Cilantro was produced on 5,543 acres in Monterey and Ventura Counties in 2011. The production of cilantro has shifted to high density 80-inch wide beds and a large proportion is now mechanically harvested. Hand weeding high density beds is very expensive and reduces the economic viability of this crop. As a result, there is a need for excellent weed control. Two broadleaf herbicides were registered on cilantro: Prefar and Caparol. Prefar was registered for a number of years and provides good control of a number of key weeds in cilantro such as purslane, lambsquarter and pigweed. Caparol was registered in 2012 and provides good weed control of a wider spectrum of weeds including the nightshades, shepherd’s purse, sow thistle,...

Junior Specialist

Department of Plant Sciences

Minimum requirement: B.S. degree in plant pathology, plant science, agriculture, biology, or related field. It is highly desirable for the candidate to have either a Masters degree and/or at least two years work experience in an applicable field.

Job Description: The Junior Specialist position will be in the laboratory of Stephen Kaffka in the Dept. of Plant Sciences, UC Davis. The successful candidate will assist with the field-testing and evaluation of biofuel and industrial crops including castor, sugar beets, canola and camelina.

Work...

A quick post today to share a link to the recently revised "UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines for Kiwifruit" (UC ANR Publication #3449).  You can download the whole document as a pdf here, or use it online at the above link.

Although there are also well-written sections on general kiwi pest management, as well as specific information on insects, mites, and diseases of kiwifruit, since this is the Weed Science blog, I'd better post a link directly to the Integrated Weed Management section...

             I just returned from the Western Aquatic Plant Management Society (WAPMS) meeting in Coeur d’ Alene Idaho. My interest in aquatic weeds is mostly as they relate to interfering with irrigation and frost protection ponds in California’s North Coast grape growing region. The emphasis at this conference is on weed control in large lakes and water moving systems and is dominated by people from the Northwest (Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana). There were several people from California in attendance, but only two of us from the University of California, myself and Dr. Michael Anderson of UC Riverside who is a soil chemist that studies and teaches...