TY - JOUR AU - Van Den Bosch, Robert AU - Marble, Vern L. TI - Egyptian alfalfa weevil …the threat to California alfalfa JF - California Agriculture JO - Calif Agr Y1 - 1971/05/01 VL - 25 IS - 5 SP - 3 EP - 4 PB - University of California Agriculture and Nature Resources SN - 0008-0845 UR - http://www.ucanr.edu/sites/calagjournal/archive/?article=ca.v025n05p3 AB - The five articles included here summarize research to date on the Egyptian alfalfa weevil, Hypera brunneipennis, which poses a major threat to most of the state's 1,140,000 acres of alfalfa, and has already caused losses to growers of more than $6 million on a total alfalfa-hay crop valued at $197,000,000 (in 1970). H. brunnelpennis is not to be confused with its more widely known relative, H. postica, which has been an economically important weevil pest for many years, but has been reduced to minor status in some areas through biological control. The Egyptian alfalfa weevil arrived accidentally through the southeastern corner of California in the late 1930's, and became universally distributed over the south coastal plain. It spread slowly, but in recent years has been identified in many of the lowland alfalfa growing valleys of central and northern California…and is expected to expand over the entire Central Valley. As the studies included here indicate, much further research is necessary before an integrated program involving biological control, resistant alfalfa varieties, cultural control and effective chemical control (or combinations of all) can become practical.