• Plants per acreage: potentially up to 2,500 plants per ¼ acre
• Yield per plant: an estimated 250 flowers per plant every 3 months
• Approximately 600 fresh flowers = 1 pound
• Harvest method: Hand-picked individual flower tops (on approximately half-inch stem), or because of the growth pattern in which the flowers are on a stem above the foliage, mechanical harvesting might be possible
• Handling and shipping: Because we crush and macerate the flowers in high-proof alcohol to extract flavor, they do not require delicate handling such as with flowers used decoratively. Shipping can be done by vacuum bagging, boxing, and sending overnight via FedEx or UPS to Colorado.

Bob Tews

Tews Pro Services LLC

C 303 808-4072

With the recent Section 18 permit to use Sefina insecticide for control of lygus bugs in strawberry, a number of growers and PCA's have approached both of us concerning the mode of action of Sefina, of which the active ingredient is afidopyropen.

From the paper included below we find that the mode of action is as follows:

"A recent study revealed that afidopyropen modulates the transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels in insect chordotonal organs. Chordotonal organs, which are unique to insects and crustaceans, are mechano-sensors, which are located in the joints of body segments and provide information about relative rotation of body parts. Hyperactivation and eventual silencing of TRPV channels by afidopyropen perturbs function of chordotonal organs and leads to loss of coordination, which, in turn results in inability to feed, desiccation and eventual death"

Put another way, the mode of action is basically similar to an inner ear infection or what one can experience from an excess of alcohol consumption, in that the affected insect has a loss of coordination and balance. That makes them starve to death because they can't really attack the fruit again or makes them susceptible to predation.

It is valuable to point out that Sefina (afidopyropen) does have translaminar efficacy in the plant, but it does take time as you see with aphids in the paper. It is interesting to note that there is no downward movement of the chemical in the plant, they observed upward movement. 

I'm a sucker for buying books at the airport, I think it's because so much free time beckons not only at the airport while waiting to board but then also in the airplane itself.

So I recently bought at SeaTac the book "Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know" by Adam Grant (helpfully subtitled #1New York Times Bestseller).  It's about rethinking your own assumptions which seems like a good topic to read about.

A striking passage about midway into the book I think is worth sharing here, and that is the idea that it is one thing to admit to yourself that you are wrong, but then yet another to confess that you are wrong to others which can open the door to ridicule, loss of reputation and even status in your social circle.

To which author Grant shares the following story, I quote it directly out of the book since it has quite an impact:

"In the early 1990's, the British physicist Andrew Lyne published a major discovery in the world's most prestigious science journal. He presented the first evidence that a planet could orbit a neutron star - a star which had exploded into a super nova.  Several months later, while preparing to give a presentation at an astronomy conference, he noticed that he hadn't adjusted for the fact that the Earth moves in an elliptical orbit, not a circular one.  He was embarrassingly, horribly, wrong. The planet he had discovered didn't exist.

In front of hundreds of colleagues, Andrew walked into the ballroom stage and admitted his mistake.  When he finished his confession, the room exploded in a standing ovation.  One astrophysicist called it the most honorable thing he'd ever seen."

Author Grant draws from this the point that admitting we were wrong doesn't make us look less competent, but rather it's a display of honesty and a willingness to learn.  In fact people can be judged more favorably if they acknowledge the new information or the information they have missed.

My own opinion on this is that obviously its important to be honest with yourself and with others, but it is striking to confess a mistake in front of hundreds of people.  It might have been because the erroneous work had lot of impact and was already published in a major journal that Dr. Lyne made the decision to make it widely known what had gone down. The cynic in me also says, since the elliptical nature of Earth's orbit has been known since the early 1600's, he would have gotten found out so it was pretty clear that owning up to it fast was the best route to take anyway.

Those who have worked together with me know that I've certainly had my share of research washouts and monster mistakes and I've owned up to them (and also expect those working with me to do the same), but fortunately they became obvious before the official publication or presentation stage.  If any of these errors had been found out later, and most certainly if others were basing their own work or decision-making on them, I think Dr. Lyne provides a good example on how to deal with it.

Any thoughts?

Out for a run in Bellingham last week to maintain my strength for the rigors of the CA berry industry when I spied a tree sporting raspberry-like fruit like those pictured below (and hence my senses being drawn to it immediately).  I've done some internetting on it, but not quite sure.

Thoughts? Anyone want to take a shot at identifying it?  Family is good, genus or even species would be better.