Almond Pest Management Alliance Sacramento Valley Site
Purpose:
Demonstration site will serve as a central focal point for the Alliance project in the Sacramento Valley. Satellite sites will be used to develop and demonstrate alternative management approaches.
Conducted by:
Carolyn Pickel, Area IPM Advisor, and, Joseph H. Connell, Farm Advisor, U.C. Cooperative Extension.
Cooperator:
Ben Bertagna of Bertagna Orchards, Inc., 3329 Hegan Lane, Chico, CA 95928
Telephone (530) 343-8014 FAX (530) 343-0279.
Consultants:
* Richard Gregor, Bio Scope, Hughson, CA Pest Management
* Mark Mullens, Simplot, Hamilton City, CA
Fungicides and Fertilizers
* Jarald Davidson, Ag Vise, Chico, CA
Irrigation Scheduling
Orchard and Location:
The Bertagna orchard is located on Crouch Avenue in Chico. The orchard is in it's fourth growing season in 1998. It's planted in a hedgerow configuration with the tree spacing at 14 X 24 feet, containing 130 trees per acre. Varieties are Nonpareil at 50 %, and Aldrich, Sonora, and Butte at 16.6 % each. The planting is 49.5 acres with a division splitting the block into a 27 acre front piece and a 22.5 acre back piece (see map).
Main Site Details:
The orchard will be split in its management with the front 27 acres representing the normal current grower practices. The back 22.5 acres will be managed using a "softer" approach when possible. For comparison, this portion of the orchard will be split again with half of it receiving an organophosphate dormant spray. The dormant sprayed piece will be split again and half of it will receive a hullsplit spray.
Current Grower Practices:
Grower will manage normally and all fungicide, miticide, herbicide and fertilizer applications recommended by grower will be applied. Reasons for decisions to be determined and costs documented.
* Dormant spray - copper with or without oil as needed.
* Winter Sanitation - pole mummies to less than 1 mummy per tree.
* Bloom and foliar disease program - based on bloom and foliar development. Normal fungicide mix as weather demands. Every other row or solid spray based on perceived disease pressure.
* Irrigation - solid set sprinklers, soil moisture monitored with neutron probe and scheduling based on the monitoring, post harvest irrigation.
* Fertilization - UN 32 through water in spring or early summer, leaf analysis around July 4th, post harvest 1.5 tons poultry manure per acre watered in.
* PTB control - BT sprays at Bloom.
* NOW control - based on sanitation, beneficial releases, and early harvest.
* San Jose Scale - scale traps in summer, dormant oil if needed.
* Ant Control - not a problem, monitor.
* Mite Control - predator mite releases, oil sprays, or Vendex every other row.
* Strip Weed Control - spraying with Roundup in January-Feb. and again in late March, 2 times in summer, no pre-emergent applied.
* Middles management - Non-tillage with resident vegetation. Alternate row mowing until July, then, Roundup entire area once for harvest preparation after the last irrigation.
"Softer" Approach:
Alliance will ask the grower to cooperate with the following and will cover costs of additional work or sprays applied in excess of current practices.
* Current grower practices will be used but modified with a "softer touch" when possible.
* Bloom and Foliar Disease program - FQPA friendly fungicides whenever possible to control diseases, Shot hole treatment based on monitoring.
* Sanitation - mummy counts and additional cleaning to less than 2 mummies per tree if necessary.
* Early harvest timing - based on optimum removal in relation to the NOW flight.
* Presence absence mite sampling with lower rates of miticide applied only if needed.
* Fertilization (based on leaf analysis, water analysis, and yields).
To provide a comparison, in addition to the current practices, a dormant organophosphate spray will be applied to approximately 10 acres. Of this treated area, approximately 5 acres will receive an organophosphate hullsplit spray.
Monitoring and Data Collection:
The following tools are not used as broadly as desired and will be demonstrated through monitoring conducted by the Alliance. Information will be used for demonstration at field meetings and in other presentations.
Pests, predators and parasites:
* NOW egg traps and degree-day phenology model, monitor parasitism determine damage at harvest.
* PTB traps and degree-day phenology model, monitor using scaffold or trunk bands, shoot strike counts, and damage at harvest.
* Presence / absence sampling for mites and mite predators.
* San Jose scale spur sampling, pheromone traps, and use of phenology model (traps will detect parasites as well).
* Ant monitoring using hot dog baits and counts of active ant hills.
* Monitor the effectiveness of predator and parasite releases made in the orchard and document the presence of beneficials.
Diseases:
* Shot hole forecasting, monitor presence of sporodoccia to determine treatment.
* Note any problems with brown rot, green fruit rot, anthracnose, leaf blight, scab, rust, alternaria leaf spot, and hull rot.
Miscellaneous:
* Leaf analysis to determine nutritional status and hull analysis for boron.
* Yields per tree on subsamples of trees in each block.
* Crop quality evaluation at harvest - sample for insect damage and other rejects.
* Production costs will be obtained from the grower for all cultural activities in the orchard. Additional monitoring costs will be estimated. These data will be used for a cost-benefit study of the Alliance projects practices.
Satellite Sites:
Pre-existing satellite sites will be used to develop and demonstrate alternatives to current management approaches. Information from these sites will be incorporated into extension efforts at field meetings and at other presentations.
Ancillary projects for research and demonstration include:
* Anthracnose management
* NOW control using soft chemicals
* NOW oviposition disruptants
* Mulches for vegetation management, and use of post-emergence herbicides
*Cover crop effects on water infiltration and on runoff of OP dormant sprays