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.

UCCE farm advisor Kevin Day and Tulare County farmer George McEwen looking at new growth on citrus trees.

Protect California citrus from a serious pest and disease

March 9, 2016

View a four-minute video. A tell-tale sign of spring in California is a flush of new leaf growth on citrus trees.

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Citrus Endoxerosis - Drought Effect?

March 7, 2016

By Ben A Faber

Recently some 'W. Murcott' mandarins were shown to me. Brown spots in the core of the fruit.

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Avocado Botanical Races

March 3, 2016

Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside. Evidence of avocado selection by human hand as far back as 8,000 BC is preserved in archaeological sites in Puebla State, Mexico.

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Ladybugs are Back in Force

March 2, 2016

By Ben A Faber

It's that time of year for a riot of aphids on new growth cheeseweed (malva) and wild radish and with that food source to see ladybird beetles go to town, chowing down. There's ladybugs in both their larval and adult stages doing the feeding.

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Rindstain in 'Valencia' Orange

March 1, 2016

By Ben A Faber

Pre-harvest rindstain of California [USA] cultivar 'Valencia' orange Citrus sinensis has economic significance since fresh fruit marketability is reduced.

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