Pistachios spark interest

Attendance at event doubles as grower interest surges

By CECILIA PARSONS

For the Capital Press

VISALIA, Calif. -- Interest in the burgeoning pistachio industry was reflected in the packed meeting rooms for the annual Pistachio Day.

The annual one-day event drew 650 people, roughly double the number attending just two years ago. The reason might be that the recently completed pistachio harvest was the second highest in history -- in an "off" production year.

Richard Matoian, executive director of American Pistachio Growers, said the large crowd and interest in pistachio production shows the vibrancy of the industry.

"There are also a lot of nontraditional nut growers here to see what is going on," said Matoian.

"This industry is rapidly changing and growing," said Bob Klein, manager of the California Pistachio Research Board and the Administrative Committee for Pistachios.

He said the 104,000 acres planted in pistachio trees in 2005 was expected to double by 2015. Pistachios are pushing walnuts to become the second largest nut crop in the country, Klein said.

The CPRB, a state marketing order, is heavily involved in production research, with 80 projects funded since 2008. Grower assessments of a quarter-cent per pound have provided $2 million.

A critical issue facing the industry is pesticide registrations. Although more crop protection products are available now, the industry faces challenges due to changing and expanding regulations.

"We're concerned about the lack of researchers to address critical needs," Klein said. With some University of California researchers retiring, Klein explained, pistachio research needs may not be filled.

The board is considering adding a tenth of a cent per pound assessment to fund research positions, he said.

Another issue is groundwater quality. Klein said the state water board will soon release a study on nitrogen contamination of groundwater and will indicate that agriculture is the prime culprit. Regulations on fertilizer applications are likely and growers may need to account for their use, he said.

More than 20 crop protection products are now registered for use on pistachios so the industry is in good shape there, Klein said. The challenge will be their use with new air quality regulations. The southern San Joaquin Valley, where most California pistachios are planted, is in a nonattainment area for air quality, and more expensive formulations of pesticides may have to be used, he warned.

Those formulations are less effective, so growers should plan for alternatives and think about how they will handle pest control and comply with state regulations.

Food safety is another area the pistachio industry is focused on.

Klein said an updated Good Agricultural Practices manual is in development by the CPRB in response to a 2009 salmonella incident.

The CPRB is also working with other commodities and SureHarvest, a consulting and software company, to develop a template for sustainability, but Klein noted that there is no intention to develop an industry program.

Individual growers may have use for it, but he warned that sustainability audits are much more involved that GAPs.

Growers were particularly interested in the harvesting research conducted by the University of California's Louise Ferguson. She evaluated trunk shakers and experimental canopy contact methods during a study of harvesting efficiency in mature pistachio trees.

Ferguson said that as trees age, traditional trunk shaking is less effective. She reported that experimental shakers she tested did remove a higher percentage of edible nuts than traditional shakers and that pruning methods could also improve harvest efficiency.

Her trials with the canopy contact harvesting head -- a passive rotation of rods inside the tree canopy, could remove nuts. The next step, said Ferguson, is to improve efficiency.