JULY | AUGUST 2016
Almond Facts
35
SOLID STAINLESS STAPLES
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ABRICATION
Sales: Jennifer (661) 746-6242
(661) 203-5544
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on the statement growers receive along
with their Delivery Advance Payment.
Collecting a harvest sample is easy.
In each block of concern, collect 500
nuts from the ground after shaking
and place them in a paper bag. Two
samples of 250, or 4 samples of 125
nuts from differing areas of the block
can also be collected, but try to keep
the total number of nuts per block at
500. Store the bags in a freezer until
they can be cracked out. This may be
several weeks after harvest. Check for
signs of pests and disease once crackout
is possible. Compare damaged nuts to
pictures found at the UC IPM website:
http:\\www.ucipm.ucdavis.edu. A hand
sheller can be helpful in processing
many samples. It can take 60 to 90
minutes for each sample depending on
size. Five hundred nuts split into four
125 nut samples should suffice for a
40-acre block.
Understanding the types and intensity
of damage to harvested nuts allows the
development of the most cost-effective
methods to manage orchard pests. If
orchard practices are changed for a
season, a harvest sample can provide
information on whether the changed
practices affect marketable yields.
Dust Management
A major concern when harvesting
is dust stirred up by harvesting
equipment. To reduce dust, consider
oiling or wetting roads, maintaining
clean orchard floors, using correct
settings on the sweeper head, reducing
blower passes, and reducing harvester
speed to allow more time for gravity
separation. Also, when working near the
edges of fields, it is important to blow
inward so canopies can naturally filter
the dust. These practices are important
in all operations, but are of greater
concern when near roads, schools,
homes, or other residential areas.
Continued on page 36
