In prunes, some years are bacterial canker years, while every year is a Cytospora year. Going into this year, we knew the wet/cold conditions could mean that we were headed into a bacterial canker year. However, diagnosing the dieback we are seeing this spring has brought some surprises. Continue reading →

We have been seeing walnut leaves showing browning (necrosis) on the leaf area between the veins in some orchards since about mid-May. Sometimes the leaves will then twist and defoliate in very severe situations.  We call this problem mesophyll collapse and believe it is a physiological problem associated with sudden temperature changes. Continue reading →