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November 26, 2002 Contact: Pam Kan-Rice UC awards $1.8 million for specialty crop projects OAKLAND -- Methods for controlling olive fruit fly, growing mushrooms in composted food scraps, and strategies for organically producing fruits and vegetables are among newly funded University of California research projects. UC’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) has awarded $1.8 million for specialty crop research. These ANR grants are part of Governor Gray Davis' Buy California Initiative, which is administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). “We are pleased to be able to partner with the University of California in this program,” said CDFA Secretary William (Bill) J. Lyons, Jr. “Buy California is intended to boost demand for our commodities through marketing, education, and research. It makes good sense to team up with one of the premier research institutions in the world.” “These research projects represent a diversity of approaches to address a diverse set of issues, consistent with the diverse and complex specialty crop industries in California,” said Ron Voss, UC Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist, who oversaw the review process. “Some of the studies will enable completion of ongoing research while others will embark on new frontiers of science. These specialty crop grants will enable UC and other state and federal scientists to pursue studies in areas that haven’t had much money for research in the past.” The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, has recently invaded California and spread rapidly throughout the state. It poses a serious threat to the state’s olive trees and its burgeoning olive oil industry. Chemical control, even if effective, will be costly. UC scientists are studying the biology of the olive fruit fly and olive trees, looking for ways to intervene and prevent damage. Other UC scientists will be examining the effectiveness of natural enemies that attack olive fruit fly. As Californians attempt to reduce the volume of garbage being trucked to landfills, Santa Clara County Cooperative Extension farm advisor Maria de la Fuente is trying to use composted urban waste, food scraps and paper instead of more expensive substrate ingredients and peat moss used in commercial production of mushrooms. Several researchers are exploring organic methods for managing weeds, pests, diseases and fertility in fruit and vegetable crops. The 17 projects were selected from 62 proposals reviewed by representatives of UC, California State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, industry groups and farmer organizations. Awards were available to UC, CSU and federal researchers. The research had to focus on crops that are ineligible for federal subsidies -- essentially crops other than wheat, soybeans, cotton, rice, and corn -- a broad definition of “specialty crops.” Selections were based on scientific and technical merit and potential benefit to California’s specialty crop industries. Projects must be consistent with sustainable agriculture and the Buy California program concepts and goals. CDFA recently funded 51 UC research, marketing and education activities through a separate grants program. Titles of the 17 funded projects, their principal investigators, and the respective amounts of the award are as follows: Efficient determination of spore inoculum
potential of brown rot pathogen (Monilinia fructicola) in stone
fruit orchards by using molecular techniques. Themis Michailides
(UC Kearney Agricultural Center). $119,290.
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