- 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,...
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
“A stitch in time saves nine” – (e.g. one little repair saves a big one...but of course, who stitches anymore?)
For the majority of you out there who don't sew, here’s the point: Maybe, just maybe, it is a good idea to prevent something bad from happening rather than waiting for it to happen!
Such is the case for the prevention of weed resistance in Roundup-Ready (glyphosate-tolerant) alfalfa. In a recent posting on the UC Weed Science Blog, Dr. Brad Hanson (Weed Science Specialist, UC Davis) points out the need for prevention of weed resistance in...
- Author: Andre S Biscaro
- Author: Steve Orloff
Within-field yield variability is often observed by growers while managing and harvesting their fields, however, it is difficult to determine the boundaries and magnitude of such variability. Identifying and understanding the causes of yield spatial variability can be extremely useful for improved crop and soil management and consequently maximizing production efficiency. Yield monitoring technology was developed approximately 20 years ago in Europe and in the Midwestern US with the objective of mapping yield variability of grain and soybean crops using mass-flow sensors and GPS installed on combines. In addition to grain crops, different concepts of yield monitoring technology have evolved over time for crops like sugar cane, coffee,...
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
For those of you who are tired of the never-ending fiscal cliff debacle and other (more disturbing) news - here's something to lighten your day for the Holiday season.
A video posted by Kansas farming brothers on the value of agriculture in producing food is hilarious but also a little more than a wee-bit informative. But mostly fun.
Set to the world-wide internet hit 'gangnam style' (which I thought meant something like 'horsey style', but really refers to a place in Seoul, Korea), this shows the passions of the younger generation for their chosen profession. Among the lyrics:
"We love agriculture, and we want the world to know it.”
