http://ucanr.org/sites/news/index4.cfm?blogrss=45720&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Jeannette's subtropical news en-us UC ANR http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/ Sun, 19 May 2013 14:35:50 PST Sun, 19 May 2013 14:35:50 PST UC ANR Stem and leaf blights are symptoms that appear for various reasons – high rainfall or humidity, spray burn, chewing insect infestation. Here in California we can add other causes, such as drought and salinity burn. These conditions can cause wounding of leaf and stems allowing entry of fungal spores that can cause leaf and stem dieback. This condition is most common near the coast where weather conditions can change from mild and low temperatures to extremely high temperature with......
]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 07:11:10 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=10354&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=10354 Here's a list of links for growers and homeowners on how to prepare for fire and in the case of fruit trees, how to treat them after they have burned and how to calculate the loss of a commercial fruit tree. Tree and Vine Loss Calculators Spread sheets to help you calculate loss Calculate Cost of Fire Damage to Avocado and Citrus Trees Information from Ben Faber, Soils and Water, Avocado and Minor Subtropicals Advisor Living with Fire Information on how to care for fire damaged trees from......
]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 13:50:20 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=10342&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=10342 Soil moisture sensors fall into two broad categories, volumetric and tensiometric methods. One tells you how much water is in the soil and the other tells you how tightly the soil holds on to the water. Volumetric methods require a calibration of the sensor to the soil, whereas tensiometric is good to go when installed. For both methods, the grower learns to keep soil moisture within a given range of values and, in theory, the plant is kept in a better condition with improved health and......
]]> Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:06:18 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9779&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9779 If you can’t speak the language, you can’t follow the conversation. Talk about adjuvants used in agriculture can be filled with unfamiliar terms like activator, non-ionic surfactant, penetrant, humectants, and buffers. To help growers who want follow a sales pitch or discussion on adjuvants, the following article lists and describes common adjuvant categories by function. This is the first of a series to help growers better understand adjuvants and their effective use. There are......
]]> Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:25:13 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9504&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9504 OK! Let's Strategize. There are four steps for everybody to consider, it doesn't matter if you have a backyard lawn and landscape or if you have 700 acres of avocados. 1. Maintenance: Irrigation System and Cultural Practices 2. Improve Irrigation Scheduling 3. Deficit Irrigation 4. Reduce Irrigated Area 1. Maintenace a. Irrigation System. Fix leaks. Unfortunately, there are almost always leaks for all kinds of reasons. Pickers step on sprinklers,......
]]> Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:43:37 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9505&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9505 The weather is perfect for looking for Asian Citrus Psyllid. There is new flush and that is where the adults go to lay their eggs and feed. This is also the tissue where aphids and scale crawlers will be found, as well. ACP has been active all this winter, but now is when they are going to be the most noticeable. Get out there and look and alert the CDFA Exotic Pest Hotline to confirm a find, 1-800-491-1899. ACP adult and nymphs with waxy exudate from nymphs....
]]> Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:19:42 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9584&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9584 At a recent conference on Postharvest Technology Advances, Cristina Davis from the UC Davis Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering presented information on the development of a device that can smell out trees infected with Huanglongbing (HLB). Scientists at UC Davis are refining a mobile chemical sensor that can detect diseased citrus trees by sniffing their volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are emitted by all types of plants and contribute to their distinctive......
]]> Thu, 21 Mar 2013 07:14:51 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9545&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9545 Over the last two weeks Mary Lu Arpaia (Extension Specialist, UC Riverside) and David Obenland (Plant Physiologist, USDA-ARS) had the opportunity to visit Israel and spend several days looking at avocados including a visit with Zvi Mendel and Stanley Freeman, the lead researchers in Israel on the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) and its Fusarium fungal symbiont. This is their report. So far the beetle is still largely confined to the central coastal region of Israel and the northern Negev.......
]]> Thu, 21 Mar 2013 07:14:18 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9552&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9552 Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:26:39 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9506&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9506 ...
]]> Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:24:42 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9474&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed gsbender@ucdavis.edu(Gary Bender) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9474 USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus & Dates ‘Stubborn disease of citrus’ was first observed about 1915 in ‘Washington’ navel trees nearRedlands. The first report of stubborn from outside ofCaliforniawas fromPalestinein 1928. Stubborn is now known to be established in most warm, dry inland producing areas inCaliforniaandArizona, and is also a serious disease in most citrus-producing countries with suitable climates. These include countries......
]]> Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:04:12 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9392&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9392 High priced district water in San Diego County is really making it tough on citrus growers. Many of the citrus growers in San Diego County are finding it increasingly difficult to make a profit, but they usually stick it out for several years before they turn the water off. Why do they wait so long? Market prices may go up for all kinds of reasons including freezes in other parts of California or Florida, or the discovery of illegal pesticide residues in foreign fruit, or an unusual demand......
]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:23:54 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9490&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed gsbender@ucdavis.edu(Gary Bender) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9490 Saline Waters - A Growing Problem Ben Faber Irrigated agriculture must always contend with salts, but two years without rain and a dry winter forecast, salt is an even more important issue. We rely on winter rainfall to leach the salts from root zones that have accumulated from previous irrigations. Salinity affects plant growth and understanding what it is and how it is measured and evaluated need to be understood. All waters, even rain water, have some salts dissolved in them, so......
]]> Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:21:48 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9393&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9393 Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:01:21 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9458&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9458 Costs of Orchard Establishment and Production Summary for Avocados in California: Based on 2011 studies: www.coststudies.ucdavis.edu Etaferahu Takele, UCCE Area Advisor, Ag. Econ/Farm Management, southern California and Mao Vue, UCCE Staff Research Associate In fall 2012, we completed and published sample costs and returns studies for establishment and production practices for conventional and organic avocados in the major producing counties. We divided the production regions into two......
]]> Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:16:28 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9444&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ettakele@ucanr.edu(Etaferahu Takele) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9444 A sure way to generate controversy among citrus growers is to initiate a discussion on navel orange tree pruning. Some growers maintain that yield and fruit size is best maintained by minimal pruning, while others believe that the number of large fruit is increased when trees are severely pruned. A ‘standard’ manual pruning for navel oranges does not exist, but the closest thing to it is a procedure that involves pruning from the tree; 1.) shaded, dead branches 2.) branches which......
]]> Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:44:15 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9428&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9428 "We don't need to irrigate, it's winter." This is a commonly held idea, and many years it is true. Adequately timed rains will often meet the needs of avocado trees during the winter period, and in times like last year, even satisfy much of the spring requirement. And the calls are coming in – “What’s wrong with my trees, they have all these brown leaves?”. This from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. In a low rainfall year, irrigation can be as necessary as at other......
]]> Fri, 01 Mar 2013 08:07:07 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9394&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9394 There have been a lot of new avocado orchards planted during the last few years. These often have been in old ‘Valencia’ orchards or lemons that had poor production. In order to save money, growers have just cut the trees at ground level and replanted the avocados near the stumps. Avocados have recognition of being resistant to Armillaria, but in this environment of high disease pressure, they can fail. Armillaria root rot is common, yet is an infrequently identified and......
]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2013 07:36:22 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9293&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9293 Many citrus trees in the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley are grown on moderately calcareous soils and frequently have high levels of boron in the leaf tissue. Citrus is sensitive to boron. Boron, when excessive, may cause defoliation and significant yield loss. At high, but nontoxic concentrations, leaf symptoms are similar to those caused by excessive salt, deficient potassium, heat stress, or biuret toxicity from urea foliar sprays. Therefore a leaf tissue analysis is important for......
]]> Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:54:31 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9294&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9294 While both horseweed and hairy fleabane have been here since farming began in the region, it’s only since about 2003 that they have become such an obvious problem, particularly in tree and vine systems and non-crop areas. In the past, the traditional use of combinations of pre- and postemergence herbicides and/or cultivation was adequate to manage them. However, recent changes in environmental regulations, economics, herbicide use patterns (toward more postemergence-only programs),......
]]> Wed, 20 Feb 2013 07:31:50 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9305&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9305 The California fig industry is currently producing on about 16,000 acres. A “2002 Statistical Review” published by the California Fig Advisory Board and California Fig Institute at Fresno lists seven cultivars used primarily (although in some cases not exclusively) for dried whole figs and fig paste. These seven cultivars are Calimyrna (6,559 acres}, a four cultivar grouping identified as “Adriatics” but including Conadria, Adriatic, Di Redo and Tena (3,364 acres in......
]]> Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:08:15 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9306&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9306 Not too many years ago, most growers and pest control advisors were unaware that earwigs were a potential pest problem in citrus. Earwigs simply were not often found in large numbers in citrus orchards. Earwigs’ increasing pest status is probably related to advances in integrated pest management techniques and attendant reductions in use of broad-spectrum organophosphate and carbamate insecticides for control of common citrus pests. On the plus side, fewer toxic, broad-spectrum......
]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:22:10 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9326&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9326 Dry root rot has been a problem in citrus orchards for many years. Although generally a problem in coastal and northern California counties it has been reported in other citrus producing areas of the state. When present it generally occurs as a chronic problem affecting only a few trees in the orchard. Trees may be invaded at any time from planting to maturity; frequently mature, good producing trees are invaded. Once infection has occurred, it may be several years before any symptoms are......
]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:17:13 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9325&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9325 This February there was a four day international conference in Orlando, FL that attracted 467 people from 21 countries, including about 20 from California. There were 87 oral presentations and over 80 posters that covered all aspects of Huanglongbing, the insect vector (Asian Citrus Psyllid or ACP), disease detection, insect control and monitoring and a whole lot of information on the genome of the bacteria, how it compares to other infectious bacteria and what can be done to exploit its......
]]> Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:35:51 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9298&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9298 Leaf analysis is the preferred method of guiding a fertilizer program for fruit tree crops. Soil testing is less important, since the tree has the capacity to store nutrients in its various parts – roots, trunk, stems and leaves. However, soil testing is a component of a plant nutrient management program and has been standard practice for growers to aid in adjusting fertilizer applications. Soil testing is performed not only to improve plant growth, but also to reduce over-application......
]]> Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:20:54 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9292&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9292 Alternate bearing is typically initiated by adverse climate. Once initiated, in the absence of additional environmental constraints affecting crop load, the bearing status of an orchard alternates between ON and OFF years, with ON years exhibiting less vegetative growth than OFF years. This biennial cycle, however, can be reset by adverse environmental conditions affecting bloom and fruit set. Adverse conditions 8-10 weeks prior to bloom may cause abortion of female flower parts, resulting in......
]]> Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:15:02 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9257&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9257 In a recent citrus meeting in San Diego County we asked how many growers were using soil moisture monitoring equipment to help schedule their irrigations. Only 3 people out of 40 indicated that they were using some sort of equipment to monitor soil moisture. We didn’t ask how many were using California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) to figure out how much water their trees were using on a daily basis, but we imagine that we might have had even a worse response.......
]]> Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:14:06 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9291&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9291 South African plant pathologists were the first to show that root rot in avocado could be controlled by trunk injection with both phosphorous acid and the patented material Aliette®. Aliette was briefly registered in California in the late 1980’s, but theregistrant soon lost interest in pursuing a full pesticide registration when it became apparent that other researchers believed phosphorous acid could be registered as a fertilizer - a process much less costly and simpler than a......
]]> Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:03:47 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9290&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9290 Growers are faced with an ever-changing list of commercial “tools”, each with the promise of providing some advantage to the farmer. Frequently, these are new fertilizer mixes presented as proprietary cocktails promoted and dispensed with promises of a multitude of profitable (yet improbable) benefits to the buyer. With the large number of new products available, and the number of salespeople promoting them, it is often difficult for growers to distinguish between products likely......
]]> Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:25:18 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9288&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9288 Alternate or biennial bearing is a phenomenon where fruit production alternates between large crops consisting of smaller, lower value fruit during an "ON" year and smaller crops consisting of larger, higher value fruit during an "OFF" year. Alternate bearing is not unique to olive, but also affects other perennial California crops including (but not limited to) pecan, pistachio, apple, avocado and citrus, especially mandarins. The large swings in biennial fruit production impact the overall......
]]> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:41:17 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9254&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9254 Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:38:56 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9253&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9253 Avocado Trunk Cankers This has been a low rainfall year, and often with the low rainfall, cankers will seem to suddenly appear on the woody parts of the tree. There are a number of causes for the white exudate from cankers on the trunk and limbs of avocado. Any wound will cause the tree sap to run and crystalize on the surface. It is a seven carbon sugar of mannoheptulose, or its alcohol form perseitol. It’s sweet. So any wound that might be caused by woodpeckers or little kids......
]]> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:38:33 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7920&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7920 For the last few years citrus growers in the San Joaquin Valley have been nervously watching the establishment of Asian citrus psyllid in southern California and bracing themselves for the day of northward movement. That day arrived in November 2012 when two psyllids (Strathmore 16 Nov. and Terra Bella 21 Nov.) were caught on yellow sticky card traps, in addition to a third capture back in January 2012. These captures have now resulted in restrictions on the movement of citrus in the heart of......
]]> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:38:07 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9252&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9252 SKIP TO CONTENT PRINT About the Year-Round IPM Programs The video tour Guided tour of the year-round IPM programs for field, orchard, and vineyard crops. (Detailed outlinewith links to examples) Introduction (3 min) Prevention (3 min) Pest identification (4.5 min) Monitoring (5 min) Management decisions (6 min) Management methods (6.5 min) Environmental concerns and summary (8 min) Almond Guided video tour on how to manage pests using the Almondyear-round......
]]> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:15:17 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9251&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9251 Asian Citrus Psyllid and Huanglongbing Trying to stay abreast of the insect and disease it carries to citrus? The Ventura County Farm Bureau and Ventura County ACP-HLB Taks Force have put together links and a Facebook page that have all the latest breaking news concerning this threat to California's citrus industry and to the iconic backyard tree. This is one of the best ways to find out more about this pest/disease complex and how this threat is being addressed....
]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2012 10:52:32 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8315&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed crijohnson@ucanr.edu(Cris Johnson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8315 Lime-induced Iron Chlorosis: a nutritional challenge in the culture of several subtropical perennial crops in California Elizabeth Fichtner, UCCE Tulare County and Rachel Elkins, UCCE Lake and Mendocino Counties Although iron (Fe) is the 4th most abundant element in the lithosphere, Fe deficiency is among the most common plant micronutrient deficiencies. Fe deficiency in plants is common in calcareous soils, waterlogged soils, sandy soils low in total Fe, and in peat and muck soils where......
]]> Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:50:23 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8152&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8152 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 06:51:58 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8066&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8066 Avocado Trunk Cankers This has been a low rainfall year, and often with the low rainfall, cankers will seem to suddenly appear on the woody parts of the tree. There are a number of causes for the white exudate from cankers on the trunk and limbs of avocado. Any wound will cause the tree sap to run and crystalize on the surface. It is a seven carbon sugar of mannoheptulose, or its alcohol form perseitol. It’s sweet. So any wound that might be caused by woodpeckers or little kids......
]]> Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:45:30 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8000&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8000 Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:25:02 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7957&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bhanson@ucdavis.edu(Brad Hanson) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7957 Thick, waxy coating on avocado leaves makes foliar nutrients difficult to abosorb. LTTLE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE USE OF FOLIAR APPLIED NUTRIENTS IN AVOCADOSimon Newett, Extension Horticulturist.Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Maroochy Research Station, Mayers Road, Nambour 4560, Queensland, Australia. Previously published in: Talking Avocados (published by Avocados Australia Ltd), 11(2), 24-27. Introduction Foliar fertiliser application is sometimes promoted as an effective......
]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:32:10 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7889&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7889 Lettuce harvest Cal/OSHA HEAT ADVISORY When employees work in hot conditions, employers must take special precautions in order to prevent heat illness. Heat illness can progress to heat stroke and be fatal, especially when emergency treatment is delayed. An effective approach to heat illness is vital to protecting the lives of California workers. California law requires employers to identify and evaluate workplace hazards and take the steps necessary to address them. The risk of heat......
]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:14:20 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7887&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7887 Standing water can lead to asphyxiation ASPHYXIATION Asphyxiation is a physiological problem that may affect certain branches, whole limbs or the entire tree. Leaves wilt and may fall, the fruit withers and drops and the branches die back to a greater or lesser extent. The condition develops so rapidly that it may be regarded as a form of collapse. Usually, the larger stems and branches remain alive, and after a time, vigorous new growth is put out so that the tree tends to......
]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:25:50 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7873&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7873 Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:23:49 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7803&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed nvoconnell@ucanr.edu(Neil O'Connell) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7803 European earwig Wrap removed - whitewashed Tree Wraps Author - Neil O’Connell Installing tree wraps on young trees provides protection to the trunk from applications of herbicides during weed management operations. Additionally, the wraps minimize light interception by trunk tissue thereby reducing sucker growth. During hot weather tree wraps provide shade to the trunk and reduce the incidence of sunburn. With the increasing incidence of earwigs, damage to young trees and the......
]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:17:52 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7871&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bafaber@ucanr.edu(Ben Faber) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7871 In both avocado and citrus there can be a rapid collapse of tissue brought on by a host of related fungi. The pathogen was once lumped as Dothiorella, but lately University of California extension plant pathologist Akif Eskalen has been able to tweeze out more species which mainly belong to the Botryosphaeria genus. The collapse can be quite rapid, so fast that the leaves continue to hang on to the tree. This disease is more common in years of low rainfall, where inadequate water is being......
]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:20:30 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7738&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7738 Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:11:59 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7737&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7737 Dry root rot has been a problem in citrus orchards for many years. Although generally a problem in coastal and northern California counties it has been reported in other citrus producing areas of the state. When present it generally occurs as a chronic problem affecting only a few trees in the orchard. Trees may be invaded at any time from planting to maturity; frequently mature, good producing trees are invaded. Once infection has occurred, it may be several years before any symptoms are......
]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 14:35:25 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7511&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7511 The UC Riverside Citrus Variety Improvement Program (CVIP), the forerunner of the Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP), began indexing candidate varieties in 1958. At that time, the full range of indicator plants that is utilized today was not known. In the early 1960s, the usefulness of ‘Dweet’ tangor as an indicator for Citrus Concave Gum Virus as well as other psorosis-like viruses was demonstrated. Consequently, starting in 1963 over 150 varieties not previously indexed on......
]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 12:51:57 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7112&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7112 Trying to stay abreast of the insect and disease it carries to citrus? The Ventura County Farm Bureau and Ventura County ACP-HLB Task Force have put together links and a Facebook page that have all the latest breaking news concerning the threat to California’s citrus industry and to the iconic backyard tree. This is one of the best ways to find out how this pest/disease complex is being dealt with....
]]> Tue, 01 May 2012 09:31:35 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7388&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7388 While the Asian citrus psyllid/HLB pest-disease complex has received a lot of press lately, another deadly pest-disease combination has been found in Los Angeles County. Tea Shot Hole Borer (Euwallacea fornicatus) is a vector for the Fusarium fungus. A native from Asia, this beetle is very small. Females are between 1.8 to 2.5mm (0.07-0.1 inch) long. Males are even smaller at 1.5mm (0.05 inch). In addition to avocado trees, this insect is a serious pest of tea in Sri Lanka and India. In......
]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:03:52 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7288&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7288 Research to fight Huanglongbing (HLB), the deadly citrus disease carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, is taking place throughout our nation and the world.  Industry-wide urgency is funding a variety of research in search of a solution. In 2010 a National Academy of Sciences panel concluded that genetic engineering “holds the greatest hope”.  A promising genetic engineering study, developed by a scientist at Texas A&M’s Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center is moving into the field......
]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:42:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7229&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7229 Water prices in San Diego County continue to increase and there is no end in sight, especially with periodic drought years and California losing some share of its Colorado River water.  It is easy to see the response from growers; water is being turned off in many of our districts leaving acres and acres of dying trees.  The water districts get nervous because there is not enough money coming in to cover their fixed costs, so they raise the price of water.  And, they raise it again. The math......
]]> Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:56:36 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7186&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed gsbender@ucdavis.edu(Gary Bender) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7186 Introduction Foliar fertiliser application is sometimes promoted as an effective means of supplying nutrients to avocado. On the market are various products being promoted as foliar nutrients for avocado, some proponents even suggest that their products do away with the need for soil applied nutrients. This article briefly reviews the literature relating to foliar feeding of avocado and examines the anatomy of the avocado leaf and flower in relation to nutrient uptake. The avocado leaf The......
]]> Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:03:26 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7009&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7009 Since 1910, the Citrus Variety Collection has been a resource for research, citrus breeding and educational extension activities initially for the UC Citrus Experiment Station and now for the expanded College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside. As one of the most diverse collections of citrus varieties and related types in the world, this collection currently has three locations, the central collection is at UC Riverside and two smaller collections of citrus relatives are at......
]]> Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:27:06 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7008&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7008 This little mnemonic, or memory aid, in the title is helpful in remembering the critical levels of toxic constituents in irrigation water. The “one” stands for 1 part per million (ppm) of boron (B), the “one hundred” flags 100 ppm of sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) and the “one thousand” represents the level of total soluble solids (TDS or salts) in water. Levels exceeding the critical values for any of these constituents can present problems for tree growers.......
]]> Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:05:35 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6807&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6807 Biological control of Phytophthora cinnamomi in avocado through the use of mulches was identified by an Australian grower and later described as the "Ashburner Method" by Broadbent and Baker. The technique uses large amounts of organic matter as a mulch along with a source of calcium. Control of avocado root rot in the Ashburner method was attributed to the presence of Pseudomonas bacteria and Actinomycetes. Multiple antagonists are more likely the cause of biological control, since no single......
]]> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:24:44 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6809&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6809 Irrigation efficiency requires not only uniform irrigation, but also the proper timing and amount of applied water. It is important that the irrigator know the system water application rate, either in inches per day, inches per hour, or gallons per hour. Irrigation scheduling which determines the time and amount of water to be applied can be accomplished through a variety of methods, including measuring soil moisture, determining plant moisture status and determining evapotranspirational loss......
]]> Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:15:06 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6806&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6806 The wildfires in San Diego and Ventura Counties during the fall of 2003 were certainly devastating to many avocado groves adjacent to burning native chaparral. Many of the avocado trees were singed in the canopy without extensive damage to the large scaffold branches; these trees will re-grow new foliage with some relatively minor pruning to clear out smaller dead branches. However, other groves have had extensive damage, complete with charring of the bark in the trunk and boiling of the sap......
]]> Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:51:42 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6805&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6805 The best key to unlock efficient irrigation practice is to know exactly how much water your crop uses and replace it in a timely fashion that matches your irrigation system capacity and avoids crop stress and water logging. We have good “normal year” estimates of citrus water use (evapotranspiration, ET) for the San Joaquin Valley, but as any grower knows very few blocks are “normal”. The Frost Nucellar on the Cajon loamy sand and fanjets in Edison doesn’t behave the same as Fukumoto navel......
]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:03:57 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6808&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6808 Vertebrate pests that have caused damage to citrus trees include rodents and small mammals, large mammals, and birds. Citrus orchards provide food and shelter for a number of these pests, and damage may be severe if the pest resides in the orchard. Damage can occur to the fruit such as rat chewing or bird droppings. Bark damage and tree death can occur from rodents and larger mammals. Damage to irrigation systems such as chewing on hoses can easily be the most expensive damage. The goals of a......
]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:40:22 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6803&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6803 The three things which seem to be unavoidable during life in the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley are death, taxes, and a considerable price premium in the marketplace for having the earliest of the early citrus for sale. The most robust early market in the San Joaquin Valley of California is for navel orange, however, early lemons and mandarins also reap price benefits. The early citrus market for a given variety may only last for a few weeks or even days. For navels, the early market......
]]> Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:42:21 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6595&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6595 There are many changes going on in the citrus industry and one opportunity is the conversion of an orchard to another variety of citrus. If this is a consideration, then the question becomes one of whether the orchard should be topworked or replanted with new nursery trees. If the trees are healthy and under 20 years of age (it is possible to topwork older trees) and the new scion is compatible with the interstock or rootstock, then topworking can come into production sooner than a new replant.......
]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:56:51 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6673&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6673 Deficit irrigation research by Dr.David Goldhamer has yielded some interesting results in navel oranges. In the original trial on mature, vigorous Frost Nucellar navels on a sandy loam soil, applied water was reduced by varying amounts and at different times during the irrigation season depending upon the treatment imposed. Regulated deficit irrigation is applying a fixed % less than the full water requirement of the tree during a specific period in the irrigation season. The fully irrigated......
]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:53:20 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6672&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6672 The light 2011 olive crop may result in a heavy crop load in 2012. With the prospect of a heavy crop load, it may be wise to consider thinning to reduce fruit quantity and increase fruit size. Management of fruit size may be achieved by pruning and/or chemical thinning. Why thin your olives? Larger fruit. Overloaded trees bear small, unprofitable fruit. If a crop is thinned during the fruit’s early growing period, the remaining fruit will grow larger. The larger fruit command a higher price......
]]> Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:32:01 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6594&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6594 Introduction Dry Root Rot has menaced growers in Ventura County for many years. In the ‘50's and ‘60's it seemed most prevalent on older orange trees. A few years after the wet winter of 1968-69, dry root rot became an increasing problem among citrus trees of all ages. At that time, most of the damaged trees were on sweet rootstock (susceptible to Phytophthora), and growing in fine-textured soils or soils with poor drainage. A few years after another wet winter/spring (of 1983), dry root rot......
]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:54:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6587&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6587 The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) made its way to California through the Spanish missions in the late seventeenth century. In its native ranges of North Africa and the Middle East, the date provided food, fiber and shelter. As commercial date production established in the interior valleys of California and Arizona, growers sought out new varieties. Introductions of varieties from Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq between 1890 and 1922, laid the foundations of the modern California date......
]]> Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:19:32 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6586&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6586 This is the story of a remarkable avocado rootstock trial that was set up in 2004, lost to the freeze of January 2007, recovered (mostly) and had its first harvest in spring of 2010. But the real story is how some of the rootstocks bore at a really high rate with water that was so saline that almost killed most of our California rootstocks. As part of Crowley and Arpaia's salinity rootstock trial, in cooperation with farm advisors and several growers, and funded by the California Avocado......
]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:32:19 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6584&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6584 Recently a six-year old W. Murcott orchard was evaluated for causes of tree  decline. A high percentage of the trees exhibited damage to the bark of the tree generally from the soil line up 6-8 inches. (Fig.2) In some instances the tree had been almost totally girdled. On close inspection of the trunk, an open hole 4-5 inches in diameter was found at the base of the tree. (Fig.3) Meadow Mice (Voles) can produce serious damage in a citrus orchard resulting in partial or complete girdling of......
]]> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:57:04 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6580&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed nvoconnell@ucanr.edu(Neil O'Connell) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6580 Agricultural spray adjuvants are materials added to the spray tank when loading the sprayer. They include products classified as activator adjuvants and marketed as wetters/spreaders, stickers, humectants, and/or penetrators. Activator adjuvants are marketed to improve the performance of pesticides and foliar fertilizers. Activator adjuvants can have a place in tree (and vine) crop sprays, but matching the material to the job can be tricky. A bad match can lead to minor or major losses to the......
]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:11:42 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6408&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucanr.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6408 UC Riverside Citrus Day Thursday, January 26, 2012 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. UCR Agricultural Operations, Riverside, California Parking at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Canyon Crest Drive (Parking Lot 30) Please join us for a Citrus field day designed for citrus growers, citrus industryrepresentatives, as well as the general public. Pending approval, we will beoffering 2 hours of California Continuing Education Credit for Pest ControlAdvisers (PCA). Presentations, field tours and topics of......
]]> Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:02:30 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6497&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed peggy.mauk@ucr.edu(Peggy Mauk) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6497 We’d like to challenge you to take the following quiz.  Take a minute to place a check mark next to all the practices you regularly employ in your operation.  Go ahead – we won’t be collecting them!   Part 1 Yes/ No I know what the nitrogen requirements (lbs actual N/acre/year or /tree/year) are for my crops Yes/ No I know what the nitrogen levels are in soil amendments I use in my operation (compost, manure, crop residues, etc.) Yes/ No I have lab analysis of my well/irrigation......
]]> Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:21:22 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6460&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6460 Introduction In numerous publications world-wide, planting hole recommendations for avocado and other subtropical crops are made for large holes from 2 feet by 2 by 2 to as much as a cubic yard.  These recommendations also include incorporation of manures or composts comprising 25% by volume with the native soil.  I have noted the use of large holes and amendments in several countries, including New Zealand, Guatemala, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States. The various reasons......
]]> Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:50:18 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6458&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6458 University of California (UC) researchers and private industry consultants have invested much effort in correlating optimal citrus tree growth, fruit quality and yield to concentrations of necessary plant nutrients in citrus (especially orange) leaf tissue. The grower can remove much of the guesswork of fertilization by adhering to UC recommendations of critical levels of nutrients in the tissues of appropriately sampled leaves.  Optimal values for elements important in plant nutrition are......
]]> Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:19:32 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6432&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6432 In recent years, several organic herbicide products have appeared on the market. These include Weed Pharm (20% ace c acid), C Cide (5% citric acid), GreenMatch (55% d limonene), Matratec (50% clove oil), WeedZap (45% clove oil + 45% cinnamon oil), and GreenMatch EX (50% lemongrass oil), among others. These products are all contact type herbicides and will damage any green vegeta on they contact, though they are safe as directed sprays against woody stems and trunks. These herbicides kill......
]]> Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:17:50 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6372&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6372 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:58:47 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6369&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Chris Webb http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6369 Go directly to resources. A question from San Diego County – “Should I pull out my avocados and plant wine grapes?” A question from San Luis Obispo County – “Should I pull out my wine grapes and plant avocados?”  Maybe these growers can consider a swap! It’s more likely that they need to research the resources needed to grow each of these crops and the market history and potential for the product. Locating information on resource needs and markets for new crop enterprises can be......
]]> Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:21:16 PST http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6167&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed mlbianchi@ucdavis.edu(Mary Bianchi) http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6167