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PAGES 9-11 Capital Press EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER Friday, May 6, 2022 Volume 95, Number 18 CapitalPress.com $2.00 5% SOLUTION Researchers crack wheat’s genetic code, open door to higher yields By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press D Joe Proudman/UC-Davis UC-Davis professor and plant geneticist Jorge Dubcovsky in the wheat fi elds at UC-Davis, where re- searchers recently identifi ed the WAPO1 gene that controls the maximum number of grains in a wheat spike. The discovery could help researchers and farmers boost yields by 5%. Joel Mackendorf/UC-Davis UC-Davis wheat breeder Jorge Dubcovsky holds wheat stalks in his hands. Identifying the wheat gene for yield is an important step for ag- ricultural research, Dubcovsky says. “Food is not something that’s sold in the supermarket,” he said. “Food is something you need to fi ght for and you need to invest for, if you want to have food on the table to- morrow. Producing food takes work for a lot of people.” AVIS, Calif. — Researcher Jorge Dubcovsky and his team have iden- tifi ed one of the genes in wheat that increases yield — the holy grail for farmers. Yield — the amount of wheat grown per acre — is how wheat farmers pay the bills. “We always joke in wheat breeding that the fi rst three top priorities are yield, yield and yield,” Dubcovsky, a University of Califor- nia-Davis wheat breeder, told the Capital Press. “There are premiums and discounts for protein, but the grower is paid by the yield. That’s the only thing that the grower gets.” The gene Dubcovsky and his team discov- ered controls the maximum number of grains the plant produces. They estimate the discovery could eventually increase yields by as much as 5%. Breeders devote most of their eff orts to pursu- ing yield, Dubcovsky said. “You only advance varieties that will yield better than the previous one,” Dubcovsky said. “If not, nobody will buy it.” But, he said, yield has been “a very diffi cult trait to crack.” The reason is many variables impact wheat yields. One year, the varieties that don’t shatter in the wind will yield more. The next year, there could be a disease. Another year, too much heat. It’s diffi cult to pinpoint whether a variety’s overall performance is due to genes or other fac- tors, Dubcovsky said. See Wheat, Page 13 Washington snowpack Farmers pay higher water relishes awesome April rates, fees during drought By DON JENKINS Capital Press Washington’s snowpack had its best April in more than 30 years, state Depart- ment of Ecology drought coordinator Jeff Marti said Monday. Snowpacks across the state usually melt in April, but this year they grew and held more water at the end of the month than at the beginning. No part of the state was left out. The state- wide snow- pack, an averaging of Nick Bond basins as dif- ferent as the Olympic and Blue moun- tains, was 114% of normal as of May 1, compared to 80% on April 1. Since 1990, there have been 12 snowpacks larger as of May 1. But no snow- pack has rallied from so far below normal on April 1 to above normal at the end of the month. “This year was a real out- lier,” Marti said. “It was just gangbusters.” The “average” is based on snowpacks between 1991 and 2020. An above-av- erage snowpack promises a good irrigation season. Basin snowpacks Monday ranged from 128% in the Upper Columbia to 87% in the Lower Yakima. The Upper Yakima and Naches basins, both import- ant for Yakima Valley irri- gation, were above normal Monday after beginning the month below average. The snowpack has prob- ably fi nally peaked, Nat- ural Resources Conserva- tion Service snow supply specialist Scott Pattee said Monday. The snowpack typically tops out around April 1. While snow is not unusual in April, the amount and geographic spread this year was amazing, he said. “It just kept coming and coming after a disappointing March,” Pattee said. “It was pretty evenly distributed, everybody got good now.” Before the winter began, the National Weather Ser- vice’s Climate Predic- tion Center said a La Nina tilted the odds in favor of a cool and wet winter in Washington. See Snowpack, Page 13 By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN Capital Press HOLLISTER, Calif. — California walnut grower Tim McCord is at the dry end of the spigot, facing a zero-water allocation from the Central Valley Proj- ect, which is supposed to deliver to his local San Benito County Water District. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” said McCord. The farmer is not just concerned about his orchard; he’s also frus- trated that he owes sub- stantial water-related taxes to the district, and, if water is eventually delivered, he’ll be charged $309.75 per acre-foot — more than in non-drought years. McCord is not alone. During drought, it’s com- mon for farmers across the West to pay higher water-related rates, assess- ments, fees and taxes than during wet years. Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press Workers install irrigation infrastructure for main lines and sub main lines. Across the West, water agencies and irrigation districts are facing higher costs due to drought. In many cases, those organizations pass on their costs to farmers. This is because drought is costly for water suppli- ers, which often pass on their costs to customers. According to the Pub- lic Policy Institute of Cal- ifornia, suppliers’ revenues generally come from water users paying for deliveries. If a supplier doesn’t have as much water to deliver, Bank of Eastern Oregon Specializing in Founded in 1945 offers Operating Lines of by Farmers and Ranchers. Credit and Term loans on Agricultural & Who saw a need for Rural Lending. Equipment and Land. Commercial Loans. revenue shrinks unless the supplier increases rates. Drought can also degrade water quality, damage infrastructure, demand more management and drive suppliers to buy supplemental water. Although details vary See Water, Page 13 CALDWELL, ID ALAN BULLARD / BECKY TEMPLE GAYE DOANATO / LOGAN SCHLEICHER 923 Dearborn St. 208-402-4887 WASHINGTON MORO CONDON HERMISTON JOHN DAY OREGON IDAHO COLFAX ONTARIO LA GRANDE IONE BOARDMAN ENTERPRISE CALDWELL DAYTON PENDLETON MADRAS IRRIGON HEPPNER BURNS MEMBER FDIC PASCO