- (Public Value) UCANR: Building climate-resilient communities and ecosystems
- Author: Elizabeth J Fichtner
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. Tulare County boasts over 1,000 acres of pecan and is home to one of the state's pecan handlers. Walnuts, a historic nut crop of Tulare County, are in the same plant family as pecan (Juglandaceae); consequently, the relatedness of the two crops has facilitated an overlap of specialization in the grower community, with many long-time walnut growers also managing the state's pecan acreage.
In 2022 the team of 26 scientists was awarded an $8 million USDA NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant entitled ‘Trees for the future: Coordinated development of genetic resources and tools to accelerate breeding of geographic and climate adapted pecan trees.' Led by Dr. Jennifer Randall at New Mexico State University, the grant provides 4 years of research funding to USDA and major land grand institution scientists, as well as researchers at University of Tokyo and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. From California, Karlene Hanf of Mid-Valley Pecan sits on the advisory board, and Elizabeth Fichtner, UCCE Tulare County nut, olive, and prune advisor, serves as a principal investigator.
In some permanent cropping systems, climate conditions such as low winter chill may affect the overlap of the female and male bloom, affecting crop productivity. To mitigate this risk, pistachio growers sometimes plant multiple pollinizer varieties in orchards. In Tulare County pecan growers rely on two varieties, ‘Western' and ‘Wichita,' to satisfy the reproductive needs of the crop. One goal of the USDA NIFA-funded project is to assess the timing and overlap of the male and female bloom of co-planted varieties over years characterized by different climate conditions. Researchers across the United States are utilizing standardized techniques to assess bud break, shoot development, and bloom on many cultivars to provide phenotypic data that can be utilized by geneticists striving to breed climate resilience in pecan. Additionally, researchers are quantifying damage cause by pecan leaf scorch, a disease caused by a bacterial plant pathogen. The disease has been detected in California; however, it does not appear to be as severe in California orchards as in other regions of the United States.
The USDA NIFA-funded program fosters development of UC ANR competency in pecan production, a smaller acreage nut crop in California. California is the nation's largest producer of almond, pistachio, and walnut, but produces approximately 2% of the USA's total pecan crop. As a north American native plant, pecan is well adapted to cultivation in diverse regions of the United States. Its native range includes the forested lands surrounding the Mississippi River, as well as rivers in southeastern Texas and Mexico. Outside of its native range, pecan remains an economic crop in New Mexico, Arizona, the southeastern United States, and California, particularly in Tulare County.
- Author: Elizabeth J Fichtner
- Author: Noelia Silva Del Rio
The dairy and nut industries are dominant contributors to Tulare County's agricultural economy, with milk consistently ranking as the highest valued ag product, followed close behind by pistachio and almond in the top 10. The dairy industry provides economic value to a biproduct of the almond industry-- almond hulls. Almond hulls are incorporated in the herd diet, thus reducing the quantity of forage required for feed in a region sustaining a multi-year drought. This practice increases the water use efficiency of both the dairy and orchard systems.
In October 2022, the UCCE Tulare County Orchard Systems Program, led by Dr. Elizabeth Fichtner, provided an opportunity for cross-disciplinary dialogue between the animal science and plant science communities. Dairy researchers from across the United States visited Tulare County as part of a USDA-funded research team focusing on the economic and environmental sustainability of dairy enterprises. The team was hosted by Dr. Noelia Silva del Rio, UC ANR Dairy Herd Health Specialist, at the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Research and Extension Center in Tulare, CA. The group had the opportunity to visit a commercial walnut orchard during harvest operations, using the field site as a platform for discussion of cross-disciplinary topics including nutrient management, food safety, composting protocols, and water use efficiency. Additionally, dairy researchers observed the extensive damage on walnut trees caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, an organism familiar to all scientists for its role in revolutionizing molecular biology, but infamous to walnut growers and plant pathologists as a bacterial plant pathogen causing crown gall.