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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