Besides A Leafing Out Problem, the 2020 Almond crop is Looking Great all Across the State

In Northern California, Luke Milliron, is a UCANR Orchard Systems, Farm Advisor serving Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties. We asked them what's top of mind and almond orchards in his area. “It’s obviously the fabulous crop we're looking at across the state. The trees are continuing to adjust and drop some nuts that aren't filling, but the crop overall still looks excellent here in the Northern Sacramento Valley,” Milliron said.

However, there's an unusual leafing out problem on some almond varieties in some areas. “The main thing that has been top of mind in terms of my research inquiry, and discussions with other academics, has been this leaf out problems that we've seen in the Monterey variety as well as several other varieties. We’re trying to figure out what might be behind that.

Milliron said that he and other researchers are not sure if it's the same issue afflicting each variety. “It’s been on Monterey, Bennett Hickman, Nonpareil and the Butte variety,” Milliron said. “However, I would characterize this, at least in the case of Monterrey, which is where I have seen it mainly, as being a problem where you have whole branches that have nuts, but they don't have any leaves or the leaves were really late to start producing.”

Fortunately, it's not a widespread problem across the state.