Growing the Valley

Daisy Hernandez has been conducting research on Ganoderma adspersum as part of her doctoral dissertation. She shares some more things that she’s learned since our last episode on this wood decay fungi, as well as a few tips for growers who are replanting in sites with known G. adspersum issues. Upcoming Extension Meetings: Sacramento Valley San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom) 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.

Whole orchard recycling (WOR) is becoming commonplace in almonds, and we have several research trials scattered across the state examining best practices and potential benefits from this practice. It has not been looked at as extensively in walnuts, which will contribute much more biomass to the soil. Luke shares the results from some of this trials in this episode. Upcoming Extension Meetings: Sacramento Valley San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom) 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.

Phoebe discusses some research she has conducted with Greg Browne (USDA plant pathologist) on examining phosphorus fertilization in newly planted almond orchards. Upcoming Extension Meetings: Sacramento Valley San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom) 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. Katherine Jarvis-Shean (UCCE Yolo, Solano, and Sacramento) and Luke talk about the early testing of treatments for low winter chill in California walnut orchards.

Franz Niederholzer (UCCE Colusa and Sutter-Yuba) and Luke talk about March almond, prune, and walnut tasks in the Sacramento Valley.

In this episode, Phoebe talks with Sam Sandovol Solis, a professor of water management at UC Davis, about the 2023 water outlook. It’s looking a lot better than the previous years, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. A previous episode on irrigation system maintenance with Tom Devol has an anecdote about how much water can be lost with a few leaks. Listen to it to learn tips on irrigation system maintenance and where Tom sees the most problems. Sac Valley Meetings: https://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/events/ San Joaquin Valley Meetings: https://www.sjvtandv.com/ 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 discusses the 2023 bee outlook with Brittney Goodrich, an agriculturlal economics Professor of Cooperative Extension at UC Davis. Like in previous years, there are some issues affecting the health and size of the bee colonies in the United States, and Brittney shares some work she’s done to help growers possibly save money while ensuring they meet the bee stocking rate to satisfy crop insurance requirements. Listen to find out more! Sac Valley Meetings: https://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/events/ San Joaquin Valley Meetings: https://www.sjvtandv.com/ 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

IPM Advisors David Haviland, Dr. Jhalendra Rijal, and Dr. Sudan Gyawaly look back on the 2022 almond, walnut, and pistachio highlights from the south, middle, and north of the Central Valley respectively.

Leaffooted bugs are a sporadic pest in orchards, but when they appear they can cause serious damage. There are few management guidelines as it is believed that this insect was less of a pest in the past due to widespread useage of broad spectrum insecticides. As the nut crop industries have moved to more selective insecticides, an IPM success to be sure, plant bugs have increased in prevalence, or so it is believed. Houston Wilson, the tree crop entomology specialist with UC Riverside, has been working with USDA researchers to develop and test a leaffooted bug lure. He sits down with Phoebe Gordon to discuss the progress so far. 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 discusses his research over several years showing that in some situations compost may not improve orchard performance and grower bottom line.

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. 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

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.

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