- Author: Cheryl A. Wilen
Welcome to summer! Or at least I think it's summer since southern California is having a very strong “June Gloom” period that started before June and has touched July. You folks up north have had some pretty hot days though. That got me to thinking about solarization – the non-chemical process where soil is heated to a temperature that kills weed seeds (in this case) – by using the sun's energy.
Solarization is effective for controlling a number of different weeds species and on the surface (no pun intended), it's a pretty simple technique. Make the area smooth, wet it up, cover with clear plastic (be sure to tuck it in on the edges), and walk away for 4 weeks. It's also something that can be done...
- Author: John Miskella
- Author: Guy B Kyser
The Madsen lab is working on South American spongeplant (Limnobium laevigatum), a relatively new invader in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Photo 1). Spongeplant is a floating aquatic weed that somewhat resembles waterhyacinth and can be found alongside waterhyacinth in backwaters and along river edges. Photo 2 shows the spongy, air-filled underside of the spongeplant leaves, which allow them to float on the water surface.
Photo 3 is from a trial measuring the spread of South American spongeplant over the water surface at different water temperatures in the laboratory. This will help us to predict the timing of growth in the field, which will inform management decisions.
Photo 4 shows a spray chamber...
- Author: Amber Vinchesi-Vahl
Weeds are one of the biggest challenges to organic vegetable production and can be expensive to manage since herbicides are not an option.
Though sub-surface drip irrigation is the most common method of irrigation in processing tomatoes in California, furrow irrigation is still used by some producers in Sutter County, particularly organic growers. Buried drip irrigation allows for dry bed tops which helps prevent weed germination among other benefits. Furrow irrigation is common among organic producers in Sutter County because it allows for more flexibility with crop rotation and tillage. Alternate furrows are irrigated to keep bed tops from getting too wet but still provide sufficient moisture to tomatoes. Irrigation is...
- Author: Cheryl Reynolds
Summer is here, and we're halfway through 2019 already! Why not get jump on finishing up your continuing education units by taking online courses from the UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM). If you are a license or certificate holder from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), and your last name begins with the letters M through Z, you should be receiving your renewal packet in August.
We're excited to announce some changes.
- In January, we switched all of our online courses to a new learning system located at https://campus.extension.org/. This new system...
- Author: John Miskella
- Author: Guy B Kyser
During summer 2019 the Madsen lab is sampling curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) at multiple locations to determine the effects of water temperature, air temperature, and water turbidity on plant growth and reproduction. We collect plants each month and obtain the biomass for each part of the plant: shoots, roots, inflorescenses, and turions (asexual reproduction structures). Three locations are in Lake Berryessa, three in Putah Creek between Winters and Monticello Dam, and three in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. At each location we take plant & sediment samples using a weighted dredge (Berryessa, Delta) or handheld dredge (Putah Creek, pictured below).
On one recent trip the rope broke on...
