scholarly journals Soil Management in Irrigated Pecan Orchards in the Southwestern United States

1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Miyamoto ◽  
J. Benton Storey

Irrigated pecans in the southwestern United States have been planted in every soil imaginable, and tree performance has become highly soil-dependent. Desperate attempts to deal with this poor soil selection has led to advancements in soil management, consisting primarily of physical measures, such as chiseling and trenching. Chemical amendments appear to have played a secondary or supplemental role. Meanwhile, soil structural degradation, mainly compaction and aggregate destruction, began to cause poor water penetration, die-back of deep roots, and resultant loss of tree vigor. These problems have been dealt with primarily by chiseling. In the future, spiking and sodded-floor management are likely to become increasingly important. Scientific examination of soil management practices has lagged, but has provided some rationale and targets for soil management. H should play an increasingly important role in refining these measures and in establishing a comprehensive soil management program in which the soil is viewed as a plant growth medium and an integral component of cost-effective orchard management.

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
BP Tripathi ◽  
JE Jones

The middle mountain region of Nepal, which occupies some 30% of the total land, is the homeland of 45% of the total population, with agriculture being the main source of their livelihoods. Hill farming is primarily based on organic manure with livestock, forest and crops being major components of an integrated system. The aim of this study is to develop and promote improved methods for research and development organizations to identify cost-effective and appropriate soil fertility management strategies through; providing an improved understanding of the biophysical and socio-economic factors affecting the adaptability of sustainable soil management strategies in hillside systems, developing methodologies for evaluating soil fertility technologies and management systems for differently resource farmers in different farming systems, and strengthening the capability of local professionals in collaborating institutions to provide useful information to farmers. The work is placing emphasis on promoting cost-effective methods of soil fertility management, building on farmers' own knowledge and systems. Participatory techniques have been used for gaining a better understanding of fertility indicators, trends and existing soil management practices during 2000/01 in the western hills of Nepal. Farmers are now concerned that increasing amounts of chemical fertilizer at increasingly higher cost have to be applied, soils are becoming “harder” and production is declining. As a result farmers in four agro-ecological zones opted to either test methods for “improving” the quality of farm yard manure (FYM), or “improve” crop residue management. Early results show that through covering the FYM with black plastic sheets, yield increases of over 30% can be achieved. The use of participatory farm management techniques is providing a basis for local NGOs and farmers to evaluate their own experiments and develop soil fertility technologies and systems for their environments.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajn.v1i0.7536 Agronomy Journal of Nepal (Agron JN) Vol. 1: 2010 pp.1-9


1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Miyamoto ◽  
J. Henggeler ◽  
J. Benton Storey

Irrigated production of pecans in the southwestern United States started with notoriously inefficient flood irrigation along river basins. Today, most surface-irrigated orchards are laser-leveled, and many orchards in upland areas are under sprinkler or drip irrigation. Technical and scientific knowledge for improving water management also has evolved from studying drought effects on tree performance to an improved understanding of water relations, salt effects, evapotranspiration processes, and the distribution of water and salts in irrigated fields. Yet, many growers still experience difficulties with water management and may benefit from maintaining the soil water suction above saturation but below 30 to 40 cb until shuck opening. The soil salinity should be kept below 2.5 dS·m−1, and irrigation water should be applied to essentially the entire root zone for optimum tree growth. Due to extreme soil variability existing in most irrigated fields of the southwestern region, these guidelines alone are not adequate. Soil profiles, root distributions, water quality, and irrigation methods may have to be examined to improve water management.


2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.A. Devitt ◽  
R.L. Morris ◽  
D. Kopec ◽  
M. Henry

Golf course superintendents in the southwestern United States (Tucson, Ariz.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Orange County, Calif.) were surveyed to assess attitudes toward using reuse water for irrigation. Eighty-nine golf course personnel returned the survey, with 28% indicating that they irrigate with municipal water, 36% with well water, and 27% with reuse water. The reason for switching to reuse water varied by state, with 40% of respondents switching in Arizona because of mandates, 47% switching in Nevada because of cost incentives, and 47% switching in California because it was considered a more reliable source of water. Less than 20% of the respondents rated the use of reuse water on golf courses and parks to have a negative impact on cost, the environment and health. However, respondents indicated that using reuse water does have a negative impact on the operations of the golf course, with pond maintenance and irrigation maintenance having the highest negative impact (∼80%). Multiple regression analysis revealed that among those who indicated that using reuse water would have a negative impact on golf course management, a higher percentage were individuals who had a greater number of years of experience irrigating with reuse water (P = 0.01) and individuals who have taken classes on how to use reuse water (P = 0.05). Respondents who currently irrigate with reuse water indicated they had changed a wide range of landscape and turfgrass management practices as a result of using reuse water. Based on the results of this survey, it was concluded that golf course personnel in the southwestern U.S. do not oppose the transition to reuse water for irrigation. However, it was also clear they recognize using such water negatively impacts their golf courses' operations.


Author(s):  
David R Haviland ◽  
Jhalendra P Rijal ◽  
Stephanie M Rill ◽  
Bradley S Higbee ◽  
Charles S Burks ◽  
...  

Abstract The navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker), is the most significant pest of California almonds. Direct feeding on the kernel by the larvae causes reductions in salable crop, crop quality, and exportability. Pheromone mating disruption (MD) targeting navel orangeworm is a relatively new technique with the potential to improve management. In 2017, we used replicated ~16-ha plots to compare the efficacy of four commercial MD systems (CheckMate, Cidetrak, Isomate, and Semios) for their relative impacts on the number of navel orangeworm in monitoring traps and crop quality. From 2017 to 2018, we conducted nine direct comparison studies in 16 to 40 ha almond orchards to compare conventional pest management programs to programs incorporating pheromone MD systems. Across all studies, MD reduced male moth captures in pheromone traps by >94%. In the efficacy study, use of mating disruption led to 35% and 53% reductions in kernel damage in Nonpareil and pollinizer cultivars, respectively, and an average increase in crop value of $370 ha−1. In the direct comparison, kernel damage to Nonpareil and pollinizer cultivars was reduced by 65% and 78%, respectively, resulting in an average increase in crop value of $357 ha−1. Economic analyses showed that increases in crop returns exceeded the costs of implementing MD systems with the break-even point ranging from 0.86 to 1.06% of kernel damage. These results suggest that adding MD to an existing navel orangeworm management program is a cost-effective way to reduce damage while promoting sustainable pest management practices.


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