April Walnut Orchard Management Considerations
Read this article for walnut orchard management tasks to keep in mind in April. Continue reading
Author Archives: Katherine Jarvis-Shean
What new research into carbohydrates is teaching us about California orchards
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
December Almond Orchard Management Considerations
Katherine Jarvis-Shean, UCCE Orchard Advisor Yolo, Solano, & Sacramento Cos. DECEMBER Now that leaves are off the trees and mummies are easier to see, recheck your mummy count and update your plan for knocking and destroying mummies by February 1st. … Continue reading
Walnut Rootstock Preference Survey
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
We’re hiring!
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
Pre-harvest Management Considerations
Katherine Jarvis-Shean, UCCE Orchard Advisor, Sacramento, Solano and Yolo Counties Pre-harvest Monitor for navel orangeworm (NOW) to determine risk of damage. Walnuts that have made it through the season intact are most susceptible to damage when husks open. However, if … Continue reading
October Walnut Orchard Management Considerations
Read this article for walnut orchard management tasks to keep in mind in October. Continue reading
Post-harvest Management Considerations
Katherine Jarvis-Shean, UCCE Orchard Advisor, Sacramento, Solano and Yolo Counties Post-harvest If you are pruning this dormant season, prune as early in the fall as possible to avoid Botryosphaeria infections. Winter pruning resulted in infection in 78 to 99 percent … Continue reading
Ethephon in a Straggled Leaf-Out, Lean Price Year
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
Leaf-out Problems in Pistachio and Walnut
Since mid-April, many advisors up and down the Valley have been receiving calls about unusual leaf-out in pistachio and walnut. The Sacramento Valley has certainly been experiencing this, too. Continue reading
Rootstock Trial for Boron Tolerance – 2019 Update
Excessive boron in soil or irrigation water is not widespread in the Central Valley, but where present, it can be a substantial obstacle to almond production. A rootstock trial in Yolo County was designed to find which almond rootstocks do better or worse under high boron conditions. What follows is a summary of findings to date. What follows is a summary of findings to date. Continue reading
South Sacramento Valley ET Reports
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for the Woodland, Davis, Dixon, and Verona CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Potassium management for sustained almond yields
Adequate potassium is critical to sustained yields in an almond orchard. There are many approaches to providing almond trees with the potassium they need, depending on your local climate conditions, orchard infrastructure and budget. Continue reading
Cover Crop Seed Selection
There are plenty of benefits that can come from cover cropping in an almond orchard, including improved orchard access, improved water infiltration, encouraging native pollinizers and improved honeybee health. But all the options of species to plant can be overwhelming. Herein we’ll review how to pick a cover crop seed blend for a particular orchard. Continue reading
Current South Sacramento Valley ET Report – October 19, 2018
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for the Woodland, Davis, Dixon, and Verona CIMIS stations. Continue reading