Orange trees are widely cultivated in Mediterranean climatic regions where they are an important agricultural crop. Citrus have been characterized as emitters of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in chamber studies under controlled environmental conditions, but an extensive characterization at field scale has never been performed using modern measurement methods, and is particularly needed consi...

In California, pre-emergence herbicide residues have been measured in runoff water from citrus orchards that resulted from winter rainfall. This study measured the effect of rainfall on the redistribution of herbicides within a citrus orchard and the effect that shallow mechanical incorporation had on residue movement. Simulated rainfall treatments were applied to plots within a citrus orchard ...

Apple orchard management practices may affect development and phenology of arthropod pests, such as the codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), which is a serious internal fruit-feeding pest of apples worldwide. Estimating population dynamics and accurately predicting the timing of CM development and phenology events (for instance, adult flight, and egg-hatch) allows...

Introduction New rootstocks for peaches have been recently introduced into the United States through commercial nurseries. Most all of these rootstocks are complex Prunus L. hybrids that are propagated asexually. Past experience with newly introduced Prunus rootstocks has shown that extensive testing is critical to avoid potential problems in commercial situations due to nonadaptation of some r...

Urban and peri-urban agriculture is becoming increasingly important as a source of income and food for the urban population in South Africa. This study was prompted by concerns of city authorities that soil compaction in horticultural fields that used conventional tillage practices with tractors was, not only limiting the performance of fruit and vegetable crops, but also affecting the quality ...

Introduction: Recent work by [1] indicates that the mesoside-rites are isotopically identical to the HEDs, strongly suggesting that they originate from the same parent body. One argument against this theory is the differences between the silicates within the two meteorite groups. Mesosiderite pyroxenes tend to have higher MgO concentrations and lower Fe/Mn ratios, which show a positive correlat...

In the 1996 Winter issue of Fruit Notes, we reported results of our 1995 research on plum curculio responses to unbaited “Tedders” traps. These traps are pyramidal in shape, dark in color, and are placed on the ground. They capture curculios that arrive on the trap surface and subsequently crawl upward to the tip, where they enter an inverted screen funnel (a cotton boll weevil trap top) placed...

Remote sensing can provide good alternatives for traditional in situ water status measurements in orchard crops, such as stem water potential (Ψstem). However, the heterogeneity of these cropping systems causes significant differences with regards to remote sensing products within one orchard and between orchards. In this study, robust spectral indicators of Ψstem were sought after, independent...

The estimation of site water budget is important in Mediterranean areas, where it represents a crucial factor affecting the quantity and quality of traditional crop production. This is particularly the case for spatially fragmented, multi-layer agricultural ecosystems such as olive groves, which are traditional cultivations of the Mediterranean basin. The current paper aims at demonstrating the...

The effects of silicon (Si) amendment have been studied in several plant/pathogen interactions; however, studies in horticultural tree crops are limited. Effects of amendment with soluble potassium silicate (AgSil®32, approximately 30% available Si), or milled cement building board by-products (Mineral Mulch (MM) or Mineral Dust (MD), containing 5% available Si) were investigated in field and g...