UC Ag Experts Talk: Use of Plant

Growth Regulators on Citrus

August 19, 3-4:30 PM

Dr. El-kereamy will discuss the use of plant growth regulators that are registered for use on California citrus to increase fruit set, prevent fruit senescence, control preharvest fruit drop, and to control suckering. One DPR CE unit (other) and one CCA CE unit (IPM) were requested.

Ashraf El-kereamy has been named the new director of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' Lindcove Research & Extension Center, he took on this additional role as of July 1, 2020. He will continue to serve as a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Botany & Plant Sciences at UC Riverside and will be based at the Lindcove Research & Extension Center. 

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Santa Barbara County's agricultural industry had a big year in 2019, with a more than 5% increase in the value of crops, according to the county's just-released annual crop report.

It shows the total valuation of the crops was $1.6 billion dollars in 2019, up $78 million dollars from 2018.

Top Ten Commodities :

Strawberries

Wine Grapes

Nursery Products

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Leaf Lettuce

Celery

Cut Flowers and Foliage

Avocados

California Bay or CA Laurel or Headache Tree or, heaven forbid, Oregon Myrtle is a tree native to the west coast where there is water. In the rainy forests of northern CA and Oregon and the wet creek areas in ravines and canyons of southern CA.

Walking around a barannca the other day along a still wet section of the Ventura River, there was a fruiting bay tree. Fruit that look just like little avocado fruit to which bay is related.

Umbellularia californica is in the Lauraceae along with Persea americana, but sometimes still listed as P. gratissima.

Kingdom:Plantae

Clade:Tracheophytes

Clade:Angiosperms

Clade:Magnoliids

Order:Laurales

Family:Lauraceae

Genus:Umbellularia

Bay gets its name from the strong bay laurel odor similar to the culinary laurel – Laurus nobilis –, which is not related to avocado. The odor can be so pungent, that taking strong whiffs of it could bring on a headache, hence the alternative name. The tree can attain a 30 feet height as a single trunked tree or be multi-trunked. The wood is gorgeous hard and is notable in the construction of musical instruments. The seeds were roasted and eaten like acorns.   There's been a recent craze to eat dried, ground, powdered avocado seeds which has been discouraged by the CA Avocado Commission.

On the north coast, this tree is subject to Sudden Oak Death – Phytophthora ramorum. It is also subject to avocado root rot, just like avocado. It is also the only California native that is subject to Laurel Wilt Disease which is ravaging the laurel forests of the southeast.

CA Laurel in Flower looks a lot like an avocado flower, hence the reason for being in the same family

Wednesday, August 12

9 - noon

Avocado Grower Webinar

Weeds and Biostimulants

Speakers:
Sonia Rios (UCCE Farm Advisor, Riverside/San Diego Counties Subtropical Horticulture) will talk about how to identify different weeds and the various methods that can be used to control them. And if glyphosate is lost, what chemical alternatives are available and how would they be used. A look at new products.

Ben Faber (Subtropical Crops Advisor, Ventura/Santa Barbara Counties) will talk about biostimulants in agriculture. What are they? How might they work? How to assess whether they work? There are many different new products brought on to the market every year that purport to improve plant growth and yield, often with lavish claims. Can some of those claims be backed up with solid data? Some can and some can't. How does one decide what is worth trying?

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