Tulare County has a new walnut rootstock observation block containing rootstocks recently generated by the Walnut Improvement Program (WIP) at UC Davis.  The last rootstock observation block in the southern San Joaquin Valley was planted in 2007 and does not contain the newest experimental genotypes that have emerged from the WIP.

The new observation block was planted at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center on April 11, 2016 and contains four experimental rootstocks and 4 commercial rootstocks including VX211, Vlach, RX1, and seedling Paradox.  All rootstocks were June-budded to the ‘Chandler' variety. The Tulare block is only one of six walnut rootstock trials established throughout the walnut growing regions of California. The project is supported by an SCRI (Specialty Crops Research Initiative) grant and by the Walnut Board of California.

Caliper diameter was measured below the graft union after planting.