Cornell University has released two luscious strawberries that resist insect and disease problems. 'L'Amour' is an early June-bearing type with firm, high quality fruits. 'Clancy' begins bearing a little later in late June. Its fruits maintain their firmness and quality despite warm weather.
Cornell's Geneva Experiment Station has released a new grape called 'Rubiana.' Initially it was named 'Abundance,' but that had to be changed, since that name was already owned by a California vineyard. 'Rubiana' is a wonderful new red wine grape. This vigorous winter hardy variety is disease resistant, and productive. It has become known as "the working man's red."
Update on insect and pest problems of fruits
Parts of Pennyslvania are now home to a new kind of stinkbug that damages fruits. The brown marmorated stinkbug is native to eastern Asia, and had not previously been found in North America. It turned up in Berks, upper Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northampton counties.
Agricultural officials in Pennsylvania also found the plum pox virus outside of the original quarantine zone containing Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York counties. The state's ag department believes the disease can still be contained.
Sudden oak disease or SOD affects more than oaks. Preliminary tests have found that it can attack some species of brambles, which could be bad news for raspberry and blackberry growers.
California officials are dealing with a new infestation of the Oriental fruit fly. They found the pest in the San Diego County area, and are using non-toxic methods to attract, trap, and kill the male flies so they can't reproduce.
Recent Research Results
Purdue University announced it has found a gene that might possibly be of use in creating new drought-resistant plants. With this gene, a plant can produce a waxy coating on its outer surface to keep it from drying out.
Exposure to agricultural chemicals can increase the risk of prostate cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. This apparently is responsible for the high rate of the disease among farmers.
ARS announced that a natural compound can improve the red color of apples. The substance comes from plant oils, specifically from honeysuckle and jasmine oils. Scientists found that spraying it on the fruits before harvest helped them to have a uniformly red coloring.
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