July/August 2014
ONION WORLD Grower Magazine
California Onion Challenges Breeding a Better Onion Onion Automation
ONION WORLD 1409 S. 29th Avenue, Yakima, WA 98902
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Table of Contents
Onion World
30
Celebrating
Years!
ONION WORLD Volume 30, Number 5
Grower Magazine
July/August 2014 6
10 14
20
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Columbia Publishing 1409 S. 29th Avenue Yakima, Washington 98902 Telephone: (509) 248-2452
www.o n i o n w o r l d .n e t Onion World Contacts
Challenges and Research in Central California NMSU’s Unique Research Program Works to Breed a Better Onion Onion Industry Moves To Fully Automate Packing Operations
Tyler J.
[email protected] Managing Editor
J. Mike Stoker
[email protected] Publisher / Advertising Manager Jeraleh Kastner
[email protected] Production / Circulation Manager Denise Keller
[email protected] Field Editor D. Brent Clement
[email protected] Consultant
EDITORIAL INFORMATION
University of Georgia Onion Pathology
Opportunity vs. Curse
Onion World is interested in newsworthy material related to onion production and marketing. Contributions from all segments of the industry are welcome. Submit news releases, new product submissions, stories and photos via email to: tbaum@columbiapublications. com, or call (208) 351-7032.
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With the end of low-cost labor drawing near, growers and packing houses will need to do business without its traditional manual labor force. That means automating post-harvest equipment, like this Adam’s Produce facility in Hatch, N.M. Courtesy photo. See story, page 14
Departments
13 19 4
Calendar In the News
Onion World
On the Cover Acreage infested by white rot caused by the long-lived, soil-borne fungus Sclerotium cepivorum is increasing in Central California. Photo by Tyler J. Baum, Editor.
Onion World magazine (ISSN 1071-6653), is published 8 times a year and mailed under permit #410, paid at San Dimas, CA 91773. It is produced by Columbia Publishing, 1409 S. 29th Avenue, Yakima, WA 98902. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of Columbia Publishing. For information on reprints call (208) 846-5955. CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Send to: Onion World, 1409 S. 29th Avenue, Yakima, WA 98902
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Challenges and ReseaRCh in CentRal CalifORnia Thomas Turini, University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor, Fresno County
O
nions have been among the most valuable vegetable crop produced in Fresno County, Calif. In 2014, large scale production of both fresh market and processing onions is continuing among a number of challenges. The most striking constraint this season is the lack of district water and the need to pump water that is of low quality in many important onion producing areas in Fresno County. However, water is not the only challenge. Due to an unusually warm spring, thrips population densities were high early. In addition, white rot, caused by the soil-borne pathogen Scerotium cepivorum, continues to be detected in what were previously regarded as clean fields. As compared to the acreage regarded as infested by S. cepivorum in 2009, the area of fields known to be infested has increased by over 35 percent
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Onion World
by the present time. Current research efforts in California onion production are largely funded by the California Garlic and Onion Research Advisory Board. In Central California, recent efforts have focused on thrips control and white rot management.
White Rot The white rot management research program in Fresno County is currently focusing on GPS mapping of white rot during the production season when above-ground symptoms are visible. Soil samples are taken from known infested areas after harvest and tillage operations are completed and the levels of the sclerotia (fungal resting structures capable of surviving for decades without a host) in the soil were determined. Of the two fields in which the locations of symptomatic plants were mapped and the soil
analysis was completed, the levels of sclerotia were very low, but present. Not only was the sclerotia detected at low levels where symptoms were seen during the previous season, but it was also found more than 200 yards from the areas where symptoms were observed. It is likely that this is due to tillage operations. This research is ongoing and symptom occurrence in an additional three fields was mapped in 2014. Thrips are usually the most damaging insect pests of onions in California. Control of this pest can be very challenging because of its short generation time, high fecundity, habit of feeding in protected areas and tendency toward resistance to insecticides. The most common thrips species that feed on onion in California are Frankliniella occidentalis, Western flower thrips, and Thrips tabaci, (onion thrips). They can cause
Due to drought conditions, a large number of fields in Fresno County are not in production.
[California Onions cutlines]
[Fallow] Due to drought conditions, a large number of fields in Fresno County are not in production. [White rot] Acreage infested by white rot caused by the long-lived, soil-borne fungus <<
>> is increasing in Central California. substantial scarring of leaves and but damage due to this virus in [Thrips] can reduce yield. In addition, the T. the Fresno production area rarely Differences in thrips control and foliar damage were apparent in tabaci-transmitted Iris yellow spot occurs. Side Research and Extension Center in Fresno County, Calif. virus caused economic damage Prior to these studies, no in this production area in 2012, recent research has been
conducted in this area on thrips management in onions, so studies conducted at the West efficacy and programs trials were conducted in 2011 through 2013 in Fresno County, Calif.
Table 1. Influence of insecticide applications on thrips population densities and species in 2011. 26 May (3 DAT) Treatments
24 Jun (7 DAT)
T. tabaci (%)
Radiant 8 fl oz
Adults 13.8 g
Nymphs 21.8 f
Adults 42.5 bc
Nymphs 218.0 bcd
30.7 bcd
80.5
Dimethoate 4EL 4 pt
14.5 fg
39.3 def
38.5 bc
137.3 cd
17.6 d
67.9
Lannate LV 3 pt
17.8 efg
25.8 ef
44.5 bc
117.3 de
Warrior with Zeon 1.92 fl oz + Agri-Mek SC 3.0 fl oz
93.0 bc
84.5 a
302.5 ab
54.5 ab 35.7 bcd
72.2
22.5 defg
Assail SG 8 oz
23.8 cdefg
39.8 def
65.5 ab
236.5 bcd
53.8 ab
80.8
Beleaf 50SG 2.8 oz + Mustang 4.3 oz
30.5 cdefg
49.8 cde
89.3 a
415.5 a
76.4 a
85.6
Cyazypyr 10SE 13.5 fl oz
32.5 cde
42.8 def
44.8 bc
165.8 cd
34.5 bcd
85.3
Agri-Mek SC 3.0 fl oz
43.0 bcd
67.5 cd
31.8 c
178.0 bcd
26.7 cd
75.8
Movento 240 SC 5 fl oz Control
44.8 abc
57.5 cd
36.0 bc
Table 2. Influence of Requiem 4 pt
59.3 ab 127.0 b insecticide 71.5 aapplications 227.8 on a
26-May
42.5 e 44.4 bc 87.3 a 341.8 ab 43.3 bc thrips population densities and dspecies 88.5 a 310.0 abc 15.5
24-Jun
72.4
83.3 72.7
in68.6 2012.
Onion World • July/August 2014
7
Differences in thrips control and foliar damage were apparent in studies conducted at the West Side Research and Extension Center in Fresno County, Calif.
Thrips control options were evaluated in efficacy and programs trials conducted at the University of California West Side Research and Extension Center in Fresno County, Calif., in 2011 to 2013. Processing onion seed were sown on Feb. 4, 2011, Jan. 12, 2012, and Jan 24, 2013. Treatments were arranged in fourreplication randomized complete block designs for all trials. See treatment specifics in tables. Applications began when five to 10 thrips per plant were detected by field inspection. During all three years, 3 plants per plot were
cut and put into one to two-gallon Ziploc bags. Leaves were washed and poured into a 150-mesh screen. From the top of the screen, 5 mls were poured into a vial and 15 ml ethanol was added. A dissecting-scope (17x) was used to count nymph and adult thrips and a compound scope (40x) was used to identify 10 adults per plot to species. Warning: Some of the materials discussed are not currently registered and there may be other limitations associated with the use of some materials listed, so carefully read all label
instructions before writing a recommendation.
Results and Discussion Population densities in the three years varied from moderate in 2011 to extremely high in 2013 and the population balance was not consistent among years either. Under all conditions, the materials that were consistently among the most efficacious included Lannate, dimethoate and Radiant; and Movento, cyazypyr and Torak. Agri-Mek and Beleaf also demonstrated less consistent efficacy (Table 1–3). Although
Table 2. Influence of insecticide applications on thrips population densities and species(Continued in 2012.on page 23)
8
Table 2. Influence of insecticide applications on thrips population densities and species in 2012. 24-May 24 Jun Onion Thrips (%) 24 Jun Adults Nymphs Adults Nymphs 24 May Treatments 24-May 238 24 Jun 32 42 335 76 Onion Thrips 76 Torac 24.0 fl oz + (%) Adults Nymphs Adults Nymphs 24 May 24 Jun Treatments Lannate LV43pt pt 49 393 58 485 82 82 Dimethoate 32 238 42 335 76 76 Torac 24.0 37 295 70 622 84 84 Lannate LVfl3oz pt+ Lannate LV 3 pt 49 393 58 485 82 82 Dimethoate pt 5 oz + 71 479 64 686 93 93 Movento 2404SC 37 295 70 622 84 84 Lannate LV 3 pt Lannate LV pt 5 oz 178 256 114 696 93 93 Movento 2403SC 71 479 64 686 93 93 Movento8240 275 101 743 87 87 Radiant oz SC 5 oz + 54 Lannate LV 3SC pt 5 oz 178 256 114 696 93 93 Movento 240 72 404 67 956 91 91 Torac 24.0 fl oz 54 275 101 743 87 87 Radiant 8 10OD oz 119 475 99 1134 77 77 Cyazypyr 13.5 fl 72 404 67 956 91 91 Torac 24.0 oz 170 433 167 1318 90 90 Mustang 4.3flflozoz 119 475 99 1134 77 77 Cyazypyr 10OD 13.5 fl 159 409 146 1488 83 83 Venom 70SG 3.0 oz oz 170 433 167 1318 90 90 Mustang 4.3 ozfl oz 102 487 99 1534 90 90 Agri-Mek SCfl3.0 159 409 146 1488 83 83 Venom 70SG 3.0 oz 209 548 125 1549 90 90 Beleaf 50SG 2.8 oz 102 487 99 1534 90 90 Agri-Mek SC 3.0 fl oz 228 607 191 2511 83 83 Untreated 209 548 125 1549 90 90 Beleaf 50SG 2.8 oz 62.4 162.5 57.6 518.6 NS NS LSD P=0.05 228 607 191 2511 83 83 Untreated 38.2 27.8 38.9 33.5 12.5 12.5 CV (%) 62.4 162.5 57.6 518.6 NS NS LSD P=0.05 OnionCV World 38.2 27.8 38.9 33.5 12.5 12.5 (%)
CV (%)
38.2
27.8
38.9
33.5
12.5
12.5
Table 3. Influence of insecticide applications on thrips population densities and species in 2013. 5-May 7-Jul Onion thrips (%) Treatments Adults Nymphs Adults Nymphs 24-May 7-Jun Torac 24.0 fl oz + Movento 5 39.0 402.8 165.0 1583.7 78.2 100.0 oz Torac 24 fl oz 53.5 412.0 162.3 1601.3 54.6 96.7 Radiant 8 oz 46.8 403.0 160.8 1608.8 34.6 100.0 Movento 5 oz+ Lannate 3 pt 49.3 428.0 139.0 1521.8 36.1 100.0 Lannate 3 pt 47.3 316.3 149.0 1765.5 42.2 100.0 Beleaf 2.28 oz 95.8 484.5 129.0 1705.3 85.5 100.0 Beleaf 2.85 oz 113.3 440.5 161.3 1612.5 82.1 100.0 ISK-3106 11 fl oz 93.0 526.0 160.8 1787.8 55.5 91.7 ISK-3106 16.5 oz 87.8 523.8 134.8 1797.5 64.0 100.0 ISK-3106 22 fl oz 71.0 577.5 152.5 2050.5 60.2 90.5 Cyazypyr 13.4 fl oz/ Radiant 8 93.3 426.8 177.8 2181.5 56.7 100.0 oz Cyazypyr 13.4 fl oz 129.8 356.0 161.5 2109.8 80.5 93.6 Agri-Mek 3.5 fl oz 121.5 309.5 159.5 2396.5 77.1 99.8 Untreated 184.8 629.5 188.8 3368.0 93.8 100.0 LSD P=0.05 26.0 59.25 42.8 423.7 29.0 NS CV (%) 20.8 9.30 17.5 33.5 31.08 6.92
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Onion World • July/August 2014
9
NMSU’s unique re works to breed a By Jocelyn N. Apodaca, NMSU News Writer
W
Onions are cultivated on more than 5,000 acres across Southern New Mexico. In 2012, onion production in New Mexico was valued at more than $56 million. New Mexico State University photo by Jocelyn Apodaca.
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Onion World
hen onions come to mind, the general perception is delicious, juicy foods or perhaps, bad breath, but that’s not something to get teary-eyed over. New Mexico State University accounts for one of only two active and public onion breeding programs in the country, and it is the only program releasing onion cultivars. About 5,400 acres of onions are under cultivation in Southern New Mexico. NMSU research focuses on developing improved varieties for this area. As a result of this research, 29 cultivars and 11 germplasm lines have been released through NMSU since 1981. The Onion Breeding Program, directed by Chris Cramer, professor of horticulture, aims to create onions of high quality and adaptability, and those that are disease-resistant, boltingresistant and have low pungency. “Our job is mainly to develop onion varieties in Southern New Mexico,” Cramer said. “We are working on trying to develop resistance or tolerance to pests and diseases.” Conducting selection work with the iris yellow spot virus
esearch program a better onion and its Thrips tabaci insect vector, Cramer and his research evaluate findings and have discovered some material that develops fewer symptoms to diseases. “The thrips are attracted to the leaf color and wax,” Cramer said of the tiny insects, “and tend to reproduce more in drier conditions. Higher temperatures with more thrips equal bad signs for the plant.”
The insects survive on the leaf cells, sucking up sap, forcing the leaves to dry up and brown. In large populations, thrips can result in smaller onion bulbs and affect the total yield. “It affects the plant’s ability to photosynthesize and to grow larger,” Cramer said. The disease and insect vector can cause $60–$90 million in damage to onion
crops in the U.S. and require $7.5–$12.5 million in pesticide control costs. Although thrips are most destructive to onions, they also feed on alfalfa, weeds, potatoes, tomatoes and cabbage. “Currently, there isn’t any resistance to the thrips or virus,” Cramer said. “The thrips are doubly dangerous because they host the virus, which is transmittable from plant to
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plant. The symptoms caused by the virus usually become evident and worse under very stressful environmental conditions.” The iris yellow spot virus is managed by containing the thrips. Steps to reducing the number of the insects include choosing appropriate field location, managing weeds, selecting the proper cultivars and following proper irrigation methods. “Some of the chemical means that have been used in the past aren’t very effective in controlling them,” Cramer said. “Some pesticides don’t work well when the temperatures are very high, plus through their repeated use and high number of generations that these insects have, they quickly become resistant to the chemicals being used.”
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Onion World
Research found the thrips are more attracted to dark leaves with more wax than the lightly colored leaves with less wax. Producing a variety without the attractive dark green color could account for better yields. Fusarium basal plate rot is a disease caused by a common soil fungus. First symptoms appear on the tips of the leaves, next making the roots rot off where the onion begins to decay at the basal plate, eventually spreading upward. The disease is often missed until harvest and likely to appear during mid- to late summer when infections and diseases develop more quickly due to high soil temperatures. Methods to prevent basal rot include keeping a well-drained and sandy soil bed and rotating crops out every four years.
“Growers are becoming more limited in how they can rotate from field to field,” Cramer said. “The pathogen will start to build up where they’ll see higher levels of the disease and become more prevalent over time.” The program also works to support the onion industry in the U.S. where onions are ranked first in total production and second in yield per acre. From 2000 to 2012, onions generated more than $900 million annually. In 2007, the average person in the U.S. consumed 20 pounds of onions. NMSU’s Onion Breeding Program continues to work toward developing an onion germplasm tolerant to the pests and diseases, which could result in significant financial savings worldwide.
Calendar July 9
Sept. 5
OSU Malheur Experiment Station Summer Farm Festival and Annual Field Day, 595 Onion Ave., Ontario, Ore. Complimentary lunch will be served. To reserve lunch, contact: Janet Jones at (541) 889-2174.
Northern Colorado Onion Field Day, Adams County Extension meeting room, Brighton, Colo. The program will begin at 8 a.m. with a breakfast provided by American Takii, followed by
July 16–19 National Onion Association Summer Convention, Crowne Plaza Ventura, Ventura, Calif. Contact: http://www.onionsusa.org.
updates from onion researchers in Colorado. Immediately following the meeting, participants will be able to visit the two onion variety locations. Contact: Thaddeus Gourd at (303) 637-8117 or tgourd@ adcogov.org.
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Aug. 12 Utah Onion Association Summer Onion Tour and Field Day, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. (lunch included), Weber and Davis Counties, Utah. Contact: Dr. Dan Drost, (435) 797-2258 or [email protected].
Aug. 26 OSU Malheur Experiment Station Onion Variety Day, Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, Ore. Complimentary lunch will be served. To reserve lunch, contact: Janet Jones at (541) 889-2174.
Aug. 27 Nunhems’ 31st Annual Onion Showcase, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mountain time, Roswell, Idaho at the Story Farm. Contact: Lyndon Johnson, Nunhems USA sales specialist, (208) 697-6615 or Lyndon. [email protected].
Aug. 28 WSU Onion Field Day, Carr Farms. Contact: Tim Waters at (509) 545-3511 or email [email protected].
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Onion Industry Moves To Fully By Del Williams
Onion shed before and after.
F
or growers and packing houses, which have long depended on migrant labor to pick and pack produce, the end of low-cost labor is near and immigration reform will not solve the problem. “We’re running out of farm workers. Immigration reform won’t help,” declares a recent Washington Post headline. The reasons for the decrease in available labor, primarily from
14
Onion World
rural Mexico, are many: a declining birthrate; an aging migrant workforce whose children—raised in the U.S.—are finding higher paying, less labor-intensive work. Beyond this, Mexico is getting wealthier, wages are rising and its people now have more options in their own country. To adapt, growers and packing houses will need to do business without its traditional manual labor force. That means automating post-
harvest equipment—whether for picking, moving, cleaning, sorting, grading, inspecting, bagging, stacking, palletizing, loading or even documenting produce to meet stricter health, safety and traceability standards. “Packing sheds, in particular, will need to update their antiquated production lines not only to make up for missing labor, but also to meet third-party health and safety auditing standards like HACCP, OSHA and PrimusLabs,” says Rob Hinnant, co-owner with wife Pam of South Georgia Equipment (SGE), a Vidalia, Ga.-based service provider and equipment integrator to growers and packing houses. “Many big buyers won’t buy the produce if a grower or packing shed’s PrimusLabs report score isn’t high enough, or the produce lacks documentation and traceability.” But piecemeal automation without planning or integration can cause a range of problems from excessive production downtime and product
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Onion World • July/August 2014
15
Outdoor house before and after.
damage, to early equipment replacement. Fortunately, turn-key, custom providers are helping growers and packing houses to integrate automation into their production lines, reducing labor and cost while increasing capacity, quality and throughput.
Piecemeal Automation Problems
While the benefits of automation can be significant to growers and packing houses, approaching it in an uncoordinated manner can cause problems. Because equipment manufacturers and dealers typically sell just a portion of a production line and not an entire system, their focus can be shortsighted and their salesmen can be here one year and gone the next. Often no one is looking at the line from a big-picture point of view who truly understands the onion product, market and overall flow of the production line. Adams Produce, a high-volume packing house for a variety of
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Onion World
onions and chiles in Hatch, N.M., cannot afford any production line stoppages from May to September, when over one million items are typically processed. “Production flow has to be optimized from start to finish,” says Bo Mitchell, maintenance supervisor at Adams Produce’s packing facility. “In the past, our flow of onions on the packing line was uneven, too high or too low depending on how onions were stacked at the front of the line. And when our previous bagging equipment couldn’t keep up, we had to stop the entire line.” For automation to work, someone has to understand the product, market and flow of the entire production line—or there will be costly production bottlenecks, product damage and other problems. According to Hinnant, a common mistake by packing houses is locking themselves into multi-year, bag-buying contracts in exchange for low-cost bagging equipment.
“Since the equipment is seldom optimized to the product’s size, shape, type or volume, it is prone to breakdown and the service cost typically isn’t included in the contract,” says Hinnant. “Not only can the cost of bags rise under contract, but if a big produce buyer says to switch bags, the packing shed usually has to buy costly new bagging equipment.” Instead of locking growers and packing houses into proprietary equipment that may be difficult to integrate into a larger system, it is often better to combine the best pieces of equipment into a custom solution. Since Hinnant’s company represents a range of manufacturers, for instance, this allows them to piece together an integrated system using innovative technology customized to growers and packing houses’ needs. The company, which does its own engineering, CAD drawings and layouts, handles everything from initial design through installation and servicing.
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Making Automation Work For automation to be most effective, growers and packing houses must integrate automation. Often this requires partnering with an equipment integrator that can design a custom production line taking into account not only the needs of today, but what a packing shed may need over the next several years. At a product level, the integrator should understand the product from start to finish, from seed through processing. They should understand changing market conditions. And they should understand the logistics of product flow through every stage
at the packing house. An integrator who partners with a packing house in such a way would not only eliminate production bottlenecks but also increase efficiency and enable gentle transfers and handling of product, enhancing product quality. To help optimize the production of onions on Adams Produce’s packing line, South Georgia Equipment installed an ultrasonic sensor that measures the flow of onions entering the packing line, and adjusts the speed to achieve the best overall rate. In addition, SGE provided the packing house with faster, more reliable and accurate bagging equipment.
“With South Georgia Equipment’s help, our production is up 15–25 percent,” says Mitchell. “Production is more reliable, more consistent and product quality has improved.” Planning ahead is vital to longterm success with production line automation, according to Hinnant, who along with wife Pam has visited over 1,000 packing houses in the last 15 years to examine product, machinery and product flow. Since automating operations can be a big job, Hinnant advises growers and packing houses to transition from a reliance on manual labor in steps. “For packing houses, the greatest ROI typically is at the end of the line, including bagging, packing, box building, palletizing and clean up,” concludes Hinnant. “While every operation is different, it’s best to start automating where the most labor is concentrated. We’ve equipped some operations that have achieved ROI in less than one year.” For more info, call (888) 7426199, visit www.sgaequip.com or write to South Georgia Equipment, P.O. Box 364, Vidalia, GA 30475. Editor’s Note: Del Williams is a technical writer based in Torrance, Calif.
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Onion World
In the News. People and Products
Sakata Seed and Alf Christianson Seed Announce Merger MORGAN HILL, Calif.—Sakata Seed America, Inc., and Alf Christianson Seed Co. announced that the two companies will merge, effective immediately. The newly merged entity will operate under the Sakata Seed America name and will be headquartered in Morgan Hill, Calif. Sakata Seed America will retain a significant presence in the Pacific Northwest operation, which remains a key strategic center of product development and distribution.
Sakata Seed America, established in 1977, is a major research, seed production and marketing-distribution subsidiary of Sakata Seed Corporation. Sakata Seed America serves as the headquarters for the North and Central American operations. Dave Armstrong, president-CEO of Sakata Seed America and Alf Christianson Seed Co., will continue in his role with the newly merged entity. Alf Christianson Seed Co., a wholesale seed company, was founded in 1926 and specializes in the breeding, production and distribution of vegetable seed. The company is a leader in the breeding of beet, spinach and chard varieties, currently marketed under the Chriseed brand. Alf Christianson Seed Co. was acquired by Sakata Seed Corporation in 2002. In the subsequent years, Alf Christianson operated as a subsidiary of Sakata Seed America.
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University of Georgia Onion Pathology
OppOrtunit Part I of a three-Part SerIeS
By Ronald Gitaitis, Professor of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia
A
number of scientists and support staff at the University of Georgia in the disciplines of applied economics, biological engineering, entomology, food science, horticulture and plant pathology conduct research at multiple locations in the state of Georgia to increase production
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and improve the quality of Vidalia onions. Within the pathology group, Dr. Ronald Gitaitis has been conducting research on onion diseases the longest and has focused primarily on bacterial diseases. As a plant pathologist he says that he has been blessed with the opportunity and challenge of working on many different diseases, including several never before described. But Dr. Gitaitis is quick to recognize that what a pathologist views as an opportunity is looked upon as a curse by the growers and everybody else in the chain of agricultural-related industries leading up to and including the consumer.
Gitaitis’ Intro to Onions
Dr. Gitaitis recalls his first experience working with onions. A colleague in extension, Dr. Danny Gay, called upon him to
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look at a problem in a field of onions in Toombs County. Dr. Gay was an extension specialist for vegetable pathology and believed that the problem was most likely of bacterial origin. Dr. Gitaitis was the phytobacteriologist housed at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus and thus was asked by Dr. Gay to look at the situation. Gitaitis recalls that when he arrived there was a fairly large number of people in the field, including a reporter and cameraman from a local TV station in nearby Savannah. As soon as Dr. Gitaitis made his way to the cluster of people, the reporter spotted him and ran up to him, sticking a microphone in his face and said, "Here is the ‘EXPERT’ from the University of Georgia now. Tell me, doctor, what is causing the problem here?" Gitaitis looked down at a mass of dead onion plants turning into a brown, slimy mush and thought to himself, "Uh oh, I have to represent the university and have to appear as if I know what I am doing, but there is no way I can tell what the problem is at this late stage of disease development." Although up to that point Gitaitis had never been in an onion field in his life, he did have almost 15 years of experience working with bacterial diseases of other vegetables and knew that
ty vs. Curse there were some constant factors involved in bacteria-causing disease. He also knew that in the advanced state of decay that it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to identify the pathogen responsible. Normally, a fresh diseased
sample containing healthy tissue is required so that one could isolate from the margins between diseased and healthy tissue. It is this area that contains viable bacteria that cause disease. He often compared the progression of the microbial
community in a lesion to the food chain involving a large carnivore. The lion kills the prey, then following the lion comes the scavengers such as hyenas and vultures, followed by worms and decomposing microbes. The pathogen is
Onion Disease Researchers at the University of Georgia–Tifton Campus. Top: Ronald Gitaitis, Professor of Plant Pathology; Bhabesh Dutta, Research Associate; and David Langston, Professor of Plant Pathology; Bottom: Rajagopalbabu Srinivasan, Associate Professor of Entomology; Anna Selph, Ph.D. Candidate; Kippy Lewis, Research Professional I; and Hunt Sanders, Public Service Representative.
Onion World • July/August 2014
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equivalent to the lion, and once the tissue is killed higher concentrations of secondary colonizers (scavengers) begin to overwhelm and crowd out the pathogen making it difficult to isolate because the scavengers now outnumber the pathogen and they generally grow faster on bacteriological media. Dr. Gitaitis considered conveying the analogy to the reporter but thought that explanation was too cumbersome for a six o'clock sound byte, so he simply stated, "By the appearance of the decay it appears a bacterial pathogen was responsible, but to be sure samples would have to be taken back to the lab for further analysis and confirmation." That seemed to have satisfied the reporter and Gitaitis went about collecting samples from various plants where there was some hope of finding the causal agent.
Bacterial Streak He took those back to the lab to discover the causal agent was the bacterium Pseudomonas viridiflava, which had never before been reported on onion. Thus he had the privilege of providing the common name for the disease, which he called Bacterial Streak & Bulb Rot. Eventually, he regretted calling it that because it was a bit too long, and he started calling it
bacterial streak for short, even though the longer version is the official name. As it turns out, that day in Toombs County began a 23-year love affair of working on onions. In fact, a few years after that introduction, Gitaitis was so entrenched in onion research that he changed his email moniker to “dronion” and has worked on onion diseases ever since. He also remembers a valuable lesson learned while working on that disease. The first onion research project he worked on was with a team composed of county agents, extension specialists, horticulturists and another research pathologist evaluating soil fumigation. It was Gitaitis' role to evaluate if the primary source of inoculum for bacterial streak was soil-borne, and if so, what compounds might serve as an effective fumigant. In order to do that, he had to develop a protocol to detect and quantify the bacterium in the soil. This was in the day prior to the common use of molecular techniques such as DNA amplification with PCR or other molecular protocols. “We were still pretty much old school at that time,” Gitaitis recalls, and he used plating methods onto selective media designed to selectively grow the pathogen while inhibiting as much of the competing and faster growing nonpathogenic bacteria.
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Gitaitis worked for months to develop a suitable medium by spiking untreated soil samples collected from the local research farm near Tifton with known levels of the bacterium and then assessed the ability to ID and recover the bacterium onto various concoctions of media composed of different sugars, organic acids, nitrogen sources, inhibiting dyes and antibiotics. Finally he felt he had a suitable recipe—in fact it was virtually perfect. Now he was ready for the project, which by this time was ready to begin, so he collected soil samples from the research site near Vidalia and processed them back at the lab only to find to his horror that they were all overgrown with background contaminants and he could not detect the target bacterium even in his positive controls. That is when he learned that selective media had to be developed for local use. He had developed his medium by evaluating how well it worked for samples from soil near Tifton, but at over 100 miles to the northeast, in fields with a different cropping history, the soil microflora was different and the medium failed miserably. It also offers an explanation of why researchers who develop selective media often seem to have the most success with them. But a good scientist has to be observant and also be able to adapt to different situations. Gitaitis had observed that unlike many of the vegetable diseases he had worked with, samples of bacterial streak continued to decay at a rapid rate while held in the refrigerator. Gitaitis didn't have time to develop a selective medium for the "Vidalia soil" as there was not enough time, but he thought that maybe if he incubated his plates at a low temperature like 4° C, it might inhibit growth of some of the background competitors and allow him to count colonies of P. viridiflava. The idea paid off and he was able to hold up his end of the research project and demonstrated that the bacterium was not soilborne. He went on to show that the primary source of inoculum of bacterial streak was from weeds such as cutleaf evening primrose.
Continued from page 9 no yield impact was observed in 2011, in 2012 and 2013 a significant increase in yield was associated with thrips control (data not shown). Thrips species balance showed increase in percentage of onion thrips to total thrips in 2011, but this was not consistent over the three years of this study. In 2011, very few thrips were observed that were not either F. occidentalis or T. tabaci, but in 2012, there were approached 30 percent by the last sample date. In 2013, the samples taken in May were predominantly onion thrips. Regardless of the level of pressure, some materials consistently showed promise as a component of a thrips management program. Although in these tests materials were applied repeatedly, in commercial fields this should be avoided and materials should be rotated with insecticides with different modes of action to minimize the likelihood of resistance development.
Editor’s Note: This is Part I of a three-part series on research work being conducted by the University of Georgia on plant pathology to increase production and improve the quality of Vidalia onions. Researchers contributing to this article include Bhabesh Dutta, Research Associate; David Langston, Professor of Plant Pathology; Rajagopalbabu Srinivasan, Associate Professor of Entomology; Anna Selph, Ph.D. Candidate; Kippy Lewis, Research Professional I; and Hunt Sanders, Public Service Representative.
Onion World • July/August 2014
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