Growing the Valley

Mae and Luke discuss winter irrigation, especially in the context of leaching. Discussing the steps involved in leaching and whether you may need to amend your soils first.

Allan and Luke discuss the considerations for irrigating during a dry fall and winter.

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.

Brittney Goodrich, a Specialist in Economics at UC Davis, breaks down the major factors influencing bee prices in this week’s episode. She also gives an update on the current economic outlook on almond pollination in 2021.

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.

Deciding whether to plant cover crops can be difficult, as many of their benefits are hard to quantify. How do you put a dollar value on improved infiltration rates or bee habitat? Recognizing this problem, Alyssa DeVincentis and Ellen Bruno sought to do just that, and share the results of their study in this episode.

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.

Cover cropping has been around for a long time, but there’s not much known about its benefits and drawbacks in California orchard systems. Amelie Gaudin and Katherine Jarvis-Shean share their different approaches in learning about this practice: Gaudin has been conducting research at several sites across the state, and Jarvis-Shean worked with other entities and growers to create the Cover Crop Support Group in the Sacramento Valley.

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.

Phoebe breaks down the importance and best practices surrounding potassium nutrition in orchard crops.

Dr. Florent Trouillas (UCCE Plant Pathology Specialist) discusses how abiotic causes and not diseases are often behind the problems he sees on farm calls.

It’s been about two years since we last aired this episode, but the message hasn’t changed since then: sanitation is a critical component of a successful navel orangeworm management program. Emily Symmes shares her expertise in this episode.

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 (UC Davis Plant Pathologist) discusses his lab’s advances against Cytospora cankers, a disease that can devastate prune orchards.