April Walnut Orchard Management Considerations
Read this article for walnut orchard management tasks to keep in mind in April. Continue reading
Blog
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Pulling the trigger for the start of irrigation in the spring: Too much too soon for walnuts?
Research findings in a Red Bluff, CA walnut orchard have seriously challenged the conventional wisdom that walnut growers should start irrigation early in the spring to save deep soil moisture ‘in the bank’ for use later in the season. Read this post to learn more. Continue reading
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April Prune Orchard Management Considerations
Read this article for prune orchard management tasks to keep in mind in April. Continue reading
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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
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Phytophthora Root and Crown Rot & Paradox Canker Disease in Walnuts
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
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March Prune Orchard Management Considerations
It is looking like spring outside, and prune bloom is picking up. Keep reading for prune orchard management tasks to keep in mind this month. Continue reading
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Chilling Hours Update 2021-Yuba City
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
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Emergency Use (Section 18) Approved for Almond Bacterial Blast Material
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
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Hive Strength and Bee Health/Safety
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
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Krymsk 86 rootstock: Superb anchorage in gale-force winds
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
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Early Season Irrigation: Do We Know When to Start?
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
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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
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Ganoderma Butt Rot Spore Survey
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
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Weed Technology Survey
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
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New UC Davis Prune Cultivars Prove Promising
The UC Davis Prune breeding program is eager to promote three promising new cultivars that have excited growers. The new cultivars offer a range of superior flavors, harvest dates, pruning strategies and dry away ratios. Continue reading