California Ag Network

Category: Pest/Disease Management

  • Research Indicates Paint Not Effective At Protecting Young Avocados From Herbicide Drift

    California Avocado Commission — While it is often common practice for fruit growers to apply white latex paint to the bottom 2 to 3 feet of young, newly planted trees in order to provide some protection from herbicide drift, researchers note there is little evidence to prove this practice is effective.

    A recent blog post by Dr. Ben Faber summarized the findings of a California field experiment conducted in 2017 that measured the impact of latex paint in preventing herbicide injury on young almond trees. The block of trees consisted of greenhouse-grown trees in cartons. Nine weeks prior to the herbicide applications, the cartons were removed for trees in the “no paint” and “old paint” sections so their bark could harden off. Two days prior to applying the herbicide, the cartons were removed for the “new paint” trees and then the trees were painted.

    According to the researchers:

    • The paint did not provide significant protection from glyphosate or glufosinate.
    • Tree stress caused by trunk-applied herbicides was lowest in trees with no paint, suggesting that allowing the bark to harden on young trees is an important means of protecting them from herbicide drift.
    • In most treatment combinations, old and new paint applications did not reduce tree stress as effectively as allowing the bark to harden on trees nine weeks prior to application.
    • The most effective means of protecting trunks was installing a carton. However, it is important to remember that once the carton is removed (as the tree matures), there may be green bark present which would be vulnerable to herbicides.

  • CA Avocado Disease Management Webinar, FEB. 16

    The California Avocado Society, California Avocado Commission and UC Cooperative Extension are hosting a free online Grower Webinar: Avocado Disease Management session on Wednesday, February 16 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

    The webinar is designed to provide growers and grove managers with information concerning management strategies for diseases that California avocado trees are prone to. The online seminar will cover:

    • Approaches to combating avocado root rot, including pesticide management
    • The availability of a new chemical to manage Phytophthora
    • Other chemical and horticultural practices related to disease management in California avocado groves

    The presenters include Dr. Ben Faber, Crops Advisor for the UC Cooperative Extension, and Dakota Camino, PCA with Syngenta.

    Online registration for the webinar is now available.

  • Spray Timing for Almond Bloom Diseases with Brent Holtz

    Beekeepers have begun delivering hives to almond orchards and the buds of all varieties are swelling and prepping for bloom. Watch this brief interview with UCCE Farm Advisor Brent Holtz as he shares some important advice with growers regarding bloom fungicide spray timing, and read his monthly Almond Tasks column in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Trece for their industry support.

  • Areawide, Coordinated ACP Treatment Participation More Important Than Ever For Citrus Growers

    Citrus Branch Infected by Citrus Disease Vector — Asian Citrus Psyllid

    As the threat of Huanglongbing (HLB) continues, industry members know that the best way to prevent HLB from infecting our groves is to limit populations of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), which spread the deadly disease. This winter, it’s critically important for California’s citrus growing operations to actively participate in local, area-wide or coordinated treatments to further boost our industry’s efforts in the fight against the ACP.

    Over the past year, ACP detections have been spiking throughout areas of the state where it has not been declared well-established, including parts of the Central Valley and Central Coast. While treatment strategies are different in various regions of the state, participation in area wide or coordinated treatments is crucial in suppressing ACP populations. When we work together by timing treatment applications, we can leverage the strongest counter punch possible by limiting the areas where psyllids find safe harbor to avoid these treatments. In the process, we can protect not only our own groves, but those of our neighbors.

    The cost to manage ACP populations is far less than what the potential costs should HLB spread into our commercial groves. One only has to turn their eyes to Florida for a crystal ball’s view into our future should we not take action. While we have successfully prevented HLB detections in California’s commercial citrus groves thus far, I encourage growers to invest in this “insurance policy” to provide the best continued protection we have against this formidable opponent.

    Florida Citrus Orchard Dying of Huanglongbing disease

    Our industry continues to make strides in the fight against HLB and the ACP, but we’re stronger when we work as a collective. It is important to connect with your local grower liaison or pest control district, or view the treatments schedules on CitrusInsider.org for details on treatments in your area, as the preferred timing of treatments will vary per region. For more information on ACP treatments and effective materials, see the University of California’s UCIPM Pest Management Guidelines for Asian Citrus Psyllid. If you suspect ACP or HLB in your grove, please notify the California Department of Food and Agriculture Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. — By Jim Gorden, Chair, Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Committee

  • HLB Quarantine Expansion Connects Boundaries in Jurupa Valley and Riverside Areas

    Effective Dec. 6, 2021, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has expanded the Huanglongbing (HLB) quarantine boundaries in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in the Jurupa Valley and Riverside areas to create one quarantine area, connecting parts of Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. A map of the boundary expansion can be found below and at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/hlb/regulation.html#maps.

    Additionally, effective Dec. 6, 2021, CDFA is expanding the Asian citrus psyllid bulk citrus quarantine zone 6 in Riverside and San Bernardino counties to reflect the HLB boundary expansion. A map of the proposed new boundaries can be found at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/citrus/pests_diseases/acp/regulation.html.

    For any questions regarding the regulations or quarantine area, please email Karina Chu at Karina.Chu@cdfa.ca.gov or call 916-274-6300.

  • Why Sonoma County Needs a Wine Grape Pest Control District

    “Napa County has a Wine Grape Pest Control District, why not other critical wine growing regions in the North Coast?” This was a topic of discussion at the recent Sonoma Grape Expo.  Vineyards are constantly threatened by invasive pests and diseases, and Jason Saling (local grower, President of the Sonoma County Vineyard Technical Group, and Chair pro Tem on the Sonoma County Pest Control District Coalition) is collaborating with the industry to make this possible.  Watch this video and read more in the coming issue of American Vineyard Magazine.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • NIFA Invests Nearly $11M to Combat & Prevent Citrus Greening Disease

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced an investment of nearly $11 million for research to combat Huanglongbing (HLB), commonly known as citrus greening disease. HLB, caused by an insect bacterium, is the most severe threat to global citrus production.

    “NIFA’s Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension program brings the nation’s top scientists together with citrus industry representatives to find scientifically sound solutions to combat and prevent HLB at the farm-level,” said NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille. “This year’s awards represent all three major U.S. citrus growing regions and include possible solutions ranging from blocking HLB transmission from inside the insect vector to utilizing novel anti-microbial peptides to treat HLB-infected trees.”

    The fiscal year 2021 five funded Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension projects include:

     

    • Texas A&M AgriLife Research will leverage public-private partnerships between state agencies, universities, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, and the citrus industry to pursue advanced testing and commercialization of promising HLB therapies and extend outcomes to stakeholders. ($7,000,000)
    • University of California, Riverside will build on previous work and evaluate the performance of 300 hybrid citrus trees in established trials to map HLB tolerance/resistance genes and release superior new rootstocks. ($1,499,998)
    • University of Florida seeks to develop a bacterial pathogen transmission blocking strategy (specifically to block Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the pathogen that causes HLB) toward mitigation of citrus greening-related losses in an integrated pest management framework. ($1,020,810)
    • University of Florida’s project will support the needs of both commercial and residential citrus growers by comparing new tools to support young trees and develop management recommendations for the incorporation of each tool into production and residential settings. ($750,000)
    • University of Florida aims to introduce and transfer the natural HLB resistance present in Australian limes into conventional citrus to produce HLB-resistant Australian lime hybrid rootstocks and deploy these hybrids to protect susceptible citrus scions against HLB. ($500,000)

    Background: Huanglongbing (HLB) is considered the most destructive disease in citrus growing regions worldwide and has become the greatest challenge for the U.S. citrus industry. Currently, HLB has no cure.  Since HLB’s initial U.S. detection in 2005, citrus acreage and production in Florida has decreased by 60 percent and 80 percent, respectively. The disease has spread to all citrus-producing states, including Texas and California. Although citrus greening is a serious threat to the citrus industry worldwide, significant progress has been made to coordinate a multipronged approach for citrus greening management and suppression of the Asian citrus psyllid, an insect that carries and spreads HLB, through expanding partnerships with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, states, universities, and private partners.  Learn more about HLB.

    Asian Citrus Psyllid, the insect responsible for the spread of the citrus-killing disease HLB

    NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY2020, NIFA’s total investment was $1.95 billion.

    Visit our website: www.nifa.usda.gov; Twitter: @USDA_NIFA; LinkedIn: USDA-NIFA.

  • USDA Provides Farmers $1.8 Billion to Offset Market Fluctuations

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is in the process of issuing $1.8 billion in payments to agricultural producers who enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2020 crop year.  These payments provide critical support to help mitigate fluctuations in either revenue or prices for certain crops. These two USDA safety-net programs help producers of certain crops build back better after facing the impacts of COVID-19 and other challenges.  

    In addition, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is encouraging producers to contact their local USDA Service Centers to make or change elections and to enroll for 2022 ARC or PLC, providing future protections against market fluctuations. The election and enrollment period opened on Oct. 18, 2021 and runs through March 15, 2022. 

    “We will continue to support our farmers, ranchers and producers as they overcome the challenges associated with COVID-19, climate change and other issues,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “We also know producers prefer to get good prices for their crops in the marketplace, but these programs provide stability when markets are volatile, making a big difference in the lives of farm families across the country.” 

    2020 Payments and Contracts 

    ARC and PLC payments for a given crop year are paid out the following fall to allow actual county yields and the Market Year Average prices to be finalized. This month, FSA processed payments to producers enrolled in 2020 ARC-County (ARC-CO), ARC-Individual (ARC-IC) and PLC for covered commodities that triggered for the crop year.  

    For ARC-CO, view the 2020 ARC-CO Benchmark Yields and Revenues online database for payment rates applicable to their county and each covered commodity.   

    For PLC, payments have triggered for barley, canola, chickpeas (large and small), dry peas, flaxseed, lentils, peanuts, seed cotton and wheat. More information on rice payments will be announced later this fall and in early 2022.  

    For ARC-IC, producers should contact their local FSA office for additional information pertaining to 2020 payment information, which relies on producer-specific yields for the crop and farm to determine benchmark yields and actual year yields when calculating revenues. 

    By the Numbers 

    More than 1.7 million contracts were signed in 2019.  In 2020, producers signed nearly 1.8 million ARC or PLC contracts, and 251 million out of 273 million base acres were enrolled in the programs.  In 2021, signed contracts surpassed 1.8 million. 

    Since the ARC and PLC were authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and reauthorized by in the 2018 Farm Bill, these safety-net programs have paid out more than $32.5 billion to producers of covered commodities. 

    “I am incredibly proud of our FSA staff who work with producers to make elections and to enroll in these important programs,” Ducheneaux said. “We are excited for the 2022 signup and hope producers take advantage of these valuable programs.” 

    2022 Elections and Enrollment  

    Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-CO or PLC, which are both crop-by-crop, or ARC-IC, which is for the entire farm. Although election changes for 2022 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm and makes an election change for 2022, it will be necessary to sign a new contract.   

    If an election is not submitted by the deadline of March 15, 2022, the election remains the same as the 2021 election for crops on the farm.  Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the farm.    

    Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed, and wheat.   

    Web-Based Decision Tools  

    In partnership with USDA, the University of Illinois and Texas A&M University offer web-based decision tools to assist producers in making informed, educated decisions using crop data specific to their respective farming operations. Tools include:  

    • Gardner-farmdoc Payment Calculator, a tool available through the University of Illinois allows producers to estimate payments for farms and counties for ARC-CO and PLC.
    • ARC and PLC Decision Tool, a tool available through TexasA&M tallows producers to estimate payments and yield updates and expected payments for 2022.  

    Crop Insurance Considerations  

    ARC and PLC are part of a broader safety net provided by USDA, which also includes crop insurance and marketing assistance loans.  

    Producers are reminded that ARC and PLC elections and enrollments can impact eligibility for some crop insurance products.  

    Producers on farms with a PLC election have the option of purchasing Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) through their Approved Insurance Provider; however, producers on farms where ARC is the election are ineligible for SCO on their planted acres for that crop on that farm.  

    Unlike SCO, the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) is unaffected by an ARC election.  Producers may add ECO regardless of the farm program election. 

    Upland cotton farmers who choose to enroll seed cotton base acres in ARC or PLC are ineligible for the stacked income protection plan (STAX) on their planted cotton acres for that farm. 

  • CDFA Seeking New Grower Representative and Public Member for the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Committee

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is announcing two vacancies on the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee. The committee advises the CDFA Secretary on activities associated with the statewide citrus specific pest and disease work plan that includes, but is not limited to, outreach and education programs and programs for surveying, detecting, analyzing, and treating pests and diseases specific to citrus.

    Committee member vacancies exists for one grower representative from Fresno County, the member term expires on September 30, 2022, and one public member, the member term expires on September 30, 2025. Individuals interested in being considered for a committee appointment should send a resume by November 15, 2021.

    The members receive no compensation but are entitled to payment of necessary travel expenses in accordance with the rules of the Department of Personnel Administration.

    Applicants should have an interest in agriculture and citrus pest and disease prevention. Individuals interested in being considered for a committee appointment should send a brief resume by November 15, 2021 to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division, 1220 N Street, Sacramento, California 95814, Attention: David Gutierrez.

    For additional information, contact: David Gutierrez, Branch Chief, Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division at (916) 274-6300, or e-mail David.Gutierrez@cdfa.ca.gov. — Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program

  • Leaffooted Bug Pressure Increases in California Almonds

    Navel Orangeworm is not the only major pest of California almonds. Leaffooted bug damage is also leading to crop rejections, and unfortunately, growers do not have a lot of tools for managing this pest. Watch this brief interview with Drew Wolter from the Almond Board of California as he explains.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.