WELCOME
to the
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
SHAFTER RESEARCH & EXTENSION CENTER
The information contained in this booklet was assembled for distribution at the 2006 Cotton Field Day at the Shafter Research & Extension Center. The following items are included for your information:
This project has the following two objectives:
1. Evaluate new products for management of root-knot nematode on carrots.
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of trap crops for management of root-knot nematode on carrots.
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne sp.) are widely distributed throughout California and are the most important nematode pest of carrot. Current control methodology relies on the use ofMetam sodium and Telone II.
The potential for loss of the standard chemical nematicides due to various environmentally…
A trial is being run at the UC Shafter Research and Extension Center to screen preplant, preemergence, and post-directed herbicides for annual morningglory control, crop tolerance, and yield in blackeye beans. Planting and treatment information and data collected to date are shown in the following tables…
Recently, water, energy, fertilizer, pesticides, labor cost and the capital investment in modem irrigation systems have risen dramatically and at a rate greater than farmer returns. Studies have demonstrated that drip irrigation can improve water use efficiency, reduce fertilizer losses and reduce application of pesticides and fungicides, particularly when compared with flood, furrow and sprinkler irrigation. As drip irrigation knowledge has evolved, Netafim Irrigation has developed Low Pressure Systems (LPS) that operate at 3 psi pressure while achieving a distribution uniformity of 90% or better. The conversion of leveled furrow irrigated fields to LPS using pressurized district water eliminates additional energy expenditures. It also conserves significant water and energy and allows the use of low pressure components, thus reducing the capital inputs of LPS. Three years of…
The objectives of these studies with Acala and Pima varieties are to evaluate approved Acala varieties and Pima varieties submitted for testing under different environmental conditions and management across the San Joaquin Valley region of California. In order to provide a reasonable limit on the number of varieties in the tests, the entries include newly-approved varieties (approved by the San Joaquin Valley Cotton Board) for the current year, varieties released last year that are in their second year of testing, plus the top 4 or 5 previously-approved varieties (in terms of planted acreage). The new varieties are the focus of tests, but only remain in tests for a minimum of two years following release unless that variety moves into the top 4 or 5 varieties in planted acreage. Released varieties also may not show up in tests if companies request that the variety is for a special market and don’t want it in multiple location testing, or when seed supplies are inadequate. The Pima tests focus on approved varieties, but in the past two years have also included a non-approved hybrid that has been of interest due to yield…
2006 Activities- at Shafter and West Side REC sites. This testing program is maintained for nonAcala Upland cotton varieties at both the UC Shafter and UC West Side Research and Extension Centers in small plot trials which have been conducted since 1998 in response to requests for continuing information on varieties outside of the Approved Acala testing program. The project investigators are appreciative for the participation by seed companies and the UC Research Centers in providing support for ongoing testing ofnon-Acala Uplands. The actual varieties included in 2006 trials are shown in Table 1, but yield and lint quality data will not be available on 2006 studies until December 2006. Summary results will be posted on our UC cotton web site: http:llcottoninfo.ucdavis.edu and in a January 2007 issue of the California Cotton Review…
Fusarium w.ilt of cotton in California has been considered a potentially serious fungal disease caused by the organism Fusarium oxysporum vas infectum (also called ”FOV”) for many decades in several areas of the San Joaquin Valley (SJV). In the past, however, damage associated with FOV in SJV cotton has been notable only in areas with the combination of: (a) moderate to high populations of one or more specific races of FOV (usually race 1 ); (b) soils with a sandy or sandy loam texture; and (c) where root lrnot nematodes were present in high-enough populations to cause some significant root damage. Past research generally indicated that FOV damage was worst when both FOV inoculum and nematodes were present in relatively high…
Summary:
Cotton is routinely grown in the hot, irrigated areas of the far Western U.S., and these extended periods of high temperature can reduce cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L. and G. barbadense) lint yield, even with adequate irrigation conditions. Extended periods of extremely high temperatures are common in these areas during the critical stage of peak flowering. When temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley reach temperatures above normal during the critical stage of peak flowering, California growers suffer the consequences of reduced yield by these cotton varieties weaknesses to heat. The number of cotton commercial varieties for California with heat tolerance is not really known. However, it is known that Acala varieties Maxxa and Phytogen 72 yield poorly in the heat stress environment of…
Summary:
Since the re-establishment of the USDA-ARS, WICS, genetic/breeding program, we have been focusing on bringing germplasm from any possible source available to us in order to increase genetic diversity. Most of the time, the genetic diversity in the cotton crop is used as an indicator to recognize potential threats to sustaining high yields. In the last couple of years, several troubling developments have recognized Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasirifectum (FOV) Atk. Sny & Hans as a recurring and potentially expanding threat to cotton production. The vulnerability of cotton production to this pathogen highlights the need for comprehensive research to protect the cotton industry from FOV, both from virulent populations which may be introduced and new virulent strains arising from within cotton production areas. Until recently, only race 1 and race 2 were known to occur in the United States (DeVay, 1986; Smith et al., 1981). UC scientists have recently identified race 4 ofFOV in cotton plants…
Preventing sticky cotton is crucial in producing quality cotton. Late-season populations of cotton aphid and Silverleaf whitefly can produce significant amounts of honeydew when populations build. These pests are of most concern from mid-boll filling through harvest, when insect populations build and threaten exposed lint. Pest management guidelines for cotton aphid and silverleaf whitefly focus on strategies to use once threshold pest populations are reached, with the approach varying with the composition of the developing population (nymphs, adults), crop growth stage, and with the presence of exposed lint. Current pest management guidelines for whitefly and aphid can be interpreted as meaning defoliation is the final event of the season. This is based on the assumption…