California Fruit and Vegetable

Tag: Vegetables West Magazine

  • Thank a California Cantaloupe Farmworker

    Once again, a successful California Cantaloupe season has just about come to an end. While we’ll miss having our favorite sunny, sweet and safe melon this Winter and Spring, it’s nice to know we can count on seeing them in stores once again come April.

    Another thing we’ve learned we can count on is the return of our hardworking farmworkers each season. Cantaloupes are 100% harvested by hand. That means that without the hard work of farmworkers these melons would not make it out of the field and into your homes.

    “Farmworkers are critical to what we do”, says Garrett Patricio, President of Westside Produce.  “When you look at the food you eat, whether it’s melons, leafy greens or other vegetables, most of them are still hand harvested. So if you enjoy fresh produce I think you should go out and thank a farmworker.”

    California farmworkers are truly essential to us all. With over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts grown in California, our farmworkers play a critical role in feeding the nation.

    And our California cantaloupe farmworkers do so in a way that ensures only the safest melons end up on your table. California cantaloupe farmworkers follow strict food safety guidelines and all California cantaloupe growers, packing operations, and cooling facilities in the state undergo mandatory government food safety audits.

    “Our farmworkers follow all food safety policies and general safety policies to ensure you’re getting the safest melons harvested that day”, says Salvador Alaniz, Director of Harvest and Quality Control at Westside Produce.

    Getting cantaloupes to consumers isn’t an easy task. There’s no denying the fact that it’s hard work harvesting melons and it takes a whole team to successfully complete the job each season.

    Rosa Meza, Director of Food Safety says that the key to success is mutual respect. She explains that she has earned the respect of the farmworkers by making frequent, in person visits to the fields to talk with workers and lead by example.

    “The one thing that everyone needs to take away from this is that we can’t do this alone”, says Meza. “I’m a part of this group. I’m a part of the farmworkers, I’m a part of the facility workers. It takes everyone to come together, be the example, follow the rules and do it as a team.”

    Watch and share the following video tribute to farmworkers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWHTB6hBuYY&feature=emb_logo

  • UC Cooperative Extension Investigates the Reality of Steam-Weeding Lettuce Fields

    Despite the tremendous need, there are currently no preemergence herbicides that are organic-compliant. Steam injected into the soil such that the soil temperatures reach >140°F for 15-20 minutes will kill weed seed in the soil. The effect of this reduction in the seedbank viability results weed control in the treated area that persists for several weeks or months, similar to the effects of a preemergence herbicide.

    Two studies were conducted at the USDA Hartnell Farm at Salinas, CA during July to September 2020. Steam was applied to raised beds using a custom-built steam injector. Prior to seeding lettuce, steam was applied in a 4-inch wide band to a depth of 3 inches deep. The steam was supplied by a SF-20 Sioux steam generator at approximately 6 to 9 PSI. Soil temperatures in the treated zone were monitored overnight with Hobo temperature monitors. Treatments tested were steam, steam plus 1% w/w peroxide, and nontreated. Treatments were replicated 4 times and arranged in a randomized complete block design. Peroxide was included as it releases heat when injected into soil, i.e., an exothermic reaction, based on the premise that it supplements the heat released by steam. Data collected were soil temperatures following steaming, weed control, hand weeding times, diseased plant counts, and lettuce yields. Trial 1 was initiated July 1 and harvested August 31, 2020. Trial 2 was initiated July 21 and harvested September 25, 2020. Soil temperature intervals >140°F in the top 4 inches of soil for steam were 88 and 67 minutes for trials 1 and 2, respectively. Similarly, soil temperatures >140°F in the steam + peroxide treatment were 76 and 80 minutes for trials 1 and 2, respectively. In trial 1 steam and steam + peroxide resulted in 90% and 92% weed control relative to the nontreated. In trial 2 steam and steam + peroxide resulted in 66% and 84% weed control, respectively. Steam alone reduced hand weeding times 22% to 35% compared to the nontreated, and steam + peroxide reduced hand weeding times 36% to 40% compared to the nontreated. There were no differences in numbers of plants with lettuce drop (Sclerotinia minor) in trial 1. Compared to the nontreated, lettuce drop incidence in trial 2 was 66% and 59% lower in steam and steam + peroxide treatments, respectively. Lettuce plant diameters in trial 1 found that lettuce grown on steamed soil was 16% larger, but there were no differences in trial 2. Lettuce plants grown on steam + peroxide treated soil were 12% and 23% larger in trials 1 and 2, respectively. There were no treatment effects on yields in either trial 1 or 2.

    We are not aware of any commercial scale applicators for lettuce that apply steam in a band to the lettuce bed. However, we are working with Dr. Mark Siemens, an agricultural engineer with the University of Arizona to design a commercial scale applicator. Mark has a prototype applicator built and will be demonstrating it during the winter season in the Yuma Valley. It appears that the design for a steam applicator is not complicated and is well within the capabilities of machine shops in California to build. — By Nelly Guerra & Steven Fennimore, UC Cooperative Extension

  • Western Growers Hires Walt Duflock as Vice President, Innovation

    Increasing its industry-leading efforts to quicken the pace of technology solutions for the fresh produce industry, Western Growers has added Walt Duflock as Vice President, Innovation. In this role, Duflock will be singularly focused on accelerating agtech for Western Growers (WG) member companies, including expanding the footprint of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT), a premier agtech incubator located in Salinas, Calif.

    “The need for innovative technology in our members’ fields and facilities has never been more urgent,” said WG President and CEO Dave Puglia. “Walt Duflock has guided many technology entrepreneurs and brings a demonstrated ability to propel growth in the agriculture technology sector. I am thrilled that Walt will now join WGCIT Director Dennis Donohue, who is driving tangible progress on key agtech initiatives such as automation and food safety enhancement. Together, Walt and Dennis will further strengthen our ability to drive rapid commercialization of the technologies our members need to thrive into the next generation.”

    Duflock brings over 25 years of experience in the agriculture and technology sectors, with an emphasis on startup development. In addition to his involvement in his fifth-generation family ranch in Monterey County, Duflock has dedicated his career to building programs and strategies at high-growth Silicon Valley startups, including eBay, MerchantCircle (now Reply) and APTARE (now Veritas). In his most recent role, Duflock served as Executive Innovation Leader for SVG Ventures THRIVE.

    “I am excited to be joining the WG team and look forward to working with farmers and startups to increase the speed and scale of solutions, especially for food safety and labor automation,” said Duflock. “My decades of experience in agriculture and working with Silicon Valley startups, along with building a successful agtech accelerator, give me the right set of skills to lead WG’s innovation initiative.”

    Duflock earned a B.S. degree in Business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a law degree from Santa Clara University. He is active in his local community and serves on several volunteer boards, including the Los Gatos United Soccer League and Rancho Cielo, which aims to transform the lives of at-risk youth. In 2019, Duflock launched SAGE, a 501(c)(6) that focuses on sustainable ag and energy and vibrant rural economies.

    About Western Growers:

    Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Western Growers’ members and their workers provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including half of America’s fresh organic produce. Connect and learn more about Western Growers on Twitterand Facebook.

  • Survey Asks Californians About Views on Agriculture

    In February 2020, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) conducted a survey of residents in the Bay Area and in our local farming regions.  While this survey was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the results and responses still have value and provide important information to GSA as we work to advance families, food and farming in our region.

    Among the most gratifying result was how much Northern Californians valued agriculture.  Seventy-seven percent stated that agriculture was most or very important to the quality of life and the economy of California.  “We were very pleased to see that so many residents recognized the important work of farmers and farm workers, even before the pandemic,” says Chris Valadez, GSA President.

    The survey shows residents also appear to understand some of the issues facing agriculture, including labor and potential shortages.  Seventy-seven percent of respondents supported the employment of guest workers by agriculture under the H-2A visa program to offset domestic labor shortages and 71% agreed guest worker programs are important to California’s economy.  However, 54% said they were concerned about the impact of guest workers on housing in the region, a concern shared by the agricultural community.

    “While new farm worker housing projects along the Central Coast are in process now, we must continue to work to find innovative solutions to ensure adequate and safe housing is a priority for our community,” Valadez says. “The pandemic further underscored the need for more affordable housing in our region.”

    Food safety is where survey respondents indicated they want agriculture to advance efforts to continuously improve and better protect public health. Respondents generally agreed they want farmers and government agencies to work jointly to improve food safety.

    The survey also explored views on water quality and water supply.  Almost 70% of respondents stated that their water quality was good to excellent.  And, seventy-eight percent agreed that their biggest water concern was an adequate supply and impacts from another drought.  While water was a less important issue among respondents overall, when probed, 64% of respondents stated that agricultural runoff was a concern.

    Finally the survey looked at residential, industrial and agricultural use of pesticides. Interestingly 42% of respondents said they understand the benefits of pesticide use with 23% stating they were unsure about those benefits. This may convey a need for agriculture to continue to provide more information about the safety standards and use of pesticides in organic and conventional production.

    Conclusions:  

    As it did for every one, the pandemic severely shifted the focus of the farming community and GSA.  Significant time and resources were devoted to protecting essential farm workers from COVID-19 exposure while working to ensure a consistent supply of safe and healthy foods reaches consumers.  As the pandemic evolves, GSA’s work to facilitate the availability of protective equipment for farm workers, in-field training by medical professionals, quarantined housing and adequate COVID-19 testing programs continues and remains of primary importance.

    However, the survey findings as well as conversations with media, residents, regulators, elected officials and labor groups throughout the pandemic show that Californians want and need more information about issues impacting agriculture and our industry’s response.  It is also clear respondents greatly value farming in California and its importance to a healthy economy.

    After examining the survey results, GSA’s focus will be on the continuance of solution-based programs, enhanced and transparent external communications about farming practices as well as continued dialogue and engagement with residents, elected officials, labor and environmental advocates.  This survey will help GSA prioritize its attention and efforts on the issues of key importance to Bay Area and Central Coast residents.

    GSA is preparing a white paper with complete survey results as well as a new webpage called “Our Work” which will provide information on these specific issues as well as GSA solution-based programs and activities.  The Our Work webpage will go live in the coming weeks.

    The online survey was conducted in eight counties in the Bay Area and Central Coast from February 7 through February 10.  The survey margin of error was 4.0. 

  • Watermelon Board Fall-Winter Marketing Tactics

    On the heels of strategic planning and virtual Board meeting, which took place October 23, National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) is entering in to the fall and winter months well-positioned to strengthen demand for watermelon. Considering more than 30% of watermelon is consumed in the fall/winter months, year-round promotion is an integral part of NWPB programs.

    While each department at the Board has a different audience – including consumer, foodservice, retail and international – consistent programming strategies throughout the fall and winter months will focus on leveraging partnerships, serving as a resource, educating about watermelon’s health and versatility benefits, and maximizing social platform engagement. Not an exhaustive list, activity highlights by department include:

    Communications

    “How do you WINTERmelon” consumer social campaign utilizing influencer partnerships and earned media PR tactics to visualize watermelon in the winter usage ideas and versatility benefits

    • National paid feature syndication with winter-focus “Add Fruit Flavors to Fun Holiday Desserts” suggesting watermelon in nontraditional winter kitchen dishes
    • Dietitian education, inspiration and “edutainment” through FNCE virtual expo and culinary demo, highlighting RD Toolkit, Zero Food Waste and Watermelon Flavor Pairings
    • New launch of Jump with Jill multimedia educator portal with lesson worksheets built on existing watermelon partner videos for teachers and parents at home or in classrooms
    • Influencer social partnerships with Produce for Kids/Healthy Family Project, Kim Rose Dietitian, Fannetastic Food, Ana Quincoces and Pam Smith highlighting versatility and health benefits of watermelon year round
    • Shooting new TV commercial content focusing on both wellness and happiness, to be advertised on YouTube and other streaming content channels

    Foodservice
    • Print, digital and social media advertising with predominant foodservice publications to reach foodservice operators traditionally reached at events
    • New yield tool showcasing dice, wedge, juice and other formats yield from different watermelon sizes so chefs can easily switch between mini and seedless watermelon
    • Chef’s Roll partnership to create technique and recipe videos featuring popular watermelon formats including dice, wedge, juice, julienne rind, etc. to be shared through Chef’s Roll and used by the NWPB to educate and inspire operators
    • Virtual Flavor Experience conference to highlight watermelon’s year-round availability and versatility on foodservice menus
    • Partner with StarChefs to host a recipe contest to engage with no less than 200 chefs, build our recipe database and spotlight champions of watermelon
    Retail & International Marketing
    • Year-round retailer activations via domestic and international retail account management team
    • Continued distribution of Retail Kit in print and digital formats
    • Independent grocer outreach via Live. Balanced wellness activation kit planned for early 2021
    • Retail dietitian and retailer education outreach through virtual platforms
    • Presence at virtual conferences, trade shows and networking events“For many years, the NWPB has been tasked with promoting watermelon all twelve months of the year,” said Mark Arney, Executive Director for the NWPB. “Watermelon’s health benefits and versatility lends itself to everything from Halloween carvings to holiday punch to elevated usage ideas.”The next NWPB Board meeting, where staff will recommend marketing programs and the Board will vote on a budget for the 2021-2022 year, will take place virtually on Saturday, March 6, 2021. For more information or specifics about individual departments, contact Stephanie Barlow, Senior Director of Communications at sbarlow@watermelon.org. 

  • Developing the Perfect Chile Pepper for Mechanical Harvest

    There are many variables in producing the perfect New Mexico green chile pepper. Consumers select for flavor profile, and pepper pod size, shape, thickness and color. Agricultural producers want a high yielding plant with picture-perfect pods that are easy to harvest. Food producers want chile peppers with no stem and no damage to the pod.

    New Mexico State University researchers have developed what is on its way to being the perfect chile pepper for mechanical harvest. “After many years of traditional selective breeding, we have a new advanced green chile line with the proposed name NuMex Odyssey,” said Stephanie Walker, NMSU chile researcher and Cooperative Extension Service vegetable specialist.

    The new green chile line, Odyssey, is the result of the NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences’ ongoing efforts to resolve issues associated with harvesting green Chile. “Because of difficulty in obtaining people to hand harvest the green chile, we have been working on a mechanized harvest system,” Walker said. “We began by identifying a harvester manufactured in Israel that gives us the most efficient pick of the chile compared to other machines tested.”

    While testing various harvesters, the research team realized they needed some changes in the plant and chile pod. “We worked on plant architecture and fruit attributes that would mechanically harvest better,” Walker said. “We needed the plant to have a strong, single stem with fewer basal branches. The low lying lateral branches interfered with the machine, causing it to uproot the plant. We also found that fruit setting slightly higher on the plant and also detaching from the plant with less force contributed to a cleaner mechanical pick.”

    Fixing these traits in Odyssey resulted in higher mechanically harvested yield, with significantly less fruit loss in the field, compared to standard commercial green chile varieties.

    While this plant architecture helps the harvest efficiency of the plant, Walker said another really exciting thing about the Odyssey variety is the destemming – pedicel removal – efficiency of the fruit.

    “For green chile processing, we needed the pedicel – stem and calyx – to come off the fruit easier and cleaner,” she said. “Often when you pull the pedicel off of other varieties, you might either break it and partially leave it on the fruit, or you break the chile fruit.”

    Pedicels perfectly detached from Odyssey fruit 68 percent of the time as opposed to 34 percent for AZ 1904 and 24 percent for NuMex Joe E. Parker.

    “With Odyssey, we get very good, clean breaks,” she said. “This will also help hand-harvesting.”

    Pedicel removal is very important for the quality of commercial processed green chile.

    “In a processing plant where you are getting thousands of pounds of chile through the system, you have to remove the stem, or otherwise it creates woody material in the processed food,” said Walker, who began her work with chile as a quality control supervisor in a processing plant.

    “Currently, with the 100 percent hand-harvest system, the people actually remove the pedicel out in the field,” she said. “When it doesn’t come off easily, they sometimes break the fruit which causes yield and quality loss.”

    Ultimately, how does Odyssey taste? After taking a bite from the green chile pod, Walker declared, “Delicious New Mexico chile flavor, although very mild.” The new variety’s heat factor averages between 300 and 400 Scoville units.

    New Mexico State University researchers Brad Tonnessen and Stephanie Walker look at a NuMex Odyssey chile pepper plant that they have bred for easier harvesting (NMSU photo by Jane Moorman).

    Watch Walker talk about the new variety on YouTube, youtube.com/watch?v=Eoevm6aXHZI

    For a complete list of chile developed by NMSU, visit aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/research/horticulture/RR792/. — By Jane Moorman, New Mexico State University

  • USDA Measures Vegetable Chemical Usage

    Interviewers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will interview more than 160 Washington and Oregon vegetable growers in order to gather information for the Vegetable Chemical Use Survey this fall.

    The survey will collect information on pesticides used, acres treated and rates applied to seven targeted vegetable crops. In addition to Northwest producers, vegetable growers in 14 other states will also hear from NASS, as the agency collects comprehensive U.S. vegetable production practices information.

    “Participation in the Vegetable Chemical Use Survey is vital to all participants in this key agricultural sector,” said Christopher Mertz, director of the Northwest Regional Office. “Responses from vegetable growers will help ensure that chemicals critical to crop production remain available on the market.”

    Survey response is protected by federal law (Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347), which keeps respondent identity and answers confidential.

    Survey results will be published online in NASS’s Quick Stats database next year. This database and all NASS reports are available on the agency’s website: nass.usda.gov. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Northwest Regional Office at 1-800- 435-5883. 

  • USDA Study Reveals Airborne Fungus Can Trigger Plant Growth

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) recently announced that a harmless airborne fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum strain TC09 (TC09), can dramatically accelerate plant growth if a germinating plant is near the fungus as it emits volatiles or gases.

    Scientists used tobacco and pepper plants as models to study the conditions for accelerated plant growth once exposed to TC09. Following a relatively short duration of exposure at the seedling stage, the plants began to sense the fungi’s volatiles and gases. USDA scientists were then able to stimulate extremely rapid plant growth, earlier flowering and fruit yield increases.

    “This is a game-changer for agriculture and for research that seeks innovative ways to accelerate plant growth,” said USDA Scientist Dr. Chris Dardick. “Its implications are far-reaching and will help ARS’ commitment to deliver cutting-edge scientific advances for American farmers and producers.”

    The effects of TC09 were largely correlated with the duration of exposure. Visual observation indicated that plants with TC09 exposure for 10 days exhibited substantially more vigorous growth, thicker stems, larger leaves, and a more robust root system relative to plants without fungal exposure. Results also showed that treated plants flowered 20 days sooner and pepper plants yielded up to 213 percent more fruit that was ready for harvest three weeks earlier than untreated controls. More recent studies have shown similar research results for numerous other crops such as lettuce, arugula, kale, basil, and other leafy greens.

    This species of fungus is commonly found in indoor environments and is not known to cause disease in plants or any ailments in humans or animals. Also, unlike other microbial species that have been tested, the researchers showed that TC09 does not induce defense or stress responses in exposed plants. Scientists hope to identify the specific volatiles and gases that stimulate plant growth in future research.

    Research on microbial biostimulants that enhance plant growth has recently intensified because they provide an eco-friendly, cost-effective and sustainable strategy to benefit agriculture. USDA scientists will continue to study TC09 and seek practical strategies to apply it during commercial crop production, particularly for urban and indoor agricultural systems. They are awaiting approval of a patent and commercial evaluation license and partnered with NASA to apply this research technology to spaceflight conditions. This research was supported in part by grants from USDA-ARS, ARS’ Appalachian Fruit Research Lab, and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

  • National Project Tackles Virus Threats to Potato Industry

    A University of Idaho-led team will tackle a pair of viruses that cause major losses to the potato industry.

    U of I researcher and potato virus expert Alex Karasev will lead the project funded by a $5.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

    The team of two dozen scientists will target potato virus Y (PVY) and potato mop top virus (PMTV) in seed potatoes, the first level of commercial potato production, and in potatoes grown for market.

    The project involves seed improvement organizations nationally that certify seed potatoes are disease free.

    Long known as a serious problem for growers, PVY damages plants and reduces yields and the size of the potatoes, making the crop less valuable. An earlier U of I study estimated losses from PVY cost Idaho’s potato industry $34 million a year and reduced potential yields by 10 to 50%.

    PMVT presents the potato industry with a new problem. Six states have found the virus in their seed potato crops. An estimated 5% of Maine’s seed potatoes carry PMTV. The virus is transmitted by protists, microbes that have qualities of fungi and algae.

    The project includes university researchers in 10 potato-growing states, including Idaho, Colorado, New York and Oregon, and USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists based in Prosser, Washington, and Aberdeen, Idaho. U of I researchers in Idaho Falls, Kimberly and Moscow will work on the project.

    The new four-year project continues work Karasev participated in that was originally led by a New York-based researcher who retired earlier this year.

    “Because of its position as the nation’s top potato-producing state, it is fitting that Idaho is leading the project,” Karasev said.

    The most immediate goal is to give potato growers tools to control the viruses with better ways to test plants and fields. A key medium-range goal focuses on strategies to control pests that spread the viruses and to educate growers. A long-range priority is identifying genes that can provide resistance to the viruses and their vectors. Those genes can help potato breeding programs to develop new varieties.

    Developing better testing can help seed potato producers to limit the spread of the viruses and prevent losses in the field and storage.

    Researchers will study the economic impacts of the viruses and develop ways to communicate with and educate growers about the best strategies to reduce the viruses’ impacts.

    Karasev won a mid-career award from U of I in 2013 partly for his work on PVY, which became an issue for Idaho growers in the early 2000s. He recently turned his attention to PMTV as its threat to the potato industry increased.

    This project, titled “Development of Sustainable System-based Management Strategies for Two Vector-borne, Tuber Necrotic Viruses in Potato,” is funded under the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant No. 2020-51181-32136. The total project funding is $5,756,299 of which 100% is the federal share.

  • Grafting Watermelon Prevents Disease, WSU Study Shows

    A new study from Washington State University’s Department of Horticulture found that splice grafting helps watermelons resist disease.

    For more than 10 years, watermelon growers in Washington’s Columbia Basin have been struggling with a disease called Verticillium wilt, caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae.

    The findings were recently published in the American Society for Horticulture Science.

    For decades, methyl bromide, a fumigant used to control pests in agriculture, was used to control plant diseases like Verticillium wilt. The colorless, odorless gas was used for protecting crops, and shipments, but methyl bromide was phased out in 2005 due to one of its side effects: depleting the ozone layer.

    Successful watermelon grafts growing at WSU Mount Vernon NWREC.

    “When methyl bromide was disallowed, farmers no longer had access to it, which meant they had less control over disease spread,” said Carol Miles, interim director of the Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon, Wash., who led the study.

    Miles started searching for answers. She looked to other countries who had given up the use of methyl bromide a decade before the United States, wondering how they were dealing with this issue.

    “What many of the growers worldwide were doing was grafting,” she said. This horticulture technique joins parts from two plants together so they grow as a single plant, with the upper part, or scion, of one plant growing on the root system, or rootstock, of a different plant.

    “Grafting watermelon has been used on a commercial scale in Japan for almost 100 years,” Miles said. “This is not a new concept – it’s just new to us.”

    As a professor in the Department of Horticulture, Miles and her team experimented with grafted and non-grafted watermelon plants. The healthy rootstocks, resistant to the pathogen, are squash plants.

    “The study revealed that we can produce grafted watermelon crop yields that are better than non-grafted plants when there is disease pressure,” she said.

    Non-grafted plants died during the study, but the grafted plants survived due to their healthy rootstocks.

    “The fruit from the grafted watermelon is as good, and in some cases better than non-grafted fruit,” she said.
    Miles said the study bodes well not just for watermelon survival, but for agriculture.

    “Having the grafting industry here in western Washington would be a great benefit,” said Miles, who pointed out that purchasing rootstocks from countries abroad isn’t always convenient.

    Splice-grafted watermelon where both cotyledons (embryonic leaves in seed bearing plants) are removed from the rootstock.

    Due to Washington’s relatively low energy costs, the Pacific Northwest is the prime location for grafted transplant production, Miles said.

    “There is the potential for a greenhouse industry we don’t currently have,” said Miles, who is hopeful that transplant production takes off on Washington’s west side where the climate is moderate, year-round.

    “Right now, transplants are expensive, due in part to the grafting methods that are commonly used for this crop,“ said Pinki Devi, a graduate research assistant for the Department of Horticulture. “Our recent research found that grafting watermelon using the splice grafting method could significantly decrease costs of grafting.”

    Watermelons continue to surprise Miles, and she and her team plan to continue studies on melons.
    “I’ve said for a long time that watermelon was my ‘fun crop,’ because it was just delicious,” Miles said.

    She was pleasantly surprised by a recent study by the USDA which found the amount of a compound called lycopene in watermelon is greater than the lycopene in a tomato.

    Lycopene is often heralded as an antioxidant for the prevention of cancer, so that sweet slice of summer fruit packs a healthy punch.

    “Watermelon is actually a very healthy crop,“ Miles said. —By Lauren Paterson

    WSU College of Agricultural, Human & Natural Resource Sciences