Every summer, fruit seems to hit its main-character era. Farmers' markets overflow with peaches that perfume the air before you even take a bite. Watermelon becomes a personality trait. Berries somehow disappear from the refrigerator within hours. It's a season that reminds us how extraordinary simple food can be.

As California enters the peak growing season, walnut, almond, and olive growers are shifting their focus from spring growth to protecting crop quality through the hottest months of the year. Every irrigation decision, disease treatment, and orchard management practice made today plays a major role in determining harvest quality later this season.

If you've ever looked at your irrigation water and thought, "Looks clean to me," you're definitely not alone. The problem is, some of the biggest threats to your irrigation system are things you can't see.