It’s No Time to Squirrel Away Those Mummy Nuts in Trees

Sounding like a broken record – or faulty CD – field scout Jenna Mayfield continues to repeat her message over and over to almond growers.

This time, though, Jenna makes another case after continuing to spot harvested orchards with trees littered with leftover nuts hanging on the trees: Watch out for pesky squirrels and other rodents in the future.

Squirrels can be troublesome for growers.      (UC IPM photo)

“In years past, we had so many squirrels in orchards. They will come before June,” Jenna says. Leaving nuts on the trees can become an invitation to these crop-damaging critters to bunk down in the orchards during their winter hibernation. 

In the Central Valley, ground squirrels breed from February through April and average seven to eight per litter, according to UC IPM. Normally, they will eat grasses and plants after waking up from their hibernation. Almonds become the squirrel’s food du jour after the nuts start to dry in the summer.

So here’s the catch. The squirrels may stick around and raise their family in the orchard if there are nuts from the previous season still in the trees.

Here is evidence of ground squirrel damage in an almond tree.

Ground squirrels “can damage young shrubs, vines, and trees by gnawing bark, girdling trunks (the process of completely removing a strip of bark from a tree's outer circumference), eating twigs and leaves, and burrowing around roots,” UC IPM says. Moreover, they “will gnaw on plastic sprinkler heads and irrigation lines.”

Of course, we can’t forget to mention once more that mummy nuts also become home to overwintering navel orangeworm.

“There are still trees with lots of nuts. It’s important to get your post-harvest work done. Don’t put it off,”  Jenna said. If growers don’t have a hand pole crew available, Jenna suggests going out with a leaf blower knock off the remaining nuts. 

Stink bugs are showing up in almonds.         (UC IPM photo)

Meanwhile, Jenna reports spotting stink bugs in the orchards. “That’s kind of odd.”  Normally, stink bugs are a threat from May through July. They will pierce through a hull into a kernel, causing the nut to become wrinkled or misshaped. 

H

 Black spots will show up on hardened kernels.  Jenna will continue to monitor this development.

In the fields, field scout Carlos Silva says many alfalfa growers are poised to extend the season into the early fall. Those who wrapped up another cutting this month, are now irrigating their fields. “They’re still planning to go into October.”

 In cotton, growers are mapping out their defoliation schedule.  Whitefly and aphids remain a threat to create sticky cotton.  “Growers will have to monitor for these pests right up to defoliation,” Carlos says.

Autumn’s Arrival Signaling Start of Cotton Defoliation in Valley

The arrival of fall on Thursday means cotton picking time is just around the corner.

Field scout Carlos Silva reports spotting the first cotton grower defoliating his cotton field. Look for defoliating to ramp up over the next couple weeks.

Carlos says caution signs warning workers and the public about the upcoming chemical applications are popping up along the borders of the fields. At the same time, a number of growers are prepping their fields by smoothing the margins around the fields to allow tractors to treat the fields by ground.  Others will use airplanes to apply defoliants.

 

Growers often will defoliant twice to ensure adequate coverage. In about a month, harvesters will invade the fields to start picking the fiber.

Why do growers defoliate their cotton fields?

Well, this is a typical cotton production management practice designed to prepare the crop for harvest and boost the quality of the fiber. 

Defoliation causes the leaves to drop and plant to start drying. This helps the harvesting machines pick the cotton cleanly off the plants and lessen the amount of leaves and debris, or trash, collected during the harvest.

The timing of defoliation is crucial. If done too early, the cotton yields could suffer because there are too many immature bolls. If done too late, growers run the risk of pest damage.

 

To determine the right time to defoliate, growers will count the nodes above cracked bolls (NACB). The number depends on the cotton variety. UC IPM offers these guidelines:

·         It’s safe to defoliate if 60 percent or more of the bolls are open.

·         For upland or acala cotton, the count is four to five NACB.

·         For pima, it’s three to four NACB.

Carlos finds most fields are about four to five nodes above cracked boll. Some are even at seven NACB.  “Defoliation is around the corner,” he says.

 

FIELD DAY ALERT: Growers are invited to hear  Merced County Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Sean Runyon talk about new pesticide regulations for crops, worker safety and protection for schools during a Thursday 

field day in Dos Palos. The free program, “Alfalfa Management: Pests, Water, Manure Use and Regulatory Update,” will be from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Scout Hut, 1910 Marguerite Street, Dos Palos.

Other speakers are:

·         UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management extension advisor Dr. Pete Goodell, who will introduce growers and PCAs to the national and UC pest management tools and discuss the importance of IPM during the past year.

·         University of California at Davis Cooperative Extension specialist Dan Putnam. He will discuss irrigation issues facing growers and trends in deficit and drip irrigation.

·         Nicholas Clark, UCCE farm advisor in agronomy and nutrient management for Kings, Tulare and Fresno counties. He will address the benefits and challenges of using manure in alfalfa and explain timing, best uses and application rates.

Continuing education credits are available. The field day is sponsored by the San Joaquin Sustainable Farm Project. For more information, contact Project Director Marcia Gibbs at (530) 370-5325.

Knock It Off or Your Cash Could Go Down the Drain

Would you throw away hard-earned cash?

Probably not. But some almond growers are doing just that. All they have to do is look up at their recently harvested trees.

“A lot of good nuts are still left on trees. It worries me,” says field scout Jenna Mayfield. “It’s like wasting money.”

Usually at harvest time, Jenna will spot trees with a smattering of nuts that mechanical shakers could not rattle off. It seems different this season. During her weekly scouting trips to almond orchards, Jenna has been seeing more quality nuts remaining in the trees. Normally, there are maybe 10 to 15 still left on a tree and most of those are bad ones – often undeveloped or pest damaged.

Almond growers don't want mummy nuts left on trees.

Last week, Jenna started alerting some growers about leftover nuts and suggested they send out a pole crew to manually knock off the remaining almonds.

There are multiple benefits to following Jenna’s advice:

·         These remaining nuts can serve winter homes for the dreaded navel orangeworm (NOW).

·         NOW problems next year translates into extra money spent on pest treatments in the spring.

·         Some of the extra nuts could be sent to the processor and bring in bonus money.

Jenna said the high number of leftover nuts could be connected to growers rushing to harvest early to lock in a higher price. But the strategy could backfire if a grower ends up spending more on pest control expenses next season.

You might ask “Doesn’t it cost money to send out a pole crew?” Yes it does. But Jenna notes, “A lot of growers believe it pays for itself.”

 

We’re sure Jenna will continue telling almond growers to knock it off.

FIELD DAY ALERT: Growers are invited to hear Merced County Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Sean Runyon talk about new pesticide regulations for crops, worker safety and protection for schools during a September 22 field day in Dos Palos. The free program, “Alfalfa Management: Pests, Water, Manure Use and Regulatory Update,” will be from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Scout Hut, 1910 Marguerite Street, Dos Palos.

Other speakers are:

·         UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management extension advisor Dr. Pete Goodell, who will introduce growers and PCAs to the national and UC pest management tools and discuss the important IPM during the past year.

·         University of California at Davis Cooperative Extension specialist Dan Putnam. He will discuss irrigation issues facing growers and trends in deficit and drip irrigation.

·         Nicholas Clark, UCCE farm advisor in agronomy and nutrient management for Kings, Tulare and Fresno counties. He will address the benefits and challenges of using manure in alfalfa and explain timing, best uses and application rates.

Continuing education credits have been applied for. The field day is sponsored by the San Joaquin Sustainable Farm Project. For more information, contact Project Director Marcia Gibbs at (530) 370-5325.

It’s No Time to Rest for Valley Farmers This Labor Day

It may be Labor Day, but it’s no day off for Valley farmers.

Field scout Jenna Mayfield and Carlos Silva report the almond orchards and cotton and alfalfa fields are abuzz with activity. 

The almond harvest continues with shakers rattling trees, nuts drying on the ground and sweepers picking up the crop. Alfalfa growers are starting to cut their crop again with the season expected to last into the fall.

Alfalfa growers expect to harvest into the fall this season.

Then there’s cotton.  The crop has been at cutout, which means 95 percent of the cotton bolls are mature and terminal growth has ended. This is the final stage before the bolls open up.

Determining the dates of cutout is important in identifying the final group of productive bolls. This group of bolls helps growers map out end-of the-season plans.

Carlos reports about 75 percent of the fields that he tracks have open bolls. 

September is an exciting time with defoliation and then harvest around the corner.

Cotton has reached the cutout stage.

On the pest front, Carlos reports more aphids are showing up in the cotton fields. In fact, a couple fields are experiencing heavy mite pressure and these growers may have to start thinking about pest treatment.

Carlos says one alfalfa grower harvested his field last week. Another has started irrigating again with another cutting looming later this month. “It looks pretty good. Growers will be getting a whole season in this year.”

 

FIELD DAY ALERT: Speaking of alfalfa, growers are invited to hear Merced County Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Sean Runyon talk about new pesticide regulations for crops, worker safety and protection for schools during a September 22 field day in Dos Palos. 

The free program,  “Alfalfa Management: Pests, Water, Manure Use and Regulatory Update,” will be from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Scout Hut, 1910 Marguerite Street, Dos Palos.

 Other speakers are:

·         UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management extension advisor Dr. Pete Goodell, who will introduce growers and PCAs to the national and UC pest management tools and discuss the important IPM during the past year.

·         University of California at Davis Cooperative Extension specialist Dan Putnam. He will discuss irrigation issues facing growers and trends in deficit and drip irrigation.

·         Nicholas Clark, UCCE farm advisor in agronomy and nutrient management for Kings, Tulare and Fresno counties. He will address the benefits and challenges of using manure in alfalfa and explain timing, best uses and application rates.

Continuing education credits have been applied for. The field day is sponsored by the San Joaquin Sustainable Farm Project. For more information, contact Project Director Marcia Gibbs at (530) 370-5325.