Dr. Helen Dahlke (UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources) discusses the principles of groundwater recharge in California, where and in which crops it can occur, and its effects on overall water quality. Link: Soil Agricultural Groundwater Banking Index mapping tool. Photo credit: Joe Proudman (UC Davis) Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University ..read more

Dr. Samuel Sandoval (UCCE Specialist in Water Management and UC Davis Land, Air & Water Resources) discusses five factors that influence water availability throughout a year and his outlook for the 2022 water year. Be sure to also listen to the podcast episode with Daniel Sawain (UCLA Climatologist) for more on California’s water future. Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and o ..read more

Tom Devol of the Almond Board of California shares how leaks can quickly lead to large losses, complicating nutrient management as well as good irrigation system management. He shares tips on where to look for leaks and how to best maintain your irrigation system. If you farm in Tehama, Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Shasta or Yolo counties you can apply for a free system evaluation from the Tehama Resource Conservation District Mobile Irrigation Lab. For more information, or to schedule a free evaluation, please contact: Kevin Greer (530) 727 – 1297, kevin@tehamacountyrcd.org.  If you do not farm ..read more

Dr. Bruce Lampinen (UC Davis) discusses the problem of overwatering in walnut and almond orchards, the health implications and how irrigation can be managed with root health in mind. We have previous episode on the pressure chamber and start of irrigation in walnut. As well as on keeping root health in mind when irrigating. On SacValleyOrchards we have an article on the multiple approaches to timing the start of irrigation in almond, as well as the research in walnut. Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon ..read more

Dr. Toby O’Geen (UC Davis/UCCE ) discusses a model that shows how understanding of soil texture and plant available water could allow for greater use of green water (soil stored precipitation) and save on blue water (surface and groundwater).  The UC Davis/UCCE California Soil Resource Lab also have a list of SoilWeb Apps. We discussed in a previous episode how the pressure chamber can be used to let walnut trees tell us when they need water in spring. Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the mu ..read more

Mae and Luke discuss winter irrigation, especially in the context of leaching. Discussing the steps involved in leaching and whether you may need to amend your soils first. Great information on leaching in the pistachio production manual: anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=3545 As well as in the publication “Agricultural Salinity and Drainage” anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=3375 If you don’t know your irrigation application rate (in/ac), you can calculate it at: sacvalleyorchards.com/et-reports/et-calculators/application-rate-calculator-drip-micros/ Thank you to the Almond, Pis ..read more

Allan and Luke discuss the considerations for irrigating during a dry fall and winter. Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply ..read more

Phoebe talks to Zheng Wang about the basics of fertigation, including the importance of water temperature, how to keep clogs out of your system, and how to figure out when you need to time your injection. Additional resources for fertigation: http://cemonterey.ucanr.edu/files/170985.pdf Manual on fertigation with micro-irrigation: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=21620 There’s one week left to evaluate the survey. Participation is optional, results are confidential and you can stop taking it at any time. We will share the results on the podcast and in articles. We will use the ..read more

How can we get the most use out of the management tools discussed in this irrigation series? Potentially by bringing greater precision with zone irrigation and individually irrigating different almond varieties. While returning by train from an irrigation meeting, Dr. Catherine Mae Culumber UCCE Nut Crop farm advisor in Fresno County discusses with Luke Milliron her exciting research into precision and regulated deficit irrigation of almond. Mention of a practice does not constitute an endorsement. Thanks to the Pistachio Board of California and Almond Board of California for their generous fi ..read more

Phoebe discusses irrigation pumps, including their capacity and maintenance, with Jon Chilcote, a USDA NRCS team engineer for the Southern San Joaquin Valley. The website for the Department of Water Resources groundwater data: http://wdl.water.ca.gov/waterdatalibrary/ The cover photo for the episode was provided by Jon Chilcote. Thank you to the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board for their support. Music by Muriel Gordon. Pump response curve ..read more