Funding for this project was received in December 2018. The treatment blocks were flagged in both groves. Dataloggers and soil moisture probes were purchased and installed in both locations and are currently recording soil moisture every hour. In each grove, 30 minirhizotron tubes were installed 2 ft from the trunk and 1.5 ft into the soil. These will be used to monitor root growth in the cover crop treatments and assess the impact of the treatments on root health and development. Soil and leaf samples were collected to determine pretreatment tree and soil nutrient concentrations and microbial community composition. Pretreatment assessments of total weed coverage and weed density by type and species were also made. Canopy size measurements were made to determine preliminary trees size characteristics. The first draft of a grove management survey has been prepared. Preparation is underway for the winter/spring cover crop mix to be planted in the next two weeks. Postdoctoral and graduate student candidates have been identified, and interviews are being conducted. Data collection will continue in the next quarter to capture fruit yield and other variables on the project.