18 CapitalPress.com
January 27, 2017
Industry tackles herbicide resistance worries
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
Bureau of Reclamation
A proposed study would cost $5.5 million and look at different
options for increasing the Treasure Valley water supply, including
raising Arrowrock Dam.
Bureau of Reclamation
backs Boise River system
water storage study
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation officials hope
to conduct a major feasibil-
ity study that would look at
several options for increasing
water storage capacity on the
Boise River system.
“We are interested in doing
a feasibility study,” Lorri Lee,
the bureau’s Pacific North-
west regional director, told
Idaho Water Resource Board
members Jan. 23.
The study would cost $5.5
million and look at different
options for increasing the
Treasure Valley water supply,
including raising Arrowrock
Dam 10 feet, Anderson Ranch
Dam 6 feet or the Lucky Peak
Dam pool 4 feet.
Roland Springer, who
manages the bureau’s Snake
River area office, told Capital
Press the study could begin
as soon as this year and the
agency is already doing some
hydrologic analysis.
“We would love to get into
it this year,” he said.
The proposal comes after
U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
neers officials told the water
board in May that the benefits
of raising Arrowrock Dam do
not equal the costs.
A $3.5 million corps study
that was half funded by the
water board determined rais-
ing Arrowrock by 30-70 feet
was the best option for solv-
ing water supply and flood
risk problems in the Boise
River system. But the benefits
must at least match the total
cost for Congress to approve
the project.
That study has been dis-
continued.
Since May, officials from
the bureau, corps and Idaho
Department of Water Re-
sources have been meeting to
determine if there are other
options for increasing water
supply capacity on the Boise
River system, which provides
water for about 330,000 irri-
gated acres of farmland in the
Treasure Valley.
For the proposed study to
happen, non-federal partners
have to split the cost.
Lee said her agency would
continue to seek cost-share
partners and asked the board
to help look for willing part-
ners.
When the water board
found out the corps’ proposed
Arrowrock project was not
feasible, its members asked
the corps and reclamation to
work together to see if they
had overlapping capabilities
to work on possible alterna-
tive projects, said Cynthia
Bridge Clark, IDWR’s water
project section manager.
The corps’ primary focus is
on mitigating flood risk while
the bureau has the authority to
do feasibility studies for water
supply storage.
Clark said it makes sense
to have the bureau lead a
water storage feasibility
study because it evaluates
the benefits of storage proj-
ects differently than the corps
does.
“The bureau may interpret
those benefits differently and
that could allow us to find a
more viable project more eas-
ily for water supply purposes
than we could with the corps,”
she said.
She said the water board is
still interested in determining
whether increased storage ca-
pacity is a viable way to meet
future water supply demand
in the Treasure Valley.
“So we’ll maintain this
working relationship with the
bureau to see if we can work
with them to identify proj-
ects,” Clark said.
Cherry growers hear
about new varieties
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
WENATCHEE,
Wash.
— Pacific Northwest cherry
growers are being encouraged
to plant new varieties not only
for better cherries but to keep
up with the buzz surrounding
new apple varieties.
The pearl series, four cher-
ry varieties released by Cornell
University, were highlighted at
the Northcentral Washington
Stone Fruit Day on Jan. 17 by
Oregon State University Ex-
tension horticulture professor
Lynn Long of The Dalles.
B.J. Thurlby, president of
Northwest Cherry Growers
and the Washington State Fruit
Commission in Yakima, said
when he was promoting cher-
ries to retailers last year, the
first thing they all asked was his
favorite new apple variety.
“I wanted to talk cherries
but they wanted to talk apples,”
he said.
Thurlby encouraged grow-
ers to check out the pearl series
and said he likes Black Pearl.
“Retailers get excited about
something new,” he said.
James Michael, domestic
promotions director of North-
west Cherry Growers, said ear-
ly cherries have the best market
opportunity because there’s less
competition from other pro-
duce early in the season.
Long said the new cherry
varieties are all aimed toward
producing fruit that is flavorful,
large, firm, rain-crack resistant
and ships well.
PNW growers seem most
interest in Black Pearl because
it is an early variety, but Ebo-
ny Pearl, which matures at the
same time as Bing, is a better
cherry, Long said.
Black Pearl is a fairly recent
release developed for West
Coast growers and export
markets. It ripens seven days
before Bing, is 70 percent 9
row and larger and is low in
cracking and pitting, he said.
Contrary to older early va-
rieties such as Tieton, Black
Pearl has good taste, he said,
is a heavy producer and is
“one we need to think about.”
“Ebony Pearl is probably
the best tasting of the Pearl va-
rieties. It has excellent strong
flavor but with that tang that
Burgundy Pearl lacks,” Long
said.
Ebony is 94 percent 9 row
and larger and has good firm-
ness and low rain cracking, he
said.
“If you are looking for
something in Bing timing
that’s larger than Bing and
better in cracking resistance,
Ebony might be something
you want to consider,” he
said.
Radiance Pearl is the
fourth of the pearl series.
Long also talked about
several of the Royal cher-
ries of Zaiger Genetics of
Modesto, Calif.
Royal Hazel is an ear-
ly cherry that requires only
500 chilling hours during
winter and early spring bud
development versus 1,000 to
1,500 chilling hours for most
cherries grown in Washing-
ton, Long said. First bloom
is seven days before Bing.
PASCO, Wash. — Pacific
Northwest agriculture indus-
try members say they want
to figure out how best to stop
the growing number of weeds
developing resistance to the
herbicides designed to get rid
of them.
A listening session in Pas-
co, Wash., was the third of
seven discussions held across
the country.
The listening sessions are
in response to concerns over
increasingly abundant her-
bicide resistant weeds, said
Phil Stahlman, weed scien-
tist at Kansas State Univer-
sity, representing the Weed
Science Society of America,
which hosted the meeting.
“With all the efforts put in
to herbicide resistance man-
agement over the years, we
are still losing the battle,”
Stahlman said.
Resistance can build in
weeds if the same herbicide
is used on them year after
year.
Greg Dean, manager of
agricultural services for the
Amalgamated Sugar Co.,
said problems are still rela-
tively new, but require a pro-
active approach.
Resistance in sugar beets
will be increased by grower
apathy, Dean said. He won-
ders how to go about chang-
ing that mindset.
“They know it’s out there,
they know it’s coming, but
they’re not doing anything
active about it,” he said. “It’s
just grower stewardship —
getting them to realize there
are no solutions coming up
behind them. As they lose
this technology, there’s noth-
ing behind it.”
Changes in crop rotations
are necessary to increase the
tools available, said Bruce
Palmer, research agronomist
for the McGregor Co.
“The problem is a lot of
these crops are not profitable,
but those are the only tools
we’ve got,” he said.
Cal Barta, with Ag Enter-
prise Supply Inc., said one of
the biggest challenges is tim-
ing applications. Applying
chemicals in the fall instead
of the spring will be key,
even though farmers are typi-
cally ready to be done for the
year at that time, Barta said.
“There are only so many
spray days, there’s only so
many custom applicators,”
he said.
Washington State Univer-
sity weed scientist Ian Burke
said he sees a need for sim-
ilar meetings aimed at spe-
cific crops. Those meetings
will likely include a list of
problem weeds and ones
to keep an eye out for, he
said.
Recommendations
for
growers included a willing-
ness to experiment, using or
increasing crop rotations and
considering long-term im-
pacts beyond an immediate
need.
A final report from all
seven sessions is slated to be
made available in the sum-
mer, Stahlman said.
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
Anthony Riassetto, Minerva Garnica and Bo Li of Ag World Support Systems in Moses Lake, Wash., race to peel the most potatoes during
the annual potato peeling contest Jan. 24 at the Washington-Oregon Potato Conference in Kennewick, Wash.
Peeling contest kicks off potato conference
Winning group
credits victory to
teamwork
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
KENNEWICK, Wash. —
It ain’t really a competition
until there’s blood on the
spuds.
Those competing in the
annual Potato Peel-Off at the
Washington-Oregon Potato
Conference gave more than
their fair share. But the four
teams competing in the annu-
al event didn’t let a few nicks
and cuts slow them down.
They just powered through
to the end, then wrapped their
fingers in bandages in hopes
of advancing to the next
round.
Minerva Garnica, of win-
ning team Ag World Sup-
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
Washington State Potato Com-
mission executive director Chris
Voigt has fun emceeing the an-
nual potato peeling competition
Jan. 24 during the Washing-
ton-Oregon Potato Conference
in Kennewick, Wash.
port Systems in Moses Lake,
Wash., has competed all three
years. Her team emerged vic-
torious the first year of the
competition, too.
What keeps Garnica com-
ing back? It’s not exactly by
choice.
“We get signed up for it,”
she said with a laugh. “It’s
fun.”
Garnica and teammates
Anthony Riassetto and Bo Li
didn’t practice for the event.
Garnica chalked up their vic-
tory to “working as a team.”
Any advice for future
would-be peelers?
“Be careful not to cut
yourself,” she said.
Mark Stalham of NIAB
CUF in Cambridge, England,
didn’t specifically make the
trip to compete. He’s present-
ing at the conference. But he
saw a good opportunity to get
new graduate student Simon
Smart involved, too. Warden,
Wash., farmer Eli Wollman
volunteered last-minute to
round out their team.
“We were actually going to
do it by Skype, because we’ve
got a professional peeler back
home, but they wouldn’t al-
low us to do that,” Stalham
said. “It brings fun to the
event. It’s a bit of competi-
tion, everybody enjoys it.”
Stalham admitted his team
fared poorly.
“We went for quality rath-
er than speed, and clearly, the
name of the game is to get the
potatoes peeled,” he said.
Fans of the event need to
sign up next year if they want
to see it continue, said Ryan
Holterhoff, director of market-
ing and industry affairs for the
Washington State Potato Com-
mission. Two teams this year
were comprised of commis-
sion board members and staff.
“We’d like to see nine, 12
teams signed up,” Holterhoff
said. “We think it’s a fun thing
to do, just to get people in-
volved in the trade show.”
Researchers program drone to hunt PVY in potatoes
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
POCATELLO, Idaho —
Researchers say they’ve pin-
pointed individual spud plants
infected with potato virus Y
with 90 percent accuracy by
using hyperspectral cameras
mounted on drones.
Donna Delparte, an assis-
tant professor of geosciences
at Idaho State University, and
graduate student Mike Grif-
fel have successfully tested
a “computer-learning” algo-
rithm they developed to tease
out PVY from spectral imag-
ing “background noise,” such
as field variability and unre-
lated crop stress.
“Our premise was to look
at all of these wavelengths
of light the human eye can’t
see and look for differences
between healthy plants and
plants infected with PVY,”
Griffel said, adding their im-
ages had leaf-scale resolution.
Griffel said the project
detected disease well be-
fore potato crops reached the
row-closure stage, far earlier
than people can spot symp-
toms of PVY by scouting
fields.
To develop their algorithm,
they compiled crop data in
fields over three seasons, end-
ing in 2016. The researchers
first analyzed fields from the
ground with a high-tech cam-
John O’Connell/Capital Press
Donna Delparte, an assistant professor of geosciences at Idaho
State University, shows the large drone built by ISU’s robotics and
communications program to support heavy cameras she’s acquired
for evaluating causes of yield declines in potatoes and sugar beets.
She and J.R. Simplot Co. will partner on the research.
era capable of recording 100
bands of the light spectrum.
After studying the imag-
es, they selected the 15 most
useful bands for identifying
PVY based on its unique
light reflection. Delparte pro-
grammed more basic hyper-
spectral cameras mounted on
drones to detect those bands
while surveying the same po-
tato fields from the air.
They developed the al-
gorithm based on common
spectral signatures among
sick plants. Their software
“learned” to ignore field vari-
ability based on comparisons
of sick plant signatures with
signatures reflected from ad-
jacent healthy plants.
PVY, vectored by aphids,
is a major disease affecting
potato seed growers and is
the primary target of Idaho’s
annual winter grow-out in
Hawaii, which evaluates the
health of certified seed lots.
The researchers shared their
findings with seed growers
during the Idaho Seed Potato
Growers seminar Jan. 17 in
Pocatello.
“We feel like we’re right
on the cusp of taking this to
a really fast, efficient way of
detecting the virus,” Delparte
said.
The first three years of
research were funded with
grants from USDA and the
Idaho Global Entrepreneurial
Mission. Delparte said she’s
seeking additional funding
from seed growers and indus-
try sources to leverage more
grants and continue the work,
delving into other diseases
and crops.
“Our hope is in another
round of research and testing,
we can tighten that work flow
so we get faster and faster and
get results back quickly to the
grower,” Delparte said.
Griffel envisions the tech-
nology will eventually enable
drones to text GPS coordi-
nates of sick plants to field
agronomists, or direct drones
to spray and kill sick plants
upon detection.
“I think this type of data
would give Idaho a marketing
bump,” Griffel said.
Griffel said cameras com-
monly mounted on drones by
companies providing data for
agricultural producers and
other industries aren’t sensi-
tive enough to pick up PVY.
However, he said his re-
search findings could aid in
development of simpler cam-
eras, recording only bands of
importance to PVY.