researchers believe hull split treatments would be unnecessary if disruption were employed in every orchard. However, in the current environment, disruption alone will not effectively control NOW.
Collecting buds shaken from the trees during late season sanitation. Photo courtesy of Wes Asai
Flower buds shaken from the trees. Photo courtesy of Wes Asai
Abandoned/Low Care Orchards There are abandoned or low/minimal care orchards throughout the Central Valley. Many growers have done everything right to control insect pests within their orchards only to suffer high reject levels because they are near an orchard that is not receiving proper care. Mating disruption is not effective for damage prevention due to a bad neighbor. As of January 1, AB 732, authored by Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo, (R-Tulare) and signed by Governor Newsom, allows county agricultural commissioners to levy fines against landowners who maintain pest-related public nuisances. This will provide ag commissioners with more efficient enforcement tools to manage abandoned acreage that harbors pests or diseases. Fines start at $500 per acre. Farming in California involves managing many details, and no one has all the answers to growers’ questions. Knowing what you don’t know is an important consideration. Working with a good pest control adviser/ certified crop adviser can go a long way to filling in the blanks and successfully producing a profitable crop. Finally, neighbors matter. Please be a good one.
Blue Diamond member and private researcher discovered that you can safely mummy shake orchards up to the first week of February. The data shows that even if shaking is done into early February, yields do not decline, even with significant bud drop. In replicated trials, Asai placed tarps under trees to capture the flower buds removed by the shaker. As many as 12,000 buds per tree were removed, a number that would surely stun any grower. Asai’s measurement of the crop harvested from the trees showed no yield reduction. In fact, yield increases were recorded in three of the four replications. Mating disruption, the use of pheromone releases within the orchard, can be an effective link in the chain of managing NOW. Mating disruption works best in orchards of 40 acres or more in size. However, growers with smaller plantings can create larger blocks by working with neighboring growers to create an environment where disruption can be more effective. Please note that mating disruption is one link in the chain of managing NOW. Many pest control advisers and
Mel Machado, Chief Agricultural Officer, Blue Diamond Growers
33
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2026
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker