New Podcast Focuses on Growing Pulse Crops

Apr 02, 2020

Anyone interested in growing pulse crops (chickpeas, peas and lentils) will have an opportunity to learn more through a podcast series that North Dakota State University plant pathologist Audrey Kalil initiated in collaboration with Future of Ag, Soil Sense podcaster Tim Hammerich.

The first podcast in the Growing Pulse Crops series is available at https://www.growingpulsecrops.com/ or through cellphone podcast apps. New episodes will be released biweekly. Thirteen episodes will be released this season.

The series will follow pulse crop farmers through the growing season and dive into the research that’s helping them through some of the challenges they face. They also will feature other industry stakeholders along the way.

“Topics include weed, disease and pest management, as well as market updates.” says Kalil, who is based at NDSU’s Williston Research Extension Center.

Presenters will include Brian Jenks, weed scientist at NDSU’s North Central Research Extension Center near Minot; Michael Wunsch, plant pathologist at NDSU’s Carrington Research Extension Center; Mary Burrows, professor of plant science and plant pathology at Montana State University; and Lyndon Porter, research plant pathologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Pullman, Wash.

“This series was developed by members by of the Pulse Crop Working Group in response to stakeholder interest in this format,” Kalil says. “The goal of the Pulse Crop Working Group is to foster collaborative relationships among researchers, Extension professionals and stakeholders through face-to-face meetings and virtual interaction to address integrated pest management priorities in pulse crops.”

The group is funded by the North Central IPM Center. Visit https://www.ncipmc.org/projects/working-group-projects/ to learn more about the group.

Source : ndsu.edu

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Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.