- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
New Series of Nitrogen Management Advice Available
(Cal Ag Today) March 28
California growers can download a new series of publications summarizing efficient nitrogen management practices from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. The publications are designed to assist growers in complying with state regulations for tracking and reporting nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops, in an effort to prevent nitrogen from leaching into groundwater.
https://californiaagtoday.com/new-series-of-nitrogen-management-advice-available
UC helps growers comply with new...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Early this week, rain was in the forecast for Bakersfield, the southernmost city in the Great Central Valley, but UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors were unconcerned, reported John Cox in the Bakersfield Californian.
The rain never materialized, and that was good news for Craig Kallsen, UCCE Kern County citrus and pistachio advisor.
"In general, on the valley floor, if it's raining, somebody's going to get hurt," he said.
Kallsen said the ideal situation for farmers is when rain and snow fall on the...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Rising temperatures appear to be reducing the number of hours tree crops in the San Joaquin Valley are subjected to chill during the winter, a critical factor in producing a profitable yield, reported Ezra David Romero on Valley Public Radio, KVPR-FM.
Pistachios, for example, require temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees for about 700 hours each winter, but for the past four years have had less than 500 chill hours.
UC Davis researcher Hyunok Lee recently published a study about climate change impacts on agriculture in UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' peer-reviewed journal
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Some California pistachio farmers are facing one of their worst harvests ever, reported Sarah Zhang on Wired.com.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources experts said the dip in yield cannot be blamed on the drought, but a warming climate may be coming into play. Pistachios require cold winter temperatures to reset their biological clocks.
“They use the temperature to know when winter is over,” said Craig Kallsen, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Kern County. “And if they don't get the message, they get confused.”
Male...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
It has been particularly cold at night in California for about a week, but it appears the state's citrus industry will emerge mostly unscathed, reported Oliver Renick on Bloomberg.com.
“The temperatures were not severe enough to cause widespread damage,” said Craig Kallsen, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Kern County. “This is nothing out of the ordinary, so we’re able to handle this.”
Thermometers dipped about 10 degrees below normal overnight during the cold snap, but growers efforts to keep the trees warm with wind...