Pistachio Production Short Course Slated
A three-day pistachio production course will be held Nov. 18-20 at the Visalia Convention Center, in Visalia, CA, and will include presentations by University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisors and specialists, covering such pistachio production topics as field preparation, planting, pruning, economics, IPM, and harvesting.
This will be a course for orchard decision makers, which will cover the basic science, not as experimental data, but as accepted science, that supports current and developing production practices including regional differences. The registration fee is $900 in advance, $1,000 at the door.
Course Program
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014
7:00 – 8:30 am | Registration and light breakfast | |
8:45 – 9:00 am | Welcome and Course Information – Explanation of course orientation and material | Bob Beede and Louise Ferguson |
Session 1: The Tree, Moderated by Craig Kallsen
9:00 – 9:45 am | Botany and Physiology of the Pistachio Tree | Louise Ferguson |
9:45 – 10:15 am | Regional considerations in growing pistachios | David Doll |
10:15 – 10:45 am | Break |
Session 2: Establishing the Orchard, Moderated by David Doll
10:45 – 11:30 am | Site Selection: Soil Evaluation and Modification, Water Quality, Salinity Management and Reclamation | Blake Sanden |
11:30 – 12:00 pm | Planning and Designing the Orchard | Craig Kallsen |
12:00 – 12:45 pm | Irrigation Systems: Selection, Maintenance, and Assessment | Daniele Zaccaria |
12:45 – 1:45 pm | Lunch |
Session 2: Establishing the Orchard, Moderated by Tim Spann
1:45 – 2:30 pm | Pistachio Cultivars (including patenting issues) | Craig Kallsen |
2:30 – 3:00 pm | Pistachio Rootstocks (including production and new issues of poor rogueing, nematodes ) | Louise Ferguson |
3:00 – 3:30 pm | Budding, Planting, and Young Tree Training | Bob Beede |
3:30 – 4:00 pm | Break |
Session 3: Orchard Production, Moderated by Tim Spann
4:00 – 4:45 pm | Orchard Floor Weed Management | Kurt Hembree |
4:45 – 5:30 pm | Mature Tree Pruning: Hand and Mechanical Pruning | Bob Beede |
5:30 – 6:00 pm | Economics of International Market: Looking Ahead | Andy Anzaldo, Paramount Farms |
6:00 pm | Adjourn Day 1 |
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014
7:30 – 8:30 am | Light breakfast |
Session 3: Orchard Production, Moderated by Elizabeth Fichtner
8:30 – 9:15 am | Irrigation: Tree Water Requirements and Advances in Pistachio Irrigation (including deficit irrigation, ET, tree water requirements and RDI) | David Doll |
9:15 – 9:45 am | Tree Health Under Saline Conditions | Steve Grattan |
9:45 – 10:15 am | Break |
Session 4: Pistachio Tree Nutrition: Diagnosis and Correction, Moderated by Craig Kallsen
10:15 – 11:00 am | Macronutrients | Louise Ferguson |
11:00 – 11:30 pm | Micronutrients | Bob Beede |
Session 5: Harvest and Postharvest, Moderated by Florent Trouillas
11:30 – 12:00 pm | Pre-harvest, Harvesting, Transport, Trash, Processing, and Grading | Tim Spann |
12:00 – 12:30 pm | Understanding Your Grade Sheet | Gurreet Brar |
12:30 – 1:30 pm | Lunch |
Session 6: Diseases of Pistachio, Moderated by Gurreet Brar
1:30 – 2:00 pm | Soilborne Diseases | Elizabeth Fichtner |
2:00 – 3:00 pm | Cankers and Foliar and Fruit Diseases | Themis Michailides |
Session 7: Vertebrate Pests of Pistachios Moderated by Florent Trouillas
3:00 – 3:30 pm | Vertebrate Pests of Pistachios | Roger Baldwin |
Session 8: Pistachio Production Alternatives, Economics and Emerging Issues, Moderated by David Doll
4:00 – 4:30 pm | Economics of International Market: Looking Ahead | Richard Matoian, American Pistachio Growers |
4:30 – 5:00 pm | Food Safety in Pistachio Production | Linda Harris |
5:00 – 5:30 pm | Economics of Pistachio Production | Gurreet Brar |
5:30 pm | Adjourn Day 2 |
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014
7:30 – 8:30 am | Light breakfast |
Session 10: Insect Pests and Integrated Pest Management, Moderated by Emily Symmes
8:30 – 9:30 am | Navel Orangeworm Biology and Management | David Haviland |
9:30 – 10:30 am | Aflatoxin, Navel Orangeworm, and Management of Contamination | Themis Michailides |
10:30 – 11:45 am | Break |
11:00 – 11:45 am | Small and Large Plant Bugs | Kent Daane |
11:45 – 12:30 pm | Mealybugs and Scale Insects | David Haviland |
12:30 – 1:30 pm | Lunch |
1:30 – 2:00 pm | Mites | Kris Tollerup |
2:00 – 2:30 pm | Annual Integrated Pest Management and Developing Insect Issues | David Haviland |
2:30 – 3:15 pm | Step-by-step Guide to Field Diagnostics | Richard Hereema |
3:15 – 3:45 pm | Course Conclusion |
3:45 pm | Adjourn Day 3 |
Source: University of California Cooperative Extension