- (Public Value) UCANR: Safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians
- Author: Whitney B Brim-Deforest
- Posted by: Gale Perez
This year brings several new chemical tools to California rice. With many herbicide-resistant species as well as emerging problematic weed species, the new chemistries are a welcome tool for managing resistance and preventing the selection of resistant biotypes.
Last year, we had use of Loyant® CA Rinskor™ active (florpyrauxifen-benzyl) for the full season (registered late in 2022). Loyant®, which is an auxin mimic, is applied as a foliar product. It gives additional options for early-season control of sedges and broadleaf weeds, and although not strong on watergrasses when applied alone, provides added control when tank-mixed with other herbicides for grass control. Based on data collected in 2022-2023, two good...
- Posted by: Gale Perez
From the eOrganic and Performance and Economics of Electric Weed Control in Organic Perennial Crops Project:
Electric Weeding Research Updates
(Click HERE to see the presentations)
- Electric Weed Control in Orchards • Tong Zhen, Ph.D. student (Hanson Lab) at UC Davis
- Crop Safety and Weed Control in Organic Highbush Blueberries Using Electric Weeding • Luisa Baccin, Ph.D. student (Moretti Lab) at Oregon State University
- Author: Bradley Hanson
Several of us are part of a multi-state project on electrical weed control in organic blueberry and orchard crops. Tong Zhen is the lead grad student researcher on the UC Davis part of the project and we are working closely with our counterparts at Oregon State University (Marcelo Moretti and team) and Cornell University (Lynn Sosnoskie and team).
Tong wrote about our "first impressions" of the Zasso electrical weed control unit in 2022 and we included a demo of the equipment last year at the 2023 UC Weed Day. Tong's projects are just getting rolling for 2024 in blueberry,...
- Author: Whitney B Brim-Deforest
- Author: Roberta Firoved
- Posted by: Gale Perez
California rice growers will have a new herbicide available this year: Cliffhanger™, manufactured by Gowan Company. The active ingredient is benzobicyclon, which is the same as one of the two active ingredients in the currently registered herbicide, Butte®. Cliffhanger™ is a soluble liquid formulation (SC) which can be applied by ground-rig or airplane, including as a direct-stream application into the water. In contrast, Butte® is a granular formulation, as a pre-formulated mixture of benzobicyclon and halosulfuron. To use either product, applicators must attend a training and be certified.
Dates for the training are posted on the California Rice Commission calendar
- Author: Whitney B Brim-Deforest
- Posted by: Gale Perez
Background
White water fire (Bergia capensis) was found in September of 2023, by the Butte County Agricultural Commissioner's office in a rice field in Butte County. The weed was identified by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA.) It is the first find of this weed in California, and possibly in the United States. It is native to Africa, southern China, and tropical Asia, and it is known to be in rice fields in Europe, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. It was likely transported in seed to rice-growing areas and has been established in those locations for many years.
In Butte County, the weed was only found in one rice field, and the Agricultural...
