Earlier this spring California had temperatures that rapidly jumped from the mid 70s to over 100F. Shortly after, citrus fruit drop became an avalanche of falling fruit in some orchards. The early citrus varieties in Kern County did not appear to be affected by the drop as much as lthe late maturing varieties. In fact, in some orchards, it looks like Mother Nature's natural thinning will improve the grower's bottom line. Past observational evidence also suggests that when these rapid changes in temperature occur when the fruit is small the following symptoms occur more frequently. Fruit of early maturing varieties of navel orange become more football shaped, Atwood navels become squash shaped and fall from the tree mid-season and puff-and-crease becomes more of a problem as the season progresses. Time will tell. (Kern County News) - Millet