Your source for orchard news & information in the Sacramento Valley
A wet winter is when having an orchard planted on a deep, well-drained soil, or planting on berms, islands, or mounds can pay off. Some orchards on soils that are not well-drained or have been flooded can face difficulties when … Continue reading
Along with setting a decent prune crop begins the important work of supporting current crop growth and canopy health and return bloom for future production. Adequate orchard nutrition is critical to both these goals. Special care in soil and nutrient … Continue reading
Navel orangeworm is the key pest in almond. Nut feeding by this pest directly reduces yield and grower income. For example, 1% damage* in a 2500 kernel lb/acre crop = 25 kernel lb/acre loss (and $62.5/acre at a price of … Continue reading
Bacterial blast doesn’t occur every year, so when there are a large number of orchards affected, it is natural to want to look for patterns in the occurrence and severity. One of the orchards affected in 2017 was the Regional … Continue reading
Extreme weather at bloom can have damaging short and long term effect on prune growers in California and the entire California industry. Excessive heat (2004, 2005, 2007 and 2014) or prolonged cool, wet weather (2016) can dramatically reduce prune production. … Continue reading
Written by Allan Fulton, UCCE Farm Advisor Tehama, Glenn, Colusa and Shasta counties and Richard P. Buchner, UCCE Farm Advisor Emeritus, Tehama, Glenn and Butte counties. Overly aggressive, early irrigation can saturate soils and deprive roots of necessary oxygen. Without oxygen, … Continue reading
Spider mite management in almonds can be accomplished through one of two general approaches: starting with a prophylactic early-season treatment or using threshold-based treatment timings and conservation biological control. Both have pros and cons, and each method can be used … Continue reading
I am the new agronomy and weed science farm advisor for Glenn, Butte and Tehama counties, based at the UCCE Glenn office in Orland. I am working in small grains, corn, sunflower, cotton, alfalfa and dry beans. In addition, as a weed science advisor, I am looking forward to also working on weed control in orchard crops. Continue reading