Hosted by Ramiro Lobo, Economist and Small Farm Advisor and UCCE – San Diego, South Coast REC staff assisted with the annual Pithaya Field Day. Approximately 110 Attendees were treated to field presentations, fruit tasting, and homemade ice cream.

 

     

    

              

Gary Tanizaki discusses trellising and irrigation.

         

      

  

Learning about irrigation design with Jose De Soto Fernandez..

 

 

 

 

 

REMINDER!

 

  PITAHAYA  SEMINAR AND FIELD DAY

 

This year's Pitahaya Seminar will be held on August 21, 2015 in San Marcos, 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

 TOPICS COVERED (subject to change):

• Pest and Regulatory Updates for San Diego County
• Pitahaya Production and Research Update
• Pitahaya Orchard Establishment, Economics and Marketing Considerations
• Genetic Characterization of Pitahaya or Dragon Fruit
• Pitahaya or Dragon Fruit Post Harvest Management and Sensory Evaluation
• Nematode Management in pitahaya/Dragon Fruit
• Insect Pest Management for Pitahayas /Dragon Fruit
• Diseases and Disease Management of Pitahaya or Dragon Fruit  
• Integrated Pest Management of Pitahaya/Dragon Fruit
• Understanding Soil, Water and Leaf Analysis to Optimize Crop Production
• Fertility Management in Pitahaya / Dragon Fruit
• Marketing and Market Development using the Internet
• Is Pitahaya Production Feasible? Does it Pay to Hand Pollinate? Review of Tools to Conduct this Analysis

The Pitahaya Field Day will be held on August 22, 2015 in Irvine 

 at the South Coast Research and 

Extension Center, 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

 Program (subject to change): 

• Overview of Pitahaya Production and Review of Varieties for California
• Weed Identification and Weed Control Clinic
• Vertebrate Pest (Gophers, Ground Squirrels, Voles and Coyotes) Management and Control Demo
• Pitahaya Irrigation Research Trial and Irrigation System Design Considerations
• Pitahaya Diseases and Disease Management
• Integrated Pest Management for Pitahaya / Dragon Fruit Production
• Pitahaya Pruning and Trellis Demonstration
• Pitahaya Fruit Display, Pitahaya Fruit and Ice Cream Tasting and Sensory Evaluation
• Pitahaya Grafting and Pollination Demonstrations
• Hands on Computer Lab to Analyze the Feasibility of Pitahaya Production, the Cost/Benefit of Hand Pollination and Review of other tools to Analyze and manage Risks.

REGISTRATION

Registration Fee: Package Registration for both theSeminar & Festival/Field Day is $80.00 per person,if postmarked or submitted online by Friday August 14^th. No package registration after this date. 

Registration for the Seminar - $60.00 per person. 

Registration for the Festival/Field Day - $40.00 per person.

The registration fee includes continental breakfast, refreshments, lunch, pitahaya fruit & ice cream

 tasting, handout materials, and five pitahaya cuttings of your choice.

REGISTER EARLY, This event has sold out in the past!! Register online at

 http://ucanr.edu/2015pitahaya or Click here to print registration, complete and mail the registration form along with your check payable to UC Regents to the address below:

UCCE San Diego

Attn: Pitahaya Field Day

9335 Hazard Way, Suite 201

San Diego, CA 92123

PLEASE NOTE: If space allows for walk-ins, you must have exact change or checks.

Please contact Roland Hills at (858)822-7711 for more information about the program or to request any special accommodations you may need.

UC ANR South Coast REC Staff, UCCE 4-H, Water Quality, Master Food Preserver, and Master Gardener programs, in collaboration with Disney and Project Access hosted approximately 120 youth and adults at the South Coast REC.

 

Participants attending the field day enjoyed the various activity stations where they learned about butterflies, soil, trees, animals, the watershed, along with food safety and nutrition which was one of the highlights making salsa and ice cream. 

 

 

 Additionally, the youth harvested and took home vegetables that were started from the spring field trip along with fruits grown at the South Coast REC. The youth also planted two mango trees in oak barrels that will become part of the South Coast REC extension program.

 

Activity Stations:

Flight of the Monarchs                 

Lesson: Monarch lifecycle, role in pollination, and migration path

Activity: Monarch lifecycle bracelets

Program Tie In: Urban Ecosystems (Lesson 1 – The Role of Pollinators); background for on-site Monarch Way Station Project

 

 For the Love of Trees

Lesson: The abundance of disposable items that are made from trees and plant material, and the effects of deforestation

Activity: Making recycled paper

Program Tie In: Environmental Sustainability (Lesson 6 – Waste Management)

The Dirt on Soil

Lesson: Soil composition and human impact

Activity: Mason jar terrariums, and “Dust Bowl” simulation

Program Tie In: Environmental Sustainability (Lesson 3 – Food)

 

 Animal Tracks

Lesson: Identification of animals that live in our urban ecosystem; creating wildlife habitat in urban settings

Activity: Stamp worksheet, and clay models Program Tie In: Urban Ecosystems (Lesson 5 – The Role of Animals)

Water Wizard

Lesson: Watershed, potential pollutants

Activity: Enviroscape model

Program Tie In: Environmental Sustainability (Lesson 2 – Water)

 

 Playing it Safe

Lesson: Safe food handling and storage, and nutritional benefits of common fruits and veggies

Activity: “What Goes Where” game, and the creation of fruit and veggie super heroes

Hosted by UC ANR South Coast REC, Cooperative Extension, and the Orange County Farm Bureau, programs that provide

agricultural education to an increasingly urban population, local high schools participated in workshops at the UC ANR South Coast REC that were designed to acquaint the students with ag research techniques, careers in agriculture, and the importance of urban ag and water conservation in their daily lives.

UCCE Master Gardener volunteers assisted staff rotating the (82) Students and teachers between

workshops focusing on water conservation, mulch: benefits and proper use, crops for large and small spaces: tomato planting and potato harvest, a tour of South Coast REC extension and research projects, and basic IPM. Hands on activities included planting rows of tomato seedlings and harvesting potatoes, in addition to learning proper mulch techniques.

Following lunch, all students were able to bag up the fruits of the labor to share with their families along with various outreach material.