Biological control of thrips in protected STRAWBERRY production - Control biológico de trips en la producción de FRUTILLA (FRESA) bajo cubierta

Predatory mite Neosiulus cucumeris feeding on a thrip (http://www.biologicalservices.com.au)

The thrips Frankliniella occidentalis is a prioritary problematic in protected production of strawberry. A cross border program involved partners in the north of France and in Belgian Flanders and was conducted between 2012 and 2014. The aim was to develop integrated biological control. The study of the thrips population dynamics and of the damaging effect found that the pest population was able to develop early and strongly, particularly for repeat flowering varieties. Then, alternative control strategies were evaluated, strategies that are based on mass trapping, prophylactic measures and release of the predatory mites Neoseiulus cucumeris and Amblyseius swirskii. The results found that integrated biological control is an efficient and sustainable method, with possible increases in yields and a strongly decreased use of pesticides.
Source: Quennesson, S.; Dumortier, F.; Marez, T. de; Dahinger, V.; Petit, K.; Oste, S. 5th Conférence Internationale sur les Méthodes Alternatives de Protection des Plantes, 11-13 mars, 2015, Nouceau Sièle, Lille, France (http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/20153416985.html).

Finding shelf space in supermarkets for new FRUIT and VEGETABLES varieties and differentiated products is becoming an issue - Encontrar espacio en las góndolas de los supermercados para las nuevas variedades de FRUTAS y VERDURAS y otros productos diferenciados se está poniendo complicado

With display space for apples already crowded on retail shelves, will there be space for new varieties coming to market? (Photo by TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

As growers produce larger crops comprising both mainstay and new varieties, marketers face greater challenges garnering retail shelf space. Supermarkets are not miraculously getting bigger, and that space has to come from somewhere — either from new varieties, organics or competing products like citrus fruit, according to Steve Lutz, Columbia Marketing International’s vice president of marketing.

Produce space is governed by retailers’ perceptions of consumer preference and what they think they can sell. And the pressure is on the industry to remain competitive. As an example, Lutz said, look at Budweiser: Sales have fallen roughly 40 percent in the past 20 years — from 49.2 million barrels in 1988 to 17.2 million barrels in 2011 — thanks to the booming craft beer market.

“Go into a grocery store today and look at the beer display. It’s now full of multiple brands,” Lutz said during the 111th Annual Meeting of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, held in December in Yakima, Washington. “The question is, ‘How will I get it on the shelf, and how will I get it off the shelf once I’ve produced it?’”

Why worry?

The new orchards being planted each year mean there are a lot of young trees with new products and new varieties that will be bearing fruit and competing for space at the retail level, Lutz said. At the same time, consumption has been flat.

“The variety that we offer consumers offers us more opportunities to be successful with our products, but it puts demand on space,” he said. “When we produce the next Cosmic Crisp, where are we going to put it?” Apple, pear and cherry growers aren’t the only growers producing new varieties, either. Variety is up everywhere — grapes, tomatoes, melons, all major commodities — as well as the growing organic sector.

The Costcos and Sam’s Clubs of the world are unlikely to expand their produce footprint. Sam’s Club averages seven varieties of apple, but “just try to get an eighth,” Lutz said. “It is very, very difficult. They will say they have an expectation that your product will drive x number of sales per store, per week. If you can’t do that, we don’t want it.” Plus, as complexity increases in the marketplace, so do mistakes at the retail level, Lutz said. “It’s easy for the retail companies that we rely on to get it wrong, to make mistakes and be less than optimal.”

Driving retail

There’s a relationship between what products pay to a supermarket and what space retailers are willing to offer that product, Lutz said. Apples have the largest footprint of space at retail, but because of that large footprint, the dollars per square foot are among the lowest of all fruits, posing an even greater challenge to expand that space.

Retailers’ approaches to sales factor in as well.

During the marketing season for Washington’s 2014 record apple crop of 140 million packed boxes, the top 15 supermarket chains sold more apples, but the bottom 15 chains not only lost dollars, they also lost volume, Lutz said. Weaker-performing retailers tend to focus on a core low price and lack variety in their produce departments, with no new space or new items and no premium selections or upscale packages. Almost 80 percent of their sales and volume come from Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith and McIntosh, which means they’re still “approaching the apple category like it’s Budweiser,” Lutz said.

Conversely, top-performing retailers are generating only about 45 percent of their revenue from those five varieties, making greater gains with newer varieties like Honeycrisp, Jazz, Envy, Ambrosia, Cripps Pink and SweeTango. Strong retailers allocate space to large volumes, with solid premium selections and packaging options. They also leverage organics and organize flow in their departments to steer consumers to higher-value apples.

Lower-performing stores will put a familiar variety of apple for 49 cents per pound next to Honeycrisp at $2.99 per pound. “What message is that sending to the consumer? Buy the cheap apples,” he said. “It’s a self-defeating strategy that is an absolute waste of space.” Marketers have opportunities in the retail market if they remember that packaging sells and displays matter, Lutz said. “There is a space race going on, but we have spectacular new products coming to market. You have to execute with marketing, and you have to execute with packaging.” •
Source: Shannon Dininny (http://www.goodfruit.com)

Population decline of crop bee POLLINATORS - Declinamiento de la población de POLINIZADORES de los cultivos

http://www.21stcentech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Honeybee.jpg

Bees are the main pollinators in nature, being of fundamental importance of

many agricultural crops around the world, causing improvements in the

productivity of these crops. The pollination by bees contributes to improving

the quality and / or quantity of produced fruits and seeds. However, despite

all importance, the bees are in the process of disappearing in several parts  

the world, mainly in Europe and in some countries in North America. Recent

surveys are showing a large decline in native bees and honeybees (Apis

mellifera), mainly as a result of environmental changes, that cause severe

negative effects on the availability of food for the bees. So, this review aims

to reinforce the importance of bees in crop pollination, and warn about the

current situation and the population decline of different groups of these

important pollinators.

Source: Mikail Olinda de Oliveira, Acta Apicola Brasilica, 2015. Full text: http://www.gvaa.com.br/revista/index.php/APB

Las altas temperaturas de la primavera anticiparon un mes la cosecha de FRUTILLA (FRESA) en España - Spring high temperatures anticipated one month STRAWBERRY harvest in Spain

http://elblogdelafrutaylaverdura.com

Las elevadas temperaturas registradas en la provincia de Huelva durante los meses de noviembre y diciembre han acelerado la maduración de la fresa y han provocado el adelanto de la campaña 2015/2016 y que las primeras fresas lleguen al mercado en Navidad, una climatología que ha propiciado una fruta de buena calidad que se podrá degustar casi un mes antes de la fecha habitual. Freshuelva ha explicado en un comunicado que el mes de noviembre ha sido prácticamente como uno de marzo, mientras que las temperaturas de diciembre se asemejan a las de febrero, con lo que la recogida de la fruta se ha adelantado casi un mes de la fecha habitual de inicio de recolección. En este sentido, ha precisado que la campaña se ha iniciado prácticamente en todas las zonas de producción de la provincia, con las variedades tempranas Fortuna, Splendor, Primoris y San Andreas, en pequeñas cantidades y cosechas una vez por semana. 

Esta climatología está favoreciendo que la fruta esté "en óptimas condiciones de calidad y sabor", lo que, unido a la llegada al mercado un mes antes y en una fecha con poco producto, hace a la fresa de Huelva mucho más competitiva. Freshuelva ha calificado de positivo este adelanto de la campaña, que hace que el sector se coloque en una posición de salida ante la campaña optimista, si bien el devenir de la misma, como siempre, estará marcado por la climatología de los meses venideros y el comportamiento del producto en los mercados. 

El sector fresero de la provincia de Huelva afronta la campaña 2015/2016 con 5.860 hectáreas plantadas, lo que ha supuesto un descenso del 8,73 por ciento respecto a la campaña anterior. Por el contrario, el número de hectáreas plantadas de otras berries, tales como la frambuesa, la mora y el arándano, ha experimentado un incremento del 25 por ciento, con un total de 1.815, 130 y 1.953 hectáreas plantadas, respectivamente. En total, la campaña de frutos rojos de la provincia de Huelva parte con un total de 9.658 hectáreas plantadas, con un ligero ascenso respecto a la campaña anterior marcado por la diversificación por la que el sector apuesta abiertamente para asegurar la rentabilidad de las campañas.

Fuente: http://www.20minutos.es

BLUEBERRY fruit extracts reduce ovarian damage caused by subchronic cadmium exposure - Extractos de frutos de ARÁNDANO reducen el daño ovárico causado por exposición subcrónica al cadmio

Photo adapted from http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/34900000/Blueberry-fruit-34914641-1776-1492.jpg

Females are born with a finite number of oocyte-containing follicles and ovary damage results in reduced fertility. Cadmium accumulates in the reproductive system, damaging it, and the cigarette smoke is a potential exposure route. Natural therapies are relevant to health benefits and disease prevention. Researchers in Brazil verified the effect of cadmium exposure on the ovaries of mice and the blueberry (Vaccinium ashei) extract as a potential therapy. Blueberry therapy was effective in restoring reactive species levels and δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase activity, and partially improved the viability of cadmium-disrupted follicles. This therapy was not able to restore the 17 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity. Extract HPLC evaluation indicated the presence of quercetin, quercitrin, isoquercetin, and ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid was the major substance and its concentration was 620.24 µg/mL. Thus, cadmium accumulates in the ovaries of mice after subchronic exposure, inducing cellular damage, and the blueberry extract possesses antioxidant properties that could protect, at least in part, the ovarian tissue from cadmium toxicity. 

Source: A Pinto Izaguirry, M Bucco Soares, L Musacchio Vargas, C Chiapinotto Spiazzi, D dos Santos Brum, S Noremberg, AS Loureiro Mendez, F Weber Santos. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2015.

Nuevo híbrido de zapallo tipo "anco" o "coreanito" - New butternut squash hybrid

Variedad de zapallo Coquena Argentum INTA (http://intainforma.inta.gov.ar/)

El INTA La Consulta (Mendoza, Argentina) desarrolló una nueva variedad de zapallo llamada Coquena Argentum INTA. Se destaca por su alto rendimiento, tamaño de sus frutos y calidad culinaria. Este híbrido se obtuvo en el marco del convenio con la empresa Iceberg Agrícola S.A., que exige parámetros de calidad de acuerdo al mercado externo. Se destaca de otras variedades de su tipo por la homogeneidad en la forma y el tamaño de los frutos, que son óptimos para el empaque y comercialización, y por el alto rendimiento –hasta 45 t/ha– con bajo porcentaje de frutos rajados o fuera de tipo.

“Los comerciantes demandan homogeneidad y rendimientos altos, y los consumidores una pulpa de textura suave y sabor dulce que está asociada al color externo anaranjado”, detalló Della Gaspera. Estas exigencias ocasionan descartes de frutos en el campo y depresión de precios en el mercado interno porque aumenta la oferta de los frutos no exportables. El objetivo de este desarrollo fue obtener híbridos de zapallo tipo Anco con alta calidad de pulpa, bajo porcentaje de cracking y tamaños y formas homogéneas para disminuir la proporción de descarte.

Las plantas son vigorosas con ramas largas, rastreras y muy expansivas. Los vástagos son de color verde oscuro. Las hojas son cordiformes y de color de verde medio con manchas grisáceas entre las nervaduras. La guía principal tiene una longitud promedio de 6,9 m, con muchas ramas de diferentes órdenes que le permiten una excelente cobertura de la cama de siembra. Los frutos son piriforme cilíndricos. Además, la cavidad seminal es pequeña y se encuentra ubicada en el ápice del fruto. El color de la corteza es anaranjado medio con bandas irregulares más claras y el interior anaranjado fuerte.

Se trata de una variedad con un ciclo de 130 días desde la siembra hasta la cosecha. Su floración se inicia entre los 55 y 60 días desde la emergencia, dependiendo de la cantidad de grados días por encima de la temperatura base de crecimiento (10ºC).

La planta produce entre 10 y 12 frutos con un peso medio de 1,5 kg. Se adapta a la mayoría de las zonas productoras del país con ciclos libres de heladas superiores a 140 días. Prefiere suelos franco-arenosos, profundos y bien aireados, aunque también se obtienen rendimientos rentables en suelos arenosos o arcillosos.

Este híbrido conserva la resistencia al marchitamiento causada por Phytophthora capsici L., típica de esta especie. Además, es más tolerante al oídio que otras variedades similares. El especialista recomendó cultivarla en camas de siembra bien alomadas para favorecer el escurrimiento de aguas de lluvia. “Con este manejo se pueden evitar infecciones de hongos del suelo y bacterias”, aseguró. Las distancias de siembra adecuadas son de 2,5 a 3 m entre surcos por 0,8 m entre plantas. También se adapta a siembras a doble cara en los terrenos más permeables como los arenosos o franco arenosos profundos.

Fuente:  INTA Informa (http://intainforma.inta.gov.ar/)

Asia: A great market for ACHACHA FRUIT - Asia: Un gran mercado para la ACHACHA

Awareness and demand for achacha fruit is continuing to grow this year as chefs, foodies and the health conscious continue to explore exotic fruit and vegetables around the world. The achacha is originally from Bolivia – where it is known as achachairú and has been cultivated for many years in smallholdings and domestic orchards – but the leading commercial plantation for the fruit is actually in Queensland, Australia. Achacha grower Bruce Hill has championed the fruit since 2002, when an agreement with the Bolivian Government allowed him to start growing achacha commercially at Palm Creek Plantation, just south of Townsville in north Queensland. He says they have 120 ha dedicated to more than 16,000 achacha trees, as well as “about 60 mango trees and a few other tropical species”.

More people are discovering this unique fruit every year, with Asia a particularly strong market for the upcoming 2015/16 season. “There has been a lot of interest from that region over the last few months. And we expect exports to UK / Europe will continue,” he says, also noting that the Australian domestic market continues to grow each year. While the achacha’s unique sweet and tangy flavour is one of its main drawcards, Mr Hill also says it has a lot of health benefits that appeal to people. “It’s high in antioxidants, and very low in sugars,” he says. “There is a steady stream of customers with diabetes who buy box loads of the fruit from the plantation.”

“A recent study by the University of Western Sydney has found high levels of arginine, which benefits the cardiovascular system, in the skin – suggesting that the drink traditionally made from the skins as a hunger suppressant could have other beneficial properties as well.” Mr Hill has also noticed more interest from the culinary world, where exotic fruits and vegetables are currently very on trend. “More and more chefs are becoming aware of the fruit and what can be done with it so we expect that it will feature increasingly on menus in restaurants,” he says.

“To facilitate its use in sorbets, ice-cream, cocktails, desserts, drinks and so on, not only do we provide a Thermomix pulping method, but we are installing a processing facility to separate the pulp from the rest of the fruit.” The achacha flowers also provide a great flavour for honey, although Mr Hill says there won’t be any this season due to drought. He says dry weather has definitely affected the plantation this year – in the same way it has for many other tropical fruits grown in Australia, such as mangoes and lychees.

“We have had an exceptionally dry year, virtually no rain since March, and this no doubt has influenced the crop, which will be later than usual,” he says. “We normally follow mangoes – this year the mango harvest has been extremely poor, and drawn out, with fruit ripening over a couple of months instead of the usual three weeks or so.” With the fruit just starting to show colour on the trees, Mr Hill expects harvest will start in mid-January and hopes to have several hundred tonnes for both domestic sales and exports.

Source: http://www.freshplaza.com