Ag Alert Nov. 3, 2021

Robots and UV rays are new weapons in mildew battle

early and first signs of the disease may be hidden from cameras underneath the leaves. But Jiang’s team is developing di- agnostics that could help breeders in the U.S. andEuropewhoareworking todevel- op the first vinifera varietieswithpowdery mildew resistance. The Cornell lab has developed a cam- era and computer-based system that will improveefficiencyof examining leaves for signs of powdery mildew as researchers look for genetic sources of resistance. “Apostdoctoral researcher takesaday to examine 100 samples of powderymildew withamicroscope,” Jiang said. “Apowdery mildewbotcanscan2,000samples inaday. It can takepicturesof hundredsof samples pretty quickly, upload them to the cloud andhave themanalyzedby software.” While the powdery mildew bot figures tospeed thedevelopment of resistant vari- eties, theOregon researchershavealready shown they can reduce disease pressure using UVC light rather than pesticides. After first confirming in the lab that UVC light can kill powdery mildew spores be- fore they germinate, the researchers then confirmed that they couldalso reducedis- ease pressure in a vineyard. “The effective doses needed to inhibit powderymildewandbotrytisgraymoldare possible in a field setting,” saidAlexWong, Oregon State university plant pathologist. “We can change the dose by how fast we drive through a vineyard.” Because powdery mildew causes the skin to stop growing, cracks appear as the fruit expands. Thesecracks frequentlyhost the botrytis fungus that causes gray mold to develop and spread. The UVC light is best directed at the vines at night because

the fungal disease repair genes are turned off when they are not exposed to the sun. “We saw a reduced incidence of powdery mildewwiththeUVlight,whichtellsus the epidemic was slowed down by the UVC application,”Wong said. The brix, pH, anthocyanins, and other quality measures of the grapes were not affectedby theUVCapplicationinthe2020 trial, and researchers are still confirming whether this also held true when higher doses of the UV light were used in 2021. Next season, theresearcherswill cooperate withWillametteValley vineyards to test an autonomous rig that canbedriventhrough a block once manually. That will provide the unit for the program to then apply the UV light without a driver. “Fungicide resistance is emerging fast- er thanwe can produce new chemistries,” Wong explained. “This is not sustainable.” Powderymildewdrives winegrape dis- easemanagement andisanexpensivepart of viticulture. “All viniferavarietiesaresusceptibleand growers in the U.S. spendmore than $200 million a year on control,” said Shunping Ding, assistant professor of plant pathol- ogy at Cal Poly. Ding screens powdery mildew and botrytis materials for resistance in a vine- yard outside SantaMaria and sees reason for caution. “Seven fungicides work against both powdery mildew and botrytis,” she said. “They are used a lot, and resistance is an issue.” ( Bo b J o hn s o n i s a r e p o r t e r i n Monterey . He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)

ByBob Johnson Next season Oregon State University plant pathologists will test an autono- mous robot equipped to treat vines with ultraviolet light, which they have shown in trials can significantly reduce pow- dery mildew infestations. Their project in a Willamette Valley vineyard follows a similar initiative at the pathology vineyard at Cornell University, where robots already gathermildewinfor- mation as they travel between the rows. Researchers from around the country are using modern tools such as robotics and artificial intelligence in their effort to improvemanagement of some of the old- est winegrape diseases, such as mildews andbunch rot. “Wehavedevelopedanew sensing robot that can gather data in the field,” saidYu Jiang, assistant researchpro- fessor at Cornell University. “Andwe have new tools that can extract useful manage- ment information fromthat rawdata.” Jiang made his remarks as researchers fromOregon State University; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo;andCornell talkedaboutmanaging mildews and bunch rot during the annual Sustainable Ag Expo and & International SustainableWinegrowingSummitpresent- edby theCentralCoastVineyardTeam.

The Vineyard Teamwas created to de- velopasystemthat letswinegrapegrowers evaluate their ownsustainabilitypractices and see where they should focus their re- sources for improving. The group has grown to the point that its annual conference includes presenta- tionsby leading researchers insustainable winegrowing fromaround theworld. “We developed a vision-based system fordetectingdownymildewthat canbeat- tachedtoanATV,” Jiangsaid. “Wearedevel- opingsoftwarethatcantell thelocationand severity of downymildew in the images.” Cornell researchers are close to having a robot-based system that will tell grow- ers and pest control advisors where they have downy mildew in a vineyard and howmuch. “We are starting to reach out to growers, and they are interested in using this sys- tem. Maybe we can release a prototype in the coming years,” Jiang said. “Instead of hiring someone to drive the ATV, you will beable touseanautonomous robot to im- proveyourefficiencyanduseyour labor for other purposes.” Powdery mildew, the persistent fun- gus that drives disease control in most California vineyards, is more difficult to scout because materials must be applied

The Produce Safety Rule is Here; ARE YOU READY?

Agricultural Market Review Quotations are the latest available for the week ending October 29, 2021 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1050–1150 lbs., $ per cwt. 105-106 124 123-124 Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $ per cwt. 72.31 81.49 77.71 Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales 160.44-181 215-262.76 214.86-253.59 Field crops – basis prompt shipment Barley – U.S. No. 2, $ per cwt. Truck, Stockton-Modesto-Oakdale-Turlock 10-10.25 No Quote No Quote Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market 69.58 86.67 86.90 Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $ per cwt. trucked 5.44 6.83 7.08 Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain 215-220 (S) 245-250 (S) 260 (S) Region 2, Sacramento Valley 230 (P/S) No Quote No Quote Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley 220-295 (S) 280 (P/S) 260-280 (S) Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley No Quote 320-330 (S) 330 (S) Region 5, Southern California 255 (P) No Quote 300 (P) Region 6, Southeast Interior 148-190 (F/G/P) 185-275 (G/P) 191-280 (G/P) Oat Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Northern California, dairy No Quote No Quote No Quote Oats – U.S. No. 2 white, $ per cwt. Statewide, trucked price No Quote No Quote No Quote

Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS), an aliated company of the California Farm Bureau (CAFB), has partnered with the Safe Food Alliance through a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant contract, as their designated training provider for Central and Southern California, to conduct the required Produce Safety training for growers. Presented in a free two-day remote delivery webinar format! What sets Safe Food Alliance, FELS, and Farm Bureau apart is their total of over 100 years of experience and our dedication to providing technical guidance and leadership to the California agriculture community. Most farms are required to have at least one designated supervisor who has been trained in accordance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rule. Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive an ocial certicate from the Association of Food & Drug Ocials.

Dry Beans – Grower FOB prices Baby Limas, $ per cwt, (sacked) Large Limas, $ per cwt. (sacked) Blackeye, $ per cwt. (sacked)

No Quote No Quote No Quote

Rice – Milled No. 1 Head, FOB No. Calif. mills Medium grain, $ per cwt. Wheat – U.S. No. 2 or better, winter, $ per cwt. 13% protein, Los Angeles, trucked price

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The Food Safety Training Partnership is offering these training courses throughout California. You can find more information and register at foodsafetytrainingpartnership.com, or call 916-561-5672. Supported by California Department of Food and Agriculture

No Quote 16 (No. 1) Provided by the California Farm Bureau as a service to Farm Bureau members. Information supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News Branch. * ADF=Acid detergent fiber; (S) = Supreme/<27%ADF; (P) = Premium/27-29; (G) = Good/29-32; (F) = Fair/32-35. No Quote

November 3, 2021 Ag Alert 13