Subject: Citrus publication
From: [email-masked]
Date: 23 Jun 1994 19:12:11 -0400
Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture

Citrus Groundwater Publication Available

      Citrus growers and anyone concerned with groundwater issues
 will be interested in a new publication, "Protecting Groundwater
 Quality in Citrus Production."  The 38-page book was published by
 University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources
 Publications.  The author is Chuck Ingels of the UC Sustainable
 Agriculture Research & Education Program (SAREP), housed at UC Davis.
      Preventing groundwater contamination from pesticides and
 nitrate has become one of the most pressing environmental
 problems in agriculture.  The three main herbicides used in
 citrus production have been found in hundreds of wells in the San
 Joaquin Valley.  As a result, the use of these herbicides is
 restricted in many areas.  Fertilizers used in citrus production
 can lead to nitrate leaching, especially on the sandy soils where
 many citrus orchards are located.  This book offers practical and
 economical methods for reducing the movement of agricultural
 chemicals to groundwater.
      The book details the seriousness of the groundwater
 contamination problem in California, how chemicals move from
 farms to groundwater, and the history of nitrogen and weed
 management in the California citrus industry.  It presents
 diverse management strategies for both protecting groundwater and
 maintaining yields and fruit quality.  Practices discussed
 include wellhead protection and creative techniques for managing
 nitrogen, weeds, and irrigation.  The book also provides the most
 thorough coverage available about cover cropping in citrus.  It
 examines the limitations of cover cropping and suggests
 strategies that can be used to overcome these drawbacks.
      "Protecting Groundwater in Citrus Production" can be ordered
 from ANR Publications, University of California, 6701 San Pablo
 Avenue, Oakland, CA 94608-1239 (510) 642-2431.  The price is
 $5.00.  For information about the book, contact Chuck Ingels by
 phone at (916) 757-3276 or by e-mail: [email-masked].

Lyra Halprin
Senior Writer
UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program
Davis, CA 95616
(916) 752-8664
[email-masked]