Topics in Subtropics

Gary Bender has made his manual on avocado production available on his website. And it's free. Take a look at it to see if you might be missing something in your orchard: http://ucanr.

In coastal lemons, there has been a major increase of broad mite and the damage it causes on fruit and leaves this year. Broad mites are often found in depressions on fruit where the females lay their eggs, which are dimpled, translucent, and covered in white speckles.

The polyphagous shothole borers (Euwallacea sp.) that spreads fungal diseases (Fusarium sp. and possibly Graphium sp.) to susceptible trees in Los Angeles County have now been found in mid and northern Orange County and western San Bernardino County.

This is an update on our recent findings on PSHB/Fusarium dieback. As of October 4, 2013, PSHB/Fusarium dieback was detected in Glendora in northern Los Angeles county and Laguna Niguel in southern Orange County.

This just in from Cal Recycle pertaining to the movement of green waste in Southern California. Now with Asian Citrus Psyllid so widespread in that area and the spread of Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer, it is a good idea to consider carefully the source of green waste used for mulching.