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Summer 2008
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Side Trimming Carrot Canopies
New Carrot Carrot Cultivars for California
Summer 2008 �
Vol. 16, No. 2 Summer 2008
4 SideTrimmingCarrotCanopiesExpectedtoBecometheStandardPractice
6 DevelopmentandEvaluationofNewCarrotCultivarsforCaliforniaatWinterNursery
7 HighlyNutritiousCarrotsTrendContinues
10 InternationalCarrotConferencetoBeHeldinAnaheim,California
11 ForeignTradeActionNeededNowtoOpentheKoreanCarrotMarket
12 BejoSeeds’JanvanderHeideWhat’sinYourFutureforVarietiesandMarkets?
In This Issue:
EXECUTIVE OFFICEColumbia Publishing413-B North 20th Ave.
Yakima, Washington 98902Telephone: (509) 248-2452
Fax: (509) 248-4056
w w w . c a r r o t c o u n t r y . c o m
Carrot Country ContactsD. Brent Clement [email protected] / Managing Editor
J. Mike Stoker [email protected] / Advertising Manager
Jeraleh Kastner [email protected] / Circulation Manager
EDITORIAL INFORMATIONCarrot Country is interested in newsworthy material related to carrot production and marketing. Contribu-tions from all segments of the industry are welcome. Submit news releases, new product submissions, stories and photos via email to: [email protected], or call 1-800-900-2452 x105.
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Carrot Country magazine (ISSN 1071-6653), is published quarterly and mailed under permit #410, paid at San Dimas, CA 91773. It is produced by Columbia Publishing, 413-B North 20th Ave., Yakima, WA 98902. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
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11 CalendarofEvents14 Disease Identification14 PeopleintheNews15 ChemicalUpdate
Departments:
Ruthie van der Heide is shown here with a bowl tasty carrots supplied by Bejo Seeds. Photo
courtesy of Jan van der Heide.
On the Cover:
Side trimming is fast becom-ing a stan-
dard practice in carrot production in Canada and other parts of the world. Side trimming or lateral clipping, as it is sometimes referred to, is a very simple technology with significant benefits for crop production, in particular, for reduc-ing the incidence of Sclerotinia rot in carrots (SRC). SRC is caused by Sclerotinia sclerotio-rium and is an important disease in many produc-tion areas. This disease is particularly impor-tant where carrots are harvested and placed in storage for winter sales. In Prince Edward Island, Canada, about 75 percent of the carrot crop is held in storage for 1-5 months. The develop-ment of this disease in storage is entirely dependent on infection occurring in the field. Therefore, it is imperative to provide control measures at the field level.
Not a New ConceptAlthough side trimming is not an
entirely new concept, there has been limited research published on the effective application of this management practice. Canadian researchers first witnessed the
use of side trimming about 10 years ago at one of the International Carrot Conferences held in the United States in Washington. Soon after, Drs. Mary Ruth McDonald and Cezarina Kora, with the Department of Environmental Biology at the Univer-sity of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, began conducting research on side trim-ming. Their research demonstrated that side trimming, with or without removal of debris, altered the canopy environment by reducing soil moisture and increasing the temperature within the crop, thereby creat-ing conditions which were detrimental to the development of apothecia of Sclero-tinia sclerotiorum.
In 2003, we (Kevin Sanderson and Rick Peters) began re-searching factors that might impact on the incidence of SRC. Both are with Agri-culture and Agri-Food Canada, Crops and Livestock Research Centre, in Charlotte-town, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
In our research work, we demon-strated that as pre-plant nitrogen was increased, the number of diseased petioles found in the field and the number of carrots with SRC in storage
was also increased. We also showed that carrot seeding densities of 25 seeds per foot and higher significantly increased the number of diseased petioles in the field and infected roots in storage. In addition, we demonstrated that side trimming reduced the incidence of SRC both in field and in storage. Similar to findings in Ontario, there was no reduction in yield from side trimming.
Research Supports the ValueWith research now strongly supporting
side trimming as an effective method of SRC suppression, the challenge became
Side Trimming Carrot Canopies Expected to Become the Standard Practice By Kevin Sanderson and Rick Peters
Oxford Frozen Foods trimmer.
� Carrot Country
how to transfer this technology to the in-dustry in an effective way so that growers could readily see the benefits? An addi-tional challenge was dealing with the hill system in which carrots are grown in many parts of Canada.
In 2006, we received funding from Pes-ticide Risk Reduction Program of Agricul-ture and Agri-Food Canada’s Pest Manage-ment Centre, Ottawa, to design, construct, evaluate and demonstrate a carrot foliage trimmer prototype.
From a concept drawing, the welding team at the Harrington Research Farm fab-ricated a four-row trimmer. The four-row trimmer is equipped with eight carbide tip rotary saw blades 46 cm in diameter. The blades can be individually adjusted for row spacing and canopy width to define the se-verity of cut. The unit mounts on the back of a tractor, and its blades are powered by PTO in the original design and by hydrau-lic motors in a later modification. As the saw blades spin they lift the carrot foliage and trim it back at the same time. The unit also has a series of lifter bars which lift older foliage lying on the soil surface prior to cutting with the blades. This ensures the removal of older senescing tissues that are most susceptible to infection. The cut car-rot foliage trimmings fall between the rows and dry out which causes any fungi on the leaves to die.
The trimmer has been tested using a 40-hp tractor. It is proving to be versatile and could be easily adaptable to conventional and organic growing systems across Cana-da. Evaluation of the carrot foliage trimmer in 2006 and 2007 indicated that mowing at row closure significantly reduced the incidence of Sclerotinia rot in foliage and carrots in storage by about 80 percent.
Demonstration Drew AttentionIn 2006, the carrot foliage trimmer was
demonstrated to the local industry and received much attention. Due to the early success of the carrot foliage trimmer in reducing SRC, we have been busy spread-ing the good news at grower and scientific meetings, locally, nationally and interna-tionally.
Two commercial trimmer units were built and put into use during the 2007 field season. In Nova Scotia, Canada, Oxford Frozen Foods Ltd. built a nine-row disc version of the trimmer for use on about 1,000 acres of processing carrots grown on a shallow bed system. Patrykus Farms in Bancroft, Wis., also constructed a nine-row unit very similar to AAFC’s first proto-type for their 1,000-acre operation. Both trimmer units worked well and were very effective in reducing SRC. These trimmers will trim about 100 and 75 acres per day, respectively.
Growers using side trimming also observed that they reduced the incidence of other diseases, such as foliar blights (Cercospora and Alternaria) and bacte-rial soft rot. In some cases, the number of fungicide applications used to control foliar blights could be reduced. They were most impressed with the ease of harvesting following trimming and did not notice any yield reduction. They also noted that the costs of the trimmer could be recovered in one to two seasons from reduced pesticide applications and improved quality and pack out. Angus Ells of Oxford Frozen Foods and Dave Beggs of Patrykus Farms
both agree that side trimming is here to stay and will be an integral part of their IPM carrot production for years to come.
We are now working with individuals in PEI, Quebec, Ontario and France to con-struct trimmers for those regions. Further research will be needed in all production areas to determine the impact of side trim-ming on other diseases.
Editor’s Note: Kevin Sanderson and Rick Peters are with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Crops and Livestock Research Centre, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Sanderson can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected]; Peters can be contacted at [email protected].
AAFC carrot foliage trimmer.
Patrykus Farms trimmer.
Spring 2008 �
� Carrot Country
CAB- sponsored researchers including Mike Davis, Phil Roberts, Jim Farrar and Phil Simon. We did all the field work for Mike Davis’ project including taking soil samples, milling soil samples, and evalu-ating many carrot field for cavity spot. We finished the last year of field work for Phil Roberts’ IPM-sponsored carrot trial. We also provided field samples for Jim Farrar’s program. We planted and harvested the Kern County carrot
variety trial which involved many of Phil Simon’s material and harvested USDA Winter Carrot Nursery in Imperial.
Editor’s Note: Joe Nunez, University of Cali-fornia Cooperative Extension, authored this progress report (March 1, 2007-February 28, 2008). He can be reached at 1031 South Mt. Vernon Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93307; phone: (661) 868-6200; fax: (661) 868-6208; e-mail: [email protected] in this project were: Phil Simon, USDA/UW Madison, Wis.: Mike Davis, UC Davis; Phil Roberts, UC Riverside; and Jim Farrar, CSU, Fresno.
trial, 12 medium-sized carrots from each commercial entry were harvested and taken back to the UCCE lab. There they were submerged in water and held for 12-18 hours at 350F. The carrots were dropped through a pipe at a height of 1 meter (39 inches) onto a metal plate angled at 30º. Cracking Index was cal-culated by the following formula: (# of roots with large cracks X 2) + (# of roots with small cracks X 1) / Total # of Roots.
Large cracks are defined as 2 inches in length or more and small as less than 2 inches in length. The larger the score, the more cracking occurred. Table 1 lists the results of the evaluation. There were large differences in amount of cracking between the varieties with some varieties having a very low cracking index while others seemed more inclined to easily crack.
Field Support of Local CFCAB Funded Field Trials
During the year we were able to provide field support for most of the CF-
Development and Evaluation of New Carrot Cultivars for California at Winter NurseryBy Joe Nunez
The winter nursery was estab-lished at the Desert Research and Extension Center (DREC)
in October with the help of the DREC staff and crew. Well over 1,000 entries of mostly USDA material were planted by hand. The plot was doing well and growing normally at the time that this report was written (personal communica-tion with Phil Simon). Harvest of the plot took place during the first week of March along with a field day for carrot breeders and growers to evaluate the new material from the commercial seed companies.
A carrot variety trial was planted by hand in Kern County on Aug. 27, 2007, in a grower’s field near Wasco. The commercial breeder’s entries included the following varieties (found on page 8.)
Advanced USDA entries were also planted for evaluation by Phil Simon. These entries included cut ‘n peel and cello types. There were also 37 colored carrot varieties in the trial. It was made up of mostly entries from Simon along with 12 commercial entries from Bejo and Nunhems. A carrot variety field day was held on Jan. 17, 2008, with a rather large turnout of nearly 30 guests. The Wasco Tribune was invited to the field day, and they did send out a reporter. The following week an article appeared in the Wasco Tribune that was very sup-portive of the carrot industry.
The Board asked that I conduct a cracking sensitivity test on the commer-cial entries in the trial. The protocol, de-veloped by Tim Hartz for the California Fresh Carrot Advisory Board (CFCAB) was followed. On the day of the field Tables on page 8
Photo of cracking in carrots.
Summer 2008 �
Today’s carrots are more nutri-tious than the carrots we ate 30 years ago. That’s because ARS
scientists discovered a way to breed carrots with high amounts of carotene, an orange pigment that helps humans make vitamin A. In fact, Modern carrots have 75 percent more beta-carotene than their predecessors.
The Vegetable Crops Research unit at Madison, Wis., which helped raise beta-carotene levels in carrots, is now working
to produce the same results in cucumbers and melons. They’re also breeding red car-rots, which contain more lycopene; yellow carrots, containing more lutein; and purple carrots, full of anthocyanins. The same re-searchers are also using classical methods to raise levels of thiosulfinate compounds – in onions and garlic – that are thought to have heart-healthy benefits.
USDA/ARS 3/7/2008
Highly Nutritious Carrots Trend Continues
Colorful carrot display.
� Carrot Country
Cut ‘n Peel Varieties
Zeus Sakata HMX 3297 H/M Copperhead Sakata HMX 5281 H/M
Trinity Sakata HMX 3298 H/MTrition Sakata HMX 2280 H/M
Columbia Sakata CX 366 VilmorinSugar Snax 54 Nunhems CX 396 Vilmorin
Top Cut 93 Nunhems CX 171 VilmorinUpper Cut 25 Nunhems Vac 47 Vilmorin
NUN 8579 NunhemsNBC M447 NunhemsTasty Peel Seminis
Propeel Seminis711441 Seminis711405 Seminis
0710 1603 Seminis2724 F1 Bejo
KXPC 222 IntegraKXPC 165 IntegraKXPC 162 Integra
Imperial Cuts Integra
Table 1. Carrot cracking evaluation. Cut ‘n Peel Varieties
Cracks Cracks Cracking
Variety Source No Cracks 2” or less2” or
greater Score711441 Seminis 10 1 1 0.25
HMX 2280 H/M 8 4 0 0.33CX 396 Vilmorin 9 2 1 0.33
Top Cut 93 Nunhems 9 3 1 0.38Upper Cut 25 Nunhems 8 3 1 0.42NBC M447 Nunhems 7 5 0 0.42KXPC 222 Integra 9 1 2 0.42HMX 3298 H/M 8 3 1 0.42
Vac 47 Vilmorin 8 3 1 0.42Columbia Sakata 10 0 3 0.46KXPC 165 Integra 8 2 2 0.50HMX 3297 H/M 7 4 1 0.50Six Shooter H/M 8 2 2 0.50
Imperial Cuts Integra 8 1 3 0.58Trinity Sakata 8 0 4 0.67Trition Sakata 6 2 4 0.83
Propeel Seminis 7 0 5 0.83711405 Seminis 7 0 5 0.83
KXPC 162 Integra 8 2 2 0.83CX 171 Vilmorin 5 3 4 0.92
Zeus Sakata 5 0 5 1.00HMX 5281 H/M 4 4 4 1.00
Copperhead Sakata 5 2 6 1.08Sugar Snax 54 Nunhems 4 3 5 1.08
Tasty Peel Seminis 5 1 6 1.080710 1603 Seminis 5 1 6 1.082724 F1 Bejo 5 1 6 1.08
NUN 8579 Nunhems 4 2 5 1.09CX 366 Vilmorin 4 1 7 1.25
Cello VarietiesVariety Seed Co No Crack 2” or less 2” + Score
Dominion Seminis 11 0 1 0.17NBC M577 Nunhems 9 2 0 0.18
711404 Seminis 10 0 2 0.40KXPC 168 Integra 8 1 2 0.42XCR - 2586 Sakata 7 3 1 0.45
Choctaw Nunhems 9 0 3 0.50Sun 255 Nunhems 7 1 4 0.75
NBC M435 Nunhems 5 5 2 0.750710 2274 Seminis 5 4 3 0.83Maverick Nunhems 3 3 6 1.08
Envy Seminis 4 3 5 1.08Arrowhead Sakata 4 2 5 1.09KXPC 020 Integra 5 0 7 1.17Nevada F1 Bejo 2 1 8 1.55XCR - 1357 Sakata 1 1 9 1.72
Cracking Score = (# roots with large cracks X 2) + ( # of roots with small cracks X 1)/ Total RootsLarge Cracks=2 inches or more in lengthSmall Cracks= less than 2 inches in length
Development and Evaluation of New Carrot Cultivars for California at Winter Nursery, from page 6
KXPC 020
Summer 2008 �
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Cello VarietiesArrowhead Sakata Six Shooter H/MXCR - 2586 Sakata Nevada F1 BejoXCR - 1357 Sakata KXPC 168 Integra
Maverick Nunhems KXPC 020 Integra Choctaw NunhemsSun 255 Nunhems
NBC M435 NunhemsNBC M577 NunhemsDominion Seminis
Envy Seminis0710 2274 Seminis
711404 Seminis
Cut ‘n Peel Varieties
Zeus Sakata HMX 3297 H/M Copperhead Sakata HMX 5281 H/M
Trinity Sakata HMX 3298 H/MTrition Sakata HMX 2280 H/M
Columbia Sakata CX 366 VilmorinSugar Snax 54 Nunhems CX 396 Vilmorin
Top Cut 93 Nunhems CX 171 VilmorinUpper Cut 25 Nunhems Vac 47 Vilmorin
NUN 8579 NunhemsNBC M447 NunhemsTasty Peel Seminis
Propeel Seminis711441 Seminis711405 Seminis
0710 1603 Seminis2724 F1 Bejo
KXPC 222 IntegraKXPC 165 IntegraKXPC 162 Integra
Imperial Cuts Integra
The 33rd International Carrot Conference will be held Jan. 18-21, 2009, at the Embassy
Suites Anaheim South, Anaheim (Garden Grove), Calif. The conference is hosted by the University of California Coopera-tive Extension and the California carrot industry.
The International Carrot Conference is a biennial event that attracts people from private industry, government and uni-versities from throughout the world. The conference is an excellent way for people to exchange ideas and concerns in all aspects of carrot production. Topics, such as breeding, production, pest manage-ment and new products, will be discussed in formal paper and poster sessions and a field tour. There also will be ample op-portunity to interact with others during the social gatherings.
California is a major carrot production region. As the headquarters to two of the largest carrot producers in the world, Cali-fornia is a leading carrot production area. The California carrot industry banded to-gether to form the California Fresh Carrot Advisory Board which funds research to address various production problems such as weeds, diseases, nematodes and plant breeding. With the help of the advisory board, the University of California has become a leader in carrot research. The California Fresh Carrot Advisory Board has also funded projects at other universi-ties and U.S. Department of Agriculture centers.
The 33rd International Carrot Con-ference will be held just a few blocks from the Disneyland Resort at Embassy Suites Anaheim South, Anaheim, Calif.
The Disneyland Resort consists of the world famous Disneyland Park, Disney’s California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney. Other nearby attractions include Knott’s Berry Farm, Medieval Times, the Crystal Cathedral and shopping at the Block of Orange and the Gove of Anaheim. The Embassy Suites Anaheim South is also located near all of Los Angeles’ attractions, including beaches, museums, zoos, shopping, sporting events and fine dining.
EventsEvents include paper, poster and
discussion sessions as well as a cultivar trial, conference tour and spouse/guest program. If there is enough interest from participants, a spouse/guest program will run simultaneously with the carrot confer-ence for a separate fee.
Call for Papers and Poster Presentations
The official language of the conference is English. A title and a brief description/ab-stract should be received by Sept. 30, 2008. Those submitting proposals will be contacted by Joe Nunez whether their paper/poster is accepted.
Categories are as follows: (1) breeding and genetics; (2) food safety; (3) new prod-ucts and marketing; (4) pest management; and (5) production (domestic and interna-tional).
Once your paper is accepted, please e-mail your manuscript to Joe Nunez ([email protected]) by Dec. 31, 2008. The confer-ence proceedings will be published online.
Posters should not exceed 48 x 48 inches (122 x 122cm).
Conference FeeConference fees are $4250 USD, if re-
ceived by Nov. 30, 2008, and $300 USD, if received after that date. The confer-ence fee includes the welcome reception, attendance to all sessions, morning and afternoon refreshments, lunches and the conference tour. To register, visit: www.uncanr.org/carrot2009.
Cancellation RequestsCancellation requests must be in writ-
ing. Any cancellations received after Nov. 30, 2008, will incur a $50 USD fee. No refunds will be given for cancellations received after Jan. 2, 2009.
AccommodationsThe Embassy Suites Anaheim South
(Garden Grove) is offering the follow-ing special room rates: $179 USD/night, which includes one king bed (non-smok-ing) or $189 USD/night, which includes two double beds (non-smoking). The block of sleeping rooms has been re-served for Jan. 18-21, 2009. The special room rate will be available until Dec. 15, 2008, or until the group block is sold out, whichever comes first. To receive the spe-cial room rate, contact the Embassy Suites Anaheim South and mention the “Carrot Conference-January, 2009” or use the Carrot Conference Online Hotel Reserva-tion System: http://embassysuites.hilton.com/en/es/groups/personalized/LAXG-DES-CAR-20090118/index.jhtml. Tax is not included in the rates listed above.
For more information regarding the conference, visit: www.ucanr.org/carrot2009 or e-mail Joe Nunez ([email protected]).
International Carrot Conference to Be Held in Anaheim, California
10 Carrot Country
American Wholesale Co.USED WALK-IN-COOLER-FREEZER BOXESREFRIGERATION SYSTEMS - EQUIPMENT
Large Inventory, All Sizesn Buy n Sell - Nationwide n
Wholesale Prices n www.awrco.comPhone: (216)426-8882 n Fax: (216)426-8883
Foreign Trade
The market for U.S. fresh carrots into Korea could open within four or five years provided the U.S. industry can resolve the phytosanitary issues ban put into place in 2006.
Currently, Korea is importing fresh carrots from China. That’s the bottom line of a Feb. 1, 2008 GAIN Report by the
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). After the free trade agreement in implemented, the current 30
percent tariff duty will be removed in five equal annual stages becom-ing duty free in year five, the agency says. At that time the current 30 percent tariff will be zero.
The first step in resolving the market ban would be for U.S. suppli-ers interested in exporting fresh carrots to Korea to contact the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), FAS officials advise. The Phytosanitary Issues Management (PIM) unit will be the primary point of contact for all technical plant health communications with the Korean government.
PIM takes the lead in developing plant health policies and strate-gies and will work directly with the Korean government to find technical solutions to phytosanitary trade barriers. Those interested should contact the PIM trade manager for Korean issues by calling (301) 734-8262; fax (301) 734-7639 or e-mail [email protected].
Prior to the implementation of the ban, imports of U.S. car-rots to Korea were increasing, according to the FAS report. The Korean import market for fresh carrots is valued at $30 million and it is expected to continue to grow. In 2007, China was the only supplier, exporting 86,545 metric tons. Imports of fresh carrots from China are expected to increase by about 20 percent in 2008, up to 89,000 metric tons.
Local buyers state that Chinese carrots are produced from a higher quality Japanese variety which seems to have improved their competitiveness. Korea grows mostly Japanese varieties, such as ‘Benitop’ and ‘Superbet’ and some of the European ‘Sigma’ variety. Some point out that Korean consumers have difficulty telling the difference between imported Chinese and local produced varieties.
Domestic carrot production in Korea has been somewhat unstable in recent years due to periods of bad weather, the FAS reports. In 2007, there was substantial damage from typhoons to domestic horticultural crops, including carrots; as a result, production declined by 36 percent. Local sources estimate that domestic carrot production will recover only slightly in 2008. Most carrots are grown in the southern regions of the country.
Action Needed Now to Open the Korean Carrot Market
Spring 2008 11
May 4-7United Fresh, Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. Contact: United Fresh Produce Association, (202) 303-3400, www.unitedshows.com, www.unitedfresh.org.
Oct. 24-27PMA’s 2008 Fresh Summit International Convention and Exposition, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. Contact: PMA, (302) 738-7100, www.pma.com.
Nov. 19-20Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association Annual Conference and Trade Show, Three Rivers
Calendar of EventsConvention Center, Kennewick, Wash. Contact: PNWA, (509) 585-5460.
2009International Carrot Conference, Embassy Suite Anaheim South, Anaheim (Garden Grove), Calif. Contact: www.ucanr.org/carrot2009 or e-mail Joe Nunez, [email protected]
12 Carrot Country
Processed IndustryHigher energy prices, higher labor costs and competition
between processors and retailers are driving changes in the vegetable processing industries. Margins on products are small, and anything that can help with plant efficiency (total recov-ery, total product per unit of energy or labor) will be helpful. Competition for customers continues to drive segmentation of the markets and creates opportunities for processed vegetables with higher quality (better shape, color and flavor).
Seed companies continue to breed varieties with characteris-tics that allow processors to improve recovery, plant efficiency and quality of the final product. Some examples of improve-ments in processing carrot varieties:
Fresh MarketCarrots continue to be a children’s favorite snacking vegeta-
ble. Mild flavor (particularly the absence of bitter compounds) makes carrots easy to eat, with or without the addition of some tasty dips. Large processors in the western United States have developed the well-known baby carrot snack packs by growing tough Imperator carrot types that are well suited to mechanical harvest and processing.
Nantes type carrots are more tender and juicy than Impera-tor types and have better eating characteristics. The blunt-tipped Nantes varieties (‘Mokum,’ ‘Nelson,’ ‘Yaya’) are popular as bunching carrots on farmers markets and roadside stands, while organic bunching carrots in supermarkets are still
Bejo Seeds’ Jan van der Heide:
What’s in Your Future forVarieties and Markets?
Summer 2008 1�
(immature) Imperator types. ‘Nevada’ combines the flavor and eating quality of Nantes carrots with the ease of handling of Imperator types.
European growers take advantage of better distribution systems to offer Nantes carrots to supermarket consumers, and this trend is now developing in Canadian market as well. Seed companies are devoting a large portion of their breeding ef-forts on the development of bunching carrots with good flavor and good disease resistance to supply the growing demand for organically and locally produced bunching carrots.
Mini CarrotsThe carrot category is affected by the demand for mini-
vegetables, similar to other vegetable categories like squash, peppers, tomatoes and cabbage. High-end restaurants present their customers with true baby carrots (‘Adelaide,’ ‘Napoli,’ ‘ABK’), fresh and individually prepared and with parts of the tops still attached, to distinguish these carrots from the mass-produced cut-and-peel types. Another restaurant favorite is the perfectly round Paris market type, ‘Parmex.’
British supermarkets now delight their customers with mini-Chantenays in microwave-ready packaging, combining freshness and flavor with convenience (B-2702)
Colored CarrotsPurple carrots (‘Deep Purple,’ ‘Purple Rain’) are mostly
used for the manufacture of natural dyes, because the antho-cyanin is water soluble and bleeds out of the carrots during cooking. Anthocyanin is also a powerful anti-oxidant (found in blueberries) and is used in the manufacturing of nutritional supplements. The striking contrast between a dark purple cortex and bright orange core make ‘Purple Haze’ a popular addition to snack vegetable trays.
Numbered line B-2689 Red Core vs Cupar Purple Haze AAAS dinner
Standards Use Improvements‘Napa’ refined slicer ‘Nervi,’ (stronger top for easier mechanical harvesting) ‘Nirim’ (better internal color, healthy top)‘Bergen’ slicer ‘Brest’ (darker internal color, smaller core)‘Nandrin’ larger slicer ‘Baltimore’ (stronger top, better shoulders, does not crack)‘Bangor’ slicer/dicer ‘Belgrado’ (healthier top, smoother, better color)‘Fontana’ jumbo/cello ‘Bastia’ (stronger and healthier top, better color) ‘B-2745” (earlier Fontana-type, nice color, good) top)
Carrot mokum GZ241 cropped
Purple Haze
continued on page 15
1� Carrot Country
disease identification People in the News
Alternaria Leaf BlightPathogen:
Alternaria dauci
Symptoms:In the early fall, a common symptoms
is the appearance of dark brown to black irregularly shaped lesions on leaf blades and petioles. These spots often begin on the older leaves and are surrounded by a yellow margin. Infected leaves frequently die as the spots coalesce and girdle plant petioles damping off needed nutrition. Weakened leaves can make mechanical harvesting difficult as they will frequently break off, leaving the roots in the ground. The pathogen also can impact the development of young carrot seedlings, preventing them from normal development.
Condition for Disease Development:Alternaria Leaf Blight is favored
by excess moisture, particularly due to rainy weather and/or overhead irrigation where the leaves do not dry by nightfall. The pathogen is seed-borne and can be spread by planting infected seed. Sources of dispersal include air and splashing water. Alternaria dauci survive on carrot debris left in the soil following harvest but die once the material breaks down and decomposes.
Control:Cultural controls include: (1) plowing
under crop debris soon after harvest; (2) planting disease-free seed; (3) managing irrigations practices so that the crop is dry by evening time; (4) practicing strict rotations to avoid continuous, back-to-back carrot crops; and (5) avoiding plant-ing carrots near fields exhibiting blight symptoms.
Spraying with labeled chemical controls may be necessary in areas where Alternaria Leaf Blight is a common
problem. While seed treatments can help, assay the seed to determine if the fungus is present. If so, apply fungicides after the first blight symptoms appear and when conditions are favorable for disease development. Early applications of protectant fungicides, beginning at the first sign of infection, generally pro-vide effective control. When spraying, use high pressure and sufficient water volume to reach the lower canopies.
Organic growers have a number of cultural practices, hot water dips and foliar sprays that can be legally used.
Nunhems Adds Erb as Carrot Crop Sales Manager
John Erb has been named carrot crop sales manager for the Americas by Nunhems USA. He succeeds Russ Kabaker who recently moved to a new role as integration manager for the Paragon Seeds acquisition and lettuce crop sales manager for the Americas. As carrot crop sales manager, Erb will oversee the design, implementation and execu-tion of marketing strategies for Nunhems’ carrot portfolio in the Americas.
Erb comes to Nunhems after a decade in the seed industry, most recently in positions at Bejo Seeds and White Seed Company. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in Agriculture from California Poly-technic State University.
As a crop sales manager, Erb will lead a team of experts in carrot research, product development, and sales and marketing. Known as a Nunhems Crop Team, they are part of an international network of specialists responsible for bringing together Nunhems’ global resources for the benefit of local growers. This unique approach has earned Nunhems its reputation as the global specialist.
Hreno and Smith Join Vilmorin Inc.
Marian Hreno and Leslie Smith have been named to new positions with Vilmorin Inc. Hreno will serve as the company’s research station manager-California, while Smith as accepted the position of trial as-sistant-California.
Hreno holds a master’s degree in agronomic engineering and has ex-tensive experience in plant breeding, most recently as an assistant breeder in cut-n-peel carrots at Sakata. He will be based in the Salinas area, where his first task is to help with
Carrot plant infected with Alternaria dauci.
Typical leaf symptoms of Alternania Leaf Blight.
Photos courtesy of Mike Davis, US-Davis.
Summer 2008 1�
the establishment of Vilmorin’s new research station. Hreno will work under a matrix system report-ing administratively to Francisco Tirado, COO, and functionally to Daniel Gabillard, research director for northern crops.
Smith holds B.S (entomology) and master’s degrees (agronomy and plant genetics). He comes to Vilmorin after a long and productive career in farming and in the seed business. His experience includes positions in sales, development and research at Asgrow and Nunhems. He will be based at Bakersfield and will report to Joe Sands, Vilmorin’s U.S./Canada regional sales manager.
Grimm Brothers Industry Contribution Recognized
The late Robert and Rod Grimm have been honored by the California Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Apprais-ers as Distinguished Agriculturalists of the Year.
A special award was presented to family representatives during the society’s Spring Outlook conference April 10 in Bakersfield, Calif.
The two brothers founded Grimmway Farms in Anaheim in 1968 and transformed it into one of the country largest and most suc-cessful carrot growing, packing and shipping operations. The company was moved to Bakersfield in 1971 and restructured as Grimmway Enterprises. Robert Grimm died in 2006; Rod passed away in 1998.
People in the News cont.
Reason Fungicide Gets Reduced Plant-Back for 2008 Season
Growers looking for top-of-the-line disease control have greater flexibility in 2008, thanks to signifi-cantly reduced plant-back restric-tions for Reason® 500 SC fungicide from Bayer CropScience. Beginning this season, any crop on the ex-
panded Reason label may be planted immediately following the last ap-plication of Reason. Strawberries or wheat may be planted within 30 days, and sugarbeets within seven months after last applications of Reason.
“This new label change makes Reason much more practical for to-day’s vegetable growers,” says Brent Crossland, Reason product manager with Bayer CropScience. “We’re thrilled that more growers will now find Reason to be an attractive op-tion that fits their operations. And we’re confident that growers will be thrilled with the levels of control that they achieve as they begin working Reason into the disease management programs.”
In-field use and research trials show Reason provides consistently outstanding control of tough diseases including:
• Cavity spot in carrots • Downy mildew and purple
blotch in onions • Early blight, late blight,
white rust and suppression of black dot in potatoes
• Early blight and late blight plus suppression of Septoria leaf spot and Phytophthora blight in fruit ing vegetables
“Reason is a locally systemic, fast-acting foliar fungicide that stops disease development at more stages in the disease life cycle,” explains Crossland. “It also acts against both the direct and indirect germination cycles of many key diseases for more effective and reliable control.”
The active ingredient, fenami-done, acts by disrupting electron transport in the pathogen’s mitochon-dria, which stops diseases before they develop in the leaf tissue. This preventive activity, combined with a strong antisporulent effect, halts dis-ease before it can spread to healthy leaf tissue.
After application, Reason pen-etrates leaf tissue with translaminar
Chemical Update
Yellow carrots (‘Yellowstone’) are used in baby food to adjust the carotene content in baby food or as a substitute for yellow squash in frozen vegetable mixes. ‘Mellow-Yellow’ is popular in restaurants because of great carrot flavor after cooking, combined with bright yel-low appearance.
‘Rainbow’ carrots combine the superb eating quality of Nantes carrots with an interesting array of colors and are marketed small as bunching carrots, as washed carrots in Quebec markets or as cello carrots. ‘White Satin’ is often confused with Daikon radish or parsnips, but these white carrots have surprisingly intense carrot flavor that is not compro-mised by any bitter terpenoids.
Carrot and Beet JuiceVegetable juices are popular in
Eastern Europe and Central and South America as healthy drinks, but are also found as a (cheap) base for exotic fruit juice blends in North American markets. ‘Bangor’ is most popular, because of excellent yields and best flavor and color. Juice from purple carrots is used to blend with dark-colored fruits, such as black currants.
Editor’s Note: The material here is taken from a presentation by Jan van der Heide, “What’s in Your Future for Varieties and Markets,” given Feb. 14 during the 2008 Empire State Fruit & Vegetable Expo carrot/beet session in Syracuse, N.Y. A Bejo Seeds representa-tive, van der Heide can be contacted at: [email protected].
Chemical Update
movement to protect both the treated and untreated sides of the leaf. The product also protects new growth be-cause it has very quick uptake within the plant and is locally systemic within the leaf tissue, which helps prevent both the development and progression of diseases in the field.
For more information, contact Brent Crossland, Bayer CropScience, (919) 549-2000; e-mail: [email protected].
Varities and Markets, from page 13
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