All Issues

Most plants require differing day and night temperatures for optimum growth. Definite knowledge of day and night temperatures necessary for maximum yield of high quality crops is vital for intelligent agricultural planning. This applies to choice of crops for a single farm or for an agricultural community. It is also essential in determining potential soundness and ultimate economy of land-and water-development projects. Tremendous losses, both of money and time, often result from trial and error processes which eventually prove suitability of certain crops in a specific area. The study reported here describes a new method of phenological determination of temperature requirements for plants.

A number of management and economic decisions concerning feedlot practices and length of the feeding period could be made with more precision if it were possible to predict accurately a long-term feedlot gain from a short-term observation. The results presented here are from a correlation and regression analysis of 28- and 56-day rates of gains with overall average daily gain.

Cooperative research between the University of California departments of Agronomy at Davis and Plant Pathology at Riverside has resulted in the release of two related strains of alfalfa tolerant to Phytophthora root rot. The release is early-generation material intended for breeding purposes and is available only to bona fide plant breeders.

The truck-mounted, adjustable platform shown in photos was developed for use in spraying, pruning, and harvesting of small-scale plots. It might also be adapted to a number of other farm operations. A hundred-gallon spray rig can be carried in the bed of the truck plus a generator for electricity or a pump to supply hydraulic pressure. This low-cost unit was designed for a half-ton pickup and with slight modifications will fit almost all makes. It also can be modified for use on tractors or trailers.

Armillaria mellea, the oak root fun gus, is an important disease-producing organism in California. The common name of the fungus is somewhat misleading for, though it is found on oaks, it also attacks and damages or kills many other plants including such crop plants as peaches, almonds, citrus, grapes, walnuts, apricots, plums, and many ornamentals.

Pre-emergence herbicides offer the advantage of reducing early competition in seedling alfalfa stands. The disadvantages of present pre-emergence herbicides is that they have to be incorporated, which adds extra expense, and they do not control all of the broad-leaved weeds. Benefin shows promise as a pre-emergence herbicide due to good selectivity in alfalfa and full-season grass control. Post-emergence herbicides have the advantage that treatment is not necessary until the problem exists. The dinitros and 2,4-DB (ester) will control weeds if they are small. Bromoxynil (not presently registered for use on alfalfa) kills a larger number of weeds and larger weeds than the other post-emergence herbicides. With the use of post-emergence herbicides, timing the application when the weeds are small and when most of them have emerged is essential. This report results from three years of trials using pre- and post-emergence applications of various herbicides. This information does not constitute a weed control recommendation by the University of California. For current weed control recommendations, local farm advisors should be consulted.