dying.
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trees → say → signs
If the damage is heavy, he said, consumers will feel it next summer.
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consumers → say → it
“That will obviously drive prices up."
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That → drive → prices
The same may hold true for wine costs.
Most of Ontario’s grapes are grown in the region, and like peaches and nectarines, grape vines also cope poorly with water.
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vines → hold → water
Jamie Slingerland, director of viticulture at Pillitteri Estates Winery, said two hectares of grapevines were flooded.
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hectares → say → grapevines
“All this humid weather, every disease that you can imagine starts to grow.
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you → imagine → that
You start to have downy mildew, powder mildew, black rot, botrytis … and the list goes on and on.”
Slingerland said the flooded vines could cost the winery $250,000 in lost revenue.
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vines → start → revenue
Other impacts of changing climate
Flooding isn’t the only climate-change related threat to Niagara’s fruit.
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Flooding → change → fruit
Subramanian said the warming climate comes with a variety of challenges.
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climate → say → challenges
As an example, he pointed to the Harrow Diamond — an iconic Ontario, cold-weather peach bred in Harrow in Essex County.
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he → point → County
“This variety used to ripen around July 28, 29 in Vineland,” he said.
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he → use → Vineland
“Now I'm harvesting the same variety between July 12 to 15.
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I → harvest → 15
Subramanian explained this earlier ripening means the peaches don’t have as much time to develop, which can lead to smaller, less flavourful peaches.
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which → explain → peaches
Warmer weather also presents new pressures from pests.
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weather → present → pests
Subramanian is working on breeding varieties of peaches that are resistant to such changes.
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that → work → changes
He said Canada needs to treat this issue with more urgency.
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Canada → say → urgency
The country is an outlier because few places produce that much fruit in the cold.
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places → produce → cold
We have to breed varieties for our needs.- Jay Subramanian, University of Guelph professor
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We → have → Guelph
While growers in warmer locales — like southern Europe, Australia or the U.S. — can try out new varieties from any number of other warm-weather countries, Canada is forced to be more reliant on varieties developed at home.
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Canada → try → home
We have to breed varieties for our needs,” he said, adding that such efforts have plummeted in recent years.
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efforts → have → years
Subramanian said he’s among only about five people in Canada who are working to breed climate change-resistant fruit.
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who → say → fruit
He said government support has dropped in recent years, and the industry has stepped up to help fill gaps in funding, but there needs to be more to continue to do meaningful research.
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industry → say → research
Without it, Subramanian said, homegrown, quality fruit will be harder to find.
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fruit → say → it
In an email statement to CBC, the ministry of agriculture, food and agribusiness said in 2023, the provincial government "invested over $343 million to support research and innovation across Ontario's agri-food sector, including research that helps address real-world challenges facing tender fruit growers.
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that → say → growers
The government has also invested $41 million "in research infrastructure to expand Ontario's capacity to deliver cutting-edge agricultural research and practical solutions for farmers," Miriam Leardi, senior communications advisor, wrote.
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Leardi → invest → farmers
Ministry representatives have visited the flood-affected areas, the statement also said, and will "continue working with farmers across the region, including through supports available from AgriCorp," referring to the Ontario agency that offers crop insurance.
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that → visit → insurance
