Pear Production in Sacramento County
Sacramento County has about 6,000 acres of pears, mostly along the Sacramento River in the Courtland/Walnut Grove area, but extending from south of Freeport to Isleton. Sacramento is the state’s leading pear producing county, with about half the tonnage being produced here. In 2006, 6,482 acres were harvested, with a value of $28 million (77,123 tons were sold for processing, 29,986 tons were sold for fresh consumption, and 9,567 tons were sold for juice).
The pear industry in Sacramento County dates back to the 1800s. Many orchards were planted over a century ago by the growers’ grandfathers or great grandfathers, and many of these same trees continue to produce commercial crops among younger interplanted trees. Pears are mainly grown adjacent to the Sacramento River and nearby sloughs, where the soils are relatively deep. Pears are ideal for these soils, since they can tolerate periodic flooding and soil saturation by high water tables more than most other tree crops. Pear acreage statewide has steadily decreased over the past several years.
Pears are subject to several serious insect and disease pest problems. Codling moth is the most serious insect pest, and methods used to control it affect other insect and mite pest problems. Most growers use pheromone mating disruption, where the same scent that female moths use to attract male moths is released into the orchard atmosphere, preventing males from finding a mating with females. The practice works well under low population levels, but an insecticide application is often still required to keep populations low. Fire blight is the most serious disease problem in this area and in many years it is the most costly pest problem. Management of fire blight requires multiple antibiotic sprays in the spring and several passes through the orchard with a cutting crew to remove “strikes”; often severe cuts must be made, resulting in lost production for two or more years. Pear scab is also problematic in some years, although it is usually not as severe here as in North Coast orchards.
Wine Grape Production in Sacramento County
Wine Grape Production in Sacramento County. As in much of the state, acreage of wine grapes in Sacramento County increased rapidly during the 1990s. According to the 2006 Sacramento County Crop & Livestock Report, there were 25,496 harvested acres of wine grapes, with a value of nearly $73 million dollars - the leading commodity in Sacramento County.
The main varieties growing in Sacramento County are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and many growers have planted blocks of less common varieties such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Petite Sirah. Unlike pears, wine grapes are produced throughout the southern part of the county and the majority of the vineyard acreage is owned by operations based outside of Sacramento County. Also, there are no wineries here yet, although a few very small wineries are underway, and grapes are shipped dozens to hundreds of miles away. Sacramento County contains a portion of two crush districts: the Lodi district, east of Interstate 5, and the Clarksburg district west of I-5.
Pests of Grapes. Wine grape pest management in most varieties is usually relatively easy, and most pests can be controlled by several products and cultural practices. Vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus) has taken hold throughout the region, and several insecticides are available for its control. Grape leafhopper, spider mite, and omnivorous leaf roller (OLR) are the main arthropod pests, and in most cases can be easily controlled, if control is necessary at all.
Eutypa dieback is the leading disease problem here, and no control method is currently available; late pruning (Feb. to early March) is recommended but is often not practical. Powdery mildew and bunch rot pose problems each year. For powdery mildew, dusting and/or spraying with sulfur and/or any of a number of fungicides is required for all varieties, and for bunch rot, control strategies are required on tight clustered varieties.