Facebook
X (Twitter)
Reddit
Pinterest
Tumblr
LinkedInPosts Tagged: vegetables
California Testing Finds Little or No Pesticide Residues on Most Fruits and Vegetables in 2015
|
Out of 3,600 samples of 145 fresh fruits and vegetables tested in California in 2015, just 43 had pesticide residue over legal limits, and 113 contained residue of a pesticide not approved for that commodity. Pesticide residue limits are set based on legal use of the product and violations are generally not health concerns.? The tests were conducted by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, which for three decades has been conducting one of the most comprehensive pesticide monitoring programs in the country. Other highlights from the just-released results:
As in recent years, the majority of these samples had residues at less, usually much less, than 10% of the tolerance level. The department also tested 170 fruits or vegetables labeled organic and 85.3% had no detectable pesticide residue, 11.8% had residues acceptable under organic regulations, 2.4% had residues acceptable in conventionally grown produce but not organic, and 0.6% had unacceptable residues. Certain products from China and Mexico had the highest level of illegal pesticide residues detected.
|
A New Threat to California Agriculture - Sri Lankan Weevil?
Just so we don't forget, but there are a lot more threats to California than ACP and PSHB. There's a lot more where they came from. Here's one that has landed in Florida that could easily with the shipment of infested plants arrive in California.
Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus Marshall, the Sri Lankan weevil, is a plant pest with a wide range of hosts. The Sri Lankan weevil was first detected in 2000 in Florida. By May, 2006 it was found in 12 counties in that State. The Sri Lankan weevil has a wide host range of over 150 plant species including native, ornamental, vegetable and fruit species. Some host plant examples include Citrus spp., citrus; Conocarpus erectus, green buttonwood; Bauhinia x blakeana, Hong Kong orchid tree; Chrysobalanus icaco, cocoplum;Phoenix roebellenii, pygmy date palm; Prunus persica, peach; Lagerstroemia indica, crepe myrtle;Capsicum spp., pepper; Litchi chinensis, lychee; Muntingia calabura, strawberry tree; and Solanum melongena, eggplant. It is unclear what the larval host plants are, but they have been reared in the laboratory on pepper, eggplant, cotton, carrot, and sweet potato roots.
The damage adults cause to foliage can be significant in the ornamental industry and to young citrus trees they can be lethal. The most disturbing aspect of this pest is that it has a larval stage that feeds on roots and is difficult to detect and treat with traditional insecticides. This pest behavior is very much like of the introduced Diaprepes root weevil which is found in certain areas of the Southern California coast. The possible distribution of the pest is for much of coastal California
Various life stages of the Sri Lankan Weevil.
sri lanka weevil07
UC Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center celebrates National Nutrition Month
March is National Nutrition Month. To celebrate what healthy food is and where it comes from, the Center held its 3rd Annual Preschool Open House—Healthy Foods Start on the Farm, on March 5th. Over 200 Ventura County preschoolers and their families...
