- (Public Value) UCANR: Promoting economic prosperity in California
- Author: Ben Faber
Are you interested in learning more about Nitrogen Management?
Are you ready for the big time?
Are you a Certified Crop Adviser seeking Continuing Education Units and/or preparing for the new California Nitrogen Specialty Exam?
Has your grower clientele asked if you are eligible to sign off on a Nitrogen Management Plan?
Registration for the brand new UC Nitrogen Management course is now open at:
http://ucanr.edu/NitrogenCourse
The UC Nitrogen Course is taught online through a video series delivered by UC Researchers and Extension Specialists. Each module is eligible for Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) continuing education units (CEUs).
The course is open to anyone interested in learning more about N management in California. The curriculum addresses all the learning objectives set forth by the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) for the new California Nitrogen Management Specialty Exam.
The 7-part video series starts Monday May 9th.
Register at http://ucanr.edu/NitrogenCourse
You may join the course at any time up until July 31st.
For more information contact Sat Darshan Khalsa at sdskhalsa@ucdavis.edu or visit the FAQ page.
map of groundwater management areas of Ventura county
/span>- Author: Ben Faber
There are all kinds of pollinators in an avocado orchard, not just honeybees. In fact, there is a whole range of native bees that also pollinate the trees. There are nearly 1,600 native bee species in California, and over 30 have been identified in avocado orchards in Ventura County alone .
Another pollinator group is comprised of the Diptera order – flies. This order includes hoverflies and houseflies. Flies can be better at cross-pollinating avocado than honeybees because they move randomly through an orchard between different cultivars, visiting male and female flowers. The effectiveness of flies as pollinators varies between species, but there can often be more than 20 types in an orchard. This means it is likely that some good pollinators will be present, and that pollination can occur whenever the female flowers are open.
In the aforementioned Ventura avocado study, hoverflies are the most common flower visitor.
Housefly
Hoverfly
- Author: Ben Faber
Terrestrial laser scanning data show that trees move their branches in a diurnal pattern, settling down for the night – as if falling asleep. So far, however, researchers have been uncertain as to why this happens.
A new study utilising time-series of terrestrial laser scanning measurements shows that changes in the water status of leaves and branches causes branches to move downward at night, up to 20 cm depending on the tree species. Leaves and branches replenish their water storage during the night, increasing their weight and causing them to droop down. Terrestrial laser scanning is a remote sensing technique that can produce a 3D representation of the surroundings with millimetre accuracy. With repeated measurements, it is possible to study small structural changes in the environment, such as the movement of branches.
“By monitoring the movement of tree branches, we can gain insight into how water moves inside the tree. Climate change reduces the availability of water and increases drought stress, so it is important to understand the movement of water in trees in order to understand changes in forest health,” Postdoctoral Researcher and the lead author of the article Samuli Junttila from the University of Eastern Finland says.
In the laboratory, the researchers found that tree branch position followed changes in tree water status also over a longer time period. These findings also have practical applications. For example, laser scanning could be used to monitor plant water status in a greenhouse to automate watering regimes and save valuable resources.
The study was conducted at the University of Eastern Finland in collaboration with the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute and the University of Helsinki. The study was conducted within the UNITE Flagship Programme funded by the Academy of Finland.
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/5/728

- Author: Ben Faber
AGENDA
Day 1 |
June 14, 2022 |
8:30 AM |
Welcome, introductions, and objectives: Stafne (MSU) and Crane (UF) Charles LaPradd Agriculture Manager Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory & Economic Resources |
9:00 AM |
Overview and discussion of stakeholder survey results: Downey (MSU) |
9:45 AM |
Coffee break (provided) |
10:00 AM |
Industry perspectives: presentations by marketing and shipping representatives addressing challenges and opportunities for the wholesale fresh-market and processing industries Johnny Hoblick -- AgriStarts |
11:00 AM |
Growers' perspectives: presentations about the biggest challenges and opportunities of the horizon Olga Farina (video) Ken Love |
12:00 PM |
Lunch (provided) Shiver's BBQ |
1:00 PM |
Field trip to local passion fruit producers Osvany Rodriguez Jackie Chen |
4:00 PM |
Reconvene group for discussion and recap |
5:00 PM |
End for day (dinner on own) |
Day 2 |
JUNE 15, 2022 |
8:00 AM |
Recap of day 1: Stafne (MSU) |
8:45 AM |
Breakout groups based on focus areas (breeding and genetics, pests and disease, production horticultural management, marketing, and extension) with industry stakeholders as available Breeding/Genetics – Josh Anderson/Manjul Dutt Pest/Disease – Romina Gazis/Daniel Carrillo/Dara Stockton Horticulture Production – Jonathan Crane Marketing – Trent Blare Extension/Education – Eric Stafne/Jeff Wasilewski Online – Laura Downey/Ben Posadas |
9:45 AM |
Coffee break (provided) |
10:00 AM |
Reports from first breakout groups to whole team |
10:45 AM |
Reconfigure breakout groups based on production region to allow participation by others in different focus groups |
12:00 PM |
Lunch (provided) TBA |
1:00 PM |
Reports from second breakout groups to whole team |
2:00 PM |
Group discussion on common ground and opportunities for an USDA-NIFA-SCRI SREP or CAP proposal |
3:00 PM |
Presentations on current research and extension efforts related to passion fruit
Tools to analyze your passion fruit enterprise's profitability, V. Contreras, University of Florida How to market in a digital era, T. Blare, University of Florida Seed Structure Differences and Genetic/Phenotypic Variability Amongst Colombian Accessions of Purple Passion Fruit, Passiflora edulis f. edulis N. Rodriquez, L. Melgarejo, D. Demissie, and M. Blair*, Tennessee State University. Status of conventional and organic pest control for U.S. passionfruit, J. Crane, University of Florida Passion Fruit Stem Canker, J. Anderson, University of Florida Establishing Gene Editing Technology to Generate Seedless Passion Fruit, E. Garcia, A. Chambers, and T. Liu, University of Florida Passionfruit pollination and pollinators, D. Carrillo, University of Florida Liliko'i (passion fruit) production in Hawai'I, K. Love, Hawaiian Tropical Fruit Growers |
4:00 PM |
Closing remarks and next steps: Stafne (UA) and Crane (UF) |
5:00 PM |
End of meeting |
- 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
