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NYFVI, Snap Bean Growers, Processor Join Forces to Fight Crop Virus
New York’s snap bean crop in 2005 was worth $12.8 million for processing
and $23 million for fresh market sales. Growers, however, are fighting a virus
that can infect an entire crop, cutting yield and profits. Not only are
growers concerned about this threat, so is Bird’s Eye Foods, which contracts
20,000 acres of the beans for processing.
With
New York Farm Viability Institute funding, Cornell University entomologist
Brian A. Nault and plant pathologist Denis A. Shah are workingwith several
Western New York growers in Orleans, Genesee and Ontario counties to learn how
to predict when cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is most apt to occur and to equip
growers with tools for combating its costly effect. Michael Gardinier,
agricultural operations director for Bird’s Eye Foods, Rochester, NY,
estimates losses of snap beans to CMV and other viruses since 2001 to be $5.7
million. (Photo: Dr. Brian Nault (4th from left) talks with snap bean
growers about fghting CMV in their crops, grown on contract for processing by
Bird’s Eye Foods.)
Nault says 2005 was one of the worst years for CMV infection in NY fields and
names the soybean aphid as a major culprit in transporting the virus since the
insect arrived here in 2001. He says, “Epidemics of the virus have coincided
with high populations of aphids. So far this has occurred every other year. I
have never seen anything like the outbreak in 2005 - every field planted in
July was 100 percent infected.”
Currently, none of the commercial varieties of snap beans are CMV-tolerant.
The research team that includes Cornell Horticulture Professor Alan Taylor,
virologist Marc Fuchs, and Cooperative Extension Vegetable Specialist Julie
Kikkert, is focused on determining which varieties of snap beans are most
affected by the virus and, more importantly, which beans are the most
tolerant. They become infected, but without dramatic losses in yields.
To
keep a steady flow of beans going into the processing plants, growers use
multiple plantings of varieties specified by Bird’s Eye. The Cornell team has
found that risk of infection is greatest for plantings made in July.
“If we can anticipate that a certain variety could lose yield to the virus
based on when it is planted, we can provide growers and Bird’s Eye with a risk
model to help adjust their acreage and variety selections accordingly,
particularly for late season plantings,” Nault says.
Gardinier says Bird’s Eye looks forward to learning about CMV-tolerance levels
in the snap beans evaluated by this NYFVI-funded project. Such information
will help guide decisions concerning contracted acreage devoted to these
varieties.
Because CMV affects melons, cucumbers, some squashes, tomatoes, dry beans and
peppers, the growers of those crops are also watching this project closely.
For More Info:
Brian A. Nault, Denis A. Shah
Cornell University NYS Agricultural
Experiment Station
315-787-2354