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UC Cooperative Extension | Agricultural Experiment Station
UC Cooperative Extension increases food security, reduces food waste in San Bernardino County
From August 2023 to March 2024, UC Cooperative Extension in San Bernardino County provided interactive classes and demonstrations in English and Spanish for ethnically diverse and limited-resource residents that led to increased food security and...
UC Delivers
For several decades, California pistachios suffered few pest problems. However, this changed in the late 1990s when a new species of mealybug was found in a Tulare County orchard. By 2002, Gill’s mealybug had infested about 20 acres of pistachios in Tulare County; by 2007 it had been found in more than 5,000 acres of pistachios statewide.
Gill’s mealybugs damage pistachios by feeding on carbohydrates that would otherwise be used for nut development. This results in fewer of the highly prized split, in-shell nuts in exchange for smaller kernels in closed shells. Growers with infested fields applied multiple pesticide applications on a yearly basis to try to prevent significant crop losses. In 2004, the California Pistachio Commission approached the University of California for assistance in finding a solution.
Read about: Control programs established for exotic pistachio pest | View Other Stories
