Pistachio CDFA Specialty Crop Project Zone Irrigation Workshop

Fresno State has several blocks of Pistachios on the 900 acre Fresno State Farm Laboratory.  The original blocks of Pistachios were planted over 25 years ago but in the last few years, additional new plantings of young pistachio orchards have been added as well as new irrigation equipment installed on various new plantings.  This project will highlight the progress and equipment used to irrigate and fertilize the younger blocks of Pistachios.  These new installations employ zone irrigation systems which have been laid out according to soil mapping models to precisely give the right amount of water and fertilizer to each plant.

Kevin Wren from Cal West Rain will present how the mapped blocks were laid out and the corresponding zone irrigation installed, describing the types of drip emission devices and concepts.  The workshop will commence at CIT with a classroom session and then a field trip will be taken to the site on the Fresno State Farm Laboratory to look at the valves and system layout.  Lunch will be served immediately after.