California Fruit and Vegetable

Tag: Vegetables West Magazine

  • Watermelon Board Launches 2020 Recipe & Carving Challenge

    National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) kicked off its annual consumer recipe contest – but this time with a twist. Unlike in year’s past where consumers were asked to create and submit an original watermelon-focused recipe, in 2020 NWPB tasks fans with putting their own unique spin on existing recipes and carvings found on the newly relaunched watermelon.org website. The contest launched Memorial Day and closes August 21st.

    After visitors chose which recipe or carving they will personalize, home chefs can customize it by swapping out up to five ingredients, changing the way the dish is served or adding something new to the dish. Watermelon fans can then enter the contest two ways: by posting their recipe/carving image to their public profile on Instagram using #WatermelonRecipeContest or at watermelon.org.

    “Not only will this contest be more approachable to consumers who may have been intimidated to create a recipe, but they will have all summer long to experiment with the recipes and carvings from the Watermelon.org website and show us how they add their own unique flair,” says Stephanie Barlow. “Additionally, this time period, more than any other, is all about finding new stay-at-home activities for consumers and continuing to source the best products in health, value and versatility.”

    To help launch the contest on Instagram and gain exposure and momentum for the hashtag #WatermelonRecipeContest, NWPB recruited six influencer partners, all of whom have chosen their own recipe or carving to recreate and inspire their followers. Each partner is scheduled to post images and versatility messaging at different times throughout the summer in order to maintain a steady cadence of contest visibility.

    In addition to pushing fans to master watermelon carving techniques and recipes, the contest helps to drive traffic to the new website and capture user-generated content. Other benefits include:

    • Increase page views and engage with on-site with comments
    • Populates NWPB’s database of assets and editorial content with captured UGC and can use for promotion on owned channels
    • Crowd-sources recipe ranking by interest in entries, as well as tweaks for improvements
    • Incentivizes Instagram posts and tags during peak watermelon visibility showcasing versatility for the people, by the people
    •  Real-time feedback on watermelon techniques and recipe steps

    Prizes will be awarded in three categories including Food, Beverage and Carving. All winners will receive a watermelon prize pack of goodies, plus first place winners will receive a $250 gift card, second place a $100 gift card and third place a $50 gift card. Judging criteria will be a mix of the recipe or carving’s unique spin, visual presentation and appearance.

    For more information about the Recipe & Carving Challenge, including official contest rules and to submit an entry, visit watermelon.org/recipe-challenge prior to August 21, 2020.

    About National Watermelon Promotion Board
    The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), based in Winter Springs, Florida, was established in 1989 as an agricultural promotion group to promote watermelon in the United States and in various markets abroad. Funded through a self-mandated industry assessment paid by more than 800 watermelon producers, handlers and importers, NWPB mission is to increase consumer demand for watermelon through promotion, research and education programs.

    Watermelon packs a nutritious punch, with each serving providing an excellent source of Vitamin C (25%), a source of Vitamins A (8%) and B6 (8%), and a delicious way to stay hydrated (92% water), with only 80 calories. Watermelon consumption per capita in the United States was an estimated 15.6 pounds in 2019. Watermelon consumption in the United States was approximately 5.1 billion pounds in 2019. The United States exported an additional 321.2 million pounds of watermelon. For additional information, visit www.watermelon.org.

  • Fusarium Root Rot in Seedling Lima Beans

    In May, I looked at a lima bean field in the Sacramento Valley that showed poor seedling emergence scattered throughout the field (photo 1). I sent samples to the UC Davis Plant Pathology lab and the main pathogen consistently recovered from the roots was Fusarium root rot, a fungal disease caused by Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseoli. This pathogen is specific to beans and field peas and will not infect other field crops. A few bean seedlings also had Rhizoctonia and Pythium (also fungal pathogens).

    Finding Fusarium root rot in a lima bean seedling field was a surprise because this disease is most commonly encountered in established fields during mid- to late season, where it is one of the causes of early maturity (“cut out”). Rhizoctonia and Pythium can cause seedling damping-off in dry beans. However, plants usually outgrow these pathogens, particularly if the seed is treated with a fungicide and conditions favor rapid emergence.

    Fusarium solani attacks underground stems and roots of plants. In established plants, early infection is characterized by elongated reddish streaks on the roots. As the disease progresses, these eventually form reddish-brown lesions that will surround the entire root, causing decay. The above ground plant symptoms of affected plants included yellowing, wilting, stunting, and dieback. On seedling plants in the affected field, I observed dieback of the growing point, stems that were a bit swollen, and roots that were brownish and not well developed (Photo 2, diseased roots on left, healthy on right).

    Fusarium root rot causes little damage to healthy plants, but under conditions of plant stress due to drought, poor nutrition, or oxygen-stressed, waterlogged soils, Fusarium root rot can cause plant dieback and yield losses, particularly in fields with a long history of bean production. In this particular lima bean field, soil moisture was lost, causing plants to be extremely water stressed. Crop rotation, use of seed treatments, and closely watching field conditions to ensure plants are not stressed will help manage Fusarium root rot. This disease tends to be a problem in fields with a long history of bean production. More information on diseases in dry beans can be found on the newly revised UC IPM guidelines for dry beans. — By Rachael Freeman Long, UC Cooperative Extension

    Photo 2. Lima bean seedlings infected with Fusarium root rot (4 left plants) compared to healthy roots (3 plants on right).

  • Freeze-Dried Strawberries & Ice Cream Make for a Very Stable Relationship

    ARS researchers have shown some freeze-dried berry powders—especially freeze-dried strawberry powder—can act as outstanding stabilizers in ice cream and other frozen dairy desserts.

    Freeze-dried strawberry powder is so effective a stabilizer that frozen dairy desserts with it included will maintain their shape even after reaching room temperature, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research food technologist Cristina Bilbao-Sainz with the Healthy Processed Foods Research Unit in Albany, California.

    To be technically classified as ice cream, it must contain between 10 percent and 16 percent milkfat; everything else is called a frozen dairy dessert.

    Physical scientist Craig Carriere enjoys fat-free soft-serve ice cream produced with Fantesk (Photo by Keith Weller).

    Without a stabilizer, ice cream—home-made or commercial—can become unpleasantly crunchy with the growth of large ice crystals. It can happen in either or both the ice cream maker or the freezer, when temperatures change. Stabilizers also slow down melting, prevent wheying off (the leaking of a clear watery serum), help avoid shrinking during storage and increase your mouth’s perception of creaminess.

    Standard stabilizers such as sodium alginate, guar gum, iota carrageenan, xanthan gum and carboxymethyl cellulose are commonplace. But people tend to react negatively to these unfamiliar, chemical sounding names when they appear on an ice cream label, assuming these must be artificial ingredients.

    Actually, many do come from natural sources. For example, sodium alginate is extracted from brown seaweed.

    Bilbao-Sainz became intrigued with the idea of freeze-dried fruit powders as ice cream stabilizers when an all-natural dessert maker came looking for scientific facts about them. The possibilities of freeze-dried fruit powder have been previously known but not technically quantified.

    “We discovered that some of the freeze-dried fruit powders—especially strawberries—completely prevent the melt-down of dairy frozen desserts similar to ice cream made with whole milk, whole whipping cream, sugar and skim milk powder,” Bilbao-Sainz said. “Freeze-dried berry powder will absorb moisture from the premix base, improving its stability and texture to the point where the frozen dessert will keep its shape even after “melting” to room temperature.”

    This is probably due to the fiber in the berry powder becoming completely hydrated, which contributes to an increase in viscosity and resistance to melt-down, she explained.

    In Bilbao-Sainz’s testing, adding 3.5 percent of either strawberry, raspberry or blackberry freeze‐dried powder reduced the water available for ice crystal formation during stirring and freezing, preventing crystal growth and slowing melting. That translates to adding about 0.7 ounces for a 1-quart home ice cream maker.

    Strawberry powder was the best stabilizer, completely preventing melt‐down, followed closely by raspberry. While blackberry powder prevented the frozen dessert from wheying off the foam structure still collapsed so it lost its original shape.

    Blueberry powder, on the other hand, did not prevent melt-down or ice crystal formation during refreezing, and the frozen dessert showed a little wheying off.

    Of course, using freeze-dried strawberry powder as a stabilizer in frozen dairy desserts such as ice creams also means accounting for the added strawberry flavoring—a plus if you are making strawberry balsamic vinegar ice cream, more difficult in a brown butter bourbon ice cream recipe. — By Kim Kaplan, USDA-ARS

    This research was published in the Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. 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.

  • Keeping Pinto Beans Away from the Dark Side

    Pinto beans are good for us. They are nutritious, packed with protein and fiber. They also contain a host of micronutrients like B vitamins and folate.

    But being good isn’t enough for pinto beans. They also need to look good.

    A new variety of slow-darkening pinto beans shows benefits for the entire value chain (Photo by Juan Osorno).

    Typically, pinto beans have a striking mottled pattern of dark and light brown. However, the beans can darken after harvesting.

    Consumers perceive pinto beans with darker colors to be older, harder to cook, and less nutritious than lighter beans.

    “We eat with our eyes,” says Juan Osorno. Osorno is a researcher at North Dakota State University.

    And it’s not only consumers who are skeptical about dark pinto beans. “Farmers see darker pinto bean seeds as being of poorer quality,” says Osorno. “And when farmers try to sell darker beans, they often have to accept discounted prices.”

    That’s a big deal because pinto beans are the most common type of dry bean grown and consumed in the United States.

    In the recent study, Osorno and colleagues describe the process of developing a promising new variety of slow-darkening pinto bean. “The study found no major differences in the agronomic performance of regular versus the slow-darkening pintos,” says Osorno.

    He believes these slow-darkening pinto beans can be a good alternative for the existing pinto bean value chain. “Both farmers and consumers will benefit from it in many ways,” he says.

    For example, the slow-darkening beans cooked faster than regular beans. Needing less time to cook can be a great benefit in areas where cooking fuel is scarce.

    The key advancement has been improving agronomic performance – such as yield and bean size – of the slow-darkening beans. That’s huge progress, because past plants with the slow darkening gene have had many issues associated with agronomic performance.

    For example, one older variety of slow-darkening pinto beans has low yields. Another won’t flower under farming conditions in the United States. Yet another grows in such a way that it makes mechanical harvesting of the beans difficult.

    At the root of these difficulties lies pinto bean genetics. Physical characteristics, such as yield, bean size, or rate of darkening, are all affected by one or more genes.

    Turns out, a single gene – aptly named slow darkening or SD – controls how quickly pinto beans darken after harvesting. Researchers can breed this gene into new pinto bean varieties fairly easily without creating a genetically modified organism (GMO).

    But whenever they incorporated this gene in the past, other genes responsible for lower yields or smaller beans would come along with the slow darkening gene.

    Osorno and colleagues tested several varieties of slow-darkening and regular pinto beans over the past decade. The tests were carried out in research plots in Washington and North Dakota.

    The researchers compared traits such as seed weight, yield, and cooking time between slow-darkening and regular pinto beans.

    The initial tests – from 2010 to 2012 – did not yield encouraging results. The slow-darkening beans performed poorly compared to regular pinto beans.

    But the latest round of field trials using slow-darkening pinto beans was more promising. According to the 2018 tests, the newer slow-darkening pinto bean varieties are catching up to regular varieties in yield and bean size.

    In fact, a second generation of slow-darkening pinto beans is already showing higher yields compared to the previous generation.

    Osorno is encouraged but says there’s still work to be done. “Remember that breeding yields gains in a stepwise manner rather than through big jumps,” he says.

    Read more about this research in Crop Science. This work was funded by Northarvest Bean Growers Association, United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service, and the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

  • CA Squash Delights Meals All Year

    Summer Squash Harvest at Frontyard Farms

    Whether you grow it, grind it into other forms or just enjoy it at mealtime your choice of squash from California is almost without limits.  Florida is the only state that produces more squash than California, but a half dozen other states produce it commercially.

    Production in Mexico has increased steadily, competing primarily with growers in the Coachella Valley for the early spring market.  The Central San Joaquin Valley is a major producer, mostly of the spring and summer varieties, with large volumes coming from the Stockton area and from the Salinas Valley as summer progresses.

    As any backyard gardener knows, seed packets of dozens of squash varieties are at your fingertips, and squash plants grow heartily and produce generously in about 60 days after planting.  Along with radishes squash plants are about as sure a bet as home gardeners can make in early summer, practically guaranteed to produce enough to share with a neighbor.

    But even a small backyard planting attracts hungry, and sometimes large and ugly, insects, that demand control measures if the vegetable is to grow to tasty maturity. Probably more than any other vegetable, squashes provide home gardeners an experience closer to those of experienced professional producers than any other food commodity.  Weather, irrigation demands, insect attacks and harvest determinations are comparable at whatever level or volume the vegetable is grown. In a 12-foot row of squash behind the house a homeowner will perform about the same duties as a commercial grower tending acres of squash, and at about the same time.

    Ratatouille made with Summer Squash from Frontyard Farms in Fresno, CA

    For those who appreciate squashes only for meal preparation and enhancement the passing parade of varieties at their supermarkets or vegetable stands is an assuring feature.  Part of the delight is in the variety of colors and shapes that squashes present, from crisp green to deep reds and purples, and shapes that stretch from banana-like to circular and bulbous.

    To isolate on just one of the many squash varieties, butternut, provides ample interest and intrigue.  A colorful winter variety, butternut squash is technically not a vegetable, but a fruit. It is not only tasty, but heavily endowed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, but low in calories.  Preparation commonly involves roasting or baking.

    Research has shown that diets high in certain antioxidants such as those found in butternut squash can reduce the risk of certain cancers. Studies have demonstrated that a higher dietary intake of beta-carotene and vitamin C may reduce lung cancer risk.  Butternut squash contains high levels of both.

    Mixed Summer Squash at Frontyard Farms’ Produce Stand in Fresno, CA

    Those thinking about weight loss – and that seems to include almost everybody these days – can be encouraged that a cup of cooked butternut has only 83 calories, and provides seven grams of filling fiber, making it an excellent choice for those concentrating on losing excess weight and body fat.

    Aside from all the appeal to health and weight-loss enthusiasts most of the squashes grown commercially are relatively easy to pack and ship.  They are not easily bruised or otherwise damaged in the harvest and packing mode, and commonly arrive at their commercial destinations undamaged and ready to display.  Their color and freshness seem to appeal to shoppers without their being dressed up or polished.

    Don Curlee

    One Central California grower and shipper of a large volume of squash for most of every year said he expects recent virus and health concerns to not be focused on the popular vegetable.  Rather, the health benefits of those in the squash family might receive increased attention in the months ahead.  Quick! Get those seeds in the ground. – By Don Curlee, Ag at Large

  • Recurrent Selection with Glufosinate at Low Rates Reduces Italian Ryegrass Resistance

    Italian ryegrass is a major weed in orchards, vineyards, field crops, and fallow fields of California (Figure 1). Several different herbicides are used to control ryegrass and had been effective in reducing infestations until resistance evolved in many populations following repeated use of the herbicides. To date, resistance to glyphosate, paraquat, and some ACCase and ALS inhibitors has been confirmed in ryegrass infestations across the agricultural landscape of California. To make matters worse, resistance to multiple postemergence herbicides with different modes of action has been confirmed within the same orchard, vineyard, or field in some areas. Consequently, management of Italian ryegrass in California annual and perennial cropping systems has become a major challenge.

    Figure 1. High infestation of Italian ryegrass in a peach orchard (photo credit: Maor Matzrafi).

    Glufosinate is an alternative non-selective postemergence herbicide that can still be used to control herbicide-susceptible and most herbicide-resistant Italian ryegrass in California as only two populations with resistance to glufosinate have been documented to date. However, the higher cost of glufosinate relative to other herbicides may drive farmers to apply glufosinate at reduced rates as has occurred in other cropping systems, such as the Australian wheat belt, with other herbicides. The lower rates and other drivers such as herbicide applications at non-optimal weed size, inappropriate weather conditions, and insufficient spray coverage may result in sublethal rate selection of ryegrass by glufosinate.

    To evaluate the potential for low glufosinate rates to select for reduced susceptibility to the herbicide, and to determine if selected populations are cross-resistant to herbicides with other modes of action as has been observed in a few studies, we conducted a greenhouse study using a herbicide-susceptible parent population originally collected from a vineyard in Sonoma County. Plants were grown in the greenhouse to the 3-4 leaf stage and treated with low glufosinate rates for three generations. For the first round of selection, plants were treated with glufosinate at 1/8X, 1/4X, and 1/2X of the labelled field rate (984 g ai ha-1). Surviving plants were grown to reproductive maturity and allowed to cross-pollinate. Seeds were harvested from all plants, pooled, germinated, and plants grown in the greenhouse for the next round of selection at slightly higher rates (1/2X, 3/4X, and 1X). For the third round of selection, plants were treated at 3/4X, 1X, and 1.25X of the labelled field rate.

    Results showed that susceptibility to glufosinate was reduced in offspring in comparison with the susceptible parent population following only three generations of selection (Figure 2). Comparing the susceptible parent population with the offspring from the second and third selection cycle, the percentage of surviving plants increased to values of LD50 (1.31 and 1.16, respectively) and LD90 (1.36 and 1.26, respectively).

    Figure 2. Dose-response of the Italian ryegrass susceptible parent population (P0) and three successive generations (P1, P2, P3) of offspring following selection with low glufosinate rates in the greenhouse. Lines are the predicted values for percent survival. Red arrow indicates the labelled field rate (984 g ai h-1). Adapted from Matzrafi et al., 2020 (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.04.182733v1).

    When treated with alternative postemergence herbicides (glyphosate, paraquat, or sethoxydim), no plants of either the parental or successive offspring populations survived treatment with 0.75X or higher rates of these herbicides (see Matzrafi et al., 2020 (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.04.182733v1).

    The magnitude of increases in resistance levels over three generations of recurrent low-rate glufosinate selection observed is relatively low compared with higher levels of resistance observed in response to low-rate selection with other herbicides (three-fold and greater). However, under field conditions, even low levels of resistance within weed populations may reduce control. This study shows that repeated selection with glufosinate at low rates can reduce the susceptibility of Italian ryegrass populations to glufosinate, and points to the importance of incorporating a diversity of approaches, both chemical and non-chemical, in the management of ryegrass in annual and perennial cropping systems of California. – By Marie Jasieniuk & Maor Matzrafi, UC Weed Science

     

     

  • CA Specialty Crop Representatives Appointed as USDA/USTR Ag Trade Advisors

    On July 17th, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced the appointment of 25 new members to serve on seven agricultural trade advisory committees, including some of our friends in California. This will bring a greater voice and trade opportunities for specialty crop growers in California.

    The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee is comprised of senior representatives from across the U.S. agricultural community who provide advice to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on trade policy matters including the operation of existing trade agreements and the negotiation of new agreements. Members of the six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees (ATACs) provide technical advice and guidance from the perspective of their specific product sectors.

    The newly appointed advisors will serve until 2024. Each committee will be supplemented by additional appointments over the next four years. Applications are encouraged at any time. A complete list of committee members and application information is available at www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-advisory-committees.

    Following is a list of the new advisors, by committee:

    Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee
    Constance Cullman, American Feed Industry Association
    David Puglia, Western Growers
    David Salmonsen, American Farm Bureau Federation

    ATAC for Trade in Animals and Animal Products
    Robert DeHaan, National Fisheries Institute
    Mallory Gaines, American Feed Industry Association
    David Herring, Hog Slat Inc./TDM Farms
    James Parnell, Alabama Farmers Federation
    Maria Zieba, National Pork Producers Council

    ATAC for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables
    William Callis, U.S. Apple Export Council
    Casey Creamer, California Citrus Mutual
    Jodi Devaurs, California Table Grape Commission 
    Jonathan Maberry, Washington Red Raspberry Commission
    Caroline Stringer, California Fresh Fruit Association

    ATAC for Trade in Grains, Feed, Oilseeds and Planting Seeds
    Peter Bachmann, USA Rice Federation
    William Gordon, American Soybean Association
    Derek Haigwood, D.I.D. Farms
    Patrick Hayden, North American Export Grain Association
    Dalton Henry, U.S. Wheat Associates
    Edward Hubbard, Renewable Fuels Association
    Tina Lyons, Double River Forwarding, LLC

    ATAC for Trade in Processed Foods
    Kevin Latner, National Industrial Hemp Council
    Richard (Denton) McLane, McLane Global Trading
    Max Moncaster, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
    Bernadette Wiltz, Southern United States Trade Association

    ATAC for Trade in Sweeteners and Sweetener Products
    (No new members.)

    ATAC for Trade in Tobacco, Cotton and Peanuts
    Karl Zimmer, Premium Peanut

    Jodi Devaurs

    Regarding the news, Kathleen Nave from the California Table Grape Commission report, “The appointment of Jodi Devaurs, California Table Grape Commission trade policy director, to ATAC where she will serve as a trade advisor to USDA and USTR is important for the California table grape industry and represents an expansion of its direct involvement in trade matters of import.”

    Dave Puglia

    David Puglia from Western Growers shared, “I am honored to be appointed to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee. International markets are vital to the growth of the fresh produce industry, accounting for more than $23 billion in fruit, vegetable and tree nut sales in 2019. However, tariff and non-tariff barriers continue to restrict access to key export destinations. I look forward to working with USDA, USTR and my committee colleagues to help formulate durable trade policies that benefit our domestic growers.”

    Casey Creamer

    Casey Creamer from California Citrus Mutual stated, “I’m looking forward to continuing California Citrus Mutual’s service to this important advisory committee.  Trade issues have significantly impacted the citrus industry over the years and I’m glad to make sure our growers have a seat at this important table.”

    Caroline Stringer

    President of the California Fresh Fruit Association, Ian LeMay said, “We appreciate Secretary Perdue’s appointment of Caroline Stringer to the ATAC for fruits and vegetables and look forward to her continuing the long history of representation for CFFA and California agriculture on this important advisory group.”

    Congress established the advisory committee system in 1974 to ensure a private-sector voice in establishing U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives to reflect U.S. commercial and economic interests. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative jointly manage the committees. 

  • Additional Commodities Eligible for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

    Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced an initial list of additional commodities that have been added to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made other adjustments to the program based on comments received from agricultural producers and organizations and review of market data. Producers will be able to submit applications that include these commodities on Monday, July 13, 2020.  USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting through Aug. 28, 2020, applications for CFAP, which helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic. USDA expects additional eligible commodities to be announced in the coming weeks.

    “During this time of national crisis, President Trump and USDA have stood with our farmers, ranchers, and all citizens to make sure they are taken care of,” said Secretary Perdue. “When we announced this program earlier this year, we asked for public input and received a good response. After reviewing the comments received and analyzing our USDA Market News data, we are adding new commodities, as well as making updates to the program for existing eligible commodities. This is an example of government working for the people – we asked for input and we updated the program based on the comments we received.”

    USDA collected comments and supporting data for consideration of additional commodities through June 22, 2020.

    Changes to CFAP include:

    • Adding the following commodities: alfalfa sprouts, anise, arugula, basil, bean sprouts, beets, blackberries, Brussels sprouts, celeriac (celery root), chives, cilantro, coconuts, collard greens, dandelion greens, greens (others not listed separately), guava, kale greens, lettuce – including Boston, green leaf, Lolla Rossa, oak leaf green, oak leaf red and red leaf – marjoram, mint, mustard, okra, oregano, parsnips, passion fruit, peas (green), pineapple, pistachios, radicchio, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, fresh sugarcane, Swiss chard, thyme and turnip top greens.
    • Expanding for seven currently eligible commodities – apples, blueberries, garlic, potatoes, raspberries, tangerines and taro – CARES Act funding for sales losses because USDA found these commodities had a 5 percent or greater price decline between mid-January and mid-April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, these commodities were only eligible for marketing adjustments.
    • Determining that peaches and rhubarb no longer qualify for payment under the CARES Act sales loss category.
    • Correcting payment rates for apples, artichokes, asparagus, blueberries, cantaloupes, cucumbers, garlic, kiwifruit, mushrooms, papaya, peaches, potatoes, raspberries, rhubarb, tangerines and taro.

    Additional details can be found in the Federal Register in the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and Final Rule Correction and at www.farmers.gov/cfap.

    Producers have several options for applying to the CFAP program:

    • Using an online portal, accessible at farmers.gov/cfap, allows producers with secure USDA login credentials—known as eAuthentication—to certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center.  New commodities will be available in the system on July 13, 2020.
    • Completing the application form using our CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator found at farmers.gov/cfap. This Excel workbook allows customers to input information specific to their operation to determine estimated payments and populate the application form, which can be printed, then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center.  An updated version with the new commodities will be available on the website on July 13, 2020.
    • Downloading the AD-3114 application form from farmers.gov/cfap and manually completing the form to submit to the local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically or by hand delivery to an office drop box. In some limited cases, the office may be open for in-person business by appointment. Visit farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status to check the status of your local office.

    USDA Service Centers can also work with producers to complete and securely transmit digitally signed applications through two commercially available tools: Box and OneSpan. Producers who are interested in digitally signing their applications should notify their local service centers when calling to discuss the CFAP application process. You can learn more about these solutions at farmers.gov/mydocs.

    Getting Help from FSA

    New customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.

    All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can be downloaded from farmers.gov/cfap. For existing FSA customers, these documents are likely already on file.

    All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel, and visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors may also be required to wear a face covering during their appointment. Field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. Our program delivery staff will be in the office, and they will be working with our producers in office, by phone and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.  

  • NMSU Researchers Examine Robotic Harvesting, Data Gathering in Chile Pepper Fields

    Increasingly scarce irrigation resources and labor availability are key components impacting the sustainability of the New Mexico chile pepper industry.
     
    New Mexico State University’s Center of Excellence in Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems is providing a grant for the first year of research in the use of mobile robotics to address both of these issues.

    “The purpose of the seed grant is to foster multi-departmental and inter-college collaborations and to enhance interdisciplinary research efforts in areas relevant to sustainable food and agricultural systems,” said Natalie Goldberg, director of the center. “This proposed research is a good example.”

    The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and the College of Engineering are joining forces to determine if green chile peppers can be harvested using a mobile robotic manipulator to replicate hand harvesting. The researchers will also use robotics to evaluate drought stress on the chile plant.

    Mechanized Harvest
    “This is exciting research,” said Stephanie Walker, NMSU vegetable specialist. “Robotic harvest could address both harvesting and pedicel removal, commonly known as destemming, at the same time.”

    Over the last 12 years, a breeding line has been developed by Walker for mechanization efficiency. The new breeding lines incorporate traits including reduced force needed to remove the pods from plants, and more complete pedicel removal from the fruit.

    “Despite these genetic advances, when these lines are harvested with a double-helix picking machine, the vast majority of marketable fruit harvested keep their stem intact,” Walker said. “Over the years we have not been able to resolve the destemming issue.”

    Hand harvest is still the best for removing the entire pedicel including the full stem and calyx from the chile pod while picking it from the plant.

    “The use of a robotic system, with controlled motion and force to replicate hand harvesting, could be a potential solution to propel mechanization of New Mexico-type green chile,” said Mahdi Haghshenas-Jaryani, assistant professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering, who has worked in robotics for many years but never in the agricultural setting.

    Haghshenas-Jaryani will be dealing with several issues while programing the mobile robot and the attached robotic arm, including mobility in a field environment, identification of the ripe chile pod and the amount of force required to pick the fruit without damaging it.

    “Robotics is being used to pick other types of produce, but usually in a greenhouse setting, not in a field,” he said. “Secondly, in other applications the fruit is of a different color than the plant, not so with green chile peppers. Third, we do not have quantitated data regarding the force required to pick the chile pepper.”

    Drought Stress on Plants
    Many chile farmers rely on past field history to determine when to water their fields. Instrumentation to gauge plant stress is seldom utilized. 

    “Advanced technologies that have benefited other crops have not yet been explored for chile pepper production,” said Manoj Shukla, professor in plant and environmental science. “This project seeks to embrace one of these technologies – sensor-equipped mobile robots – to provide real time data on actual plant and soil status in the fields.”

    The study will investigate water use efficiency of the chile plants being watered with a gravity micro irrigation system The information will allow for informed decisions regarding timing and quantity of irrigation watering.

    “Data-driven field management decisions will allow for increased water use efficiency and irrigated water saving; more efficient, higher yielding plants; and allow producers in the state to better respond to erratic climatic conditions experienced more frequently due to climate change pressures,” Shukla said.

    To investigate the impact of drought stress on chile plants, the mobile robot can be equipped with sensors to determine the soil moisture, the air temperature under the plant’s canopy and between the rows, and wind velocity. There will also be a camera to visually record the condition of the plant.

    “This labor-intensive task of vast data collection on farm can be efficiently carried out using ground robots,” Shukla said. “Robotic systems have been steadily integrated in the agriculture and farming systems to address challenges and problems, such as water scarcity, soil salinization and increasing need to monitor crop health for yield production. This is the first time this technology is being investigated for New Mexico-type green chile production.” – By Jane Moorman, New Mexico State University
    New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and College of Engineering are teaming up to research using robotics in green chile pepper fields to gather data regarding drought stress on plants and to harvest chile peppers. Pictured are, from left, Mahdi Haghshenas-Jaryani, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Stephanie Walker, associate professor and Extension vegetable specialist; and Manoj Shukla, professor of plant and environmental sciences. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)

  • Does Adjusting Soil pH Control Clubroot of Brassicas?

    Typical clubbing of broccoli roots

    Clubroot disease  can be a serious production issue for broccoli, cauliflower, and other brassicas in the Salinas Valley. The disease  is caused by a unique organism (Plasmodiophora brassicae) that is closely related to ciliate protozoans but is classified in its own taxonomic group. It survives over 20 years as resting spores in the soil that are released as the clubbed root tissue decays. At temperatures above 65 °F, the resting spores release zoospores that swim to host plant roots and infect through root hairs. Once inside the plant, the organism grows into a large multinucleate plasmodium (a multinucleate mass of protoplasm) which stimulates changes in the plant hormones, resulting in enlarged root cells and the characteristic clubbing of the roots (See photo Below). Root infections by the clubroot pathogen can occur in both acid and alkaline soils; however, acidic soil conditions favor the development of the root symptoms. In addition to the main brassica crops, Plasmodiophora can infect arugula, radish, mustard cover crops, and weeds such as shepherd’s purse and even some grasses. Plants that develop severe root swellings will exhibit above ground symptoms (See Photo Above) indicative of non-functioning root systems, which includes yellowing, wilting, poor growth and stunting, drying and death of lower leaves, and eventual plant death.

    Clubroot in the Salinas Valley is mostly controlled by maintaining soil pH above 7.2 to 7.3 by liming. The high pH does not kill the pathogen but inhibits the formation of the root clubs. Soils where control of clubroot by liming is achieved are called “responsive” soils. However, soils where liming is less effective are called “unresponsive” soils.

    In 2020 we had calls regarding the incidence of clubroot on brassicas. In each situation the grower/PCA had soil lab results that indicated that the soil pH was greater than 7.2. To investigate this situation, a small study was conducted. At three fields soil was collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic areas of the crop and soil pH was determined using a pH meter at the UCCE or UC Davis Analytical Lab. The results shown in Table 1 indicate that clubroot was more severe in soils with lower soil pH levels. These findings are consistent with what we know about clubroot, that higher pH soils should have less concern with this disease.

    Table 1. Three evaluations of soil pH in clubroot affected fields

    So why did clubroot occur in soils that had  test pH values greater than 7.2? It is important to keep in mind that soils have a great deal of inherent variability. The goal is to determine if the soil pH for a 5 or 10 acre field is ≥7.2. This is typically done by collecting 15 – 20 soil cores from various parts of the field and mixing them together as a composite sample. However, if sample collection by chance missed areas of lower soil pH, the lab results may be skewed to represent areas of the field that had relatively higher pH values. If this is the case, such a sample could have an artificially high pH (greater than 7.2) while some parts of the field may have a lower pH value. One way to have greater confidence in the soil pH is to collect more soil cores in fields where clubroot disease has been noted in the past.

    At present, we have not seen evidence in Monterey County that soils are unresponsive to liming or that the liming treatment is failing to control clubroot, given variability in soil pH and pH testing. In our intensive vegetable production system, soil pH tends to decrease over time through the use of ammonium fertilizers. The loss of calcium, magnesium and potassium from crop removal and leaching can also contribute to lower soil pH on lighter soils. Given the longevity of clubroot resting spores in the soil, it is important to maintain a liming program to assure that soil pHs are above 7.2 to 7.3 to thoroughly suppress clubroot throughout the field. – By Richard Smith, UCCE Vegetable Crops & Weed Science Farm Advisor, and Steve Koike, TriCal Diagnostics