Cultural Management Library

Climate change is impacting the Western U.S. — with more intense heatwaves, higher temperatures and greater climate variability. To help growers manage more frequent and more intense drought conditions, this article outlines how to conserve water while providing adequate irrigation, mulching best practices and when and whether to stump or remove trees during extreme conditions.

Although California anthracnose of avocados — as a disease affecting fruit on the tree, leaves, and twigs — is unusual, Avocado Branch Canker is increasingly being recognized as a major issue for avocado production in California. This article summarizes CAC-funded research focused on assessing the phytosanitary status of avocados in California propagation nurseries and newly established groves to understand infection, sources and movement of pathogen inocula in nurseries.

Heat events have become more common, often lasting for several days in a row, and temperatures have been documented to reach 100°F and stay above that temperature for 8 hours or more in numerous groves. This article examines how heat impacts avocados and how water can be used to cool a grove during heat-intense events.

Avocado Branch Canker represents a threat for avocado production worldwide because of the important economic losses resulting from reduced yield of affected trees and their premature death.  This article details ABC symptoms, how the disease progresses, findings from field surveys and updates concerning causal pathogens.

Avocado growers should collect leaf samples every year and soil samples every few years to optimize fertilization and irrigation. This piece outlines soil sampling basics and timing, leaf sampling best practices, water sampling and a step-by-step outline concerning how to read analytical results.

To ensure harvested fruit maintains premium quality, this article summarizes harvesting best practices. This includes harvest timing as concerns rainfall and temperature, as well as how prevent physical damage to the fruit.

GEM avocado is becoming more popular in California because it is a compact tree well suited to high density plantings, the fruit are well covered with foliage protecting them from sunburn, and it produces early, high yields of large fruit. This article explores how to take preventative measures to prevent fruit scarring and scarring trial results in local groves.

This article summarizes the research findings from a field trial/experiment in Valley Center, CA, to investigate the potential of high-density planting to improve productivity, water consumption and punning strategies. The piece examines the costs of establishing a high density orchard, production costs and returns. 

Avocado trees slow down in the winter, so this is the perfect season to prepare for the year ahead. This article outlines irrigation, fertilization, pruning and harvesting tasks growers can undertake in winter to prepare their trees for the season ahead. 

This article examines the origins of the Avocado Lace Bug, its geographic distribution in the U.S. and California and how to identify and manage the pest.