UCCE Tulare County and UC Riverside hosted local high school students from the Visalia Technical Early College (VTEC) High School for a career development program at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center (LREC).  Beth Grafton-Cardwell (Director) described LREC and its research programs.  Sara Scott (UC Riverside Staff Research Associate) and Therese Kapaun (LREC Staff Research Associate) described their backgrounds and paths to becoming SRAs at Lindcove REC. Josh Reger, Lab Assistant, recently returned from Peace Core service in the Gambia, provided a photographic exposé on his experiences abroad.  UCCE Farm Advisors, Greg Doughan (citrus), Allison Ferry-Abee (viticulture), and Elizabeth Fichtner (nuts, prunes, olives) each explained the life experiences and academic backgrounds that contributed to their current research and extension responsibilities.  Bob Hamlin, UCCE Tulare County Office Manager, liaised with the Visalia Unified School District to facilitate the outreach activity.

On February 23, more than 60 Tulare County Master Gardeners were given advanced training on citrus production and pest management at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center.  Lance Walheim, writer for Sunset magazine, provided background on citrus origins and described the many citrus varieties available to the public.  Craig Kallsen, UCCE Kern County Farm Advisor, discussed the basics of irrigation and fertilization of citrus and gave a demonstration of how to properly prune citrus.  Dr. Beth Grafton-Cardwell, Director of Lindcove REC, lectured on the best way to manage common citrus pests and explained how homeowners can help in the fight against the Asian citrus psyllid and deadly Huanglongbing disease.  Dr. Rock Christiano, Citrus Clonal Protection Program Research Associate,  explained why it is so important to create trees with bud material that is disease-free and gave a demonstration of citrus grafting techniques.  This was an information-packed, indoor/outdoor, enjoyable teaching event for all.

Over the past year and a half, UCCE Tulare County Farm Advisor Elizabeth Fichtner and Lindcove Research and Extension Center (LREC) Director Beth Grafton-Cardwell have transformed unused space at LREC into a fully-functioning plant pathology laboratory accessible to all researchers working at the Center.  Working under a CDFA permit for conducting plant disease diagnostics on site, Dr. Fichtner has utilized the LREC facilities to accomplish applied research and extension objectives to address emerging disease issues affecting nut growers in the southern San Joaquin Valley.  This week the new laboratory was visited by Stephanie Theodore, Environmental Scientist with CDFA to assess the laboratory's compliance with permit stipulations.  Ms. Theodore's visit confirmed that all appropriate steps are being taken to mitigate risk of transmission of pathogens to the environment.  

Around 25 members of the California Rare Fruit Growers recently visited Lindcove REC.  The event was sponsored by the Sequoia chapter of the club, and Therese Kapaun (Staff Research Associate) was on hand to guide the visitors through the Demonstration Orchard, which contains 180 varieties of citrus.  Visitors tasted fruit at their leisure.  Of particular interest this year were the blood oranges, notably the Boukhobza orange, which is similar in many ways to a Tarocco-style of blood orange.

Do-it-yourself citrus grafters can purchase clean budwood for more than 300 varieties from the Citrus Clonal Protection Program website http://www.ccpp.ucr.edu/budwood/budwood.php for a nominal fee.  For questions regarding the clean budwood program contact Dr. Rock Christiano at rock.christiano@ucr.edu.