- Author: Mark E Lundy
2024 UC Davis Small Grains and Alfalfa Field Day
May 9th, 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Supported by the California Crop Improvement Association (CCIA)
REGISTER HERE (no charge for event)
Department of Plant Sciences Field Facility, UC Davis
(2400 Hutchison Dr, Davis CA 38.5390, -121.7800)
Continuing Education Units (CEUs):
3.0 CCA (1.5 Crop Management; 1 Soil & Water Management; 0.5 Nutrient Management)
1.5 CDFA INMP (1 Irrigation Management; 0.5 Nitrogen Management)
- Author: Mark E Lundy
Please mark your calendars for a May 9th, 2024 field day at the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences Field Facility. Program will start in the morning and include lunch with presentations on small grain variety development and agronomic management of small grain crops. Full details and registration will be posted on the UC Small Grains Blog closer to the date. We hope to see you there!
- Author: Michael D Cahn
Date: Wed. April 3rd, 2024
Course 8:30 am – 12 pm
Location: Monterey County Agriculture Conference Room
1432 Abbott St, Salinas CA 93901
- Learn how to use CropManage to support irrigation and nutrient management decisions and record-keeping for your crops.
- Learn how to set up your ranch and crops in CropManage.
- Learn about the latest updates and how CropManage can assist with Ag Order 4.0
CropManage is a free online decision-support tool for water and nutrient management of vegetables, berry, agronomic, vineyard and tree crops. Based on research and field studies conducted by the University of California Cooperative Extension, CropManage provides real-time recommendations for efficient and timely irrigation and fertilization applications while maintaining or improving overall yield.
At this free workshop, we will provide hands-on training so that you can learn to use the newest version of CropManage. Crops currently supported include many vegetables (carrots, cabbage, celery, broccoli, lettuce, tomato, spinach, etc.), berry crops (raspberry and strawberry), vineyards, tree crops (almond, walnut, pistachio, prunes, and pear), and agronomic crops (alfalfa and corn). CropManage is also available in Spanish.
Who should participate? Growers, farm managers, other farm staff, crop advisors, consultants, and technical service providers are welcome. The workshop is for both new and current CropManage users. Spanish translation will be available.
What to bring? This is a participatory workshop. Please bring a tablet or laptop computer so that you can follow along and participate in the exercises. Each participant will need a user account for CropManage. Please set up a free user account at https://cropmanage.ucanr.edu/ before the workshop. Please arrive early to set up your laptop or tablet computer on the wifi and get logged on to CropManage.
Registration is free: Please register here
by April 1, 2024. Seats are limited to the first 30 registrants.
Questions: Contact Michael Cahn at mdcahn@ucanr.edu / 831-214-3690
Agenda
8:30 – 8:50 am Registration and computer set-up
8:50 – 9:20 am Introduction
9:20 – 10:00 am Getting started with CropManage
10:00 to 10:15 am break
10:10 – 11:00 am Using CropManage for decision support and record-keeping
11:00 – 11:45 am Group exercise
11:45- 12 pm Discussion /Q&A/ wrap up
Continuing Education Units (CEU) for Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) have been applied.
- Author: Michael D Cahn
2024 Irrigation and Nutrient Management Meeting
Tuesday, February 20
7:55 am to 1:30 pm
Habrá traducción al Español
7:30 Sign-in and refreshments
7:55 Introduction
8:00 Managing runoff during the growing season and winter.
Michael Cahn, UCCE Irrigation Advisor, Monterey County
8:30 Satellite estimates of crop water use on the central coast and OpenET
Lee Johnson, CSU Monterey Bay/NASA
9:00 Update on using high carbon amendments for reducing nitrate leaching during the winter
Richard Smith, UCCE Vegetable and Weed Emeritus Advisor, Monterey County
Joji Muramoto, UC Santa Cruz, Organic Production Specialist
9:30 Cover crops for reducing winter nitrate leaching and controlling storm water runoff.
Eric Brennan, Research Horticulturist, USDA ARS
10:00 Break
10:15 Ag Order requirements for the upcoming year
Sarah Lopez, Executive Director, Central Coast Water Quality Preservation Inc.
10:45 UCANR Nitrogen and Irrigation Initiative: Opportunity for technical assistance.
Aparna Gazula, UCCE Small Farm Advisor, Santa Clara County
11:00 Using CropManage to help with Ag Order compliance.
Michael Cahn, UCCE Irrigation Advisor, Monterey County
11:25 DPR Surface Water Protection Program: An overview of ag. monitoring on the Central Coast.
Pedro Lima, Sr. Environmental Scientist Cal DPR
11:50 Introduction to pump efficiency
Bill Green, Fresno State University, Center for Irrigation Technology
12:00 Pizza and Salad Lunch (free!)
12:45 Demonstration of pump efficiency and variable frequency drives (Parking lot)
Crystal Sandoval-Leyva, Fresno State University, Center for Irrigation Technology
2:15 Adjourn
CCA and DPR continuing education credits have been requested
For more information, contact Michael Cahn @ 831-759-7377, email: mdcahn@ucdavis.edu
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
Overview
Three years of data indicate that liquid-injected biosolids-based fertilizers (LBF, using 'Lystegro' from Lystek) are a viable alternative to conventional forms of nitrogen (N) fertilizer on a total N basis in wheat rotations in the southern Sacramento Valley. Lab data comparing LBF, pelletized biosolids-based fertilizers (PBF), and urea provide additional insight into soil phosphorous (P), salinity (EC), soil pH, and N mineralization responses after additions of the treatments.
Above: Application of LysteGro (Liquid-Injected Biosolids-Based Fertilizer, LBF) in Solano County
Introduction
As more California municipalities begin to prioritize the diversion of waste products from landfills into agricultural systems, it is pressing for growers to understand how to utilize new inputs such as liquid-injected biosolids-based fertilizer (LBF) in their operations.
Biosolids-based fertilizers can generally provide subsidized and therefore cost-effective sources of N for small grains and other agronomic crops. However, while there have been long-term biosolids studies using materials derived from biosolids, near-term performance needs to be understood and documented to improve grower confidence and capacity in the utilization of these products.
Figure 1: Yield and protein data from field trials over three site years in the Southern Sacramento Valley. Conventional N fertilizer treatments are indicated in blue. Shades of green represent biosolids treatments, with higher rates represented by progressively darker shades of green. N equivalents are represented numerically in each of the labels (i.e. LBF_57 is 57 pounds of N per acre as Liquid-Injected Biosolids-Based Fertilizer). Letters above each column indicate whether there is a significant difference between treatments. Columns with the same letter are not significantly different from one another.
Figure 2: Yield and protein data from the trials across 3 years modeled at 60, 90, and 120 pounds of total N applied per acre. Differences in predictions are insignificant, indicating that both materials appear to perform similarly in terms of total N applied per acre.
Methods
The objective of this research was to evaluate the yield and protein performance of LBF as an N source in small grains relative to conventional forms of N fertilizer. Lab incubations were intended to provide information on the response of soil P, N, pH, and EC to different treatments over a period of 12 weeks.
Field trials took place over the course of three planting seasons (Table 1). Wheat was typically planted in late November to early December. LBF and nitrogen (as UAN 32 or anhydrous ammonia) were added to fields pre-plant. LBF and anhydrous ammonia treatments were injected six-inches deep. UAN 32 was added prior to incoming rain. No in-season additions of N were added in these trials because biosolids cannot be injected mid-season and the objective of the trial was to make an apples-to-apples comparison based on the type of material.
Table 1: Information on three growing sites/ years where trials took place.
Laboratory incubations were also carried out to examine the behavior of the LBF relative to a pelletized biosolids-based fertilizer (PBF), and conventional N fertilizers (as urea).
Results and Discussion
Results from the field trials indicate that LBF produces generally equivalent yield and protein results in small grains when compared to conventional forms of fertilizer as an N source (Figure 1) when used in pre-plant applications. Other findings indicate that there may be some ancillary benefits associated with the use of LBF as an N source by way of providing a source of P (Figure 3), carbon, micronutrients, and water.
Lab incubations reflected some of the patterns witnessed in the field: Increases in P, slower N mineralization rates, and otherwise similar soil chemistry outcomes relative to that of conventional fertilizer, particularly after 12 weeks (Figure 3).
Organic matter was not seen to increase significantly in-season, but the fact that the LBF material is 10% solids, and those solids are roughly 30% carbon from organic matter means that additions of carbon, micronutrients, and water could be advantageous to crop growth.
Incubations
Figure 3: N mineralization, available phosphorous, salinity (as electrical conductivity, EC ), and pH results from 12-week lab incubations at 70 degrees F, comparing LBF, PBF, and pelletized urea mixed into a Yolo loam at 90 lbs N / acre. Significant difference between treatments is indicated within a given week by different letters.
Conclusion
Small grain growers working in the southern Sacramento Valley or in similar climates should feel confident that LBFs will likely perform as well as conventional sources of N when applied at similar rates of total N. LBFs may also provide additional benefits to growers in the form of increased P, micronutrients, or additional soil moisture. Growers should also consider the combined use of biosolids and in-season conventional N additions when needed. As always, good N-management and monitoring can greatly improve grower capacity for success.