Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1413164
everything wet," he said. "I can also fertilize differently because I have situations where my Nonpareils need 90 pounds of nitrogen, but my Montereys may only need 60 pounds. It makes us a lot more efficient and keeps us in the game longer since our costs are increasing." Parra's satisfaction with his dendrometer installation – about three devices per variety on each 50-acre block – came with a learning curve. "It takes a lot to change how you do things, but I had to learn how to adjust – so did my team, my irrigators and even my dad for that matter," he said. One of the biggest changes for Parra came in the frequency of irrigation, which also resulted in using less water overall. Prior to the dendrometer installations, he usually irrigated 36 to 48 hours per week. Post installation, irrigation events were closer to 24 hours per week. "Irrigations were more split up, used less water, but happened more frequently," he said. "The tree got what it needed, when it needed it, as opposed to trying to fill the glass at the beginning of the week and hoping it would be enough to last the week." Parra noted that more frequent irrigations also meant changes to how he managed labor. More attention to identifying and fixing leaks and adjusting timing of spraying programs for herbicide treatments were required. However, Parra feels that these modifications have been well worth the benefits he has experienced. "We have healthier trees, use less water and the dendrometers have taken a lot of the guess work out of irrigation," he said. "Before, we relied on a water schedule spreadsheet, some probe readings and a lot of visual indicators and experience. The dendrometers became another tool that we were able to incorporate to really hone in on our water use." Tom Devol, Senior Manager of Field Outreach & Education at ABC Listen to Sal Parra, Jr. discuss his experience using dendrometers on Episode 5 of The Almond Journey Podcast, presented by the Almond Board of California (ABC). This podcast series explores how growers, handlers and other stakeholders are making things work in their operations to drive the almond industry forward. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. A Dendrometer is One of Many Tools in the Irrigation Toolbox Growers rely on many tools to help manage irrigation decisions related to timing, frequency and volume. For Sal Parra, Jr., the use of a dendrometer is another tool in his toolbox for making these decisions. Dendrometers have been around a long time and their use as a management decision tool in almonds is relatively new, going back just over a decade. They can be extremely effective in indicating how much stress a tree is under daily, signaling that irrigation needs to take place. However, dendrometers won't tell a grower how much water is available in the soil or the evapotranspiration. That's when growers need to turn to other tools in the toolbox, such as weather data and evapotranspiration rates and soil moisture monitors. Using accurate weather data can forecast how much water a grower needs to replace. A soil moisture sensor then helps growers understand where the water that was replaced ended up. Was it applied too quickly and it went through the root zone, did it stay in the root zone for the tree to access or did it run off? I encourage growers to review ABC's Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum, a comprehensive resource of all the tools available for making irrigation management and scheduling decisions. 1 Growers can also email me at TDevol@almondboard.com for an in-the-orchard visit or phone consultation to discuss site-specific irrigation issues. ALMOND ORCHARD 2025 GOAL 1 Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum: https://www.almonds.com/almond-industry/orchard- management/water-and-irrigation/Irrigation-Improvement-Continuum Almond Board of California 4