Crop Management

The purpose of this course is to give the reader an overview of key practices that can help avoid or delay selecting for herbicide-resistant weeds and pesticide-resistant pests while managing weeds and pests in the field, particularly for cotton growers.

Weeds are defined as any plants that “interfere with the growing of crops or ornamental plants; endanger livestock; affect the health of people; interfere with the safety or use of roads, utilities, and waterways; or are visual or physical nuisances." Weeds can pose fire hazards and exacerbate allergies. They can clog canals, harbor insect pests, and poison people and animals.

The course was developed by Informa/Farm Progress and will provide an overview of the top disease and pest threats to citrus orchards in California, Florida, and Texas. Topics covered include: Huanglongbing (Citrus Greening); Citrus Canker; Tristeza Disease Complex; Sweet Orange Scab (SOS); Citrus Variegated Chlorosis (CVC); Citrus Stubborn; Citrus Pests.

In 1996, California voters approved the use of cannabis for medical use, with the requirement that patients must have a licensed physician’s recommendation. Then in November 2016, California voters approved Proposition 64, allowing adult use of cannabis under some specific use and quantity conditions. In June 2017, the California legislature passed the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) which Governor Jerry Brown signed into law. Each of these legal actions provided information on specific legal restrictions and requirements. MAUCRSA created one regulatory system for both medicinal and recreational use of cannabis.

The purpose of this training is to give you an overview of important management practices that can help avoid or delay the development of herbicide-resistant weeds. We will begin with a brief review of common weed types and herbicides, followed by factors that can influence the evolution of resistance in weeds, and methods for potentially delaying its occurrence in agronomic row crops and permanent crops. While weed resistance management guidelines may be introduced and discussed under a specific annual or perennial crop heading, many of the WRM techniques have cross-crop applicability. When using pesticides for resistance management, always check the label for specific registered uses and the Herbicide Group Number for Mode of Action (MOA), as well as contact your local University Extension Advisor, PCA, and/or manufacture representative.

GM alfalfa has been back on the market for about six years, after a detour through the courts that began not long after it was first introduced in 2005 as the fifth glyphosate-resistant crop to be commercialized.

Western Farm Press is pleased to sponsor The ABCs of MRLs CEU course. American agriculture exports 20 to 30 percent of its production annually. With many crops, like the specialty crops grown in California, the percentage of exports can be much higher. Like almonds, for example - more than 70 percent of this important California crop is exported annually. Although the pesticide registration process in the U.S. establishes acceptable pesticide residue levels for products used in the U.S., many foreign governments are increasing oversight and testing of imported food items for possible pesticide residues. When recommending and applying pest management products for crops, licensed Pest Control Advisers (PCAs), Certified Crop Advisers, consultants, applicators and farmers in the U.S. must be sure products applied are in compliance with Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) established by the governments of foreign customers. Failure to meet MRLs could be the loss of shipments and customers at considerable expense.

This course is sponsored by Western Farm Press. There are an estimated 150,000 named species in the insect group called Lepidoptera. Outnumbered only by the beetles, Lepidoptera represent the second-most diverse order of insect pests, and virtually every cultivated plant is attacked by at least one type. They are ready to defoliate and weaken plants or mine plant tissues, leaving holes and frass behind and rendering crops unmarketable. Their scientific name comes from the Greek Lepidos, for “scale,” and Pteron, for “wing”--literally “scale wing,”--because the wings of adult butterflies and moths are covered with microscopic scales. This course will specifically highlight six lepidopterous pests: the beet armyworm, cabbage looper, diamondback moth, tomato fruitworm, tomato pinworm and western yellowstriped armyworm. The course will also cover managing Lepidopterous pests in a wide array of crops and includes an additional section on Pesticide Safety.