Advances in Pistachio Water Management Workshop

Join UC Nut Crops Advisor Catherine Mae Culumber, Irrigation Specialists Daniele Zaccaria and Khaled Bali, Irrigation Advisor Blake Sanden, Professional Researcher Elia Scudiero, and other University of California experts in this in-person Water Management Workshop on July 7, 2022 at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, CA to learn about the latest research and advances in Pistachio Water Management and Irrigation. CEU credits for Soil & Water Management have been approved for this workshop.

Topics Include: Pistachio soil-plant-water relations, stress physiology, evapotranspiration and crop coefficients, soil-water budgeting, soil characterization and salinity mapping, tree water status, irrigation scheduling, and strategies for Pistachio irrigation management under limited and impaired water supplies. A set of irrigation-related methods, technologies, and products to help growers schedule and manage irrigation will also be presented during the Workshop.

Who Should Attend: Pistachio growers and farm managers, representatives from the pistachio production industry, irrigation consultants and practitioners, CCAs, CPAs, water resource managers, water conservation districts’ personnel, irrigation districts’ managers, extension specialists and advisors, professional researchers, university students, and representatives from state agencies.

Registration includes participation fee, coffee breaks, lunch, and access to workshop presentations

WORKSHOP AGENDA

Morning Session – (9:00 am – 1:00 pm)

8:30 – 9:00 am:        On-site Registration

9:00 – 9:15 am:        Welcome and Updates on the California Pistachio Industry (B. Klein, California Pistachio Research Board)

Block A – Basic Principles & Information for Irrigation Management – Moderator: B. Sanden  

9:15 – 9:45 am:        Water Supply Shortages and Implications for Nut Production in the San Joaquin Valley (Mike Wade, California Farm Water Coalition)

9:45 – 10:15 am       Soil-Plant-Water Relations for Pistachio Under Non-stress and Stress Conditions

(C. M. Culumber, UCCE Fresno County)

10:15 – 10:45 am:    Pistachio Nutrient Management with Limited Water (D. Amaral, UCCE Kings and Tulare Counties)

10:45 – 11:15 am:   Results from the CDFA-funded Research Project (2016-2020) on Pistachio ET and Kc

                                (D. Zaccaria, UC Davis)

11:15 – 11:30 am    COFFEE BREAK                          

Block B – Information Developed through Research Efforts – Moderator: C. M. Culumber  

11:30 – 12:00 pm:    Mapping Soil Salinity in Micro-irrigated Pistachio Orchards (E. Scudiero, UC Riverside)

12:00 – 12:30 pm:    Pistachio Tree Training, Canopy Management, and Water-related Implications

(B. Lampinen, UC Davis)

12:30 – 1:00 pm:     Real-field Irrigation Scheduling for Pistachio (B. Sanden, UCCE Kern County)

1:00 – 1:45 pm        LUNCH BREAK  

Afternoon Session: 1:45 – 4.30 pm

Block C – Water Management Aspects – Moderator: E. Scudiero

1:45 – 2:15 pm:        Advantages and Challenges of Satellite Remote Sensing of ET for Compliance with the SGMA Regulation (J. Kimmelshue, Land IQ)

2:15 – 2:45 pm         Strategies for Pistachio Irrigation Management with Limited and Impaired Water Supplies (C.M. Culumber, UCCE Fresno County)

2:45 – 3:15 pm:        Use of FRET – Forecast ETo from the National Weather Service for Prospective Irrigation Scheduling (R. Snyder/D. Zaccaria, UC Davis)

3:15 – 3:30 pm        SNACK BREAK 

Block D – Water and Energy Use – Moderator: D. Zaccaria

3:30 – 4:00 pm         Energy Supply and Demand for Pistachio Irrigation and Production (A. Aghajanzadeh, Klimate Consulting)

4:00 – 4:30 pm         Advantages and Challenges of Micro-irrigation Automation for Water and Energy Use Optimization (James Nichols, HotSpot Ag.)

4:30 pm                     WORKSHOP ADJOURN

Questions:

For registration questions, please contact Samantha Lemus: samanthl@ucr.edu

For questions regarding the Morning and Afternoon Sessions, please contact Catherine Mae Culumber (cmculumber@ucanr.edu) and Daniele Zaccaria (dzaccaria@ucdavis.edu).