Nut, Olive and Prune Programmatic News

The alternate bearing (AB) nature of olive is one of the top physiologically-driven challenges faced by olive growers. AB refers to the tree's habit of producing a heavy crop in one year followed by a light crop the next year.

Mireya Molina, a rising senior at El Diamonte High School, joined UCCE Tulare County as a 2024 summer research intern serving the nut, olive, and prune research and extension program. Mireya has a strong science background and is an active member of her high school horticulture and FFA programs.

UCCE Tulare County recently joined an international group of scientists focused on leveraging pecan genetics to develop trees adapted for the diverse geographic regions in which the trees are cultivated and for tree resilience in the advent of climate extremes.

Walnuts and pecans represent two of the four major nut crops grown in California. The California walnut industry dwarfs the state's pecan industry in acreage, with over 300,000 acres dedicated to commercial walnut production and approximately 3,000 acres to pecan.

Within the past decade a wood decay fungus with no prior record in North America has emerged as a pathogen of almond, prune, and peach (rootstock) in the San Joaquin Valley.