Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/132109
Career comes to late fruition Tom Toyama left a valuable legacy. explained, as there is only one seed per fruit and only a very small percentage germinate. He had no idea that his crosses would ultimately generate so much interest. "I was not a publicity hound," he said. "I liked to go out in the field and work by myself." Toyama was named Cherry King by the Northwest Cherry Institute in 1990. • by Geraldine Warner F or more than two decades, Dr. Tom Toyama quietly got on with his work as stone fruit breeder at Washington State University. Though no variety was released during his tenure from 1963 to 1985, his work has had a significant impact on the Northwest cherry industry. Ten of his cherry selections have been patented and released since he retired. Interviewed by Good Fruit Grower in 1999, Toyama said he was surprised by the "I was never quite sure whether they were worth naming." Nut ri- Cal Effects of Using Nutri-Cal with Nutri-K on Cherries Effec Effe cts ffec Nutr Cal ri% MARKETABLE GRADES OF BING CHERRIES 80 70 —Tom Toyama Nutri-Cal 36% Increase in Premium Grade 8.5-9! Indecision "I was undecided, as is my nature," he said. He took a basic science course at the University of Minnesota, then earned his bachelor's degree and doctorate there. "I spent seven years as a graduate student in Minnesota," he recalled. "I would still be a graduate student if someone had not say, 'Finish or else!' So I finished." In Prosser, he devoted long hours to his projects. One spring, he spent 42 days continually at work, almost day and night. Sometimes, he would sleep out in the field; others, in the research center's coffee room. He once slept in the car. Breeding stone fruits is a much slower process than breeding pome fruits, he www.goodfruit.com BRIX QUALITY OF BING CHERRIES 25 21.25% 20 17.00% 56.7 60 success of his selections and he had horticulturist Dr. Ed Proebsting, who evaluated them after he left, to thank for that. "The reason I sat on them for so long was that I was never quite sure whether they were worth naming because in different years they performed differently," he said. "Some years, they were not so good; other years, not so bad. I often wondered—I guess all plant breeders do— why I selected the varieties in the first place." Toyama was never one to rush into things. He grew up in North Dakota and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was discharged while in Japan and stayed on to work as a translator for four years. Under the GI Bill, he was able to return to the United States and go to college, with free tuition and books. He wasn't sure what he wanted to study, and considered geology. 80 50 44.2 15 40 10 30 20 20 5 10 0 PREMIUM MEDIUM 0 Application Rate of 2 Quarts Nutri-Cal & 1 Quart Nutri-K Applied 6 times beginning at Petal Fall 2011 Application Dates: May 23, May 27, June 3, June 11, June 19, June 24 Ron Britt & Associates, Yakima, WA 2012 FIRMNESS EVALUATION OF BING CHERRIES % PREMIUM COLORS OF BING CHERRIES 370 100 369.50 g 369 368 367 95.75 95 90 366.28 g 89.25 85 366 80 365 364 GRAMS FORCE TO SQUEEZE SKIN 1mm 75 COMBINED MAHOGANY & DARK MAHOGANY Make Sure You Always Ask For ® ® C.S.I. CHEMICAL CORP. 800-247-2480 PACIFIC NORTHWEST www.nutri-cal.com Walt Grigg: 509-952-7558 10980 Hubbell Ave., Bondurant, Iowa 50035 GOOD FRUIT GROWER June 2013 19