IN YOUR ORCHARD
know that you are concerned with dust and show them how to operate equipment to reduce dust generation, especially near roads and property edges. Adjust sweeper head heights to 0.5” off the ground wherever possible so that the equipment isn’t digging into the orchard floor and moving that dirt into the windrows. Slow harvester speed near field edges to reduce dust and point blower spouts into the orchard when sweeping near roads and neighbors. Find more control suggestions and materials in English and Spanish: almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard- management/harvest/dust-reduction. Harvest samples help with planning for the rest of harvest (particularly the Nonpareil harvest samples) and for next year from all varieties. A harvest sample consists of 500 whole nuts (hull, shell and kernel) from each variety in an orchard, taken between shake and windrowing. [It is important to take the samples at this time, as field/huller/ processor practices remove at least 50% of damaged nuts so processor reject sheets underestimate nut damage.] Depending on the need for immediate information (for example, should the pollinizer varieties be sprayed for NOW after Nonpareil pickup ? ), harvest samples can be cracked out immediately or kept in the freezer until after harvest and then cracked out. The results help evaluate the crop protection program in the orchard this past year along with irrigation (shrivel) and certain nutrient levels (low boron nuts are gummy). Knowing what production/protection issues harm nut quality is worth the extra effort to sample and process this end-of-season sample. Some commercial consulting companies offer expert harvest sample analysis for a fee. Pest management: • Navel orangeworm: Timely harvest is a very effective way to reduce NOW damage, especially under high pressure from this key pest. [On the orchard floor, the nuts are virtually invisible to the female moths.] Timely harvest ahead of the 3rd and 4th NOW generations—usually in August and September—helps reduce NOW damage at no extra charge to growers. NOW flight data from different blocks, based on egg
Ants—Navel orangeworm—peach twig borer damage. (UC IPM photo source)
or female moth traps, is critical to knowing generation timing. Also, cracking out Nonpareil field samples gives growers and PCAs a sense of how much worm pressure faces the pollinizer varieties. The added expense of spraying pollinizers may pay off under high NOW pressure. Resistance management is critical to maintaining some insecticide control potential for NOW. Do not apply the same pesticide chemistry to two consecutive NOW generations. For example, if Altacor ® was used on the second generation of NOW, do not treat the third generation with Besiege ® or Minecto ® Pro, as both products contain an insecticide with the same mode of action as Altacor ® (IRAC group 28). Check with your PCA regarding materials, PHI and efficacy. [PHI is measured from shake, not pickup date.] Finally, look for NOW damage as nuts go into stockpiles and fumigate as needed as NOW can feed and grow within stockpiled nuts. • Mites: Late mite flareups can mean partially defoliated trees at harvest, slowing nut drying on the orchard floor unless nuts aren’t quickly conditioned. Partial defoliation can also mean reduced flower development (and crop) for next year. Late season mite control may be more challenging this year due to limited product availability resulting from supply chain issues. If weekly monitoring (protocols at: www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/almond/
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