- Author: Trina Kleist
- Posted by: Gale Perez
A contraption with a long, low, green metal arm swept noisily along the edge of a row of almond trees in an experimental orchard just west of UC Davis. Little flashes of light sparked between the bottom of the arm and the green weeds below, and puffs of gray smoke wafted up from the stricken pests.
This tractor equipped with an electrical generator may offer one solution for organic farmers looking for new ways to get rid of weeds. Researchers here and at partner universities have embarked on a three-year project to compare how the machine performs compared to herbicides allowed in organic farming, and to hand-weeding, which has become prohibitively costly.
Electrical energy zooms through the plant down into the...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
- Posted by: Gale Perez
Weed management in landscaped areas can be challenging. Weeds may need to be controlled for public safety, fire reduction, aesthetics, and elimination of harborage for other pests. While many non-chemical options for controlling weeds exist—such as physical removal with tools, steam, flame or steam devices, grazing animals, and others—there are some situations that may require the application of herbicides.
For decades, glyphosate has been a common active ingredient used to control weeds in both agricultural and nonagricultural settings. However, there has been significant public concern about the use of glyphosate and other herbicides due to their potential effect on water quality, public health, and non-target...
- Author: Clebson G Goncalves Ph.D.
- Posted by: Gale Perez
In Northern California, Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana L.) has been around for a long time and is typically found in disturbed areas and fallow sites such as: under power lines, wooded areas, fences, pond edges, roadsides, etc. (Figure 1). However, in recent years, organic orchard growers throughout north coast have reported that pokeweed has been invading and contaminating new areas that were not found before.
Pokeweed is a perennial shrub whose shoot tissues die in the winter but exhibits rapid resprout from a large fleshy taproot in the growing season, causing panic among orchard growers. That kind of shrub can grow up to 10 feet tall, and a single plant can produce greater than 7,000 seeds annually. The...
- Author: Chuck Ingels
- Posted by: Gale Perez
The following article is from the UCCE Tree & Vine News newsletter (Jan. 2017).
*Chuck Ingels is a Farm Advisor with the UC Cooperative Extension Capitol Corridor, Sacramento County office.
According to the 2014 USDA-NASS Organic Survey, Washington State was the largest U.S. producer of organic apples, harvesting 429 million pounds (over 90% of U.S. fresh production) from about 14,000 acres, with an estimated farm gate crop value of $210 million. In Oct. 2016, I spoke at an organic orchard floor workshop held in Wenatchee, WA, that covered organic weed and nitrogen management (view a PDF of the...
