Trees & Vines
- June 4, 2025
- Weather blamed for shorter cherry crop
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Bins of harvested cherries from an orchard near Linden are loaded onto a trailer. The crop in San Joaquin County is estimated to be more than 40% lighter than the five-year average, prompting the county agricultural commissioner to submit a disaster declaration request to the state.
Photo/Vicky Boyd
- May 21, 2025
- Plant moisture monitors help to optimize irrigation
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A data logger records readings from a FloraPulse microtensiometer, which measures water potential in almond trees. The sensor is embedded directly into the tree’s woody tissue, providing continuous and accurate readings of water status. The data collected can be used to optimize irrigation practices and improve tree health.
Photo/Ryan Kaplan
- May 7, 2025
- Growers worry about incentives for vineyard removal
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At a San Joaquin County farm east of Lodi, a tractor operator pushes over an old vineyard. The removal will take several weeks and requires hand crews to separate metal stakes and trellising, and then pile the woody vines.
Photo/Vicky Boyd
- April 23, 2025
- Research advances mechanized table olive harvest
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Equipment skirt-prunes a table olive orchard as part of a University of California trial at the Nickels Soil Laboratory in Colusa County. Researchers found that skirt-pruning during May and June does not affect yield and increases efficiency of machine harvest by 19%.
Photo/Becky Wheeler-Dykes
- April 9, 2025
- Avocado producers adapt to become more resilient
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California’s avocado industry sent 350 million pounds of the fruit to packinghouses in 2024, and this year’s crop could reach 375 million pounds.
Photo/Rob McCarthy
- March 26, 2025
- Pistachio genome study may benefit breeding efforts
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Ag Alert file photo
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