Calag Archive

The following article is the sixth in a series of progress reports on efficiency in the processing and marketing of frozen fruits and vegetables. The studies are being conducted cooperatively with the Agricultural Experiment Stations in Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii and the Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture.

Cultural methods used in modern commercial vegetable production involve operations–many passes over the field of tillage and harvesting machinery– that are conducive to soil compaction. The harvesting operations of some crops –especially celery, lettuce and spinach –are often carried out when soil moisture content is at a level at which severe compaction can occur.

Wildfires in areas treated by prescribed burning are relatively easy to control and are much less damaging than fires in similar untreated areas.

Apparently lygus bugs in certain alfalfa seed producing localities have developed a tolerance to toxaphene in addition to a tolerance to DDT.

Increasing fosses from certain insect pests and mites incurred by pink and red bean growers in the Sutler Basin area of northern California–reportedly in excess of $100,000 in sales returns alone during the 1956 season–resulted in studies of the problem during the 1957 and 1958 season?.

Fertilizer experiments–and a nutrient survey during the 1958 spring season–showed that some fields in Kern and Tulare counties are being depleted of exchangeable soil potassium to the point of deficiency, through frequent cropping to potatoes.

At least five, probably more, different species of a tiny parasitic wasp–Aphytis –are efficient parasites of the California red scale in various portions of the area extending from southern Japan to West Pakistan.

Serious infestations of the tomato leaf miner in 1958 failed to develop because in most fields natural enemies–mostly parasites–were present in sufficient numbers to suppress the miner population to a level well below one of economic importance.

About 75% of the Brussels sprouts grown for fresh market in the United States are produced in California, where the crop has a farm value of about $4 million annually.