FRUIT NEWS FOR JANUARY

THE ORIGINS OF WINE

A recent discovery led to a revision of wine history. Scientists found 8000-year-old Neolithic ceramic containers in Georgia that were once used to store wine. This means winemaking began hundreds of years earlier than was previously thought. They ran biochemical tests on the residues in the jars, and learned that the wine-makers even added tree resin as an anti-bacterial preservative when making the drink.

FRUITY SCENTS

Fruit scents are becoming very popular. They first showed up in candles. Now you can buy all kinds of fruit-scented body, skin, and hair care products. There are even fruit-based fragrances. Enjoy is a particularly notable perfume with hints of pear, green bananas, and black-currant buds.

UPDATES ON PESTS AND DISEASES

The US halted all importation of Ya pears from China. This action was taken because the fruits were possibly infected with Alternaria fungus, which could become a serious threat to American pear and apple trees.

There have been several developments concerning Pierce's disease. USDA is now using DNA to identify the specific strains that are threatening vineyards and nursery crops in California. The disease can attack almonds, citrus, grapes, peaches, and plums.

Previously, scientists thought the disease was spread mainly by glassy-winged sharpshooters or through contaminated budwood. However USDA researchers found the disease could also be spread by seeds to seedlings.

USDA scientists have come up with a new genetic test for plum pox. The process only takes six hours, and can be used year-round. This is a great improvement over the previous antibody-based tests. This disease is found in certain counties of Pennsylvania, including York, Franklin, Cumberland, and Adams.

Dr. Marvin Pritts of Cornell University published the results of his recent bird repellency studies of blueberry crops. He concluded that a combination of audio and visual scare tactics work if they are used along with taste deterrents, such as sugar sprays. Because the birds can become accustomed to audio systems, these are only effective for short periods if they are used alone.

NEW KIND OF DWARF TREES TO BE AVAILABLE

The L.E. Cooke Company, located in Visalia, California, will introduce EZ-Pick fruit trees in 2004. When properly pruned, these trees will only grow six to eight feet in height. The company has been testing these in the field for almost ten years, and the trees are still only five to six feet tall. These ultra-dwarfs have several advantages over full-size trees. Three EZ Picks can be planted where you would ordinarily plant one fruit tree. So you can plant several varieties ripening over a period of time in a limited space. For these trees, a low-scaffold, open-center pruning system is used.

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