- Author: Larry Godfrey
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
The straw itch mite (Pyemotes ventricosus) is a predator living in oat hay fields. It is an extremely small mite (1/125 inch long), elongate, and whitish to translucent in color. It feeds on small insects and mites in the field and also continues to feed on these organisms in hay bales. This sounds very positive and beneficial, but this mite can also be a severe pest. During the “heat of the summer” every year, there are reports of bites and dermatitis associated with handling given lots of oat hay. The straw itch mite will move out of hay bales and readily bite humans and other animals. At the time of the bite, a prickling sensation may be felt with the “full force” of...
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
- Author: Steve Orloff
‘To cut, or not to cut, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageously low prices or to harvest when the slender shoots are yet tender to the tongue” --I think Shakespeare said that.
The tradeoff between high yields and high quality in alfalfa is a quandary that farmers have wrestled with for generations. However, this has become particularly important as dairies have demanded ever higher quality for their higher-producing dairy cows. After all, the average 2013 dairy cow produces >70% more milk than a cow in 1970, and dairies have demanded higher quality forage as a result. This has meant that growers cut at increasingly shorter schedules,...
- Author: Eric T. Natwick
Growers in the Imperial Valley, CA increasingly planted alfalfa during the 1980’s in heavier soils on raised beds as the field became more available due to diminishing cotton acreage. Growing alfalfa on raised beds with furrow irrigation helped growers to better manage alfalfa planted in heavier soils. Furrow irrigation of alfalfa on raised beds also provided ideal conditions for survival of cutworms, creating chronic cutworm pest problem by mid- to late-1980’s persisting until today. In this low desert alfalfa, the granulate cutworm, Agrotis subterranea (Fabricius) became predominant cutworm replacing the variegated cutworm, Peridroma sausia (Hübner). The increase in cutworm moth activity also caused...
- Author: Tunyalee Martin
It’s that time of year again when hot weather fuels the creation of ozone, or smog. Some pesticides emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to ozone formation. Using pesticides that release VOCs may be restricted in certain California locations between May 1 and October 31.
If you plan to apply a pesticide, use the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s VOC calculators to determine emissions from fumigant and nonfumigant pesticides. Get there by clicking on the Air Quality button at the top of each treatment table in the UC IPM Pest...
- Author: Carol A Frate
It’s not that I am unpatriotic, but in this context “flags” refer to isolated dead alfalfa stems with dead leaves still attached that are surrounded by healthy stems. The “flags” are usually light colored and the tips are often curled over like a shepherd’s crook or staff.
“Flagged” stems can be caused by several pathogens but when they appear in summer, are light tan in color and have the characteristic crook at the top, it is probably because the stem is infected with the fungus Colletotrichum trifolii (Figure 1). The disease this fungus causes is called anthracnose (it has also been called southern anthracnose). The most obvious symptoms...
