- Author: Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
A consultant recently brought in some alfalfa plants to get another opinion on why growth was resuming slowly this spring. The field is located in Merced County and is a sandy loam soil. The field is in its fifth year, is glyphosate-tolerant, and has traditionally produced high-quality hay. About 5 acres of a 40-acre field are affected.
There are many reasons why growth may resume slowly this spring. The obvious reason, of course, is that we received a lot of rain this winter. With that rain has come associated problems from cool, anoxic (lack of oxygen) soil conditions. A previous blog article describes things to...
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
Yellow plants equals nitrogen deficits—right? Maybe not!
When we have a very wet winter or spring, alfalfa fields may look yellow with diseased-looking leaves and delayed growth.
As farmers know, yellowing of leaves is a strong indication that nitrogen (N) may be limiting in the crop. Certainly that's true with corn, tomato, or wheat. It may also be the case in alfalfa too – but since alfalfa is a legume, it gets most of its N from biological nitrogen fixation (N2 fixation from bacteria which colonizes the roots, forming nodules), not from the soil. This ability enables alfalfa to grow well even on sandy N-depleted soils. N fertilizers are generally not recommended...
- Author: Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
- Author: Mick Canevari
A land manager recently contacted me with questions about overseeding alfalfa. Her alfalfa stand is diminishing but not to the point of giving up on it. Rachael Long, Yolo County farm advisor, Dan Putnam, UC Davis alfalfa specialist, and Mick Canevari, San Joaquin County farm advisor emeritus, presented on this topic at the Alfalfa and Forage Symposium a few years back and wrote up a proceedings paper on this topic. Additionally, there is a production manual which is available...
- Author: Nicholas Clark
Join us at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center for a half day of demonstrations and education on managing pertinent issues in alfalfa and forage production in the San Joaquin Valley.
DATE: September 14, 2016
TIME: Registration starts at 7:30 AM
Tram tour leaves at 8:00 AM
Meeting ends at 12:30 PM with LUNCH
WHERE: Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Building 114, Nectarine Room
...
/h3>- Author: Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
A crop consultant brought in some alfalfa plants and asked if I could help identify the problem. In the field, he was observing stunted plants with shortened internodes and suspected stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci). What seemed different this year is that he was seeing these stunted plants intermingled among healthy plants, and in the past, he was accustomed to seeing stunted plants in groups.
Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that use their stylet, or needle-like mouthpart, to puncture plant cells and suck out their contents. The alfalfa stem nematode lives and feeds in the stems and crown of the plant. Symptoms of infection include plant stunting, shortened...