Our overall goal is to develop a management model to monitor and predict nutrient demand and nutrient status in pecan trees, along with the interaction of nutrient and water stress on nut yield.
The first two seasons of data collection have been completed. Soil Water Depletion (SWD), a root zone measurement of the amount of water within the soil, is an indicator of water stress within the tree.
For agricultural use, remote sensing evapotranspiration models are important. However, most remote sensing ET models are not in an operational mode on the internet. The downloading of satellite (SEBAL) and weather data and processing of this data are complicated and time consuming.
Researchers are sharing their findings and expertise in a variety of ways with members of the nut growing industry, students, the scientific community and general public.
2013 Siddiqui, Muhammad Ismail and Patrick Brown. 2013. Pistachio Early-Season Sampling and In-Season Nitrogen Application Maximizes Productivity, Minimizes Loss. 9 pp. Saa Silva, Sebastian, Saiful Muhammad, Blake Sanden, Emilio Laca and Patrick Brown. 2013.
A Sampling of Other Outreach Activities Undertaken by Researchers, related to this Project The Sammis team is currently working with the University of California to evaluate the Remote-Sensing Tool for use by a large almond cooperate farm.
Tree phenology encompasses the complex biological processes of growth and the cycles of flowering and fruit production. Developing a model of tree phenology involves monitoring processes occurring in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, such as evapotranspiration and CO2 assimilation.
The first three seasons of field sampling have been completed. Nutrient dynamics in fruiting and non-fruiting leaves suggests that leaves of fruiting spurs may exhibit nutrient deficiencies when non-fruiting leaves on the same tree may have adequate leaf concentrations. (Figure 1).
Results from 2010 leaf analysis for the month of May suggest that leaf samples from fruiting branches have a better relationship with yield than samples from non-fruiting branches, and leaves from the lower canopy have a better relationship with yield than leaves from the top of the branches for the...
