- Author: Mark Bolda
Very nice presentation of management with pre-plant fungicidal dips of anthracnose given by Gerald Holmes of CalPoly of work he did together with Jim Adaskaveg, Doug Gubler, Stacy Haack, Helga Foerster and Kelly Ivors did earlier this year.
Look at the presentation, it's very well done. The upshot (copied directly from the concluding slide) is as follows:
1. Actinovate had NO efficacy on anthracnose in the conditions of this study.
2. Azoxystrobin (Abound) is highly effective in controlling Colletotrichum if the strain is sensitive, but not effective if the strain is resistant.
3. Switch is highly effective as a dip in controlling Colletotrichum in all the cases of this study. No phytotoxicity was detected in the conditions of this study (ie 4 minute dip with agitation, followed by 5 to 10 minutes drip drain).
4. Two new compounds, EXP-13 and Syngenta-2 (not registered yet) were found with high efficacy.
Link here:
http://content-calpoly-edu.s3.amazonaws.com/strawberry/1/documents/2016AnthracnoseUCR.pdf
- Author: Mark Bolda
Most of you are probably familiar with the suppression of the study of genetics by Trofim Lysenko in the early years of the now defunct USSR. Geneticists who opposed Lysenko's own Lamarckist theory that plants could pass on traits acquired during their lifetime were, in classic Soviet form, jailed; very often for good.
This whole history has come to light again with the recent rehabilitation of Lysenko by nationalists in Putin's Russia, in addition to the recent release of the book "Lysenko's Ghost" by Loren Graham. What appears below is from a review of the book in the Wall Street Journal this past week (whole article in link below, no paywall).
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-scourge-of-soviet-science-1466192179
There are important lessons to be learned from Lysenkoism about the challenges confronting science in the day to day affairs of humanity. These threats are continual, and something we should all be aware of in our own community as consumers and producers of scientific information.
Italics are mine for emphasis.
In particular the article states that "(t)he internal logic of science makes it quite resistant to external interference - Galileo's or Lysenko's critics can be silenced by force majeure but only for a time. Science is much more vulnerable to the blurring of objectivity that occurs when scientists become passionate advocates for some political cause in which their discipline gives them apparent expertise. The internal checks and balances of science are then cast aside, and the public yields to the expert, which may or may not be correct."
Politics and science never mix. Caveat emptor.
- Author: Mark Bolda
Nice clip here of a mechanical transplant operation underway in Santa Maria just a few days ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwBpDsF-lNE&feature=youtu.be
Great photography shot out of a drone.
The people running this machine clearly understand the dynamics of this system better than I do, but from a horticultural perspective I am looking closely at two things:
1. The machine is planting plugs (alleviating my concern about "J" rooting!).
2. How will the plug plants respond to a summer planting scenario, given (as far as I understand) that they have no cold conditioning.
Nice to see this sort of progress in the industry.
H/T colleague Surendra Dara who turned me on to this video.
Mark
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- Author: Mark Bolda
On September 28, UC Cooperative Extension will be leading an anthracnose meeting in anticipation of the upcoming strawberry planting. Location will be the auditorium of the UCCE Building at 1430 Freedom Blvd, Suite E.
Yes, we will cater breakfast, and it will be good! Courtesy of Syngenta, we'll be having bacon, eggs, ham, fresh fruit, juice, coffee and the works.
Format of the meeting will be much the same as we did a few months ago with our lygus meeting. Information will be presented by real experts on anthracnose and its management, but participants are encouraged to comment, ask questions and explore the topic in its entirely.
- Author: Mark Bolda
I am asking for your support for two research and extension positions in berries we are proposing to UC ANR.
So you know, these positions don't just pop out of the ground like mushrooms after a rain. They took a lot of work to put together and shape to address what is truly needed right now. We spent serious time and effort this past winter meeting with industry leaders and scientific colleagues to accomplish this and get the best fit for our berry production enterprise in California.
What is key now for you as the reader to understand is that these are PROPOSALS, and there is no guarantee that they will be given the nod from UC ANR to fill the position. The competition for placement promises to be intense, indeed, if you look through the entire 138 position proposal list, you will see a lot backed by large acreage crops with plenty of influence or powerful lobbies in areas of prominent public interest.
The way forward for us with our two positions and get more UCCE and UC people for our berry industry is for you to demonstrate your support by writing a note or letter in the space provided under the online proposal. Just know that no or little support will mean to the people evaluating these things that, well written as they are, there is little interest in them and let's all move on to the next one. The bottom line is that without your notes and letters all of our effort will have been for naught and you're not going to be seeing any new UCCE people in berries for a while.
It's up to you.
A few comments on the positions and followed by the links to the proposals:
CE Specialist in Small Fruit Production: This position is to be based in Salinas, and would have the reach across the state to collaborate on any number of projects and any number of other scientists. That said, the position would also have the capabilities to generate funded and meaningful work in its own right on any number of subjects within the berry industry - fumigation, diseases, weeds, even automation if that is what is needed.
Proposal and write in your support here:
CE Specialist in Vines and Berries and Fruit Trees: This position will really add to the UC research and extension work being done on berry diseases. The load of diseases we are dealing with right now is tremendous - anthracose, mildew, Botrytis not to mention two major emerging soil diseases and who knows what is yet to come. This position can address all of it.
Proposal and write in your support here:
