
		" I heard it through the AgLine"

September 26, 2008

· Grow figure – Why is a banana shaped like that?

· Country-of-origin food labeling begins next week

· Nufarm reports harvesting a bumper crop of cash

· Safety issues, economy take center stage at PMA

· Andean countries seek quick trade deal with EU

Grow figure – Why is a banana shaped like that?

(San Diego Union Tribune) By Scott LaFee – As designed by nature, the wild tomato looks a lot like a cherry, though not very much like a cherry tomato. It's small, round, dark and relatively hard, ideally sized and shaped for its primary consuming audience: South American birds and small animals who eat the fruit, then disperse its seeds.

Grocery-store tomatoes, on the other hand, can be monstrosities. Thousands of years of selective breeding and manipulation have created a cornucopia of tomato sizes, colors and shapes. Tomatoes can be as big as softballs or as small as grapes. They come in hues of green, yellow, red and orange, and in shapes even more diverse: spherical and oblong; pearlike, egglike and pepperlike; completely smooth or pointed at one end.

“It's safe to say that humans have adapted every edible or usable fruit and vegetable,” said Martin Yanofsky, an associate professor of biology at the University of California San Diego who studies the development of flowers and fruits in higher plants.

“We know we can create new, domesticated varieties that contain more of the qualities we desire, whether that's being bigger, juicier, higher-yielding or something else.”

But while plant breeders, farmers and scientists know how to do things like build a juicier tomato or a plumper, purpler eggplant, they do not really know why fruits and vegetables are shaped the way they are.

What is the difference between apples and oranges? Why is a banana shaped like a banana? The question might seem esoteric, suitable only for researchers with ovate-shaped heads. But the answer, if it can be fully formed, promises profound and widespread applications.

Building a better tomato

Earlier this year, Esther van der Knaap, a professor of horticulture and crop science, and colleagues at Ohio State University announced they had identified a gene that helps determine whether a tomato is round or elongated.

Switched on, the so-called SUN gene (named after a variety of tomato called Sun-1642) produces Roma-type tomatoes, oval-shaped with a pointy end. When the gene is switched off or absent, tomatoes tend to be round.

SUN is only the second gene linked to fruit shape. The first, called OVATE, was discovered a few years earlier by Steven Tanksley, a Cornell University plant breeder and former adviser to van der Knaap. OVATE helps make some tomatoes egg-shaped.

“Tomatoes are the model in this emerging field of fruit morphology studies,” van der Knaap said.

“We are trying to understand what kind of genes caused the enormous increase in fruit size and variation in fruit shape as tomatoes were domesticated,” she added. “Once we know all the genes that were selected during that process, we will be able to piece together how domestication shaped the tomato fruit – and gain a better understanding of what controls the shape of other very diverse crops, such as peppers, cucumbers and gourds.”

If researchers more fully understand the genetic blueprints shaping each fruit or vegetable, they can more effectively modify them, said Charles H. Janson, the associate dean of biological sciences at the University of Montana.

“We're not talking about growing grapefruits as big as basketballs,” Janson said. “That would require fundamental changes to the whole plant, like stronger pedicels where the fruit is attached or maybe even where the fruit actually grows on the plant. These things may be possible in theory, but they're not likely to happen.

“Whatever changes do occur would be subtler, intended to improve the fruit's appeal, nutritiousness, uses or availability.”

One possibility would be tomatoes without seeds, said van der Knaap. “Or extremely elongated tomatoes shaped like cucumbers. These fruits would be very advantageous when preparing sliced tomatoes for hamburgers, as less ends would have to be thrown away.”

Seed need

For obvious reasons, it's difficult – perhaps impossible – to know exactly what the original forms of some fruits and vegetables were, particularly if the fruits and vegetables have a long history of domestication. Still, there do seem to be a few basic rules that shape all fruits and vegetables.

“Fruit mostly serves to protect, nourish and disperse a plant's seeds, to help ensure propagation of the species,” said Yanofsky at UCSD. “A lot of shape is designed to emphasize seed dispersal. Things like pea pods, for example, are built with a crease along the seams to allow the pod to open and disperse the seeds. A tomato, on the other hand, falls to the ground to be eaten.”

Shape is also determined by how a plant grows in general. Mature banana plants, for example, tend to be tall and upright, producing a similarly structured fruit bunch that grows and hangs from a central pseudostem.

And like flowers, which frequently take shapes, colors and sizes most attractive to a particular pollinator, fruit forms may be determined in part by who or what eats them. A 1983 study by Janson, for example, found that indigenous birds and mammals in a Peruvian tropical forest tended to prefer fruit species that best matched their size, visual abilities and jaw morphology.

Added Mary Ann Lila, faculty director of the Fruit and Vegetable Science Institute at North Carolina State University: “We know that those fruits (bananas, pears) most commonly consumed by animals with gripping appendages are shaped accordingly to be convenient.”

Of course, convenience tends to mean many different things to humans. In nature, a round fruit is the optimum shape for packing the most seeds into a limited space, wrote Tanksley in an expansive paper on the subject of tomatoes in 2004.

Smallness is esteemed because it tends to produce a better seed yield per gram of fruit tissue. No plant wants to pour extra energy and resources into producing fruit bigger or more fleshy than necessary.

“In the wild, tomato fruit are adapted for seed dispersal,” wrote Tanksley. “Ripening fruit, with their soft flesh and ready supply of sugars and other nutrients, attract small rodents and birds. In this regard, small fruit may provide an advantage over large fruit for dispersal because they can be readily removed, carried and dispersed.”

Humans, of course, generally think bigger is better. They also prefer fruits to be abundant and well-shaped for ease of harvest. Think about the choice between harvesting a bushel of apples and a bushel of blueberries, said Tanksley.

To that end, farmers and plant breeders have historically manipulated fruit shapes and sizes, often with dramatic effect. Example: Squarish tomatoes that are easier to machine-harvest and pack.

This is not the same as genetic modification or engineering, a controversial practice in which genes from two or more organisms are combined to create a new entity with modified or novel traits. In traditional selective breeding, researchers tinker with genes only in that species, emphasizing some or diminishing others.

Not all of the resulting shape-shifting is intentional. In genetics, there's a concept called pleiotropy, which posits that a single gene can influence multiple traits. Tanksley suggests there's substantial evidence that at least some domesticated fruits selected for greater size were also altered in shape because both traits were controlled by the same selected gene or set of genes.

There's no doubt humans have assumed a fundamental and permanent role in determining the shape of fruits and vegetables to come. The upside, of course, are fruits and vegetables better suited to our particular tastes and needs.

A downside, said Lila at North Carolina State, is that some foods may be less nutritious or health-promoting because those traits were subsumed in favor of traits promoting characteristics like longer shelf life or shipping ease.

“This is why some current breeding efforts, including ours, look to introduce back some of the wild characteristics without obliterating market appeal,” Lila said.

Without continued human intervention, it's debatable whether some, perhaps most, fruits and vegetables would persist – at least as we know them now.

“If man stopped selecting, intervening, harvesting,” said van der Knaap, “most of our domesticated plants would simply disappear because they are not fit to survive under natural conditions or make sufficient seed.”

For example, banana cultivars like the ubiquitous yellow Cavendish would likely vanish. Wild, undomesticated banana plants produce large and plentiful seeds in their fruit. Commercial Cavendish plants are sterile. They do not produce viable seeds. New plants are propagated by removing and transplanting part of a living plant's underground stem.

Stop doing that, however, and bananas – at least the kind most Americans eat – would be in very bad shape.

Country-of-origin food labeling begins next week

(cfbf.com) – Starting next week, grocery shoppers will be able to distinguish more easily between U.S.-grown foods and imported products. Foods such as meat, fruits and vegetables will carry country-of-origin labeling beginning Sept. 30, under federal legislation that requires retailers to inform consumers where certain agricultural products come from.

The new rule is a victory for California farmers and ranchers, who have long fought for country-of-origin labeling, or COOL, because they feel consumers would seek out and buy more U.S. agricultural products if given the information and choice, said Kenny Watkins, second vice president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

"This is a success story. California Farm Bureau has been in support of country-of-origin labeling for years and we're glad to see it finally implemented," he said. "We hope it'll be implemented logically and sensibly so it provides a benefit to our producers and consumers."

Supporters say the new labels will help consumers be more discriminating about the foods they buy.

"California farmers and ranchers produce the safest and highest-quality food in the world. We believe consumers also recognize this and they should be given the opportunity to purchase domestically produced food," said Elisa Noble, CFBF director of livestock, public lands and natural resources.

COOL applies to fresh beef, lamb, chicken, goat and pork, as well as fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, macadamia nuts, pecans, ginseng and peanuts. Wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish have had to disclose country of origin since 2005.

Retailers may use a wide range of methods to show country of origin, including labels, placards, stamps, bands, twist-ties and pin tags. Some product labels, such as those on meat, may list multiple countries if the animals were born, raised and finished in different countries.

The new rule also allows state, local or regional labeling of produce, such as "California Grown," "Washington apples" or "Idaho potatoes," to be used to identify origin.

The new rule does not cover processed foods such as sausage, corned beef, chicken tenders, certain salad mixes or fruit cups with melons, bananas and strawberries. Food sold through food-service establishments, including restaurants, delicatessens, schools, hospitals and other institutions, also are exempt.

COOL first became law under the 2002 Farm Bill, but implementation was delayed due to resistance from sectors that raised concerns about the practicality and logistics of some of the provisions, as well as increased costs that producers, retailers and consumers could have to bear. Others worried there would be extra administrative and record-keeping burdens placed on businesses.

Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League, said COOL requirements have since been much simplified and streamlined in the 2008 Farm Bill. The new version of the legislation also reduced some of the liability and penalty exposure that had been an issue in the 2002 version, he added.

"We think that once people get a true understanding of this, it's going to work well," he said.

The United Fresh Produce Association reported that more than 50 percent of fresh produce sold in retail grocery stores today already carries country-of-origin labeling on packaging or Price Look-Up stickers, while many retailers provide COOL information on in-store signs.

The effect of the new rule is expected to be relatively small on individual producers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retailers and suppliers, including processors, wholesalers, handlers and importers, will likely feel the most impact.

USDA estimates U.S. companies will spend $2.5 billion complying with the new rules during the first year and an annual $499 million thereafter for maintenance. USDA estimates the average implementation cost per firm is $376 for producers, $53,948 for suppliers and $235,551 for retailers.

Producer affidavits are sufficient to substantiate origin of meat or produce. For livestock producers, other acceptable methods include animal health papers, import or customs documents and National Animal Identification System records. The legislation allows standard records "maintained in the course of normal business" to serve as verification of origin. All parties of the supply chain are required to maintain their records for one year.

Richard Quandt, president of the Grower-Shipper Vegetable Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, said his organization has been supportive of the concept of country-of-origin labeling, noting that most other products that consumers buy already identify where they are made.

"We think overall it's beneficial for California agriculture," said Quandt. "Most of the farmers in our region do not have operations in other countries, so they feel like they're competing with a lot of the foreign-grown stuff in somewhat uneven terms. They feel that all things being equal, consumers would probably select stuff that our local farmers are producing over things that are grown in some other country."

Matt Byrne, executive vice president of the California Cattlemen's Association, said that while it remains to be seen how much revenue or additional markets can be developed through COOL, "the goal from our side is that we be able to pass a portion of that back to the producer."

"I think we are in a time where there are a lot of questions that are being raised by consumers about where their food comes from," he said. "If there's value that can be identified in one type of labeling or an indication of a specific origin that a consumer wants to purchase, that value that is generated needs to be shared back through the chain."

The publishers of Consumer Reports magazine said a poll it conducted last year found that 92 percent of Americans agree that imported foods should be labeled by their country of origin. Consumers Union called implementation of COOL "a long-awaited change."

"We think it will be a great benefit for consumers," Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumers Union, said. "The new labels will give consumers important new information."

Nufarm harvests a bumper crop of cash

(heraldcun.com.au) – IT'S A great time to be in the agriculture business, according to chemical supplier Nufarm.

That was the supplier's upbeat message as it summarised its financial results yesterday.

On an operating basis, excluding one-offs, profits came in 36 per cent higher than the year before to a record $163.9 million, above Nufarm's guidance of between $155 million to $160 million.

However, the bottom line was marred by a $22.6 million charge from a previously disclosed Brazilian barter trade and a $2.8 million foreign currency loss. That led to a 7 per cent decline in net profits to $137.9 million.

Management, however, remain bullish about the year ahead.

It predicted an after tax operating profit for the year ahead of between $220 million and $230 million.

Nufarm's optimism is based on continuing changes to farming practices that help yield improvement, particularly in developing markets.

Managing director Doug Rathbone said the 2008 result was based on a strong performance from all of Nufarm's regional businesses.

The Australian operation led the way thanks to improved climactic conditions, while US sales were up by 25 per cent and European sales improved 26 per cent.

Mr Rathbone said demand for crop protection products was strong as farmers sought to maximise the benefits of high commodity prices.

Demand for glyphosate had been particularly strong and only a shortage had prevented Nufarm from selling a lot more, he said.

Nufarm had lifted its investment in partnerships with Chinese manufacturers from $28 million to about $50 million to improve its glyphosate supplies.

The company said it remained strongly focused on its geographic and product portfolio expansion strategy and was in an excellent position to achieve strong revenue and earnings growth this year.

Nufarm said it planned to sell more core products, such as glyphosate and herbicides, as a result of greater demand and growth in market share, especially in the US and Europe.

It also expects to strengthen its distribution in the US, Canada, Brazil, France and Germany and build on relatively new markets in Italy and eastern Europe.

It said a significant number of new products were scheduled for regulatory approval and launch.

These would strengthen Nufarm's position in the valuable cereal fungicide and herbicide segments in Europe and help entry to the fast-growing global seed treatment market.

The current year will also be the first full year where Nufarm has had products in sectors such as pasture and cotton in the US and Brazil, and citrus in Brazil.

"Volume growth in existing products and new product introductions will contribute to strong underlying growth in the Nufarm business over the course of the year," the company said.

It declared a final dividend of 23 a share for shareholders on the books by October 24, compared to 21 in the prior corresponding period, to be paid on November 17.

Safety issues, economy take center stage at PMA

(supermarketnews.com) – An industry's problems prompt a national crisis of confidence. Consumers are put at risk. Media attention is focused on the fallout. Government overseers are accused of lax regulation. Beyond the immediate problem, a bigger question is how to right the system. Sounds familiar? You wouldn't be wrong in thinking this scenario describes last week's meltdown in the U.S. financial sector.

But this script also has a familiar ring to the food industry, including the produce sector, in the face of food safety challenges. Remember this past summer's salmonella outbreak, the most recent in a string of produce-related food safety crises? Missteps in the search for the culprit hurt the industry and eroded confidence.

Next month the produce industry will converge on Orlando for the Produce Marketing Association's annual Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition. This event will be an ideal forum to discuss lessons from that crisis. A special report previewing the PMA event begins on Page 21 this week.

There's no doubt the produce industry is becoming more proactive about food safety. The PMA's Produce Traceability Initiative, a joint project with United Fresh Produce Association and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, is a prime example. This program has finalized a timeline for implementation of uniform traceability standards using GS1 prefixes and Global Trade Identification Numbers.

This will provide a formidable weapon in the food safety battle. But even in the face of expanded capabilities, there is frustration. In this week's SN report, Bryan Silbermann, PMA president, noted the industry must rely on government at the start of a crisis to pinpoint which products are suspect. In the case this summer, the government first pointed to tomatoes, only later to shift the fault to contaminated irrigation water at a pepper farm in Mexico.

“No amount of enhanced traceability by the produce industry can solve the problem of a government agency identifying the wrong product at the beginning [of an investigation],” Silbermann said. Good point. PMA is making strides to enhance communication with government agencies to help iron out these and other challenges. The industry needs to continue pushing such efforts, and a “town hall meeting” planned for the PMA summit will bring together top players from the government and the produce sector.

Food safety, of course, isn't the only thing on the minds of produce executives these days. The industry is making strides on the marketing front, including programs that promote healthy eating to kids. Processors are expanding their efforts in local produce, a hot growth area. But food safety is probably the toughest challenge right now. Solutions will not come at once, but rather in stages. The best time to make meaningful gains is when a crisis flare-up temporarily dissipates, enabling participants to act with some perspective. For the produce industry, that time is now.

Andean countries seek quick trade deal with EU

(Reuters) – Peru and Colombia, frustrated by slow region-to-region free trade talks between the EU and South America's four Andean countries, have formally asked Brussels to pursue swifter bilateral negotiations with them. The free-market presidents of Peru and Colombia made the proposal this month, trade officials told Reuters, underscoring their split with Bolivia and Ecuador, whose leftist leaders are more wary of liberalising trade with Europe.

The EU has long favoured negotiating free trade deals on a region-to-region basis as it tries to replicate its multilateral model around the world and to foster bigger, regional markets that are more attractive to its exporters. But time is running short as the term of the European Commission, the EU's executive, is due to end in November 2009. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said in a letter to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso -- a copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Monday -- that "different visions" within the Andean region had hampered the talks.

Uribe said Colombia was proposing "to advance simultaneously with the negotiation of bilateral trade agreements between each of the Andean countries and the European Union. "We hope that these negotiations can be finished as quickly as possible, preferably during the first half of 2009," he said in the letter dated Sept. 9. Peruvian President Alan Garcia sent a similar letter to Barroso, trade officials said.

TRADE, TROOPS, BANANAS

The four-country Andean Community (CAN) bloc has been riven by tension among its members on issues beyond trade. Colombian troops this year attacked Colombian FARC rebels based inside Ecuador, leading to the suspension of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Ties remain frosty. European trade chief Peter Mandelson said in May the bloc might agree to calls from Peru and Colombia for fast-track talks, leaving Ecuador and Bolivia for later.

"The EU is keen to pursue FTA negotiations with the Andean countries," Mandelson's spokesman Peter Power said on Monday. "However if any Andean country is not, at this stage, willing to agree the level of integration required of free trade agreements under World Trade Organisation rules, we would be prepared to continue talks with those countries which are," he said, adding that long-term Andean integration must not be hurt.

The United States has already negotiated a trade deal with Colombia but it has been blocked by opposition in Congress. A U.S.-Peru trade deal is due to come into force in January. Exports from the Andean bloc to the EU totalled $11 billion in 2007 -- much of them in raw materials and farm goods such as bananas -- and more than $8 billion worth of European business went the other way, according to CAN data. Bananas would be a sensitive issue in any fast-track talks.

The EU and Latin American banana exporters have wrangled for decades over the preferential access that Europe gives to former colonies in Africa and the Caribbean.
The prospect of a deal that cuts the EU's import tariffs could help bring Ecuador -- the world's biggest banana exporter -- back to the negotiating table with Brussels.
The EU is also negotiating a regional trade deal with countries in Central America, home to other big banana exporters, meaning Ecuador could find itself facing higher tariffs than its rivals if it stays out of a regional deal.

As well as trade, Brussels is negotiating on political and cooperation with the Andean region, potentially complicating the process if the trade talks go bilateral.

End Transmission