California Ag Network

Tag: Franz Niederholzer

  • UCCE Hosting South Sacramento Valley Prune Meeting

    UC Ag and Natural Resources will host its annual South Sacramento Valley Prune Metting in Yuba City. The event is an opportunity for prune growers to learn the latest updates in prune orchard systems and grower regulation updates. Growers will also be able to learn about disease management and Johnson grass management in tree crops, as well as how to control sunburn in crops and more.

    The event counts for 2.5 continuing education credits. Registration for the Prune Meeting begins at 8 a.m. at Yuba City Veterans Hall and it run until 12:30 p.m., followed by a hosted lunch. Pre-registration can be found HERE.

    Schedule:

    8:00 AM Registration & Coffee and Refreshments

    8:15 AM California Prune Board Update

    Donn Zea, Executive Director, Prune Board of California

    Kiaran Locy, Director of Brand and Industry Communications, Prune Board of California

    8:30 AM New developments in prune orchard systems

    • New prune rootstock trial plans and goals

    Jaime Ott, UCCE Orchard Systems Advisor; Tehama, Glenn, and Butte Counties

    • High density prune orchards

    Charles Brannon, Director of Agronomy, Agromillora CA

    • New prune rootstocks and new orchard opportunities

    Chuck Fleck, Director of Horticulture Research, Sierra Gold Nurseries

    9:30 AM What can growers learn from Dormex® rest breaking trials in prune?

    Franz Niederholzer, UCCE Orchards Advisor, Colusa/Sutter/Yuba Counties

    10:00 AM Break

    10:15 AM Prune grower regulatory update.

    Sean Nelson, Sutter Co Ag Comm Office; Matt Bozzo, Yuba Co Ag Comm Office

    10:45 AM Disease management in prune

    Jim Adaskaveg, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, UC Riverside

    11:30 AM Developments in Johnson grass management in tree crops

    Ryan Hill, UCCE Agronomy and Weeds Advisor; Tehama, Shasta, and Glenn Counties

    12:00 PM A first look at sunburn control in prunes.

    Franz Niederholzer, UCCE Orchards Advisor, Colusa/Sutter/Yuba Counties

    12:30 PM Hosted lunch

    — By UC Ag and Natural Resources

  • Evie Smith, New UCCE Staff Research Associate in Orchard Crop Systems

    Have you had a chance to meet Evie Smith, one of our new Staff Research Associates with the UC Cooperative Extension? Watch her brief introduction here to learn about her and the almond, walnut and prune projects she is working on with Sacramento Valley farm advisors.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Three Ways to Prevent Almond Hull Rot

    As almond growers in California prepare for hull split, almond hull rot is often a problem on their minds during this time. As UC Cooperative Extension Orchard Systems Farm Advisor Franz Niederholzer says, prevention is key.  Watch this brief interview with Franz as he shares three tips on avoiding this costly issue in the orchard, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine. Don’t currently receive the magazine? Subscribe for free at: https://malcolmmedia.com/pacific-nut-producer-magazine-subscriptions/

  • New Hazard for Interplanted Prune Orchards

    Sacramento, Calif., (February 22, 2018) – Interplanting existing prune orchards where established trees don’t fill their space is a long accepted practice to increase grower income while limiting costs compared to complete orchard removal and replanting. This is often done in older orchards either by interplanting down the existing tree row or changing the direction of the tree rows 45° and interplanting on the diagonal between two existing trees.

    Cytospora Blight on Prune Tree

    Research by Dr. Themis Michailides since 2016 has shown pruning wounds on young trees are especially vulnerable to infection by Cytospora, Botryosphaeria, and/or Lasiodiplodia fungi. These infections damage developing scaffolds, potentially limiting orchard productivity over time.

    Growers should reconsider interplanting prunes – or at least how they treat interplanted trees — due to the risk of pruning wound infections. The primary source of the infections in interplanted trees are the mature trees in the orchard — often in decline themselves due to those same canker and wood rot diseases.

    Pruning wound infections can be minimized by

    1) pruning in late summer of spring with no rain in the forecast or

    2) pruning during winter and spraying Topsin-M® or Topsin-M® + Rally® after pruning and before the next rain to protect the cuts from infection. Dr Michailides reports that Topsin-M® is especialy effective against Botryosphaeria. Adding Rally® could be helpful for resistance management.

    With yield and net income limited by tree spacing that is too wide and/or tree health in some older blocks, growers must choose between interplanting and removal/replanting. While pruning wound infections can speed the rate of tree decline in interplanted orchards reducing grower returns.

    By Franz Niederholzer, UCCE Farm Advisor, Colusa and Sutter/Yuba Counties.