Alexandria, Virginia
July 17, 2009
Source: American Seed Trade
Association (ASTA) Newsletter
Commercial growers of produce, both fruits and vegetables, face
many challenges in cultivating, harvesting, transporting and
marketing their products to consumers. One particular area is
pressure from diseases that can impact their harvest in either
quantity, quality or both. Ongoing discussions by ASTA members
with their customers - the commercial grower community - made it
clear that the seed industry could play a role in helping to rid
or mitigate some of the most devastating diseases facing growers
today. ASTA has now made available commercial grower guides on
two of these diseases, bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) and
bacterial cancer of tomato (Cmm).
Through the ASTA Phytosanitary Committee, a working group was
formed on emerging diseases where ASTA brought together a
variety of members to explore how to best address outreach to
growers on the diseases they were struggling with in their
operations.
Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB)
First observed in 1989 in U.S. commercial watermelon fields, BFB
can be devastating to commercial watermelon, cantaloupe and
honeydew growers with losses reaching 100 percent.
Bacterial cancer of tomato (Cmm)
Bacterial canker is a serious tomato disease caused by
Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm). The
disease was first discovered in 1909 in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
but is currently reported in tomato production areas worldwide
with annual outbreaks.
The guides were developed to provide recommendations to growers
in understanding, preventing, identifying, controlling, and
eliminating these two diseases. Compiled with contributions from
academic and industry experts in the area of BFB and Cmm, these
education pamphlets were made available through ASTA and
industry sponsors, including Abbot & Cobb, Inc.; American Takii,
Inc.; Harris Moran Seed Company: Keithly-Williams Seeds;
Nunhems, USA; Sakata Seed American, Inc.; Seminis Vegetable
Seeds, Inc.; Siegers Seed Company; STA Laboratories, Inc.;
Syngenta Seeds, Inc. - ROGERS Brand Vegetable Seeds. The guides
are intended for broad distribution including posting on seed
company Web sites or through local printing capabilities for
trade shows and other opportunities to pass along to customers.
Through this initiative of ASTA, competitors from the seed
industry came together to do its part in helping to address some
serious disease pressures facing U.S. growers. ASTA mobilized
the resources of technical experts, time, design and funding to
develop these guides in a user friendly format to better inform
growers and provide recommendations on how to best protect their
operations.
ASTA extends its gratitude to the industry and academic experts,
committee members and sponsors who made these guides a reality.
ASTA promotes the development of better seed to produce
better crops for a better quality of life. Founded in 1883,
ASTA, located in Alexandria, Va., is one of the oldest trade
organizations in the United States. Its membership consists of
approximately 750 companies involved in seed production and
distribution, plant breeding, and related industries in North
America. As an authority on plant germplasm, ASTA advocates
science and policy issues of industry importance. Its mission is
to enhance the development and free movement of quality seed
worldwide. |
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