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CapitalPress.com
Friday, July 15, 2022
People & Places
New potato physiologist
has his eye on storage
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
KIMBERLY, Idaho — A
research and extension posi-
tion with the University of
Idaho this spring came as a
birthday gift for Gustavo Teix-
eira, who turned 50 in April.
The new assistant professor
and potato postharvest physi-
ologist had applied for several
positions in the U.S. after a
two-year research sabbatical at
Virginia Tech University, from
2017 to 2019.
A native of Brazil, his
research has primarily focused
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
on postharvest physiology and
biochemistry in fruits and veg- Gustavo Teixeira, a new potato storage researcher with the University of Idaho, at his
etables, but not potatoes. The desk at the Kimberly Research and Extension Center.
good thing about the position
with the University of Idaho pounds in tea and apples.
“I try to use the technolo-
is it didn’t restrict the required
postharvest experience to gies that are commonly avail-
able to understand the physiol- GUSTAVO TEIXEIRA
work in potatoes, he said.
ogy of underutilized fruit and Position: Assistant professor and
Potato storage
vegetables,” he said.
extension specialist, potato post-
“I think they were trying
He plans to use those tech- harvest physiologist, University
to get someone from outside. nologies as well as new ones of Idaho
You get a different perspective, linked to the understanding Location: Kimberly Research and Extension Center
think of potato postharvest in a of the physiology of potatoes
different way,” he said.
in storage to benefit Idaho’s Focus: Reducing potato postharvest losses
Education: Ph.D., agronomy, post-harvest physiology focus,
He’s been learning a lot industry.
about potatoes and how he
“I’m keen to study the Sao Paulo State University, Brazil, 2005; master’s degree,
can apply his knowledge to use of imaging to sort pota- agronomy, post-harvest physiology focus, Sao Paulo State
potato storage since starting toes based on the presence of University, Brazil, 2000; bachelor’s degree, agronomy, Federal
at the Kimberly Research and defects and also based on inter- University of Lavras, Brazil, 1998
nal quality, such as dry matter Doctorate work: Control of browning in fresh-cut carambo-
Extension Center in April.
He’s planning to use his and nutrient level,” he said.
la, Department of Primary Industries, Queensland, Australia
knowledge to address the
Honors: Brazilian National Council on Scientific and Techno-
First project
problems and constraints of
His first research project logical Development, Ministry of Science and Technology,
potato storage, especially
regarding new varieties that will be measuring the respi- three fellowships, 2015-2018, 2018-2021, 2022
ration rates of different potato Family: Wife, Izabella Teixeira, assistant professor and ex-
are being released.
He has extensive experi- varieties during storage to tension specialist, dairy, University of Idaho; son, Pedro, 17;
ence with gas chromatogra- make a connection between daughter, Ana, 14
phy to determine gas com- respiration and potato qual-
position inside plastic bags, a ity and provide insights into toes, he said.
many technologies being used,
The project has been many gaps I have to focus on
fundamental aspect of mod- storage management, such as
ified atmosphere packaging temperature and ventilation approved for a grant through and the challenges I have,” he
(MAP), used to extend the control.
the Northwest Potato Research said.
shelf life of different com-
The potato is a living organ- Consortium.
He has also been attend-
ing Idaho Potato Commis-
modities, especially fresh-cut ism that depends on stored car-
sion meetings and will be set-
bohydrates for energy. Higher
Making contacts
products.
He’s also used near-infra- respiration rates mean higher
Teixeira recently attended a ting up more meetings with
red spectroscopy as a non-de- consumption of those reserves potato industry tour exploring stakeholders.
structive method to evaluate and shorter shelf life. It also all segments of Idaho’s indus-
Nora Olsen, University of
the quality of produce and has tends to increase the heat load try — seed potatoes, farms, Idaho professor and exten-
used high-performance liq- and carbon dioxide content processing, wholesale and sion potato specialist, “has
uid chromatography (HPLC) inside storage, which compro- retail.
been great” and putting him
for quantifying phenolic com- mises the quality of the pota-
“That was great, I could see in contact with growers and
Western Innovator
other people in the industry,
he said.
“I want to have more con-
tact, get the picture and con-
nect what I’m planning to do
and the needs of the industry.
That’s my job,” he said.
Valuable crop
With a value of about $1
billion, potatoes are the most
important crop in Idaho. The
state produces 35% of all U.S.
potatoes, he said.
“That’s really important,
not just for the state but the
country,” he said.
Potatoes can be in stor-
age for at least 8 months, and
that’s why storage research is
important for the Idaho potato
industry, he said.
That position was made
possible by a $1 million
endowment by Wayne and
Peggy Thiessen, the Idaho
Potato Commission, North-
west Farm Credit Services and
McCain Foods.
Course planned
In addition to his research
work, Teixeira is also planning
a potato postharvest course on
physiology, storage and man-
agement. A couple of other big
universities have organized
similar postharvest courses but
not focused on potatoes. His
course will include theoretical
analysis, hands-on activities
and tours.
He is also helping to orga-
nize and convene the Interna-
tional Symposium on Posthar-
vest Technologies to Reduce
Food Losses as part of the
31st International Horticulture
Congress, Aug. 14 in Angers,
France.
The funny thing is — con-
sidering all his accomplish-
ments — he wouldn’t have
gone into research if not
for his wife, Izabella. When
they began dating, she sug-
gested he apply for schol-
arships because of his high
grades.
Until then, he had
intended on being a poultry
and fruit farmer.
Effort begun to eradicate giant African snails in Florida
By CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press
ST.
PETERSBURG,
Fla. — Invasive giant Afri-
can land snails that can eat
building plaster and stucco,
consume hundreds of vari-
eties of plants and carry dis-
eases that affect humans
have been detected once
again in Florida, where offi-
cials said Thursday work has
begun to eradicate the pests.
The snails, which grow
as long as 8 inches (20 cen-
timeters) and have a distinc-
tive whirled, brown mot-
tled shell, were confirmed
by state agriculture officials
in New Port Richey, Florida,
on June 23. The location in
Pasco County is just north of
the Tampa Bay area on the
Gulf coast.
Florida has twice before
eradicated the snails in
other parts of the state, most
recently a 10-year effort in
Miami-Dade County that
Rui Almeida/Creative Commons via Wikimedia Commons
Giant African snail.
cost $23 million and ended
in 2021 after collection of
about 170,000 snails. Now
they are back again, most
likely the result of the illegal
international exotic pet trade
or arriving hidden in cargo
from overseas.
“We will eradicate these
snails. We’ve done it before
and we will do it again,” said
Nikki Fried, commissioner of
the state Department of Agri-
culture and Consumer Ser-
vices, at a news conference
Thursday.
The snails have been
found in numerous parts of
the world such as Hawaii
and parts of the Caribbean,
including in Cuba where an
effort is ongoing to rid the
island of the pests.
The snails are known to
eat 500 different plant types,
making them a major threat
to agriculture including pea-
nuts, beans, cucumbers and
melons. They will also eat
plaster and stucco in build-
ings, even tree bark, and carry
a parasite called the rat lung-
worm that can cause menin-
gitis in humans, according to
the department. They can pro-
duce up to 1,200 eggs a year.
“They are one of the
most damaging snails in the
world,” said Fried, a Demo-
crat who is also running for
governor this year.
A quarantine area has
been set up in Pasco County
where the snails were found,
initially by a homeowner.
The properties involved will
be treated with a mollusci-
cide bait and snails are being
collected by state workers
aided by dogs trained to sniff
them out.
Greg Hodges, assistant
director of the state Divi-
sion of Plant Industry, said
it is illegal to import or pos-
sess giant African land snails
in Florida without a permit. It
is also illegal to move them
from a quarantined area, such
as the one in Pasco County,
or to take away other mate-
rial in the area such as soil,
yard waste or building mate-
rials without an agreement
with the state.
About 1,000 snails have
already been collected in the
quarantine area, Hodges said.
He said anyone who spots a
snail should not touch it but
instead call 888-397-1517 to
report the find.
Fried said people should
definitely shy away from the
snails, which are not the type
one finds in escargot.
“This is not something you
want to touch. It is not some-
thing you want to eat,” Fried
said.
JULY 15-31
California State Fair & Food Fes-
tival: Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd.,
Sacramento, Calif. The California State
Fair is dedicated as a place to celebrate
the best the state has to offer in agri-
culture, technology, and the diversity
of its people, traditions, and trends
that shape the Golden State’s future.
Website: https://calexpostatefair.com/
TUESDAY JULY 19
Transitioning Your Ag Business
to the Next Chapter: 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
City of Vale Library, Vale, Ore. Attorney
Maria Schmidlkofer will present on the
topics of succession and estate plan-
ning, and how to prepare your oper-
ation to be resilient for future gen-
erations. She will review the steps of
estate and succession planning, how
to address taxes and corporate farm
structuring, and more. Easement spe-
cialist Marc Hudson will answer your
questions about working lands con-
servation easements — what they are,
what they aren’t, and how they may
be helpful in executing your agricul-
tural business plans. These in-person
events are part of a free 6-workshop
series in Lake, Harney and Malheur
counties. All are welcome, and the
events are free. RSVP for these or any
of OAT’s other events and refer any
questions about the event to diane@
oregonagtrust.org 503-858-2683
Intro to Good Manufacturing
Practices (online): 8 a.m.-noon. Dr.
Janna Hamlett & Catherine Cantley
of TechHelp and the U of I will help
participants learn and understand
the revised current Good Manufac-
turing Practices or cGMPs according
to the final rule for FSMA’s Preven-
tive Controls for Human Food. Con-
tact: 208-736-3610 Website: https://bit.
ly/3y3SNq9
WEDNESDAY JULY 20
Blueberry Field Day: 1 p.m. North
Willamette Research & Extension Cen-
ter, 15210 NE Miley Road, Aurora, Ore.
This annual field day will inform par-
ticipants about the latest research in
blueberry propagation and breeding.
Contact: Amanda Davis, (971)-801-
0394 or amanda.davis@oregonstate.
edu Website: http://extension.oregon-
state.edu/NWREC/
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
JULY 30-31
Great Oregon Steam-Up:
7 a.m.-6 p.m., Powerland Heritage
Park, 3995 Brooklake Road NE, Brooks,
Ore. Enjoy a steam-powered day with
train and trolley rides, a parade, steam
sawmilling, traditional tractor pull-
ing, machinery demos, threshing,
flour milling, fire apparatus demos,
museum tours, kids pedal tractor pull-
ing and a youth passport program.
Website: www.antiquepowerland.
com/steam-up Phone: 503-393-2424
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
AUG. 6-7
Great Oregon Steam-Up:
7 a.m.-6 p.m., Powerland Heritage
Park, 3995 Brooklake Road NE,
Brooks, Ore. Enjoy a steam-pow-
ered day with train and trolley rides,
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FarmSeller.com
a parade, steam sawmilling, tra-
ditional tractor pulling, machin-
ery demos, threshing, flour mill-
ing, fire apparatus demos, museum
tours, kids pedal tractor pulling and
a youth passport program. Web-
site: www.antiquepowerland.com/
steam-up Phone: 503-393-2424
MONDAY AUG. 8
Transitioning Your Ag Busi-
ness to the Next Chapter:
12:30-4 p.m. Paisley Community
Center, 705 Chewaucan St., Pais-
ley, Ore. Farm and Ranch succes-
sion counselor and accountant
Diana Tourney will prepare you for
the human and financial elements
of succession planning. Easement
specialist Marc Hudson will answer
your questions about working lands
conservation easements — what
they are, what they aren’t, and how
they may be helpful in executing
your agricultural business plans.
These in-person events are part of a
free 6-workshop series in Lake, Har-
ney and Malheur counties. All are
welcome, and the events are free.
RSVP for these or any of OAT’s other
events and refer any questions
about the event to diane@orego-
nagtrust.org 503-858-2683
MarketPlace.capitalpress.com
facebook.com/CapitalPress
facebook.com/FarmSeller
TUESDAY AUG. 9
twitter.com/CapitalPress
Transitioning Your Ag Busi-
ness to the Next Chapter:
12:30-4 p.m. Lake County Library,
26 South G St., Lakeview, Ore. Farm
and Ranch succession counselor
and accountant Diana Tourney will
prepare you for the human and
financial elements of succession
planning. Easement specialist Marc
Hudson will answer your questions
about working lands conservation
easements —what they are, what
they aren’t, and how they may be
helpful in executing your agricul-
tural business plans. These in-per-
son events are part of a free 6-work-
shop series in Lake, Harney and
Malheur counties. All are welcome,
and the events are free. RSVP for
these or any of OAT’s other events
and refer any questions about the
event to diane@oregonagtrust.org
503-858-2683
youtube.com/CapitalPressvideo
Index
Markets .................................................12
Opinion ...................................................6
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