SJC and Delta Field Crops

I have been trapping armyworms in Delta rice since 2016, after the industry experienced an outbreak in 2015. Monitoring involves scouting for damage and deployment of pheromone bucket traps that catch the moths (Figure 1).

I have received a couple calls this year from growers and a PCA about root scarring in alfalfa fields. These observations were a bit of a head scratcher for all of us. At one of the fields, I noticed what looked to be a wireworm on the root, so that was throwing me off (Figure 1).

Over the last few years, I have been working on a project to characterize a suite of soil health properties in alfalfa receiving full and deficit irrigation.

I have visited a few fields - and have spoken on the phone about a few more - where the alfalfa has been slow to start growing this spring. Based on my observations, and some feedback from colleagues, we came up with the following thoughts on why this might be happening.

UC Cooperative Extension will host a Weedy Rice Meeting on Thursday, March 31, 2022 from 10:00am to 11:30am. The meeting location is the Cabral Agricultural Center in Stockton (2101 E. Earhart Ave., Stockton, CA 95206). A printable version of the agenda is attached at the bottom of this post.