Understanding the fundamentals of tree biology is essential in making sound orchard management and business decisions in the tree fruit and nut industry.  However, access to educational courses on basic fruit and nut tree biology, and how it relates to agronomic practices, is limited. Our course incorporates lecture, lab exercises, and field demonstrations to provide information on all aspects of basic plant biology and the relationship between plant biology and nuts and fruit orchard management.

Course Topics:

• Tree growth, development & pruning
• Dormancy, chilling & rest breaking
• Flowering, pollination & fruit set
• Fruit development & thinning
• Tree water relations & irrigation
• Plant nutrition & fertilization
• Root growth & rootstocks
• Tree fruit pests and pathogens
• Harvesting

Our course includes five days of instruction. Each day will have several hours of lectures with hands-on field demonstrations where applicable. The course is being offered for $1695.

Register here!
Registration is requested no later than February 23rd, 2026.

An optional four day field trip will be held the following week (March 16-March 19, 2026) for an additional fee. This field trip will provide a view of fruit and nut breeding, growing, and processing facilities throughout the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. Register for the field trip here:

A limited number of scholarships will be offered towards the cost of the first week of the course. Scholarship applicants should be Californian growers on small farms with less than 40 acres of tree crops; additionally, they must be new growers with less than 3 years of experience in tree crops or in the process of transitioning between crops. Scholarship applications must be received by December 1, 2025. Apply for a scholarship here: https://forms.gle/jLMzeYwSr3zZeq6q9

More details available at:
https://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/events/2026-principles-fruit-nut-tree-growth-cropping-and-management