PrintMechanical pollination rarely supplements bee pollination
California citrus growers told to brace for HLB
Biotechnology's environmental benefits
Citing an estimate for a 2016 crop of 725 million to 800-plus million pounds, California Pistachio Research Board (CPRB) Manager Bob Klein said, “A lot of bad things could happen between now and then. That could happen, but I will be surprised to see it quite that high.”
Klein was surprised by last year’s yields, saying, “I never thought I would see a year with less than 400 million pounds.”
Already, he said chill levels this winter are about 50 percent greater than last year. Precipitation is much higher with 8 inches in the Fresno area by late January, compared to a 4.5 inch average.
Klein pointed to big bounces upward that followed bad years with spikes in 2004 and 2000.
