Valent's Allison Walston with Fruit Bites

Valent's Allison Walston with Fruit Bites

Kelly Allen
Kelly Allen
Fruit Bites 6-26
BL: Welcome back for another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. Joining us again this week is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, we’re talking insects, but specifically mites.
AW: Mites aren’t insects but are closely related. They are in a group called Arachnids, so more similar to spiders.
BL: That makes sense because when I think mites, I think spider mites.
AW: Yes! Spider mites can be a pest on many different plants and are found on the underside of leaves in a web that they “spin” for protection.
BL: So, can I see the mites or do I just look for webs?
AW: Mites are pretty small. Using a hand lens, you can look for mites, webbing or on the leaf for little cells that have been sucked dry from mites feeding.
BL: And, Valent has a miticide for orchards called Zeal. How does it work?
AW: Similar to an insect growth regulator, it sterilizes the females and eggs while inhibiting the immature mites from molting. Zeal needs to be applied early before warm temperatures make populations grow rapidly. As always, read and follow the label.
BL: Thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.

Fruit Bites 6-19

BL: Welcome back to another Fruit Bites brought to you by Valent USA. Joining us again is Valent’s Allison Walston and this week we’re breaking down bees and a new Twitter campaign (#know your wild bees)
AW: So, I've mentioned before about solitary bees/native bees/American wild bees and how important they are along with honey bees and bumble bees, but now there’s a campaign on Twitter to #know your wild bees and we’re going to share some of the 25 facts. Bob, you're up …
BL: (Fact #1)Wild bees produce no honey. [That's probably why they were never domesticated]
AW: (Fact #10) Only 1% of wild bees are NOT native, for now. Remember the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle?
BL: (Fact #11) Males do not help females…EVER.
AW: (Fact #16) most females are single moms who seal their children in cells and never return
BL: (Fact #3) Carpenter bees have the worlds largest insect egg
AW: (Fact #6) 10% of the 4000 species haven’t even been given names.
BL: Well, thanks Allison, but I think we’ll have to come up with some names if we’re going to save them. Join us again next time for another Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent.

Fruit Bites 6-12
BL: Welcome back to another Fruit Bites brought to you by Valent USA. Joining us again is Valent’s Allison Walston and this week we’re breaking down bees and a new Twitter campaign (#know your wild bees)
AW: So, I've mentioned before about solitary bees/native bees/American wild bees and how important they are along with honey bees and bumble bees, but now there’s a campaign on Twitter to #know your wild bees and we’re going to share some of the 25 facts. Bob, you're up …
BL: (Fact #1)Wild bees produce no honey. [That's probably why they were never domesticated]
AW: (Fact #10) Only 1% of wild bees are NOT native, for now. Remember the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle?
BL: (Fact #11) Males do not help females…EVER.
AW: (Fact #16) most females are single moms who seal their children in cells and never return
BL: (Fact #3) Carpenter bees have the worlds largest insect egg
AW: (Fact #6) 10% of the 4000 species haven’t even been given names.
BL: Well, thanks Allison, but I think we’ll have to come up with some names if we’re going to save them. Join us again next time for another Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent.

5-29-18 Fruit Bites
BL: Hi and welcome back to another addition of “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. and with us again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison we’re talking about Frost protection and how to manage crops and avoid damage …
AW: Frost prevention can be tricky when Mother Nature doesn’t play nicely. Early frosts in the autumn can severely injure a tree because dormancy hasn’t been reached yet. Sometimes below freezing temperatures can kill trees especially if recently pruned.
BL: Is there a difference between apples & pears?
AW: Pear growing areas became just that when cold temperatures knocked out most of the apple trees with the pear trees surviving. Spring frosts can kill or damage fruit buds once they have broken dormancy. Freezing ruptures the cells and scorches the plant tissue. That’s why you see wind machines in low lying areas. The cold air sinks into these low spots, creating an inversion. The frost fans move and mix the air to prevent damage.
BL: That’s great Allison. Join us every week for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent USA. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.

5-22-18 Fruit Bites
BL: Welcome back to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. Kind enough to join us once again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, let’s have a conversation about food.
AW: Americans today are very disconnected from farms and the agricultural practices that sustain us.
BL: How so?
AW: The average American is over 3 generations removed from the farm. And currently, less than 2% of the population is involved with farming. Food has a vital role in our lives and almost 13% of household expenditures are on food.
BL: The internet floods the web with marketing tools aimed to confuse and scare. How can we promote dialogue to help consumers make more informed decisions about food?
AW: That’s a great question. Determine a trustworthy resource. University, Extension, your neighborhood entomologist. Encourage people to grow their own food and see how hard it can be. Can you imagine trying to feed your town, state, country, & world? By growing food, you gain knowledge and food empathy.
BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.

5-8-18 Fruit Bites
BL: Welcome back to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. With us again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, Plant Growth Regulators. And why are they used in tree fruit?
AW: Plant Growth Regulators, PGRs for short, are plant hormones that tell the plant to grow, stop growing, thin fruit, shape fruit, drop fruit, or ripen fruit, but we can manipulate the plant to respond how we would like them to and in this case, for fruit production.
BL: putting plant hormones on fruit trees?
AW: yes or enhancing what is already there. For example, let’s say that last year your apples trees had almost no fruit. Since apples can have alternate bearing years, this years’ crop load might be huge! So you could apply a PGR which signals the tree to drop more of the fruit than usual.
BL: what other things can PGRs do?
AW: You can induce branching, optimize fruit size and quality, have better return bloom next year to prevent alternate bearing, keep fruit from dropping off the tree before harvest, but if applied incorrectly, you can even make mutant shaped fruit.
AW: For specific PGR advice, contact your local Valent sales rep.
BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.


5-3-18 Fruit Bite
BL: Welcome to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. Joining us again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, “what’s the buzz”
AW: I love spring blossoms and especially all of the bee activity. Native bees, honey bees and bumble bees visiting flowers. An estimated 80,000 colonies of honey bees were brought back to Oregon after pollinating California almonds.
BL: Are honey bees the only pollinators?
AW: Native bees and bumble bees do quite a bit of work as well. Bumble bees are excellent at pollinating blueberries. There is even a newcomer, the solitary blue orchard bee. There is a Bee lab at the USDA in Logan, UT. They have been testing the blue orchard bee in fruit orchards and its rate of pollination.
BL: How long are bees
AW: From March through August, bees will be buzzing around pollinating everything from apples to vegetable seed to watermelons. If your home is in a bee flight path, leave out some water during the hot months. I’m currently building solitary bee homes for my insectary garden.
BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.

5-1-18 Fruit Bite
BL: Welcome to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. Joining us again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, “what’s the buzz”
AW: I love spring blossoms and especially all of the bee activity. Native bees, honey bees and bumble bees visiting flowers. An estimated 80,000 colonies of honey bees were brought back to Oregon after pollinating California almonds.
BL: Are honey bees the only pollinators?
AW: Native bees and bumble bees do quite a bit of work as well. Bumble bees are excellent at pollinating blueberries. There is even a newcomer, the solitary blue orchard bee. There is a Bee lab at the USDA in Logan, UT. They have been testing the blue orchard bee in fruit orchards and its rate of pollination.
BL: How long are bees
AW: From March through August, bees will be buzzing around pollinating everything from apples to vegetable seed to watermelons. If your home is in a bee flight path, leave out some water during the hot months. I’m currently building solitary bee homes for my insectary garden.
BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.



4-26-18 BL: Welcome back to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. With us again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, the fungus is among us … so what are mycorrhizae?

AW: Mycorrhizae are fungi that develop a synergistic partnership with the roots of many plants. The fungus enhances the plant’s root system to become more efficient at uptake of nutrients and water.

BL: What kinds of plants have the best relationships?

AW: New plantings of apples. My apple trial work shows increased growth; trunks and terminal shoots. It is visually impressive. This year I’m evaluating overwinter hardiness and yield.

BL: How do plants produce more?

AW: Just by having healthier, non-stressed plants. The two main benefits of mycorrhizae are helping uptake of micronutrients, like Phosphorous, and producing glomalin which improves the water holding capacity of soil.

BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.



Next ReportWA STATE GRAPE GROWERS COUNT BIG WINE IN WATER RIGHT BATTLE WITH Dept of Ecology