Yuma County Office
2200 W. 28^th Street, Ste. 102
Yuma, AZ 85364
(928) 726-3904
(928) 726-8472 FAX

Production Update:

Starter Fertilizer: Nitrogen is often recommended at planting time as a starter fertilizer for alfalfa. Nitrogen fertilizer may stimulate growth of alfalfa seedlings. However, nitrogen may also stimulate growth of weeds and will delay nodulation until the nitrogen level in the soil is decreased. The amount of nitrogen applied as a starter fertilizer should be in the range of 25 to 50 pounds of N per acre and rates above 50 pounds of N per acre and considered excessive.

Insect Management: The granulate cutworm, Agrotis subterranea (Fabricius), is a devastating pest of bed planted alfalfa and is also an occasional pest of flood irrigated alfalfa. The cutworm larvae (picture) often go undetected until after cutting or hay removal. When fields are watered back, there may be areas of little or no regrowth due to cutworms feeding on new shoots from alfalfa crowns. Granulate cutworm is nocturnal and will move from cracks in the soil or from under duff in the evening and climb into the alfalfa canopy to feed. Some of the cutworms feed on new shoots under the duff, holding back regrowth, depleting starch reserves in the crowns and thereby weaken the plants. Weakened plants are more susceptible to disease. Permethrin, cyfluthrin and Steward are insecticides that control this pest. Cutworms feeding under the duff may escape insecticide treatments.

Weed Control: Our chemical weed control chart is enclosed (PDF file, 82KB). The chart that was included in the latest "Farm Notes" and some earlier publications had the wrong ratings for Balan. The correct ratings are: Summer annual grasses-good control, winter annual grasses-good control, sandbur-good control, shepardspurse-no control, London rocket-no control, lambsquarter-partial control, goosefoot-partial control, malva-no control, pigweed-partial control, bermudagrass-no control, and nutsedge-no control.

10 Year Summary (Nov 4 - Nov 17, 1994-2003):

Full Disclaimers

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, James A. Christenson, Director Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona.

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