- Author: Trina Kleist, UC Davis
![Kassim Al-Khatib, right, of the Department of Plant Sciences, explains symptoms from the group of herbicides that work by mimicking plant hormones and the synthesis of fatty acids, demonstrated on rows of annual crops](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/food/blogfiles/107618small.jpg)
Field day offers examples, tips for solving the mystery
A grower applies an herbicide to his tomato plants, or thinks a neighbor's treatment is drifting over her almond trees. A short time later, the leaves start to bleach or shrivel. Was it the herbicide? Or maybe water stress? Soil nutrients? Perhaps an insect?
Figuring out the causes of crop problems takes detective work, and like solving any mystery, it starts with knowing the signs, gathering evidence and asking questions.
The Diagnosing Herbicide Symptoms field day at UC Davis was an opportunity to see, up close, the shriveled cotton,...
/h3>- Author: Michael Hsu
![UCCE Specialty Crops and Horticulture Advisor Eddie Tanner stands in a field, talking to a group about findings from an organic cauliflower varietal trial](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/food/blogfiles/107547small.jpg)
Organic Agriculture Institute needs assessment refines how it can address pressing challenges
The explosive growth of organic agriculture in the U.S. – reflected in a 90% increase in organic farms from 2011 to 2021, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics – has come at a cost for some farmers. With new farming operations increasing the supply of organic commodities, along with consolidation of buyers, growers report that their profit margins are not what they used to be.
Those market size considerations are among the challenges highlighted in a new report detailing the...
/h3>- Author: Michael Hsu
![Gold, amber and burgundy gum balls on an almond tree](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/food/blogfiles/104430small.jpg)
Wet winter, El Niño create favorable conditions for aerial Phytophthora pathogen
With heavy rains in the forecast amid strengthening El Niño conditions, almond growers should be on the lookout for a rare disease that can cause severe damage to their orchards, according to Florent Trouillas, a University of California Cooperative Extension specialist in fruit and nut pathology.
Phytophthora, soilborne microorganisms dubbed “water molds” because of their dependence on water, typically...
/h3>- Author: Michael Hsu
![Hand reaches up to pick an orange from a tree](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/food/blogfiles/103352small.jpg)
QFF quarantine in LA, Ventura counties among seven fruit fly quarantines statewide
Residents in multiple Southern California and Northern California counties should not move homegrown fruits and vegetables from their properties to help contain several species of fruit fly that can destroy crops and impact the livelihoods of local farmers.
With sharing and gifting of food integral to the holiday season, the California...
/h3>- Author: Houston Wilson
- Author: Jhalendra Rijal
- Author: David Haviland
![Beetles inside of an almond](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/food/blogfiles/102986small.jpg)
Crop sanitation will be key to controlling the invasive carpophilus beetle
Growers and pest control advisers (PCAs) should be on the lookout for a new pest called carpophilus beetle (Carpophilus truncatus). This pest was recently found infesting almonds and pistachios in the San Joaquin Valley, and is recognized as one of the top two pests of almond production in Australia. Damage occurs when adults and larvae feed directly on the kernel, causing reductions in both yield and quality.
Populations of carpophilus beetle were first detected in September in almond and pistachio orchards by University of California Cooperative Extension Specialist
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