Ag Alert. April 12, 2023

Tomatoes Continued from Page 14

The pest carries beet curly top virus, which can be deadly to tomatoes. Signs of BCTV in tomatoes include leaf curling, purpling and premature small red fruit, and stunted growth, according to Vinchesi- Vahl. She said trapping helped in some fields, with testing run for viral levels. Barcellos said his family’s farms will be undertaking “a lot of preventative man- agement through drip during certain times of the season.” Another pest concern is thrips, which can cause tomato spotted wilt virus. Signs of spotted wilt virus include curl- ing or wilting of leaves, which can turn yel- low or bronze and develop necrotic spots or rings, Vinchesi-Vahl said. It can stunt growth of the plant and lead to distorted fruit that may suffer ring spotting. To com- bat thrips and the virus, researchers have been working on developing resistant pro- cessing tomato strains. There are yet other problems in toma- toes. Fusarium wilt, race 3, is an increasing problem, Vinchesi-Vahl said, noting that the fungus can live indefinitely in the soil. It is becoming more prevalent across the state from the Sacramento region down to Bakersfield. Vinchesi-Vahl cited one former tomato field that had been planted only to rice for 20 years. The grower returned it to tomatoes and lost the whole crop to the fusarium wilt fungus.

Beet curly top virus damages a tomato plant in a Sutter County field in 2022. The disease is spread by the beet leafhop- per, which feeds and lays eggs in perennial weeds. The pest migrates from the foothills to valley farms as the weather warms in the spring.

Plants suffering from fusarium wilt may start showing signs of the disease as early as 45 days, but often may not be no- ticed until 60 days. One identifying sign is bright-yellow foliage, which may appear only on one branch or the entire plant. The fruit may sunburn easily or simply rot. The only way to combat the fungus is through an accurate diagnosis combined with planting resistant cultivars. Vinchesi-Vahl said equipment may con- tribute to the spread, adding equipment

should be completely sanitized before moving between fields. A new form of fusarium damaging to- matoes in recent years is fusarium falci- forme foliar, Vinchesi-Vahl added. It also causes yellowing to the foliage, as well as deformities and spotting. The new fungal disease can cause vine decline and eventual collapse. To date, there are no resistant varieties, but research- ers at UC Davis are working on it, she said. California is the nation’s leading pro-

ducer of processing tomatoes, with Fresno County being the top-producing region. The other top counties include Yolo, Kings, Merced and San Joaquin, accord- ing to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2022, the contracted production of processing tomatoes in California reached 10.5 million tons, reflecting a slight dip in from 2021. (Nancy Vigran is a reporter based in Placer County. She may be contacted via news@cfbf.com.)

Agricultural Market Review

Quotations are the latest available for the week ending April 7, 2023 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1150–1460 lbs., $ per cwt. 137-138 165-167 169-170 Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $ per cwt. 97.81 73.70 70.90 Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales 191-250 133-156 142-280 Field crops – basis prompt shipment Barley – U.S. No. 2, $ per cwt. Truck, Stockton-Modesto-Oakdale-Turlock No Quote No Quote No Quote Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market 95.22 80.03 80.24 Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $ per bu. trucked 9.28-9.78 8.78 8.64 Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain No Quote 17 (G/P, per bale) No Quote Region 2, Sacramento Valley No Quote No Quote No Quote Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley 365-370 (G/P) No Quote No Quote Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley 420-440 (S) 400 (G/P) No Quote Region 5, Southern California No Quote 25 (P, per bale) 24 (P, per bale) Region 6, Southeast Interior 345-390 (P/S) 340 (P) 400 (S) 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

2023 Retirement Plan

California’s state retirement plan mandate expanded on January 1 to include those employers with one or more employees. Ensure you are prepared to comply with the new California retirement plan mandate. Join us at one of our webinars presented by Nationwide. For a list of class dates and to register, visit cfbf.com/FBE or call (800) 698-FARM for assistance. You will receive a Zoom link and details two days prior to your selected webinar date. Members, enjoy access to free classes! Register for the upcoming webinars.

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

49-52

70-72

No Quote

No Quote No Quote 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

18 Ag Alert April 12, 2023