Posts Tagged: chip
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Shaver Lake
Santa Rosa
/h1>/h1>/h1>Potato chips: going, going … not gone!
The research team, which rescued the potato chip industry from major losses, is the “Zebra Chip Research Team.” It has just won the Integrated Pest Management Team Award from the Entomological Foundation, a national organization that aims to educate young people about science through insects. The foundation recognized the team for its research and extension efforts that have had a dramatic effect on the potato industry.
John Trumble, a distinguished professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Riverside, is a member of the Zebra Chip Research Team. He explained that by the time the team formed in 2008, a new pathogen had devastated the potato industry by spreading zebra chip disease, causing losses in the millions of dollars annually (see Q&A below).
“Indeed, many growers were on the verge of leaving the industry entirely,” he said. “When pesticide use in the fields increased dramatically, with unsatisfactory results, more economic losses followed.”
The Zebra Chip Research Team developed new techniques to identify the pathogen, allowing researchers to document local, regional, and national movements of the potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) spreading zebra chip disease. The researchers determined both within-plant and within-field movements of the psyllid and the zebra chip pathogen, and developed special sampling programs that enabled potato growers to choose the level of risk they were willing to accept.
Besides Trumble, the following researchers are members of the Zebra Chip Research Team: Charlie Rush, an epidemiologist at Texas A&M University; Neil Gudmestad, a plant pathologist at North Dakota State University; Gerhard Bester of Frito Lay; Casey Butler of Syngenta Crop Protection; Joe Munyaneza, an entomologist, and Jim Crosslin, a plant pathologist, at USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Yakima, Wash.; Jon Goolsby, an entomologist at USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Edinburgh, Texas.; Don Henne, a horticultural scientist at Texas Agrilife Research, Weslaco; and Fekede Workneh, a plant pathologist at Texas Agrilife Research, Bushland.
Congratulations to them all for their work on zebra chip disease and the recognition they received from the Entomological Foundation!
Where in the country is the disease affecting potatoes?
Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington State. Problems have now been reported throughout California, including Riverside County, Kern County and Ventura County. We find it in our experimental plantings in Orange County.
What kind of economic loss has zebra chip disease caused?
In the 2004-06 growing seasons, Texas growers estimated losses at over $25 million. Many growers during and since then have abandoned fields, with Texas reporting about a 20% reduction in planting. Guatemala, Honduras and New Zealand have reported over 80% of plants infested and losses of nearly all marketable size tubers. Dollar losses in California have not been estimated, but growers throughout the USA dramatically increased pesticide applications, which greatly increased production costs. Much of the Team's efforts were designed to determine how to economically control the pest. We did this by minimizing or eliminating use of the class one (highly toxic) pesticides, developing control strategies with low environmental impact and high economic return for the investment, and increasing use of beneficial insects.
Wood Chips as an Air Filtration Media
One of the more unusual uses for woody biomass is in bio-filtration. In this example the wood chips are used to form a bed and malodorous air is fed through to remove the offensive smell. Facilities that need this kind of filtration include sewage treatment plants and waste processing facilities. There are a number of examples in California including the facility pictured that processes municipal solid waste.
![Note how deep the chip bed is and the difference in color between old and new Note how deep the chip bed is and the difference in color between old and new](http://ucanr.org/blogs/WoodyBiomass/blogfiles/7112.jpg)
How does it work?
![Old wood chip filter bed Old wood chip filter bed](http://ucanr.org/blogs/WoodyBiomass/blogfiles/7113.jpg)
![Replacement wood chip bed Replacement wood chip bed](http://ucanr.org/blogs/WoodyBiomass/blogfiles/7114.jpg)
For this type of filtration, material from a grinder (followed by screening) is best as the stringy nature of the particles allows for air flow through the bed. The chip specification is important to avoid restriction of air flow or forced air channeling in any part of the filtration bed. Particles in the 3-6 inch range are optimal and no 1 inch minus material is acceptable. The material typically comes from forestry sources (pine and fir) or orchard removals (citrus and nut). No recycled wood is allowed and species such as redwood and eucalyptus are not appropriate as they would inhibit the growth of the bacteria. Facilities may pay $40 per cubic yard delivered. For a 50,000 cubic yard filter this represents an investment of $2m. So although they last for 5 years and have quite a tight specification it could represent a potential source of income for a business that had other markets for materials from a grinding operation.
Typical filter material
Truckin’: Got my biomass chips cashed in
[originally posted on www.foreststeward.com on Aug. 27, 2010]
Article reviewed: Engineering considerations in road assessment for biomass operations in steep terrain
By J. Sessions, J. Wimber, F. Costales, and M. Wing, published in Western Journal of Applied Forestry. Vol. 25 pp. 144-153
The plot line: The authors of this article discuss the challenges and some solutions for transporting biomass material from forests to energy plants. They point out that roads designed in the past for hauling timber will not necessarily allow passage for the different transport vehicles that are necessary for modern biomass operations. Lots of different transport vehicles and trailers are available, each with slightly different road system requirements. What foresters should look for both in terms of equipment and road systems prior to conducting biomass operations are discussed in the article.
Relevant quote: “The focus of field assessment is to identify critical points on the road system… two important areas to identify are road width around sharp curves and the presence of steep grades.”
Relevance to landowners and stakeholders:
Biomass operations are kind of like sex in high school: Everyone’s talking about it, but no one is doing it (at least when I was in high school). I do know a few foresters who do it routinely (I’m talking about biomass operations now), but given the huge number of publications and news articles about biomass harvesting, you would think that all foresters are doing it. It certainly has a lot of appeal for landowners in western forests- it’s a potential source of renewable energy and could also help reduce high severity fire. But like most new technologies or ideas, the infrastructure and expertise needed to implement lags behind the concept.
One piece of the lagging infrastructure is the transportation system needed to get the biomass material from the forest to the energy plant. As the authors point out, landowners can not assume that if the road was built for hauling logs in the past, then it should be good enough for hauling biomass. A careful assessment of roads as well as an understanding of the type of equipment that is available in a given area is necessary before embarking (get it?) upon a biomass operation.
Relevance to managers:
The most critical thing to do when considering a biomass operation is to talk with the people who operate the equipment that you’ll be using. They know what they can and cannot handle when it comes to transportation. You’ll want to find out the following about their equipment (this is mainly with respect to the type of chip vans they have):
- Do they have axle locks (“lockers”)? This makes a big difference when it comes to pulling loads up steep road pitches
- Do they have mechanical (better) or airbag (worse) suspension systems?
- What is the maximum grade they can handle, both when loaded and empty? What about for straight-aways versus turns?
- What kind of traction do they have?
- Are they willing to use assist vehicles to pull/push chip vans across difficult stretches?
- What vertical clearance is required?
- What kind of turnaround space is needed at the landing? A chip van might need a circle as wide as 70’ in diameter to easily turn around… that’s a lot of landing space and growing space to give up.
The paper provides lots of suggestions for how foresters can do quick road assessments to look for trouble spots that might be difficult for chip vans to navigate. My favorite is the method for finding out a road’s “coefficient of traction.” It involves driving in your pickup, slamming on the brakes, and seeing how far you skid. I have to try that someday. I call it the Dukes of Hazard test.
Critique and/or limitations (there’s always something, no matter how good the article is) for the pedants:
It’s hard to critique a technical review like this. The authors seem to know what they are writing about, and I learned a lot from the article. My only complaint is that they get heavy into technical jargon very early on without defining lots of terms. Also, there are some typos throughout.
Move over, Mrs. Fields
Move over, Mrs. Fields. Make way for Mrs. Miller. “Mrs. Miller’s Chocolate Chip Cookies,” that is.
“Mrs. Miller’s Chocolate Chip Cookies” scored a big hit at the annual Solano County 4-H Presentation Day, held in Fairfield.
Caitlin Miller, 10, of Vacaville, a member of the Elmira 4-H Club, chose to give a presentation on a cookie she loves the most: her grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies.
Her grandmother, Alice Miller, of Washington state, formerly of Benicia, “makes them all the time,” Caitlin said. “She showed me how to make them and they’re really good.”
The secret ingredient, cream cheese, keeps them soft.
The two judges, Sally Moore of the Roving Clovers 4-H Club, Dixon and Sarah San Nicolas of the Golden Hills 4-H Club, Vacaville, proclaimed the cookies “delicious.” They gave a blue (very good) award for her presentation.
Caitlin, a fourth grader at Cooper School in Vacaville, posted the recipe on her display board, complete with photos of the entire process.
She said she enjoyed making them.
Probably not as much as the crowd at the Solano County 4-H Presentation Day enjoyed eating them. Within a matter of minutes, not a crumb remained on the platter.
Here’s the recipe:
Mrs. Miller’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
12 ounces chocolate chips, semi-sweet
1 cup of nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soften cream cheese and butter. Blend with brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix. Then add chocolate chips, and if desired, nuts.
Using an ice cream scoop, place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten dough slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes (until lightly golden).
Caitlin Miller