• In Search of the Perfect Peach Tree
• Growers Try to Minimize Seeded Watermelon Plantings
• Foods that Boost Health, Prevent Illness and Prolong Life

UC Farm Advisor Kevin Day is in Search of the Perfect Peach Tree

Tulare County UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Kevin Day envisions a perfect peach tree. It is 7 to 9 feet high – reducing the time it takes to climb and move ladders harvesting standard 12-foot-high trees. The perfect tree has 6 or 8 uniform branches at angles of 45 degrees to the ground, with high production and excellent fruit quality. Some aspects of the perfect tree are easier to achieve than others. Heavy pruning to limit tree height is a simple technique, but may cut production. "We don’t have a good understanding as to how shorter trees affect yield when we hold other things – like light interception – constant," Day said. However, he said, if labor costs continue to go up, farmers may be willing to sacrifice yield to maintain profitability. Opening the branches to the perfect angle is more of an art. This year, Day is tying branches with guy wires to small anchors in the ground to tug tree branches into the larger open vase shape. "I got the idea on a trip to Washington, where growers tie down apple tree branches," Day said. "We don’t know how much having trees in that orientation will help. But we’ll have a prettygood answer in 1999 or 2000." For more information, contact Kevin Day at (209)733-6485, cetulare@ucdavis.edu.

Growers Try to Minimize Seeded Watermelon Plantings

Home gardeners have often wondered why their seedless watermelon plants grow beautiful, lush vines but bear no fruit. Seedless watermelon plants must be within a bee’s reach of seeded watermelons for pollination. For farmers, this fact affects the bottom line. Seedless melons fetch double the price of seeded varieties, so most farmers want to grow as few melons with seeds as possible. Stanislaus County UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Jesú s Valencia is studying ways to minimize the number of seeded plants necessary in commercial watermelon fields. Farmers typically plant a row of seeded watermelon every third row. In Valencia’s trials, he’s planting seedless and seeded watermelons at radios of 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 within the same row. "To the grower, the less seeded he can plant, the better off he will be," Valencia said. "I also think the bees will do a better job with the two types of watermelons closer together." For harvesting, he said, he expects no problems. "Seedless are light green and basketball shaped. Seeded are darker green with pronounced stripes. They can easily be separated in the field or at the packing house." For more information, contact Jesú s Valencia at (209) 525-6654, jgvalencia@ucdavis.edu.

Foods that Boost Health, Prevent Illness and Prolong Life

A spate of exciting discoveries about the benefits of previously unknown plant chemicals vindicates nutrition scientists who have maintained a familiar refrain for decades: For good health, eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. However, they can now also make some additional recommendations. At a recent seminar for nutrition professionals in Fresno and Tulare counties, UC Davis nutrition scientists emphasized that an enormous amount of nutrition information remains unknown, but recent research is beginning to suggest some specific nutrition practices can boost health, prevent illness and prolong life. UC Davis nutrition specialist Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr said she personally takes Vitamin E supplements in response to research that suggests 400 IU per day – an amount nearly impossible to ingest from foods – can ward off heart disease. UC Davis professor of nutrition Francene Steinberg has found that regular consumption of soy bean products, which contain chemicals similar to estrogen, may ease menopausal symptoms and help prevent osteoporosis, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Some other possible cancer-preventive foods and ingredients, they said, are ginger, cabbage and licorice, onions, tea, whole wheat, brown rice, cucumber, mints, oregano, citrus and broccoli. For more information, contact Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr at (530) 752-3817, sazidenbergcherr@ucdavis.edu.

Jeannette Warnert
Public Information Representative
UC Regional Office
550 E. Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710