Posts Tagged: Lindcove Research and Extension Center

Lindcove REC calls for proposals

Lindcove Research and Extension Center is accepting research proposals until May 27.

Located in the foothills of Tulare County, LREC has land, labor and facilities available for 2022-2023 research projects. The Research Advisory Committee reviews proposals, and projects are evaluated based on scientific merit and regional need. While LREC is primarily a citrus research center, avocado and walnut trees are also grown there, and other crops are welcome. 

Open ground available for planting

• Field 81E, 0.45 acres

Citrus orchards available for research

• Cutter Valencia on C35 rootstock (Field 21) 4.10 acres, planted 1992
• Parent navel on C-35 rootstock (Field 22) 4.10 acres, planted 1992
• Washington navel on Troyer rootstock (Field 93) 4.5 acres, planted 1983
• Valencia strains on mixed rootstock (Field 11S), 1.94 acres, planted 1993
• Tango mandarin on Carrizo rootstock (Field 42W) 2.15 acres, planted 2019
• Mixed citrus, (Field 53E) .50 acres
• Mixed citrus, (Field 64C) .71 acres
• Mixed clementines on Carrizo rootstock (Field 73N) 1.72 acres, planted 2004
• Lemons on unknown rootstock (Field 82E) 1.15 acres

Facilities and support staff

The electronic fruit grading system in the packline provides individual fruit data including weight, size, volume, number, scarring, texture, Brix and color. The packline also has a high-pressure fruit washer, waxer and dryer. Three cold storage rooms that hold 60 fruit bins each, walk-in cold boxes, and de-greening rooms have the capability for ethylene gassing.

The Fruit Quality Evaluation Laboratory is capable of evaluating rind thickness, granulation, texture, puff and crease, juice weights, Brix, sugar/acid ratio and the California standard. A staff research associate located at the center is available to collect field and laboratory data.

Proposal process

Proposals are due May 27, 2022. To submit a proposal, go to the UC LREC website http://lrec.ucanr.edu/, click on the “Research” tab, then the “Submitting a proposal” tab, then the “Proposal management” tab. Detailed instructions of how to submit a proposal can be downloaded using the “User Guide” link on the RAC project management page. 

If you have any questions regarding research, contact Ashraf El-Kereamy, director, at (559) 592-2408 Ext 1154 or ashrafe@ucr.edu.  

For questions regarding land, labor or facilities, contact Kurt Schmidt, superintendent, at (559) 592-2408 Ext 1153 or krschmidt@ucanr.edu.

For information on submission of proposals, contact Jasmin Del Toro, business officer, at (559) 592-2408 Ext 1151 or jzdeltoro@ucanr.edu.

A sweet reunion for the PAC

On Dec. 10, the President's Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources met in the San Joaquin Valley, gathering in person for the first time since December 2019. The group followed strict COVID-19 safety protocols, but that did not interfere with the energy and excitement of the discussions and activities.

Commissioners, UC President Michael Drake and local dignitaries began the day-long event at Lindcove Research and Extension Center (LREC) in Exeter to learn about the latest citrus research, see the packline in action and sample many of the varieties of citrus made available during Lindcove's public citrus tasting on Dec. 11.

Lindcove's greenhouses, orchard and packline are used by researchers for a variety of studies, including developing new citrus rootstocks and scions, evaluating environmental effects on rootstock and scion combinations, screening seedless varieties of mandarins, detecting freeze damage of fruit, and analyzing chemical treatments for pests and postharvest diseases.

Lindcove REC director Ashraf El-kereamy gave an overview of the facilities and discussed research and breeding highlights, including LREC housing the first structure in California to grow Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS). UC Cooperative Extension Specialist and Director of the Citrus Clonal Protection Program Georgios Vidalakis discussed LREC research in huanglongbing disease, which is a major threat to citrus worldwide. Curator 4 and Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection Endowed Chair Tracy Kahn showed some of the many varieties that participants would be tasting and invited people to explore the orchard.

The outdoor tasting tables offered a feast of color, smell and taste with 180 varieties to choose from, and commissioners and other attendees were given boxes of produce as parting gifts.

The group next explored Woodlake Botanical Gardens with UC Master Gardener volunteers who care for the three-acre rose garden. They also met with emeritus UC Cooperative Extension Small Farms Advisor Manuel Jimenez and his wife Olga, who oversee the Botanical Gardens and engage youth volunteers in gardening. They founded a program to help keep young people out of gangs and to teach skills and habits that prepare them for college or jobs. Attendees were impressed by the youth volunteers who spoke about the positive impact the garden and the Jimenez family have had in their lives.

At the Tulare County Cooperative Extension office, participants enjoyed a farm-to-table lunch showcasing local produce, heard remarks from VP Glenda Humiston and President Drake, and participated in interactive displays by researchers and programmatic staff:

• 4-H staff members Rochelle Mederos and Tyler Beck presented a slime making booth
• Citrus advisor Greg Douhan had microscopes to show a variety of citrus pest damage
• Farm advisor Elizabeth Fichtner offered olive oil tasting with three different oils and showed a video on the pomology program
• Nutrition educators prepared a low-calorie oatmeal cookie tasting with an option to vote on the best one
• Cristina Barrick-Murillo, agricultural land acquisition academic coordinator, showed maps of the north and south valley for all to pin a location of their choosing
• Farm advisor Ruth Dahlquist-Willard and Michael Yang, small farms and specialty crops Hmong agricultural assistant, displayed an array of specialty produce grown in the San Joaquin Valley
• Nutrient management and soil quality advisor Joy Hollingsworth showcased soil samples
• Farm advisor Nicholas Clark showed drone footage of agronomy field work 
• Karl Lund, area viticulture advisor, offered wine tasting from UC viticulture research
• Farm advisor Konrad Mathesius offered a tasting of beer made with California-grown barley

After so many months of interacting on Zoom, it was a delight to get together to learn about and experience the amazing work that's being done in Tulare County to improve the lives of Californians. President Drake even joked about talking for too long during lunch because it was his first appearance at a lectern in a long time.

County Director Karmjot Randhawa and county and LREC staff – as well as Sherry Cooper and the Program Support team – worked tirelessly to make the event a huge success. We just cannot thank them enough!

Lindcove REC calls for research proposals

Lindcove Research & Extension Center (LREC), located in the foothills of Tulare County, has land, labor and facilities available for 2021-22 research projects. The Research Advisory Committee reviews proposals and projects are evaluated based on scientific merit and regional need. While LREC is primarily a citrus research center, avocado, walnut and olive trees are also grown there and other crops are welcome. 

Field 81E has .45 acres of open ground available for planting.

Citrus orchards available for research:

• Cutter Valencia on C35 rootstock (Field 21), 4.10 acres, planted 1992
• Washington Navel on Troyer rootstock (Field 93), 4.5 acres, planted 1983
• Valencia strains on mixed rootstock (Field 11S), 2.5 acres, planted 1993
• Mixed Clementines on Carrizo rootstock (Field 73N), 1.72 acres, planted 2004
• Lemons on unknown rootstock (Field 82E), 1.15 acres

Facilities and support staff

The electronic fruit grading system in the packline provides individual fruit data including weight, size, volume, number, scarring, texture, Brix and color. The packline also has a high-pressure fruit washer, waxer and dryer. Three cold storage rooms that hold 60 fruit bins each, walk-in cold boxes, and de-greening rooms have the capability for ethylene gassing. 

The Fruit Quality Evaluation Laboratory is capable of evaluating rind thickness, granulation, texture, puff and crease, juice weights, Brix, sugar/acid ratio and the California standard. A staff research associate located at the center is available to provide field and laboratory data collection.

Proposal process

Proposals are due May 28, 2021. To submit a proposal, go to the UC LREC website http://lrec.ucanr.edu/, click on the “research” tab, then the “submitting a proposal” tab, then the “proposal management” tab. Detailed instructions of how to submit a proposal can be downloaded using the “User Guide” link on the RAC project management page. 

If you have any questions regarding research, contact Ashraf El-Kereamy, director, at (559) 592-2408 Ext 1154 or ashrafe@ucr.edu.

If you have any questions regarding land, labor or facilities, contact Kurt Schmidt, superintendent at (559) 592-2408 Ext 1153 or krschmidt@ucanr.edu.

For information on submission of proposals, contact Jasmin Del Toro, business officer, at (559) 592-2408 Ext 1151 or jzdeltoro@ucanr.edu.

Lindcove REC calls for research proposals

Lindcove Research & Extension Center (LREC), located in the foothills of Tulare County, has land, labor and facilities available for 2020/2021 research projects. The Research Advisory Committee reviews proposals and projects are evaluated based on scientific merit and regional need. While LREC is primarily a citrus research center, avocado, walnut and olive trees are also grown and other crops are welcome. 

Five acres of open ground are available for planting (Field 50).

Citrus orchards available for research:

• Valencia strains on mixed rootstock (Field 11S), 2.5 acres, planted 1993
• Washington Navel on Troyer rootstock (field 83) 4.0 acres, planted 1989
• Washington Navel on Troyer rootstock (field 93) 4.5 acres, planted 1983
• Tango mandarin on Carrizo rootstock (Field 23) 3.8 acres, planted 2010
• Tango Mandarin on Carrizo rootstock (Field 91C) .61 acres, planted 2011
• Fukumoto navel on mixed rootstock (Field 64W), 1.49 acres, planted 2005
• Mixed citrus on mixed rootstock (Field 11N), 1.7 acres, planted 2006
• Mixed citrus on mixed rootstock (Field 52W), 1.7 acres, planted 2006
• Mixed citrus on mixed rootstock (Field 63E), .80 acres, planted 2006
• Mixed Clementine's on Carrizo rootstock (Field 73N) 1.72 acres planted 2004
• Lemons on unknown rootstock (Field 81E) .45 acres
• Lemons on unknown rootstock (Field 82E) 1.15 acres

Facilities and support staff:

The electronic fruit grading system in the packline provides individual fruit data including weight, size, volume, number, scarring, texture, Brix and color. The packline also has a high-pressure fruit washer, waxer and dryer.  Three cold storage rooms that hold 60 fruit bins each, walk-in cold boxes, and de-greening rooms have the capability for ethylene gassing. 

The Fruit Quality Evaluation Laboratory is capable of evaluating rind thickness, granulation, texture, puff and crease, juice weights, Brix, sugar/acid ratio and the California standard. A Staff Research Associate located at the Center is available to provide field and laboratory data collection.

The center maintains the Citrus Clonal Protection Program's (CCPP) foundation budwood orchard for virus-free, true-to-type citrus. More than 300 different selections of citrus are in this collection, and budwood is available to California nurserymen and growers at a minimal cost. The majority of these varieties are now maintained in a screenhouse to further protect them from insect vectored diseases. 

Proposal process:

Proposals are due May 17, 2020. To submit a proposal, go to the UC LREC website http://lrec.ucanr.edu/, click on the ‘research' tab, then the ‘submitting a proposal' tab, then the ‘Proposal management' tab. Detailed instructions of how to submit a proposal can be downloaded using the ‘User Guide' link on the RAC project management page. 

If you have any questions regarding research, contact Beth Grafton-Cardwell, director at (559) 592-2408 Ext 1152 or eegraftoncardwell@ucanr.edu. For questions regarding land, labor and facilities, contact Kurt Schmidt, superintendent at (559) 592-2408 Ext 1153 or krschmidt@ucanr.edu. For information on submission of proposals, contact Jasmin Del Toro, business officer, (559) 592-2408 Ext 1151 or jzdeltoro@ucanr.edu.

Lindcove REC kicks off fundraising with citrus gala

Lindcove Research and Extension Center recently held a gala event to kick off its fundraising campaign “Sweetening the Future of Lindcove.” Donations from the campaign will create an endowment to support a community educator, who will greatly expand the outreach capabilities of Lindcove REC and help train the next generation of citrus growers and consumers. The endowment will complement UC ANR's plans to expand Lindcove REC's conferencing and teaching facilities.

The event is described in the following article published in Citrograph magazine.

Sweetening the Future of Citrus at Lindcove

On Oct. 4, Director Beth Grafton-Cardwell held a gala at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center and officially named its conference center the “Ray Copeland Citrus Center” after the late Ray Copeland. It is very fitting that the Center be named after Ray, because as superintendent of the field station from 1965-1987, he was instrumental in developing the orchards, facilities and the relationships with the first group of scientists who conducted research here. Susan Fritz and Karen Bray, daughters of Ray Copeland, spoke about their father's achievements and their memories of growing up living at Lindcove. Jim Gorden, chair of the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee and local grower, also spoke about his many years of partnership with Ray and Ray's contributions to the citrus industry. 

The gala was also an opportunity to honor Georgios Vidalakis, the Director of the UC Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP) and specialist and professor of plant pathology at UC Riverside. The CCPP program is a world-renowned program that brings in new citrus germplasm from around the world, cleans it free of disease and provides the California nursery industry and homeowners with ‘clean' budwood. Lindcove REC is the location from which the budwood is distributed. In 2019, The Citrus Research Board and the UC Office of the President co-funded a $1 million endowment. Vidalakis was awarded this “Citrus Research Board Presidential Researcher for Sustainable Citrus Clonal Protection Endowment.” Vidalakis spoke about the endowment funds and their importance for supporting the CCPP program at Lindcove.

The gala was also the kick-off for a fundraising program to improve the conference center area and outreach programs at Lindcove REC. During the past 25 years, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) and the Citrus Research Board have partnered again and again to develop high quality facilities and equipment for research. These facilities include the packline and fruit grading system, screenhouses and greenhouses to protect citrus from pests and disease, and a modern laboratory with high-tech equipment. The Citrus Research Board also provides funding to the scientists for the majority of the 30 research projects conducted at Lindcove REC each year. These facilities and projects have given Lindcove REC a world-renowned reputation as a Center of Excellence for citrus breeding, horticulture and pest management.

While research at Lindcove REC is cutting edge, outreach programming has been limited because of Lindcove's small staff, small conference center and undeveloped roads and parking around the conference center. The current outreach program focuses primarily on tours and field days for growers, pest control advisers and nurserymen.  For the general public, outreach has been limited to a yearly master gardener workshop, bringing in local Ag Academy high school students for one-day experiences with ag mechanics and ag science and the December fruit display and tasting. UC ANR recently committed to provide funds to redevelop the outreach facilities at this location to better serve the needs of the citrus industry and the local community. The redevelopment plans include constructing a larger conference center to create a hub for citrus industry and University interactions. This building could be used for 300-person industry meetings or subdivided for committee meetings. Plans also include building a youth experiential laboratory where students are taught agricultural science and then taken into a nearby demonstration orchard for hands-on learning.

Beyond facilities improvements funded by UC ANR, additional funds are needed to support staff who specialize in education to develop the outreach programs and to provide equipment for these new outreach facilities and that is why a fundraising campaign has been initiated. The Ray Copeland and Jim Gorden families together have very generously contributed $150,000 as a match for funds donated by others to the fundraising campaign “Sweetening the Future of Citrus at Lindcove.” The goal is to raise at least $2 million in donations that, combined with the UC ANR funding, will provide the facilities improvements and program support to take Lindcove REC educational outreach into the future.  With these changes, Lindcove REC will continue to attract top research programs, provide a hub of interaction between the research community and the citrus industry, train local youth and educate the general public about citrus. 

For more information about the campaign or to make a donation, please visit the campaign website at lindcovecitrus.com. 

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