Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 2017)
April 14, 2017 CapitalPress.com 19 Everything you ever wanted to know about pistachios By JULIA HOLLISTER For the Capital Press Compared to other U.S.- grown nuts, pistachios are the “youngsters.” “Pistachios are not na- tive to California,” said Bob Klein, manager of the Califor- nia Pistachio Research Board. “Early goldminers likely brought in some and there were pistachios in the state by the 1870s.” However, pistachios were mostly a novelty and didn’t become established as an in- dustry until the mid-1970s. The plantings were based on a variety that came from seed collected by a USDA plant explorer, W.E. White- house, in Persia — now called Iran — in 1929 to 1930, he said. In California today about 320,000 acres are planted to pistachios: about 250,000 bearing and the rest non-bear- ing. “Iran has the greatest num- ber of acres but California commonly produces more pistachios.” he said. The U.S. produces 35-40 Courtesy Calif. Pistachio Research Board Bob Klein, manager of the California Pistachio Research Board, advises potential growers to do their homework. It takes about six years before trees bear nuts. compete more on quality, he said. Few Iranian pistachios are imported. According to Klein, pro- spective growers should have a lot of patience. Pistachios are hard to grow and require lots of capital due to the long non-bearing period — 6 years on average. They are frequently plant- ed in partnerships. Conse- quently, the research board tracks growing entities rath- er than individual growers. There are about 1,200 grow- ing entities in California. Trees typically flower in late March or early April. There are male and female trees, about one male for ev- ery 24 females and are wind pollinated. Nuts are produced only on the female tree. “Farming in general is not easy,” he said. “When pista- chios were first beginning in California, people thought they had no pests or diseases and were drought-tolerant.” While they can survive with little or no added water, they won’t produce without adequate water. They have a wide number of pests and diseases that require timely control but compared to other crops can be grown success- fully in a wide range of soil types and will tolerate mod- estly saline irrigation water, he said. “While I wouldn’t say pis- tachios are particularly sensi- tive or difficult, growers have to be aware of pests and dis- eases, monitor then appropri- ately and make sure to control the pests in a timely manner,” he said. “Irrigation timing can be critical as well for a good, high-quality crop.” Navel orangeworm is the most significant insect pest for pistachios — and some other tree nuts — and control is difficult. What researchers call large bugs (stink bugs and leaffoot- ed bugs) also can be import- ant and control is difficult because they are mobile, dif- ficult to monitor and the dam- age shows up days or weeks after they have left. “The nuts are harvested fresh from the tree and tak- en directly to the processor, where the hull is removed and the nuts dried to a stable mois- ture of 5-7 percent,” Klein said. “The timing is critical — the hulls must be removed within 24 hours or the shells become stained and unsight- ly, precluding use for in-shell snacking.” Dried nuts are stored in large silos and then conveyed into the processing plant for sorting and sizing. Nuts can then be roasted/salted/fla- vored and then bagged, he said. “Roasting, in addition to imparting flavor, also elimi- nates food-borne pathogens,” he said. percent of the global supply and Iran produces 25-30 per- cent, with Turkey, Syria and Greece accounting for most of the rest, he said. There is some production in Italy, Spain, France, Chile, Argenti- na, Australia and Afghanistan. Iran competes on price while California growers Old Dutch, LLC Equipment Sales and Service Nobili BV Pro 100 • Heavy Duty Mulcher • Model 170,190, 210 Nobili SDS, Side Discharge David Myers 971-241-7244 www.odtractor.com ONV17-2/#7 ONV17-4/#4N • Discharge Mulch under the row. • Model 150, 180, 210
