Current South Sacramento Valley ET Report – May 22, 2020
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for the Woodland, Davis, Dixon, and Verona CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Blog
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Current Northern Sacramento Valley ET Report – May 22, 2020
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for Tehama, Butte and Colusa county CIMIS stations. Continue reading
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Managing Walnut Orchards for Insect-eating Birds
Codling moth are challenging to control during the growing season because the larvae burrow inside nuts to feed, keeping them safe from natural enemies and insecticides. However, during winter months, larvae are more vulnerable to predators, offering opportunities for biocontrol by natural enemies, including insectivorous birds. Continue reading
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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
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Hull Split Timing and Sprayer Practices for Best Pest Control Results
If you wait too long to put on the first hull split spray, it doesn’t matter if it’s done by air, ground or robot, what’s in the tank, how slow you drive or what spray volume you use – you are too late to get the best control possible and it will cost you in both lost crop and quality incentives. Once you get the timing right, you have to get excellent coverage when you spray or you will not get the best control possible and the best net return. Continue reading
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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
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Observations on Butte County Rootstock Trials
Over a dozen different rootstocks have been observed in various orchard situations with local growers in Butte County over the past twenty two years. The complete results of these trials can be found in past Annual Rootstock Project Reports to the Almond Board of California. The following article summarizes what the author believes are the most useful results and conclusions. Continue reading
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Update on Rootstocks for Prune Production – 2019
Two rootstock experiments in grower orchards were planted in Northern California in 2011. One site in Butte County and a second in Yuba County. The two sites are evaluating the performance of Improved French on 14 rootstocks planted in replicated randomized trials. We previously reported in this newsletter on the results from this trial in 2015 and 2017 issues. Here, updated results are given. Continue reading
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Monterey and the Leafing Failure: What could be causing it?
Researchers have historically been unable to pin down a cause for leafing failure because it was a rare event, only being reported periodically in the last couple decades. The problem was noted periodically before 2000, but most recent reports were made by farm advisors of leafing failure symptoms in 2000, 2006, 2010, 2017, 2018, and 2020. Continue reading
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PPE in short supply for farm work during the COVID-19 crisis
With increased demand for personal protective equipment, or PPE, to protect against COVID-19, agricultural professionals are facing shortages. But there is alternative PPE that agricultural professionals can use during the shortage. Continue reading
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Monterey and the Leafing Failure 2020: What are we seeing?
In 2018 Dani Lightle reported leafing failures in Monterey following several calls she investigated. In 2020, UC advisors, specialists, and professors are again receiving calls reporting leaf out issues in several almond varieties, but most notably in Monterey. Continue reading
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Irrigation with Roots in Mind
A key role of roots is the uptake of water and nutrients. Roots do not function well when exposed to too much water and will stop growing and eventually die in stagnant and/or saturated soil conditions. We consider how a better understanding of root biology can inform best irrigation practices. Continue reading
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Preparing for Extreme Events: Spring Frost
An April frost can have potentially devastating results. The last severe spring frost occurred in April 2008. During a frost event, there are many factors that influence whether or not frost damage will occur in a particular orchard. This article provides guidelines should a spring frost occur. Continue reading
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Navigating Irrigation Technology Overload
“Technology” has different meanings for different people (Figure 1). In irrigated agriculture we look towards technology to meet our changing needs and sustain our industry in the long run. However, with technology, “confusion” and a sense of overload can hinder our ability to learn and apply it. This article considers the abundance of irrigation technology and the challenges with its adoption. Some ideas are offered to cope with the sense of confusion and overload. Continue reading
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New EPA Paraquat Restrictions
As the 2020 growing season approaches, California growers, PCAs and handlers will have new regulations to take into consideration. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the new requirements for handling paraquat (paraquat dichloride). The new EPA restrictions on paraquat aim to help protect Restricted Use Pesticide handlers, and others who may come into contact with these pesticides. However, these requirements will have a ripple effect on growers, distributors and the California agriculture community. Label changes emphasizing paraquat toxicity, restrictions and safe handling were completed November 2019. Continue reading