Courtesy: UCANR
Dragon Fruit Might Be Next Niche Crop
Ventura County agriculture is led by coastal lemons and avocados, two crops that face some significant threats with huanglongbing disease and shot hole borer. Cooperative Extension County Director Christopher Smith says they are looking for the next niche crop to keep their producers farming. “We call it our new crop development,” Smith says. “We have our small farms advisor here doing research into pitahaya which is dragon fruit.”
Smith says the fruit might be perfect for their area due to the surrounding markets. “It’s essentially a fresh food market crop,” Smith says. “We have Los Angeles which is a fantastic market for that. They are doing research with different varieties of pitahaya to see which ones can grow here.”
Research has identified six varieties that could grow in Ventura County and Smith says advisors are looking into those further. “They are looking to find what are the best cultivation practices or approaches,” Smith says. “For example, what kind of light intensity is needed to maximize crop production. We are hoping that from that research we can introduce a new crop.”
Smith cited blueberries, blackberries and raspberries as other examples of crops that have been developed and introduced to their region. “This is ongoing because you’ll always have pests in crops,” Smith says. “We have a very strong agricultural community and they want to continue to grow. So what’s the next crop they can grow? That’s the questions they’re asking us and we hope to provide them some answers.”