Yearly Archives: 2017

Why are some prune trees yellow in the spring?  The Bicarbonate Blues.

Wet springs often means more yellow, iron (Fe) deficient prune trees than in dry years. Iron deficient prune trees show yellow leaves with green veins and limited vigor. The problem is actually not soil Fe deficiency, but a lack of iron in the right form within trees. Researchers believe Fe deficiency in tree crops is related to soil bicarbonate levels. Continue reading

Flooded Orchards, Part 2: Reflections on Past Flooding Events

Experiences with the 1986 and 1997 levee breaks in Yuba and Sutter Counties and other “high–water” events over the past thirty years afford us some expectations for the types and extents of tree damage that may result from orchard flooding in 2017. Here we reflect on the floods in 1986 and 1997 and considers ways in which specific conditions associated with those floods seemed to affect orchard outcomes. Continue reading

Flooded Orchards, Part 1: Generalities of Flooding Damage

Experiences with the 1986 and 1997 levee breaks in Yuba and Sutter Counties and other “high–water” events over the past thirty years afford us some expectations for the types and extents of tree damage that may result from orchard flooding in 2017. Part one of this article will first discuss some generalities of flooding damage and two key types of damage that tend to follow prolonged orchard flooding, i.e., waterlogging and Phytophthora diseases. Continue reading

The Latest on Managing Bot Canker and Blight in Walnut – 2016 Research Updates

Rainfall favors Botryosphaeria (Bot) and Phomopsis canker and blight of walnut when temperatures are over 50° F, so be alert to disease spread this spring and summer. Bot reduces yields by killing small fruit wood and large branches and directly infecting the nut. The focus of this article is on 2016 Bot research findings. Continue reading