- Author: Ben Faber
Attention agricultural employers! Give your front-line supervisors the training and skills they need! As a business owner, you know the importance of a skilled, reliable and well-managed work force. You also know how important it is to ensure that your operation complies with state and federal labor laws, and that it maintains a reputation as a fair and supportive place to work. Success depends on making sure your entire leadership team - from the executive office to the production field - shares your commitment to these principles and has the skills to translate that commitment into effective action. The Agriculture Supervisor Leadership Development Program, offered at Ventura College, is designed to help you extend your company's values into the field. It is intended for employees whose primary responsibility is the direct supervision of agricultural workers, or who have the potential to become front-line supervisors. Application deadline is Sept 30, 2017. Enrollment is limited due to space. Applications generally will be considered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Employers are expected to select potential students, submit applications on their behalf, and pay the $600 course fee for each. For a more complete description of the program, including links to the online application form, go to www.farmbureauvc.com/students-teachers. Employers interested in taking advantage of this opportunity are invited to an informational meeting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, in the conference room at Farm Bureau of Ventura County, 5156 McGrath St., Ventura. For more information, contact Annika Forester at annikaforester@gmail.com or (805) 640-2525. |
- Author: Ben Faber
Leafminer, sometimes Leaf Miner. It's that time of year. Those little moths come out in the late afternoon and flit about. They lay their eggs and when they hatch the larvae start burrowing through the leaf. The recent heat and also the generally warm summer have set them off. And it is obvious now. The heat has exacerbated the collapse and drying of the leaves and on older trees it looks like trees have been decorated with a sprinkling of light brownish ornaments. It is disturbing. But it's not the end of the world, like …………ACP can be.
Leafminer adults are tiny moths less than 0.12 in long (2 mm) with wings span twice as wide.
Pretty shocking from a distance
Citrus leafminer larvae feed by creating shallow tunnels, referred to as mines, in young leaves. It is most commonly found on citrus (oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, grapefruit and other varieties) and closely related trees (kumquat and calamondin). The larvae mine the lower or upper surface of the leaves causing them to curl and look distorted. Mature citrus trees (more than 4 years old) generally tolerate leaf damage without any effect on tree growth or fruit yield. Citrus leafminer is likely to cause damage in nurseries and new plantings because the growth of young trees is retarded by leafminer infestations. However, even when infestations of citrus leafminer are heavy on young trees, trees are unlikely to die. But they can sure struggle pushing new leaves that then get attacked anew.
Several years ago, we did a trial where we sprayed mature trees with leafminers every month for 18 months with a rotation of different chemicals and even the most heavily treated trees had some damage on them. The most heavily infested trees looked horrible, but in that period of time there were no lemon yield differences. Young trees treated with a systemic were able to free themselves of infestation. This has been commented on by others, that soil applied systemics on heavier soils can have problems controlling leafminers.
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r107303211.html
Photos: Tunnels and the rapidly dried leaf after a heat spell
- Author: Sonia Rios
Controlling Pests in Avocados Round Table Meeting Sept. 28, 2017, 8:00 AM - NOON Fallbrook Public Utility District, 990 E. Mission Rd, Fallbrook, CA 92028 DPR Hours Upon Approval Light refreshments & pastries will be available Please Register for this free event:
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“Introduction to Avocado Integrated Weed Management” – Sonia Rios, UCCE Farm AdvisorsRound table Discussion 1 - Old challenges/new possible solutions - pesticide resistance, new pesticides, etc.- Mary Lu Arpaia & Sonia Rios“A Review: Redbay ambrosia beetle & Laurel Wilt Disease” – Tim Spann, California Avocado CommissionRound table Discussion 2- New challenges – Laurel Wilt Disease and other pest challenges - Mary Lu Arpaia & Sonia Rios
If you have any questions, contact Sonia Rios, UCCE Riverside/San Diego Counties sirios@ucanr.edu
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- Author: Sonia Rios
In the fall of 2015 and 2916, growers in the desert regions reported excessive fruit drop. Particularly in the Coachella Valley, Imperial County, and in Yuma, Arizona. The cause of the fruit drop is unknown. Come learn more about the current situation and find out how you can help resolve this issue.
SEPT. 12, 2017 – INDIO, CA
Noon-1pm Ciro's Resturante & Pizza, 81963 CA- 111, Indio, CA 92201 Lunch will be provided
Lemon Growers in the desert regions are highly suggested to attend
Will be in attendance: Sonia Rios, UC Farm Advisor, Peggy Mauk, UC Specialist, Tracy Kahn, UCR Specialist, Ben Faber, UC Farm Advisor and Alan Washburn
Please RSVP for this Free Event:
http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynu
If you have any questions, please contact Sonia Rios: sirios@ucanr.edu; 951-683-6491 Ext. 224
- Author: Ben Faber
So, every few weeks the question comes up of whether to install soil moisture meters which leads to the question of which to buy and install or have installed. And then come the questions of what do the readings mean and why aren't the readings consistent. Or maybe this question arrives after the grower has installed the sensors or system and the values don't conform to a known or knowable pattern.
The first question to the grower is why they want to install soil moisture sensors or a system. Everyone has a different answer which I've always found interesting. Usually it boils down to having more or better information, although it's hard to beat a good old soil auger. Which takes time and labor.
So once that is cleared up, it comes down to what area they want to monitor. Is it an acre, 10 acres, 50 acres, 100 acres, 200 acres, 1,000 etc.? What are the different irrigation blocks, soil types, aspects? How complex is the area that is to be monitored? Do they need one monitoring site or many? Can the information be gathered in the field, or does it need to be accessed from a distance? Linked by hardwire, infrared, cell phone, wifi, satellite, etc.?
Then the question is does the grower do the installation or is it done by a company? And then whatever the case is, who maintains the system and for that matter, who maintains the information? What software is used and who interprets it?
And what sensors are being used: tension, electrical resistance, conductance, capacitance, electromagnetic…….? The list seems to go on and there are no models and brands coming out on a regular basis. And how reliable are the sensors? What's their lifespan? And what are they measuring and in what units? How affected are the readings by salinity and what soil volume are they measuring? And how important is their placement?
This last point is so often overlooked. The sensor needs to be in the active root zone where water is being taken up. Not where it's convenient to read, not where the plants cant use the water. Placement is so often overlooked.
And then how much do you want to spend? $100 per installation, $1000? With a monthly or yearly maintenance fee or none? Who responds when there are problems?
Wow, so yeah, there are lots of questions. Here's a chart that might help categorize some of the questions:
Method |
Cost |
Ease of use |
Accuracy |
Reliability |
Salt-affected |
Stationary |
Gypsum block |
L |
H |
H |
H |
L |
YES |
Tensiometer |
L |
M |
H |
M |
L |
YES |
Portable tensiometer |
M |
M |
H |
M |
L |
NO |
Solid-state tensiometer |
M |
H |
H |
H |
L |
YES |
Time domain reflectometer |
H |
M |
H |
H |
M |
BOTH |
Neutron probe |
H |
L |
H |
H |
L |
YES |
Feel (soil probe) |
L |
H |
H |
H |
L |
NO |
Gravimetric (oven) |
L |
M |
H |
H |
L |
NO |
Conductance |
L |
H |
M |
M |
H |
BOTH |
Capacitance |
M |
H |
M |
H |
M |
BOTH |
H, high; M, medium; L, low
And the good Almond Doctor might help some more:
http://thealmonddoctor.com/2015/07/10/soil-moisture-sensing-systems/
And maybe some of these publications can help sort out what questions to ask
http://calag.ucanr.edu/Archive/?article=ca.v054n03p38
http://calag.ucanr.edu/Archive/?article=ca.v054n03p47
http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=21635
Khaled Bali, our Irrigation Specialist at Kearney Research and Education Center near Fresno, is part of a group in the process of evaluating different types and models of soil moisture sensors. He should have a publication that can more accurately sort through the many sensor choices that are available at this time. But in time, there should be more models on the market and new update will be necessary.
The question, though, is to ask yourself how irrigation is being done and how it can be improved. The basics of design, maintenance, distribution uniformity and how scheduling is being currently done – when and how much to apply. Definitely, soil moisture sensors can help, but you gotta know how to use them and maintain them, just like the whole irrigation system.
A grower who uses tensiometers told me that people think of soil sensors as though they were reading a book. Something cut and dried. A simple plot line that you follow. Irrigation is not a book. There are many other subplots to irrigation than just reading the digital face. Looking at the weather, evapotranspiration, the tree, how fast the moisture is depleted, how deep the moisture is being pulled from all contribute to the "sensors" used to irrigate. Use them all. Even though this grower has irrigators on 250 acres of trees, he also checks the orchard tensiometers at least once a week on his own to confirm all of his senses.