ANR Peer Reviewed Publications

Nitrogen management in organic systems is challenging because complex organic forms of nitrogen originating from compost, manures, crop residue, and other organic materials must be converted by microbes into mineral forms of nitrogen to become plant-available. This overview and worksheet will help you estimate a nitrogen budget.

As a California native species, blue elderberry supports a diversity of native pollinators and wildlife and contributes to the conservation of native plant communities. Additionally, it is fast growing and well adapted to many parts of California and also qualifies as a unique and distinctive local product with increasing market demand.

This publication reports on a 2019 research project that involved damage assessment of hemp plants sprayed with a variety of herbicides. Awareness of such herbicide damage could benefit growers who plant hemp in diversified field-crop situations.

Burrowing rodents can cause extensive damage in organic production systems. The three most common species that cause damage are California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus spp.), Pocket Gophers (Thomomys spp.), and the Meadow vole (Microtus spp.)

This publication outlines management within organically acceptable methods using an IPM approach.

Since stock ponds are not flat bottomed, the simplest way to monitor water volume is with a depth-capacity curve showing the total volume stored at various water levels throughout the season. You can use this publication to develop a pond curve, if one is not available for your stock water pond. You'll be walked through the steps needed to develop a pond curve - including data collection, instructions on using an ANR online app to develop your curve, how to determine volume.

Contingency for drought should be part of every grower’s business plan in California. This publication outlines a range of strategies to consider for growing vegetables under a limited water supply: Evaluate Options for Maximizing Production and ProfitabilityIncrease Irrigation EfficiencyReduce Evaporation and Transpiration LossesTake Advantage of Winter Rainfall InfiltrationDevelop and Use Alternate Water Supplies

California's Sacramento Valley is world renowned as a premier location for sunflower seed production. Hybrid sunflower seed production must follow strict standards to meet California state export mandates for all certified sunflower fields. These include crop rotation, weed and disease control, simultaneous bloom of male and female lines, and field isolation in time and space to ensure varietal purity.This publication addresses all aspects of production for growing certified seed including:Land Selection, Crop Rotation, Seedling Rate and Timing, Pollination, Soil Fertility and FertilizersIrrigation, Pest Management, Abiotic Disorders, Harvesting and Processing, Cleaning, Grading, and Marketing

In California, garbanzos are grown primarily as a high-end specialty product for the canning industry. To meet this market demand, canning-quality garbanzo beans must be creamy colored, have a large, uniform seed size, and maintain firmness after canning with no seed splitting or skin peeling. There is also a market for the large seeded, dry-packaged garbanzo beans. California’s Mediterranean climate provides ideal growing conditions for this market segment. This publication covers production from seed selection to harvesting and markets.

When water is in short supply, growers must estimate how much water their crops require, as well as how much water is available, to determine how much land can be planted and irrigated. Growers can arrive at these estimates by performing calculations that take into account crop water requirements such as evapotranspiration and salt management; available irrigation water; and available non-irrigation water sources such as rainfall, fog, and shallow groundwater. Performing these calculations will allow growers to make informed decisions about how many acres to plant.

Esta publicación provee información sobre cómo mantener vivas las plantas del exterior durante una sequía y bajo restricciones sobre el uso del agua. Entre los temas abordados se incluyen los síntomas que muestran las plantas bajo estrés por falta de agua, consejos para ahorrar agua en su paisaje, métodos para ayudar a que ciertas plantas sobrevivan una sequía y consideraciones para plantar un paisaje resistente a la sequía.