Topics in Subtropics

Saline Waters - A Growing Problem Ben Faber Irrigated agriculture must always contend with salts, but two years without rain and a dry winter forecast, salt is an even more important issue. We rely on winter rainfall to leach the salts from root zones that have accumulated from previous irrigations.

The Avocado: Botany, Production and Uses, 2nd Edition By Bruce Shaffer, Nigel Wolstenholme and Anthony Whiley This brand new book summarizes avocado science and technology and reviews production practices on a worldwide scale.

Costs of Orchard Establishment and Production Summary for Avocados in California: Based on 2011 studies: www.coststudies.ucdavis.edu Etaferahu Takele, UCCE Area Advisor, Ag.

A sure way to generate controversy among citrus growers is to initiate a discussion on navel orange tree pruning. Some growers maintain that yield and fruit size is best maintained by minimal pruning, while others believe that the number of large fruit is increased when trees are severely pruned.

"We don't need to irrigate, it's winter." This is a commonly held idea, and many years it is true. Adequately timed rains will often meet the needs of avocado trees during the winter period, and in times like last year, even satisfy much of the spring requirement.