- Author: Lynn M. Sosnoskie
It's getting hot and dry in the Central Valley and the movement of equipment in and out of fields/orchards/vineyards has the potential to stir up a significant amount of dust. Among its other impacts to agriculture (soil erosion, tissue damage, reduced photosynthesis, etc...), wind blown dust can reduce the efficacy of glyphosate, which is an important tool for the management of weeds in trees and vines, along rights-of-ways, and in glyphosate-tolerant agronomic crops (e.g. corn, cotton, alfalfa) in CA.
The adoption of glyphosate has been facilitated, at least in part, by it's relative lack of soil activity (Miller et al. 2013; Zhou et al. 2006). Glyphosate can become tightly adsorbed to soil...
- Author: Marie Jasieniuk
- Posted by: Gale Perez
The evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds is an ongoing problem in California agriculture. Resistance to glyphosate has become particularly widespread across the state. Normally, glyphosate kills weedy plants by inhibiting 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), an enzyme that is necessary for the production of some important amino acids in plants. However, repeated applications of glyphosate can result in the selection of rare mutant plants that have a unique ability (mechanism) to “resist” death by glyphosate. The mutant plants survive glyphosate application and produce seeds, which give rise to more resistant plants the following year. Over time, repeated glyphosate applications will result in a field,...
- Posted by: Gale Perez
The House Science Committee will hold a hearing on:
“In Defense of Scientific Integrity: Examining the IARC Monograph Programme and Glyphosate Review”
Tuesday, February 6 at 10 a.m. (E.S.T)
Witnesses:
- Dr. Anna Lowit, Senior Science Advisor, Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency
- Dr. Timothy Pastoor, CEO, Pastoor Science Communications
- Dr. Jennifer Sass, Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council
- Dr. Robert Tarone, (retired) Mathematical Statistician, U.S. National Cancer Institute and Biostatistics Director, International Epidemiology...
- Posted by: Gale Perez
Seth Watkins shared the following article with me--thanks Seth.
To see the actual article, visit https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2017/dec/drone/.
Weed Spotting By Drone
- Author: Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
- Author: Mick Canevari
- Posted by: Gale Perez
We have become aware that common purslane (Portulaca oleracea, Fig. 1) is an increasing problem in alfalfa fields, particularly during the months of July through September. A pest control advisor (PCA) was recently seeking advice on managing purslane in glyphosate-tolerant alfalfa fields this summer. He said that the purslane was getting raked up into the windrowed hay, and he was concerned that the moisture of the purslane would cause mold and hay discoloration or even spontaneous combustion of the hay once baled. He said that glyphosate was not effective at controlling the purslane, and he was considering applying carfentrazone (Shark) as an in-season, post-emergence herbicide. Let's dissect this situation.
Common...