- Author: Ben Faber
BIG Things are happening in the avocado world!!!
Come find out at the Annual Avocado Meeting to be held in two weeks. Yes, it's coming up fast. And it's going to be in the Temecula area. New growers need to come to learn from the members what wonders are in store for them as growers.
Check out "Which Way World Avocado?"
http://ceventura.ucanr.edu/newsletters/Topics_in_Subtropics76791.pdf
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- Author: Ben Faber
One good idea from a meeting can make all the difference of whether that was a meeting worth going to or not. One idea, that's all it takes to make a big difference back at the ranch. A lot of times the good idea comes from the people you meet there. Sometimes it comes from the speaker's presentation. Sometimes the idea comes to you while processing something you've just heard.
Whatever. I just went to a meeting organized by the Ventlecura County Farm Bureau where there were several speakers and numerous vendors. Lots of good ideas popped up on nutrients and water management. The practices were for the general grower audience, not specifically for citrus or strawberry growers. Meetings can often be focused on a given crop like the CA Avocado Society or Index Fresh avocado meetings. That doesn't mean a lemon or a flower grower couldn't learn from avocado practices. They can. Cross fertilization is good. And this Farm Bureau meeting was a good meeting.
Coming up October 4 and 5, is the annual CA Avocado Society meeting. This starts off with a field tours on the first day, then settles down to a lecture room style on Friday. This should be a good chance to meet other growers, see some interesting field practices and hear some good talks. It will be a good meeting.
- Author: Ben Faber
There are something like 1,000 named varieties of avocado. Big, small, green, black, purple, round, pear-shaped, winter, summer, fall harvest, anise smelling leaves, all kinds of distinguishing features. A homeowner once called to ask about the ‘San Marcos' variety of avocado and we viewed images of this tree and fruit and finally figures out it was a ‘Bacon' that was planted on San Marcos Pass and had adopted the new name because they didn't know what to call the avocado tree in the backyard. So there are a lot of trees that are misnamed for known varieties.
If you want to find out the name of an unknown tree in your backyard, there is a convenient online source of information at Avocado Information at UC Riverside. There is an online list with photos of avocado varieties at:
http://ucavo.ucr.edu/avocadovarieties/VarietyFrame.html#Anchor-47857
And a variety database you can use to search by name at:
http://www.ucavo.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/Panorama.cgi?AvocadoDB~form~Search
There's also a list of unreleased varieties at:
http://ucavo.ucr.edu/avocadovarieties/UnreleasedVarieties.html
One of the best sources of variety information is the CA Avocado Society Yearbook where most varieties were listed for registration. Some of the descriptions are online, but in many cases it's necessary to go to the original paperback version
http://www.avocadosource.com/CAS_Yearbooks/CAS_Yearbooks.htm
Yearbooks can be found at many UCCE offices in Southern California, UC Riverside and Davis libraries, many Southern CA public libraries and from interlibrary loan.
- Author: Ben Faber
Please join us for Avocado Field Day at UCR on November 17, 2015 from 11:00-3:30. The event is located at UCR's field research station (1060 Martin Luther King Blvd., Riverside).
The day will feature an avocado tasting from the selections that the UC Avocado Breeding Program has developed, a presentation from Dr. Francisco Mena on “High Density planting in Chile, pruning and use of Plant Growth Regulators”, tours of the salinity trial to see how UCR and South African Rootstocks have performed, an update on the Avocado rootstock breeding program and view the research on avocado tree growth from Rodrigo Iturrieta Espinoza (Dr. Arpaia's Ph.D. student).
We will have a catered lunch, courtesy of the California Avocado Commission and the California Avocado Society starting at 12:00.
Please Register for Avocado Day as soon as you can, space is limited! Registration cutoff is November 10. For more information, please contact Peggy.Mauk@ucr.edu.
AGENDA |
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11:00 – 11:30 |
Registration |
11:30 – 12:00 |
Posters and Avocado Tasting |
12:00 – 12:20 |
Serve Lunch (Buffet from Anchos) |
12:20 – 12:45 |
Free Time to eat lunch and socialize |
12:45 – 12:50 |
Welcome and Introductions |
12:50 – 1:10 |
Update of the rootstock breeding program – Arpaia/Mauk |
1:10 – 1:50 |
Francisco Mena – High Density planting in Chile, pruning and use of Plant Growth Regulators |
1:30 – 1:40 |
Load Vans |
1:40 – 3:30 |
Field Tours – divide group into 3 and rotate Salinity Trial (2 stops – Suarez et al., Mauk/Arpaia) Breeding program updates Tree growth - Rodrigo |
3:30 |
Adjourn |
- Author: Ben Faber
California Avocado Growers Seminar Series 2013
“New and Important Tools For Avocado…”
Presented by:
California Avocado Society, Inc.
California Avocado Commission
University of California Cooperative Extension
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**February Seminar: Harvesting Strategies, Post-Harvest Handling, and H2A Updates
February 5th (Tuesday): San Luis Obispo (1-3 PM) Cooperative Extension Office/ Auditorium, 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo
February 6th (Wednesday): Ventura (9-11 AM) Ventura Government Center/Lower Plaza Assembly Room, 800 South Victoria Ave, Ventura
February 7th (Thursday) Temecula (9-11 AM) Temecula Civic Center, 41000 Main Street, Temecula
******************************************************************
**April Seminar: Chemical Strategies and Pest Updates
April 2nd (Tuesday): San Luis Obispo (1 - 3 PM) Cooperative Extension Office/ Auditorium, 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo
April 3rd (Wednesday): Ventura (9 - 11 AM) Cooperative Extension County Office/Conference Room, 669 County Square Drive, Ventura
April 4th (Thursday): Temecula (9 - 11 AM) Temecula Civic Center, 41000 Main Street, Temecula
******************************************************************
**June Outdoor Seminar: Field Fertilization and Herbicide Uses
June 4th (Tuesday): San Luis Obispo (1 - 3 PM) Location TBA
June 5th (Wednesday): Ventura (9 - 11 AM) Location TBA
June 6th (Thursday): Temecula (9 - 11 AM) Location TBA
******************************************************************
**August Seminar: Fertilization Techniques, PGR’s, and Local Issues Updates
August 6th (Tuesday): San Luis Obispo (1-3 PM) Cooperative Extension Office/ Auditorium, 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo
August 7th (Wednesday): Ventura (9 - 11 AM) Cooperative Extension County Office/Conference Room, 669 County Square Drive, Ventura
August 8th (Thursday): Temecula (9 - 11 AM) Temecula Civic Center, 41000 Main Street, Temecula
******************************************************************
**PCA Hours are pending
Project 8
The California Avocado Society (CAS) has received a grant from the USDA to conduct a seminar series in Spanish on avocado production. The program is focused on providing training on the basics of growing avocados, including irrigation, fertilization, pruning, harvesting, pest management, GAP in avocados, tool maintenance, etc. To give this program an easy to use name, it is simply referred to as Project 8.
The series is aimed primarily at workers who provide services other than harvesting and can increase their productivity through improving their understanding of the avocado growing system. The seminars are open to anyone, however CAS especially wants to reach those who work for small growers and provide the majority of the cultural operations for the grove.
Each seminar will be given completely in Spanish by native Spanish speakers. The seminar will include an expert in the subject from the University or similar institution and a person who has extensive field experience in the subject to give a practical perspective on the topic and how it applies to the worker’s every day work environment.
All participants will receive a certificate of completion to show that they have attended that particular course in the series.
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