Growing the Valley

Last February after the annual walnut crack out meeting, I sat down with Chuck Leslie and Dr. Pat Brown of the UC Davis walnut improvement program. We first discussed the major achievements and recent outcomes of the breeding program with Chuck Leslie before turning to Pat Brown to discuss marker assisted breeding and how it is making the program more efficient.

Emily Symmes, Jhalendra Rijal, Kris Tollerup, and David Haviland provide some thoughts on what they saw in 2019.

Find out more about winter meetings held across California at:

http://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/events/

https://sjvtandv.com

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

Thank you to the Almond Board of California, the California Pistachio Research Board, the California Prune Board, and the California Walnut Board for their support.

There’s a lot of work to be done with the Sterile Insect Program, and Houston Wilson, Chuck Burks, and their teams are on it! Houston details some more of the work that they’ve done in 2019 to improve the recovery rate of sterilized moths.

Thank you to the Almond Board of California, the California Pistachio Research Board, the California Prune Board, and the California Walnut Board for their support. Music is by Muriel Gordon.

Brad gives some thoughts on weed control issues he’s seen in 2019 and previous years, which mostly have to do with heavier than needed herbicide applications, often leading to crop injury. He also briefly discusses sequential herbicide applications, also discussed by Drew Wolter.

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

Thank you to the California Pistachio Research Board and the Almond Board of California for their support. Music is by Muriel Gordon.

Dr. Catherine Mae Culumber (UCCE Fresno) discusses her experience diagnosing boron toxicity in almond over a series of farm calls.

There’s an old pest causing new problems, and that’s the Pacific Flatheaded Borer. Phoebe talks with Jhalendra Rijal, IPM Advisor for the north San Joaquin Valley, about what we know about it, how the new infestations are not following what we thought we knew about it, and what he’s doing to help us understand more about it.

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

Thank you to the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board. Music is by Muriel Gordon.

Phoebe speaks with Steve Haring, a Ph.D. student at UC Davis, about using cover crops for weed suppression, as well as some work he’s done in almond orchards. Starting cover crops is tricky business, as it relies on the start of rain, seeding rate, and growth rate in order for them to effectively suppress weeds. Listen to learn more:

Thank you to the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board for their funding. Music by Muriel Gordon

Just before departing to Oregon State University, I got the chance to sit down with Dani Lightle and discuss olive fruit fly. As a UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor based in Glenn County, Dani worked on some new approaches to manage the fly.

Drew Wolter (UCCE farm advisor intern) and Luke Milliron discus why the postharvest weed survey helps form the backbone of an integrated weed management program.

Phoebe and Luke are back with walnut, prune, almond and pistachio tasks for the dormant season!