Growing the Valley

Almonds and pistachios are native to arid climates and are drought tolerant tree species. In California however, the high cost of production and land value pushes growers to maximize yields, which means trying to meet the full evaporative demand (though many growers apply much less water than this!) This is not the strategy everywhere, however, even in other areas that also have h

At a time when California orchard farmers are being challenged by poor economics and tightening regulations – coming irrigation advances promise labor and time savings. I speak with Tom Devol (retired Almond Board of California) to discuss the past, present, and future of California orchard irrigation.

Phellinus heart rot in prune trees destroys structural integrity. Laurel Hoffman (UC Davis) updates us on the biology and management of this important disease.

We posted this episode back in 2020 and are pulling it out of the archives. It’s an interesting story of the surprising resilience of a tree after wildfire events that are unfortunately too common. Come to an upcoming extension meeting! Sacramento Valley San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom) The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not

Sudden autumn freeze events still sneak up on California walnut growers – as they did to some growers last Halloween (2023). Clarissa Reyes (UCCE Sutter-Yuba) and Luke Milliron (UCCE Butte) discuss the steps to prepare for freeze in walnut. At the time of posting – there was patchy frost on the morning of 11/18/24 and predicted also for 11/19/24. Thankfully, there is surface so

It’s been a year since Carpophilus truncatus (Carpophilus beetle) was found in California. Jhalendra shares some research updates and observations with host Phoebe Gordon. Come to an upcoming extension meeting! Sacramento Valley San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom) Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings

Luke Milliron, Phoebe Gordon, and Roger Duncan discuss the three almond variety trials 10 years after they were planted across the Central Valley.

Pistachios alternate bear, which changes the dynamics of nitrogen uptake and allocation within the tree on a year to year basis. To add to this, the newer cultivars, Golden Hills and Lost Hills, alternate bear less than Kerman, especially when they are planted on the high vigor UCBI. Doug Amaral (UCCE Kings County) decided it was time for an update on the nitrogen demand curves, an

A Third Thursday x Growing the Valley collab! Karla Caldera (CSUC graduate student) discusses the research she is conducting at the walnut variety trial located at the Chico State University Farm (2:27) and Dr. Pat J. Brown talks and answers grower questions about the Walnut Improvement Program at UC Davis that aims to bring improved plant material to the walnut industry (9:50). C

Trying to predict when trees will come out of dormancy and whether they’ve stayed in dormancy for a long enough period of time is a very old science. The methods for calculating chill has changed, but the measurement method, measuring air temperatures, has not. Giulia Marino, Professor of Cooperative Extension at UC Davis, measured the bark temperature of cherry trees in a recent