SJC and Delta Field Crops

The UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences has announced their field day for small grains and alfalfa. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 from 8:15am to 4:15pm. The small grains field day will take place in the morning, and the alfalfa field day will take place in the afternoon.

A crop consultant brought in some alfalfa plants and asked if I could help identify the problem. In the field, he was observing stunted plants with shortened internodes and suspected stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci).

A pest control advisor recently contacted us to ask what pests he should be scouting for in garbanzo beans. His clients had not grown garbanzos in the past but have some acreage this year.

Growers are invited to attend a focus group meeting to discuss conservation agriculture and wildlife friendly farming in the Delta. The meeting is jointly organized by Audubon California, CA Department of Water Resources (DWR), and University of CA Cooperative Extension.

Tables 1 and 2, respectively, show the results of the 2015 San Joaquin County rice variety trial and a 5-year yield summary of very early maturing commercial varieties. The statewide trials are a cooperative effort of the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation, Inc.