West Coast Nut - February 2023

WEST COAST NUT

FEBRUARY 2023 ISSUE

SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE: THE RAIN CALIFORNIA NEEDS IS FINALLY HERE. WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

SEE PAGE 36

IN THIS ISSUE:

WINTER CHILL AND WALNUT MANAGEMENT

SEE PAGE 10

SPECIAL SECTION: NAVEL ORANGEWORM STARTING ON PAGE 24

PLAN AHEAD TO PROTECT WALNUT TREES AGAINST HEAT STRESS

SEE PAGE 66

BY REAL CALIFORNIANS

PRODUCED IN THE HEART OF

When cloudy, grey skies appear during bloom, Fontelis® fungicide will protect your almond trees from devastating full-bloom diseases like brown rot blossom blight and shothole. Then, from petal fall through five weeks past petal fall, Fontelis provides excellent activity on jacket rot, Anthracnose and Alternaria. The single active ingredient (FRAC Group 7) gives you the flexibility to rotate with, or tank mix with, other modes of action. With Fontelis, you and your trees are protected under any forecast.

Award Winning Editorial By the Industry, For the Industry

Publisher: Jason Scott

Email: jason@jcsmarketinginc.com

Editor: Marni Katz

Email: marni@jcsmarketinginc.com

Associate Editor: Cecilia Parsons

Email: cecilia@jcsmarketinginc.com

Production: design@jcsmarketinginc.com

Tel: 559.352.4456

Fax: 559.472.3113

Web: www.wcngg.com

Almond Board of California

Contributing Writer

Aubrey Bettencourt President/CEO, Almond Alliance

Vicky Boyd Contributing Writer

Kat Jarvis-Shean Orchard Systems Advisor, UCCE Sacramento, Solano and Yolo Counties

Julie R. Johnson Contributing Writer

Rich Kreps CCA, SSp., Contributing Writer

Mitch Lies Contributing Writer

Catherine Merlo Contributing Writer

Themis Michailides Plant Pathologist, UC Davis

Priscilla RodriguezAssistant Vice President, Western Agricultural Processors Association

Mohammad Yaghmour UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Kern County

Special Section: Navel Orangeworm

Steven Koike Tri-Cal Diagnostics

Jhalendra Rijal UCCE Integrated Pest Management Advisor, Stanislaus County

Mohammad Yaghmour UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Kern County

Jarvis-Shean UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Yolo and Solano

View our ePublication on the web at www.wcngg.com

The articles, research, industry updates, company profiles, and advertisements in this publication are the professional opinions of writers and advertisers. West Coast Nut does not assume any responsibility for the opinions given in the publication.

SPOTLIGHTARTICLE:TheRainCaliforniaNeedsisFinallyHere.NowWhat?

Despite nature's bountiful rain, don’t let your trees down. Adjust nutrition plans but continue to feed trees early and often.

See page 36

Salinity Management Critical for Pistachio Production

By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor

Growers, crop managers and advisors packed the meeting room at the UC Kearney Ag Center in December for a salinity management workshop to learn more about addressing the problems salinity in soils and water is bringing to many in the pistachio industry.

California is the top producer of pistachio nuts in the U.S., but relative to other tree nut crops, pistachio is a new crop in California. The number of producing acres has grown steadily in the past two decades up and down the Central Valley, pushing many pistachio orchards into marginal soils.

A 2019, California Water Research Report noted 51% of

Merced, 36% of Fresno, 89% of Tulare, 66% of Kings and 55% of Kern counties’ soils range from moderate (4 dS/m) to extreme (16 dS/m) salinity; dS/m is a measure of electroconductivity in soil. Of California’s 408,766 bearing pistachio acres in 2019, 380,642 acres are in these counties. A review of the Central Valley-Salinity Alternatives for Long Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) progress report verifies salinization will continue to increase.

Workshop speakers said most soil salinization in pistachio production areas results from saline irrigation water and poor irrigation management, though growers have also been establishing orchards in increasingly saline soils.

Soil salinity becomes a problem in crop production when the concentration of soluble salts in the root zone is at levels high enough to impede optimal plant growth. The higher the concentration of salt in a solution, the higher the electrical conductivity (ECe) in dS/m. Plant tolerance can be related to the ECe value in a saturated soil sample. Workshop speakers identified a ECe of 7 to 7.5 dS/m as the threshold where pistachio tree health and yields will be affected, though it is generally recommended to maintain the ECe below 5 to 6 dS/m.

All attendees received a USB key with multiple resources and the UC ANR Press publication #33455 “Agricultural Salinity and Drainage,” which explains that the process of evapotranspiration concentrating salts in the soil. While pure water is transpired from leaves, the salt taken up by the plant is low relative to the native salts in the soil and those added by irrigation water. The salinity in the root zone increases due to the evapoconcentration process driven by ET. The soil

‘THE SOIL SALT CONCENTRATION CONTINUES TO INCREASE IF SALTS ARE NOT LEACHED OUT OF THE ROOT ZONE.’

Symptoms of salt/boron burn in high Na and B area in recent trials.

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salt concentration continues to increase if salts are not leached out of the root zone.

Drought, Salinity Effects Similar

While pistachio trees are more salt tolerant than many other orchard trees, the effects of salinity on pistachio yield are similar to those of a drought, said Giulia Marino, UCCE orchard systems specialist at Kearney. However, she noted, the effects of high salinity are much less reversible. Effects of salinity depend on the ion(s) present, primarily sodium, chloride and boron in the soil and water. Of the three, sodium and chloride contribute the most to salinity; the contribution of boron to total salinity is negligible. The ability of the rootstock and the scion variety to exclude, transport and sequester these three ions also determines the salinity tolerance of specific rootstock/ion combinations. For example, current research by Craig Kallsen and Dan Parfitt is demonstrating the boron-sensitive scion Golden Hills is having less boron concentration when grown on hybrids of P. vera and P. integerrima versus when grown on seedling or clonal UCBI rootstocks.

The first effect of soil salinity is osmotic. Because the salt concentration in the soil is higher than that in the roots, the roots take up less water. This “osmotic pressure” decreases water uptake. Therefore, less water is available to the plant to maintain the open stomata that ensure the photosynthesis that produces the carbohydrates that support growth and nut production. However, the effects of decreased water uptake do not manifest in stem water potential measurements until midseason.

The second effect of soil salinity is “specific ion damage,” manifesting as leaf damage caused by the components of salinity: sodium, chloride and boron. Currently, the so-called “boron toxicity, the brown dry margin on the mature leaves, is the visible ion damage identified in pistachio. Specific ion damage from sodium and chloride have not been identified. With all three ions, the levels of leaf analyses associated

with decreases in yield have not been identified.

However, decreases in yield associated with total ECe, soil water extract and specific rootstock/scion combinations have been developed. Sanden, Kallsen and Ferguson demonstrated yields of Kerman scions on seedling UCBI and PGI rootstocks decreased 1.4% and 3.2%, respectively, for every 1 dS/m increase in ECe over 6 dS/m.

Irrigation Management is Key

Salinity also affects soil structure. Khaled Ball, irrigation management specialist at Kearney, noted applying the right amount of water to meet crop requirements, timing of irrigation events and applying the water uniformly are important in salinity management in pistachios.

“Get to know your soil,” Ball advised. He said soil physical properties and infiltration rate in an orchard site should be considered when designing an irrigation system and in managing

Applying the right amount of water to meet crop requirements, timing of irrigation events and applying the water uniformly are important in salinity management in pistachios.

irrigation. That includes consideration of soil spatial variability and texture when measuring infiltration rate and designing irrigation systems.

He noted that when dealing with salinity, crop water use is impacted, and applying the right amount of water to optimize profit saves water, energy, nutrients, and reduces GHG emissions.

In poor-quality irrigation water situations, Ball said adding excess irrigation water puts more salts in the root zone. At 1,000 ppm salts, one acre-foot per acre can equal application of 1.37 tons of salt per acre-foot per acre. Ball said salinity impact on crop water use in excess of threshold level reduces water use by the tree.

Among the considerations for salinity management decisions, Ball said, are soil aggregation, soil health, soil infiltration rate and pore space. Leaching can be done with sprinkler or flood, but efficiency and design to apply water in excess of rootzone storage is necessary. Leaching an entire orchard may not

be necessary if a salinity map or soil samples do not show a need.

Infiltration problems in orchards can be physical due to soil texture, resulting in compaction. Ball said cover crops, deep tillage or application of organic matter can improve soil structure. He noted that gypsum will not improve infiltration rate if soil is compacted and does not have salt issues. Gypsum will work to improve water infiltration if soil is saline-sodic or sodic. If salinity is high but has no issues with sodium, leaching will be sufficient if the infiltration rate is good.

Adequate irrigation of pistachio trees in saline conditions will depend on infiltration and drainage. Mae Culumber, UCCE nut crops advisor in Fresno County, said irrigation water greater than 5 to 6 dS/m may not be sustainable for long-term productivity if salinity challenges are coupled with poor drainage. Soil and water chemistry and soil structure must be managed to improve drainage and leaching.

Culumber noted that fertilizer in-

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Leaching an entire orchard may not be necessary if a salinity map or soil samples do not show a need.

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teractions with irrigation water can be problematic. Dissolved fertilizers react with water to form precipitates that can clog emitters. Fertilizer interactions can also be problematic. Naturally occurring calcium or calcium amendments applied to the soil can cause calcium carbonate to precipitate and increase clogging in irrigation lines. Evaporation and increasing temperature increases insolubility of calcium carbonate.

Microirrigation systems can be highly efficient, but Culumber said many will have varying distribution uniformity across the black. Untreated water quality problems will make the problem worse. Regular maintenance along with annual water analysis is recommended.

Leaching Salts

Culumber said without leaching, elevated salinity levels will eventually lead to increased salt uptake, specific ion toxicity and degraded soil structure, which further compounds tree root stress with drainage problems. She cited a 2016-19 UC study to measure ET and Kc of well-watered pistachio trees

grown on non-saline and increasingly saline soils. They found that salt-affected soil resulted in smaller canopy size and lower yields and a 10% to 30% lower water use. Water use efficiency and productivity relative to the non-saline orchard decreases as the EC dS/m increased. Despite lower water in-season requirements, additional water is needed to leach salts from the rootzone during dormancy.

Culumber noted that irrigation scheduling tools will increase precision and manage tree stress in saline conditions. Soil moisture monitoring and water budgeting can lead to improved irrigation decisions on frequency and duration.

One of those tools is CropManage. CropManage is an online UC resource to schedule and track irrigation applications throughout the year.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

While pistachio trees are more salt tolerant than many other orchard trees, the effects of salinity on pistachio yield are similar to those of a drought (all photos courtesy Blake Sanden.)

Winter Chill, Dormancy and Walnut Management

By KAT JARVIS-SHEAN | Orchard Systems Advisor, UCCE Sacramento, Solano and Yolo Counties

Walnuts are one of the highest chill requirement tree crops in California. Multiple recent winters have fallen short of the chill needed for a tight, economical walnut bloom. Scientists expect such winters to be more frequent in the future.

Though lower-chill varieties are in development, the industry needs tools to support varieties that are currently in the ground for the next 20 to 40 years. Many products have been shown to compensate for inadequate chill in other crops and other countries but need to be tested in California conditions. With funding from the California Walnut Board, a team including myself and UC Davis’s Maciej Zwieniecki and Giulia Marino have begun testing dormancy breaking treatments to help California’s walnut growers sustain economic production in the lower-chill winters to come. Though this is shaping up to be an adequate-chill winter for walnuts, it’s good to understand what tools may be in the toolbox in case of future needs.

Why Trees Need Chill

Symptoms of inadequate winter chill have been seen in orchards in multiple recent springs (e.g., 2014, 2015 and 2020), including delayed budbreak, scattered or prolonged budbreak and buds on southern sides of branches never breaking. Prolonged bloom in many cases resulted in a wider variety in nut size, more small nuts and multiple shakes. Prolonged bloom could also result in the need for more sprays for blight control or husk split pests.

Minimum winter temperatures are critical to winter chill accumulation.

California’s statewide winter minimum temperatures have been increasing since 1970. This warming has coincided with a trend towards delayed budbreak in California walnuts since the mid-1990s, indicating that lower winter chill accumulation is already impacting orchard phenology. By the 2060s, Central Valley winter minimum temperatures are projected to average 3 degrees F above minimums in the 1990s. In other words, in the next 20 to 40 years, Central Valley walnut orchards will get 14% to 20% less winter than in the 1950s when many of our grandparents were farming.

Anecdotal experience suggests the chilling requirement for ‘Chandler’ is around 60 to 65 chill portions as quantified by the Dynamic Model. Given decreased chill projections, it is likely that currently planted ‘Chandler’ orchards will not meet their chilling requirement in at least 1 out of 10 years in most of the Central Valley in the coming decades. While breeders are working to develop new cultivars with lower chilling requirements that retain the other desirable traits that growers and buyers want, the industry needs tools for orchards that are currently in the ground or will go in while waiting

for new varieties to be developed. Numerous dormancy-breaking products are documented as capable of partially compensating for inadequate chill. However, these products have not been systematically compared in California growing conditions on walnuts in particular to test how much chill compensation is possible as well as ideal rates and timings.

What’s Been Studied

The trouble with studying dormancy breaking treatments is oftentimes trees will respond differently to these treatments depending on whether they have gotten enough winter chill or not. So, we could not just spray a bunch of products on trees after any old winter, see what the outcome was and assume that outcome would be consistent across lots of winter conditions in the future. Instead, we set up an experiment that forced trees to experience warmer winters by building clear-sided open-top chambers around fifth-leaf Chandler trees and pumping in hot air to increase temperatures during the winter.

These trees were coupled with unheated trees that got sufficient winter chill and then the same dormancy

It’s not looking like this is a year that walnut growers will need to use dormancy-breaking treatments. That’s lucky given how much everyone is trying to cut down on inputs given walnut prices.

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breaking treatments. Tented trees were heated from early November through February. The goal was to limit winter chill accumulation to 50 chill portions, approximately 30% less than the historical average chill accumulation, but within the range of what can be expected of warm winters in the southern San Joaquin Valley in the next few decades. In the winter of 2020-21, sensors in each tree told us ambient chill trees experienced 59 to 65 chill portions, whereas heated trees experienced 46 to 56 chill portions. In 2021-22, there were 65 to 70 chill portions in ambient trees and 56 to 60 chill portions in heated trees.

Once we had heated the trees all winter, four scaffolds were selected in each tree for treatment. Treatments were applied at rates and with adjuvants according to recommendations of the companies that provided them, applied approximately 30 days before the date of average historic budbreak. Chemicals were applied using a backpack sprayer from a pruning tower just up to the point of mixes dripping (equivalent to 150 gallons per acre). Scaffolds that were not being treated were wrapped in plastic drop clothes to avoid drift.

In 2021, we tested hydrogen cyanamide, often marketed as Dormex®, at 4%, a blend of nitrogen compounds marketed as Erger®, at 6%, and an analogue of the plant hormone cytokinin, marketed as Mocksi®, at 15 parts per million. In 2022, we tested Dormex® at 2%, Mocksi® at 20 parts per million, and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN-17) at 20%.

Each year, there was also a water-treated control scaffold on each tree. None of these products are currently labeled for use as dormancy breakers in walnuts in California. Erger and CAN-17 are labeled as fertilizers. Dormex is awaiting California DPR approval which is expected soon, so check an up-to-date label. On each scaffold, shoots were flagged to track bud break progression and monitored every two to three days from late March through May. These recordings were used to calculate the timing of 50% budbreak, the duration of budbreak and the percent of buds that opened on a scaffold.

In 2021, among the terminal and lateral buds on trees that received sufficient chill, 50% timing was significantly earlier on scaffolds treated with Dormex but not significantly different among scaffolds treated with Erger, Mocksi or the water control. Dormex advanced terminal and lateral budbreak timing relative to the water control by an average of seven days and eight days, respectively, in the sufficiently chilled trees. However, on scaffolds on trees that did not receive sufficient winter chill, Erger also significantly advanced budbreak timing relative to the water treated control. In the insufficiently chilled trees, Dormex advanced terminal and lateral budbreak timing relative to the water control by an average of 16 days and 13 days, respectively. In the same trees, Erger advanced terminal and lateral budbreak timing relative to the water control by an average of five days and six days, respectively. In other words, 4% Dormex changed budbreak timing whether trees got enough chill or not, but 6% Erger only changed budbreak timing if the trees hadn’t gotten enough chill, and then only about half as much as 4% Dormex (Figure 1).

In 2022, we saw no responses in ambient chill trees to any of the treatments. However, on heated trees across both terminal and lateral buds, response to 2% Dormex and CAN17 were not significantly different from each other, but both were significantly different from the water control, whereas Mocksi was not different from water. Terminal vegetative buds opened 19 and 17 days earlier with the Dormex and CAN-17 treatment than with water, respectively. Lateral vegetative

Figure 1. Budbreak on heated tree scaffolds in spring 2021.

buds opened 19 and 18 days earlier with the Dormex and CAN-17 treatment, respectively.

When trees lack sufficient chill, both Dormex at 2% and CAN-17 at 20% move budbreak timing to similar timing as that documented in the water-treated scaffolds of the sufficiently chilled trees. Dormex at 4% moved timing even earlier than the ambient water control, whereas Erger moved the timing but only about halfway between timing with water on heated trees and timing with water on unheated trees. In other words, at least in terms of budbreak timing, it appears Dormex at 2% and 4% and CAN-17 at 20% could prompt the heated scaffolds to behave like they had received enough chill, whereas Erger at 6% only partially compensates for lack of winter chill.

The questions of whether these products can change budbreak duration, which could impact number of blight sprays, harvest shakes, etc., and whether they can impact number of buds that break in the face of low winter chill accumulation has been harder to answer with this first round of experiments based on design and cost limitations. We have launched additional experiments in a greenhouse and grower fields to better answer these questions. But so far, we at least know three products that have some impact on low chill response behavior in walnuts: Dormex, Erger and CAN-17.

Is Action Needed This Winter?

This winter, the Central Valley is on track to accumulate as much chill if not maybe even a little more than the last two winters, which have gotten more than sufficient chill for walnuts. Looking at a sampling of 15 CIMIS weather stations using the UC Fruit and Nut Center chill calculator tool, on average, the Sacramento Valley and northern San Joaquin Valley have accumulated 47 to 48 chill portions to date (written January 9), about what had been accumulated by this time last year, and six chill portions more than this time of year in 2021.

In the southern San Joaquin Valley, an average of 44 chill portions have accumulated to date, two and three more portions than this time in 2022 and

2021, respectively. Both last winter and the winter before had accumulated more than enough chill by the end of February for walnut budbreak to progress normally. So, it’s not looking like this is a year that walnut growers will need to use dormancy-breaking treatments. That’s lucky given how much everyone is trying to cut down on inputs given walnut prices. Nonetheless, it’s good to be aware for future winters that there are

options in the toolbox. We’ll continue this project with funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture to improve understanding of ideal rates and timings, and the physiological response to these treatments inside the trees. Stay tuned!

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

25 years of observation

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Selected for best performance in replant sites

For the tree nut industry the rule means farms and hullers that use water during harvest and/or pre-harvest will now be expected to be in compliance for this portion of the rule during their Produce Safety Rule inspection.

UNDERSTANDING COMPLIANCE WITH PRODUCE SAFETY RULE WATER REQUIREMENTS

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its proposed changes to the Produce Safety Rule’s Subpart E-agricultural water requirements. The requirements are split into two different categories and compliance dates. One for pre-harvest water and the other for harvest and postharvest water.

Pre-Harvest Ag Water

The changes revamped the cumbersome water testing requirement FDA initially proposed. The proposed Produce Safety Rule agriculture water requirements would replace the pre-harvest microbial quality criteria and testing requirements for production water with agricultural water assessments. This approach would offer the necessary flexibility for farms to evaluate a range of factors for individual farm-specific cases using a systems-based approach unlike a one-sizefits-all approach.

The proposed changes to the pre-harvest agricultural water have not been finalized. The FDA issued a proposed rulemaking to extend the compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions as outlined: Two years and nine months after the effective date of a final rule for very small farms; one year and nine months after the effective date of a final rule for small farms; and nine months after the effective date of a final rule for large farms.

Postharvest Ag Water

In the changes to the ag water requirements, the requirements for the harvest and postharvest water were

‘THE PROPOSED PRODUCE SAFETY RULE AGRICULTURE WATER REQUIREMENTS WOULD… OFFER THE NECESSARY FLEXIBILITY FOR FARMS TO EVALUATE A RANGE OF FACTORS FOR INDIVIDUAL FARM-SPECIFIC CASES USING A SYSTEMS-BASED APPROACH UNLIKE A ONE-SIZEFITS-ALL APPROACH.’

unchanged. As a result, the Produce Safety Rule agricultural water requirements for harvest and postharvest compliance date begins January 26, 2023 for large farms.

For the tree nut industry, this means farms and hullers that use water during harvest and/or pre-harvest will now be expected to be in compliance for this portion of the rule during their Produce Safety Rule inspection. Walnut and pistachio hullers classified as large farms will need to begin water testing in 2023.

Testing Requirements

The microbial quality criterion for the water used during harvest and postharvest must ensure there is no detectable generic Escherichia coli (E. coli) in 100 milliliters (mL) of agricultural water, and you must not use untreated surface water for any of these purposes:

Used during or after harvest activi

ties in a manner that directly contacts covered produce (e.g., water that is applied to covered produce for washing or cooling activities, water that is applied to harvested crops to prevent dehydration before cooling and water that is used to make ice that directly contacts covered produce during or after harvest activities);

Used to contact food contact surfaces, or to make ice that will contact food surfaces; and

Used for washing hands during and after harvest activities.

In the first year, farms must initially test the microbial quality of each source of ground water at least four times over a period of one year. If your four initial sample results meet the microbial quality criterion, you may test once annually thereafter. If any annual test fails to meet the microbial quality criterion of no detectable generic E. coli, you must immediately discontinue the use and meet the initial require

Monitoring Practices

You must manage water used by establishing and following water-change schedules for float tank water to maintain its safe and adequate sanitary quality. You must also visually monitor the quality of water. The temperature of water that is appropriate for the commodity must also be monitored. You will need to maintain a record of your water-change schedule.

Other requirements will be needed for water treatments to ensure it meets the minimum standard and recordkeeping requirements:

Inspections and On-Farm Readiness Reviews

FDA’s mantra has been “educate before we regulate” and that will be their intent with these new requirements unless there is an egregious condition. Inspections in California will be conducted on behalf of FDA by the California Department of Food and Agricul

Beginning in 2023, inspection will include the harvest and postharvest water requirements.

On-Farm Readiness Reviews (OFRR) are voluntary mock inspections and are provided to farms to test their readiness of the PSR requirements. These OFRRs are conducted by CDFA and have proven to be helpful in

Make Your Voice Heard!

determining what to expect during a PSR inspection and are highly recommended. Our organization will plan for regional OFRR in coordination with CDFA in 2023 to assist the tree nut in ensuring successful compliance with the Produce Safety Rule. We encourage any growers or hullers that have not had an inspection already or previously

Make Your Voice Heard!

Make Your Voice Heard!

The U.S. EPA is proposing to make the most significant changes to Rodenticides in 15 years:

Cancelling products and crop uses

The U.S. EPA is proposing to make the most significant changes to Rodenticides in 15 years:

Adding more requirements to the labels

The U.S. EPA is proposing to make the most significant changes to Rodenticides in 15 years:

Reclassifying some products to Restricted Use Pesticides

Cancelling products and crop uses

Cancelling products and crop uses

Adding more requirements to the labels

participated in an OFRR to do so when the opportunity comes up. We will be there, and you will find it well worth your time!

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

Adding more requirements to the labels

Reclassifying some products to Restricted Use Pesticides

Reclassifying some products to Restricted Use Pesticides

Do you use rodenticides on your land? Are rodenticides essential to the viability of your agri-business? The EPA will seek public comments on its proposed mitigation measures for the registration review of rodenticides starting in November. During a 60-day public comment period, the Agency will accept comments on their proposed changes, as described in the Proposed Interim Decision (PID) documents for:

Acute Rodenticides (bromethalin and cholecalciferol)

Do you use rodenticides on your land? Are rodenticides essential to the viability of your agri-business? The EPA will seek public comments on its proposed mitigation measures for the registration review of rodenticides starting in November. During a 60-day public comment period, the Agency will accept comments on their proposed changes, as described in the Proposed Interim Decision (PID) documents for:

TAKE ACTION

Do you use rodenticides on your land? Are rodenticides essential to the viability of your agri-business? The EPA will seek public comments on its proposed mitigation measures for the registration review of rodenticides starting in November. During a 60-day public comment period, the Agency will accept comments on their proposed changes, as described in the Proposed Interim Decision (PID) documents for:

Acute Rodenticides (bromethalin and cholecalciferol)

Anticoagulant Rodenticides (chlorophacinone, diphacinone, warfarin, brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, and difethialone)

Acute Rodenticides (bromethalin and cholecalciferol)

Zinc phosphide.

Anticoagulant Rodenticides

(chlorophacinone, diphacinone, warfarin, brodifacoum,

TAKE ACTION

Summary of water monitoring requirements that may apply to your farm or huller.

New Pathogen Causing Band Canker of Almonds in Kern County

By MOHAMMAD

YAGHMOUR | UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Kern County and THEMIS MICHAILIDES | Plant Pathologist, UC Davis

Growers developing a new almond orchard or replanting another make many important decisions in preparation for planting the new trees (i.e., decisions from soil preparation and irrigation design to rootstock and variety selections). The sole purpose of such decisions is to have a productive orchard that will last for approximately 22 to 25 years or more. However, diseases affecting the root system as well as the main trunk can cause significant tree losses or significantly reduce tree growth and productivity throughout the life of the orchard and may shorten the lifespan of an orchard.

Among the important diseases that affect young orchards and cause main trunk cankers is band canker. This disease mainly affects young almond orchards and trees between the fourth and sixth leaf. However, in recent years it has been reported also in orchards from first through third leaf as well. While this disease is not new to California and had mainly been reported from orchards in the Sacramento Valley and in the northern parts of the San Joaquin Valley, in recent years it is being reported more and more throughout the Central Valley as far as Kern County in the south.

Members of the Botryosphaeriaceae family, such as Botryosphaeria dothidea , Lasiodiplodia spp. and Neofusicoccum spp., cause band canker on almond trees and are spread throughout California including in Kern County. Furthermore, many fungal pathogens of this family can also cause important trunk and scaffold diseases on many fruit and nut trees including almonds.

Disease Symptoms, Signs and Biology

Band canker symptoms appear on affected almond trees as an amber-color gumming exuding from affected parts usually arranged in a horizontal band pattern around the trunk (Fig-

ure 1). Removing the bark will reveal brown discolored inner bark and xylem tissues (canker) at the affected area. Cankers may develop further around or up and down the main trunk at the

infection site (Figure 2) and sometimes around the base of main scaffolds (Figure 3). Severe cases of the disease may

Figure 1

Figure 1. Amber-color gumming exuding from affected parts arranged in a band pattern around the trunk visible growth cracks caused by Neoschytalidium dimataiatum.

Photo credit: Mohammad Yaghmour.

Figure 2

Figure 2. Initial development of band canker on the main trunk of an almond tree in Kern County (left), and expanding canker on the main trunk of a different tree with clear sunken lesion (right). Photo credit: Mohammad Yaghmour.

Figure 3. Band canker the base of main scaffold

Photo credit: Themis

Figure 1. Amber-colored gumming exuding from affected parts arranged in a band pattern around the trunk with visible growth cracks caused by Neoschytalidium dimataiatum (photo by M. Yaghmour.)

Figure 2. Initial development of band canker on the main trunk of an almond tree in Kern County (left) and expanding canker on the main trunk of a different tree with clear sunken lesion (right) (photo by M. Yaghmour.)

Figure 3. Band canker development around the base of main scaffold of an almond tree (photo by T. Michailides.)

Protect Your Tree Nut Orchard From Yield-Robbing Disease

Tree nuts are susceptible to a variety of diseases that thrive in the humid wet weather that occurs in the spring and can be harmful to growing nuts, halting or damaging the health of the tree. If not managed effectively, these diseases can greatly impact yield and quality potential. Proactive planning and knowing what to look for are the foundation of disease management when combatting these early-season tree nut diseases.

“Diseases have made a significant impact on yield and quality in 2022,” says Garrett Gilcrease, agronomic service representative at Syngenta.

SCOUTING FOR DIFFICULT DISEASES

Gilcrease says the top diseases for almond growers to be aware of during bloom are brown rot, blossom blight and botrytis. Throughout petal fall, scab, rust and shot hole should be top of mind. For pistachio and walnut growers in the early season, botrytis poses a threat with Botryosphaeria and Alternaria arising later.

• Alternaria leaf spot is a more common leaf disease prevalent in the spring and summer that causes large brown spots on leaves that turn black as the fungus produces spores. Like many diseases, it can overwinter in plant debris from the previous year and favors high humidity and wet springtime weather. Keep an eye out for leaf spots to prevent potential yield loss and defoliation.

• Blossom blight is one of the most devastating diseases an almond tree might encounter because it can kill an entire stem. The pathogen infects the tree early in the season, collapsing young blossom spurs and leaves from shoot blight, leading to gum at the base of infected flowers and cankers on twigs. Stay ahead of this disease through good orchard sanitation and a first fungicide application just before bloom in the pink bud stage.

PROTECT YOUR TREE NUTS FROM PATHOGENS

In the same way disease presents in humans, many pathogens wreak havoc on a tree system before showing visible signs of disease. Preventive applications of an efficacious, broad-spectrum fungicide are the best way to protect your tree nut orchards from an array of devastating diseases.

“Not only do you get excellent disease control when we’re talking about hard to control diseases like Alternaria, botryosphaeria and blossom blight, but you’re also getting some stomotil control through water use efficiency,” says Gilcrease. “That’s why we see lots of yield and quality increases when using Miravis Duo fungicide in comparison to without it.”

On top of broad-spectrum disease control, Miravis® Duo fungicide also has plant health benefits.

“Plant health and crop protection go hand in hand, and the cleaner part of the plant health benefit you get is through elevated fungal control,” says Gilcrease. “When fungal pathogens are present, we have a higher degree of control, reducing stressors on the plant, and allowing more yield potential. Miravis Duo fits in that box perfectly.”

For more information on Miravis Duo, visit Syngenta-US.com/fungicides/Miravis-Duo or contact your local Syngenta sales representative.

cause tree decline and death.

To diagnose band canker in general, we prefer to look for the visible different identifying fungal parts called disease signs. In many diseases, signs will help us diagnose the causal agent and the disease. Signs of band canker may include the presence of a distinguished fungal fruiting body on the bark called pycnidia and/or pseudothecia. Those structures can be observed in the orchard using a lens or in the lab under a dissecting scope. Fungal fruiting bodies, called pycnidia, will usually hold asexual fungal spores called conidia which are considered a source of inoculum inside the orchard.

Previous research had also provided significant information on the main sources of inoculum for this disease which is usually affected by trees and plants in close proximity or surrounding the orchard such as plants and trees in riparian areas along canals and streams, or, for example, a walnut orchard with trees affected by Bot canker and blight or a pistachio orchard affected by Botryosphaeria panicle and shoot blight diseases next to an almond orchard. Usually, the disease incidence in such cases will be the highest in almond trees near the main source of inoculum, and incidence will decrease as we move further away from the inoculum source.

Infections of band canker mainly

take place through wounds and growth cracks in the bark on young trees. The fungus kills the bark and cambium layer, and the affected area becomes sunken and frequently girdles the limb or may girdle the main trunk.

For many members of the Botryosphaeriaceae family, rain events in winter and early spring play a major role in the release and spread of conidia and ascospores from fungal fruiting bodies (pycnidia and pseudothecia) to the susceptible host tissue and initiate infection. However, for the infection to develop into a disease, favorable environmental conditions should be present, and band cankers become active during warm weather in the spring and summer in the growing season; these cankers usually do not reactivate the next growing season.

Recent research on band canker affecting first- and second-year almond orchards had focused on another theory. The theory developed because many of the affected trees are spread randomly throughout the orchard, and not in the close proximity to a source of inoculum, or there might not be a known source of inoculum in close proximity to the affected orchards. That theory is focused on disease development from latent infections that took place before planting, and then disease was expressed in the orchard once the host and conducive environmental conditions became favorable for disease development. To learn more about this research and new developments from this research, an article was published on the Almond Board of California website (almonds.com/almond-industry/in-

Figure 4. Walnut branch with symptoms and signs of scaffold dieback caused by Neoscytalidium the presence of cankers, the distinctive arthroconidia appears as a black dust underneath the bark. Photo credit: Mohammad Yaghmour.

Figure 4. Walnut branch with symptoms and signs of scaffold dieback caused by Neoscytalidium dimitiatum. Besides the presence of cankers, the distinctive arthroconidia appears as a black dust underneath the bark (photo by M. Yaghmour.)

dustry-news/new-developments-managing-band-canker-almonds).

Case from Kern County

Recently, a farm call to a two-yearold almond orchard identified the problem in the field as putative band canker. Disease symptoms on almond trees initially appeared as gumming on the lower part of the trunk with band appearance around the base of the trunk similar to what we observe in band canker. Removing the bark at the symptomatic area revealed visible canker underneath. We could not see or observe any fungal fruiting body or any signs of the disease on inspected trees in this orchard.

While we may not always see the signs of band canker caused by the different Botryosphaeriaceae, the best way to confirm the causal agent is by taking a sample for diagnosis at a plant pathology laboratory to isolate and identify the pathogen. Isolations from the affected tissue from different trees consistently resulted in the diagnosis of the pathogen Neoscytalidium dimidiatum as the causal agent. This is the first time that N. dimitiatum has been implicated as a causal agent of band canker. This pathogen is also known to cause shoot and scaffold cankers, and even lately has been implicated in causing hull rot in almond orchards in Madera and Kern counties.

Disease epidemiology was a classic case of band canker. Going back to the affected orchard, we observed that the almond orchard was planted across from an older walnut orchard that showed symptoms of branch wilt and scaffold dieback upon inspection. The symptoms and the signs observed in the walnut orchard confirmed N. dimidiatum causing the dieback on the walnut trees (Figure 4, see page 20).

Besides the presence of cankers, the distinctive arthroconidia were apparent as a black dust underneath the bark. This is a classical epidemiological case where the infected walnut orchard was the main source of N. dimidiatum spore inoculum, and most likely the minute black spores were blown into the almond orchard from the infected walnut

trees, landed in growth fissures on the main trunk and developed infections resulting in band canker. Previous work had shown that N. dimidiatum thrives in warm temperatures, and laboratory experiments show that this fungus’ highest growth rate in culture was at 95 degrees F. We are now monitoring the trees to see if the cankers continue to expand or whether any formation of the arthroconidia under the almond bark could serve as a source of

inoculum to other healthy trees in the orchard.

It is worth noting that not every symptom such as amber-colored gum exuding from the base of the trunk resembling band canker is caused by this disease. It has been reported before that gumming similar to band canker can be caused by abiotic factors, such

as herbicide spray damage on tree trunks (Figure 5). As part of any disease or a problem in any orchard, it is important to look at the whole picture and at the pattern of affected trees in the orchard as well as the place of the symptoms. For example, if almost every single tree in the row is showing uniform gumming at the same level above the soil surface on both sides with dead tissue underneath the bark, and no evidence of canker expansion, then most likely we are dealing with abiotic factors such as chemical injury. Once in doubt, the best way to confirm the presence of a disease is by taking a sample to isolate the putative causal agent if present.

Management Practices

An important aspect of managing band canker depends on understanding the main source of inoculum. If the source is diseased plants adjacent to the young almond orchard, removing the diseased host (source) or diseased parts is very important to reduce the primary inoculum and eliminate the source. In the previous example from Kern County, the walnut orchard which is believed to be the main source of the pathogen was removed mainly because if its old age and declining trees. This step eliminated the source of inoculum and any future chance for the continuous presence of N. dimidiatum spores moving from the infected walnut trees into the almond orchard. Since then, there were

no more reports of new infections expanding to new trees in that orchard. Moreover, it is also important to remove rapidly declining and dying almond trees or infected branches since they become themselves a source of the inoculum inside the orchard.

An additional aspect of disease management is minimizing and avoiding tree stress and trunk injuries, and follow proper horticultural practices to minimize growth cracks, and keep tree trunks dry by installing splitters in the microsprinklers so that the chance of initiating infections through injuries to the main trunk will be diminished.

References

Michailides, T. J. New Developments in Managing Band Canker in Almonds. 2021. Almond Board of California (almonds.com/almond-industry/industry-news/new-developments-managing-band-canker-almonds). Last accessed 01/01/2023.

Luo, Y., Lichtemberg, P. S. F., Niederholzer, F. J. A., Lightle, D. M., Felts, D. G., and Michailides, T. J. 2019. Understanding the Process of Latent Infection of Canker-Causing Pathogens in Stone Fruit and Nut Crops in California. Plant Disease 103: 2374-2384.

Inderbitzin, P., Bostock, R. M., Trouillas, F. P., and Michailides, T. J. 2010. A Six Locus Phylogeny Reveals High Species Diversity in Botryosphaeriaceae from California almond. Mycologia 102: 1350–1368.

Michailides, T., Trouillas, F., Yaghmour, M., and Viveros, M. 2021. New Foes of Almonds at Hull Split Stage. West Coast Nut. August pp. 38-43.

Figure 5. Amber-color gumming exuding from affected parts arranged in a band pattern around the trunk with visible dead tissue on each side of the trunk due to herbicide damage (photo by M. Yaghmour.)

Neighborly NOW Web portal connects neighboring nut growers to create larger blocks for NOW mating disruption.

By VICKY BOYD | Contributing Writer

The Almond Board of California, in conjunction with Blue Diamond Growers, UCCE and Land IQ, has designed a voluntary online platform that helps connect neighboring growers and PCAs interested in or currently using NOW mating disruption. The platform is designed for almonds, pistachios and walnuts, all tree nuts that are susceptible to NOW damage. The goal is to help growers and PCAs create larger orchard blocks better suited to the mating disruption system, said Jesse Roseman, Almond Board principal analyst.

He emphasized the program is purely voluntary, but participation may help enhance the almond industry’s sustainability message.

“Can we create a voluntary system that shows growers are being proactive and that could help avoid worse negative burdens coming next?” Roseman said. “This voluntary approach may not only be preferable to something being forced on growers; it may also be more effective.”

The Almond Board, which received project funding from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, successfully piloted the online matchmaking system with growers and PCAs west of Modesto during the 2022 summer.

“We had a kick-off meeting and got around 30 growers and PCAs in that [west Modesto] area, so there’s definitely interest,” Roseman said. Blue Diamond helped spread the word about the pilot program since the co-op has an extensive communications network.

The Almond Board is rolling

out the neighborhood program statewide for the 2023 season, he said. Growers of susceptible tree crops and PCAs active in Central Valley orchards are invited to use the tool. It can be found at agneighbors.com. The passcode is “nowmd”.

Being Neighborly

By creating a free online ac-

count and logging onto the website, users can view field boundaries and crop maps from Land IQ. By clicking on blocks they manage, website users then select whether they’re using mating disruption.

Once tool use closes, notifications will be sent to nearby growers

The Almond Board has expanded the scope of an online program designed to connect growers and PCAs interested in or currently using navel orangeworm mating disruption to include the entire Central Valley. A pilot program was conducted in an area west of Modesto (pictured) in 2022.

In trials conducted in the San Joaquin Valley in 2017 and 2018, UC farm advisors found up to 50% reduction in NOW kernel damage with mating disruption (photo courtesy Suterra.).

and PCAs whose combined acreage meets the minimum 40-acre threshold. Making those connections and helping with follow-up should aid those who would like to take a neighborhood approach to using the pheromone-based system, Roseman said.

Although the Almond Board received the grant, the system is also for walnut and pistachio producers since those crops also are susceptible to NOW damage. And the pest can spread across different crops and fields.

As part of the statewide launch, Roseman said they plan to first raise awareness of mating disruption among growers of the three susceptible crops.

“I think a lot of growers, especially the larger growers, know about it, and many have tried it,” he said. “We know adoption isn’t as wide-

spread among smaller growers, and it may not be something that works for everybody. But for the ones who are interested in it and the ones who want to partner with their neighbors, it creates a more effective treatment area.”

The cost to implement NOW mating disruption averaged $127 per acre in 2021, according to Almond Board figures. But growers increased their average crop value by $144 to $150 per acre that year.

Growers who want to try mating disruption also may be able to receive cost-share funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, NRCS, Roseman said. The Almond Board, along with UCCE, developed NOW standard practices on which NRCS based its funding.

Known as Conservation Practice 595, the combination of IPM and natural resource conservation program is designed to reduce pest pressure, injury to beneficials, pesticide transport to surface and groundwa-

ter, emissions of particulate matter and emissions of ozone precursors. Eventually, Roseman said they hope the mating disruption program will become sustainable without outside financial support.

Taking to the Air

Mating disruption involves blanketing an area with synthetic female insect pheromones emitted from season-long dispensers, such as timed-release aerosol cans nicknamed “puffers” or rubber-like impregnated Meso strips hung from trees. Recently, a flowable microencapsulated pheromone spray has been launched for commercial use with NOW mating disruption, although the neighborhood project is based on UC research findings that used aerosol and Meso dispensers. Inundated with pheromones, males become confused and frequently can’t find a female with which to mate. Eventually, the NOW population declines.

Many walnut, apple and pear growers have successfully adopted mating disruption for codling moth in blocks as small as 20 acres, although the system works better with larger contiguous orchards.

Because NOW moths are stronger flyers than codling moths, researchers have looked at minimum contiguous block sizes of at least 40 acres for NOW mating disruption. Of course, contiguous blocks larger than 40 acres work even better.

Mating Disruption Put to the Test

In trials conducted in the San Joaquin Valley in 2017 and 2018, UCCE Farm Advisors David Haviland and Jhalendra Rijal found a 46% to 50% reduction in NOW kernel damage with mating disruption. Haviland had three trials in Kern County while Rijal had three trials in the northern San Joaquin Valley. Their research was the basis for the Almond Board’s program, said Rijal, area integrated pest

Abbott-Hearn

management advisor for San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties and a project collaborator.

“We knew it worked in bigger plots,” he said. “We used 40 acres or more to do that research, but there are a lot of smaller growers. How can we communicate among the growers so they can form a voluntary group and create blocks where they can use mating disruption together?”

Mating disruption isn’t a standalone answer to NOW either, Rijal said. Instead, it is part of an integrated approach that also involves winter sanitation to reduce overwintering populations, in-season trapping and monitoring, timely harvest and properly timed pesticide applications at hull split.

Although mating disruption has performed well in trials and for some growers, Roseman said it also has limitations and should be approached accordingly.

“We’re not saying that use of mating disruption is going to automatically allow growers to save a spray, but that’s

one of the potential benefits if you’re able to control NOW in your orchard.” he said.

This winter, Almond Board representatives and farm advisors will begin promoting the neighborhood program at grower meetings. Rijal said he discussed it as part of his presentation at the annual Blue Diamond Growers meeting and planned to continue at future meetings such as UCCE’s North San Joaquin Valley almond day.

In the coming months, Roseman said he also foresees grower field days

to help get the word out.

“This is just the beginning of what we hope will take off, and it could help address some of the concerns we hear about the impacts of pesticide use,” he said. “If there’s a way we can reduce them and make pest management more sustainable by including cultural and pheromone-based control methods, that’s a goal as well.”

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

Mating disruption involves blanketing an area with synthetic female insect pheromones emitted from season-long dispensers, such as timed-release aerosol cans nicknamed “puffers” (pictured) or rubber-like impregnated Meso strips hung from trees (photo courtesy Suterra.)

Experts Point to Uptick in Walnut Navel Orangeworm Damage

By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor

Across the board, a PCA, grower and processor agreed that navel orangeworm (NOW) infestations in walnut orchards were a growing concern. A robust discussion on management of this pest during the California Walnut Conference included diverse opinions and possible solutions to the NOW challenge.

Navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella , damages walnuts once the husks split. Blighted or sunburned nuts also offer entry for egg laying. Larvae feed on the kernel and produce frass and webbing, making the nut unmarketable. Unlike codling moth, more than one NOW can infest each nut. Infested walnut crops take longer to process, increasing costs.

Navel orangeworm overwinters as larvae inside mummy nuts on the tree and in trash nuts left on the ground. Depending on winter and spring temperatures, pupation begins in March. Moths of the overwintered NOW brood begin emerging in April, and peak emergence usually occurs from late April to mid-May, depending on season and growing region. Female NOW of the overwintered generation lay their eggs singly on mummy nuts, codling moth-infested nuts or blighted nuts. The first generation, and most of the second, is completed in these nuts. As the growing season progresses, some of the second-generation larvae infest the nuts as the husks begin to split. Females emerging at this time prefer to lay eggs on the opened husk or on the exposed nutshell. The UC IPM guidelines note that in later-harvested varieties, nuts may also be exposed to infestation by third-generation larvae.

What had been a mostly successful NOW suppression program for organic walnut grower Ryan Fillmore has changed in recent years. Fillmore, who farms wal-

nuts in Butte County, said orchard sanitation and mass trapping had worked for him, keeping NOW pressure on the low end in his Chandler blocks up to 2021. Very spe cific flights and consistent numbers in trapping changed after 2021, he said. Navel orangeworm damage in 2022 had significant impact on his walnut crop, increasing pro cessing costs.

“The population may not be increasing, but there is a year-to-year variation in flights and hull split,” Fillmore said.

John Post, PCA and president and owner of Agri cultural Advisors Inc., said he first saw NOW damage in walnuts in the Durham area of Butte County in the 1970s. He said they figured out the flight cycle, and NOW damage at that time was never worse than codling moth damage. Control for that pest was keeping NOW in check, he said, but the insect kept adapting and pupating earlier, and more generations were produced.

There are regional differences, Post said, but in his experience, traps are constantly catching NOW, and due to poor sanitation practices, Post said he believes NOW is becoming problematic in walnuts.

There has been a gradual uptick in NOW damage in walnuts, Eric Heidman of Diamond Foods Inc. noted. More NOW damage in a grower’s walnut harvest will mean increased processing costs. Earlier varieties on southern growing regions are being most affected. At second shake, he said blocks of Tulare were approach ing 5% NOW damage. 20% damage with late harvest was not uncommon.

“Testing, re-sort, re-pack, those costs kill returns,” Heidman said. The NOW damage is secondary to mold

Panelists at a special roundtable presentation at the California Walnut Conference, from left, walnut grower Ryan Fillmore; PCA John Post, president/owner Agricultural Advisors, Inc.; Eric Heidman, director of grower services for Diamond Foods; and Houston Wilson, UCCE Assistant IPM Specialist, discuss NOW in walnuts along with moderator Joe Grant of the California Walnut Board.

and aflatoxin development in walnuts. Customers are requesting lower levels, and the tolerance for aflatoxin in EU imports is low.

“Prevention at the field level is best,” Heidman said.

He also put NOW in perspective across the walnut industry. Over the entire crop, NOW damage is less than 1%.

NOW Defies Complete Control

Houston Wilson, UCCE IPM specialist, who has been studying NOW in the Central Valley for the past six years, noted the pest’s strength and challenge for control in the wide range of host plants. Growth of tree nut crops as a food supply and NOW’s flying ability defy complete control.

He stressed that orchard sanitation practices and destroying mummy nuts removes overwintering sites and potentially lowers numbers for the first flight. Wilson recognized that orchard access for sanitation may be limited during wet weather, and research efforts are being directed in that area.

What is needed is a better way to approach areawide control efforts, Wilson said. Sanitation by individual growers is compromised when neighbors fail to shake and destroy mummy nuts. Better orchard sanitation and timing of spray applications is important for the future, Wilson said, but development of tools and study of NOW movement including timing of influx into walnuts along with economic considerations will be needed by growers.

“Those are our highest concerns, but it is difficult for growers when prices are low. We have to figure out areawide management of this pest,” Wilson added.

There are not enough tools available for NOW control, Post noted. Pyrethroids have been a good fit, but he questioned how much longer growers would be able to use those products. More point sources are needed for pheromone use in mating disruption, Post said, and it can be

less effective due to the large size of mature trees.

No one has come up with a complete solution to NOW control at any price, Fillmore said. He said there have been dramatic differences in population levels from year to year. Traps give some idea of population levels. It is critical, he added to know appropriate spray timing. Growers can’t cut out control options as there is too much of an economic impact from NOW.

“Where can you cut?” Post asked. Blight spray? Blight invites more NOW damage. NOW lay eggs on infected nuts, he said.

Post said he recommends putting the sterilant application on with the contact burn strip spray down the berm prior to harvest.

“You don’t have to blow and mow after the harvest to put your strip spray on, and you can time the blowing and mowing more for NOW timing when more mummies are on the ground for control in late January or early February.”

Fillmore pointed out that mummy nuts are hanging on the trees longer, prompting changes in cover cropping and mowing.

“When is it critical to have mummies gone? What is the best timing?” he asked.

Post noted that with cover crops, waiting until March to mow will not work. Those should be gone by Feb. 15, he said.

Mating disruption, panelists agreed, is another tool for NOW control, but in walnuts, the cost of dispensers and the ability of mated NOW females to fly in from adjacent orchards was cited.

Staggered phenology and travel into orchards pose challenges, Wilson said. What is needed is a mapping tool to predict incoming NOW and when mating disruption would be most effective.

“This is why no single thing works,” Fillmore said. “They always have habitat and can fly.”

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A Look at Spray Coverage Trials for Navel Orangeworm in Almonds

By MITCH LIES | Contributing Writer

Aseven-year research project into spray coverage found that a standard air blast sprayer that is properly maintained and operated delivered as good or better coverage than any applicator tested for navel orangeworm control in Nonpareil almonds.

Brad Higbee, research and development manager for Trèce Inc., who conducted the research while serving as director of entomology research at Wonderful Orchards in Shafter, Calif., said the orchard launched the project in hopes of determining how to improve spray coverage. The findings, he said, confirmed that the orchard’s spray practices were about as good as they could expect.

“We tried so many different things, from the ground speed, air speed, how fast the air is coming out of the sprayers, different droplet sizes, different nozzles,” Higbee said. “We looked at electrostatic sprayers. We looked at tower sprayers. We looked at combinations of helicopter and ground applications and also looked at them separately. We tried so many different things, and we could just get incremental improvements. It turned out that what we were doing was basically as good as it gets.”

The findings showed that regardless of application method, about the best applicators could expect

was between 50% to 60% coverage, Higbee said.

“This is all focused on the navel orangeworm,” Higbee said. “So, what that means in terms of spray coverage is that it doesn’t really matter if you get residues on the leaves. The only place the residues matter in terms of naval orangeworm protection is on the hull and the nuts.

“So, it is a little more rigorous challenge than just looking at the whole tree,” he said.

Researchers found that different machines provided different degrees of coverage in different parts of trees, but that no system provided better than 60% coverage over the expanse of the tree. For example, ground rigs provided coverage of up to 80% in the bottom of trees, but only 15% or so in the tops of trees.

“And so, when you put it all together, it is usually about 50% to 60% coverage,” Higbee said.

With a tower sprayer, conversely, coverage was better in the tops of trees and was more uniform than with a ground rig, but overall coverage still averaged out to around 50% to 60%, Higbee said.

“There was nothing wrong with the tower sprayers,” he said. “It is just a question of if you want to deal with the tower and whatever additional maintenance or practical problems you might run into.”

Multiple Measurements

In the trials, researchers measured spray coverage by placing water-sensitive papers at different sites in trees, they looked at spray residues on fruit and measured nut damage, including both nut damage on trees and in windrows after

Researchers placed water-sensitive paper at varying sites in trees as one measurement of spray coverage.

Tower sprayers provided similar overall coverage to ground rigs in a spray coverage trial at Wonderful Orchards in Shafter, Calif., with the tower sprayers providing better coverage at the tops of trees but less at the lower portions (all photos by B. Higbee.)

harvest.

In all, researchers analyzed up to 2,000 individual nuts for product residues each year and more than 150,000 nuts were dissected for infestation and damage assessment, Higbee said.

The trial, which ran from the 2010-

16 growing season, included three replicate treatments of Intrepid and Altacor on 7-acre plots. “It was quite a comprehensive trial,” Higbee said.

Navel orangeworm pressure was high during the trial, with almonds in the control plot averaging 25% to 30%

damage, Higbee said.

The researchers actually dipped nuts in the control plots and still did not get 100% control, Higbee said. “In our control plots, we would dip nuts with

ContinuedonPage34

“So, it is a little more rigorous challenge than just looking at the whole tree,”

– Brad Higbee

the same mix that we sprayed, and the interesting thing there is the nuts that were dipped still had about 2% damage.”

The researchers used 200 gallons of water per acre when treating with the air blast sprayers, he said. “We couldn’t do any better or quite as good with anything less than that,” he said. “We could have gone more gallons per acre, but it becomes kind of impractical for a grower to use more than that.”

And the researchers settled on 2 miles per hour as the optimal speed to run the sprayers.

“You could get away with 2.5 miles per hour, but it was just not quite as good,” he said. “It wasn’t a trainwreck or anything, but the best was 2 miles per hour.”

The top treatments were able to secure 75% to 80% reduction in navel orangeworm damage compared to the control plots, Higbee said.

“And that was really the best we could achieve, and we did that with just standard air blast ground rigs, both PTO and engine drive. We found the PTOs could do just as well,” Higbee said. “It was just kind of a relatively standard set up. As long as it is maintained, calibrated and in good shape, that is going to be as good as you can do.”

Damage reductions averaged between 15% and 25% with a single

application and between 55% to 60% with two applications.

The researchers found that three treatments provided the best control, with the addition of a third spray increasing damage reduction up to 80%. “Any more than three sprays did not

give you less damage,” he said. “Two to three sprays are going to be the best you can do.”

Spray Timing

As for timing, when multiple hullsplit sprays are planned, Higbee said

“The key to this trial is reaching the realization that we are only getting 50% to 60% coverage when it comes to navel orangeworm.”

– Brad Higbee

the best results occurred when the first spray went on “right at the onset of hullsplit.”

“And if you are going to do only do two sprays, we found that, at least in the southern valley, the most impactful for the second spray was getting as close to harvest as the product’s PHI (pre-harvest interval) would allow,” he said.

“These trials were in Kern County,” he added. “And so, this isn’t a uniform recommendation, but in the southern valley, these Nonpareils are usually coming off right when the third flight hit.

“And the residues are additive,” he said. “That is another thing we found. You put on one spray, measure the residue, and then you wait generally about three weeks, put on another spray, and you get some additive effect. Those residues are still there from the first spray.”

Researchers found that changing nozzle types, adding adjuvants or altering droplet size did not have significant effects on efficacy based on nuts sampled at harvest.

“The key to this trial is reaching the realization that we are only getting 50% to 60% coverage when it comes to navel orangeworm,” Higbee said. “Residues on leaves are not doing any good. They have to be on the nuts. And in addition to getting past branches and leaves and a lot of things that block the spray resi-

due from getting there, there is the fact that you could have sprayed last week, but this week the nut is split open a half an inch or a quarter of an inch and you have tissue exposed that you couldn’t possibly have residue on. You have this three-dimensional, spatial, temporal change, and that is what makes it especially tough with almonds.

“And that is why the multiple sprays had the largest impact on

damage reduction when you have a high-pressure situation,” Higbee said.

Higbee has given talks on the project over the years and believes the results are still relevant. He said he hoped to write several articles in the coming year to share the technical aspects of the project in West Coast Nut

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Water sensitive paper in the orchard measured coverage at various levels in the tree.

The Rain California Needs is Finally Here: What Do We Do Now?

By RICH KREPS | CCA, SSp., Contributing Writer

Isaw a post online in the beginning of January that said, and I paraphrase, “God, the next time we do a rain dance, we’ll request a slow song!” I searched the internet to find the creator of the quote, but it made me laugh. It hit home that we aren’t in charge. When the government blocks us for this long and squanders the money they reappropriated for conveyance projects that weren’t completed, the good Lord lets us know he means business. And this year, the rain business is good. The first week of January, I saw the static water level in my well come up 10 feet. Then the rain really hit. My pista-

chios are on the east side of the valley in Madera, so I can only imagine what the valley floor aquifers look like. What do we do now?

When we are blessed with this kind of moisture and recharge, we clean the ground up quite a bit. Mother Nature has exacerbated our leaching fractions and percolated deep moisture below our orchards. We should find we can push much farther into the new year before we have to run the pumps for long irrigations. There’s just one small problem: we still need to feed our trees. I’ve discussed in the past few years that we need a

plant-ready supply of phosphorus early in the season for energy. Many of the almond farmers I consult for didn’t have a good shot of fertilizer in their postharvest budget. With the price of walnuts, I don’t even want to discuss the difficulties you farmers face with that crop and its price. However, we still need to maintain our orchards and make every attempt to push the biggest crop possible to make ends meet. Too much water, both naturally occurring water and irrigation sets that are too long, can cause other issues when we feed the trees.

If rain continues, soils may be too wet to apply fungicides by ground. Consider adding some foliar nutrients to aerial applications at a potential cost savings.

Make a Plan

Let’s discuss some strategies and why we need a plan. When I turn the water on, it’s usually when the top 12” have gotten to about 60 centibars of moisture. I want the roots to be a bit thirsty so they’ll pick up the first nutrition shots I provide. Most of the first irrigation sets my growers run are only to feed, and rarely last more than six hours. This does a few things:

It’ll pulse a small shot of water over the deeper layers that have adequate moisture. In my experience, it has kept the deep moisture from subbing up and holds more down there for later.

By going short on our sets, my growers find they keep more of that ever-increasing pricey fertilizer in the root zone and not push it below.

It allows us to irrigate more often with less and re-wet some of that nutrition that may not have been picked up or tied up.

We don’t get our soils too wet this way, and in a year like this, that strategy may stave off phytophthora and other soilborne pathogens that love anaerobic conditions.

It’s easier to run during non-peak hours this way longer into the season. We can then save a significant amount of money on our electricity bills.

As our soils start to warm up, add a few other soil enhancers. Organic acids and biology can help make previous applications more effective. A 1% increase in organic matter will hold 20,000 more gallons of water per acre. An extra 133 gallons of water per tree stored in the root zone can be a game changer when it gets hot. It’ll also help active soil biology flocculate the soil and give it some

structure back. With rains this heavy and violent, a lot of silt fills pore spaces. We need carbon, biology and healthy roots to add structure. Another thought on providing nutrition with wet soils: Fly it on. Our soils may be too wet to apply our fungicides in a timely manner this year. Add some nutrients to those aerial rides. Adding phosphite to a typical NPK shot can not only provide some fungi cidal effects; phosphite can help make adequate phosphorus applications more effective. Studies have shown phosphite will also move both directions in a plant through phloem as well xylem. And it’ll take other nutrients with it. I’m a big fan of adding a pint to an NPK ride that has a good orthophosphate derivative in it. There have also been many studies that show some nutrients like iron, manga nese, cobalt, etc. can have a 7:1 greater absorption ratio by virtue of tissue tests after an application than a soil shot registers. The necessity of having to apply by air early may save us a good chunk of money when budgets are tight, compared to applying more nutrients through our irrigation system.

It’s becoming cliché, month after month, repeating the saying, “unusual times call for unusual measures.” But heck, we are farmers, and we are used to it. And like good marines, we find ways to overcome and adapt. Proper prior planning prevents poor plant perfor mance. Don’t let your trees down. Adjust to the blessing we have received and feed them properly early and often.

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With these long deep rains, Mother Nature has exacerbated leaching fractions and percolated deep moisture below orchards. Irrigation strategy should reflect this.

FRUGALITY ISN’T THE ANSWER WHEN MANAGING CROP INPUTS IN TOUGH TIMES

By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor

Making critical decisions on crop inputs has become a lot tougher since 2020.

And frugality isn’t the best answer, according to experts. Instead, growers should look at maximizing orchard productivity, ask questions, try new technologies and approaches, focus on the long term and stay positive.

Decisions on crop inputs may be painful for growers, Josette Lewis, ABC’s chief scientific officer, said, but seeking out new information on how to maximize productivity while managing crop inputs in tough markets will pay off in the long run.

Re-thinking traditional approaches to pollination, fertigation, pest control and other crop inputs which have significantly increased in cost since 2020 can help with returns.

Weighing beehive stocking rates in self-fertile almond varieties with potentially higher yields is one area growers may consider. Fertigation, critical to productivity but painful due to higher costs, is another area where new research on crop demand and timing may save money.

“Conventional knowledge is not consistent with new research,” Lewis noted. “Smaller, frequent doses have a bigger impact.”

Adjusting for variability in orchards and maintaining irrigation systems does add to labor costs, Lewis added, but it pays with increased fertilizer efficiency.

Pete DeBoer with Yara USA said

Winter sanitation provides the best return on the money for navel orangeworm control (photo by Vicky Boyd.)

Monitoring pest pressures helps ensure the best return on spray programs (photo courtesy Jhalendra Rijal, UCCE.)

the two main questions he hears from growers are, “Why does fertilizer cost so much?” and “When will it get back to normal?”

Practical Approaches to Saving on Fertilizer Costs

Reflecting on the global chaos that ensued during the pandemic, retaliatory tariffs and global conflict, DeBoer said that even with challenges, there are practical approaches to saving on fertilizer costs.

California agriculture relies mostly on outside sources for fertilizer products, DeBoer said. Conflict in Ukraine

has had a big impact on supply and is the reason for sustained increase in costs. Input costs have all increased since 2020 and speculating about the next year isn’t possible. Growers will have to weather the market and maintain productivity.

“Things that can’t continue forever, won’t” DeBoer said.

Despite challenges with fertilizer, DeBoer said that maximizing productivity should be the goal. Growers with questions about implementing plans should look at research and new technologies for answers. Yara, he noted, has a research farm where the company

is attempting to validate crop applications and assist growers.

“There is a lot of knowledge in the industry; tap into it,” he advised.

Pest control, particularly navel orangeworm control, can be one of the biggest input costs in almond production. Doing it right protects yield and crop quality.

Sanitation Can’t be Ignored

Justin Nay, an independent crop consultant and PCA who heads Integral Ag Inc., said winter sanitation is the one step in NOW control

that cannot be ignored. Once there is some moisture in the trees, shaking and destroying mummy nuts should commence. Sampling mummy nuts for NOW levels in the orchard should also be done in December.

NOW mummy infestation for all varieties of almonds combined was below 0.1 in 2020, and the 16-year average is about 0.20 or 20 worms in 100 mummies.

Nay’s NOW math 101 showed that at 2 mummies per tree, sampling 100 trees per acre with .2 worms per mummy equaled 40 worms per acre. Nay’s calculations showed how to determine the level of NOW larvae per acre and the total female NOW per acre. Performing the calculations, he said, can assist in a more efficient allocation of resources on sanitation based on NOW infestation and variety. Finding a small number of female NOW per acre shows effectiveness of sanitation.

Nay noted that in his experience, the Padre variety can have the highest larvae count and advised sampling early in the winter to establish a baseline.

If a grower wants to save on sprays, he said, they should target the worst infestation areas. Each ranch will experience a different flight pattern due to environmental conditions. Humidity drives NOW development, Nay said.

Peterson traps are a good monitoring tool for mated females. But Nay noted that more females per trap is not better; it means you are pushing the system too far.

For better return on investment on NOW management decisions. Nay said to spend money on sanitation. Monitor to determine spring population size and base spray decisions on that. Use mass trapping to assist sanitation, provide information on population size and kill moths.

“Focus spending more specifically. ‘Do I have to spray in May?’ Confirm with traps.”

Understanding the Benefits of Costs

Lucas Avila, area manager for Farmland Management Services, addressed labor and equipment inputs and said understanding the benefits of the costs over the long term is important.

Assessing your farming practices, what you are doing well or what isn’t working and speaking with neighboring growers about their decisions is a way to help with making management decisions, Avila said. Driving returns may have been easy in the past and

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Finding the best operator can improve the performance and efficiency in equipment operations (photo by C. Parsons.)

mistakes in management could be overlooked. Now, making the right decision on inputs is critical.

“Maybe you can be better at spray calculations, maybe be more careful about who is operating machinery. Be humble and look at your mistakes,” Avila said.

When making decisions on equipment and fertilizers, growers need to do the math to determine long-term benefits to their operations. With nutrients, matching soil type with formulations is critical. For automated fertilizer injection, calculations need to be spot-on.

“Talk to the experts. There is too much knowledge in the industry to keep making mistakes,” Avila said. “Use the resources in the industry.”

UCCE Agriculture and Resources

Economist Brittney Goodrich told growers that tighter margins mean maximizing yields may no longer be optimal. Goodrich, who said updated Almond Cost Studies will be available this year, noted that since 2019, prices

were down about 30% while input prices were up across the board. Nitrogen was up 171%, herbicides 127% and fuel 48%.

“With tighter margins, you have to think critically to maximize profit, maybe not yields,” Goodrich said.

Crop insurance could be affected by some management decisions. In 2022, 72% of almond acreage was insured by USDA-RMA, Goodrich said. As crop insurance policies are based on prior year’s production , reducing target yields will reduce actual production history and level of yield that can be insured in future years. Growers in the USDA-RMA Almond Crop Provisions also must report any changes in practices or other circumstances that may reduce yields below the yield on which insurance guarantee is based.

That means, Goodrich explained, if you lower hive density during pollination to save costs, that could influence yield.

Goodrich also outlined a NOW IPM

program comparison decision tool that is in development. It allows for a cost/ benefit comparison of different NOW IPM programs.

One program uses winter sanitation and a spring and hull split insecticide application. The other uses winter sanitation, mating disruption and a hull split pesticide application. Changing from the first to the second holds NOW damage at the same level but costs $43 more per acre with no change in revenue.

Under the second program, costs increase by $43 per acre, but the revenue increases by $67 due to a lower reject level with a net gain of $24 per acre. This comparison tool will also be available to growers in 2023.

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NEW WEB TOOL OFFERS CROP-DECISION SUPPORT FOR EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

By MITCH LIES | Contributing Writer

Anew web-based interactive tool from UCCE and USDA’s California Climate Hub provides a one-stop opportunity to track nut crop development and pest phenology at site-specific locations and prepare for extreme weather events.

Launched in late October, CalAgroClimate incorporates decision-support tools with site-specific weather data to help

tree nut growers reduce risk and optimize crop management decisions, according to Tapan Pathak, UCCE climate adaptation specialist at Merced. Pathak, along with Steven Ostoja, director of California Climate Hub, were the principal developers of the site.

CalAgroClimate pooled resources from California Climate Hub and the University of California to fund the launch, Pathak said. Pathak added that the free system is a work-in-progress.

“This is a starting point,” Pathak said. “We will talk to growers to see what additional information they want to see in this tool, and most of our approach will be based on what we hear.”

In this first iteration, growers can obtain crop decision support on almonds, pistachios, walnuts and other specialty crops by clicking on one of four categories (crop phenology, pest advisory, frost advisory or heat advisory) and inputting information on crop, variety and other data and clicking on a map to specify location.

Included in the prototype sections are heat and frost tolerance thresholds for different crops, estimates of critical growth stages and pest generation information based on growing degree days. The site also contains links to pertinent UC ANR reports.

“We wanted to provide a one-stop shop,” Pathak said.

Firsthand Knowledge

Pathak said the system is inspired by AgroClimate.org, a climate-based support system for agriculture that was launched in the late aughts by the Southeast Climate Consortium.

“The main founder of that system was my Ph.D.

Growers can get crop decision support for frost advisories and other extreme weather events in the apps first iteration (photo by K. Coatney.)

co-advisor at the University of Florida,” Pathak said. “So, I kind of had firsthand knowledge of this system and how it was designed.” Other climate-support systems in agriculture are available in the Pacific Northwest and the Northeastern U.S., Pathak said.

In populating CalAgroClimate, system developers used information from UC ANR publications and other academic sources. Developers determined which categories to prioritize after talking with growers and other stakeholders at meetings, conferences and other events, Pathak said.

“We heard a lot about heat risk,” Pathak said. “And we heard that growers are not that interested in raw weather information, that they want crop-specific information and location-specific information. And we looked for a way in which we can utilize raw data and convert it to some sort of decision support.

“There was a lot of discussion behind the scenes,” Pathak said.

The site uses a high-resolution PRISM statistical mapping system to provide its site-specific weather data, Pathak said, which involves gathering climate information from a range of monitoring networks and implementing sophisticated techniques to develop spatial gridded datasets.

Much of the information on the site is available elsewhere, Pathak said, but finding it can be difficult and time-consuming. Also, other sources of information may not be site-specific.

“You can get a lot of weather information from a phone, but in CalAgroClimate, it is more advisory and more precise to location,” Pathak said.

Also, according to Mark Battany, UCCE water management and biometeorology advisor for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, who is a member of the website’s advisory panel, other datasets might not be as inclusive. “Let’s say a grower may be using a weather forecast produced by a meteorologist,” Battany said. “The grower may be comfortable with that,

but that forecast may not cover all of the areas of the state they are interested in.

“Let’s say they are an operation that is in different areas of the state,” Battany said. “That would require a number of different forecasts to cover that. To me, one of the big advantages of this site is the spatial coverage that it has. If I want to know what is going on in a broader region, having a tool like this is really useful.”

Another significant benefit is that information is provided in a very visual, easy-to-understand format, Battany said.

“It conveys a lot of information very easily to people,” he said, “and a lot of people respond very well to a clear, visual presentation of information. For me, this product really hits that well.”

Battany added that the gridded weather data available in CalAgroClimate will not replace a need for weather stations and temperature sensors within a crop or a field but will provide a valuable supplement.

“Let’s say, for example, that a grower knows that a portion of his field is prone to frost,” Battany said. “They will still need to have their thermometers and temperature sensors out in that

CalAgroClimate incorporates decision-support tools with site-specific weather data to help tree nut growers reduce risk and optimize crop management decisions.

field to make decisions.

“So, these tools are complementary to each other,” he said.

Historical Weather Data

The historical weather data available in CalAgroClimate also is a valuable resource, Pathak said. “If, for example, you want to see how your existing season is compared to last year, or the last 5 or 10 years, then you can compare that type of information and get a rough estimate of how this season will look,” Pathak said. “You can easily get that information in this crop phenology tool.

“You can see how your heat units are accumulating. And if you want to change any type of management based on what you are seeing for the existing year, you can do that type of compar ison,” he said. “And with pests, if you want to plan IPM practices with respect to heat accumulations, you can easily

because of their prominence in California’s specialty crop industry, Pathak said. Developers plan to include other crops in future iterations.

“California is very challenging for this type of system because we have so many crops,” Pathak said, “and our hope is to meaningfully integrate important specialty crops, but at the same time, we also want to integrate other agronomy.

“This is a starting point, but there is a lot more potential because we have so much diversity in things we grow,” he said. “It is my hope that on a monthly basis, we will have more and more tools as information is validated and ready to be put on the website.”

Battany characterized CalAgro-

“It is very well thought out,” Battany said. “I think it is a very user-friendly tool. It doesn’t take very much effort to learn how to access the data. I think it is very well done.”

Ostoja, the California Climate Hub director, said the USDA division “is a proud collaborator on this important initiative to ensure the state’s agriculture industry can continue to thrive in a future of climate change.”

Other organizations that contributed to the site’s development and launch include UC ANR’s Informatics and Geographic Information Systems (IGIS). Other individuals identified as integral to the development of the site include Lauren Parker, also of California Climate Hub, who contributed to

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An Intense Search, ‘A Great Outcome’ Chairman of the Board Dan Cummings on finding Blue Diamond’s new CEO.

By CATHERINE MERLO | Contributing Writer

When Mark Jansen announced last year he would step down after 12 successful years as president and CEO of Blue Diamond Growers, it was clear he would leave big shoes to fill.

During his tenure, Blue Diamond became one of the fastest-growing food and beverage companies in the world, achieving net sales of $1.6 billion in 2021.

Jansen also led Blue Diamond to enlarge and upgrade its manufacturing facilities in Turlock and Salida, Calif. Under his leadership, Blue Diamond expanded into five new almond prod uct categories and created a global net

work of licensee partners for Almond Breeze, the world’s top almond milk brand. Perhaps most telling, the co-op achieved double-digit annual growth in its overall branded business.

Finding a replacement for Jansen would be no small task. All eyes turned to Blue Diamond’s 11-member board of

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Dan Cummings has been Blue Diamond’s chairman since 2014 (photo courtesy Blue Diamond.)

Kai Bockmann, Blue Diamond’s new CEO, has a long career in the food industry (photo courtesy Blue Diamond.)

Building a Business Plan for Almond Bloom Planning Ahead Can Help Growers Maximize Results

By: Jessica Samler, BASF Technical Service Representative

That statement by Hubbard, an American writer and philosopher, definitely resonates when it comes to the business of almond farming. And with almond bloom just around the corner, it makes good business sense to focus on what needs to be done to get your orchard ready for the season.

To help growers prepare for bloom, I recommend the following tips:

□ Communicate With Your PCA, Local Farm Advisors and University Researchers — Develop your seasonal program needs with your trusted PCA and/or retail partner. Because disease pressure and severity can vary greatly based on geographic region, local climate, and historical pest pressure, seek information from local farm advisors or university researchers. This can include attending timely seasonal meetings to gain insight into best management practices and emerging pest concerns.

□ Evaluate Fungicide Options for Disease Control

— Growers have many decisions to make and things to do during almond growing season. Worrying about the effectiveness of their fungicide program shouldn’t be one of them. Choose best in class, high quality products such as Merivon® Xemium® brand fungicide. Research has shown Merivon fungicide provides superior disease control benefits on a variety of diseases (including blossom blight, almond scab, shot hole, and Alternaria) compared to competitive products and untreated crops.

□ Don’t Forget About Plant Health — In addition to superior disease control, also consider a fungicide that provides Advanced Plant Health benefits. Merivon fungicide promotes plant health by increasing nitrogen assimilation. This leads to better root and shoot growth and reduces negative stress responses from heat, drought, and frost. It’s like an insurance plan where you always get some level of benefit — whether that’s disease protection in a wet season or stress reduction (including physiological stress from trees pushing blooms) in a dry season.

□ Keep Bees in Mind — Be sure to choose beecompatible products, such as Merivon fungicide. Pollinator health and safety is critical for achieving effective, efficient pollination across a multitude of crops, including almonds. Also, communicate with your beekeeper in advance to help ensure protocols are in place to enhance pollination while keeping bees safe.

□ Watch the Weather to Time Fungicide Applications — While best practices usually call for applying pesticides as a preventative measure (before symptoms develop and/or pest populations build to economically damaging levels), there are other factors to consider. Be proactive in monitoring local weather conditions in and around your fields. Increased moisture from fog, rain, and even irrigation can spur disease development and encourage faster fungal growth. That said, even during a dry year, fungal and bacterial pathogens are present. Their initial growth and development may be slow, but it only takes a small change in weather to ramp up their growth. And just because it’s dry during bloom doesn’t mean that sufficient moisture isn’t there for growth. As blooms open, they contain their own microclimates, like little petri dishes, that just need a spore to land and proper conditions to grow. Also, if it was a wet winter, there may be enough soil moisture to increase humidity. Blooms don’t need to be sopping wet for disease development to be prevalent.

With almond trees facing a variety of issues —especially at bloom — planning ahead and selecting a solution like Merivon fungicide can help growers control yieldrobbing diseases, take advantage of Advanced Plant Health benefits, and help keep pollinators safe. After all, healthy almond trees have more energy for production, maximizing yield potential and overall business success.

“The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today.”

— Elbert Hubbard

mann as its next president and CEO, with a starting date of Jan. 17. Just two days after the December announcement, Cummings shared with West Coast Nut how the almond company sought and found its new leader, and what he sees as the road ahead for the world’s leading almond marketer and processor.

Cummings, who holds an MBA from Harvard, has served as Blue Diamond’s board chairman since 2014. He also farms 1,100 acres of almonds and 200 acres of walnuts in the Chico, Orland and Arbuckle areas of California’s northern Central Valley.

Q. Blue Diamond’s board recently hired Kai Bockmann as the coop’s new CEO. How difficult was the selection process? Why did you ultimately choose him, an almond outsider?

The search went very well. We selected Egon Zehnder as our recruiting agency to assist us, and they were fantastic. We had a lot of good candidates. Kai was identified very early in the process and made the selection pretty easy because he’s uniquely well suited to the needs of Blue Diamond going forward. He’s from outside the almond industry, but he’s certainly not outside ag. He spent the first 16 years of his career with McCain Foods, the world’s largest producer of frozen potatoes. And then 10 years with Saputo, one of the world’s largest dairy companies based out of Canada. He’s accustomed to agriculture and farmers. We were fortunate the process went very well and relatively quickly; five months from beginning to end.

Q. How many candidates for the position?

We reviewed well over 100. A lot of them ruled themselves out for various reasons. The pool kept getting smaller and smaller. Then we got down to interviews and then second interviews. The entire board was involved with the interviews of the last three candidates.

Blue Diamond has achieved double-digit annual growth in its branded business over the past decade (photo courtesy C. Merlo.)

It was a very methodical, disciplined process, with a great outcome that we’re all excited about.

Q. Apart from his professional resumé, what is Mr. Bockmann like?

He’s very charismatic. He has a very nice demeanor, very comfortable, confident, articulate, bright. He’s a wonderful person.

Q. What goals or expectations did you share with him?

We reviewed the 112-year history of Blue Diamond, what we’ve done, where we are. We reviewed what Mark has accomplished in his last 12 years. The board had developed a consensus of expectations as we looked for a new CEO. A large part of that was to continue the remarkable growth Blue Diamond

has had. We’re constantly developing innovative, new uses for almonds. We want to pursue that. There’s a lot of opportunity for international sales. Kai has a real depth of background and experience in international.

Blue Diamond will look to its new CEO to continue developing new, innovative uses for almonds (photo courtesy Blue Diamond.)

Q. What are your specific priorities for 2023 as an almond grower and as Blue Diamond’s board chairman?

As an almond grower, the strategic

imperative is to keep my input costs down and the trees growing well while I’m waiting for the price to recover.

At Blue Diamond, it’s going to be an exciting time. I’m looking forward to our offsite strategic planning retreat in

PBM Supply & MFG., INC.

May, bringing in Kai with his different background, experiences and industry knowledge, and taking a fresh look at where we are and where we can go, where the opportunities are best, and where best to deploy our resources. Onboarding our new CEO is a big goal for this coming year. We’re fortunate Mark’s staying on for a bit. Mark’s been wonderful to work with and is willing to stay on as long as we need to onboard Kai and get him off to a great start. So, we’re going to have the benefit of two great CEOs for a period of time. It’s led to a seamless transition, which is invaluable.

Q. What needs to be fixed in California’s almond industry, and what are the solutions?

PBM’s

Unfortunately, probably the No. 1 solution is the low prices. They’re going to stimulate demand. The problem is we grew in a surge. We were producing around 2.3, 2.4 billion pounds, and then we jumped to 3.1 billion pounds two years ago. What resulted is a very large carryout supply. We as an industry are shipping about 50 million pounds of almonds a week. Our carryout this year was over 900 million pounds, which is 18 weeks of shipments. We need to get down to 10 to 12 weeks of shipments for the prices to go back up. We need to draw down that supply, which was exacerbated by shipping and logistical problems. Those resulted in lost consumption, which

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Knowledgeable employees who “bleed Blue Diamond blue” are one reason the co-op outperforms competitors, Cummings said (photo courtesy Blue Diamond.)

Blue Diamond Chairman Dan Cummings is optimistic that almond prices will recover in the next couple of years (photo courtesy C. Merlo.)

we’ll never regain.

And then tariffs. There were some retaliatory tariffs instituted a few years ago. We need to get those tariffs back down, particularly in India and China, to be able to ship more almonds. Australia enjoys a great advantage because they have no tariffs going into India or China as we do.

Q. Blue Diamond beat the returnto-growers average of its eight closest competitors by 27 cents this year, and 25 cents last year. How did you achieve that?

We’re obviously real proud of that. We did it through good decision-making and execution through our iconic brand, all of our value-added products and the international sales we have, which we intend to build upon. And a lot of great employees with a lot of knowledge who bleed Blue Diamond blue. I can’t say enough about our 1,800 employees and how thankful our 3,000 grower-owners are for all that they do.

Q. Anything to add?

The almond industry is going to recover in the next couple of years. I was just at the Almond Board of California’s annual conference in Sacramento last week. I saw a lot of great presentations. I really appreciate all the work the Almond Board has done on behalf of the industry. And certainly, Blue Diamond pioneering the development of new and innovative uses for almonds

and new markets. That’s what’s going to pull us back up to where we’re making money again. We’ve got to draw down that supply and continue to build demand. It’ll happen. We have to be patient. It’s going to take a year or two.

But it’s coming, and I’m excited for the future.

Under the leadership of former CEO Mark Jansen, Blue Diamond upgraded and expanded its plant in Salida, Calif. (photo courtesy Blue Diamond.)

Top 5 Grower Incentives to Tackle Today’s Farming Challenges

By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor

Unlike healthy profit margins and irrigation water, grower incentives and support to tackle farming challenges are not in short supply. The Almond Board’s Grower Support Zone at the annual conference included many federal, state and local programs that offer financial assistance for adoption of specific farming practices.

Incentive programs included improvement in irrigation efficiency, reduction of emissions from farm equipment, dust reduction, groundwater recharge and pollinator habitat protection. Many of these incentive programs are offshoots of research projects with funding from ABC and have proven agronomic benefits.

1) Alternatives to Burning Program

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District provides incentives to agriculture operations located inside the district boundaries to chip or shred orchard or vineyard waste and use in soil incorporation or land application.

Projects include whole orchard recycling and chipping with land application of mulch or other on-site application. The maximum incentive per acre is $600 for soil incorporation with a maximum of $60,000 per applicant per year. Chipping without soil incorporation pays $300 per acre with a $30,000 maximum. Chips may not be used for any other purpose. None of the orchard or vineyard material can be burned, composted or removed to a biomass facility.

In addition to the application forms, the district requires an itemized quote from the service provider detailing the work planned and a confirmation of the crop and acreage.

There is a pre-inspection of the orchard or vineyard site.

After an application is approved, a district voucher will be issued. The grower has 180 days from the date on the voucher to complete the project. There will be a post-inspection site visit

SWEEP grants help support improvements in nitrogen and irrigation use efficiency.

Healthy Soils grants promote adoption of conservation practices that improve soil health.

Apply less, expect more?

from district staff; once the inspection is completed and meets requirements, payment will be issued.

2) Irrigation System Grants

The State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) awards grants for growers to invest in irrigation system enhancements that reduce water and energy use and increase water and energy use efficiency. This program has awarded more than $123 million as of 2021 for 1,130 projects. Recipients of the grants have contributed more than $70 million in matching funds.

Eligible projects include soil moisture monitoring, implementing pressurized irrigation systems, retrofitting pumps, use of variable frequency drives and installation of solar energy.

3) Healthy Soils Incentive Program

The aim of CDFA’s Healthy Soils Incentive Program is to promote adoption by growers of conservation management practices. Those practices include carbon sequestration in the soil, reduction of greenhouse gas and improvement of soil health.

Greenhouse gas reductions are estimated using quantification methodology and tools developed by California Air

Resources Board. Soil health improvement will be assessed by measuring soil organic matter content.

Orchard practices eligible for financial assistance include compost applications with material produced on-farm or purchased from a certified facility, cover cropping, filter strips, hedgerow planting, nutrient management with reduction in fertilizer use, whole orchard recycling and residue and tillage management.

4) NOW Mating Disruption Neighborhood Management

This support program aims to increase the use of navel orangeworm mating disruption among almond, walnut and pistachio growers, particularly in smaller size orchards. It encourages the creation of larger NOW management blocks across host crops that plan for areawide deployment of mating disruption (MD).

California Department of Pesticide Regulation and Almond Board of California are providing grant funding with support from Land IQ, Blue Diamond and UCCE. This produced an online tool where growers and PCAs can express interest in MD neighborhood blocks. In areas with significant interest, project partners will organize meetings and facilitate connections among neighboring growers along with publicizing the availability of grants from Natural Resources Conservation Service that can fund IPM practices including MD.

According to ABC, research has shown a 35% to 53% reduction in NOW damage when MD is used in smaller blocks, while the rate of damage reduction is higher in larger blocks. Due to the limited benefits, adoption of MD has lagged among small growers.

The Neighborhood Management project has developed an online tool at agneighbors.com to help drive areawide effective and voluntary MD adoption. Where large contiguous blocks of growers using the tool show interest in 2023, a field site will be selected for focused outreach and adoption.

The online tool development is being led by Land IQ. PCAs and growers are invited to identify parcels they man-

Grants for burning alternatives such as whole orchard recycling are still available in the San Joaquin Valley.

age on a map, whether they use MD or not, and through participation express interest in forming an NOW Neigh borhood Management Block. Where interest among growers reaches 40 con tiguous acres or more, participants will be notified that there is a match with their neighbors. Growers also qualify

Helping Farmers Grow NATURALLY

tractor replacement, UTV replacement and agricultural pumps.

The ag tractor program offers up to -

ment. Conditions include scrap of Tier 0, Tier 1 or Tier 2 tractors. Those who farm less than 100 acres are eligible for the small farmer pre-owned equipment. Growers can replace Tier 0 or 1 equipment with certified pre-owned Tier 3 or

diesel or gasoline powered UTVs with new electric models can receive up to 75% of the total eligible equipment cost.

offers up to 85% of eligible cost. Grants are for replacing a Tier 3 diesel with a Tier 4f diesel or replacing a Tier 3 with

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

1974

SJV Air District grants help support conversion to lower emissions tractors.

A WORD FROM THE BOARD: THE ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA

Shipping Nightmare Hopefully in Rear-View Mirror

By ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA | Contributing Writer

The almond industry is no stranger to the shipping and logistics chaos witnessed throughout 2022. The mayhem has certainly been a point of concern for growers and handlers across the state as discussed during a Logistics and Shipping Situation Appraisal session at the 50th annual Almond Conference in December 2022.

“The logistics situation for exporting almonds is in a much better place than, say, this time last year,” said Brock Densel, Almond Board of California (ABC) senior analyst of governmental affairs. “It doesn’t take a whole lot to be better than a completely broken system.”

Difficulties Across All Trade Avenues

Within the last 18 months of this broken system, those involved in the supply chain have seen everything from cancelled bookings to rolled vessels and changing schedules, all driven by a rebounding U.S. economy and unprecedented consumer demand, said Stuart McAllister, president and CEO of Terra Nova Trading Inc.

Not only have voyages for goods taken longer, causing an increase in infestation, but spot freight rates from Asia to U.S. coastlines went up as much as 400%, creating huge incentives for shipping lines to maximize their profits throughout the Asia trade market.

For example, an imported 40-foot container from Asia to the West Coast peaked this year at more than $20,000, Stuart explained. That same container leaving California back to Asia was traded around $1,000. Unfortunately, California almond growers, handlers

Terra Nova Trading President and CEO Stuart McAllister. He said while inevitable issues are still forecast for 2023, vessel timeliness and availability are finally consistent (all photos courtesy Almond Board of California.)

Maximizing Almond Yield is Critical to Profitability in the Current Environment

The record-breaking drought and heat seen across California over the last few years has saved growers fungicide application dollars at pink bud and bloom time. As growers in large part have left sprayers in the barn because fungicides were not needed, important foliar nutrient applications were skipped as well. Nut set, maximum nut size, and yield potential are determined very early in the growing season and rely upon the presence of nutrients in the growing tissues that have low availability and mobility because of cold spring soils. As a result, many almond trees will experience nutritional deficiencies at this critical nut development window, significantly reducing nut set and size.

Considering the past years’ dry conditions, it is essential to prepare a well-designed foliar nutrient program for growers who want to achieve maximum economic yields in 2023. In fact, well designed nutrient programs are essential in both dry and wet years. Without moisture from rain, pollen and flowers desiccate rapidly. Both pollen and flowers need to stay fresh for fertilization to occur, and desiccation reduces pollen’s viability and shortens the bloom receptivity window. As the amount of viable pollen and receptive flowers decrease, so does nut set and subsequently yield. Providing foliar nutrition at pink bud and bloom timings ensures that the pollen and flowers have maximum viability, are better able to handle desiccation and temperature stresses, and results in optimum nut set.

The right nutrients applied during the pink bud and bloom timings can make all the difference. Vigor-Cal-Bor-Moly, a sugar-complexed calcium foliar combined with boron and molybdenum, is an excellent fit for pink bud and bloom time sprays to improve nut set and quality.

Supplemental boron ensures successful germination and pollen tube development—also known as nut set. Molybdenum, a key component of nitrogen metabolizing enzymes and others, facilitates stress responses, vascular development, and growth. Symspray, Agro-K’s seaweed product, when applied during pink bud and bloom can further reduce the effects of environmental stress on the flowers, extending bloom and increasing pollen receptivity even when conditions are dry.

By adding AgroBest 9-24-3 to the tank with Vigor-Cal-Bor-Moly during cell division, calcium and phosphate work together to promote larger and heavier nuts. AgroBest 9-24-3 is the most efficient and cost-effective high phosphate/low potassium blend that delivers the phosphate energy that the tree needs to maximize nut cell division, nut size, and nut retention. It is specifically designed with minimal potassium content so early season foliar applications won’t antagonize calcium uptake and assimilation during nut and leaf cell division.

Ultimately, neglecting foliar nutrient bloom applications will produce smaller, lighter nuts and lower yields. When dry conditions prevail during almond bloom, reallocating those fungicide dollars to a science-driven foliar nutrition program increases nut size and drives higher yields. After all, growers still need to maximize their economic yield, as their costs and expenses continue to go up.

Continuing foliar nutrition throughout the season is essential to maximize economic yield and quality. Implementing a Science-Driven™ nutrient approach this year will deliver more pounds of nuts resulting in higher economic returns.

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and exporters were a casualty of this imbalance.

Additional cash flow issues were also experienced because of vessel tardiness as many buyers will not pay for a shipment until it arrives.

Combined, these factors took a stressful toll on transportation industry staff, making it “literally impossible to deal without a few tears,” McAllister said.

While inevitable issues are still forecast for 2023, vessel timeliness and availability are finally consistent, McAllister explained. Over the last six months, import freight rates have also decreased from $20,000 to below $2,000.

Additionally, those in the shipping industry will soon have to abide by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022

(OSRA), which McAllister predicts will “help shipping lines behave a little better.”

Battling Trucking Issues

On the other hand, the trucking business continues to see an uproar of challenges with no indication of letting up due to two new regulations going into effect by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), said Peter Schneider, president of TGS Logistics.

By the end of 2022, diesel-fueled trucks between the years of 2007-09 will no longer be able to legally access ports and covered intermodal facilities. Based on statistics from October 2022, nearly 20% of all loaded moves on the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach were completed by 2007-09 rigs, so it can be expected that this new regulation will have a substantial impact going forward.

Come 2024, all first-time trucks entering the drayage truck registry (DTR) must be zero-emission. Because of limited inventory and infrastructure, this likely will result in a significant reduction in the capacity of the California trucking industry, ultimately affecting agriculture.

Another law adding new challenges is AB5, requiring trucking companies to comply with requirements pertaining to the hiring of independent contractors. While some growers may think this has no impact on their business, Schneider reiterated that growers need to ensure their trucking companies are compliant.

Fortunately, savings are coming to shippers and trucking companies because of OSRA per diem rates, which Schneider expects will help with the accountability and accuracy of orders ran through steam ship lines.

Navigating Through the Cargo Collapse

Bill Rooney, vice president of strategic development at Kuehne & Nagel, and a nearly 50-year veteran in the transportation industry, has never seen sea logistics look as bad as they have in the last two years.

From importers to exporters and everyone in between, the cargo collapse has had a lasting effect on multiple parties. The problem boils down to an influx of volume across all industries that subsequently exposed other preexisting issues.

“The system of assets (containers, ships, terminals, chassis, trucks, trains, rail rams), all of that was overwhelmed globally by a sudden and very large increase in cargo volume,” Rooney said.

One of these preexisting issues still in discussion is the contract negotiations between the International Longshore

From importers to exporters and everyone in between, the cargo collapse has had a lasting effect on multiple parties due to an influx of volume across all industries that subsequently exposed other preexisting issues.

TGS Logistics President Peter Schneider addressing trucking issues at TAC 2022. He explained that growers need to ensure their trucking companies are compliant with new laws coming into play.

and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and labor management. Their disagreement has affected productivity on West Coast ports by 26% in October (compared to the same month a year ago), not to mention the short- and long-term effects it will have on production efficiencies, Rooney warned.

Additionally, global volume fell off significantly in September; however, “things are returning to normal from a cargo volume perspective, and the forecast looking forward will be weaker than what it has been historically,” Rooney explained.

In correlation to this decline are cargo capacity changes, and Rooney predicts this to cause more “blank sailings,” or canceled sailings through the spring of next year, which may negatively affect future planning and capacity in the exporting of almonds.

These issues are not isolated to California ports, he explained. Across the country, we continue to see port congestion, often a result of ships leaving California to unload on smaller, less busy ports, such as Savannah or Charleston, which then shifted the issue to other areas.

Looking ahead, further economic slowdown is expected, and global trade projections are predicted to be lower than normal. However, things are approaching a sense of normalcy in terms of congestion, Rooney reassured, as global schedule reliability is on an upward trend.

Though the past year has been anything but optimal, experts are hopeful that this experience will be one to learn from in the future.

“While we may not be as acutely feeling the problems that have arisen within this system, the increased focus on logistics by legislatures and regulators, as highlighted by the passing of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, shows that now is the best time to work on building a more resilient and fair shipping situation,” Densel concluded.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

Attendees at The Almond Conference 2022 attended the Logistics and Shipping Situation Appraisal breakout session to get the latest on transportation disruptions.

New Inflation Reduction Act Provides New Financial Incentives for Solar Energy

By CATHERINE MERLO | Contributing Writer

From its name, the Inflation Reduction Act doesn’t sound like it would be landmark legislation for the renewable energy industry.

But, in fact, almost half of the new law’s $770 billion funding package goes toward addressing climate change and promoting renewable energy.

“People who have been in the solar energy space for a long time are doing backflips over the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Fred Ketcho, CEO of CalCom Energy, a full-service energy solutions and services company. “This is game-changing legislation for the renewable energy industry.”

Approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act does things like lower costs for prescription drugs and healthcare and bolster supply chain resiliency.

But it’s also considered the most significant climate legislation ever enacted. Among its sweeping provisions are increased and extended tax credits for solar energy. That’s good news for tree nut growers and processors dealing with California’s escalating utility costs, Ketcho said.

The Inflation Reduction Act restores the 30% tax credit for solar investment that was dwindling under the older federal Investment Tax Credit. The new 30% tax credit will be in place to at least the early 2030s for agricultural solar projects, said Ketcho. The legislation also includes, for the first time, a 30% tax credit for battery storage.

Those incentives go a long way toward the expense of installing solar energy, which, in turn, can help control

The new law restores the 30% tax credit for newly installed ag solar projects (photo by C. Merlo.)

climbing electricity costs at farms and processing facilities.

“In the ag sector, the cost of electricity has been rising 5% to 8% a year,” said Jeff Lounsberry, CalCom Energy’s director of utility interconnection and regulatory affairs. “Growers and processors are exposed to the whims of California’s utility companies. But when you install either photovoltaic (PV) solar or battery storage, you provide a certain level of stability to your overhead costs.”

The new legislation also allows interconnection costs to be included in the 30% tax credit. That’s another plus for tree-nut processors and large, vertically integrated growing operations, said Lounsberry.

“In the past, a customer would go to PG&E or SoCal Edison, apply to interconnect their PV solar system and have to pay ‘x’ amount of money for utility upgrades,” he said. “That wasn’t included in the 30% tax credit before, and now it is. It’s a significant benefit because it improves the payback for the project.”

The new law also adds incentives on top of the 30% tax credit if most of a solar energy system uses steel and iron that’s been produced or manufactured in the U.S. and includes a certain percentage of U.S. components and domestic assembly.

Solar’s Marketing Boost

Solar power’s benefits to agricultural producers extend beyond overhead cost reductions, added Ketcho. With consumers and major retailers seeking sustainable practices from the food industry, the renewable energy source offers a marketing attraction.

“There’s a pricing advantage for those more progressive growers and processors who want to implement a sustainability road map,” Ketcho said. “I’ve had one almond processor tell me they get a 20% price premium on a pound of almonds simply by being able to verify and prove sustainable growing techniques and quantification around that.”

There are also emerging marketing ContinuedonPage62

Restored incentives for solar installments can help offset electricity costs that have been rising 5% to 8% a year for agricultural operations (photo

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benefits that will give producers and processors competitive differentiation by building out compliance with science-based targets and emissions reductions, added Ketcho. That includes the ability to support some of the Scope 3 emissions that larger Consumer Products Goods and food system organizations are looking for from their supply chain.

‘Once-in-a-Generation Investment’ for Ag

USDA calls the Inflation Reduction Act “a historic, once-in-a-generation investment and opportunity for the agricultural communities that USDA serves.”

The new law will help producers stay on the farm, prevent producers from becoming ineligible for future assistance and promote climate-smart agriculture by increasing access to conservation assistance, USDA noted.

As part of its funding, the Inflation

Reduction Act provides $19.5 billion in new USDA conservation monies to support climate-smart agriculture. The legislation also allocates $40 billion into existing USDA programs, including the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

The Inflation Reduction Act further includes $4 billion to mitigate drought impacts in the Western states. Funding can be used by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to compensate farmers who voluntarily reduce their water deliveries under short-term or multi-year agreements.

In December, the White House issued the first edition of a new resource, “Building a Clean Energy Economy: A Guidebook to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Investments in Clean Energy and Climate Action.” It provides clear descriptions of the law’s tax incentives and funding programs. The guide is

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designed to help Americans better understand how they can benefit from these investments and unlock the full potential of the law. Find the guidebook at whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy/inflation-reduction-act-guidebook/.

CalCom Energy will hold a webinar at 10 a.m., Feb. 28 to explain the Inflation Reduction Act and its incentives for renewable energy projects, particularly solar and battery applications.

Lounsberry will lead the presentation, “Implications of the Inflation Reduction Act on Commercial and Agricultural Solar in California.”

To join the webinar, register at attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8375865603859624281.

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Solar energy gets a big boost from the Inflation Reduction Act, said CalCom Energy CEO Fred Ketcho (photo courtesy CalCom Energy.)

CalCom Energy’s Jeff Lounsberry will lead a Feb. 28 webinar on the Inflation Reduction Act and its incentives for solar power (photo courtesy CalCom Energy.)

New Program for Growers Takes a Stab at California’s Groundwater Crisis

By AUBREY BETTENCOURT | President/CEO, Almond Alliance

As California braces for another round of storms, let us not forget that just a few weeks ago, drought conditions forced tens of thousands of residents to rely on bottled water, a million Californians lacked safe drinking water and cities and counties across our state implemented water restrictions and fines.

I had an opportunity to study water policy in Australia as they were recovering from one of the worst droughts in recorded history. The Millennium Drought began with minimum rainfall in 1996 and didn’t end until the arrival of La Niña conditions in 2010-11.

In my travels and career in water and natural resources management as well as being a farmer, I learned that it is always best to prepare now since we cannot control Mother Nature. Change will only make our weather conditions more variable, more extreme and more unpredictable.

This year, with the partnership of

the California Department of Water Resources, Western United Dairies Foundation, Almond Alliance, SelfHelp Enterprises and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, we introduced Land Flex.

Land Flex is a voluntary and solutions-based program assisting vulnerable communities in solving the groundwater crisis related to drought by protecting domestic wells through preventative fallowing, relieving supply pressures and providing water supply and economic certainty to critically overdrafted basins.

Land Flex will provide $25 million in block grants to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to grant to farmers who limit agricultural water use. GSAs would work directly with farmers to identify land that would reduce pumping impacts to nearby dry wells. Land Flex will provide financial incentives to small and mid—sized farmers for each enrolled acre.

Farmers are given the flexibility to manage their land through a drought and flood and provide water security for rural communities and to conserve and leave water in the ground to stabilize aquifers. Our farmers can stay in operation and have operating capital on a voluntary and annual basis while supporting our communities and ensuring sustainable working farmland and a secure food supply for the future.

We are blessed with rain today, but we know drought will come again; this is normal for California. When it rains, we should plan for drought. When we’re in a drought, we should plan for rain. Always, we should take care of our communities.

For more information about LandFlex, visit water.ca.gov/landflex.

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LandFlex provides block grants to growers in vulnerable groundwater basins that allows them to manage their land to leave water in the ground to help stabilize aquifers.

PLAN AHEAD TO PROTECT WALNUT TREES AGAINST HEAT STRESS

By JULIE R. JOHNSON | Contributing Writer

When winter and spring temperatures are at hand, it is hard to think about the inevitable heat waves of the coming summer.

But thinking and planning ahead is what walnut growers need to do if they want to protect their trees and crops from heat stress and sunburn caused from excessive temperatures and ultraviolet (UV) light, both of which can significantly reduce marketable walnuts yields.

The Heat Is On

Temperatures in California and other areas of the western U.S. have risen almost 3 degrees F since the beginning of the 20th century, according to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, which reported the six warmest years on record have all occurred since 2014.

“We’re at the warm end of the range where walnuts are grown,” said Pat Brown during the UCCE Virtual Walnut Series. “We’re already losing our chilling opportunities and we know it’s going to happen further. We’ve got to face the problem head-on.”

He even suggests that it may come to the point where climate change results in the Chandler variety, the most widely grown variety in the state, not being the good choice for the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys.

How to face that problem head-on can come in several forms, such as newly developed walnut varieties, irrigation practices, application of sunscreen, cover crops and looking at mineral

Be it young or established trees, when they experience

Excessive heat in California’s walnut growing regions lends to sunburn damage of crops (all photos by J.R. Johnson.)

extreme heat stress, photosynthetic activity can shut down, limiting overall productivity and maximum potential.

Irrigation

“When they’re calling for a heat wave,” said DC Felciano, JJB Farms ranch manager in Tehama County, “I try to irrigate a couple days ahead of the heat wave to help relieve some the stress I know the trees will suffer. When the temperatures are 114 degrees [F], I just leave the water running in the hopes of cooling the orchards down. Even then the orchards suffer damage. They just simply shut down as a matter of survival.”

In addition, excessive levels of heat can deform nuts during critical development stages. This damage often goes unnoticed until harvest.

Cover Crop

Clayton Handy, grower and independent agronomist/PCA, believes there are ways to help curtail that dam age by looking at two sources of heat that can impact trees.

“Trees deal with heat sources from two areas: direct heat from the sun and indirect heat as the soil absorbs heat from the sun,” he said.

When excessive temperatures roll in, soil temperatures also rise.

“Soil temperatures can reach over 100 degrees [F] in the top few inches when the ambient temperatures are excessive, which greatly decreases the efficiency of uptaking water and nutrients,” Handy said. “Studies have shown that when you can cover the ground with a living mulch/cover crop, it significantly lessens the soil temperature. We’ve seen as much as 20-degree [F] differences.”

Diversity is the key for cover crops, he added.

“While we don’t often hear about summer cover crops, if planted they can help moderate the extremes when it comes to soil temperatures,” Handy said. “Growers need to plant something that offers the greatest amount of cover on the orchard floor, yet not too much biomass that makes it difficult for harvest in the fall. You want diversity, grasses and broadleafs.”

Seed suppliers, such as Lockwood

seed, can put together a seed mix for growers (Chiquita mix) that stays around 18 inches or less.

“Thirty pounds to the acre of a mix like this should be fine,” Handy said. “If that cost is still too much, try backing off the aesthetic farming and save some money and increase soil cover by narrowing your pre-emergent strips and minimizing mowing passes. We’ve tried mowing only two to three times

per season in many orchards and seen great results: money savings, decrease in soil temperature, increase in water infiltration, increase in soil organic matter and a general increase in overall soil health.

“We have to look at trees as living organisms that exist both above and belowground. So, even though heat stress

gets a lot of focus aboveground, roots and microbial activity belowground are just as important physiologically. Ideal soil temperatures will help facilitate the uptake of both nutrients and water, and that is essential during strong heat waves.”

Sunscreens

Sunscreens are another component of protecting trees during high heat.

Sunburned nuts often mold, shrivel and turn off-colors that range anywhere from a light tan to black.

As a precautionary measure, Felciano treats his trees with Surround sunscreen in preparation for the summer’s heat. “This is to help prevent sunburn, especially where trees are up against concrete and roadways,” he added.

Surround® is a white film of kaolin particles that is sprayed on the foliage and nuts as a wettable powder. When

the product dries, it reflects infrared and ultraviolet radiation, yet has no negative impact on natural photosynthetic processes.

While there have been other sun-reflecting products on the market in the past, none can claim the same level of sunburn protection without interfering with photosynthesis.

For best results, Surround should be applied multiple times as a planned

approach throughout the season beginning prior to a heat event.

Shut Down and Recovery

Research has shown that when plants hit their heat thresholds, they close their stomata to conserve water and all transpiration stops.

For every hour a plant is shut down, it can take two hours to recover. If a plant is shutdown during the day for

Heat stress in walnut trees can be seen throughout the tree’s system, from leaves to roots and nuts.

eight hours, that’s 16 hours just for recovery, let alone resuming normal plant functions.

“The other thing to remember is potassium plays a significant role in the uptake of water because it is so heavily involved with the opening and closing of the stomata in the leaves. The ability of a plant to take water up through the roots is determined by the opening and closing of the stomata and the pressure differential between soil and air,” Handy said. “Growers need to check potassium levels, and the best way to do that is in real time using sap analysis.”

He explained that there has to be enough potassium in the tree for the beneficial opening and closing of the stomata to efficiently utilize water and keep the tree at a healthy temperature during a heat wave.

New Varieties

“So, my take-home message is this: We can’t stick with a late-leafing, blight-avoidance scenario forever, and

rely on now, like Chandler and Howard,” said Brown in his UCCE presentation. “You may not like to hear the message, but it’s clear we can’t rely on them as conditions change. So, can we surpass those varieties? We’re going to have to ultimately replace them because projected climate change will make them unreliable.”

The now available Wolfskill variety, bred from a cross between Chandler and Solano, has yield, quality and light color like the late-harvesting Chandler, but will mean about a 10-day- to two-week-earlier harvest for growers who can now spread out their efforts.

“That’s enough to make a discernible difference depending on how many shakes you’re doing,” Brown said. “You could be doubling your harvest window if you’re moving from Chandler to a mix with Wolfskill or the even-earlier Ivanhoe that will double your harvest window. Theoretically, you could farm twice as many acres with the same equipment.”

factor, he added, “We’re planning far into the future here, which is something we need to do because walnuts take a long time. We’ve got to face these climate change-induced problems headon and be leaders in worldwide walnut production.”

Heat and Pest Pressure

In a study published in Science of the Total Environment, researchers from three UC campuses reported that warmer growing seasons will give the navel orangeworm an extra generation to eat into growers’ profits.

The report states, “Warming temperatures may help the dreaded pest wreak even more havoc in at least two ways, including expanding their range into previously inhospitable areas and accelerating their reproductive rates, boosting their numbers.”

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Industry Rallies Behind Fundraiser to Support Nickels Soil Lab

By MARNI KATZ | Editor

The California tree nut industry gathered in Woodland on Dec. 16 for a fundraiser to benefit Nickels Soil Lab in Arbuckle to ensure the important research that has come out of this private research farm will continue long into the future.

More than 100 friends of the tree nut industry attended the Nickels Soil Lab fundraiser at the California Agriculture Museum in Woodland. Calif. Franz Niederholzer, UCCE

Farm Advisor for Colusa and Sutter/ Yuba Counties and research director at Nickels, called the industry support and donations “overwhelming” as West Coast Nut CEO Jason Scott presented him with a check made out to the Nickels Soil Lab.

Donations go directly into the Nickels Trust account for the benefit of the research facility. Donations are still being accepted on the fundraiser web site at myaglife.com/fundraiser.

Nickels Soil Lab is a field research facility and an important resource for the California tree nut industry. Established through the bequest of Leslie J. Nickels, the Nickels Soil Lab (NSL) is a 160-acre, private commercial farm operated for the public good by the Leslie J. Nickels Trust in collaboration with University of California and the Colusa Water District. Nickels has hosted dozens of research projects, delivering real contributions to the knowledge base of California nut growers since the early 1970s. The annual spring field day at NSL highlights the research done there.

For years, careful management, timely big-ticket support, good surface water availability and generally good prices have kept Nickels in the black despite higher costs of operating small (2 to 20 acres) research plots compared to larger blocks commonly farmed by growers, Niederholzer said. Nickels’ budget is now in the red. On top of that, NSL doesn’t qualify for crop insurance due to the use of unproven farming practices in research trials, Niederholzer said.

The Leslie Nickels Trust since 2015 has invested in new almond orchards and irrigation infrastructure to help NSL best face an uncertain (weather, markets, water, etc.) future. There are new orchards with salt-tolerant rootstocks and high-value varieties as well as functioning wells. Older orchards with missing trees will be pushed out this winter to cut costs and improve overall returns.

JCS Marketing CEO and Publisher Jason Scott said research that comes out of Nickels has been integral to the success of the California nut industry and West Coast Nut magazine saw an opportunity to help keep that alive for the benefit of the future of the industry.

“Nickels Soil Lab has been the seat of important innovations that have benefited the entire nut industry and it is important all of us who benefit from this industry give back to help ensure it is here for generations to come,” Scott said.

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Former UCCE Farm Advisor and early Nickels

Soil Lab Research Director John Edstrom visits with trustee almond grower Larry Rominger at the West Coast Nut fundraiser for Nickels in December.

West Coast Nut CEO Jason Scott presents a check to Franz Niederholzer, UCCE Farm Advisor, Colusa and Sutter/Yuba Counties and research director at Nickels, at the dinner fundraiser at the California Ag Museum in Woodland.

Crain Orchards is a major sponsor and supporter of the Nickels Lab fundraiser, and will continue to provide matching funds for donations on the fundraiser website myaglife.com/fundraiser.

More than 100 industry supporters attended the fundraiser dinner hosted by West Coast Nut magazine.

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