- Author: Tammy Majcherek
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.
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
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 14th. 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.
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
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:
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)
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)
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
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
Hosted by UC ANR South Coast REC, Cooperative Extension, and the Orange County Farm Bureau, programs that provide
UCCE Master Gardener volunteers assisted staff rotating the (82) Students and teachers between
- Author: Tammy Majcherek
A group of 109 gathered for a casual lunch to celebrate the twenty-eight years of service that Dr. John Kabashima,
Environmental Horticulture Advisor for Orange County, has dedicated to the UC ANR Cooperative Extension. Attendees included colleagues – researchers, advisors, staff, and business contacts; along with many of the UCCE Master Gardener - Orange County volunteers.
The festivities included a looping picture collage of his career, speeches, and a barbeque lunch hosted by Darren Haver, Center and County Director, and cooked by UC ANR South Coast REC staff.
In addition to many administrative and academic accomplishments, John's active career has included cutting edge research on invasive species such as the red imported fire ant, the glassy winged sharp shooter, and the polyphagus shot hole borer to new name a few, to the Southern California area and beyond.
Luckily for UCCE Orange County, retirement will not last long for John who will retain emeritus status conducting further research on the invasive species that plague Southern California and beyond.