The annual UC Davis Small Grains and Alfalfa Field Day will take place on Thursday, May 17, 2017 at the Agronomy Field Headquarters (2400 Hutchison Drive, Davis, CA 95616). Registration opens at 7:30am, and lunch is provided between the small grains morning program and alfalfa afternoon program. The event is free and open to the public, and continuing education credits will be available. Directions are as follows:
The field day is located on Hutchison Drive, just west of Davis. Take the Hwy. 113 exit north from I-80, or Hwy. 113 south from Woodland. Exit west on Hutchison Drive. Take a right at the first roundabout, a left at the second roundabout, and the Agronomy Headquarters is about ¼ mile down in a clump of trees and buildings on the left.
The agenda is as follows:
8:00am – Noon: Small Grains Program
8:00 Welcome and Introductions—Mark Lundy, UC Davis
8:05 Plant Sciences Future Developments—Gail Taylor, UC Davis
8:10 California Wheat Commission remarks—Claudia Carter, California Wheat Commission
8:15 California Crop Improvement Association remarks—John Palmer, CA Crop Improvement Association
8:45 – 11:50 Field Tour
8:45 New wheat varieties with increased resistant starch—Jorge Dubcovsky, UC Davis
8:55 New wheat releases “Central Red” and “Desert Gold”—Jorge Dubcovsky, UC Davis
9:00 Improving barley malting varieties and oats—Alicia del Blanco, UC Davis
9:10 Organic wheat breeding and naked barleys—Allison Krill-Brown, UC Davis
9:20 Improving triticale for bread and forage—Josh Hegarty, UC Davis
9:30 Genetic regulation of wheat grain number—Sarah Kuzay, UC Davis
9:40 Genetic regulation of grain size and its effects on quality—Alejandra Alvarez, UC Davis
10:10 Nitrogen management in malting barley—Taylor Nelsen, UC Davis
10:20 Herbicide management demonstration trial in wheat—Mariano Galla, UCCE
10:30 Strategies for reducing mice damage in SDI systems during small grain crop rotations— Konrad Mathesius, UCCE
10:40 Updates on statewide small grain research and extension efforts, with comments on variety performance, pests and diseases, nitrogen management, and extension tools— Mark Lundy and Nicholas George, UCCE/UC Davis
11:05 New wheat entries in Regional trials—Oswaldo Chicaiza, UC Davis
11:15 Comments from breeders with entries in UC Regional trials
11:30 Trial observations
12:00 Barbeque Lunch: Many thanks to California Crop Improvement Association for the complementary lunch!
12:30 – 4:30: Alfalfa and Forage Program
12:30 Welcome and Introductions—Dan Putnam, UC Davis
12:45 Statewide Nitrogen Management Survey—Jessica Rudnick, UC Davis
1:00 Field Tour:
1:00 Overhead Sprinkler Studies with alfalfa & corn at UC Davis—Isaya Kisekka, UC Davis
1:15 Managing Water for Drought and Salinity: --Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, UCCE
1:30 Estimating the P and K Requirements of Alfalfa—Daniel Geisseler, UC Davis
1:45 Alfalfa Weevil Studies and IPM Approaches to Weevil Control—Rachael Long, UCCE
2:00 Kura Clover and Switchgrass Studies – Dan Putnam, UC Davis
2:05 Reduced Lignin Alfalfa Interactions with Harvest Scheduling – Brenda Perez,UC Davis
2:20 Seedling Weed Management in Alfalfa – Mariano Galla, UCCE
2:35 Fun with Drones, Sensors and Measurements: Monitoring Alfalfa for Growth, Pests,and Water Use—Umair Gull, UC Davis
2:50 Producing Protein from Alfalfa for Human Consumption: Why Alfalfa is a potential ‘engine' of world protein production – Dan Putnam, UC Davis
3:00 Breeding Tall Fescue for Quality and Summer Dormancy and Objectives of the UC Davis Alfalfa Breeding Program– Charlie Brummer, UC Davis.
3:15 What is the Interaction between Irrigation Deficits and Varieties? James Radawich, UC Davis
3:30 The Importance of Owls and Birds for Alfalfa Pest Management—Sara Kross, CSU Sacramento
3:45 An IPM Approach to gopher management in Alfalfa – Roger Baldwin,UC Davis
4:00 Weed Identification Contest – Test your Weed IQ! – Lynn Sosnoskie, UCCE
4:15 Choosing Alfalfa Varieties for Maximizing Pest Resistance and Yield—Importanceof Multiple Year Trials and Pest Ratings —Dan Putnam, UC Davis