US (CA): Citrus bloom arriving very early

The Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner’s office declared bloom in District 1, mostly in the Porterville area, beginning today. During the declaration spraying is limited to protect bees that thrive on the sweet nectar orange blossoms produce.
“It is early,” agreed Bob Blakley with California Citrus Mutual. “The earliest date historically was March 22,” he added.

The bloom is critical to the county’s $750 million industry that has been rocked by pests, cold and now a lack of water.

Tom Tucker, assistant agricultural commissioner, said normally they do not declare a citrus bloom until around the first of April. However, with temperatures consistently in the upper 60s and often in the mid- to upper-70s, all crops are well ahead of average. The temperature this weekend is predicted to be in the 80s, maybe even the 90s in some areas. It is one of the earliest dates ever to see a temperature that high, said Scott Borgioli, chief meteorologist with WeatherAg.

Tucker said some growers have already begun harvesting earlier varieties of valencia oranges, also earlier than on average. There was concern that valencias may have had damage from the freeze as well, but so far that has not surfaced.

Despite the warmer weather and the new flush on orange trees, there have been no new discoveries of Asian citrus psyllids in Tulare County.

The last reported discovery of a psyllid was in late January. In the past 12 months, there have been more than a dozen separate discoveries of the bug and that has led to most of the citrus growing region of the county being put under a quarantine.

Source: recorderonline.com