Editor’s note
We gratefully acknowledge the efforts of those who contributed to this special issue on the 40th anniversary of the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center (KREC): David A. Grantz, Kearney Agricultural Center Director, and Frederick H. Swanson, KREC Director, who served as co-chairs; California Agriculture Associate Editors Kevin R. Day, Steven A. Fennimore, Deborah A. Golino, Mark E. Grismer, John Letey and Carole Lovatt, who oversaw peer review of the manuscripts; Jack Kelly Clark, Principal Photographer with ANR Communication Services, for original photography and digital color correction; Photo Assistant John Stumbos, for compiling the images and writing captions; and KREC for providing funding to make this double issue (the largest in California Agriculture history) possible.

News

Editorial
Collaboration fosters Kearney scientific achievements

Introduction
Agricultural innovation
marks 40 years at Kearney

Legendary “mother” pistachio tree to be retired

Letters
Mudslides and grandmothers

Research updates
Farm to palate” postharvest research ensures high-quality produce

UC nematologists battle
tiny underground pests

Science briefs
Lygus study validates
treatment threshold

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News Releases
Current
Archive

Research and reviews

Blueberry research launches exciting new California specialty crop
Jimenez et al.
New cultivars are productive in the semiarid Central Valley, but initial soil preparation and establishment costs are high.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

The future of California raisins
is drying on the vine
Peacock, Swanson
KREC researchers developed a low-cost method of drying raisins on the vine; yields equaled those of traditional tray-drying for
4 consecutive years.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Orchard-system configurations increase efficiency, improve profits in peaches and nectarines
Day, DeJong, Johnson
Higher-density planting systems, coupled with pruning techniques that enhance light interception, provide economic benefits for orchardists.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Labor costs may be reduced . . .
Research yields size-controlling rootstocks for peach production
DeJong et al.
After 8 years in the orchard, trees on five experimental rootstocks had positive results; three have been made available to growers.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Methyl bromide alternatives . . .
Soil solarization provides weed control for limited-resource and organic growers in warmer climates
Stapleton et al.
For small-acreage specialty crops, solarization can be much less expensive than methyl bromide fumigation, with comparable yields and weed control.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Mulches reduce aphid-borne
viruses and whiteflies in cantaloupe
Summers, Mitchell, Stapleton
Plastic and wheat straw mulch decreased aphid-borne viruses and whitefly in cantaloupe, increasing yields and late-season fruit size without pesticides.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Large bugs damage pistachio nuts most severely during midseason
Daane et al.
Large bugs cause the most damage to pistachios in June and July, after the fruit load is set but before shells harden.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Early harvest delays berry skin browning of ‘Princess’ table grapes
Vial, Crisosto, Crisosto
Skin browning in ‘Princess’ table grapes increased with maturity at harvest; vineyard location and management had a greater impact than maturity.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Reduced-risk fungicides help manage brown rot and other fungal diseases of stone fruit
Adaskaveg et al.
New, safer fungicides performed as well as older ones in pre- and postharvest studies, following wound inoculations and under packingline conditions.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Conventional and molecular assays aid diagnosis of crop diseases and fungicide resistance
Michailides et al.
Molecular assays offer the possibility of much faster, more reliable plant disease tests, and already can supplement conventional techniques.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Deep vadose zone hydrology demonstrates fate of nitrate in eastern San Joaquin Valley
Harter et al.
Analysis of 52-foot cores under a former orchard showed heterogeneous water flow patterns and preferential flow paths for waterborne pollutants.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Weighing lysimeters aid study of water relations in tree and vine crops
Johnson et al.
Weighing lysimeters are assessing peach
and grape water use, to evaluate simpler, less expensive methods.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF

Ozone reduces crop yields directly and alters crop competition with weeds such as yellow nutsedge
Grantz, Shrestha
Smog in some parts of the Central Valley is now worse than Los Angeles; weed competition in agricultural crops could be altered by increased ozone levels.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT PDF