Growing the Valley

Proper spray application is an easily overlooked and critically important aspect of integrated pest management. Lynn Wunderlich (UCCE Central Sierra) discusses some of the fundamentals of orchard air blast sprayer calibration and spray application.

None of the discussion of spray application constitutes a recommendation. You can find more information on spray application at the Canadian website: https://sprayers101.com/.

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

Phoebe sits down with Judith Stahl and Kent Daane (both with UC Berkeley) to discuss plant bugs: life history, damage, and the potential to use trap crops to manage these pests.

More information on controlling plant bugs in almonds and pistachios can be found on the UCIPM website; there are separate pages for stink bugs and leaffooted bugs, and in pistachio, small bugs.

Mention of a trade name is not an endorsement or recommendation. Always check the label before applying.

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.

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Phoebe and Luke go over April tasks for almonds, prunes, pistachios, and walnuts.

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

Roger Duncan (UCCE Stanislaus) and Dr. Ken Shackel (UC Davis Plant Sciences) discuss methods of determining when to initiate spring irrigation and current start-of-irrigation experiments in almond based on previous finding in walnut.

For more information on the various approaches to timing the start of the irrigation season, see: sacvalleyorchards.com/blog/almonds-blog/early-season-irrigation-do-we-know-when-to-start/

More information on advanced pressure chamber use in almond: sacvalleyorchards.com/manuals/stem-water-potential/advanced-swp-interpretation-in-almond/

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

Elizabeth Fichtner, UCCE Tulare County, shares information on managing nitrogen in olive orchards. Careful management is required, as excess nitrogen can negatively impact olive quality.

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

UC Davis Plant Science Professor Astrid Volder sits down with Phoebe and Luke to talk irrigation and fertilization implications of our improved understanding of tree crop root systems.

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

In our 1-minute challenges Luke and Phoebe describe key almond, pistachio, prune, and walnut orchard tasks for the month of March.

Dr. Roger Baldwin (UCCE Specialist in Human-Wildlife Conflict Resolution) discusses orchard management of pocket gophers, including control options and timing based on environmental conditions and reproductive cycles.

 Resource links:

UC IPM notes on pocket gophers

UC ANR video on how to set gopher traps

Vertebrate Pest Control Handbook Chapter on Controlling Pocket Gophers

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

In part two of the navel orangeworm (NOW) mini-series, Luke Milliron sits down with farm advisor David Haviland to discuss the efficacy of mating disruption for managing NOW in almond!

This interview takes place in December 2017 after the Almond Conference. Research on the efficacy of mating disruption for NOW by UC researchers is ongoing in 2018. Haviland mentions three available mating disruption products: Suterra, Pacific Biocontrol and Semios (all aerosol dispensers, none are organic). A fourth product, the Trécé MESO are passively emitting “strip” dispensers (registered spring 2018, organic).

For a summary of Haviland’s 2017 NOW mating disruption findings (Trécé product on slide 16 has since been registered), as well as almond integrated pest management updates from other UC researchers, please see: http://www.almonds.com/sites/default/files/content/attachments/Th-308%201045am%20SESSION%20Slides_0.pdf

Mention of a trade name is not an endorsement or a recommendation.

Music by Muriel Gordon.

Phoebe sits down with three guests (the first in Growing the Valley history!) to discuss what climate adaptation in California agriculture might look like. She’s joined by Gurreet Brar (CSU Fresno), Katherine Jarvis-Shean (UCCE Sacramento), and Tapan Pathak (UC Merced).

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