Hero Image

donate

Contact Us

West Side Research and Extension Center
17353 W Oakland Ave
Five Points, CA 93624
Phone: (559) 884-2411
Fax: (559) 884-2216

Agronomic Crops

46 - Pima Cotton Variety and Management Trials

Principal Investigator: Robert Hutmacher (UCCE, UC Davis) Email: rbhutmacher@ucdavis.edu
The objectives of these studies will be to:

  1. Evaluate differences in growth and yield responses of select Pima varieties to specific production management approaches (irrigation water reductions, N fertilizer levels, plant growth regulator approaches)
  2. Determine fiber quality responses of included varieties to management practice changes in this study. With concerns for water supplies and costs of inputs, this change in the focus of these Pima variety trials is being shifted to a narrower range of varieties selected to represent differences in growth habit (height, duration of growth or fruiting) and responses of these varieties to shorter-season management approaches (one less irrigation, moderate reduction in N fertilizer) and resulting impacts on needs for a PGR.

52 - Germplasm Screening for UC / San Joaquin Valley Cotton Board Entries 2013

Principal Investigator: Robert Hutmacher (UCCE, UC Davis) Email: rbhutmacher@ucdavis.edu
Overall goals of this project are to provide:

  1. A California field test location to validate yield, agronomic, fiber quality, and disease resistance traits on improved cotton germplasm and breeding lines from across the U.S. cotton belt; and
  2. Match this yield and quality data to separate disease resistance evaluations for race 4 Fusarium oxysporum vas infectum done at infested farm sites elsewhere in the San Joaquin Valley. This data is then provided to all breeder cooperators in the overall national study to provide awareness of these characteristics as new cotton germplasm is evaluated and new cultivars developed for California and other markets.

53 - California Uplands Advanced Strains Screening - 2014

Principal Investigator: Robert Hutmacher (UCCE, UC Davis) Email: rbhutmacher@ucdavis.edu
The general objectives of the experiments are to provide information on varietal performance in multi-year studies to evaluate currently-available Acala varieties for mid- and late-season growth characteristics, lint yield and quality performance under a range of soil types and field cultural conditions in the San Joaquin Valley. The Research and Extension Center sites serve an important reference point in this type of variety trials, since management can be fine-tuned at the Research Centers to minimize differences in cultural practices and pest management that might otherwise influence varietal comparisons. These varieties are often of importance in seed production efforts in the San Joaquin Valley.

55A - Alternative Cotton Production Practices: Short Season, Row Spacing, Experimental Cultivars

Principal Investigator: Robert Hutmacher (UCCE, UC Davis) Email: rbhutmacher@ucdavis.edu
The field research plans to focus on both management practices that could be utilized to tighten up and shorten the fruit production period and evaluation of these practices using both full-season commercial Pima and Acala cultivars and an experimental Upland (USDA-ARS) and experimental Pima (commercial breeder).
Objectives will be to:

  1. Compare standard cotton management practices (irrigation, plant growth regulator decision tools, IPM standards for early and mid-season pest management) with shorter-season management practices (more aggressive early pest control, delayed irrigations and more aggressive growth control); and evaluate these for
  2. Full-season commercial cotton cultivars and experimental varieties with characteristics we think are conductive to shorter season production.

73A - Field Demonstration of Forage Sorghum Germplasm Evaluation for the San Joaquin Valley Dairy Industry

Principal Investigator: Jeff Dahlberg (UC Kearney REC) Email: jadahlberg@ucanr.edu
The Principal Investigators are testing the impact of environment on the impact of various sorghum forage hybrids on both yield and nutritional quality. The following goals will:

  1. Establishment of forage demonstration trials for use in educating producers in the San Joaquin Valley of California on the water and nitrogen savings and quality of forage sorghums. Measurable outcomes will be field days and demonstrations dates and attendance records of producers.
  2. Generate repeatable data that can be used to generate UC Deliver publications, publication for web distribution, and potential articles in refereed journals.
  3. Form data generation, assist the USCP in updating forage information for their Dairy guides and forage management handbook.

83 - Developing No-Till Low-Input Cropping Systems for California's Central Valley

Principal Investigator:  Dan Munk / Jeff Mitchell  (UCCE Fresno Co, UCCE and UC Davis) Email: dsmunk@ucanr.edu
This study is a long-term field research project incorporating a linear-move irrigation system will be used to evaluate multiple irrigation and tillage management systems in multiple-crop rotations that include:

  1. Conventional agronomic crop rotations, flat planting under no-till or reduced-till, low input management;
  2. Reduced till, higher input and more aggressive crop rotation for higher yield and economic output potential;
  3. High intensity inputs, double-cropping or multiple-crop management; and
  4. Conventional tillage and furrow irrigation. Variations of systems #1, 2, and 3 will be irrigated using the linear move sprinkler irrigation system. System comparisons will include yield and output responses, input costs and quantities of input used (water, nutrients, fertilizers), all equipment use and operations to plant, manage and harvest crops, and economic evaluations of each system.

92 - Conservation Tillage Systems for the San Joaquin Valley's West Side

Principal Investigator: Jeff Mitchell (UCCE and UC Davis) Email: jpmitchell@ucdavis.edu
The objectives of this proposed research are to compare reduced tillage and conventional tillage practices in crop rotations common to California’s San Joaquin Valley during a "transitional" period and beyond in terms of:

  1. Farm productivity and profitability
  2. Practical aspects of CT production including crop establishment, in-season management and postharvest management
  3. Soil quality indicator properties
  4. The quantity and composition of dust produced
  5. Soil water storage and crop water availability, and
  6. Pest and crop management requirements, and
  7. To disseminate widely information related to the background, goals and outcomes of the proposed project

94 - Conservation Tillage Work Group Demonstration Evaluations

Principal Investigator:  Jeff Mitchell (UCCE And UC Davis) Email: jpmitchell@ucdavis.edu
The objectives of this study are to:

  1. To demonstrate a range of conservation tillage management options for the SJV
  2. To use the demonstration plantings of this field for ANR CT Workgroup field days, conferences and workshops
  3. To sustain a long-standing, high residue planting site that enables us to demonstrate crop establishment techniques under very minimally disturbed conditions
  4. To increase our outreach impact to over 500 participants in the next two years

105 - Alfalfa Salinity Tolerance Trial Salinity Dose Rate Response of Alfalfa Varieties

Principal Investigator: Dan Putnam (UCCE and UC Davis) Email: dhputnam@ucdavis.edu
The objectives for this study are to:

  1. Compare field yield tests with greenhouse germination and seedling tests to understand the best conditions (whether seedling or whole established plants) that provide evidence for salt tolerance in alfalfa varieties.
  2. Provide independent UC data for the alfalfa growers and seed companies on the relative salinity tolerance of a range of potentially salt-tolerant varieties.
  3. Promote the development of better salt tolerance varieties by seed companies