- Author: Ben Faber
Practical Training in Nitrogen Planning & Management in Organic Production of Annual Crops
BUT All Growers Could Learn from these sessions
- Virtual Event – Habrá traducción al Español
3-part Workshop
Session 1: Monday, Nov. 27th, 2023, 1-3pm
Session 2: Monday, Dec. 4th, 2023, 1-3pm
Session 3: Monday, Dec. 11th, 2023, 1-3pm
Session 4*: Monday, Dec. 18th, 2023, 1-3pm
*attendance optional
Registration
tinyurl.com/NitrogenWorkshop
- Cost: $25*
*No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
Please contact Rob Straser (rkstraser@ucanr.edu)
- Must enroll in Session 1-3 (Session 4 optional)
- Limited to 80 participants
- CEUs in progress
- CDFA-INMTP
- CCA
About this workshop
In this 3-part series, participants will learn how to estimate nitrogen release from diverse organic sources and translate that knowledge to nitrogen fertilization plans and regulatory reporting requirements. Over the 3 sessions, we will cover the most common sources of nitrogen and complete a nitrogen budget. In session 2 and 4, participants will be able to work on and receive feedback on their own nitrogen budgets.
Who should enroll?
Growers, CCAs, PCAs and other agricultural professionals who are interested in learning about nitrogen management in organic production are encouraged to enroll.
Program agenda
Session 1: Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, 1-3pm
Understanding nitrogen: the nutrient, the role of microbes and the
relevance of soil organic matter
Presenters: Daniel Geisseler, Radomir Schmidt and Margaret Lloyd
We will begin with an overview of the sources, transformations and fates of sources of organic nitrogen in soil. Foundational to this, we'll cover the role and dynamics of microbes in nitrogen management, and how that impacts management decisions. Lastly, we'll discuss using nitrogen budgets to understand the sources and proportions of available nitrogen to meet crop demand.
Session 2: Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, 1-3pm
Estimating nitrogen release from organic amendments and contributions
from cover crops
Presenters: Patricia Lazicki and Margaret Lloyd
This session will focus on estimating nitrogen release from compost, organic fertilizers and cover crops. In addition, participants will be invited to apply the training to their own operations and receive feedback on the budget calculations during this session.
2
Nitrogen Planning & Management Workshop UC Cooperative Extension
Session 3: Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, 1-3pm
Putting it all together: Completing a nitrogen budget, synchronizing
nitrogen release with nitrogen demand, soil tests, and frontiers in nitrogen
science
Presenters: Daniel Geisseler, Joji Muramoto, Michael Cahn and Margaret Lloyd
In this session, we will address specific aspects of organic soil fertility management in warm season vegetables. Discussions will include crop nitrogen demand and strategies to supply demand, as well as using and interpreting soil testing. Specific references will be made to strategies for complying with forthcoming regulations. We will conclude with a discussion on new frontiers in organic nitrogen management.
Session 4*: Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, 1-3pm
*attendance optional
Grower Panel and Open House
In this session we will have 1-2 growers share their experience managing nitrogen on their farms. Then, we will open it up to questions, share experiences and discuss the nitrogen budget file. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own data to receive feedback.
About the Presenters
Daniel Geisseler is a Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC Davis.
Daniel's research and outreach focuses on nutrient turnover and plant nutrition in agricultural systems. He is interested in the
effects that different management practices have on nutrient use in California crops and how nutrient use efficiency can be
improved, particularly with nitrogen.
Patricia Lazicki is the Vegetable Crops Advisor for Yolo, Solano, and Sacramento Counties, working mainly in tomatoes.
Her research interests include soil health, and nutrient management and fertility in organic annual cropping systems.
Margaret Lloyd is the Organic Agriculture and Small Farms Advisor for Yolo, Solano and Sacramento Counties. She runs an
active research and outreach program focused on nutrient management and pest management for organic vegetable farms.
Joji Muramoto is an Assistant Cooperative Extension organic production specialist at UC Santa Cruz. His research and
extension focus on nitrogen and soilborne disease management in organic cropping systems across the state
.
Radomir Schmidt is a program manager at the Working Lands Innovation Center at the UC Davis Institute of the Environment.
As a soil microbiologist, Radomir conducts research on the effects of specific farming practices (organic amendment
application, enhanced rock weathering, cover cropping, no-till systems) on carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas fluxes in
soils, and on the roles of microbial communities in soil health improvement and maintenance
.
Michael Cahn is an irrigation and water resources Farm Advisor for UC Cooperative Extension in Monterey County. His
research and extension program focuses on irrigation efficiency, nutrient use of crops, and protecting water quality. He led
the development of CropManage, an online decision support tool for irrigation and nutrient management.
For more information, contact Rob Straser: (rkstraser@ucanr.edu) or Margaret Lloyd (530-564-8642, mglloyd@ucanr.edu).
The University of California prohibits discrimination or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities. (Complete nondiscrimination policy statement
can be found at http://ucanr.org/sites/anrstaff/files/107734.doc). Inquiries regarding the University's equal employment opportunity policies may be directed to
Affirmative Action Contact and Title IX Officer, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2801 2nd Street, Davis, CA 95618, (530) 750-1397
- Author: Hung Kim Doan
Please join us for a weekly lunchtime seminar series. Each week we'll be joined by a guest speaker for a 30-minute presentation followed by questions from the listeners and more general discussion.
The Zoom link will be the same each week. No pre-registration required.
Meeting link:https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/95260378391?pwd=TXNTNmtNalo5TzY0bjdISEszeXRXUT09
*The presentation (not the Q and A discussion) will be recorded and made available.
Habrá traducción al Español
Date |
Topic |
Tuesday, January 24 |
Nitrogen Mineralization from Organic Fertilizers and Composts Joji Muramoto, Organic Production Specialist, UC Santa Cruz |
Tuesday, January 31 |
Tools and Approaches for Assessing and Improving Irrigation Efficiency on the Farm Michael Cahn, Irrigation and Water Resource Farm Advisor, UCCE |
Tuesday, February 7 |
Organic Management of Nematodes Philip Waisen, Vegetable Crops Advisor, UCCE |
Tuesday, February 14 |
How to Identify and Scout for Insect Pests Alejandro del Poso, Assistant Professor of Entomology, Applied Insect Ecology - Turfgrass and Ornamentals, Virginia Tech University |
Tuesday, February 21 |
Why, How and When to Choose Between Open-pollinated, Hybrid, and Land-race seeds? Charlie Brummer, Director and Professor, Center for Plant Breeding, UC Davis |
Tuesday, February 28 |
Management of Soilborne Plant Pathogens with Organic Amendments Amisha Poret-Peterson, USDA-ARS, Davis |
Tuesday, March 7 |
Biology and Management of Thrips and the Diseases They Spread Daniel Hasegawa, USDA-ARS, Salinas |
Tuesday, March 14 |
Weed Management on Small farms and in Organic Production Systems Darryl Wong, Executive Director, Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems, UC Santa Cruz |
Tuesday, March 21 |
Recruiting Owls and Raptors for Pest Management Breanna Martinico, Human-Wildlife Interactions Farm Advisor, UCCE |
Questions? Contact Margaret Lloyd mglloyd@ucanr.edu, Aparna Gazula agazula@ucanr.edu or Lucy Diekmann lodiekmann@ucanr.edu, Hung Kim Doan hkdoan@ucanr.edu
- Author: Ben Faber
A recent paper shows that a food-grade coating can successfully reduce the damage of cherry fruit fly on cherries. This has implications for control of olive fruit fly, spotted-wing drosophila (on blueberry and other bush berries), Mediterranean fruit fly and other tephritid flies. Read on:
Evaluation of Organic, Food-Grade Hydrophobic Coatings for Suppressing Oviposition and Increasing Mortality of Western Cherry Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Abstract
To reduce risks and concerns of extensive insecticide use for controlling tephritid fruit flies, non or less toxic organic management options to the use of insecticides alone for fly control are needed . One such option is the use of physical or chemical barriers sprayed on fruit to protect fruit from fly attack. Surround wettable powder (kaolin) is the major organic barrier that has been developed that protects fruit (against sunburn) and deters insects. However, Surround has not been adopted to any large extent by growers for use against fruit flies due in part to the white residue it forms on fruit. A product that protects fruit while leaving no visible residue on fruit surfaces might be more acceptable for use.
Recently, the product HydroShield (original formulation; Cuticle Supplement), a nonwax organic food-grade hydrophobic coating that simulates plant cuticles, was developed that protects cherries from water-induced cracking . Unlike Surround, HydroShield forms an invisible (to human eyes) coating on cherries. HydroShield incidentally also helps protect fruit against attack by insects, specifically Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), reducing oviposition by this fly in Sweetheart cherries.
Newer organic options for protecting fruit from tephritid fruit fly attack are needed to reduce extensive insecticide use. Here, we evaluated organic, food-grade hydrophobic coatings that help protect sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) from water-induced cracking for suppressing attack on cherries by western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephtitidae), as well as for their effects on fly mortality. Three formulations of coatings called HydroShield 13.20, 13.22, and 13.28 that form invisible elastic barriers on cherries and that consist of complex carbohydrates, fatty acids and occlusive agents, solvents, emulsifiers, emollients, surfactants, and other ingredients were tested. In the laboratory, fly visits on and oviposition in HydroShield-coated cherries were 66.1–92.8% and 59.1–99.5% lower, respectively, than in controls. The mean number of dead female flies exposed to HydroShield-coated cherries was 69.4–94.6% greater than of females exposed to control cherries. In the field, three sprays of HydroShield 13.22 and 13.20 on sweet cherry trees in 2020, when fly densities were high, reduced larval infestations in cherries by 32.1% and 31.8%, respectively. In the field in 2021, when fly densities were lower, three sprays of HydroShield 13.22 and 13.28 reduced infestations in cherries by 90.5% and 86.8%, respectively, but sprays also reduced cherry size and toughened cherries. HydroShield formulations show promise in protecting sweet cherry from attack by R. indifferens, but further testing is needed to improve formulations so that they suppress fly oviposition without affecting cherry quality.
https://academic.oup.com/ee/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ee/nvac033/6590995?login=false
Adult drosophila laying eggs
Maggots doing their thing on blueberry
- Author: Ben Faber
Use of ProgGibb LV Plus® Plant Growth Regulator Increases Total Yield/ Fruit Size of Hass Avocados
As of March 27, 2018, foliar application of GA3 (ProGibb LV Plus®, Valent BioSciences, Corp.) to ‘Hass' avocado trees in commercial orchards has been approved. Dr. Carol J. Lovatt, emerita professor of plant physiology at the University of California – Riverside, recently completed research concerning the effectiveness of ProGibb LV Plus® on avocado fruit size and yield. A summary of her research — including best practices — follows.
Application Best Practices
ProGibb LV Plus® should be applied as a foliar spray when 50 percent of the trees in a block are at the cauliflower stage of inflorescence. If a grower cannot make an application at this time, it is best to apply the spray later, rather than earlier in order to ensure effectiveness.
The spray should be applied like a pesticide spray — full canopy coverage with a focus on the inflorescences. Those applying the spray should avoid spraying to run-off.
The ideal dilution for ground application is 12.5 fluid ounces of ProGibb LV Plus® (25 grams active ingredient [gai]) per 100 gallons of water/acre. For aerial application, use 12.5 fluid ounces (25 gai) in 75 gallons of water/acre. According to the research, the ideal application rate is 25g GA3 per acre; higher and lower doses were less effective. The pH of the water used should be adjusted such that the final pH of the spray solution is between pH 5.5 – 6.0.
Dr. Lovatt utilized organosilicone surfactant Silwett L-77® or Widespread Max® at a concentration of 0.05 percent as a wetting agent. Similar pure organosilicone type surfactants would be acceptable as wetting agents. It is important to note that until additional research can be conducted, other materials should not be included in the ProGibb LV Plus® spray solution.
Effect of ProGibb LV Plus® (GA3)
Dr. Lovatt's research team tested the effect of ProGibb LV Plus® on fruit size and yield for both ground and aerial applications. Overall, the research team noted that GA3 had no negative effects on ‘Hass' avocado fruit quality.
Ground applications were tested in March at groves located in Corona, Irvine and Somis, California. The tests were run on Duke 7 clonal rootstock trees at the cauliflower stage of inflorescence development. Each of the groves reported net increases in total yield and large/commercially valuable size fruit. The results were as follows:
Table 1. Effect of GA3 (25 g ai/acre) applied at the cauliflower stage of inflorescence development on yield and fruit size (pounds/tree) of ‘Hass' avocado trees in Corona, CA.
Treatment | Total Fruit | Net Increase (%) | Large fruit (213-354 g/fruit) | Net increase (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
lb fruit/tree | ||||
GA3 | 74.7 az | 84 | 34.3 a | 128 |
Control | 40.6 b | 15.0 b | ||
P-value | 0.0997 | 0.0657 |
z Values in a vertical column followed by different letters are significantly different at specified P-values by Duncan's Multiple Range Test at the P-values indicated. (From the work of Salazar-García and Lovatt, 2000).
Table 2. Effect of GA3 (25 g ai/acre) applied at the cauliflower stage of inflorescence development on yield and fruit size as pounds and number of fruit per tree in an alternate bearing ‘Hass' avocado orchard in Irvine, CA.
Year 1 Yield | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Treatment | Total Fruit | Net Increase (%) | Valuable Size Fruit (178-325 g/fruit) | Net increase (%) |
GA3 | 92.2 az | 70 | 67.9 a | 65 |
Control | 54.2 b | 41.2 b | ||
P-value | 0.0029 | 0.0037 | ||
GA3 | 215 a | 76 | 141 a | 70 |
Control | 122 b | 83 b | ||
P-value | 0.0042 | 0.0026 |
z Values in a vertical column followed by different letters are significantly different at specified P-values by Duncan's Multiple Range Test at the P-values indicated. (From the work of Lovatt and Salazar-García, 2007; Zheng et al., 2011)
Table 3. Effect of GA3 (25 g ai/acre) applied at the cauliflower stage of inflorescence development at on yield and fruit size of ‘Hass' avocado trees in Somis, CA. Percent net increase reflects the benefit of GA3 at 25 g ai/acre relative to the untreated control trees.
Treatment | Total Fruit | Net Increase (%) | Valuable size fruit (178-325 g/fruit) | Net increase (%) | Large fruit (213-354 g/fruit) | Net increase (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
lb fruit/tree | ||||||
GA3 | 408.1 az | 10 | 379.4 a | 13 | 294.1 a | 16 |
Control | 372.6 b | 335.3 b | 253.3 b | |||
P-value | 0.0626 | 0.0252 | 0.0626 |
z Values in a vertical column followed by different letters are significantly different by Fisher's Protected LSD test at the P-values indicated.
Overall, ground application of GA3 resulted in a net increase of 3,905 lb/acre, with a net increase of 4,851 lb/acre of commercially valuable size fruit (packing carton sizes 60+48+40; 178-325 g/fruit) and a net increase in large fruit (packing carton sizes 48+40+36; 213-354 g/fruit) of 4,488 lb/acre.
Aerial applications were tested on groves located in Pauma Valley and Carpinteria, California. Together, the aerial applications demonstrated that GA3 increased fruit set (fruit retention) by 55 percent into the last week of August and fruit size by 6 percent through mid-August.
Ultimately, Dr. Lovatt's research indicates that use of GA3 could result in substantial increases in net dollar return per acre to the grower due to increase in yield and commercially valuable size fruit. In addition, growers whose avocado groves are not suited to ground applications (groves located on slopes or in high-density formations) can benefit from the efficacy of utilizing aerial applications. In summary, ProGibb LV Plus® is “vital to the California avocado industry to increase grower income per acre to help sustain the California avocado industry.”
N.B. Remember, only well managed trees are going to respond. This will not turn around a poor producing orchard. only potentially increase production on an already good producing orchard. Ben
- Author: Ben Faber
Synopsis of: “The Organic Premium for California Blueberries” by Hoy Carmen, professor emeritus in the Agricultural and Resource Economics Dept., UC Davis
Commercial-scale production of blueberries in California is a relatively recent development. California first reported blueberry statistics in 2005 when there were 1,800 acres of blueberries harvested and production of 9.1 million pounds with a total value of $40.58 million. Harvested acres increased to 3,900 acres in 2010 with production of 28 million pounds and a total value of $75.98 million. Growth continued through 2015 with California Agricultural Statistics Survey (CASS) reporting 5,700 acres of blueberries harvested, production of 62.4 million pounds, and total value of $116.98 million.
California blueberries are shipped throughout the U.S. and to a number of export destinations. During the 2016 harvest, California's largest U.S. market was California, which accounted for 34.75% of California's total fresh blueberry shipments of 46,493,407 pounds.
The largest out-of-state domestic shipments were to Texas, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New York, Minnesota, Utah, and Pennsylvania. These states collectively accounted for 36.54% of California shipments. Canadian shipments of 5.54 million pounds accounted for 11.9% of California's volume and made up 67.1% of exports.
Typically, the price per pound of organically grown blueberries is higher than for conventional production. Prices also vary by package size, with smaller package sizes usually selling for more per pound than larger packages. There is usually a premium for the first portion of the crop-marketing year, and the overall level of prices will vary by year. Prices can also be expected to vary by geographic location. California organic blueberries are among the first domestic fruit on the market when prices tend to be seasonally high.
Growth in California organic blueberry production has outpaced conventional production for several years, and California accounted for about half of the U.S. supply of organic blueberries in 2014. The organic share of California blueberry shipments in 2016 was 23.1% in terms of volume and 34.8% in terms of value. The larger share of value is due to the premium price for organic blueberries.
The organic premium, which averaged $2.28 per pound in both 2015 and 2016 (78–79% of the conventional fresh blueberry price), varies by package and over time. California has some of the earliest domestic blueberry production, with relatively high prices for both conventional and organic blueberries at the beginning of the season. The proportion of shipments that are organic decreases as the season progresses and the organic premium tends to be highest after the first one-third of the season. The growth of organic blueberry production in California, relative to overall California production as well as U.S. organic blueberry production, seems to indicate a comparative advantage for organic blueberries in California. Further growth of organic as well as total blueberry production in California is expected.
For the full article see:
Organic production costs, South Coast
Conventional costs, South Coast
Conventional, San Joaquin Valley
Report on US Organic Sales, 2016
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/2017/09_20_2017.php