Fruits & Vegetables

Jim Correll, a University of Arkansas plant pathologist, specializes in spinach disease research, including in the Salinas Valley. While incidents of spinach downy mildew remain low, he says the disease is challenging because it continues to develop new strains.

Photo/Bob Johnson

Weed control near farms is a critical part of prevention efforts for impatiens necrotic spot virus. The disease, which can be devastating to lettuce crops, finds hosts in weeds and is spread by thrips.

Photo/Natalie Hanson

A crew in San Joaquin County harvests the region’s first melons of the season to meet retail demand for the Fourth of July holiday. Manteca-based Van Groningen and Sons, a grower, packer and shipper of seeded, seedless and miniature watermelons, expects harvest to continue through October. 

Photo/Christine Souza

Emergency declarations in several counties in the San Joaquin Valley have allowed processing tomato growers to use neonicotinoid pesticides to treat fields impacted by sugar beet leafhoppers. The insect pest transmits beet curly top virus, which leads to reduced yields. County agricultural commissioners made the declarations preemptively to contain the pest before it damaged too many crops.

Photo/Vicky Boyd