With spring weather arriving earlier, almond growers in California can expect an earlier influx of pests in their orchards — and to get started sooner on preventing them from harming their nut crops. According to UCCE Sacramento Valley Integrated Pest Management Supervisor Sudan Gyawaly, now is the time to watch out for things like navel orangeworm (NOW), peach twig borers, …
As growers navigate SGMA, different avenues are being explored for access to the needed water for crops, including groundwater markets. This has been experimented with in the Mojave Basin, resulting in stabilized implementation and aggregate gains, but also a consolidation of water rights. At the World Ag Expo, UC Cooperative Extension Associate Professor Ellen Bruno discussed the findings on groundwater …
The 2025 UCCE walnut pre-emergent herbicide demonstration trial is completed, and the results show strengths and weaknesses of 19 different herbicide treatments, applied either in February or March. Takeaways: 1. All treatments were applied with a strong post-emergent mix, but hairy fleabane and white clover were not adequately controlled with post-emergent treatments alone. Control was dependent on the addition of …
Leaffooted bug is a sporadic pest in almond, but damage can be significant in years when pest pressure is high. The pest may evade early detection by growers and PCAs because it overwinters as adults in vegetation outside of the orchard and tends to colonize the upper tree canopy, rendering it generally out of sight. As a result, pest pressure …
May is Water Awareness Month, a special time for Californians to come together in celebration of water, our most essential shared resource. Across the state, water agencies and providers are hosting lively events, such as poster contests and family-friendly activities, that promote conservation and spark curiosity. “Now is a great time to visit your local water provider’s website to learn …
In Calaveras County, a preschooler was helping his instructor pick up some class equipment when he announced proudly: “I’m really strong because I eat a lot of protein!” “That’s right!” replied Mary Manning, a CalFresh Healthy Living nutrition educator with the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Central Sierra office. “And protein makes you what…?” “GROW!” proclaimed the young boy, flexing …
Almond growers are all too familiar with the challenges posed by pests in their orchards. Despite not being on the top of a grower’s concern list, spider mites can inflict serious damage to an almond orchard, and rather quickly if populations get out of control. However, effective monitoring and the use of beneficial insects can play a crucial role in …
Farmers placed clumps of soil into metal mesh baskets, submerged the baskets into jars of water, then watched to see if their soil held together. The slake test, conducted at the Soil Health Field Day in Woodland, measured soil health. Healthier soil, which contains more organic matter and bioactivity and can better support plant growth, stays intact. “Participants said that …
Recent research has shown many potential benefits of utilizing whole orchard recycling (WOR) when removing an orchard. Instead of burning the wood produced in orchard removal, WOR involves chipping the wood from pulled trees and redistributing it back into the field using a chip or amendment spreader. This management technique has been mostly used in walnut orchards being followed by …
Your prune orchard is an investment – the longer it remains a productive, high-yielding orchard the higher your return on that investment and the longer you can avoid the (very expensive) need for orchard removal, replanting, and years of non-bearing and low initial yields. Do you know what thiophanate-methyl is? It is the active ingredient in the fungicide Topsin-M. While …
N Munoz: Calling this “redistribution” is a pretty convenient way to avoid engaging with...