Annual Newsletter
Spring 2003
Dear Customers and Friends,
This season we are producing one of our largest crops ever, the latest point in a trend that we have been riding for the past several years.
We will have big numbers of most types of trees ready to go early this spring. This is especially true of avocados on clonal rootstocks, which were nicely sized up late last year.
Those of you who are planning to take trees early will want to give Larry and Shelley a call regarding scheduling; we are expecting some traffic jams during the early going. Here are their general comments regarding readiness:
If you have the 6/30/03 date on your sales agreement it is noted as the latest date the trees will be ready. Indeed almost all spring ready avocado trees are ready NOW. If you haven't heard from Shelley or Larry please call and let us know when you may be ready to take delivery. The light pruning we gave the trees last fall is sprouting with nice flush of growth. We're proud of our stand of trees this year.
We have plenty of most pollinizer varieties for Hass. Zutano, Bacon and Ettinger seem to be the best bets. Other pollinizers available include Fuerte and Walter Hole. We have a few special varieties for your table like the giant Daily #11 and the hardy Mexicola. Call if you would like an availability list.
If you are on the waiting list for trees for this year, we may well have trees ready in late July or August. These are the same trees we are growing for spring 2004 but with some warm spring weather we can select the largest trees in the summer. Please don't hesitate to call or come by in early summer to see how they are progressing.
2002 turned out to be an excellent growing year in the orchards. However, we did see some early problems with defoliation and leaf burn. This generally occurred on trees of up to three years of age planted in lean soils that were exposed to winds. The thought is that there may have been lower soil moisture levels than would be the case during a normal rainfall year, and that the winds put some pressure on younger trees that provoked moisture deficit problems. Farm Advisor Ben Faber tells us that the Dothiorella fungus attacks water stressed trees. The disease this causes is called twig and leaf blight or salt and pepper syndrome due to the random pattern in which it occurs in the canopy. Symptoms are tip and twig dieback, and leaf scorch. In young trees there were some cases of defoliation and death. Dothiorella is prevalent throughout orchards and is found in mulch and ground litter. This winter has been similarly dry, so particular attention to soil moisture is a good idea.
The remainder of the season was uneventful until the east winds pummeled growers in autumn. The frequency and severity of these winds seems to be increasing over the past few seasons; this winter in particular seems to have been one long blow.
New orchards are looking better every year. The wide adoption of mounding and mulching in combination with a preplant gypsum application appears to provide trees with just the conditions they need for a quick, vigorous start. Mounding helps to avoid problems of waterlogging and allows growers to more precisely control moisture levels, while mulch provides just the well-aerated conditions that young roots love. Gypsum (specifically calcium) is said to provide a chemical environment that suppresses phytophthora root rot and provides the fledgling trees with some breathing room as they get up and going. The overall result is uniform plantings that develop beautifully. We have a written recipe for this technique Ð ask Larry or Shelley in our sales office for a copy.
California was the first adopter of clonal rootstocks, and this was based solely on their root rot resistance characteristics. During the 1970's our industry was threatened with extinction, and the Duke 7 clonal rootstock was one of the tools that growers utilized to survive. South Africa's experience was similar. In other areas such as Chile and Spain, root rot is not as great a problem and seedling rootstocks have provided adequate performance. In Australia and Israel, seedling lines that are said to have resistance characteristics (to both salt and root rot) are utilized.
With the introduction of the Dusa (Merensky 2), growers are presented with the option of utilizing the clonal rootstock as a defensive (root rot and salinity) as well as an offensive (greater productivity) weapon. The Dusa (Merensky 2) will need to prove that it does indeed produce more fruit in each region, but if it does prove out it should spur the rapid adoption of clonal avocado rootstocks globally. We will distribute our first commercial volumes of Dusa (Merensky 2) rootstocks in 2004.
Meanwhile, the Toro Canyon continues to be our best selling clonal rootstock selection, followed fairly distantly by the Duke 7 and Thomas. The Toro Canyon has been available for quite a few years now, and the early hopes that it would provide better tolerance to root rot as well as crown rot (P. citricola) seem to have been realized.
The Duke 7 is the phytophthora resistant rootstock that started it all, and is still a viable choice. It has the x-factor going for it; the Duke 7 is an all around enthusiastic grower with no glaring weaknesses. If provided reasonably adequate soil texture, quality and good care it will shine. These days we term its resistance to root rot as moderate.
The California avocado industry continues to fare very well, especially when compared to California agriculture as a whole. With the anticipated transformation of foreign fruit suppliers into contributors toward market development, a potentially huge negative has been converted to a possible positive. The usual assortment of deadweights and sharp blades still hang overhead, but the industry has done an excellent job of thwarting disaster. Credit the forward thinking nature of the grower base and the California Avocado Commission for providing the crucible for timely anticipation of industry events and constructive problem solving.
A couple of interesting publications are (or soon will be) available to avocado growers. One is The Avocado: Botany, Production and Uses, edited by Tony Whiley. This is a hardbound text that takes a global look at all aspects of avocado production. This is an academic compilation that covers subjects such as History, Breeding, Biology, Cultivars, Propagation, Irrigation, Fertilization, Pests, Diseases, etc. It is available from the California Avocado Society.
The other publication is a California Avocado Growers Handbook, edited by Gary Bender. It will be published by the California Avocado Society during the next few weeks/months, and will fulfill the need for a practical guide for growers.
The California Avocado Society continues to be active on many fronts in addition to bringing us these publications. These include grower meetings, current market and industry information and support of industry research. Any avocado growers who are not already members should consider joining. A membership application is enclosed.
One question lemon growers may ask themselves is this: are we growing the best scion/rootstock combinations? The dominant selections are Limco 8A Lisbon on Macrophylla rootstock and Allen Eureka on compatible lemon and sweet orange root. While these are fine varieties, they may not be the best for every planting site. A lot of the fault probably lies with us. We often bud our citrus trees before receiving orders and it's easiest to go with the 'common denominator' varieties.
We had the opportunity to visit briefly with John Borchard last year and were reminded that, through creative selection of varieties and rootstocks over the years, he has amassed a broad assortment of lemon types that are now producing results. There are also quite a few variety plots scattered throughout the lemon producing regions that should be revisited. It might be time to take another good look at the alternatives and engage growers, packers and marketers in some rethinking of the varietal mix.
One lemon variety that is enjoying a renaissance is the Prior Lisbon. The Leavens family has done a tremendous amount of groundwork, planting this variety at their Moorpark location and carefully measuring its performance. We've been nudging it for quite a few newsletter cycles and new plantings have been springing up, mostly in Ventura county. Let us know if you'd like to take a look at these.
A description of alternatives for lemon scion varieties and rootstocks is included in this mailing. Take a look, and get in touch with Larry Rose of our sales office if you'd like to discuss the options in finer detail.
Other hot prospects are the Clementine selections and the 'Delite-ful' W. Murcott Afourer. All of these varieties have been salted into Ventura county test plots for a while now and we will soon be able to make meaningful comparisons between them. Get in touch with Larry Rose if you'd like to take a look. Right now is the season.
Looking at these varieties, we will have to decide which characteristics are most important. The principal variables, as we see them, are season (late being most desirable), seediness, and tendency to alternate; all overlain by the question of how will the fruit be marketed and by whom? Each of these varieties produces fruit of outstanding quality.
Our mandarin tree sales are moving up; there will be a modest production base in Ventura over the next few years. Some settling out will occur as varieties demonstrate their viability, and we expect to see some cohesion within the producer community as growers seek to pair up with willing packers and marketers.
All of this demands a greater level of attention and diligence on the part of agricultural operators. We're just at the beginning of a new era of scrutiny and constraints, and we'll have to work to make certain that our operations are up to the evolving contemporary standards. This touches on many aspects of our activities, such as pesticide use, generation of nitrates and chlorides in runoff water, dust, noise, odors, pests like sharpshooter and whitefly, handling of hazardous materials such as used motor oil, labor issues, etc.
The aggregate of the regulatory load will consume an ever-increasing proportion of our attention, and we will come to know those who regulate us. If we are to survive in the long term, we need to work to maintain our positive relationships with the regulators. In the past, my impression is that the agricultural industry has for the most part enjoyed a climate in which the regulator and the regulated worked together to find ways to achieve the desired outcome. In the face of a heavier regulatory load and greater scrutiny, there is a risk that this cooperative atmosphere will unravel, with ugly results. We need to make certain that our actions nurture the existing cooperative atmosphere. And it is critical that the regulators take the same approach. If we are focused on beating the rule, or a regulator is determined to 'get' us, we will founder. We need to maintain the climate of openness and cooperation, and demand the same of the regulatory community.
Sincerely,
Rob Brokaw
