- Author: Ria DeBiase
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Steve Orloff
- Author: Peter B Goodell
- View More...
Newly-revised Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Guidelines for alfalfa have been published and now available on-line with new sections, videos, and decision support tools. These cover all areas of pest management including
- Insects
- Diseases
- Weeds
- Vertebrates
- Cultural practices
An overview of all the guidelines can be seen at: UC IPM Alfalfa Pest Management Guidelines.
ID that Leaf Spot!! While the fear of drought may be washed away for the season, waterlogged soils may...
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
Why do my alfalfa leaves look spotty??
Common leaf spot (Pseudopeziza medicaginis) has been very common in some alfalfa fields this spring due to our wet weather! Symptoms include small circular, brown-to-black spots on the leaves. As the disease progresses, infected leaves turn yellow and drop. Although the disease does not kill plants, defoliation reduces plant vigor, hay quality, and yield, especially with leaf loss during drying and harvesting.
Common Leaf Spot (Pseudopeziza medicaginis) in alfalfa - symptoms are small (.12 inch) circular brown/black spots on leaves, leaves turn yellow and drop. Brown fruiting bodies (apothecia) can be seen within the spots with a hand...
- Author: Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
The annual UC Davis Small Grains and Alfalfa Field Day will take place on Thursday, May 11, 2017 at the Agronomy Field Headquarters (2400 Hutchison Drive, Davis, CA 95616). Registration opens at 7:45am, and lunch is provided between the small grains morning program and alfalfa afternoon program. The event is free and open to the public, and continuing education credits will be available. Directions are as follows:
The field day is located on Hutchison Drive, just west of Davis. Take the Hwy. 113 exit north from I-80, or Hwy. 113 south from Woodland. Exit west on Hutchison Drive. Take a right at the first roundabout, a left at the second roundabout, and the Agronomy Headquarters is about ¼ mile down in a...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
UC Cooperative Extension entomologist Larry Godfrey, a 26-year member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty and widely known for his research on applied insect ecology and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, died April 18, succumbing to cancer. He was 60.
Dr. Godfrey was internationally acclaimed for his research on rice and cotton. He was heavily involved in developing IPM to maintain the sustainability of California agriculture, seeking “to reduce the ‘footprint' of agriculture on the environment and society, and to advance the science of entomology and applied insect ecology.”
At UC Davis, he...
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
- Author: Peter B Goodell
- Author: Larry Godfrey
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
It's not clear that alfalfa growers fully knew that one of the most widely-used insecticides in their crop was about to be completely eliminated from use nationwide.
But it was - nearly. NOT an April Fools Day joke!
A complete withdraw of ‘tolerances' (legal uses) for chlorpyrifos (Lorsban, Lock-on) was scheduled for 31 March, 2017 but on 29th March, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a decision that it would not proceed forward at this time with a revocation of all uses for this pesticide. Links to the EPA decision press release can be found