- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
There is no question that managing pests in alfalfa is a challenge. But it’s even more of a challenge considering that we need to consider how our chemical tools impact our environment. Why is this is important? Two reasons: 1) no grower wants to pollute our natural waterways or wells, 2) ultimately unwanted environmental impacts will cause the loss of these pesticide tools over time. This became evident last year when the detection of the herbicide Velpar (hexazinone) in wells caused DPR to threaten to pull the registration. After hearings with members of the California Alfalfa & Forage Association and scientists in Sacramento, ultimately growers were able to keep Velpar, but it should have been a wake-up...
- Author: Vonny M. Barlow
- Author: Pete Goodell
Announcing the upcoming Alfalfa Integrated Pest Management Workshop to be held Friday, February 22, 2013 at the UC Riverside Palm Desert Center. This workshop builds on the success of the 2009 Hands-on Diagnostic Workshop in Sparks NV and 2010 Managing Pests While Protecting the Environment Workshop at Kearney Ag Center. Using a similar approach, we will provide ample time for interaction between participants and the presenters and offer a well-rounded experience with lecture and hands-on activities.
Who Should Attend: Pest Control Advisors, IPM Professionals, Alfalfa Producers and...
- Author: Vonny M. Barlow
- Author: Larry Godfrey
Alfalfa weevil overwinters as an adult in field trash or other secluded hiding places and emerges in late winter or early spring. Soon after emergence and mating, the adult females begin inserting their eggs into the alfalfa stems, and hatching larvae make their way up the stem to feed on alfalfa terminals and drop to spin a cocoon and pupate by early summer. This species generally has only one generation a year. To sample for weevil larvae, divide the field into 4 or more sections and take 5 sweeps in each section. Divide the total number of weevil larvae by the total number of sweeps to get the field average. The treatment threshold is an average of 20 larvae per sweep. More information is available at the UC IPM Pest Management...
- Author: Roger A. Baldwin
One of the most damaging pests of alfalfa is the pocket gopher. A recent study estimated that, when present, pocket gophers resulted in an 8.8% loss in revenue. The damage that pocket gophers cause to alfalfa can be quite varied but includes consumption of tap roots and above-ground vegetation that can result in reduced vigor and/or mortality of alfalfa plants, loss of irrigation water down burrow systems, and chewing on underground irrigation lines. Pocket gopher mounds can result in additional problems including serving as weed seed beds, burying of plants, and causing damage to farm equipment.
A number of options are currently available for controlling pocket gophers but most control centers on toxic baits,...
- Author: Carol A Frate
We’ve had some pretty low morning temperatures lately in the San Joaquin Valley. How does alfalfa react to that?
Established Plants I think most of us know that established plants in the San Joaquin Valley can withstand temperatures in the 20’s (Fahrenheit) unless plants are already weak or stressed by other factors such as disease or nematodes, or if very low temperatures continue day and night for several days. If there is significant growth since the last cutting, a hard frost will kill some stems but crowns are protected by foliage and soil. New stems grow from buds below the soil surface. Dead stems usually are incorporated into the first cutting,...