Self-fertile Nonpareil has the potential to be a gamechanger for California almond growers. Both Sierra Gold Nursery (FruitionOne™) and Burchell Nursery (Nonpareil SC+) announced in late 2024 their partnerships with biotech companies to develop a self-fertile Nonpareil. Both nurseries plan to begin delivering these trees to growers in 2027. However, many questions remain. In this episode Reid Robinson CEO of Sierra Gold Nursery discusses the development and future for FruitionOne™. You can learn more at: ohalo.com/fruitionone and contact Sierra Gold at: sierragoldtrees.com/contact

This episode does not constitute an endorsement, merely the sharing of an industry advancement that will be the subject of independent evaluation by the University of California Cooperative Extension in the years to come.

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.

Self-fertile Nonpareil has the potential to be a gamechanger for California almond growers. Both Sierra Gold Nursery (FruitionOne™) and Burchell Nursery (Nonpareil SC+) announced in late 2024 their partnerships with biotech companies to develop a self-fertile Nonpareil. Both nurseries plan to begin delivering these trees to growers in 2027. However, many questions remain. In this episode Tom Burchell owner of Burchell Nursery discusses the development and future for Nonpareil SC+. You can learn more at: burchellbreeding.com

This episode does not constitute an endorsement, merely the sharing of an industry advancement that will be the subject of independent evaluation by the University of California Cooperative Extension in the years to come.

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.

Dr. Themis Michailides (UC Davis Plant Pathologist at the Kearney Ag Center) provides a critical update on his lab’s research on the biology and management of walnut mold.

An article that is episode was based can be found at: sacvalleyorchards.com

Mention of a pesticide does not constitute a pesticide recommendation. Always follow the pesticide label. 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.

Facing tightening SGMA regulations and the specter of future droughts, how should we be designing the almond orchard of the future? On the podcast, Franz Niederholzer discusses his idea of a test almond orchard at the Nickels Soil Lab with different rootstocks provided reduced irrigation treatments from planting onward. Should a grower provide full irrigation to fewer acres, or reduced irrigation to their existing farming footprint?

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

2025 International School on Microirrigation for Crop Production: Class Lectures at UC Davis October 13-15, and field trips October 16-17.

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.

Researchers have been conducting almond irrigation and other studies at the Nickels Soil Lab in Arbuckle, CA for over 50 years! On the podcast, Franz Niederholzer revisited research on early microirrigation, the consequences of late season drought in young almonds, and the implications of one-year of season-long drought in mature almonds. Dialing in irrigation is the greatest task for California orchardists, and we should continue to learn from the lessons of our predecessors. 

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

2025 International School on Microirrigation for Crop Production: Class Lectures at UC Davis October 13-15, and field trips October 16-17.

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.

Environmental bud failure showed up in almonds in a big way in 2025. From a subtle delay of leafing in parts of Nonpareil canopies throughout the Central Valley to some orchards in the northern Sacramento Valley with only half leaf out. This disorder also called leafing failure, severely affected many growers in the northern Sacramento Valley. Dr. Tom Gradziel (UC Davis) gets into the complexities of this disorder, as well as discussing the unusual bloom in 2025.  

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

2025 International School on Microirrigation for Crop Production: Class Lectures at UC Davis October 13-15, and field trips October 16-17.

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.

If you work in the almond industry, you likely know non-infectious bud failure (NBF) is bad news. However, do you understand why NBF happens, and that we’re likely to see it on future almond varieties, not just on Carmel? Tom Gradziel discusses the science behind NBF and the work UC researchers together with nurseries have done to make massive gains in addressing the problem.

You can lead more about managing NBF at: sacvalleyorchards.com/almonds/horticulture/non-infectious-bud-failure-management

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

2025 International School on Microirrigation for Crop Production: Class Lectures at UC Davis October 13-15, and field trips October 16-17.

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.

Regenerative agriculture is currently all the rage these days in some circles. With a broad range of practices that can be classified as regenerative, it still can feel like a mushy term that means different things to different people (which is actually by design). Amelie Gaudin sits down with Phoebe Gordon to discuss what qualifies as a regenerative practice, how the focus differs from “conventional” agriculture, and the science behind it (spoiler alert: you’re probably already familiar with a lot of it!).

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

And finally, the 2025 International School on Microirrigation for Crop Production: Class Lectures at UC Davis October 13-15, and field trips October 16-17.

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.

Walnut scale is a minute insect pest that can, if populations build high enough and kill fruiting wood. It can do this by directly allowing pathogens entry into walnut wood, or by weaking branches, making them more vulnerable to infection. In this episode In this episode, Elizabeth Fichtner discusses the lifecycle of the pest and control options. Note: while walnut scale does appear in almonds, this episode only covers walnuts.

Mention of a pesticide does not constitute a pesticide recommendation, merely the sharing of research results. Consult your PCA and read the pesticide label. The label is law.

The miroirrigation school will be held from October 13-17, find more here.

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.

A great deal goes into a successful prune crop. In part two or a two-part podcast on prune crop phenology we complete the yearly cycle by talking about summer fruit growth, key financial considerations at harvest, and finishing the season strong in the postharvest period. Luke Milliron assembled an expert panel of UCCE Farm Advisors, Franz Niederholzer (UCCE Colusa), Jaime Ott (UCCE Tehama), and Becky Wheeler-Dykes to talk about each step in prune fruit development from buds to harvest and back-again.

If you missed part one, that’s where we discussed the crop phenology and key management steps from fruit bud development through to fruit thinning. Topics included weather at bloom, the importance of weather the 30 days after bloom, a fruit thinning calculator, and we finished by discussing the exciting new Green Atlas Cartographer ATV that can bring precision agriculture to prune production by mapping fruit load in each tree ahead of shaker thinning in spring.

Come to an upcoming extension meeting!

In the San Joaquin Valley: Tuesday August 19: Stone Fruit Roundtable in Dinuba.  

And finally, the 2025 International School on Microirrigation for Crop Production: Class Lectures at UC Davis October 13-15, and field trips October 16-17.

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.