Posts Tagged: pears
Hand Thinning Improves Fruit Size and Quality
The practice of fruit “thinning” is important for increasing the size of tree fruits....
Want a job with Mendocino County UCCE Farm Advisors? - Check out the Ag. Tech Opening
Attached are the position descriptions for our County Ag. Tech position. Please help spread the word so we get a good pool of applicants. Thanks!!!!
This position is with the County of Mendocino and below is how someone would apply if interested. The position is a unique opportunity for someone that wants a diverse job as it would be supporting the UCCE Crop Advisors, Livestock and Range Advisor, and Forest Advisor in research projects. And would help with workshops and social media outreach. Great opportunity for a someone wanting to learn more about Cooperative Extension and agriculture and natural resources. We'd prefer someone with a BS or BA degree but good experience would be acceptable.
Ag Tech:
Sr. Ag Tech:
AG TECH JOB DESCRIPTION County of Mendocino - Class Specification Bulletin
SR AG TECH JOB DESCRIPTION County of Mendocino - Class Specification Bulletin
Prune Home Fruit Trees To Improve Crop Size And Quality
Fruit tree pruning ranks high on most home gardeners' “to do” list during the winter...
Size control in temperate fruit trees. (A) Standard variety with no size control; (B) and (C) standard variety on semidwarfing rootstock or semidwarf variety; (D) standard variety on dwarfing rootstock. (from The CA Master Gardener Handbook)
Premature Fruit Drop Is Common in Many Fruit Tree Species
Home gardeners often become concerned when their fruit trees begin dropping fruit prematurely. In...
Food bloggers visit the birthplace of integrated pest management
The San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta is considered by local farmers to be the birthplace of integrated pest management, said Cathy Hemly of Green and Hemly farms on Randall Island.
"A group of pear growers, working with ag extension, came up with IPM," Hemly said.
Hemly shared the IPM history during a tour of the delta for the International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC), held over the weekend in Sacramento.
Hemly said about 50 years ago, pear farmers were faced with growing pest resistance to the pesticide glutathione, which was used routinely to control coddling moth.
"Growers got together with a team of UC scientists. They were the NASA engineers of their day," Hemly said. "We had to figure out a better way to monitor pests. The growers and the university got that started."
An emerging technology, confusing male coddling moth by releasing pheromones into the air, was showing promise. Protocols for using pheromone confusion were developed with the pear industry, Hemly said.
The relationship with the pear industry and UC Cooperative Extension continues to this day. The IFBC tour visited the Randall Island pear farm of Richard Elliott and family. Son Rich Elliott said the family attends UC Cooperative Extension advisor Chuck Ingels' pear research meeting every year. Another son, Ryan Elliott, said fireblight is the biggest disease problem they deal with on the farm.
"Chuck Ingels comes by," Ryan Elliott said. "We learn a lot from him."
IFBC ended yesterday, but the organizers announced the conference will be back in Sacramento, scheduled for Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, 2017.