Kern

June 17, 2013 CONTACT: Jeannette Warnert, (559) 240-9850, jwarnert@ucanr.

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.

To maximize profits in the early navel orange market, growers need to have large fruit size and sufficient yellow-orange color and a high enough sugar-acid ratio to meet or exceed the legal minimum harvesting standards.

What a match--honey bees and pomegranate blossoms. Watching the golden bees forage amid the brilliant red blossoms in the late afternoon is a delight to see, especially when the sun backlights them. The ancient fruit, native to Iran, is one of the world's first cultivated fruits.

The timeworn water tower that stands in front of the Giacomazzi Dairy in Kings County is a hallmark of the farms endurance. It proclaims, Since 1893.

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.

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.

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.

In 1985, H. Schneider and J. Pehrson published an article documenting a decline of Frost Nucellar navel oranges on a number of trifoliate rootstocks (H. Schneider and J.E. Pehrson, Jr. 1985. Decline of navel orange trees with trifoliate rootstocks. California Agriculture. Sept. Oct. 1985 p.

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.