- Author: Ben Faber
Avocado Irrigation Workshop
August 10 (Thursday), 2023
1:00 – 4:00 P.M.
San Diego Farm Bureau
420 S Broadway, Escondido, CA 92025
Workshop registration link:
https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=40798
1:00 - 3:30 p.m. Agenda
1:00 Welcome
1:05 Challenges Due to Climate Change and Tools and Resources to Manage Risks - Dr. Tapan
Pathak, CE Specialist in Climate Adaptation in Agriculture, University of California, Merced
1:35 Interpreting Your Water and Soil Analysis Reports to Manage Your Avocado Grove – Dr.
Ben Faber, UCCE Subtropical Crops Advisor, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties
2:05 Cost-effective Irrigation Tools for Efficient Water Management of California Avocados – Dr.
Ali Montazar, UCCE Irrigation and Water Management Advisor, San Diego, Imperial, and
Riverside Counties
2:35 Considerations about the Use of Plant-Based Sensors for Avocado Irrigation Scheduling –
Dr. Jochen Schenk, Professor of Department of Biological Science, California State University,
Fullerton
3:05 Development and Evaluation of Pathogen and Salinity Resistant Avocado Rootstocks – Dr.
Patricia Manosalva, Professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology Department, University of
California, Riverside
3:35 RCD of Greater San Diego County Irrigation Management Programs and Projects – Joel
Kramer, Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County, Lakeside
4:00 ADJOURN
For more information about the workshop, please contact Ali Montazar, amontazar@ucanr.edu.
PENDING CEU CREDITS: CCA (3.0 hrs.)
SDRILG (3.0 hrs.)
- Author: Ben Faber
Avocado Irrigation Workshop
July 18 (Tuesday), 2023
1:00 - 4:00 P.M.
In Person
United Water Conservation District
1701 Lombard St Ste 200, Oxnard, CA 93030
AGENDA
1:00 Welcome
1:05 Drought and Heat Effects on Avocado – Dr. Ben Faber, UCCE Subtropical Crops Advisor,
Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties
1:35 Challenges due to climate change and tools and resources to manage risks - Dr. Tapan Pathak,CE Specialist in Climate Adaptation in Agriculture, University of California, Merced
2:05 Tools and Information for Effective Irrigation Management in California Avocados – Dr. Ali Montazar, UCCE Irrigation and Water Management Advisor, San Diego, Imperial, and Riverside
Counties
2:35 Strategies in Managing Salinity in Avocado Production – Dr. Peggy Mauk, Director of Agricultural Operations and Professor of Extension, University of California, Riverside
3:05 Water Cost in High Density Avocado Planting and Profitability – Etaferahu Takele, UCCE Area Farm Management/Agricultural Economist in Southern California, San Bernardino
3:35 Ventura County RCD Irrigation & Nutrient Management Programs and Projects – JamieWhiteford, Ventura County Resource Conservation District, Ventura
4:00 ADJOURN
For more information about the workshop, please contact
Ali Montazar, amontazar@ucanr.edu
or Ben Faber, bafaber@ucanr.edu.
PENDING CEU CREDITS:
VCAILG (3 hrs.)
- Author: Ben Faber
Avocado Irrigation Workshop
San Diego County Farm Bureau
Description:
This training workshop aims to focus on irrigation management related issues including drought and heat effects; irrigation management tools and information under development in California avocados; mapping salinity and strategies in managing salinity; water costs and planting density; and supporting programs for avocado growers.
Resources
Dr. Ali Montazar
UCCE Irrigation and Water Management Advisor, San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial Counties
Ali's UCANR Faculty Profile
Irrigation Management Tools and Information Under Development in California Avocados
Presentation Slides (PDF Slides, 8.30 MB)
Dr. Ben Faber
UCCE Subtropical Crops Advisor, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties
Ben's UCANR Faculty Profile
Drought/Heat/Salt Induced Orchard Problems:
Presentation Slides (PDF Slides, 1.34 MB)
Dr. Dennis Corwin
Senior Research Soil Scientist, USDA Salinity Laboratory, Riverside
Dennis's USDA ARS Profile
Mapping Soil Salinity at Field Scale Using Geophysical Techniques:
Presentation Slides (PDF Slides 7.68 MB)
Dr. Peggy Mauk
Director of Agricultural Operations and Professor of Extension, University of California, Riverside
Peggy's UCANR Faculty Profile
Strategies in Managing Salinity for Avocado Production:
Presentation Slides (PDF Slides 3.01 MB)
Etaferahu Takele
UCCE Area Farm Management/Agricultural Economist in Southern California, San Bernardino
Etaferahu's UCCE Faculty Profile
High Density Avocado Planting: Impacts on Productivity and Water Cost:
Presentation Slides (PDF Slides 1.36 MB)
Agricultural Economics/Farm Management:
References:
- Avocado Sample Establishment and Production Costs and Profitability Analysis for San Diego and Riverside Counties. (link)
- 2020 Avocado Establishment and Production Costs and Profitability Analysis in High Density Planting. (link)
- Better growing: by Gary Bender. High Density Avocado Production, A Method to Improve Yield Per Acre. (link)
Luis Ramos
Mission Resource Conservation District (RCD), Fallbrook
Luis's Mission RCD Profile
Mission RCD Water Management:
Other Resources:
Irrigation Management -
Cal-Adapt
https://cal-adapt.org/tools/extreme-heat/
CIMAS- California Irrigation Management Information System
http://www.cimis.water.ca.gov/
UCCE- Agricultural Water Quality Home Page
Funding Assistance:
CA Department of Agriculture (CDFA) - Office of Environmental Farming & Innovation
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/
Natural Resource Conservation Service-Environmental Quality Incentives Program (NRCS EQUIP)
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/eqip/
Funding Opportunities Database - UCCE San Diego-Climate Resilient Agriculture Program
https://ucanr.edu/sites/Climate_Resilient_Agriculture/Resources/Funding/
Avocado Irrigation Management:
UCCE - Avocado Irrigation Featured Story
UCCE - Avocado Irrigation Home Page
- Author: Ben Faber
Aliasghar Montazar, our Irrigation Advisor in Imperial and San Diego Counties has a Specialty Crops grant from CDFA to evaluate avocado water use. The trials have been set up in San Diego, but in the future may be able to expand the trials to other parts of the State. He is hoping growers could fill out this survey on current water use in avocado orchards. Try it, you might be reviewing what is currently being done, and learn something in the process.
Avocado Irrigation Management Survey
Thanks
- Author: Ben Faber
Finding problems in the field.
From this to this, in three days.
What happened?
Is there a pattern? Is it spotty or all over? You say it's spotty, but do you see pattern in the spots? When you see salt damage or leaf blight (often the causes are the same, one a salt accumulation, the other a fungus hitting salt/water stressed trees), you go straight to the irrigation. Timing? Amount? Distribution? If other trees are doing fine, then the amounts and times are right. So it's the distribution? Emitter plugging? Emitter alignment? Animal damage?
Or is it root damage? Are there roots? Are there roots in the wetted zone? What color are the roots? It's getting cold, but there should still be some white/light colored roots. You got a resistant rootstock, but it can still get root rot. Maybe a shot of phosphite? Or Orondis?
I don't like fungicides in general, because they are such a short fix, but sometimes they can help through a tough time. I don't think it warrants Orondis at this time, though. Not yet, until you see what is causing the problem. Check the irrigation system and the roots first.
And this all happened on a weekend when there was wind and heat. Attention to the irrigation must be paid
