Posts Tagged: new crops

Coffee??? In California??? Come On.

Yes, Coffee is now being Commercially Grown in California!

Are you interested in growing, processing and marketing Coffee in California? Would you like to learn about new opportunities for this high-value crop and speak with industry professionals?

 

The Huntley College of Agriculture is hosting an Inaugural Industry “Coffee Summit” on January 18th at the AgriScapes Outreach Center located on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona.

Hear from the California coffee industry leaders from Santa Barbara and San Diego Counties and from long-time professionals with the University of California, University of Hawaii and USDA. In addition you'll learn about current research field trials to determine which varieties are suitable for production in California.

Summit topics include development of estate coffee, coffee production, pests and diseases, processing methods and marketing. Please join us on January 18th at the AgriScapes Conference Center from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Continental breakfast, lunch and coffee tasting will be provided!

Summit Contact: Duncan McKee - Cal Poly Pomona dhmckee@cpp.edu

And more info along with agenda and registration:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-california-coffee-summit-tickets-41055970513?aff=es2

 

 

In the meantime watch the CBS "This Morning" video of California coffee growing

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/farmer-breaks-ground-with-california-grown-coffee-success/

 

 

 

 

coffee fruit

New Avocados for the Valley?

California avocados are the best in the world. So says downtown restaurant manager Daniel Avalos in a Valley Public Radio story by reporter Ezra David Romero.

The fact that they currently thrive only on a small swath of coastal Southern California is being challenged by UC Cooperative Extension specialist Mary Lu Arpaia. She is on a mission to find avocado varieties that withstand the hot summers and cold winters of the San Joaquin Valley, where irrigation water and crop land are more abundant and cheaper. 

She hopes to find avocado varieties that ripen at various times of year, and varieties that might be an alternative crop for citrus growers should huanglongbing, a disease that has devastated the Florida citrus crop, take hold in Central California.

"There's a void of California fruit on the market in the months of November, December and actually early January," Arpaia said. "So if we can find different selections that maybe are unique that fit into that window, then we help the entire California avocado industry."

An as-yet unnamed avocado variety. 

Romero visited the UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center to see the trees in Arpaia's study. Currently, the vast majority of California avocados are the Hass variety. The goal is to breed varieties with similar eating quality that grow to a moderate height and have high yield. One potential that is already being produced by nurseries is called "gem."

"This is gem," said Eric Focht, a staff research associate in Arpaia's lab. "You can see it's a little more oval or egg shaped than Hass. It has the speckling on the skin. Now as this ripens, it will turn dark and a lot of times the speckled lenticels with get a yellow kind of golden color it it."

Another promising variety is called "lunchbox" because of its small size. According to Focht, it "just falls out of the skin." Arpaia said, "It makes wonderful guacamole and I found, with a non-replicated test in my refrigerator, the fruit doesn't brown."

Arpaia's favorite guacamole recipe is featured at the end of the story on the KVPR website. And there is more on this story at:

http://abc30.com/society/new-research-may-allow-the-central-valley-to-become-a-major-producer-of-avocados/1958899/

 

Mary Lu Arpaia

Mary Lu

Elderberry as a New Crop

An increasingly sought after health product are the fruit and flowers of elderberry – Sambucus mexicana. It is a nutraceutical which has more antioxidants than other dark fruit like blackberry and pomegranate. It's a California native, but it is estimated there may 30 species worldwide. And some are not that edible because of hydrogen cyanide which can lead to displeasing reactions. The bulk of production is in Europe – Hungary, Germany, France and much of the other countries. They make, jams, wines, topping for yogurt, pies and other tasty things. Most of the elderberry that comes into the US comes from Europe. Oregon used to have large commercial plantings, but the big players today are Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Minnesota. Rather than selling pills made of elderberry, growers are finding consumers want the juice. 

It's hard to find statistics on elderberry – acreage, sales, number of growers, etc. - but it's a growing industry, with varietal selections and a harvesting machine developed. The trees get to about 30 feet in height, handle drought and wet feet, alkaline soil. They are attractive to bees and other beneficials. The fruit is attractive to birds which might be a food safety issue. It would also bring back some windbreaks that have disappearing. 

To read more about the potential market go to:

Elderberry Market Research - Center for Agroforestry

www.centerforagroforestry.org/profit/elderberrymarketreport.pdf

 

elderberries-2

Are Hops a Serious Option as a Crop in San Diego?

Farmers in our county who are using high-priced water are really thinking about “niches” in the market. They

simply must get the best prices they can if they are going to stay in business.

 

So, what are these “niches”?  One niche is simply converting to an organic operation.  This can usually mean higher prices, but the increase in cultural costs must be carefully considered (spraying glyphosate for weed control is a lot cheaper than hoeing, but glyphosate is not organic!).   It can be an early variety that hits the market ahead of other areas (early season, low-chill blueberries), or it can be a crop that is later than other farming districts (Gold Nugget mandarins), or it can be a crop that is desired by a local market (tropical guavas for the Hispanic population). 

 

We might have a niche local market for hops developing right before our eyes.  According to Wikepedia, San Diego has 87 craft breweries and brewpubs, with 31 more on the drawing boards.  I have heard that our local craft beer makers might like to buy local hops.

 

But, can they be grown here?  Over the last 30 years I have tried to steer growers away from growing crops that have a high chilling requirement.  I've talked would-be pistachio and cherry growers from planting because they both have winter chilling requirements in excess of 900-1000 hrs below 45 F.  In the case of hops, they have a chilling requirement and we think a long daylight requirement, which they get in the Northern climates.   And I've told a lot of people that hops don't do well south of San Francisco (because that's what I read on the internet).  But some people planted hops anyway, and guess what!  They do grow here! 

 

But they don't always bear fruit (cones).  Local growers have told me that ‘Willamette', ‘Centennial' and ‘Northern Brewer' do not produce well.  But ‘Cascade' and ‘Nugget' have been producing from young vines at the Star B Ranch in Ramona.  And other growers have been able to produce with 'Chinook', ‘Galena', ‘Perle' and ‘Tomahawk'.  Now, will they produce the quantities needed to compete in a commercial market, pay the water bills and make a profit?  This sounds like a farm advisor trial in the making!

 

You may wish to read a good article on growing hops that was prepared by Gordon W. Morehead and Paul Vossen with UCCE in Sonoma County    http://cesonoma.ucanr.edu/files/27166.pdf. 

 

Growing Hops.  Hops are usually started from rhizomes (root cuttings) planted in hills about five feet apart in the early spring.  Hops grow quickly as vines on a tall trellis.  Most growers erect poles about 16-20' tall, run wires between them and drop stings down about five feet apart for the vines to climb.  Three trainings are done every fifteen days to get the vines to grow up the stings properly.

 

For irrigation a local grower in San Diego has reported to me that (in her second year) she used drip irrigation with a 1 gal/hr dripper/plant for 20 hrs in a set, two sets per week.  She fertilized 3 times per season with 1 lb 5-1-1 organic fertilizer and liquid fish emulsion (not sure how much) through the irrigation system.  She just completed her second year so I'm not sure what her water and fertilizer requirements will be in the third year when the vines are in full production.

 

Harvesting is done in August-September by cutting down the vines and either taking them to a machine that separated the cones from the leaves and vines, or by hand.  In her case she bought a harvester for $14,000 that “is a necessity if you have a lot of vines”.  Depending on the requirement of the buyer, the grower may have to dry the cones and chop them.  The grower should work out the marketing requirements well in advance of the harvest.

 

Are hops going to make it as a new crop in San Diego?  We don't know, but stay tuned!

Hops

Passion Fruit

Passion fruit is widely grown and valued throughout the tropics and subtropics. Most Passifloras are vines which can climb to 20 or 30 feet. The fruit varies in color from purple to yellow-orange and in shape from an egg to a tennis ball. Inside its quarter-inch protective rind are numerous small seeds covered by a juicy aromatic, sweet-acidic pulp. The sweeter species are esteemed as a fresh fruit. The seeds are consumed with the pulp. The fruit is more commonly made into juice and often blended with other juices such as orange. The fruit also is used to make excellent ice creams, sherbets, jellies, and pies. The downside of the passion fruit is that most esteemed species are very frost tender. The best adapted to California of the tropical species, the purple granadilla (P. edulis), is prone to soil diseases. However, there is a yellow form which, though not as sweet, is not subject to these diseases. More importantly, the yellow form can be hybridized with the purple or used as a root stock. Marketwise, the United States can not compete in the production of passion fruit juice, and a demand for the fresh fruit has not been established except for a very limited gourmet business.

Botany

The family Passifloraceae contains about 550 species of which 400 are in the genus Passiflora. Of these all but about 40 are indigenous to tropical and subtropical America. They are commonly found as understory plants in rain forests. The passifloras are herbaceous and shallow rooted. Leaves are usually alternate. The leaf margin can be toothed or entire.

The unusual flowers are the outstanding characteristic of passifloras and many are grown only for their flowers. The flowers are bisexual, colorful, possessing a complex corolla, and a superior ovary on a gynophore. The flowers were named by missionaries who associated them with the Passion or suffering of Christ (the five petals and five sepals with the ten apostles, the corona with the crown of thorns, the five stamens with the five wounds, etc.).

P. edulis bears 2 to 3 inch spherical to ellipsoidal fruits. The fruits have a tough rind with a white pith adhering to the inside surface, about .3 inches in total thickness, and wrinkled when ripe. Inside is the edible portion consisting of many small black seeds on which adheres a juicy orange colored pulp. The flavor is highly fragrant, sub-acid to acid.

The P. edulis has a subspecies, yellow (P. edulis var. flavicarpa). The yellow form is more acid, less frost tolerant, and less prone to disease. In warmer climates the yellow will out-yield the purple, but this does not seem true with most areas in California.

Yellow and purple passion fruit flowers are perfect but self sterile and require insects to achieve fruit set. Flowers of the purple are self-compatible. They blossom in the spring and early summer. Pollen of the yellow will pollinate the purple, but not vice versa. The fruit of both ripen in 7 to 8 weeks.

Although there are many passiflora species that bear excellent fruit, the edulis is the only species that is sufficiently cold hardy to be grown outside of the banana belts in the milder areas of California. More cold hardy species do exist, but the fruit is not generally preferred to the edulis. Included here is a summary of the characteristics of the more important species:

• P. actinia (sea anemone)

Yellow, 1 inch ellipsoid, fragrant pulp
Can withstand 24^oF
Potential rootstock for P. alta and P. quadrangularis
Fruit is at best equal to edulis

• P. alata (fragrant granadilla)

Yellow, 4 inch sphere, white pulp
Frost tender (35^oF)

• P. coccinea (red granadilla)

Yellow-orange, 2 inch ellipsoid, white pulp
Amazon basin, frost tender
Often hand pollinated

• P. incarnata (maypop)

Makes good jams
Southeast US
Hardy to 10^oF

• P. quadrangularis (giant granadilla)

Green-yellow to deep yellow, 5x10 inch ellipsoid
Yellow to pink pulp
Low elevations in tropics (1,500 to 5,000 feet)
Frost tender (30^o - 31^oF)
Often hand pollinated
Considered one of the better species

• P. ligularis (sweet granadilla)

Orange yellow, hard shell, 2x3 inch ellipsoid, yellow pulp
High tropics 3,000 to 8,000 feet
Considered one of the better species
Frost tender (30^o - 31^oF)

• P. laurifolia (water lemon, yellow granadilla, golden apple)

Orange yellow, 2x3 inch ellipsoid, white pulp
Low tropics
Very frost tender
Requires cross-pollination

• P. maliformis (sweet calabash)

Yellow-green, 1.5 inches spheroid, white pulp
Grows in high tropics
Frost tender 30^oF

• P. mollissima (Tacsonia mollissima) (banana passion fruit)

Yellow, 2.5 inch banana shaped, good quality. white pulp
Andean valleys
Can survive 28^oF
Planted in more frost prone areas of California

Climatic requirements

The purple edulis is native to southern Brazil, Paraguay, northern Argentina. This area has a humid, near-tropical climate. The yellow edulis subspecies is native to the Amazon basin and perhaps a hybrid of the purple and P. ligularis.

The optimal growing temperatures are 68 to 82 degrees. Passion fruit likes full sun along the coast, but inland full sun should be avoided since it does like hot, dry heat.

Soil Requirements

Passion fruit grow best in fast draining soils (sandy loam) with a pH 6.5 to 7. Drainage is particularly important for the purple subspecies since it is susceptible to soil diseases. Since the roots of plants are shallow, planting in raised beds can help provide the necessary drainage. The plants benefit from mulching.

Cultural Requirements

Spacing and training

Passion fruit are usually planted on 8 to 12 foot centers and trained on strong supports in a fashion similar to grapes. They are also cordoned on walls or flat trellises.

Watering

Passion fruit require a lot of water, particularly inland. However, careful attention must be paid to watering since overwatering can help further detrimental diseases and underwatering can leave the shallow roots too dry.

Fertilization

Passion fruit require frequent application of balanced fertilizer during growing season. In winter plants may be chlorotic (yellow between the veins of leaves) due to cold soil temperatures.

Pruning

Since the passion vines are vigorous growers, pruning is necessary to keep the plants to a desirable size, to remove tangles, and to remove deadwood. The plants are vigorous and can be pruned anytime; however, pruning just before spring flush is preferred.

Pests and Diseases

The purple passion fruit is subject to fusarium wilt, nematode attack, and crown rot and, therefore, may require replanting every 3 to 4 years. Planting on mounds or ridges is recommended for better drainage. Fungicide sometimes is used on the crown in wet season. The yellow form is resistant to wilt and nematodes and, therefore, is occasionally used as a rootstock for the purple; however, both are subject to Phytophthora cinnamoni. Other possible rootstocks worthy of trial for California are P. caerulea and P. coccinea. Snails will strip leaves if not controlled, and thrips can be a problem on seedlings.

Propagation

Plants can be propagated by seed; however, the progeny are variable. Fresh seeds are far easier to propagate than seeds that are older than a month or two. Seeds should not be exposed to light until they have germinated. Older seeds can be soaked in tea or coffee for at least one day to improve germination. Fresh seeds will germinate in 1 to 3 weeks; older seed may take months. Plants will bear in 2 or 3 years.

An easy method of propagation and one that will preserve characteristics of the parent is by rooted cuttings. Misting or enclosing in a humid atmosphere (a plastic bag enclosing a pot will do for an occasional rooting) improves the success rate. Grafting is also used to propagate purple passion fruit on disease resistant rootstock (P. flavicarpa).

Harvesting and Storage

Fruit can be harvested when it has turned from green to purple or yellow or allowed to drop if gathered from the ground daily. Unrefrigerated fruit will last 2 to 4 weeks, paraffin coated and refrigerated at 40^o to 44^oF it may be kept for more than a month.

passion fruit

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