Challenges in Replanting Walnuts

Challenges in Replanting Walnuts

Patrick Cavanaugh
Patrick Cavanaugh

Planting a new Walnut orchard oftentimes requires fumigation, but there are challenges.

Carl Eidsath is the Technical Support Director for the California Walnut board, based in Folsom. “We have a nematode problem in the soil and the long time replant chemicals, methyl bromide, worked like a charm that gave 40 year protection,” Eidsath said.

But now we've been using Telone, a product from Corteva AgriScience. However, the California Department of Pesticide Regulations has placed restrictions on Telone.

“They have not ban it, but they have put more limitations and they reduced the use of it because of those extra restrictions,” said Eidsath.

There's been caps on its use within different townships of the state. “That's been there for a few years and now they want to increase the use of impermeable tarps. And when people are fumigating they need buffer zones. And DPR wants to increase those from like a hundred feet or so to like a quarter mile in some instances, which really would stop the replant using Telone. And there's no alternative right now,” he said.

In more news, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers in the UC Cooperative Extension are working with farmers to establish six demonstration sites in walnut orchards that will examine the effectiveness of mating disruption

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