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March 2, 2000 CONTACT: Jeannette Warnert, (559) 241-7514, jwarnert@ucop.edu News Tips - New crops for California From the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Lychees
and longans may be future cash crop for coastal small-scale
farmers Production of the sub-tropical fruits lychee and longan may present a new
opportunity to farmers along California's coast, according to Mark Gaskell, the
UC Cooperative Extension advisor to small-scale farmers in Santa Barbara and San
Luis Obispo counties.
Ping-pong-ball-sized tree fruit with white, jelly-like flesh, red-skinned
lychee and green-yellow-skinned longan are popular among Asian consumers. Interest in purchasing fresh fruit in
California has spurred illegal imports that can carry unwanted pests. The California Department of Agriculture
Pest Exclusion Program provided a $120,000 grant to Ventura County UCCE farm
advisor Ben Faber and Gaskell to study local lychee and longan production. At each of 20 small farms from San Diego
County to San Luis Obispo County and at a site at California Polytechnic State
University, Pomona, Gaskell and Faber have begun planting six longan varieties
and six lychee varieties. "We're
monitoring temperature and relative humidity at each of the research sites,"
Gaskell said. "It is still early to
tell how well they will do, but they appear to be adapted to roughly the same
conditions as avocados." For more
information, contact Gaskell at (805) 934-6240, mlgaskell@ucdavis.edu. Flavorful
capers to be planted in Valley soil this spring Capers are so prolific in their native Morocco, Italy and Spain, the
plants grow in sidewalk cracks and wall fissures. Those countries supply the world with
the processed capers at a retail price of about $1 an ounce. The United States imports capers to the
tune of $21 million a year. UC
Cooperative Extension Fresno County farm advisor Richard Molinar believes
small-scale farmers in California could capitalize on growing interest in
capers' gourmet taste and the purported healthfulness of Mediterranean cuisine,
of which capers are a part. He
begins his first trial at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center near Parlier this
spring on several varieties of the small, woody perennials whose flower buds
must be tediously handpicked for fresh sale at roadside stands or farmers'
markets, or for processing into the more common pickled product. Molinar said he knows of no commercial
caper farmers in California.
However, a Greek immigrant and Molinar's former Cooperative Extension
colleague in Contra Costa County, Demetrios Kontaxis, grew the condiment at home
for personal use and did some preliminary research. "Fresno County is probably a little
colder than other climates where capers are grown, but Kontaxis feels it will do
well here," Molinar said. "Our
research in Parlier will give us the opportunity to observe its growth under
(San Joaquin) Valley conditions."
For more information contact Molinar at (559) 456-7555, rhmolinar@ucdavis.edu. Blueberries
another option for San Joaquin Valley growers Blueberries are mainstays in the East and Northwest, where the plants
flourish in acid soils. But that
doesn't mean San Joaquin Valley farmers can't profit from a fruit that is said
to be loaded with cancer-fighting anti-oxidant vitamins. UC Cooperative Extension Tulare County
farm advisor Manuel Jimenez has 21 varieties of blueberry plants entering their
third year at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center near Parlier. Last year they bore their first
fruit. "We have one variety that's
just exceptional," Jimenez said.
"The taste is far superior to any I have ever tried and the texture is
perfect." The greatest challenge
Valley blueberry farmers will face, Jimenez said, is keeping the plant in its
preferred low-pH environment. "Our
water is close to a pH of 7," Jimenez said. "So every time farmers irrigate, the
balance can be thrown off. They
must carefully calculate the amount of acid material to add to maintain pH at
5." Although blueberry farming can
be a thorny endeavor, San Joaquin Valley farmers could take advantage of a
lucrative market window. "Prices
are good in May and June, when our plants are ready for harvest," Jimenez
said. "Oregon doesn't start
harvesting until late June, and everybody else harvests after that." For more information, contact Jimenez at
(559) 733-6363, mjjimenez@ucdavis.edu. Popular
Japanese snack food could be boon for California growers and
consumers Edamame, vegetable soybeans that are usually boiled and eaten out of the
pod like peanuts, are wildly popular in Japan, where the crop is grown in
greenhouses and is the country's No. 1 import. California could become one of those
suppliers and local markets for the vegetable may grow as more California
consumers take a liking to the tasty, healthful snack. Mark Gaskell, UC Cooperative Extension
advisor to small-scale farmers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties,
has trials underway to find the best varieties for local production. "The better varieties are selected for a
preferred color of hair on the pods, the pod's dark-green color and a high
frequency of pods with two and three seeds," Gaskell said. "But once you've settled on these
horticultural characteristics, there are agronomic issues to consider. The plant development and maturity is
related to the farm's latitude.
It's a specific amount of daylight that will trigger them to
flower." Gaskell said he is
currently just scratching the surface of research required to develop commercial
edamame production, but he believes the crop holds promise for California. For more information, contact Gaskell at
(805) 934-6240, mlgaskell@ucdavis.edu. Chili
trials improve the offerings for San Joaquin Valley
growers A
wide variety of chilies grow well in the San Joaquin Valley, including the
jalapeño, serrano, Fresno, chile ancho, cayenne and the uncommonly hot habanero,
which is appearing in some restaurants as a curiosity. Many small-scale growers include chilies
as part of their vegetable production systems, said UC Cooperative Extension
Tulare County farm advisor Manuel Jimenez.
Jimenez will plant as many as 80 varieties in plots at the UC Kearney
Agricultural Center near Parlier late this spring and invite farmers to observe
for themselves which ones they might want to cultivate in 2001. Among the plants Jimenez will sample are
a wide variety of jalapeños, the most popular of the fresh-market peppers. "One problem with peppers is they
get sun blotches on them," Jimenez said.
"We're trying to identify varieties that don't. You can't sell jalapeños that have black
stains." Jimenez also seeks to find
varieties that yield well. For more
information, contact Jimenez at (559) 733-6363, mjjimenez@ucdavis.edu. Herb studies
expanding at the Kearney Agricultural Center Huang qu, a sprawling perennial legume said to stimulate the immune
system, she-gan, used to treat hoarseness and sore throats, and hun que, grown
as a plant aid in digestion, will join more common herbs, such as comfrey,
ephedra, feverfew and St. John's wort, in trials being planted this spring by UC
Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Fresno County Richard Molinar at the UC
Kearney Agricultural Center near Parlier.
In addition, Molinar will expand his work with Echinacea, an herb used in
teas and supplements to boost the immune system, and the culinary herb
rosemary. Molinar will compare two
kinds of Echinacea: angustifolia
and purpurea. "The first is more
difficult to grow, but it has more potential in the marketplace," Molinar
said. "Purpurea has flooded the
market." Molinar started rosemary
trials last year. "We keep
expanding and bringing in other varieties," he said. "Some grow slower, others have more
distinct flavors. We will be
comparing the different varieties available." For more information, contact Molinar at
(559) 456-7555, rhmolinar@ucdavis.edu. |