The 2019-20 California navel crop is down 7% from last season, according to the first U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate.
With harvest expected to begin in October, the California navel orange forecast is 76 million (40-pound) cartons, down 7% percent from the previous year, the USDA said Sept. 12.
Of the total navel orange crop in California, the USDA said 73 million cartons are estimated to be in the central valley.
Cara cara variety navel orange production in the central valley is forecast at 6 million cartons, the report said. The varieties included in the USDA forecast included conventional, organic, and specialty navel oranges (including cara cara and blood orange varieties).
Survey data indicated a fruit set per tree of 319, below the five-year average of 366, according to the forecast. The average Sept. 1 diameter was 2.169 inches, about 2% below the five-year average of 2.225 inches. The cara cara orange set was 268 with a diameter of 2.185 inches.
