Friday, August 5, 2022
CapitalPress.com 7
OSU Blueberry Field Day
highlights new research
Chris Gaylord/U.S.
Army Corps of
Engineers
Engineers with
the U.S. Army
Corps of Engi-
neers inspect
the upstream
side gate on
the John Day
Dam naviga-
tion lock July
26 after the
gate malfunc-
tioned due to
a broken guide
wheel.
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
Damage to John Day Dam’s upstream
navigation lock gate slows river traffic
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
A damaged lower guide wheel on the John
Day Dam’s upstream navigation lock gate
has slowed barge traffic on the Columbia
River, but shippers and others say a delay is
better than a closure during this especially
busy time of year.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers techni-
cians found the damage July 25 and closed
the lock to river traffic. They then moved to
limited lockages the next evening, accord-
ing to a Corps press release.
The lock is operating at a reduced speed,
using a floating concrete bulkhead as a tem-
porary gate. It’s too early to say how long the
reduced speed of operation will continue,
Edward “Tom” Conning, public affairs spe-
cialist for the Corps, told the Capital Press.
The cause of the damage to the guide
wheel is unknown.
“Our initial engineering assessments
were generally positive,” Conning said. “It
appears that many of the damaged parts are
salvageable and there doesn’t seem to be
any damage to the structural gate itself.”
Initial estimates put repair costs at $1
million, Conning said.
“Traffic through John Day Lock is slower
than normal, but we don’t expect further
reductions or a complete loss of service at
this time,” he said. “Our focus is getting the
lock back into full service.”
“Overall, we’ve been very fortunate
... that the Corps found a workaround in
pretty rapid fashion,” said Kurt Haarmann,
senior vice president of the grain division
for Columbia Grain International. “Just hav-
ing the workaround, even if it’s a bit slower,
allows us to maintain navigation and ship-
ments (and) keep moving growers’ products
to market.”
The delays require companies to predict
shipping needs more accurately and a little
farther into the future, Haarmann said.
“It’s certainly much better than an outright
closure given the amount of production that is
upstream of that lock,” he said.
“We’re in a critical time right now at the
beginning of harvest, and there’s going to be
a lot of grain that needs to be moved — a lot
of export sales that we’ve made that we need
to execute upon and a lot of sales the growers
have made, and they need that space upcoun-
try to be able to deliver,” he said.
Shipping wheat by rail and truck are alter-
natives, he said.
“Neither of those systems can really sup-
plant the vast majority that goes by the river,”
he said. “In the short run, you would probably
end up with more ground piles or temporary
emergency ground storage.”
Haarmann pointed to the expense of using
trucks with increased diesel costs, the dis-
tance involved and wear and tear on the roads
and environment.
The John Day situation highlights the
value of the shipping system for the public,
Haarmann said
“(The dams) are absolutely critical to
Pacific Northwest farmers and their trans-
portation of goods to the export markets,” he
said. “I think it brings it front and center, and
hopefully in a different light as a reminder,
and not necessarily purely the environmental
or fish discussion.”
Portland District locks on the Columbia
River handle 10 million of the 50.5 million
tons of cargo shipped annually in the nation.
The Columbia River is the No. 1 U.S.
export gateway for wheat and barley, the No.
2 U.S. export gateway for corn and soy, and
the No. 1 U.S. export gateway for West Coast
mineral bulk.
The Columbia River system is also the
national leader for wood exports and auto
imports and exports.
AURORA, Ore. — Doz-
ens of people sporting hats
and sunglasses taste-tested
berry varieties and licked
blueberry popsicles while
listening to scientists from
Oregon State University,
USDA and other institutions
talk about new research at
OSU’s Blueberry Field Day
last week.
The findings, presented
at the North Willamette
Research and Extension
Center, could help growers.
Crop inputs
One recent study, led by
USDA researchers David
Bryla and Scott Orr, found
that applying calcium to soil
can affect yield and quality.
“Calcium impacts fruit
quality,” said Bryla.
If applied properly, the
researchers found that cal-
cium can improve fruit firm-
ness and extend berries’ shelf
life.
In a separate, ongoing
study, OSU faculty research
assistant Amanda Davis and
co-researchers aim to answer
a popular question grow-
ers ask: Does adding humic
acid to a regular fertilizer
program improve soil qual-
ity and yield in mature blue-
berries? Trials to answer this
started in 2021, and research-
ers expect results in 2023.
Pests
A new pesticide for blue-
berries may be in the pipe-
line. According to Dani
Lightle, OSU pesticide reg-
istration research leader, the
EPA soon plans to evaluate
Applaud Insect Growth Reg-
ulator, a product that targets
mealybugs and other pests,
for use in blueberries.
The industry is also turn-
ing to biological controls.
An invasive fruit fly —
the spotted wing drosophila
— affecting Northwest blue-
Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press
Blueberries at OSU’s North Willamette Research and Ex-
tension Center in Aurora.
berries may meet its match in
a tiny parasitoid wasp called
Ganaspis brasiliensis.
This summer, OSU has
been releasing the benefi-
cial wasps near farms across
Oregon in hopes that the
wasps will control the spot-
ted wing drosophila.
Rearing and releasing the
wasps, however, takes time.
“The wasps are rather
high maintenance, so it’s
been a learning curve,” said
Jana Lee, research entomol-
ogist for USDA’s Horticul-
tural Crops Research Unit.
Irrigation
Jesse Carroll, a gradu-
ate student at OSU, recently
worked with Bryla, of
USDA, to test pulsed irriga-
tion — the practice of apply-
ing water in short intervals
each day — in blueberries.
Carroll’s initial study
found that pulsing water can
significantly increase yield
and berry size.
“The pulsed drip irriga-
tion method seemed to be
promising,” said Carroll.
Further
research
is
needed.
Pruning and trellising
Pruning and trellising
practices can significantly
impact yield, according to
results from a six-year trial
led by Davis, the faculty
research assistant, and Ber-
nadine Strik, recently retired
from leading the berry
research program at OSU’s
North Willamette Research
and Extension Center.
The trial in Legacy and
Mini Blues varieties found
that pruning and trellising
according to recommended
methods
can
improve
fruit quantity and quality.
Although pruning demands
more labor, the higher labor
cost was outweighed by
higher yield.
Breeding
The Vaccinium Coordi-
nated Agricultural Project,
a USDA-funded project led
by researchers from around
the world, is developing
new genetic tools to enhance
breeding of blueberries.
USDA is similarly evalu-
ating the potential of genetic
markers for predicting fruit
quality and ripening season.
New leadership
Oregon’s blueberry indus-
try also has a new research
leader.
Strik, who had led the
berry research program
since 1992 before retiring
this winter, has passed on
her position to OSU horti-
cultural expert Scott Lukas,
who is transitioning into his
new role.
“The program is in fan-
tastic hands,” said Strik.
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