Plums on the tree can be difficult to judge for ripeness: Many of the varieties grown commercially attain their beautiful color before the fruit is mature. If harvested too soon, plums may not be sweet and flavorful, and they can develop problems in storage. But growers are wary of harvesting late: Fruit can get bruised or punctured, or even drop before harvest.
People in rural regions like mountainous Nepal produce plenty of food. But before it can get to local markets and into people’s homes, much of it spoils. What’s left often has lost much of its nutritional value.
Assistant Professor Brian Bailey and Cooperative Extension Specialist Elizabeth Mitcham, both of the Department of Plant Sciences, are assisting on a project to create a mechanized shake-and-catch harvesting system for soft fruits without fall damage.
Jim Lyons, professor emeritus of Vegetable Crops (Plant Sciences) at UC Davis, passed away at age 90. His many accomplishments include serving as CA&ES associate dean, founding the UC ANR statewide IPM program, and serving as assistant director of the Agricultural Experiment Station.
Cooling vegetables just after harvest prolongs shelf life and maintains quality. Most California vegetables are precooled before shipment using Cold air, Cold water, Ice, and/or Vacuum. Several of these were developed at UC Davis in the 1970s and 1980s in Plant Sciences, and in Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
Plant breeders and food safety experts held a conference at UC Davis to discuss issues relevant to food safety, including microbial contamination control in produce throughout the food chain (seeds, field production, pre- and postharvest, packaging, distribution, marketing). Conference chair was Professor Maeli Melotto, Plant Sciences, UC Davis.
Small growers can build their own farm-scale coolers at a fraction of the cost of conventional units, thanks to the invention of a device that adjusts air conditioners to drop the temperature all the way down to refrigeration levels.
