Paul Vossen UC Cooperative Extension Sonoma County 133 Aviation Blvd., Suite 109 Santa Rosa, CA 95403
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources
ANR Mission Programs for People To serve California through the creation, development and application of knowledge in agricultural, natural and human resources.
University of California Research and Education
Production Manuals
Climate & Soils Growth & Development Varieties & Rootstocks Planting & Care Irrigation Fertilization Training & Pruning Budding & Grafting Fruit Thinning Harvest Pest Management Abiotic Disorders Crop Calendar
IPM Manuals & Pest Notes
More Information http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/
More Information http://vric.ucdavis.edu/
http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu
http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu
http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu
http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu
The Agricultural Experiment Station 650+ faculty with joint research and teaching responsibilities 50+ departments on three campuses Four colleges and schools (Davis, Berkeley, Riverside, and ANR)
Where ANR research and extension happen Laboratories & other research & teaching facilities on 3 campuses Ten off-campus centers for research and extension UC programs are delivered at the county level throughout the state
Cooperative Extension More than 260 countybased advisors and 150 campus-based specialists More than 50 county offices and three campuses
GENERAL PROGRAM EFFORTS Agriculture Natural Resources Community Development 4-H Youth Development Human Resources
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION Your local door to resources of the University of California
Paul Vossen s s Program Organic Olive Oil Production Olive Oil Processing and Sensory Eval Olive Fly Trials SRJC Sust. Ag Diversity Orchards Cost Studies DEMO Blueberry Varieties, Chestnuts, Mandarins, Table Grapes, Apples, Olives One-on-one crop assistance Local Food Marketing Program Sudden Oak Death (SOD) Program Master Gardener Program PURE Compost
What is Special About Sonoma County?
The Specialness of Sonoma Natural beauty - diversity Climate Good soils Water Clean air High quality wine Diversity of products
Agriculturally Special Reputation for High Quality Wine And High Quality Milk (cheese, butter) Lots of Innovation Very Organic Sustainable Minded
Agricultural Disadvantages Rainy winters Cold winters Expensive land Limited water High labor cost Small land parcels Limited infrastructure
If it can be grown somewhere else cheaper forget it (usually) Salad mix Broccoli Processed apples Hemp fiber Lavender Hops Strawberries Grains Pumpkins Corn
If when grown here, it has a higher economic value do it Wine Milk cheese Grass fed meat Range chickens Heirloom tomatoes Dry farmed apples Tree ripened peaches Zucchini squash
Marketing Advantages Roadside ripe strawberries Halloween pumpkin patches Agritourism (many visitors) Locally grown Farmers markets Supporting restaurants & Chefs Organic or Sustainable Coattails of the wine industry (tasting rooms) Small-scale (attention to detail)
Basic Land Evaluation Climate Soil - Water
Marine Coastal Cool Coastal Warm
1 o Climatic Zones Marine: Foggy, windy, cool 2,185 degree days (1,800-2,800) Water use ~ 20-22 22 Coastal Cool: Intermediate some fog 2,582 degree days (1,900-3.600) Water use ~ 30-34 34 Coastal Warm: Warm little fog 2,920 degree days (2,100-4,200) Water use ~ 36-42 42
Climate Statistics Frost dates: November 1 to April 30 Chilling: 1,000 to 1,500 Summer Day Temps: 70 o to 95 o F Summer Night Temps: 48 o to 60 o F Winter Lows: 32 o to 45 o F
Elevation Slope - Soil Above 2,000 ft. = temperature problems Over 35% slope = equipment danger, more hand labor, erosion threat, and high cost Poor drainage clay soil, seepage, high rainfall, limited surface water movement, restrictive layers Shallow soil = less drainage & low water holding capacity Mineral toxicity = high Mg B Na etc.
Site Selection: Soil Beware of soils with stratified layers. These layers impede drainage. Cemented Hardpans Abrupt Textural Changes (sand to gravel, sand to clay, etc. Chemistry ph nutrient toxicities
Hydroponics no soil
Rooting depth drainage water holding capacity
Book plus on-site evaluation
Soil Survey Storie index: 0-1000 Capability Unit Soil Type Soil Horizons Rooting Depth Water Holding Capacity
Site Selection Investigative Tool
Low spots with poor drainage
Raspberry Problems
Root Rot Poor Drainage
Soil Plant Water Testing http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu
Soil Testing Multiple sub samples (5-15) Two depths (6 and 18 ) (separate) Each sample represents different area Mix thoroughly Analyze for big 6: ph, P, K, Ca, Mg, OM Analyze for minor nutrients if suspect (boron, sodium, chloride, etc.)
Soil Chemical Properties saturated paste extract Soil ph 5.0 8.5 High Magnesium (< 1:1 ratio with Ca) High Calcium (> 8:1 ratio with Mg) Adequate Phosphorous (> 10 ppm P) = OK Adequate Potassium (> 125 ppm K) = OK High Chloride (> 10-15 15 meq/l Cl - ) High Boron (> 2 ppm B) High Sodium (SAR > 15)
Changing ph (raising)
Changing ph (lowering)
Land Preparation Improve drainage Add organic matter Adjust ph Control weeds Tree layout Irrigation layout Incorporate amendments
Water Amount & Quality
Value of Water Yield Fruit Size Fruit Quality - Color & Taste Cover Crop Mgmt. Erosion Control Frost Control Pest Mgmt. Nutrition Enhancement
Irrigated Orchard Dry California Hillside
Competitive Equivalency $ $ $ $ $
Irrigation Study Apples 83-86 86 Yields in Tons/Acre Standard Orchard Dwarf Orchard Dry Irrigated Under ET Irrigated Irrigated Yield 83 18.8 21.2 20.3 20.4 Yield 84 16.4 19.1 17.3 26.9 Yield 85 27.9 41.6 19.4 28.2 Yield 86 13.2 27.4 14.5 30.1
Apple Production Irrigated 3 x 12 spacing 1,000/A Bearing starts 2nd yr. Turf row middles Use 24 to 48 inches Yields of 35-50 Tons/A Specialty varieties @ $1,000 to $4,000/Ton Dry Farmed 12 x 24 spacing 150/A Bearing starts 6th yr. Tilled to save water Use mother nature Yields 10-25 Tons/A Old varieties @ $65 to $500/Ton
Dry farmed apples
Irrigated semi-dwarf yields 40-50 tons/acre large fruit with good color Irrigated standard yields 50-63 tons/acre large fruit with poor color
1 st st year s s growth from a feathered tree planted in February (3 months) 2 nd nd year s s growth from a feathered tree planted in February (15 months) Yield = 5 tons per acre
$ Value Grapes & Apples Bulk Processing Crop vs. Fresh Market Crop WINE GRAPES Yield - 5 tons/acre Value - $2-5,000/ton Prod. Cost: $1-5,000/acre Net: $1-9,000/ acre FRESH MKT. APPLES Yield - 35 tons/acre Value - $1-4,000/ton Prod. Cost: $4-15,000/acre Net: $30-90,000/acre Based on irrigated, specialty varieties Based on irrigated, specialty varieties
Dry sad peach tree One year s growth with proper irrigation Peach Irrigation
Site Selection: Irrigation Water Test potential irrigation water for: (acid/base) ph Electro conductivity (EC = salts) Sodium (Na +) Bicarbonate (HCO - 3 ) Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) Chloride (Cl - ) Boron (B) Nitrate-Nitrogen Nitrogen
Site Selection: Irrigation Water Volume Needed 1-31 3 acre feet/year (325,000 975,000 gallons) 3-55 gpm/acre minimum Avoid water containing: High Boron > 2 ppm Bicarbonate > 3.5 ppm Total Salt > 3 ds/m EC - 480 ppm High Sodium > 3 meq/l - 9 SAR High Chloride > 345 ppm (325,000
Plant Water Requirement Lush green plants (tomato - lawn - peach) Fruit size or growth or appearance is important Uses 75% to 100% ET Drought tolerant plants (olive, rosemary, etc.) Want little or no growth - appearance less important (juniper, rough grass, shrubs) Uses 0% to 25% ET
USE RATE How Much Water Plants Use Evapo-Transpiration (ET) Evaporation from soil surface = 10% Transpiration = 90% cooling of the leaves
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION (ET) Temperature Relative Humidity Wind How hot & dry & windy is it?
Measuring ET Mathematical formula: Temp + RH + Wind Direct measure of evaporation from water surface
Predictable Summer Weather in California Every day is sunny and warm No rain May 20 - June 10 - July 4 - August 30 All hot and sunny with similar ET rate ET rate can be estimated based on historical climate data
ET Rates in the Press Democrat
Marine Coastal Cool Coastal Warm
Seasonal Water Requirement April - October (30 yr. average in inches) (Sonoma County) Marine Coastal Cool Coastal Warm April 2.8 4.0 4.5 May 2.9 5.8 6.9 June 2.8 5.6 7.0 July 3.4 6.1 7.9 August 3.1 5.2 6.8 Sept. 3.1 4.4 5.7 Oct. 3.1 3.3 3.7 TOTAL 21.2 34.4 42.5
Water Use in Gallons / Day 0.1"/day 0.2"/day 0.25"/day 0.3"/day 1 ft 2 0.062 0.125 0.156 0.187 10 ft 2 0.62 1.25 1.56 1.87 36 ft 2 2.25 4.50 5.61 6.73 100 ft 2 6.20 12.5 15.6 18.7 200 ft 2 12.4 25.0 31.2 37.4 300 ft 2 18.6 37.5 46.8 56.1 1 acre 2,715 5,431 6,788 8,146 5 gpm X 60 min/hr X 24 hrs/day = 7,200 gallons per day
Water Requirement (May-October) ET (inches) Gal/Acre Gal/Min Gal/1,000ft 2 Marine 20 543,080 2.04 12,464 Coastal Cool 34 923,236 3.50 21,195 Coastal Warm 42 1,140,468 4.22 26,181
Rainfall from Mother Nature Rainfall 10 90 per year Soil holds 2 per foot of rooting depth Deep soil (5 ft.) = 10 inches Shallow soil (18 in.) = 3 inches Most rainfall runs off
Soil Water Holding Capacity Clay = 2.0 to 2.5 inches per foot Loam = 1.5 to 2.0 inches per foot Sand = 1.0 to 1.5 inches per foot
Soil Water Holding Capacity Loam soil holds about 2 of water per foot or 0.167 per inch of soil 1 3 Applying 1.5 of water soaks down 9 into soil 6 9 12
Where are Roots? 80% of tree roots are in the top 2 ft.
Soil Profiles Most tree roots are in the top 2 feet
Soil Profiles Most vegie roots are in the top 12 inches
IRRIGATION How much - how often - how long? SPRINKLERS Use Rate (ET) Application Rate Rooting Depth Soil Water Holding Capacity DRIP IRRIGATION Use Rate (ET) - Plant Size (Area in Ft 2 ) Application Rate (Emitter Spacing and Size)
Sprinklers
Sprinkler Irrigation Amount of water held in soil is very important Rooting depth is very important Application amount is very important Scheduling irrigations is very important
Measure Application Rate Flow rate per nozzle size, area covered, and water pressure Can test
Sprinkler Irrigation Typical Pop-up Sprinkler Applies 0.25 per hour 4 hours = 1 water applied 1 water soaks down 6 into the ground
SPRINKLER IRRIGATION Basic Numbers to Remember Loam soil holds about 2 inches per foot of soil Most fruit tree roots are in the top 12-24 inches Most vegetable roots are in the top 6-12 inches Most lawn roots are in the top 6 inches Succulent Plants Use about 1.5 inches / week Long trajectory sprinklers apply 1 inch / 4 hours Irrigate when plants have used 1/2 of soil moisture
Vegetables love sprinklers
Berry Irrigation Applies ½ per hour Run 1 hr Every 2 days
FRUIT TREE SPRINKLER IRRIGATION Rooting depth 24 = 4 total water in soil Allowable depletion = 2 Water use = 1.5 / week or about 2 / 10 days Sprinklers apply 2 in 8 hours Water for 8 hours every 10 days 20 radius sprinkler (1,400 ft 2 ) that applies 5 gallons per minute for 8 hours = 2,400 gallons or 175 gallons / 100 ft 2 / 10 days
VEGETABLE SPRINKLER IRRIGATION Rooting depth 12 = 2.0 total water in soil Allowable depletion (50%) = 1.0 Water use = 2.0 / week Sprinklers apply 1 in 4 hours Water for 4 hours 2 x per week
IRRIGATION TYPES SPRINKLER IRRIGATION Depends on Storage of Water in Soil DRIP IRRIGATION DRIP IRRIGATION Gives Plant Just What it Needs Every Day
Drip Irrigation Water plant daily Give the plant what it needs/wants Need is determined by ET Soil water holding capacity is not important Keep emitters 18 to 24 away from trunk For most vegies & berries wet the entire bed surface
Drip Irrigation wets 10-20% of root system for large fruit trees
Area Covered in ft 2 10 ft 2 10 ft 2 10 ft 2
Typical water use patterns Inches per day Spring or fall with short cool days = 0.1 Warm summer with fog = 0.15 Hot summer with some fog = 0.20 Hot summer no fog = 0.25 Very hot and windy = 0.30
Water Use in Gallons / Day 0.1"/day 0.2"/day 0.25"/day 0.3"/day 1 ft 2 0.062 0.125 0.156 0.187 10 ft 2 0.62 1.25 1.56 1.87 36 ft 2 2.25 4.50 5.61 6.73 100 ft 2 6.20 12.5 15.6 18.7 200 ft 2 12.4 25.0 31.2 37.4 300 ft 2 18.6 37.5 46.8 56.1 1 acre 2,715 5,431 6,788 8,146 5 gpm X 60 min/hr X 24 hrs/day = 7,200 gallons per day
FRUIT TREE DRIP IRRIGATION Water Use is 0.25 Inches Per Day in Summer Mature Semi-dwarf Tree Uses 16 Gallons / Day Tree occupies 100 ft 2 2 one-gallon per Hour Emitters per Tree Water for 8 Hours Every Day Add 2 more emitters water 4 hours every day
Drip irrigation wets 50-100% of root system for vegies and berries
VEGETABLE DRIP IRRIGATION Water Use is 0.25 Inches Per Day in Summer Typical bed = 3 ft. wide x 100 ft. long = 300 ft 2 Water use is 46.8 gallons per day (50 gallons) T -tape has ½ gallon per hour emitters spaced 1 ft. apart (2 lines per bed) = applies 100 gal/hr Water every day for 30 minutes or every other day for 1 hour
Drip Emitters
Emitter tubes on Main Lots of options
Mini Sprinklers 2-4 times per week to wet down 12-18 18
Valve Manifolds
Economics coststudies.ucdavis.edu Can Money be Made?
UC Cost Studies
Paul Vossen University of California Cooperative Extension 133 Aviation Blvd. Santa Rosa, CA 95403 (707) 565-2621 pmvossen@ucdavis.edu http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu Photo by : Alexandra Kicenik Devarenne