Plums
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Photo courtesy of USDA ARS. |
Background
In the United States, nearly all of the commercially grown plums are hybrids of the Japanese plum introduced by a Berkley nurseryman in the 1870s and subsequently hybridized by Luther Burbank in the late 1800s (California Tree Fruit Agreement).
Today, California is the dominant producer of plums due to its mild winters, minimal rainfall during the growing season and low humidity, which is ideal for the Japanese varieties. In 2008 the state produced 160,000 tons of plums from 29,500 acres of land. The total value of that crop was $57 million (NASS).
Four other states also raise plums commercially: Idaho, Michigan, Oregon and Washington. Oregon is generally the largest producer, followed by Washington, Michigan and Idaho. Together, these states harvested 15,500 tons of plums in 2008, including 8,700 tons of fresh plums. The total value of these fresh plums was $4.8 million (NASS). January 2010 . . . Plums
Other Links
- Food Consumption (per capita) Data System, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA.
- Fresh Plums, U.S. Trade Statistics, FASonline, USDA, 2008.
- Fruit and Tree Nuts, ERS, USDA.
- Fruit and Tree Nuts Situation and Outlook Yearbook, ERS, USDA, 2008.
- Key to delicious tree fruit is keeping it out of the "killing zone," Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California - A completely new protocol has been developed for peaches, plums and nectarines as they journey from the farm, to packing sheds, to distribution centers and finally to supermarkets.
- Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts 2008 Summary, National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS), USDA, 2009.
- Plums, Hortiscope, North Dakota State University Extension Service.
- Plums, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, British Columbia, Canada.
- Plums, Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center, University of California, Davis.
- Fresh Market Plums, Sample Costs to Establish and Produce, University of California Cooperative Extension, 2004.
- Plums, University of Georgia.
Links checked January 2010.
