Nut, Olive and Prune Programmatic News

The first step in assessing the cause of canopy chlorosis and decline in an orchard is mapping the distribution of the symptoms. If a pattern of chlorosis is similar across irrigation lines, then the cause of the problem may be related to over- or under-watering.

Over the past decade, combined nut acreage in Tulare and Kings Counties has more than doubled, resulting in an expansion of the labor force needed to harvest the >250,000 acres of nuts locally.

It is not often that we observe cankers caused by Phytophthora on pistachio in CA; however, the unique situation observed on a recent farm call is worth recounting.

Evaluation of flowering and fruit set on almond allows for within-season assessment of orchard productivity; however, understanding the vegetative growth dynamics of almond allows growers to consider parameters affecting productivity years into the future.

The California Department of Water Resources and the University of California Cooperative Extension have teamed up to provide Weekly ET Reports to agricultural water users to assist with irrigation scheduling.