UCCE Ventura County- Blogs

USDA Brings Back the Goods - Fruit

You may not have heard of USDA plant explorers David Fairchild and Palemon Howard Dorsett, but they are among those who have had the greatest impact on what we eat in the United States. Now a silent film of their 1925–26 collecting trip to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Sumatra, and Java has been found by the National Agricultural Library (NAL).

One hundred years ago, the national cuisine was rather plain—heavy on meat, potatoes, and cheeses, and with a very limited palette of fruits and vegetables. But Fairchild, Dorsett, and other USDA plant explorers trekked across the world to find new crops and ornamental plants for the country.

Fairchild alone is credited with the introduction of more than 200,000 exotic plants and crop varieties, including avocado, flowering cherry trees, hops, horseradish, kale, nectarines, papaya, and pistachios.

Dorsett is best known for collecting germplasm that has helped to build soybeans into a $40 billion-a-year U.S. crop.

In 1925, Fairchild and Dorsett led a USDA expedition to Ceylon, Sumatra, and Western Java, during which they scoured markets, botanical gardens, farms, roadsides, and even beaches to collect seeds and plant specimens. Accompanying the explorers was Dorsett's son Jim, whose job was to document the trip photographically.

Jim Dorsett was equipped with a then state-of-the art Sept camera that could take sharp still photos, fast-action sequence photos, and movies. Fairchild was the first to acknowledge that Jim Dorsett's equipment and techniques were far superior to his own. But he was not the last, as National Geographic hired Jim Dorsett soon after he returned from the expedition.

Recently, NAL's Special Collections staff began an inventory of their 16-mm films. They discovered a poorly labeled film canister. Once they began watching, it didn't take long into the 21:06-minute silent film to realize what they had.

“It is an amazing film,” says botanist Karen Williams with the Agricultural Research Service's National Germplasm Resources Laboratory. “It offers rare insights into how people were using plants at that time. Were they using the same plants in different ways than is now common in the region? In addition, they included natural habitats in the film. Botanists may be able to make comparisons between some of the plants that are identifiable in the film and plants known to occur in the same region today—or they may find that some are rare or even extinct today,” she adds.

A collaboration between NAL and the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardenin Coral Gables, Florida, has begun to interpret the botanical and historical context of the film.

“A fascinating movie to watch and a real jewel in ethnobotany, particularly when you consider it was made in the early 20th century,” says Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden adjunct faculty and Florida International University professor Javier Francisco-Ortega. “The film covers so many things: new crops, plants as avenues to teach, ethnography, plants as tools and building materials. There is one sequence where you see them collecting a certain bamboo and then a man building with it.”

You can watch a digitized version of the entire film on YouTube  Those were the days of really getting into travel.

Paula Sewell has biographies of three of the  USDA explorers - David Fairchild, Frank Meyer (Meyer Lemon) and Wilson Popenoe (Pop Enoe).  Turns out Popenoe retired to Antigua Guatemala and Tony Brown of Carpinteria went to the guru to learn more about the cherimoya and how best to nurture it here and from there the crop flourished and the whole family was involved - Johnny, Peter and Emily.

Wilson Popenoe in the field on his horse Starlight using a McClellan saddle

ARS Office of Communication

Hans Jenny and the Art of Soil or Soil in Art

Hans Jenny (1899-1992) was a soils teacher at UC Berkeley, a pedologist. He distilled the factors that drive soil formation into an equation signified as CLORPT. The CLimate, Organisms, Relief, Parent material and Time that create soil. This might all sound academic, but this approach has helped us better understand how soils form from rock or a base material (Parent Material) to become what we see as soil today. And what we will see as soil tomorrow. He was a firm advocate for soil organic matter (SOM) and spent much of his energy showing the value of protecting SOM and how to show its value to not just agriculture, but the landscape and its health. In a 1980 Science magazine letter he said, “The humus capital, which is substantial, deserves being maintained because good soils are a national asset.” It fits right in with our ideas of carbon sequestration today.

He had a real love for soil and an eye for its beauty. He was interviewed back in 1984 for the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation where he shared some of his views.

http://nesoil.com/upload/Hans_Jenny_Interview.pdf

“Over the years I have acquired a kind of reverence for the soil, for the creature-world inside it, and for its character expressed in the profile features.”

“Soil speaks to us through the colors and sculptures of its profile, thereby revealing its personality: we acknowledge it by giving soil a name, albeit in a foreign tongue, but we don't mention our emotional involvements…”

Hans Jenny went “Hollywood” in 1983 by collaborating with David Bellamy of the BBC.  The documentary covers the concept of CLORPT referred to in the interview. It's spoken in a pretty thick English accent, so you might want to read up about the Ecological Staircase that exemplifies soil formation. The transect of soils and plants that are discussed are at Jughandle State Park in Mendocino.

David Bellamy's New World explaining Hans Jenny's CLOPRT, Part 1 y

CLORPT, Part 2

“Soil contains over a thousand different species of lower animals, the earthworms, pill bugs, nematodes, millipedes, termites, ants, springtails, and amoebas, not to mention the millions of molds and bacteria…If all the elephants in Africa were shot, we would barely notice it, but if the nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil, or the nitrifiers, were eliminated, most of us would not survive for long because the soil could no longer support us. I can't help thinking of the claim that healthy soils make healthy people, and as an extension, I am intrigued by the thought that good soils make good people, but that notion seems untenable. Well, not wholly so. Working in the garden with spade and hoe soothes the minds of many people….”

“Soil speaks to us through the colors and sculptures of its profile, thereby revealing its personality: we acknowledge it by giving soil a name, albeit in a foreign tongue, but we don't mention our emotional involvements…”

Jenny also studied how we have viewed soil in art over the ages.  He gave presentations on the progression over time of how our views have changed from broad nondescript representations to elaborate characterizations and on to more idealized shapes.  Check out this essay he did for the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1968 after years of roaming art museums - The Image of Soil in Landscape Art.

And more on the art of soil through the ages from a different author

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S034181620900112X

 

Arbor Day - Grant Wood

arbor day grant wood

UC Riverside Happenings

UC Riverside awarded $1.5 million for sustainable agriculture initiatives

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- The University of California, Riverside, has been awarded $1.5 million in grants from the California Department of Food and Agriculture to lead three interconnected projects aimed at transforming California's specialty crop farming. The initiatives focus on youth engagement, sustainable waste management, and advanced agricultural technologies.

“These multidisciplinary projects are designed to address complex food system challenges by integrating diverse perspectives,” said Deborah Pagliaccia, a professional researcher in the UCR Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology and co-principal investigator of the grants. “They aim to foster a learning environment where students and stakeholders contribute to a cohesive curriculum that bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.”

Each of the three projects has received about $498,000 in funding and will integrate education, research, and practical application to help shape a sustainable future for global food systems.

“We are also committed to equipping and informing students with the knowledge and skills necessary for careers in agriculture,” said Georgios Vidalakis, a professor of plant pathology and director of the UCR Citrus Cloning Protection Program, who is the grants' principal investigator. “We will use a holistic teaching approach to enhance academic and professional development and prepare students to continue their education or enter the job market as effective change agents.”

The first project is titled “Seeding Success: Youth Engagement and Skill Development for Sustainable and Resilient Specialty Crop Farming in California.” Led by UCR in collaboration with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Growing Hope Project, John W. North High School, and San Andreas High School, the project aims to cultivate a skilled, diverse, and adaptive workforce prepared to meet emerging climate and socio-economic challenges in California's specialty crop sector. 

A key component is the development of a new course, “Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Circular Economy,” which is designed to educate, engage, and empower high school and UCR undergraduate students to address global food security and environmental sustainability challenges. Students will participate in workshops, labs, field visits, and internships that offer them practical experience in sustainable farming technologies such as controlled environments, insect-based farming, climate-smart agriculture, and nature-based farming.

The second project is titled “Closing the Loop: Transforming Agri-Food Waste into Sustainable Carbon-Based Soil Amendments and Fertilizers.” Researchers will address climate change, improve soil health, promote sustainability, and enhance carbon sequestration practices. Specifically, they will divert waste from landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and lower reliance on synthetic fertilizers. They will also transform agri-food waste into valuable soil amendments, research the impacts of organic waste-based soil amendments on field-grown trees and greenhouse-grown vegetables, engage underserved farmers, and create internships for UCR students.

The third project is titled “Sustainable Citrus: Unlocking the Potential of Controlled Environment Agriculture for Commercial Nursery Growers.” With the goal of translating scientific discoveries into practical solutions for commercial growers, the project will enhance controlled environment agriculture technologies for citrus nursery growers. Researchers will focus on optimizing light conditions to improve plant growth and stress resilience while also enhancing the quality of disease-free plants and improving energy and cost efficiencies. Researchers will train underserved farmers and offer internships to UCR students to give them hands-on experience in advanced agri-food systems technologies.

All three projects, which begin November 1, 2024, and end June 30, 2027, will be interconnected through their use of labtofarm.org, a platform dedicated to bridging the gap between laboratory research and practical farming applications. The platform will allow researchers to disseminate their findings, engage with a broader community, and develop sustainable methodologies that are economically viable and environmentally friendly.

“LabtoFarm.org will allow us to engage undergraduate students, underserved farmers, and various stakeholders in a meaningful exchange of knowledge and innovation,” Pagliaccia said. "The platform also serves as a hub for student internships and collaborative projects, offering valuable opportunities for professional growth, hands-on experience, and direct involvement in sustainable agri-food systems practices."

According to Vidalakis, UCR is well positioned to conduct the three projects because of its location.

“We are one of very few universities conducting agricultural research that are located in urban environments,” he said. “Ours gives us access to more young minds that we can train to become business owners, entrepreneurs, and government officials. Traditionally, large urban centers have been generators of research, development, and new technologies and ideas.”

Pagliaccia, who has extensive expertise in sustainable agri-food systems, said the idea for the three projects was conceived during her service as managing director of UCR's California Agriculture and Food Enterprise, or CAFÉ.

“In CAFÉ, we worked to empower the community to make well-considered decisions toward a sustainable and economically successful future for global agri-food systems, which is also the overall goal of our three projects,” she said.     

Pagliaccia and Vidalakis will be joined in the projects by co-principal investigators Samantha Ying, Robert Jinkerson, Sohrab Bodaghi, and Arunabha Mitra at UCR; and Jonathan Kaplan at Sacramento State University.

Iqbal Pittalwala
University of California - Riverside
iqbal@ucr.edu
Office: 951-827-6050

 

 

citrus and mountains

My Frost Protection Spray Trials

The use of foliar nutrients as frost protectants has been promoted for years. Research published by Steve Lindow at UC Berkeley explained that certain naturally occurring bacteria ,such as Pseudomonas syringae and Erwinia herbicola act as nucleating agents for ice formation. The presence of these ice-nucleation-active bacteria results in the formation of ice crystals in plant tissue at temperatures several degrees higher than in their absence. When water in plant cells freezes, it expands and ruptures the cell walls, leading to cell necrosis. The bacteria can be killed or prevented from acting as nucleating agents, thus providing several degrees of frost protection.

This discovery provided a plausible explanation for the previously observed positive effects of foliar sprays on freeze tolerance. While the mechanism can be explained, there is no general agreement on which chemicals are most effective in controlling the ice-nucleating bacteria. These products need to be applied early enough to remove the ice-nucleating bacteria, but not so early that they have a chance to return.

Several specially formulated products are commercially available, but in controlled tests these have generally not given better results than copper-based fungicides or micronutrient mixtures. Certain urea-based products, antibiotics, anti-transpirants, and surfactants have also claimed to be effective.

At issue is not only these surface-dwelling bacteria, but also the age of the tree, development of the canopy, the length degree of the freeze event, the health of the tree, nutritional and irrigation status and when the event occurs. Trees that gradually go into a quiescent stage of winter, are better able to sustain cold stress than those that are hit early on before they start shutting down for winter. Trees develop a cold-hardiness. And plant growth regulators, those both internal and external, play a roll.

I have run trials where I have seen incredible effects after using a certain type of kelp. Kelp has all kinds of ingredients, and they vary depending on what part of the ocean, what species, when it is harvested and how it is processed. When trying to reproduce the effect I had initially seen with the same kelp or other sources, I was not able to get the same effect. This was in three separate trials. It's hard to reproduce the same conditions or the right time of application. The river never runs the same.

Foliar sprays are capable of influencing frost tolerance. Copper and zinc have most consistently shown a positive effect. And the most vulnerable would be small trees that are the easiest to spray. It's a relatively inexpensive treatment and depending on the mate4rial, can be used in both conventional and organic orchards.

You can read about our four-year evaluation of materials for reducing frost damage. There were some positive results, but they are also equivocal - https://ceventura.ucanr.edu/Com_Ag/Subtropical/Publications/Frost/Foliar_Sprays_for_Frost_Protection_of_Young_Citrus_and_Avocado_-_1995_/

frost damage

Frost Terminology

A Frost Primer

Definitions:

Dry-bulb temperature:  the temperature of the air as measured with a thermometer.

Wet-bulb temperature:  the temperature that the tree will likely sense due to evaporative cooling of the leaves.

Dew point temperature:  the air temperature required for condensation (dew or frost) to occur.  This is an indication of the amount of humidity in the air.  The higher the dew point, the lower the rate of cooling.  As dew forms, the water releases heat (heat of condensation), and the temperature levels out.

A high dew point -- above 40 degrees

A moderate dew point -- between 25 - 40 degrees

A low dew point -- between 10 - 25 degrees

"Cold night":  any night at or below 32 degrees F.

"Key stations":  in the days of a weather stations with at least a max/min thermometer and a thermograph in a white box facing north.  Now with digital stations.

Temperature inversion:  an atmospheric layer in which temperature increases with altitude.  High temperatures during the day promote the formation of the inversion.

"Temperature ceiling":  height to which heated air rises during orchard heating.  The lower the ceiling, the stronger the inversion and a greater amount of heat can be obtained from wind machines and orchard heating.

Radiation freeze (frost):  local cooling due to rapid heat loss from plant and soil surfaces under clear skies and light or no wind conditions.  Daytime temperatures are usually in the 45-55 degree range which causes the formation of a nighttime inversion.  Any significant breeze will cause temperatures to rise due to mixing of the inversion.

Advective freeze:  cooling of a wide area by dry polar air.  Typically, the temperature is at or below 32 degrees for 2 or more days.  The temperature ceiling is high or non-existent.  This was what we got in the devastating freeze of December 1990.

1 gram of water = 1 calorie/degree of temperature change (¡C)
1 gram of water = 79 calories released on freezing
1 gram of water = 607 calories consumed when evaporated

Gauging Wind Speed 

Effect of air movement	Wind force (mph)	Terms used in      forecasts
Calm; smoke rises vertically	less than 1
Wind direction shown by smoke drift	1 - 3	light
Wind felt on face, leaves rustle	4 - 7
Leaves and small twigs in constant motion	8 - 12	gentle
Raises dust and loose paper; small branches move	13 - 18	moderate
Small trees in leaf begin to sway	19 - 24	fresh
Large branches in motion	25 - 31
Whole trees in motion	32 - 38	strong
Breaks twigs and weak branches	39 - 54	gale

The last major freezes in southern California were in 2007 and 2013.  The last really big one was December 1990.  Here's a fascinating history of major weather events in S. CA focusing on the San Diego area from NOAA

https://www.weather.gov/media/sgx/documents/weatherhistory.pdf

 

 Temperature Inversion Above a Fire, Smoke Flattens Out

images: Out with the Olde, in with the Knew

thermometer

inversion

Read more