Irrigation software to have data on cabbage, artichokes
UCCE irrigation farm advisor Michael Cahn has reported that carton yield of red cabbage was maximized with the 100% ET treatment. Cahn, who has written extensively on vegetable irrigation, reported that “total water applied to 100% ET treatment was 16 inches to carton harvest and 20 inches to bulk harvest. Yield and quality of cabbage can be optimized with drip irrigation.” He said the CropManage recommen- dations “optimized irrigation scheduling of red cabbage.” The bulk cabbage yield was also optimal at 100% of crop ET, according to UC stan- dards for cabbage. California growers harvest 15,000 acres of cabbage, most of it from fields in the southern areas of the Central Coast re- gion. The state also leads the nation in ar- The program offers four founding tracks: the Farm to School K-12 Procurement and Education Grant; the Farm to School Partnership Grant; the Farm to Early Care and Education Grant; and the Farm to School Producer Grant. To view the request for applications, access the online portal through which applications must be submitted. To regis- ter for informational webinars about each funding track, visit the program webpage
tichokes, with more than 7,000 acres con- centrated near the Castroville area. Artichoke irrigation standards were also evaluated by applying 50%, 75%, 100%, 125% and 150% of the water ET standard in two years of trials at Ocean Mist Farms and USDA fields. Yields were not significantly different the first year of the artichoke study, because rain near harvest time skewed the results, but the second year showed that 100% of crop ET led to the best crop. Researchers say the next step will be to evaluate CropManage recommendations in more commercial red cabbage and arti- choke fields before an updated CropManage model is released for public use. (Bob Johnson is a reporter in Monterey County. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.) at www.cdfa.ca.gov/caf2sgrant/. The California Budget Act of 2021 in- cluded a $60 million, one-time general fund allocation to sustain and expand the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, with $30 million allocated for fis- cal year 2021-22 and $30 million allocated for fiscal year 2022-23. For assistance and questions related to the Farm to School Incubator Grant Program process,emailcafarmtoschool@cdfa.ca.gov.
By Bob Johnson University of California Cooperative Extension researchers are adding cabbage and artichoke data to software that helps growers make more precise irrigation and fertilizer calculations. CropManage software allows growers, ranch managers or pest control advisors to register a field and enter information in the software on what was planted and when. They are also able to enter results of laboratory or field soil nitrogen tests. The program then adds soil information from the U.S. Geological Survey and weath- er details from the California Irrigation Management Information System. In addition, the program includes re- sults of University of California studies on how much water and nitrogen crops need at various stages of development. It offers recommendations on when and how much to irrigate and fertilize. More information may be found at cropmanage.ucanr.edu. CropManage was first developed for lettuce. It has since been expanded to also include broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, toma- toes, spinach, strawberries, raspberries, al- monds, walnuts, pistachios, alfalfa and corn. The process of adding cabbage and arti- chokes to that list follows trials conducted to confirm the reliability of UC standards
for how much water those crops use over the course of the season. This was done by applying 50%, 75%, 100%, 125% and 150% of the water evapo- transpiration standard in two years of red cabbage trials at Dole and U.S. Department of Agriculture fields in the Salinas area. Precise irrigation saves water and ener- gy needed to move it. It also reduces the amount of nitrogen leaching below the root zone. Irrigation is connected to nitro- gen management because microirrigation systems that predominate in Central Coast vegetables deliver seasonal nutrients through drip lines.
Applications open for incubator program California Department of Food and Agriculture is accepting applications for the 2022 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program.
The program will award competitive grants to support projects that cultivate eq- uity, nurture students, build climate resil- ience, and create scalable and sustainable change. Applicants may apply to multiple tracks based on eligibility and project type. The application deadline is 5 p.m. July 6.
May 18, 2022 Ag Alert 9
Powered by FlippingBook