Cytospora is a devastating fungal canker disease in California prune production. Themis Michailides (UC Davis at Kearney Ag Center) updates us on the biology and management of this important disease. Themis has covered this disease on the podcast before but is back with key updates.

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Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

2025 Fungicides, Bactericides, Biocontrols, and Natural Products for Deciduous Tree Fruit and Nut, Citrus, Strawberry, and Vine Crops in California

Fire is a fact of life in California, whether you live in a fire-prone area or you live in an area that can be impacted by smoke. Smoke doesn’t just cause health issues to animals - it impacts plants, too! Jessica Orozco and Maciej Zwieniecki at UC Davis have been using citizen science data from The Carbohydrate Observatory to try to guess at the impacts on tree nut orchards in the Central Valley.

Are you interested in contributing to the carbohydrate observatory? You can find out how to submit samples here, but don’t forget to share yields!

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Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

English/Persian walnuts have a fairly high chill requirement and can suffer from poor bud break and reduced yields in years with marginal or low chill accumulation. Katherine Jarvis-Shean (UCCE Yolo, Solano, and Sacramento Counties) has been looking at the efficacy of rest-breaking agents, both in semi-controlled conditions and in commercial orchards. She shares how well they work, their effect on yields, budbreak, and walnut quality, and the surprising interaction of chill accumulation with rest-breaking efficacy. To find out more about Katherine’s research, you can read more here or listen to a previous episode here.

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

Nonstructural carbohydrates are the energy storage compound of trees. They are built from simpler sugars that are created via photosynthesis, and the synthesis of starch from these sugars and the breakdown of starch back into simple sugars is a dynamic relationship that is involved in, or may even signal, the transition from dormancy into bloom. Guests Maciej Zwieniecki and Katherine Jarvis-Shean also discuss why dormancy breaking agents work, the tastiness of starch vs sugar, and more!

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

Sam Sandovol Solis, professor of cooperative extension in water management at UC Davis, pulls out the crystal ball for the fourth time to predict what the 2024-2025 water season will end up looking like. Sam and podcast host Phoebe also discuss water management in a future with uncertain supplies, and what growers can do in the present to maximize soil water, and how to think about water availability in the long term.

Sam mentioned a map that shows groundwater recharge suitability, you can find it here.

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

Almonds and pistachios are native to arid climates and are drought tolerant tree species. In California however, the high cost of production and land value pushes growers to maximize yields, which means trying to meet the full evaporative demand (though many growers apply much less water than this!)

This is not the strategy everywhere, however, even in other areas that also have high production costs. In this episode, Phoebe discusses almond production in the Iberian Penninsula with Sebastian Saa, pistachio production in Sicily with Giulia Marino, and pistachio production in Iran and Afghanistan with Louise Ferguson.

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

At a time when California orchard farmers are being challenged by poor economics and tightening regulations – coming irrigation advances promise labor and time savings. I speak with Tom Devol (retired Almond Board of California) to discuss the past, present, and future of California orchard irrigation. 

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

Phellinus heart rot in prune trees destroys structural integrity. Laurel Hoffman (UC Davis) updates us on the biology and management of this important disease.

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

2022 Fungicides, Bactericides, Biocontrols, and Natural Products for Deciduous Tree Fruit and Nut, Citrus, Strawberry, and Vine Crops in California

We posted this episode back in 2020 and are pulling it out of the archives. It’s an interesting story of the surprising resilience of a tree after wildfire events that are unfortunately too common.

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

Sudden autumn freeze events still sneak up on California walnut growers – as they did to some growers last Halloween (2023). Clarissa Reyes (UCCE Sutter-Yuba) and Luke Milliron (UCCE Butte) discuss the steps to prepare for freeze in walnut. At the time of posting – there was patchy frost on the morning of 11/18/24 and predicted also for 11/19/24. Thankfully, there is surface soil moisture in orchards from recent rains and the temperature decline to freezing temps has been gradually taking place over the last few weeks.

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom)

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.