- Author: Nicholas Clark
The agenda for the annual Kearney Alfalfa and Forage Field Day is set.
Where: Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center; 9240 S. Riverbend Ave.; Parlier, CA 93648
When: Wednesday, September 19, 2018 @ 7:30 AM - 12:15 PM
What: A half day of field tours, hands on demonstrations, and classroom presentations from UC Farm Advisors and Specialists as well as industry professionals. Refreshments and lunch are provided.
Cost: $0.00
1.5 "Other" DPR units have been applied for. 0.5 NM, 1.0 SWM, 1.5 IPM,...
- Author: Thomas Getts
- Author: Lynn M. Sosnoskie
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Mariano Galla
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The old saying, “Everything's fine until it's not,” comes to mind when dealing with some tough to control perennial weeds in alfalfa production during the summertime. Such was the case for an alfalfa field in the Sacramento Valley, where weed control seemed good up until mid-summer, and then it wasn't. Perennial weeds that started off small and overlooked, grew through the season, persisting through multiple cuttings, including curly dock, plantain, and nutsedge. For tough to control weeds in alfalfa fields, one needs to determine: 1) What types of perennial weeds are present, and 2) How many of them are there, to make a decision on how to manage them. These sorts of weed issues can creep up quickly in older alfalfa...
- Author: Stephanie Parreira, UC Statewide IPM Program
Help the environment this Earth Day, which falls on Sunday April 22 this year, by installing insectary plants! These plants attract natural enemies such as lady beetles, lacewings, and parasitic wasps. Natural enemies provide biological pest control and can reduce the need for insecticides. Visit the new UC IPM Insectary Plants webpage to learn how to use these plants to your advantage.
The buzz about insectary plants
Biological control, or the use of natural enemies to reduce pests, is an important component of integrated pest management. Fields and orchards may miss out on this control if they do not offer sufficient...
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
Spiny buttercup (Ranunculus muricatus) is a non-native plant, that is fairly common, especially in wet areas such as meadows. We also find it in crops, including orchards, pastures, and cereal grain fields. It's both an annual and perennial plant that blooms from March to May, with seed pods that are large and prickly. Though it's pretty with the bright yellow flowers, don't be fooled, as it has a dark side, so should be controlled.
First, according to Dr. Birgit Puschner, UC Davis Vet Med Toxicologist, all buttercups contain ranunculin, though there are differences in species in terms of toxin levels. In pastures, because the plant is bitter, animals simply eat around it. But if ingesting the fresh plant, they...
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Mariano Galla
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
- Author: Sarah Light
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Yikes, my weed control didn't work! It's springtime and you're looking at your seedling alfalfa field that you planted late last fall. You have a great stand, but you're not quite satisfied with the level of weed control despite an earlier herbicide application. You still see weeds out there, including bristly oxtongue, thistles, mustard, dandelion, and fiddleneck. You know that weed infestations can weaken young alfalfa plants, retard growth, delay the first cutting, reduce quality, and result in long term damage to crop yield and stand persistence.
The field is still a seedling stand, considered as such until at least the first hay cutting (around the 6-9 leaf stage and a crown is forming). The...