Available Now: Topics in Subtropics Fall 2024 Edition

This edition includes the following:

• Preparing Frost Protection Measures
• The National Clean Plant Network, with emphasis on the National Clean Plant Network — Citrus
• Development of integrated pest management for huanglongbing (HLB) in Florida

Webinar: Protecting Pollinators & Wildlife with New Laws in CA

January 16, 2025

New laws in California have recently been passed to address negative pesticide effects on pollinators and wildlife. Come learn about these new laws and what it means for several common home and garden pests, including insects and rodents.

Image: UC IPM

Frost Preparation

Author: Ben Faber

This is forecasted to be a dry winter. And dry winters typically mean cold weather and often severe freezes. All the major freezes that have occurred in the last 100 years have been during dry winters. Growers often forget this and go about their normal winter activities without taking certain precautions to reduce the likelihood of frost damage to the tree – not just leaf and bark, but also to fruit. Resulting damage can impact yields for two to three years after the freeze event. This year, I started writing blogs that would prepare both growers and orchards for potential freeze damage. The resulting discussion has improved growers’ success at reducing freeze damage. For example, a number of growers had started pruning avocados in the fall which would lead to increased frost damage. A smaller, open canopy is colder than a dense one. They stopped that activity knowing that it could cause more damage.

Read on:

Frost Terminology

Preparing Frost Protection Measures

Care of Fire or Frost Damaged Trees

My Frost Protection Spray Trials

Now is NOT the time to Prune Avocados

Irrigation in a Freeze

Figuring the Loss of Trees

Seeking Grower Collaborators for New Study

We are initiating a study of environmental conditions in polytunnels in Ventura County. The overall goal is to investigate the effectiveness of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) sensors for monitoring and predicting heat stress to help growers better manage this risk in workers inside and outside polytunnels.

For more information click, HERE

To limit bird flu spread, keep wild birds away from poultry, livestock

Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice

Waterfowl Alert Network data help assess risk of avian influenza H5N1

Every winter, millions of migratory birds fly south to warmer locales, passing over California Central Valley dairies and poultry farms. Many of these wild waterfowl are carrying the virus that causes avian influenza, based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's wild-bird surveillance, says Maurice Pitesky, University of California Cooperative Extension poultry specialist in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. Continue reading...

Field Guide for Mapping Post-Fire Soil Burn Severity

Following wildfires in the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of the Interior mobilize Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams to assess immediate post-fire watershed conditions. BAER teams must determine threats from flooding, soil erosion, and instability. Developing a postfire soil burn severity map is an important first step in the rapid assessment process. It enables BAER teams to prioritize field reviews and locate burned areas that may pose a risk to critical values within or downstream of the burned area. By helping to identify indicators of soil conditions that differentiate soil burn severity classes, this field guide will help BAER teams to consistently interpret, field validate, and map soil burn severity.

To read the full press release, click HERE.

Image: Forest Service, USDA

Eco Farm Pre Conference: Practical Whole Farm Solutions for Pest Management Practitioners and Growers

January 22-25, 2025

Asiolmar Conference Grounds

Pacific Grove, CA

This Eco Farm Pre Conference is a unique opportunity to learn a whole systems approach to pest management, addressing both soil health and habitat diversity on the farm. The target audience is PCAs, CCAs and growers of California agriculture. It covers techniques on how to reduce the use of pesticides and come into compliance with California's pesticide reduction strategy. Learn more about the sessions included in this pre-conference event below. For more information on this event visit the Wild Farm Alliance website.

To register for this event, click HERE.



Image: Wild Farm Alliance

2025 California Plant and Soil Conference

February 6-7, 2025

900 W Airport Dr. Visalia, CA 93277

The annual conference provides an opportunity for students, professionals, and other attendees to increase their knowledge of current topics of agronomic importance in California. Many Certified Crop Advisers and Pest Control Advisers attend the conference to earn continuing education units that are important to their professional standing.

To view the agenda or register for this event, click HERE.