Can an increasing Chinese appetite for U.S. grown pistachios help overcome trade barriers? Possibly, but watch this brief interview with American Pistachio Growers’ in-country trade representative Roger Zhang as he shares pistachio consumer trends in China. Read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is increasing the amount of funding available for the Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program (SMHPP) and expects to issue approximately $62.8 million in pandemic assistance payments to hog producers starting this week. SMHPP assists eligible producers who sold hogs through a spot market sale from April 16, 2020, through Sept. 1, 2020. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) accepted SMHPP applications through April 29, 2022.
“In order to provide more targeted support to hog producers affected by the pandemic, FSA was able to increase funding for SMHPP to provide full payments to producers instead of applying a payment factor,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “We are pleased to be able to provide more equitable opportunities for hog producers who were hard-hit by the pandemic.”
SMHPP Payments
SMHPP payments will be calculated by multiplying the number of head of eligible hogs, not to exceed 10,000 head, by the payment rate of $54 per head.
FSA originally planned to apply a payment factor if calculated payments exceeded the allocated $50 million in pandemic assistance funds for SMHPP. Payments are not expected to be factored due to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s decision to increase funding enabling producers to receive 100% of the calculated SMHPP payment.
There is no per person or legal entity payment limitation on SMHPP payments.
SMHPP Background
USDA offered SMHPP in response to a reduction in packer production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in fewer negotiated hogs being procured and subsequent lower market prices. The program is part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative and addresses gaps in previous assistance for hog producers.
The California Table Grape Commission bolstered its global marketing focus with the promotion of Alyson Dias to the new position of Chief Marketing Officer.
Dias is responsible for leading the development of an integrated, strategic, global marketing campaign targeting consumers and the trade in the U.S and export markets to motivate purchase of California table grapes. Her responsibilities include stewardship of the Grapes from California brand, directing consumer and trade research, and strategic campaign development to motivate movement of grapes to the marketplace and motivate purchase by shoppers.
“Alyson is now responsible for overseeing the global marketing program which includes domestic and export markets and the leading of a larger marketing team,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the commission. “The success of such a vital and extensive marketing campaign calls for a dedicated individual to lead the effort; Alyson’s comprehensive background, and her keen and thoughtful attitude make her ideal for the role of CMO,” said Nave.
In addition to Dias stepping into her new role, Rachel Coelho and Nick Nakashian of the commission will fill two new positions within the established domestic and export marketing team, now led by Dias. Serving as Assistant Director of Marketing, Social Media and Influencers, Coelho develops and shares commission content and messaging on all commission social media platforms as well as manages social media influencer and retailer-tagged radio programs. Serving as the Assistant Director of Marketing, Content Development and Analysis, Nakashian is responsible for analyzing consumer response to commission messaging and using the learnings to shape content development in key communication areas.
“Being able to bring all of the marketing elements under one umbrella is an important step forward to ensure the impactful delivery of key commission messaging around the globe,” Nave said.
The Olive Oil Commission of California (OOCC) recently held an election to allow California olive oil producers to select representatives to its Board of Directors. Election results were announced at the June 6 Board meeting with Larry Maben, Maben Family LLC, voted in to represent olive oil growers from District 1. Jim Lipman, California Olive Ranch, was selected as the alternate Board member from this same district, which encompasses the counties of Butte, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity.
Samantha Dorsey, McEvoy of Marin, was re-elected to serve as the Board member representing growers in District 2, while Matt Lohse, Big W Ranch, was elected to serve as the alternate Board member from this District which includes the counties of Amador, Colusa, El Dorado, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba.
In District 3, Jeff Colombini, Lodi Farming, was elected to represent growers on the OOCC Board with Richard Marchini serving as the alternate. The Board also voted to appoint Dan Devico, Pomeian, to fill a vacant position as the alternate to Frank Olagaray, Blossom Farms, who is also a Board member representing growers in District 3. District 3 encompasses the remaining olive oil producing counties of Alameda, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Orange, Riverside,
San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Ventura.
With respect to members of the Board representing olive oil handlers, Ciriaco Chavez of Boundary Bend Olives was re-elected to serve as the Handler Member for District 2. The alternate positions for handlers in both District 1 and District 2 are currently vacant. Any handler interested in serving in these positions should contact the OOCC.
A complete list of OOCC Board members and alternates can be found on the OOCC website here.
Smart growth and investment in California downtowns and main streets must occur now to secure the land that grows our food, according to American Farmland Trust’s new report Farms Under Threat 2040: Choosing an Abundant Future and the accompanying web mapping tool.
AFT’s Farms Under Threat research has shown that if current trends continue, by 2040 as many as 797,358 acres of California farmland may be paved over, fragmented, or compromised. That is the equivalent of losing 6,044 farms, $1 billion in farm output and 13,029 jobs based on county averages. Sixty-seven percent of the conversion will occur on the state’s best land. California is the number one state in the nation projected to convert farmland to urban highly dense land. Additionally, by 2040, 298,494 acres of agricultural land will be affected by rising seas, due to climate change. These losses will disproportionately impact the state’s most productive, versatile land, threaten the future for small and peri-urban farms and limit opportunities for new and beginning farmers.
By choosing FUT’s Better Built Cities scenario instead of Runaway Sprawl, Californians can save 413,200 acres of farmland and ranchland. That is the equivalent of saving 2,805 farms, $545 million in farm output, and 7,124 jobs.
Three of the top twenty counties nationally in farmland acreage loss are in California, including Riverside, San Bernardino and Fresno.
In 1882, half of California’s citrus tree crop grew in Riverside, and the development of refrigerated railroad cars and innovative irrigation systems made the city one of the richest in America. Riverside now loses farmland faster than anywhere in California and Riverside County is the fastest in the state and second fastest in nation to lose farmland.
San Bernardino County is the second fastest in the state, and the #12 fastest in the nation to lose land. The overall value of agriculture in San Bernardino County totaled $420,251,000, according to the 2020 San Bernardino County Crop Production Report. This total represents an increase in value from 2019 of $36,028,000. Agriculture remains a critical component of the local economy.
Fresno County is the third fastest to lose farmland in the state, and the #17 fastest in the nation. However, this county’s farmland loss may impact the nation’s food supply the most.
According to the 2020 Fresno County Crop Report:
Fresno County is the number-one agricultural county in the nation.
It is home to 1.88 million acres of the world’s most productive farmland, with agricultural operations covering nearly half of the county’s entire land base of 3.84 million acres.
Farmers raise more than 350 different crops, contributing billions of dollars directly to the California economy and supporting 20 percent of all jobs in the Fresno area. Many of the county’s crops are not grown commercially anywhere else in the nation.
Every $1 generated on the farm produces another $3.50 in the local and regional economy.
The Central Valley of California shows why it is important to address development pressure, water scarcity and agricultural viability in an integrated way. California grows over one-third of the nation’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts, yet it also faces severe water shortages and rapid development. To reduce groundwater use to sustainable levels per California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act regulations, at least four percent (212,000 acres) of San Joaquin Valley cropland could be permanently retired, and 27 percent (1.3 million acres) could be intermittently fallowed.
AFT supports many legislative initiatives, including AB 2964, a bill that would modernize the California Farmland Conservancy Program (CFCP) by removing barriers to access for farmers and ranchers. Additionally, state funds to protect statewide at-risk farms and implementation of the Better Built Cities model are plausible solutions to California’s farmland loss crisis.
“We want to find practical solutions and approaches that California communities can use to protect its valuable agricultural land, while promoting smart growth,” said Kara Heckert, AFT Resilience Agriculture West Advisor. “The decisions our communities make now, with respect to housing density and urban growth, will be essential in ensuring we can accommodate additional population increases without compromising more farmland and open space.”
Register for the July 27, 2022, California webinar here
American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.
American Farmland Trust (AFT) expanded its national Farmers Combat Climate Change Initiative team by adding Bonnie Michelle McGill (pictured right), PhD, as Senior Climate and Soil Health Scientist and Rachel Seman-Varner (pictured left), PhD, as Senior Soil Health and Biochar Scientist.
Through its climate initiative, AFT commits to making U.S. agriculture climate neutral or better by catalyzing wide-spread adoption of diverse regenerative farming practices that rebuild soil health, sequester carbon, and reduce emissions.
“The additions of McGill and Seman-Varner will increase AFT’s capacity to advance transformational implementation and scaling of high impact opportunities. And we must act now, at scale, to avoid irreversible climate impacts to our human endeavor on this planet,” said AFT Climate Initiative Director Bianca Moebius-Clune, PhD. “Expanding the team will leverage AFT’s unique interdisciplinary and holistic approach to agriculture. It will enable us to catalyze more impact-driven research, modeling, decision support tool development and on-the-ground demonstration projects, provide training and mentor more farmers and ranchers, and advance critical policy needs at state and federal levels.”
Moebius-Clune also noted, “Farmers are at the front lines, facing droughts, floods, erratic temperatures and wildfires. A regenerative transition will be a win-win for farmers, ranchers and society at large. Agriculture has the exciting opportunity to build profitability and resilience to climate change impacts, while simultaneously contributing to solving the climate challenge. Reducing emissions and drawing carbon back down into the soil will build soil function, system stability and food security – the foundation of human life on this planet.”
As Senior Climate and Soil Health Scientist, McGill will lead climate solutions related program modeling, data analysis and other research efforts, with the aim to advance climate smart practice adoption and support policy advocacy and communications.
McGill previously served as a Science Communication Fellow at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Anthropocene Studies Section for the Climate and Rural Systems Partnership, where she co-produced local climate data analyses and communication resources with rural network members, including farmers, in western Pennsylvania. McGill earned a PhD in ecosystem ecology at Michigan State University where she studied the greenhouse gas footprint of an irrigated cropping system. She has also conducted focus groups with corn and soybean farmers in Michigan and Iowa to explore barriers to conservation and inform ecosystem modeling.
“I want to serve our land and water and their stewards, especially farmers and ranchers, and future generations by helping transition US agriculture from a net source of greenhouse gases to net removal of atmospheric carbon in ways that are equitable and inclusive,” said McGill. “My prior work has focused on conventional row crop systems as they account for a large proportion of US arable land, have some of the greatest environmental impacts, and are systems with some of the greatest opportunities to benefit and contribute to climate solutions, including making individual farms more resilient to climate and economic volatility. I cannot think of a better organization than AFT for doing relevant, cutting-edge scientific research that supports both farmers on the ground as well as policy making.”
As Senior Soil Health and Biochar Scientist, Seman-Varner will advance the science and implementation of high-level regenerative soil health management systems and provide technical support for policy advocacy. She will advance AFT’s leadership to integrate and scale up biochar and other innovative, high-potential natural climate solutions into soil health management systems.
Seman-Varner previously served at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Health Division as National Soil Health Specialist. At NRCS, Seman-Varner led the public release of the new Soil Carbon Amendment Conservation Practice Standard, developed technical assistance to support biochar and compost applications and collaborated on working groups addressing Climate-smart Agriculture, climate adaptation planning, water quantity and biodiversity. She holds a PhD from Virginia Tech with a focus on agroecology and a dissertation on cover cropping’s role in high-functioning agroecosystems.
“Complex problems need multifaceted solutions and addressing climate change will require on-the-ground approaches to increase soil carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across farms, ranches, forests and other managed lands,” said Seman-Varner. “I have a passion for building collaborative and effective partnerships across the scientific community, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, farmers, ranchers and diverse stakeholders to address the critical climate issues we face. Inclusion of diverse perspectives and stakeholders to create solution-driven teams is fundamental to developing innovative solutions to mitigate climate change and build more resilient agroecosystems.”
AFT’s Farmers Combat Climate Change Initiative seeks to bring everyone to the table – from small to large farmers and ranchers of the nation’s diverse production systems, individuals, researchers, agricultural industry leaders, policymakers, government leaders and society to take bold action to make a difference in our climate future.
American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.
Winter honey bees, compared to newly emerged summer bees, have a better ability to withstand the harmful effects of a widely-used insecticide in pest management, according to a recent study published in Apidologie.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers from the Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, found winter honey bees’ consumption of a nearly lethal, imidacloprid-laced syrup did not affect their survival during the study.
Imidacloprid is an insecticide made to mimic nicotine and is toxic to insects. This powerful insecticide is widely used in agriculture for pest management control. Honey bees are likely to encounter imidacloprid while foraging in the field or through contaminated hive products.
“Although imidacloprid toxicity to honey bees is an important concern for beekeepers, our results provide good news,” said Miguel Corona and Mohamed Alburaki, researchers at the ARS Bee Research Laboratory. “Our research shows that winter honey bees have unrecognized physiological mechanisms to counteract the effects of insecticides.”
The study assessed differences in diet behaviors for summer and winter honey bees in a controlled laboratory setting. Researchers provided sublethal doses of the imidacloprid-laced syrup to bees as necessary. Winter bees showed a preference to consuming imidacloprid-laced syrup over untreated sugar syrup while summer honey bees made the safe choice and avoided consuming the laced syrup each time.
According to Corona, it is important to study the differences of summer and winter honey bees’ diets. Honey bee colonies survive extreme seasonal differences in temperature and forage by producing two seasonal phenotypes of workers: summer and winter bees. These seasonal phenotypes differ significantly in their psychological characteristics as well as their susceptibility to disease and ability to handle poisonous substances.
“Winter bees and summer bees undergo physiological changes to cope with drastic seasonal changes in temperature and the availability of nutritional resources,” said Corona and Alburaki. “Our results suggest that long-lived winter bees are especially well-adapted to tolerate higher levels of chemical stressors.”
Corona said that although the study’s results show that winter bees could tolerate more intoxication by imidacloprid, they are still susceptible to higher concentrations of this insecticide in field settings. — By the USDA-ARS
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) today opened the application period for the 2023 Alliance and Research Grants cycle, offering $4.65 million in potential funding to accelerate the transition to safer, more sustainable pest management in agricultural, urban and wildland settings.
“California is a leader in the development of more sustainable pest management,” said DPR Director Julie Henderson. “DPR-funded grant projects are critical to identifying and fostering new methods and tools to reduce reliance on pesticides and their impact on human health and the environment.”
The increased funding for the 2023 Alliance and Research Grants, provided for in the 2021-2022 state budget, supports the state’s goal to accelerate and increase the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in agricultural, urban, and wildland settings. IPM is an innovative approach to pest management that uses the least-toxic, most effective method to solve pest problems.
Over the last 20 years, the department has invested more than $22 million to fund 92 projects within the Research and Alliance Grant programs. Last year’s DPR Grants Programs cycle represented the first year of increased funding allocated by the state budget. The department awarded $3.75 million in Research Grants to fund 10 research projects that explore IPM tools for urban, non-agricultural and agricultural pest management. DPR expects to award an additional $1.8 million in Alliance Grants funding later this month.
The 2023 Research Grants Program will award grants for projects up to two and a half years in length that develop pest management tools and practices to reduce the use of high-risk pesticides or decrease the impacts of pest management chemicals on public health and the environment. Project budgets may range from $50,000 to $3.15 million. Research Grant applications will be accepted through Thursday, September 22, 2022.
Highlights from past Research Grants projects include:
The 2023 Alliance Grants Program will award grants for projects up to two and a half years in length that promote or increase the implementation, expansion and/or adoption of effective, proven and affordable IPM systems or practices. Project budgets may range from $50,000 to $1.5 million. Alliance Grant applications will be accepted through Thursday, December 8, 2022.
Highlights from past Alliance Grants projects include:
For more information on the Alliance Grants and Research Grants Programs, including how to join our virtual information sessions aimed at providing grant applicants with additional information and answering questions on how to apply, please visit our department’s website.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF PESTICIDE REGULATION
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation protects human health and the environment by fostering safer and sustainable pest management practices and operating a robust regulatory system to evaluate and register pesticides and monitor and regulate their sale and use across the state.
DPR’s work includes conducting scientific evaluations of pesticides to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health and the environment prior to and following registration, registering all pesticides prior to sale or use in California, monitoring for pesticides in the air and water, and enforcing pesticide laws and regulations in coordination with 55 County Agricultural Commissioners and their combined 400 field inspectors across the state’s 58 counties. DPR invests in innovative research, outreach, and education to encourage the development and adoption of integrated pest management tools and practices and conducts outreach to ensure pesticide workers, farmworkers and local communities have access to pesticide safety information.
Western Growers will honor California agricultural icon John Harris with the 2022 Award of Honor. The Award of Honor is Western Growers’ highest recognition of achievement and is given to individuals who have contributed extensively to the agricultural community.
With more than 50 years’ experience in ranching, farming, hospitality and thoroughbred horse racing, Harris embodies the diversity of California agribusiness. The Harris Farms Group includes Harris Fresh and the Harris Farms Thoroughbred Division, in addition to the landmark property known to all Californians on the I-5.
“Like his iconic Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant, which stands as an oasis alongside a remote stretch of road, John is a pillar in California agriculture and the broader Western fresh produce industry,” said Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia. “It is safe to say that no one in this industry is more recognized and admired, and not just among his peers but also by community and political leaders throughout California. John’s vision can be seen in all his enterprises, from his ranching and farming businesses to his championship horse racing operations. Beyond his business endeavors, John is a powerful voice for farmers in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., and has dedicated his life’s work to the advancement of California agriculture and the rural communities our industry supports. John is most deserving of the Western Growers Award of Honor and we are excited to present him with our highest recognition at our Annual Meeting in November.”
“I was very flattered to be recognized by my peers,” Harris said of being named the recipient of the Award of Honor for 2022. “I was pleased and proud that they felt like I deserved it.”
Harris was born to a farm family whose operations in California extend back more than a century. He graduated with a degree in agricultural production from the University of California, Davis and then served two years in the U.S. Army. Besides his tenure as CEO and sole shareholder of Harris Farms and his 11 years on the Western Growers Board of Directors, Harris served five terms as president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association. The Harris Farms Thoroughbred Division produced California Chrome, the winner of the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
“I’ve been involved with John not only in horses, but in many agricultural enterprises,” said Don Valpredo, President of Donald Valpredo Farming and horse racing legend. “He’s a tireless worker – he uncovers every stone…he’s about as involved and as fair in everything that he does of anyone I’ve ever been involved with.”
The Award of Honor will join numerous other significant awards Harris has received; in 1988 he was named Livestock Man of the Year by his peers in the ranching industry, and in 2014 he received the Agriculturalist of the Year award from the Fresno Chamber of Commerce. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the California State University at Fresno in 2019.
Harris’ achievements will be celebrated at the Award of Honor Dinner Gala at the Western Growers 2022 Annual Meeting at the Venetian Resort Hotel in Las Vegas. The 2022 Annual Meeting will be held from Nov. 2-5, 2022. For more information about registration or to take advantage of sponsorship opportunities, please contact Assistant Vice President, Membership Kim Sherman at ksherman@wga.com.
About Western Growers:
Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Western Growers’ members and their workers provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including half of America’s fresh organic produce. Connect and learn more about Western Growers on Twitter and Facebook.
Hullsplit is a time when growers’ various orchard practices – proper irrigation, nutrient management, pest control and orchard monitoring – come together in an effort to maximize almond quality and yield. To assist during this busy season, we’ve pulled together a list of the top five things you should consider before hullsplit.
1. Measuring Hullsplit Progress
Proper detection is the first step in effectively managing the potential for myriad pest and rot issues that may occur following hullsplit.
Hullsplit typically begins in early July, starting in the early growing regions and spreading to later growing regions accordingly. The splitting of blank nuts (as much as 3–5% of the almonds) will occur about a week ahead of hullsplit and serve as a “heads up” that split will soon occur.
Tip: A key to identifying hullsplit is to look for an initial split in the upper and outer portions of the canopy, particularly the southwest quadrant. Once the fruit splits, hullsplit has begun.
The most effective time to spray for NOW is during its second flight, which often coincides with the initiation of hullsplit. As a confirmation that flight activity is coincident with the beginning of hullsplit, check to see that eggs are being laid on egg or pheromone traps (note: mating disruption may affect trapping). Then, when spraying, make your application no later than at 1% hullsplit. Find out more about mating disruption for NOW.
If your orchard experiences high NOW populations, a second insecticide application may be needed two-to-three weeks after the initiation of hullsplit, and a rotating of chemistries is advised to reduce resistance development pressure. As noted in the University of California (UC) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guidelines, be sure to consider the following before conducting a second application:
varieties in the orchard, particularly late harvested varieties
anticipated harvest dates
pest pressure noted from egg and pheromone traps
overwintering mummy load
proximity to an external NOW source, such as neighboring pistachio or almond orchards managed by a different entity
As indicated in the UC IPM guidelines, Intrepid (methoxyfenozide) and Altacor (chlorantraniliprole), are preferred materials for hullsplit sprays. Pyrethriods have been used in the past, but their use should be considered with caution as NOW resistance to these materials has emerged, and pyrethriods are toxic to beneficials. If pyrethroids are used, they should be applied only be once per season. It’s imperative that you also make sure your sprayer(s) are well calibrated to improve spray efficacy and minimize drift.
Almond hulls are susceptible to several hull rot fungi from the beginning of hullsplit until the hulls dry, typically a month-long period of time. This period may vary, however, depending on fertilization and irrigation. Successful hull rot control is based upon effective strategic deficit irrigation and nitrogen management.
Strategic Deficit Irrigation (SDI)
SDI, also known as regulated deficit irrigation or RDI, is the practice of mildly drought-stressing almond trees at hullsplit. By managing SDI, growers can reduce hull rot by 60–90% and experience a more uniform hullsplit and timely harvest. These factors may contribute to less crop damage from weather and late-season NOW flights, leading to less aflatoxin contamination, as well. What’s more, SDI reduces water use for 2-3 weeks without impacting crop productivity.
The target period of when growers should stress trees is from the start of hullsplit through 90% hullsplit, a period of about three weeks. The most accurate way to practice SDI is to use a pressure chamber to track and maintain slight tree water stress levels, between -14 bars and -18 bars, depending on the weather. Information about the pressure chamber is available on the UC Davis Fruit and Nut Research and Information webpage.
Growers who do not rely on pressure chambers, particularly those with a history of hull rot and a visual baseline from which plant stress can be observed, may achieve similar results by irrigating at 50% of normal tree demand, using crop evapotranspiration (ETc) calculations during hullsplit.
The onset of hullsplit will vary according to orchard conditions; stress levels vary with soil type and other factors. In shallow soils where trees may dry quickly, growers should initiate stress when blanks start to split, usually about a week before the onset of hullsplit. On deeper, well-drained soils, it can take up to 20-to-30 days to reach mild-to-moderate stress levels. In this case, growers may want to reference UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 8515 to determine when to initiate water stress.
Nitrogen Management
Almond Board-funded research has found that excessive nitrogen increases incidences of hull rot. It is critical that a proper nitrogen budgeting plan, which is a function of crop load, is in place for the growing season to ensure that only the necessary amount of nitrogen is applied. Growers should also follow their nitrogen budgeting plans throughout the whole season and update their plans as actual yields become more evident. Regular updating will also allow growers to focus their nitrogen applications to the key times of nitrogen demand in almonds: For instance, application(s) during kernel fill should typically occur the during end of May through early June.
You can find more information on nitrogen budgeting and management at Almonds.com/Nutrients.
Recently approved for use in almond orchards, the Aspergillus flavus biocontrol agent AF36 Prevail offers a supplementary approach to reducing aflatoxin contamination in the orchard.
If you plan to apply AF36 Prevail this season, plan to do so around early July and make the application on or close to the berms so that following irrigations can wet the Aspergillus-carrying seed. Learn more about AF36 Prevail and how it should be applied in this article from the Almond Board: “AF36, Biocontrol Agent for Aflatoxins, Now Approved for Almonds.”
Growers should keep in mind that a third-generation NOW flight poses one of the greatest threats to the orchard around harvest time, so almonds should be harvested as soon as possible. Timely harvest is when there is 95–100% hullsplit at eye level in the canopy and will avoid NOW infestations and subsequent aflatoxin contamination. Early-harvested varieties, such as Nonpareil, are much less likely to attract egg laying once they’re on the ground, reducing the risk to later harvest varieties remaining in the trees.
Click here to learn more about NOW control and management strategies. More details on SDI and other irrigation best practices may be found in the Almond Board’s Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum. You can download a free copy of the Continuum at Almonds.com/Irrigation. — By the Almond Board of California