Posts Tagged: walnut
UC Davis Students Carry on Legacy of Walnut Twig Beetle Expert Steve Seybold
The legacy of chemical ecologist Steven Seybold thrives with the recent publication...
The walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis, in association with a fungus, causes the thousand cankers disease. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Forest entomologist Jackson Audley (left) with his mentor, the late Steve Seybold, in front of an infested tree in Davis, Calif. The walnut twig beetle, in association with a fungus, causes thousand cankers disease. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis doctoral student Crystal Homicz (right) participating in a forest entomology open house at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. With her is Professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Jackson Audley: Targeting the Walnut Twig Beetle
Doctoral candidate and forest entomologist Jackson Audley of the UC Davis Department of Entomology...
The walnut twig beetle is about the size of a grain of rice. In association with the fungus, Geosmithia morbida, it causes the insect-pathogen complex known as "thousand cankers disease." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Forest Entomologist/Chemical Ecologist Steven Seybold: 1959-2019
We are all saddened by the death of noted forest entomologist and chemical ecologist Steven Jon...
Forest entomologist and chemical ecologist Steve Seybold and doctoral student Jackson Audley by a downtown Davis tree with thousand cankers disease. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Sign of the Times: Why This Black Walnut Tree Is Dying
If you've ever walked into the courtyard on the 100 block of E Street in downtown Davis, Calif.,...
Forest entomologists Steve Seybold (right) and Jackson Audley stand by a 150-year-old black walnut tree on the 100 block of E Street. It is dying of thousand cankers disease. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Walnut twig beetles tunnel into branches and trunks of walnut (Juglans) where they create galleries for mating and reproduction. In association with a canker producing fungus, Tthey cause a disease known as thousand cankers disease. This tree is in downtown Davis, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This massive, 150-year-old black walnut tree on the 100 block of E Street, Davis, is dying of thousand cankers disease. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Almond and Walnut Pest Management Guidelines revised just in time for the holidays.
‘Tis the season for baking lots of tasty treats. Breads, cookies, cakes, and candy are just a few that come to mind. What makes many of these treats so tasty is the addition of almonds or walnuts to the list of ingredients.
In California, we are lucky to be at the center of almond and walnut production. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA's) latest Agricultural Statistics Review, more than 99% of the almonds and walnuts produced in the United States are grown in California.
Almond and walnut growers work tirelessly to supply enough nuts to not only satisfy domestic demand, but also for export. Worldwide, almonds rank as the largest specialty crop export. California is the top almond producer in the world, accounting for about 80% of all almonds grown. For walnuts, California ranks as the second largest producer in the world. To keep up with this demand, almond and walnut growers must be constantly aware of pests, diseases, and abiotic problems that can affect the tree and growing nuts.
The University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) has recently published revised Pest Management Guidelines for almonds and walnuts, helping growers prevent and manage pest problems with the most up-to-date information.
Revisions in the Almond Pest Management Guidelines include:
- A new section on bacterial spot, a new disease of almond in California found in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys
- A renamed section on fruit russeting, revised from the old powdery mildew section
- Significant revisions made to the management section of navel orangeworm, one of the major pests attacking California almonds
- Improvements on how to do dormant spur sampling section with easier-to-understand information on monitoring and thresholds
Revisions in the Walnut Pest Management Guidelines include:
- Updated information on the association between walnut twig beetle and thousand cankers disease
- New sections for Botryosphaeria and Phomopsis cankers, branch wilt, and paradox canker
- Significant changes to the walnut husk fly management section
Both the almond and walnut revised Pest Management Guidelines also include updated information on fungicide efficacy, weed management, and vertebrate management.
Authored by University of California specialists and advisors, the Pest Management Guidelines are UC's official guidelines for monitoring and managing pests in California crops. For more information on pest management in these or other crops, visit the UC IPM website.