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Melon fruit fly found in Kern County
Farmers and ag officials will gather at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Kern County at 6 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the recent discovery of five melon fruit flies southeast of Bakersfield, according to an article in Western Farm Press.A native of Asia, melon fruit flies' only U.S. home currently is in Hawaii. However, CDFA says it poses a significant threat to a wide variety of agricultural crops important to California, including peaches, oranges, beans, tomatoes and most crops in the cucumber family.
To eradicate the flies already in Kern County, the agricultural commissioner's office and CDFA are using a "male attractant" for trapping within a 4.5-mile quarantine area and have increased trapping densities to 1,000 traps per square mile within a nine-mile grid, said the Western Farm Press article.
In a news release, the Kern County Agriculture Department implored residents to help prevent the introduction of exotic insects and diseases.
"When returning from a trip out of state, please do not bring back prohibited vegetables, fruits, or other plants, because there could be an insect pest or a plant disease hitching a ride with you," the release quoted ag commissioner Ruben Arroyo. "Foreign insects and plant diseases can kill or significantly harm native species, destroy landscaping, commercial and homegrown fruits and vegetables, increase the use of pesticides, and add extra costs to California’s agriculture industry - costs that will get passed along to you the consumer."
Melon fruit fly is about the size of a house fly.
UCCE leads the charge against grapevine pest
UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors Monica Cooper and Lucia Varela are taking the lead in helping Napa County growers manage their vineyards infested with European grapevine moth, according to an article in Grower magazine.The advisors are monitoring the pest's lifecycle, and when it's the optimum time for pesticide treatment, they send e-mail alerts to growers.
Growers then have a 10-day window to treat the vineyard, said the article, written by editor Vicky Boyd. The pesticides Intrepid and Altacor are registered for conventional production; Entrust and Bacillus thuringiensis are available for organic farmers.
A second European grapevine moth control effort in Napa County involves distribution of twist-ties on vines to dispense pheromones that disrupt the pests' mating.
In the San Joaquin Valley, where only a few moths have been trapped, agricultural officials are relying on insecticides alone. UC Integrated Pest Management entomologist Walt Bentley told the reporter that clouds of pheromone would shut down detection traps.
“I’m confident we can eliminate it here in the Central Valley,” Bentley was quoted.
For more information, Boyd directs readers to the UC Integrated Pest Management web page on European grapevine moth.
European grapevine moth.
More coverage on potential clustering of CE in foothills
Following up on the Stockton Record story about UC Cooperative Extension discussions of restructuring in the Mother Lode counties, the Sonora-based Union Democrat did a follow-up story.In the Aug. 6 Union Democrat, Michael Kay writes: "Possible changes include reducing the number of county directors by putting one person in charge of multiple counties and cutting office space for all but the most active local programs."
"However, talks are preliminary," Klingborg is quoted. "Only one meeting has been held with representatives from the Mother Lode, so no particular cuts have been identified."
Calaveras County’s extension office took a 17.5 percent cut for the current fiscal year, like the rest of county departments. It will receive $167,453, according to the article.
UC Davis receives $1.57 million grant from Kellogg
A $1.57 million grant from the Kellogg Foundation will create an endowment for the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute to support a network of scholars at 14 universities working to improve children's access to healthy food, said a brief article in the Modesto Bee.The article was based on press release distributed yesterday by UC Davis.
Tom Tomich
Tomatoes get their day in the sun
It's little later than normal due to an unusually cool spring, but California tomato season is now in high gear. Farmers markets, roadside stands and many back yards are teeming with a wide variety of vine-ripened tomatoes, according to an article in yesterday's Sacramento Bee.UC Davis Cooperative Extension post-harvest specialist Marita Cantwell told Bee reporter Niesha Lofing that consumer demand for high-flavor tomatoes has prompted greater availability of a diversity of tomato varieties in hues from golden yellow to deep burgundy.
"Sales are greater if you have more variety," Cantwell was quoted in the story. "The beefs, the rounds, the grape tomatoes – that diversity has stimulated consumption, and that stimulates interest to produce (more varieties)."
Lofing also spoke to Pam Geisel, the UCCE Master Gardener statewide coordinator, who offered a few suggestions for using this summer's tomato bounty:
- Blending different varieties of tomatoes makes a more interesting tomato sauce.
- Sauce need not be cooked for hours. Geisel makes a tomato sauce with fresh basil, fresh garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in just five minutes.
- No need to blanch and peel tomatoes before cooking. Instead, after cooking, a food mill can quickly separate the peel and seeds from the tomato meat.
Tomatoes and other garden vegetables.