“Olive: Production Manual for Oil” is a new book that aims to help California olive growers maximize that advantage. It has just been published by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Growers often harvest tomatoes before they ripen in hopes of extending shelf life and avoiding crop loss. But that act of removing the fruit from the vine affects flavor. And, storing tomatoes below certain temperatures also hurts quality and shelf life.
New research published this month out of the University of California, Davis, examined changes in tomatoes at the molecular level to better understand what happens during postharvest handling and cold storage.
Plums on the tree can be difficult to judge for ripeness: Many of the varieties grown commercially attain their beautiful color before the fruit is mature. If harvested too soon, plums may not be sweet and flavorful, and they can develop problems in storage. But growers are wary of harvesting late: Fruit can get bruised or punctured, or even drop before harvest.
Diversity programs across education have done a good job of exposing girls to science, University of California scientist Louise Ferguson said. “I see plenty of girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and medicine). What I don’t see is plenty of women in the boardroom.”
Many farmers have been wary of planting cover crops, despite the proven benefits, because they worry the additional vegetation in their fields and orchards would suck up precious water. But a new video explains recent research showing that’s not true: California fields planted with cover crops over the winter have about the same level of soil moisture.
Peach book guides growing quality fruit from planting to postharvestTwo scientists who love peaches recently met up at an experimental orchard a few miles west of campus. Thomas Gradziel plucked a nearly ripe nectarine from one of the trees, whipped out a pocket knife, and sliced off juicy chunks for Carlos Crisosto to taste. Both are experts in orchard crops in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences.
Mitchell Feldmann has been hired as an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences and continues with the internationally prestigious UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program. His assistant professor position began this month.
Louise Ferguson and fellow editors have published a new book in CABI’s speciality crop series about fig cultivation, management, harvesting and marketing. The Fig: Botany, Production and Uses also includes a fascinating review of the historical, cultural, nutritional and economic significance of this storied fruit, ranging from references in holy scriptures to the global market structure for exports and imports.
Each year, roughly 25 percent of the fruits and veggies produced across the globe are lost due to fungal diseases. In fleshy fruits, like tomatoes, this issue is more pronounced, especially as they ripen. Researchers from the Blanco Lab at the University of California, Davis, in collaboration with researchers from University of Nottingham, have demonstrated how susceptibility factors that accumulate during the ripening process promote infection by fungal pathogens.
