Modern Agriculture Helps Make Valentine’s Day Even Sweeter

Feb 14, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – The benefits of modern agriculture are experienced every day, even while sweethearts celebrate Valentine’s Day with dinner at their favorite restaurant, indulging in chocolates, and even drinking champagne. Without the use of crop protection products, the food and beverages used to celebrate Valentine’s Day would suffer massive crop losses, hindering the availability and affordability of popular food items. CropLife America (CLA) member companies, the formulators, manufacturers and distributors of crop protection products and other modern agricultural tools, help keep yields high on Valentine’s items such as cocoa, strawberries and wine grapes to ensure they are abundant and fresh for the romantic holiday.

Although chocolate covered strawberries are enjoyed year-round, they are a frequent dessert found on many Valentine’s Day menus. Cocoa and strawberries are two crops vulnerable to pests, fungus and disease; without the responsible use of crop protection tools, the majority of both crops would be lost. Cocoa is affected by a range of pests and diseases, with some estimates putting losses as high as 30 to 40 percent of global production. One of the largest insect threats to cocoa, capsids, once destroyed one-third of Ghana’s cocoa crop alone. However, once fields were treated with insecticides, cocoa yields increased by 50 percent. California produces 90 percent of the country’s berries and one source of strawberry yield loss is verticillium wilt, a fungal pathogen. Once infected, plants wilt and the leaves dry, eventually leading to the death of the entire plant. Soil fumigants help destroy verticillium wilt, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that without the use of fumigants in California, strawberry yields would decline by 70 percent.

Modern agricultural products and practices also protect grapes used to make champagne and other wine. Powdery mildew infections from 1910-1915 led to the reduction of French wine production by 50 percent. Now, with up to 100 percent of French wine grapes treated with fungicides, there is no shortage of wine to choose from to complement a romantic meal with that special someone. With the continued use of modern agricultural products and techniques, America’s favorite crops are kept fresh and plentiful, and will continue to provide romantic Valentine’s Day celebrations for years to come.