Now I am going to talk about where the industry could be headed. There is a company called InsightTRAC that has developed a robotic rover that will shoot mummies out of the trees. As you read that, I know there must be some readers thinking “that’s absurd!” while there are others thinking “a tank with guns on top of it in my almond orchard…awesome!” It is new, but they may be showing up on California farms this winter and the technology is especially interesting. The rover travels down the middle of the row and scans the trees every few feet. It then identifies the mummy nuts and plots the quickest path to remove those nuts. How does it remove them ? I wasn’t kidding when I said it shoots them out of the tree! The rover is equipped with turrets that fire biodegradable pellets. Since the rover is robotic it can also operate 24/7. It may sound farfetched but with increased labor costs and other restrictions, California growers will have to continue to look at these new ideas to adapt and grow. So, I winter shook, what do I do now ? Getting the mummies out of the tree is the most important thing, but if you stop there it’s like stopping on the 1-yard line. In wet winters, NOW mortality is higher. According to the UC Davis IPM website, “Moist orchard floor conditions provided by winter-resident vegetation and rain will enhance mortality of Navel Orangeworms in mummy nuts that have fallen from trees in years with adequate rainfall.” If only we could be so lucky to experience a winter with some rainfall, but the reality is that it has been dry! So, what do you do in dry years ? Mummy removal and destruction becomes even more vital. Since you may not have the added benefit that moisture brings, you will have to focus on fully destroying the mummy nuts. This is best done by mowing .
FARMER PROVEN SINCE 1938
HOME OF THE INDUSTRY-LEADING INDEPENDENCE™ INTRODUCING THE NEW SELF-FERTILE LIBERTY™ ALMOND Blooms 4-5 Days after Nonpareil • Harvests 10-14 days after Nonpareil
POTTED AND BARE ROOT TREES AVAILABLE NOW Viking • Atlas • Rootpac R ™ • Hansen • Nemaguard • Lovell
DWNTREES.COM | 1-844-DWN-TREES | @davewilsonnursery
Blue Diamond Growers does not endorse or verify statements made by advertisers within this publication.
51
NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2022
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker