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You can read the PDF version of the March Issue of California Fresh Fruit Magazine HERE!
Waikoloa, Hawaii, (September 26, 2017) – “Significance of Integrated Pest Management to Sustainable Horticultural Production—Observations and Experiences” is the title of entomologist Frank G. Zalom’s 2017 ARS Benjamin Y. Morrison Memorial Lecture, which he delivered today at the American Society for Horticultural Science annual conference in Waikoloa, Hawaii.
Zalom is nationally and internationally renowned for his leadership developing research-based integrated pest management (IPM) programs. He is also recognized for his adeptness in mobilizing and coordinating different and often divergent scientific, stakeholder and governmental groups to achieve a common goal of industrywide improvements in pest and pesticide management for individual crops such as almonds, tomatoes, strawberries, grapes and olives.
IPM benefits most from a transdisciplinary approach to developing a control program, especially one that places the plant at the center as the “unifier of knowledge,” so that the plant’s own particular biology and its special defenses can be brought into play, Zalom explained.
Under Zalom’s guidance, the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program became recognized as the premier program of its type as he reinforced the need for sustainability in the pursuit of managing pests. Today, he serves as distinguished professor and extension specialist in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at UC Davis.
For example, Zalom first helped develop and then implemented a pest management program for the navel orangeworm—a key almond pest—that has been widely adopted by California growers. As a result, damage from this pest dropped from 8.8 percent annually to less than 1.5 percent while industrywide insecticide use for navel orangeworm control decreased by more than 40 percent.
He also led a multidisciplinary research and extension effort in the 1990s that reduced organophosphate dormant spray use in almonds by more than 50 percent and ultimately by 90 percent across California orchard crops. Organophosphates had been running off into the Sacramento River after winter rainfalls, and cuts in their use helped bring the river back into compliance with the Clean Water Act.
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) established this memorial lectureship in 1968 to honor the memory of Benjamin Y. Morrison (1891-1966) and to recognize scientists who have made outstanding contributions to horticulture and other environmental sciences and to encourage the use of these sciences. Morrison was a pioneer in horticulture and the first director of ARS’s U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. A scientist, landscape architect, plant explorer and breeder, author and lecturer, Morrison advanced the science of botany in the United States and fostered broad international exchange of ornamental plants.
For more information about the B.Y. Morrison Memorial Lecture, see https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/lectures/morrison/
For more information contact Kim Kaplan, ARS Office of Communications.
Sacramento, Calif., (August 22, 2017) – The 2017 California table olive forecast is 73,000 tons, up 9 percent from last year’s crop of 67,100 tons, according to a survey conducted by the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pacific Regional Office. Bearing acreage is estimated at 19,000, which results in a yield of 3.84 tons per acre.
The Manzanillo production forecast is 63,500 tons, Sevillano production forecast is 9,000 tons, and other varieties are expected to total 500 tons.
Good weather and increased precipitation provided improved conditions for California table olive growers. A cool January and February led to good
floral development with a high bloom and adequate pollen. However, hot temperatures during bloom may reduce the set, and as well as concerns of labor shortages during harvest. The California table olive crop is currently in bloom.
There were 328 growers sampled for the survey. Reports from 142 were used to establish this forecast. The sample is designed to provide a State estimate of all varieties; estimates by variety are less precise.
Visalia, Calif., (July 28, 2017) – Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner released the current status today of Major crops in the most valued county in the California Ag portfolio. They report that Alfalfa fields are making excellent progress; and being irrigated, cut, and baled. Corn and sorghum for silage is still being cultivated and irrigated. The corn silage crop is in various stages of development, from already producing tassels to developing ears. Cotton continues to be irrigated, cultivated, and growing well. Cotton is blooming and forming bolls. Black-eyed beans continue to be irrigated and cultivated.
Mid-season peaches, nectarines, and plums continue to be picked and shipped to both domestic and export markets. Domestic demand is strong enough to cause the number of export shipments to continue to be significantly less than that of previous years. Stone fruit is being exported to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, and Taiwan. Summer pruning and topping of harvest stone fruit groves is occurring. Last season’s almonds and pistachios are being exported to the Belgium, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Walnut, almond, and pistachio orchards continue being irrigated. Both mechanical and chemical weed control continues in orchards. Asian pears are being exported to Mexico. Table grape harvest continues throughout the county, and grapes are being exported to Australia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, New Zealand, Panama, and Vietnam. As with all permanent crops grapevines are being irrigated.
Valencia orange harvest continues primarily for the domestic market. Regreening continues to become more common due to the higher temperatures. Valencia oranges are being exported to Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Harvest is nearing an end due to the high temperatures and overall fruit availability. Olives continue to develop.
Certified producers are picking tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers for sale at the local Farmer’s Markets. Yellow squash, Zucchini, eggplant, Bell peppers, green Chili peppers, and cucumbers are being harvested and shipped domestically. Sweet corn harvest is continuing and available at roadside stands and the local Farmer’s Markets. Melons are being irrigated and prepared for the upcoming harvest.
Low elevation rangeland continues to dry and conditions are fair to good, but quality is continuing to decrease. Cattle are still being moved to higher elevations. The higher elevations are providing more grass than previous years. Feed costs for cattle remains high. Harvested grain fields are being sheeped-off in the southern portions of the county.
Nursery shipments are slowing overall. Wholesale nursery shipments to Canada and domestic markets have decreased due to the hot summer temperatures. Small amounts of citrus nursery stock continue to be sold. New wells continue to be drilled, with many existing wells showing higher levels due to increases in the water table.
Sacramento, Calif., (March 7, 2017) – A lot of variation in the weather across the State as a departing Pacific system exerted its influence onto the State. Monday, heavy rainfall across the southern quarter of the State, with areas along the immediate coast receiving up to two inches of rain. Heavier rainfall fell in the coastal mountains immediately inland of the San Diego area, with locations receiving over five inches. Most of the deserts received a quarter inch of rain. Midweek was mostly dry, expect for light rainfall in a few southern coastal areas. By Friday, the next storm system arrived, with light showers falling on the northwestern mountains. Saturday and Sunday brought heavier precipitation, with up to one to two inches falling in the northern portion of the State, and up to one inch falling in the southern parts of the state outside of the deserts. Light snow was reported in the central Sierras on Monday before warming temperatures mid-week resulted in the first significant snowmelt of the season. Heavy snowfall returned by Saturday with twelve to eighteen inches of snow falling in the central and northern Sierras. Further south, three to six inches of new snowfall occurred, maintaining the pre-week snowpack level there. Mountain snowpacks continued to be very heavy with Lodgepole in the southern Sierras and the Tahoe area reporting snowcover of nearly seven feet.
Temperature highs were in the 30s to 40s in the mountains, 40 to 80s in the desert, 50s to 70s in the valley, and 60s to 70s along the coast. The temperature lows were in the 10s to 20s in the mountains, 20s to 40s in the valley, 30s to 50s in the desert, and 40s to 50s along the coast.
Growers continued to wait for fields to dry out sufficiently to resume planting winter grain and field crops. Reports of lodging in mature wheat fields due to the recent high winds and rain of last week. Alfalfa fields were flooded and recharging underground water.
Pruning, discing, weed control, and pre-bloom spraying continued where dry orchard floor conditions permitted. Olive groves were pruned. Pruning, tying, berm sanitation, and brush shredding continued as vineyard floors dried. Herbicides were applied in some vineyards. Early varieties of stone fruit, including cherries were blooming in Tulare County. Citrus harvest continued. Recent rains impacted the overall quality of the citrus. Orange groves were hedge-rowed and skirted. A few seedless tangerine groves were being netted to prevent cross pollination during the pending bloom.
As field conditions permitted walnut and pistachio orchards were pruned. Where dry enough cleanup of trees toppled by high winds began. Almond bloom was progressing with the southern portion of the state nearing completion. Rain and wind caused some almond petal drop.
Recent rains slowed some harvesting but broccoli, romaine, and red lettuce harvest continued in Imperial County. In Fresno County, winter onion and garlic fields were being fertilized and cultivated. In Tulare County, squash was being planted in hot tunnels. New fields were being prepared for spring planting. Strawberries continued to thrive.
Non-irrigated pasture and rangeland continued to improve with warming temperatures promoting forb and grass growth. Range was reported to be in excellent to fair condition. Supplemental feeding of livestock continued to wane as range conditions improved. Bees were active in almond orchards. Sheep grazed stubble fields, idle cropland, and dormant, alfalfa.