- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Ken Giles
- Author: Xuan Liu
- Author: Bill Reynolds
Use of drones (UAVs, unmanned aerial vehicles) for aerial application of pesticides in agricultural crops is becoming a reality.
Drone technology provides an additional tool for growers to control pests and diseases on farms, supplementing traditional ground and aerial spraying practices. This could be especially helpful in areas where there's a shortage of farm labor for pesticide applications or for small areas that require spot treatment.
2020 Drone Trials
In the summer 2020, we evaluated the efficacy of drones compared to airplanes for applying insecticides for summer worm control in alfalfa hay fields (see photo 1). These pests can be highly damaging to alfalfa...
- Author: Theresa Becchetti
- Author: Sheila Barry
- Author: Gaby Maier
Adapted from Wildfire Aftermath: Beef Cattle Health Considerations, Russ Daly, DVM, South Dakota State University and Wildfire, Smoke and Livestock, John Madigan, David Wilson, Carolyn Stull, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis.
During a wildfire, your immediate concern for your cattle may be losing them to the fire. Burns may be so severe that the humane thing to do is to put them down, but unfortunately, that may not be the end of the worries about their welfare, which is why their status must be assessed daily. Wildfires can result in longer term health complications. Animals may stop eating after a few days to weeks when their...
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
Field trials in the Central Valley with two new varieties of blackeye beans, CB74 and CB77, show impressive resistance to cowpea aphids compared to standard CB46, CB5, and CB50 lines. Four varieties of blackeyes including CB46, CB77, CB74, and CB5 were seeded into a blackeye CB50 field, in single lines on 30-inch beds in the Sacramento Valley in May 2020 (Photo 1). By mid-summer, CB50, CB46, and CB5 were heavily infested with aphids (photo 2), whereas CB74 and CB77 were clean (photo 3).
Cowpea aphids are serious insect pests of blackeyes. These aphids can quickly colonize plants and cause injury by direct feeding and injecting toxic saliva into plants, leading to stunted...
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
In May, I looked at a lima bean field in the Sacramento Valley that showed poor seedling emergence scattered throughout the field (photo 1). I sent samples to the UC Davis Plant Pathology lab and the main pathogen consistently recovered from the roots was Fusarium root rot, a fungal disease caused by Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseoli. This pathogen is specific to beans and field peas and will not infect other field crops. A few bean seedlings also had Rhizoctonia and Pythium (also fungal pathogens).
Finding Fusarium root rot in a lima bean seedling field was a surprise because this disease is most commonly encountered in established fields during mid- to late season, where it is one of the...
- Author: Marie Jasieniuk
- Author: Maor Matzrafi
Italian ryegrass is a major weed in orchards, vineyards, field crops and fallow fields of California (Figure 1). Several different herbicides are used to control ryegrass and had been effective in reducing infestations until resistance evolved in many populations following repeated use of the herbicides. To date, resistance to glyphosate, paraquat, and some ACCase and ALS inhibitors has been confirmed in ryegrass infestations across the agricultural landscape of California. To make matters worse, resistance to multiple postemergence herbicides with different modes of action has been confirmed within the same orchard, vineyard, or field in some areas. Consequently, management of Italian ryegrass in California annual and perennial...
