Growing the Valley

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

Phoebe breaks down the importance and best practices surrounding potassium nutrition in orchard crops. Phoebe and Franz Niederholzer wrote an excellent article on K nutrition CDFA – FREP Fertilization Guidelines Sign up for the 2024 Pistachio Short Course here: Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to

Measuring plant water status is a critical but underused tool in irrigation management. It allows us to determine whether plants actually need water, but is time consuming, done during the hottest portion of the day, and difficult to do at a large scale. Commercial devices to measure plant water status are a fairly recent addition to the agricultural tech field, but are they accura

Jaime Ott discusses the resurgence of prune brownline in the northern Sacramento Valley. In addition to prune, Jaime reminds us to be on the lookout for symptoms of Tomato ringspot virus in almond, peach, and cherry.

Houston Wilson, Professor of Cooperative Extension in entomology with UC Riverside, gives us our semi-yearly update on Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) work in Navel Orangeworm, through work completed in 2024. It’s a long (20 year or so) long road, but may provide an additional tool in the IPM toolbox for controlling navel orangeworm. Listen to find out more!Come to an upcoming ext