- (Public Value) UCANR: Safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians
- Author: Daniel H. Putnam
For all of those interested in alfalfa and grain crops (small grains, sorghum), you may want to attend the 2023 UC Davis Field Day on 11 May. Varieties, pest management, irrigation, etc. See below.
PCA/CCA CE CREDITS PENDING
Guaranteed weather!!! (yes we guarantee there will be weather - hopefully beautiful)
Hop on the hay-wagons and visit research plots on the UC Davis Campus and discuss research with colleagues. Starts 7:30a.m.
This field day is sponsored by UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, UC Cooperative Extension (ANR), and The California Crop Improvement...
- Author: Michael Rethwisch
- Editor: Ian M Grettenberger
This Grade Chart represents the average Insecticide Efficacy Grade against alfalfa weevil larvae from experiments conducted in the Palo Verde Valley over the past five years, with applications being approximately 18-20 gallons/acre to ensure excellent foliar coverage. Some products and rates are represented by only a single data point, while others have multiple year/rates of data. Data shown are from experiments which had weevil larvae numbers at or above economic threshold levels, providing high confidence in data.
Efficacy of pyrethroid insecticide products has changed through this period due to the development of insecticide resistance in this area's alfalfa weevils. Resistance has shifted multiple pyrethroids from...
- Author: Roger A Baldwin
- Author: Niamh Quinn
- Author: Daniel H. Putnam
PROPOSED LABEL CHANGES
The US EPA has proposed a series of dramatic changes to rodenticide labels which will significantly change how rodenticides are used in alfalfa, pasture, and many other crops (orchardes, vineyards).
Among other restrictions,
- All rodenticides for field applications will be restricted-use (new requirements for equipment, training)
- Above-ground applications eliminated
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Morgan Doran
- Author: Robert Poppenga
- Author: Dan Putnam
Sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor L.) is a type of sorghum which is widely grown for hay, greenchop or grazing systems. Typically over 50,000 acres of sudangrass are grown for hay in the Imperial Valley of California, much of it exported to Japan.
However, sudangrass (and sudan-sorghum hybrids) can be grazed or fed as greenchop to livestock particularly beef animals or used as a vigorous cover crop. What are the risks of feeding sudangrass to livestock?
Is Grazing Safe? A couple of questions have come up about grazing sudangrass including: 1) grazing sudangrass stubble after harvest, and 2) grazing sudangrass in a cover crop. Is this a safe practice? Maybe, but pay attention! Care is...
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
- Author: Sarah LIght
- Author: Rad Schmidt
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Healthy soils are key for ensuring optimum plant health for high quality, high yielding alfalfa stands, not to mention long-term crop production.
What is meant by 'healthy soils'? Those soils which continually improve in structure, organic matter, aeration, and ability to nurture plant growth are key attributes. Soil 'tilth' is another word for the 'crumbliness' and excellent structure of the soil which allows for good water retention, drainage, fertility, and aeration. To improve soil health we need to address some of the problems commonly seen in alfalfa fields such as compaction, lack of aeration, and poor drainage, which in turn leads to poor root growth and low yield. What are the...
