Pest Management & Plant Health

There have been significant developments in automated weeder technology in the past several years. A quick perusal of automated weeders on YouTube reveals many machines developed in diverse parts of the world.

UC Davis will host the Aquatic Weed School 2022 on October 31-November 1, 2022 at the Walter A. Buehler Alumni Center on the UC Davis campus.

Are you concerned about pesticides in our waterways? Join us on August 18, 2022 at noon for UC IPM's free monthly webinar to learn how to keep surface water clean by reducing pesticide use and runoff.

Position: Agronomy and Weed Management Advisor Applied Research and Extension (AP#22-06) Merced Location: This position will be headquartered in the UCCE Merced County office in Merced, CA but will also serve Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.

A cartoon character that looks suspiciously like a Department of Plant Sciences professor leads an animated, online tutorial that recently won a 2022 Gold Award from the Association for Communication Excellence.

It is getting close to the time we need to scout for weedy rice. Our team will be scouting known infested fields that are planted to rice this year. Troy Clark, our Rice Junior Specialist, will be starting in the next few weeks, and will be reaching out to growers and PCA's.

Western spotted cucumber beetles know how to hit the spot. Make that "multiple spots." These beetles, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, are agricultural pests that feed on roots, seedlings, flowers and foliage. And they can transmit diseases.

Several months ago, I got a question about weeds in an irrigated pasture. The mystery plants were slowly but surely taking over a significant proportion of the pasture, and the owner asked me to visit the property to identify the plants and options to control them.

During the 11th annual National Moth Week, one thing's for sure: Beekeepers won't be celebrating the beauty, life cycle, or habitat of the Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella), also known as "the honeycomb moth." It's a major pest of bee colonies that aren't maintained well.

Ever heard of Bot canker? "Bot" stands for Botryosphaeria which is a plant disease that results in cankers of trees and other woody plants. This fungal disease can be worse under drought conditions when trees are stressed.