Western Farm Press.  May 2012.  Fresno County Thompson seedless grower Monte Schutz, president of the Raisin Bargaining Association, has had a good start to this year’s season.  “The weather has been just perfect,” he says. “It’s beautiful the way the vines look. They’re growing every day — they’re tall and reaching for the sky.”  He was expecting a mid-May bloom. Right after bloom, when the new crop reaches BB size, he’ll spray his Caruthers, Calif., vineyards with gibberellic acid to encourage a little more grape size and better quality.

The Raisin Bargaining Association has released its April bunch count, down 19 percent from the same time last season. Schutz isn’t surprised as vines recover from the big 2011 crop.  He has been treating his vineyards to prevent powdery mildew, and so far, pressure from the disease has been average. Once the shoots had pushed out about 2 to 3 inches, he started spraying vines with wettable sulfur and copper fungicide every 10 to 14 days. In addition to providing powdery mildew control, the copper also helps prevent phomopsis.  By the time the shoots reach about 12 to14 inches in length, phomopsis is no longer much of a threat, he says. That’s when he’ll replace the copper with a sterol inhibitor fungicide. He’ll alternate that treatment with applications of sulfur, in the form of either dust or wettable powder, until veraison.  Spider mites are his main pest problems, usually becoming a concern in midsummer when weather turns hot.

Last year at harvest, Schutz saw vine mealybugs in his vineyards for the first time. So, around the third week of this month, he’ll spray to control them.  He irrigates mostly with drip systems, although he flood irrigates a few vines. He pumps water, but is concerned that growers who count on surface water, but are not going to receive a full allotment, will resort to groundwater pumping. “If those growers who normally don’t pump water begin pumping this year, the water table could drop,” he says.

Schutz is looking for a higher raisin price this season, even though last year’s $1,700 per ton price was a historical high. He expects the field price to be firmed around Aug. 1.  He is encouraged by a 3 percent increase over 2011 in raisin sales for the first six months of the current marketing year. Demand for Thompson juice is also trending up.  Last year, raisin grape growers received $265 a ton for green Thompsons. “Now, people are starting to talk about a $300 a ton green price for this year,” Schutz says. “That’s just a rumor — but it’s a positive sign. I’m not hearing of a lower number than last year.”

New York Times. 12 May 2012. Chile’s vineyard owners are expecting a slightly different taste and aroma to the wines they produce this year as they harvest grapes during an exceptionallylong drought. Chile is the world’s eighth largest wine producer. More than 300 wineries are located in the Andean nation’s central valley, a region with distinct seasons and few pests, which gives the grapes a potentially strong aroma. “Chile is a unique place in the world for wine,” said Miguel Torres, who has followed his father and grandfather into the wine making industry.

The Miguel Torres winery, which aims to produces “premium” wines, began its 2012 harvest at the end of March. Other vineyards started in late February and the harvesting season can extend until late May. After a disappointing 2011 in which yields were down 15 per cent on the preceding year, Chile is hoping for a bumper crop from its vital wine-making industry this time around. Last season, the drought altered the flavour, colour and aroma of wines from the main vine-growing regions. “The drought affects mostly the development of the maturity of fruits,” Fernando Almeda, chief wine maker at the Miguel Torres winery, told AFP. “One problem is what we call ‘sunburn’, when grapes subjected to direct sunlight tend to get a little coffee-coloured, a little brown, and this influences the flavour.”

“Lack of water will increase the quality and concentration of wine aromas,” Almeda said. The white wines from Chile, such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer, are expected to be produced in larger quantities than last year but “a little less fresh,less total acidity, a higher alcohol content and lower aromatic intensity,” Almeda said.

Vineyards that grow grapes for red wines are expected to vary in their production levels. Grapes watered only with rainwaterare likely to report low yields because ofthe ongoing drought while irrigated vineyards will maintain higher production, Almeda said.

Industry experts predict an increase in Chile’s wine exports this year. Chile produces 3.4 per cent of the world’s wine from 116,000 acres of grapes and ranks first among what the wine industry calls ‘new world’ producers, which includes Argentina, Australia, the US, and South Africa.

The industry remains dominated by France, Italy and Spain, which control 54 per cent of the world market. In 2011, Chile exported 664 billion litres of wine and 473 million bottles, mostly to the US, Britain and Canada. Among the exports were the Merlot and Carmenere wines that bear the unique characteristic of being derived from a grape of French origin. An 1867 plant disease destroyed the grapes in European vineyards,meaning they are grown only in Chile now.

Western Farm Press.  May 14 2012.  A plant pathologist at the University of California, Riverside has identified a fungus that has been linked to the branch dieback and general decline of several backyard avocado and landscape trees in residential neighborhoods of Los Angeles County.  The fungus is a new species ofFusarium. Scientists are working on characterizing its specific identification.  It is transmitted by the Tea Shot Hole Borer (Euwallacea fornicatus), an exotic ambrosia beetle that is smaller than a sesame seed. The disease it spreads is referred to as “Fusarium dieback.” “This beetle has also been found in Israel and since 2009, the beetle-fungus combination has caused severe damage to avocado trees there,” said Akif Eskalen, an extension plant pathologist UC Riverside, whose lab identified the fungus.

To date, the Tea Shot Hole Borer has been reported on 18 different plant species worldwide, including avocado, tea, citrus, guava, lychee, mango, persimmon, pomegranate, macadamia and silk oak. Eskalen explained that the beetle and fungus have a symbiotic relationship. “When the beetle burrows into the tree, it inoculates the host plant with the fungus it carries in its mouth parts,” he said. “The fungus then attacks the vascular tissue of the tree, disturbing water and nutrient flow, and eventually causing branch dieback. The beetle larvae live in galleries within the tree and feed on the fungus.”

Although the beetle was first detected in Los Angeles County in 2003, reports of its negative impact on tree health were paid no attention until February 2012, when Eskalen found both the beetle and fungus on a backyard avocado tree showing dieback symptoms in South Gate, Los Angeles County. The Agricultural Commissioner of Los Angeles County and the California Food and Drug Administration have confirmed the identity of the beetle. “This is the very same fungus that caused avocado dieback in Israel,” Eskalen said. “The California Avocado Commission is concerned about the economic damage this fungus can do to the industry here in California.  read more

Western Farm Press.  9 May 2012.  Everyone involved with the California citrus industry should be aware by now that a citrus tree in the L.A. area, and an associated Asian citrus psyllid, were found to be infected with Huanglongbing, a tree‐deadly bacterial disease of citrus and related plants. Parts of this diseased tree appear to have been propagated from material not legally‐certified to be used to produce new citrus trees. Huanglongbing disease is present in many other citrus growing areas of the world such as Florida, Asia and Mexico.  When Huanglongbing infects a tree, bacteria, eventually, are found throughout the tree including shoots and buds. Bringing in an illegal bud and propagating a new branch or tree of a favorite pummelo from a country in Asia, no matter how sweet the fruit; or a lime from Mexico, no matter how much it reminds one of home or a fun vacation; or possibly even a citron from an arboretum in Europe, no matter how good the fruit smells; puts the entire California citrus industry at extreme risk.

Budwood can be brought into this country legally but will require permits and protocols from a number of government agencies starting with the United States Department of Agriculture, and in California will eventually involve the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Citrus Clonal Protection Program (www.ccpp.ucr.edu).

While it may seem harsh, any tree that was created from budwood illegally brought into California should be killed immediately in advance of the arrival of the Asian citrus psyllid vector of this disease into the San Joaquin Valley. Cutting the tree down at ground level may not be enough (but it is a good start). New suckers from the stump will still harbor the disease. Monitor the stump, and destroy suckers immediately until nothing new regrows. It is probably not a bad idea to disinfect tools after use on the infected tree. Always use and follow all safety features, guidelines and instructions when using hand or power tools such as axes, handsaws, chainsaws, clippers, loppers, grinders and chippers.

Western Farm Press.  8 May 2012. Agencies of the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Reclamation) and Agriculture (Natural Resources Conservation Service), are working together to leverage funds for water delivery agencies and agricultural producers for a second consecutive year, and will provide $5.3 million in funding to five water districts and associated growers to save water and improve water management. “Coordinated federal actions and investments, such as this cooperative effort between Interior and USDA, are an important step toward improving water conservation and water supply sustainability in California, now and in the future,” said Hayes. “By working in partnership, USDA and Interior better ensure that water management efforts enhance water supplies and sustain our natural resources,” said Merrigan.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) launched the cooperative pilot program to fund water conservation and water use efficiency projects last year. Due to the success of the program, Reclamation and NRCS partnered once again to expand the benefits of the collaboration.

With NRCS support, Reclamation selected five projects for funding, totaling $2.3 million under its Agricultural Conservation and Efficiency Grants program. The selected projects will increase district-level efficiencies and facilitate farm water conservation and water use efficiency. NRCS will provide up to an additional $3 million in funding, and technical assistance to growers in the selected districts, for eligible on-farm conservation practices. (Adding $3 million from NRCS to Reclamation’s $2.3 million in funding, a total of $5.3 million is being provided to enhance water conservation.) NRCS will work with each district to determine the appropriate application periods for the district’s eligible growers.

The five recipients of the funding are the Henry Miller Reclamation District 2131, Firebaugh Canal Water District, Tulare Irrigation District, Rancho California Water District and Central California Irrigation District. read more