Growing the Valley

Roger Duncan discusses his research over several years showing that in some situations compost may not improve orchard performance and grower bottom line.

Roger’s article on how “Compost May Not Improve Orchard Performance”.

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

Leslie Holland, Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin, Madison, shares the results of some of her work examining fungicides to suppress Botryosphaeria infections in almond pruning wounds as a Ph.D. student at UC Davis. Leslie shares what works, as well as the key tip to dealing with fungal infections in orchard crops: preventing the infection from occurring in the first place.

Mention of pesticide use does not constitute a pesticide recommendation. Always follow the pesticide label. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu/.

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

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.

Bacterial canker can be a serious disease affecting young Prunus species. It is closely connected to weather and tree health. Mohammad Yaghmour discusses what conditions lead to bacterial canker and what growers can do to lessen its severity.

Episode transcript

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

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.

Call or text 530-487-5991 to ask questions for Phoebe and Luke to answer or provide feedback about adapting the 1 Minute Challenge

Upcoming Field meetings:

Introduction to Orchard Irrigation Management in three locations

Madera: Monday, November 7, 2022, 7:30 AM—12:00 PM

Bakersfield: Monday, November 14, 2022, 7:30 AM—12:00 PM

Modesto: Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 7:30 AM—12:00 PM

Best Management Practices for Soil Health

Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 8:00 AM--1:00 @ Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier, California: Register here.

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

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

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

Luke discusses the recent history of sudden autumn walnut frost events in California’s Central Valley, how to prevent damage ahead of the next sudden frost, and how to rehabilitate damaged orchards.

Recorded Zoom webinar: Practical Canker Management in Almond and Prune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4JwrMGKros&t=3s

Articles referenced in the podcast:

Six steps to prepare for the next sudden autumn frost:

sacvalleyorchards.com/walnuts/horticulture-walnuts/prepare-for-next-sudden-autumn-freeze/

Spring frost: sacvalleyorchards.com/walnuts/horticulture-walnuts/preparing-for-extreme-events-spring-frost

Recovery from freeze damage: sacvalleyorchards.com/walnuts/horticulture-walnuts/2020-freeze-recovery  

Upcoming Field meetings:

Introduction to Orchard Irrigation Management in three locations

Madera: Monday, November 7, 2022, 7:30 AM—12:00 PM

Bakersfield: Monday, November 14, 2022, 7:30 AM—12:00 PM

Modesto: Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 7:30 AM—12:00 PM

Also on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM there is a Best Management Practices for Soil Health meeting at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier, California.

If you will be attending the West Coast Nut: California Walnut Conference in Yuba City on January 4th and 5th – I will be talking about walnut freeze on Wednesday, January 4 at 9:30 AM.

Measuring soil moisture by hand with the “feel” method, or with modern senor technology can be a powerful irrigation management tool. I sit down with Allan Fulton (UCCE Irrigation Advisor) to discuss how to measure and interpret orchard soil moisture.

You can lean more about soil moisture sensor selection at: http://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/blog/soil-moisture-sensor-selection-is-confusing/

Thanks to the Pistachio Board of California and Almond Board of California for their generous financial support. Music by Muriel Gordon.

Kadie Britt discusses research results from a project examining the effects of cover crop on overwintering NOW larvae mortality.

Upcoming meetings: Introduction to Irrigation Management series to be held in Madera (Nov 7), Bakersfield (Nov 14), and Modesto (Nov 16). Best Management Practices for Soil Health to be held at the Kearney Ag Center in Parlier (Nov 16).

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

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.

It’s October, the year is almost over! Phoebe and Luke compete to see who can go over the month’s tasks, using whatever metric they feel is the best way to declare themselves the winner. They then discuss current activities.

Upcoming meetings: Introduction to Irrigation Management series to be held in Madera (Nov 7), Bakersfield (Nov 14), and Modesto (Nov 16). Best Management Practices for Soil Health to be held at the Kearney Ag Center in Parlier (Nov 16).

Missed Luke’s cankinar? Luckiily there’s a recording Available:  https://youtu.be/p4JwrMGKros  

This webinar features UC plant pathologists Florent Trouillas and Themis Michailides discussing the latest best management practices for almond and prune cankers, respectively. Their two talks are followed up with extensive Q&A from growers on how to best protect and preserve trees for long-term orchard success!  

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

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.

Dr. Ben Faber (UCCE Ventura County) discusses the effects of heat damage in orchard crops and practices to help manage high temperatures that are occurring more frequently with climate change.

Upcoming events:

 Zoom webinar: Practical Canker Management in Almond and Prune: Register here

Thursday, September 29, 9–10:30 AM PST

The webinar will feature UC plant pathologists Florent Trouillas and Themis Michailides discussing the latest best management practices for almond and prune cankers, respectively.

 More about Cytospora cankers at: https://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/prunes/diseases-prunes/combat-cytospora-canker/

Field meetings: Introduction to Orchard Irrigation Management in three locations

Madera: Monday, November 7, 2022, 7:30 AM—12:00 PM

Bakersfield: Monday, November 14, 2022, 7:30 AM—12:00 PM

Modesto: Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 7:30 AM—12:00 PM

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

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

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.

Dr. Themis Michailides has been seeing increased mold in walnut pathology samples in recent years. The UC Davis Plant Pathologist at the Kearney Ag Center discusses his lab’s research on the biology and management of the disease.

An article based on this episode, can be found at: sacvalleyorchards.com/walnuts/diseases/managing-mold

Mention of a pesticide does not constitute a pesticide recommendation. Always follow the pesticide label. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu/.

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