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UC Riverside Blackeye Improvement Program-Activities at Shafter

 

Blackeyes are a well-adapted and generally profitable rotation crop for many cotton growers in the southern San Joaquin Valley. but improved blackeye varieties are needed for the California blackeye industry to remain competitive with other producing areas such as the High Plains of Texas. The major objectives of the UCR Blackeye Varietal Improvement program are to develop blackeye bean varieties and complementary management methods…

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Development of host plant resistance to Lygus feeding damage in alfalfa, beans and cotton

 

Justification and Problem Statement    Lygus bugs (Order Hemiptera, suborder Heteroptera, family Miridae) are a serious pest of many agricultural crops, including alfalfa, beans, and cotton. Lygus bugs feed on various plant tissues using piercing and sucking mouthparts. During penetration and feeding, saliva (containing many enzymes and amino acids) from the bug is injected into the target tissue in a “lacerate-and-flush” action. Damage is manifested in tissue necrosis, distortion and abscission of fruits, growth retardation, and discoloration. This damage is due to maceration by the salivary enzymes, principally polygalacturonase (PG). Producers of these crops currently treat extensively with insecticides to control these pests. In the absence of…

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Pest and natural enemy mark-recapture studies of dipsersal in beans and between alfafla and beans

 

1. Abstract.
This study will measure movement and migratory behavior of western tarnished plant bug (its natural enemies) in beans and bwrween beans and alfalfa. Mark recapture will expand upon techniques developed last year in cotton and alfalfa. The absolute abundance, immigration, and emigration from the field will be measured. Cage studies with the parasitoid Peristenus stygicus will measure the impact on Lygus compared to regulation by existing natural enemies. lf pesticides are needed I will coordinate with Brian to…

 

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Population development, Selection, and Evaluation for Heat Stress and Study of Seed Coat Fragments

 

The primary objective ofthis research is to identify/develop broadly adapted Acala and Upland improved cotton germplasm with potential heat stress tolerance, better fiber quality, and lint yield, broadening the genetic base of cotton. A second objective is to
investigate cotton seed coat fragment production and its genetics under different environments.

 
Summary
Cotton is routinely grown in the bot, in’igated areas of the far Westem U.S., and these extended periods of high temperature can reduce cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. and G. barbadense) lint yield, even…

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Low Pressure Drip Irrigation

 

Maximizing application efficiency (Ae) of irrigation systems depends mostly on the irrigation manager’s ability to:

1. Reduce and/or eliminate runoff.
2. Reduce deep percolation below the root zone.
3. Overcome the infi ltration variability of the soil surface.
4. Optimize irrigation scheduling.

Presently, the subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) method is the only method capable of giving a manager this…

 

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Remote Sensing for Detection of Spider Mite and Cotton Aphid in SJV Cotton

 

Introduction
Arthropod management practices in California cotton production involve the use of various insecticides and acaricides for protection of yield and quality. Cotton aphid control relies mainly on the neonicotinoid insecticides but organophosphate and carbamate insecticides are also used. Spider mite control relies on acaricides and the chemical types used for both cotton aphids and mites are important for resistance management considerations due to their mode of…

 

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Screening Program Development to Evaluate Varietal Potential for Seed Coat Fragments

 

1. Abstract
A three-year field study is requested for the Shafter Research and Extension Center to evaluate the utility of modifications in specific management practices (planting date, irrigation rate and cutoff date management, and harvest aid timing and practices) on the development of and level of seed coat fragment problems (measured by several methods). These field evaluations would be done in several varieties previously identified (in SJV Cotton Board tests) as differing (low, moderate, high) in tendency to produce seed coat fragments as measured by several methods. The evaluations would focus on determining if a specific mix of management practices could be identified that would increase the consistency in expression of seed coat fragment problems. This could serve to both identify production management practices to avoid in years or with varieties more prone to development of seed coat fragment problems as well a…

 

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Management of Key Cotton Arthropod Pests with Insecticides and Acaricides

 

INTRODUCTION

The silverleaf whitefly (SL WF) and cotton aphid are not new insects to the SJV, but only in recent years have late-season populations of both of these pests become widespread. The silverleaf whitefly was first found in the SJV in 1992. The SL WF has continued to adapt to SJV conditions and cropping patterns and starting in 2001 SL WF populations expanded greatly both in severity and particularly in range. Populations in significant numbers occurred farther northward and westward into the SJV. This has pushed the whitefly into the primary cotton production area. The cotton aphid occurred sporadically in cotton throughout…

 

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