All Issues

Annual weeds controlled by DCPA (Dacthal) a pre-emergence herbicide, without injury to onion plants even at excessive rates of application.

THE PROPER TIME TO PLANT grape cuttings is not well established. Growers generally plant cuttings in March and April. Cuttings are made in the winter and early spring and are stored in the soil or refrigerated until they are planted. The best depth and position in the soil for cuttings in storage have also not yet been determined. It is becoming a common practice to refrigerate graft-sticks, rootings and cuttings. The effects of this method of storage on subsequent rooting, and also the effects of the time of planting on rooting, needed researching.

The use of cryolite and lead arsenate for the control of early season infestations of omnivorous leaf roller on grapes has many advantages and a great potential. It is estimated that during a year of light to moderate population, one or two early season applications of cryolite or lead arsenate may provide effective and economical control of OLR throughout the season.

THIS DISCUSSION OF FLOWER QUALITY is limited to the three major factors in grading: flower size (weight), stem size (weight per unit stem length) and stem length. In general, the larger the flower and stem, the higher the quality.

The terms dryland and dry farming are used in the United States to characterize agriculture existing on an average annual precipitation of from 10 to 20 inches. A high variability in the annual amount is common in these relatively low rainfall areas—less than half the longtime average can occasionally be expected. On the basis of seasonal water availability for vegetation, dryland farming extends from areas where economically useful vegetation is barely sustained, to areas where drought is only an intermittent problem.

In 1954, research was started on the effects of ionizing radiation on fresh fruits and vegetables. More information was needed because the claims then being made of long shelf lives for unrefrigerated irradiated commodities were biologically questionable. This article is a summary of 15 years work, and offers an evaluation of the commercial potential for irradiation of some major California commodities. Gamma rays from cobalt-60 were used in these tests, but the results would be comparable with other types of radiation; certainly, the commercial potential would not change. Only one California commodity, strawberries, showed promise for commercial application of radiation and even with this crop its use would depend on major changes in marketing conditions.