March 2005 Tasklist for Pistachios Robert H.

Beede Water Status: It may not seem so great when you are trying to get the pruning, herbicide, oil treatments, and winter sanitation finished in time for beginning the season, but this wet winter is the best thing going for us farmers. We have been too dry for too long! The Department of Water Resources says this is the best snowpack to date in 10 years. Southern California has benefited the most with the Pineapple Express weather patterns coming from the southern hemisphere. These have provided us 150% of our average rainfall, much more than the 85% last year. The Statewide snowpack is 165% of average compared to 115% last year. The southern Sierra is especially blessed with twice the historic average. The percentages are highest in the lower elevations of the snow zone, so a sudden warm spring could result in rapid melting and heavy runoff. The wet winter will also delay growers calling for irrigation water. Due to low reservoir levels prior to the rainy season, runoff thus far has been below average in many of the major river basins. Reservoir storage is presently about 100% of average, similar to last year. Chilling Hours: In addition to being wet, it has also been pretty cold, so chilling hours do not appear to be a problem in most growing areas. Below is a table showing the hours accumulated between November 1 and February 15 at various statewide locations and how they compare to last year: Chill hour accumulation (hours<450F.) between 11/1/04 and 2/15/05 for various statewide locations Location This year Last year Difference Durham 990 875 +115 Colusa 958 889 +69 Parlier 903 858 +45 Orland 895 950 -55 Blackwells Corner 772 786 -14 Shafter 945 937 +8 Madera 1032 1059 -27 Visalia 931 906 +25 The research Dr. Louise Ferguson and I are conducting on chilling at Parlier suggests that pistachios may have a minimum threshold as low as 600 hours below 450F. This is the point at which bud drop is reduced and both vegetative and flower buds grow normally. However, it is not the chill level which provides sharp bloom and leafout. We still think about 800 hours are required for that. This Commission-funded project will have to be performed for at least four years to refine these estimations. But for this season, we are looking good. Lets hope the spring weather cooperates!

Plan to see the Peters males ahead of the Kerman girls this season due to the good chilling. Once again I would greatly appreciate growers sharing their observations on bud break and bloom this season. Farmers should keep track of the dates for green tip (the tips of the shoots just begin to grow), 50% and 100% bloom and leaf out for both male and female trees. If we had enough locations with different chilling hours, we could gain a lot of knowledge regarding pistachios chilling requirement and how warm temperatures in between cold ones affects the standard model. There is also the theory that chilling hours affect split percentage at harvest. This would most likely be due to extended bloom periods ( especially under low chill and cool spring conditions) which create differentials in fruit set dates. For those interested, go to my website (www.cekings.ucdavis.edu) and print off the instructions for how to do it as well as a data sheet for recording your observations. Oil Research: Studies on breaking rest early with 6 GPA Volck oil in sufficient water to obtain coverage suggest treatment in mid February is best. This is also the timing for controlling soft scale for which Volck oil is registered. Treatments should be finished no later than February 21st. Applications made in early to mid-March were of little to no value. One oil test comparing 20 yearold trees on P. atlantica rootstock to 10 year-old trees on P. integerrima indicated tree age had no effect on response. Coverage is the more likely factor affecting grower satisfaction. Large trees could require 400 GPA for optimal response. An average, annual yield improvement of about five pounds split nuts per tree has been observed in oil tests conducted over four years on 10-14 year-old trees. Aerial versus ground application tests done with Donnie Rose at Kettleman Pistachio Growers suggest that helicopter applications at about 40 mph (called a slow ride-normal speed is 60 mph) and 20 gpa did not provide as uniform bud break as ground treatment. The trees did break rest sooner, however. Coverage is key to oil success! Growers considering dormant oil use should keep in mind the seven-day advancement in budbreak and bloom relative to the risk of rain or frost. Either event could negatively affect any value derived from advanced development. Significantly greater Botrytis infection of male flowers exposed to wet weather can also lead to more Botryosphaeria in the summer. Nutrition: Depending upon the stage of bud push, it may not be too late for a delayed dormant zinc application. Zinc sulfate 36% at the rate of 40lbs. product per 100 gallons water can be safely applied up to the early green tip stage (1/4 inch terminal growth). Use 100-400 GPA depending upon tree size and deficiency severity. Do not apply if flower buds are expanding. Ten to 20 gallons of 12% liquid zinc sulfate in 100 to 200 gallons of water can also be used. Delayed dormant applications at the above rates may not be necessary on mature trees with August tissue levels at 12 ppm or greater. Seven ppm Zn in August is deficient and symptoms should have been evident on late growth. I believe developing orchards benefit from annual delayed dormant (bud swell) or 50% leaf expansion sprays since zinc is immobile and thus commonly deficient in vigorously growing shoots. Zinc is so immobile that early season sprays may prevent deficiency in young shoots for only a month. Leaf expansion sprays are equally effective and require much less zinc than delayed dormant treatment according to research by Dr. Pat Brown at U.C. Davis. However, treatment at 50% leaf expansion will not supplement zinc during bloom when deficiency reduces fruit set. The suggested

rate for leaf expansion sprays is 2 lbs. zinc sulfate 36% product. If added to Solubor, adjust the pH of the solution to 5.5 using citric acid powder, not phosphoric acid, which precipitates zinc as phosphate. Boron deficiency causes mis-shapened leaves on emerging shoots and excessive flower cluster drop. Compare field symptoms with those described in the U.C.-Pistachio Commission nutrition pamphlet. Contact a farm advisor or consultant knowledgeable about pistachios for correction guidelines. Solubor at 5 lbs. product per acre can be safely added to delayed dormant zinc applications to improve fruit set. Research by Brown indicates a benefit to delayed dormant Solubor in orchards with August boron levels as high as 120ppm. Studies in Kings County showed the more expensive liquid, Borosol, was equally effective as Solubor powder. Pistachios in their off-bearing year begin the season with less stored reserves than on-year trees. Therefore, apply a slightly larger percentage of your total nitrogen in the spring to provide adequate nutrition for shoot growth and nut size. Due to the wet conditions, applications in late April would still be good nitrogen timing, since early growth is all from stored reserves in the plant and not from soil uptake. Spring nitrogen uptake is also partially limited by insufficient leaf area and solar radiation to create high water demand. Research shows the greatest nitrogen uptake between midMay and late August in both on-and off-year trees. Hold off on any planned potassium applications until late April or May. This subject will be covered in detail in the next task list. On-year trees require about twice the amount of K as off-year trees and demand is greatest during nut fill. Disease Management: Avoid prolonged, saturated soil conditions early in the season which affect root health, nutrient uptake and, according to field observations, increases tree loss to Verticillium wilt. Growers with serious Botrytis, Alternaria and/or Botryosphaeria disease problems should use Topsin, a fungicide very similar to Benlate, (no longer registered) during the bloom period if wet weather occurs. Themis Michailides, U.C. Plant Pathologist, recommends application at 1-1.5 inches of shoot growth. It is important that growers and advisers correctly identify Botrytis from Botryosphaeria. Review the pictures in the spring section of your U.C. BOT manual. Botrytis causes young, tender shoot death (flagging) and male flowers to rapidly wilt EARLY in the spring. Look for buff-colored spores (conidia) attached to short filaments (conidiophores) at the shoot base or in the old male bloom. Botryosphaeria does NOT develop these clusters of buff-colored spores. Botryosphaeria symptoms of BLACKENED shoots and clusters also do not appear until MID-SPRING (early May). Occasional shoot death and detachment is common on young, developing trees due to poor attachment. These turn a natural brown and are easily removed from the limb leaving a round, socket-like depression. Frost can also kill young shoots and make fully expanded leaves rough and non-uniform in color. Orchards next to open pastureland near the foothills can experience temperatures 2-3 degrees colder than those predicted regionally. Pest Management: March is not too early to start planning your pest management program. Since

NOW adult moths begin emerging and mating in late March to early April, make an appointment with your pest consultant to go over monitoring this pest as well as Phytocoris. Drs. Dick Rice and Jocelyn Millar, University of California Entomologists, have developed pheromones to monitor both Phytocoris species. Go for a ride around the area with your consultant to check out native weeds and crops which serve as hosts for migrating Lygus, leaffooted and stinkbugs. Unfortunately, in spite of significant research efforts, the relationship between these bugs and their alternate hosts is not as complete as we would like. The most is known about Lygus, a MIGRATORY insect. Lygus adults break from their arrested development and begin feeding and moving in December. Cultivated hosts include seed alfalfa, tomatoes, safflower and sugarbeets. Native hosts are clovers, London rocket, mustards, tarweed and Russian thistle. Grasses are not Lygus hosts. Late rain and warm spring weather favor host development and reproduction. Migration into your orchard depends upon how rapidly its present host becomes unsuitable by harvesting or drying. For other migratory plant bugs, review pages 10-11 of your "Insects and Mites on Pistachios in California" publication provided by your Commission. Use this to identify which native hosts are present in your area relative to the pest problems experienced. Now is also a good time to bookmark the University of California IPM website (www.ipm.ucdavis.edu) for degree-days, additional photos and life cycle information. Another great resource is the short course binder. Happy farming!