- Author: Kevin Fontana Fantinatti
- Author: Sonja Brodt
- Author: Vivian Wauters
Published on: October 21, 2021
![Small purple flowers bloom atop the slender green stems growing between the grape vine rows.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Green/blogfiles/86695small.jpg)
Lacy Phacelia cover crop in a vineyard. Photo by Lauren Hale
In late February, in an almond orchard in the Sacramento Valley, the fall-planted cover crop mix of grasses, brassicas and legumes had barely produced a green fuzz above the soil surface, and it was unclear when it would bloom. Unfortunately, this scene is becoming more frequent across California, as climate change causes more prolonged droughts and rain-dependent winter cover crops can barely grow, which delays or reduces bloom, essential for supporting pollinators. Fortunately, California native plant species have evolved with drought and have developed many strategies to survive and reproduce in those conditions.
Would it be possible to...
Public Value:
UCANR: Protecting California's natural resources
Tags: cover crops (4), drought tolerance (1), native species (5), pollinators (8), Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (3)
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture
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