Topics in Subtropics

Topics in Subtropics Blog
You can subscribe to this  blog with multiple entries per week reflecting what's happening with subtropical crops and upcoming educational events.  Just click on the "Subscribe" button just to the right of this paragraph.  There's also our seasonal quarterly Topics in Subtropics newsletter found at our Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Riverside, San Diego, Tulare and Kern Counties Cooperative Extension websites.

Black Fig Fly

April 20, 2026
By Ben A Faber
Black Fig Fly (Diptera: Lonchaeidae: Silba adipata)Invasive Fig Pest Recently Discovered in Southern CaliforniaClick Here to Download the "Pest Alert" PDFOverviewFig growers need to be aware of the black fig fly (BFF), an invasive insect that was recently discovered infesting figs in multiple counties in…
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Water moving through soil

LEACH! Avocados and Most Coastal Crops Affected By Salt

April 17, 2026
By Ben A Faber
High value coastal crops are prone to salt damage from salts in well waters, and in low rainfall years they are especially so. Avocado is especially prone to salt damage.  And the flowering period is one of the most sensitive.   Flowers are competing with leaves that have been hanging on for a…
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rattlesnake ready to strike

Rattlesnake Season

April 17, 2026
By Ben A Faber
First, remember that the desire to avoid any kind of an interaction is mutual. Rattlesnakes are an important part of the ecosystem, feeding on rodents, birds, and other small animals.Snake season in Southern California runs from April through October, but the warmer the weather, the more the reptiles are…
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avocado orchards

Topics in Subtropics - English/Spanish Versions

March 23, 2026
By Ana Maria Pastrana Leon
 Inveirno 2026TEMAS EN ESTA EDICIÓNPrácticas de riego y manejo del agua en aguacatesAsfixia radicularActividad de celulasa en acolchados contra enfermedades de PhytophthoraAlerta de plagas en guayabaPoniendo a…
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