By Patrick Cavanaugh, with the Ag Information Network

With all the rainfall in many parts of the state, standing water in orchards could be a problem to those trees as it could cause anaerobic situations. Katherine Jarvis-Shean is a UCANR farm advisor based in Yolo County with additional coverage in Solano and Sacramento counties. She noted problems if that water stays standing deep in orchards.

The danger zone comes after, say four days or so, in terms of having anaerobic responses. Certainly, if you’re sitting in moisture and saturated soil for more than 24 hours, you’re in the danger zone with phytophthora infections. Which is a serious fungal disease,” she said.

“And we’re even looking at some water lines above the root zone crown. So then you get water just on a pure almond scion that can, it’s very vulnerable to phytophthora, especially aerial phytophthora,” noted Jarvis-Shean.  “It’s a good year to stay on top of your phytophthora management in terms of phosphite, and other potential phytophthora treatments for those wet orchards,” she said.