- Re-posted by: Gale Perez
In the United States, only species listed on state or federal noxious weed lists are regulated. According to our analysis, these regulatory lists poorly represent invasive plants in unmanaged (i.e., nonagricultural) systems. To improve the representation of invasive plants on state regulatory lists, we recommend allocating listing authority to invasive species councils and provide guidance for the science-based reform of noxious weed lists. We also recommend commercial best practices to test for invasiveness prior to intentional introduction of new plant products. Finally, we introduce a negligence liability scheme to discourage the introduction of potential invaders. If adopted, our recommendations could benefit nonagricultural...
- Re-posted by: Gale Perez
[USDA 04 Feb 2013 by Ann Perry] -- Farmers can fine-tune their use of cover crops to help manage costs and maximize benefits in commercial organic production systems, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. Production expenses for high-value organic crops like lettuce and broccoli can exceed $7,000 per acre, so producers often try to streamline costs with an annual two- to three-crop rotation. Agricultural Research Service...
- Author: Brad Hanson
A quick post today with information about MSMA herbicides. There has been concern and lack of certainty about the registration status of MSMA and other organic arsenical herbicides. I was forwarded the attached press release and current labels for MSMA 6.6 and MSMA 6 Plus.
For those that may not know, MSMA (monosodium acid methanearsonate)is a product used in cotton, golf courses and sod farms, and rights of way.
The red text below is copied from the attached press release.
February 20, 2013
- Author: Douglas J Munier
Glyphosate resistant ryegrass has been a persistent problem since appearing in almond orchards in the Sacramento Valley in the late 1990’s. It is a winter annual weed, but under irrigation it can germinate any time of the year. This year round germination pattern wasn’t noticeable in the Sacramento Valley when it was effectively controlled by glyphosate. Summer and early fall germinating ryegrass plants are particularly difficult to control at the typical November to December herbicide timings because they are larger established plants at the time of application.
Pre-emergence herbicides are a good way to deal with this extended germination period. June/July pre-emergence herbicide treatments...
- Author: Richard Smith
Weed control in onions can be challenging. Onions have various challenges that make weed control difficult. They grow slowly early in the crop cycle and never achieve a good competitive crop canopy to suppress weeds. Also, given the high density plantings, it is not possible to effectively cultivate the beds. In addition, given the close spacing between plants, it is difficult to hoe out weeds without risking damage to the onion stand. In conventional onion production there are a number of materials that can provide excellent weed control (see Figure 1). The timing of application of the materials can be tricky because some weeds may grow quickly and be difficult to control by the time the onions reach the 2nd...