PRESENT STATUS OF CALIFORNIA TOMATO RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND THE CHALLENGES

In California, two pesticides initiatives, Proposition 128 and Propoistion 135, were on the ballot in the November 1990 general election. Though both were soundly defeated, environmentalists and others are likely to continue to try to legislatively ban the use of a number of pesticides. Regardless of the fate of future initiatives, our industry is concerned with reduction of agricultural chemicals and seeks to find alternative methods where appropriate. Further implementation and development of integrated pest management strategies is one preferred approach.

We are indeed fortunate in California to have the resources of the University of California at Davis, Berkeley and Riverside as well as the UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors to help develop programs to maintain efficient crop production in our state. Furthermore, the extensive system of well trained private sector, pest control advisors is another network of providing expertise and assistance to growers to control pests as well as manage nutrient regimes. The many seed companies operating in California continue improve cultivars to benefit both the grower and the processor. Other allied industries such as the agrcultural equipment manufacturers are closely linked with the success and future of the tomato industry. Furthermore, growers and processors are sophisticated in their approaches to this specialized, large scale business.

While the human resources and the research teams are important, the natural resources of highly fertile soils and usually abundant, high quality water are vital to our expanding industry. Our Mediterranean climate with dry, warm growing conditions is favorable for high production with limited disease problems associated with wetter regions. With such intense production predominantly in the Central Valley of California, we are acutely aware of and guard againts production problems that would become epidemics to our industry. Some of the potential problems are identified and solutions are offered through research efforts supported by the CTRI.

To focus on the CTRI research agenda, our 14 member grower board of directors selects and solicits formal proposals from the public and private sector to help solve present problems and prepare for suspected future production-oriented problems. Some of the approaches are short term, others are intermediate, and a few are long term. A number of projects have been continous with renewed funding on an annual basis. A few specific examples follow.

We believe a strong breeding and genetics program is absolutely necessary to continue improvement of our cultivars. We have long supported a breeding and genetics program at UC Davis through the Vegetable Crops Department. Since her acceptance of the processed tomato breeding position in 1988. Dr. Dina St. Clair has embarked on a career to expand our cultivated tomato genetic base for improvement in the three general areas:fruit quality, disease resistance and abiotic stresses. Using both intended goal is to weed within the seedline mechanically and selectively. We believe that optical equipment and computer technology are advanced enough to be able to electronically distinguish between the crop and weeds. We further believe that computers will become both faster and cheaper in the future, thus allowing our industry to utilize this new technology to assist in reducing both our labor and herbicide inputs.

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