Fruit Cornucopia

@samdknowlton Excellent post here! Holistic approach proves to be good for all the elements of the system, including the bottom line $. Could you please list all the sources?

Apple orchards featuring strategically planted perennial wildflower strips have up to 61% fewer pest infestations compared to orchards without flower margins. This simple approach allows for dramatic pesticide reduction and higher profit margins, especially when used as part of an integrated strategy. The rosy apple aphid and codling moth are destructive pests that damage crops by feeding on plant tissues and boring into fruit, ultimately causing significant yield losses and unmarketable produce. Due to an overreliance on chemical controls, many orchard pests have developed resistance to insecticides, and repeated applications disrupt the natural predator populations that would otherwise keep pest numbers in check. By providing habitat and nectar resources for predatory insects like hoverflies, ladybirds, and parasitoid wasps, flower strips maintain pest incidence below the damage threshold, at which point insecticide intervention would be required to save the harvest. Trees with adjacent flower strips host up to 38% more natural enemies of aphids, resulting in 15% less fruit damage from rosy apple aphids compared to control plots. Multi-year farm trials demonstrated that orchards with flower strips containing 20-30 species maintained aphid damage below economic thresholds for several consecutive years without insecticide applications. Flower strips can save growers substantial money—up $4,000 per hectare annually—as they reduce the need for pesticide inputs while also providing a necessary solution for those pests that have developed resistance to conventional controls. The benefits of flower strips are amplified when integrated with targeted biocontrols and optimized plant nutrition programs. Releasing predatory mites like Typhlodromus occidentalis achieves 85-95% control of spider mites, while entomopathogenic nematodes applied to soil target codling moth larvae during their vulnerable pupal stage, achieving 70-100% mortality rates. On the nutritional front, proper calcium management strengthens cell walls and reduces bitter pit by 70-80% while enhancing resistance to apple scab and other fungal diseases. Balanced NPK management prevents the excessive nitrogen that attracts aphids and promotes disease-susceptible growth. Boron provides enhanced pollen tube development, while simultaneously increasing nectar production in both apple blossoms and flower strip plants—creating superior food resources for the beneficial insects essential to biological pest control. Silicon creates physical barriers that reduce pest digestibility while enhancing herbivore-induced plant volatile signals to attract natural enemies from flower strips. This integrated approach – combining habitat management through flower strips, biological agents, and nutritional optimization – creates resilient orchard ecosystems that achieve significant pest reductions while cutting chemical inputs by 40-60%, generating economic returns of $3,000-4,000 per hectare in high-value apple production.

@NiccoloTribolo @mathilebrandts @TiCLme @TheKentAcorn Awe Grand wisdom of place Habitat for many Spirits and stories Respect and affection

What do you think when you see a #tree of this kind that looks like this? #Morus @mathilebrandts @TiCLme @TheKentAcorn

Nature’s lawn mowers and fire preventers, all in one! 🐐

Actually, celebrating the 9th Annual #NationalPrarieDay! moprairie.org/nationalprairi…

Celebrating 10th anniversary of #NationalPrarieDay ! Visit some native prairie close to home & appreciate the vibrantly beautiful biodiversity & resilience of these formerly vast landscapes. Let’s preserve & restore them, from rural areas to suburbia! moprairie.org/event/mpf-14th…

One of my on yellow raspberry breedings, incredibly mild tasting berries , very pretty though

A tiny beetle is killing SoCal’s mighty oaks. Attend the GSOB Blitz, June 1–15! Join local events to map goldspotted oak borer infestations. No experience needed—training provided by UCCE + partners 📍 SD, OC, Riverside, SB, LA & Ventura 🔗 bit.ly/4dwiAKD

UCCE Advisor Provides First-of-its-Kind Avocado Irrigation Data - California Agriculture News Today californiaagtoday.com/ucce-advisor-p…

Join an extraordinary gathering of scholars, artists & activists exploring what plants & fungi reveal about intelligence, relation, & survival in a time of ecological crisis. 🔗 Learn more + register: bit.ly/3EExTDN

Realized it's been a while since I posted an actual #avocado. So... here you go!

Individual Protective Covers (IPS), Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS), compost & cover crops, & other treatments (even antibiotic injecting robots) tested to protect citrus from HLB/Citrus Greening disease, which caused 90% loss of orange production over the last 20 years.

2025. Getting ahead of myself it seems...

Discussed the @UF_IFAS research on #fingerlime improvement to members of the Australian Native Fingerlime Alliance (ANFA) recently. @UFcitrus @UFIFASCitrusREC

"The funny thing happens when you start growing vegetables with children: they like it! We’re really growing people." Wise words from Waste Warrior of the Year Award winner Tony Hillery, founder of @HarlemGrown.

We are still searching for a Research Technician to work collaboratively with The Land Institute's Pheonah Nabukalu, Lead Scientist in Perennial Sorghum, and the University of Georgia Tifton to support field work and lab & greenhouse research. 🌱Apply now: ugajobsearch.com/postings/416784

@TheCleanCarClub 33 and 88

Can you find the missing number ?? Eye test 👀 One Correct Answer Wins special prize

I foraged mallow ,(#Malva neglecta) to make chips, just like kale chips, but Mallow leaves. They're really delicious! . #eatyourplants #foraging #dehydrator #forage #urbanforaging #sanfrancisco #California #veganchef #malvaneglecta

Guillermo's worked under a ufw contract for 20 years in Coachella CA. "I want to thank César Chávez for what he did for us. Because of him we have toilets, water and shade and many other things. Happy birthday, César." #WeFeedYou