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The county farm advisors in California are responsible to develop and distribute county newletters to subtropical fruit farmers. The purpose of these newsletters is to appraise growers of emerging research developments and discuss topics of current importance. There is often repitition of information and duplication of mailing lists resulting in costly and innefficient use of the University's limited resources.
A cooperative effort between the California Avocado Society, the Citrus Research Board, and University of California farm advisors involved with subtropical fruit production has resulted in Subtropical Fruit News. This newsletter greatly improves Cooperative Extension's outreach education programs, makes better use of limited resources, yet retains the identity of each advisor and the county or region they serve. This newsletter should serve as a model for other extension programs looking toward maximizing efficiency.
Many citrus growers are hesitant to plant cover crops, particularly perennial types, because of possible increased frost hazard. To quantify the increased risk, temperature relations over a 3-year period were compared between areas in a `Valencia' orange orchard with and without a partial perennial cover crop. The partial perennial cover crop consisted of a mowed perennial planting along the double drip line hoses, and an annually fall-replanted unirrigated strip of groundcover in the middle between the tree rows. This partial perennial cover crop increased the frost hazard compared to uncultivated bare ground even when wind machines were operating.