Your source for orchard news & information in the Sacramento Valley
Cytospora canker can severely limit prune production; reducing grower income and potentially lead to early orchard removal due to scaffold and/or tree loss. This bark disease is not new to prune orchards in California, but in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in this disease in some orchards. All prune growers and PCAs should know its symptoms and management strategies. Continue reading
Fall and winter orchard management considerations range from irrigation and plant nutrition to weed, pest and disease management. Continue reading
The University of California’s Walnut Improvement Program has been hard at work for decades breeding varieties with characteristic that are desirable to both growers and consumers. The following table compares many industry standards with more recent releases. Continue reading
UC is hiring a Staff Research Associate to support the UC Cooperative Extension Orchards research and extension programs in the southern Sacramento Valley. If you know any hard-working folks looking to work in agricultural research and extension, please pass along this opportunity. Continue reading
The sudden November 2018 freeze event that caused extensive damage in many walnut orchards is a stark reminder that we must do our best to prepare against extreme events. Continue reading
When prices are lean walnut farming is tough business. Farm advisors are not economists or financial advisors. However, farm advisors can be useful in providing best practices for economically sustainable production. Two key economic decisions growers face are when to replant individual trees and when to remove and replant entire orchards. Continue reading
This tutorial consists of a single video. In it, we revisit briefly why we offer the weekly crop ET reports. It has been our experience that once growers and crop consultants become familiar with how to apply the weekly crop … Continue reading
This tutorial consists of three videos. We explore how managed levels of crop stress can benefit some crops when employed properly by reducing risk of disease, aiding crop maturity, and optimizing water and energy inputs. We discuss how soil moisture … Continue reading
This tutorial introduces the challenges that soils with variable water holding capacity and uncertainty about effective root zones of crops poses to on-farm water management. We consider how these weekly reports of crop ET can be related to site specific … Continue reading
This tutorial consists of three shorter videos which combine for about 40 minutes of instruction. It focuses on making irrigation decisions in orchard crops during the early years of orchard establishment, as the trees grow from transplants to the early … Continue reading
This tutorial consists of four videos adding up to slightly more than one hour of instruction for growers and consultants. It introduces free weekly crop ET reports. They are heavily geared towards orchard crops and are available throughout the Central … Continue reading
Given this spring’s prolonged leaf-out window, it is likely that there will also be a wide window in the timing of hull split and a need for two shakes in some varieties. Ethephon is a commonly used tool for advancing hull split and harvest-readiness in walnuts. Remember that there are two potential timings of ethephon, based on different goals. Continue reading
Hull split and the pesticide application timing for navel orangeworm control on new crop nuts are fast approaching. Timing, coverage and pesticide selection, in that order, are critical to getting the best possible results from spray applications. Continue reading
Because the percentage of ant damage is related to how long the nuts remain on the orchard floor, planning for ant management this season is vital. The size of this year’s crop will likely translate into longer periods of almonds sitting on the orchard floor waiting for pick up – especially for growers that depend on contract harvesters. Continue reading
Infections by Rhizopus stolonifera and Aspergillus niger occur after hull split because these are wound pathogens that require an opening to enter and infect the hull. The best, current approach to managing Rhizopus hull rot management includes three parts. The first two steps help to manage the environment, with respect to the disease triangle, while the latter seeks to control the pathogen. Continue reading