Prune Bloom Review, 2020
While it’s hard to be certain what caused the light prune crop in 2020, warm temperatures before and after bloom might have been a contributing factor. Continue reading
Your source for orchard news & information in the Sacramento Valley
While it’s hard to be certain what caused the light prune crop in 2020, warm temperatures before and after bloom might have been a contributing factor. Continue reading
Walnut trees affected by Phytophthora root and crown rot and Paradox canker disease may have decreased yield and vigor for a few years before succumbing to the disease. This article provides resources for identification and control of these diseases. Continue reading
Because there is not a CIMIS station close to Yuba City, Janine Hasey calculates chilling based on a temperature recorder at the UCCE office in Yuba City. Chill data will be updated weekly. Continue reading
Bacterial blast (Pseudomonas syringe), although thankfully not a problem every year (hopefully including 2021), can be tremendously damaging to almond yields. For example, significant crop damage was reported in the Sacramento Valley in 2017 and 2018, and in the San Joaquin Valley in 2017 and 2019. These grower reports of past crop loss supported a Section 18 emergency request for the use of kasugamycin on almonds during bloom. Continue reading
A large almond crop at harvest requires good bee activity at bloom in the orchard. Read to learn more about best practices for keeping bee hives in your orchard strong and healthy at bloom. Continue reading
The aftermath of gale-force winds in the southern Sacramento Valley last week has further highlighted the importance of selecting prune rootstocks with good anchorage. In commercial orchards and trials alike, Krymsk 86 rooted prune trees consistently withstand applied force better than most other rootstocks. Continue reading
One of the motivations for making good water management decisions early in the growing season is to reduce risk of root and crown diseases that can eventually kill almond, walnut, prune, and other tree species. Early season water management influences the environment where roots grow by affecting soil temperature and aeration and can be pivotal in how much tree decline actually occurs. Continue reading
Orchards up and down the Central Valley sit bare and leafless during winter. But just because we can’t see active growth with our eyes, doesn’t mean the trees themselves aren’t active. Recent years of research by the Zwieniecki lab (the Z Lab) at UC Davis, including the Carbohydrate Observatory, have been shedding light on what is happening in orchard trees during their yearly cycles, including during this dormant period. This research has been used to better explain how trees may be counting winter chill and spring heat. Continue reading
Ganoderma butt rot has been responsible for almond trees falling over all throughout the Central Valley. In order to better focus our management efforts, researchers must conduct a spore survey that will help us determine the times and locations that are at greatest risk of infection and spread by spores. Continue reading
A team of weed scientists from UC Davis, Oregon State University, and Cornell are asking berry, tree fruit, tree nut, and vine crop growers to take 5 to 10 minutes and answer this short and anonymous survey (link below) about your current weed management practices and your interest in novel technologies, like vision-guided sprayers and cultivators, and electric, steam, and pressurized water weeders. This will help us plan research and extension projects that will address stakeholder concerns regarding the future of weed management. Continue reading
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for the Woodland, Davis, Dixon, and Verona CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for Tehama, Butte and Colusa county CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Here’s your chance to influence the direction of walnut rootstock development! Tell UC and Fresno State your preferences in rootstock attributes and how much you’d value those enhanced characteristics.
Take this anonymous survey. It should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Continue reading
Beginning in late June, several PCAs and growers reported trees in almond orchards in the Sacramento Valley with symptoms like those of almond leaf scorch (ALS), a disease caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. UC farm advisors and UC and USDA plant pathologists have begun a survey to confirm disease presence and improve understanding of the disease in the Sacramento Valley. Continue reading
Navel orangeworm (NOW) is the key pest of almonds, causing more income loss due to reject nuts than any other pest. Pesticide sprays, alone, cannot control this pest. A combination of several specific practices has been proven to reduce NOW damage and limit loss of grower income. The first of these practices on the orchard calendar is sanitation. Continue reading