Sacramento Valley Orchard Source

With weather forecasts for the upcoming winter months leaning heavily toward another wet and cold winter, the weeks immediately following harvest present the best time of the year to plant cover crops to reap their various benefits in the months ahead. Should El Niño bring heavy rainfall back to the region, any on-farm water capture that can be done should be done to keep as much water locally banked as possible.

A ten-acre Butte County Walnut Variety Trial was planted at the Chico State Farm in May of this year through a collaboration between Chico State, UC Davis Walnut Improvement Program, and UC Cooperative Extension. This variety trial aims to identify new varieties that will perform exceptionally well in this region and will share its progress over the years.

Damage can occur with sudden autumn freeze, before trees go into dormancy. With sudden autumn freeze occurring in three of the last five years, preparations for these freeze events need to be a regular part of every walnut grower's summer and fall orchard operations.

With funding provided by the Almond Board of California, through assessments paid by almond growers, the University of California has conducted regional field trials in the major almond growing areas of the Central Valley for over 50 years. Read more for an update on Regional Almond Variety Trials

Blast is a challenging disease to control, given the limited number of available tools. This year, symptoms were common even in orchards which had received one or more copper dormant sprays (copper-resistant Pseudomonas populations are common throughout the state).