Field Crops - Publications

Field Crop Publications

Feb 2014

Renovating Alfalfa Stands in Arizona

Publication (PDF, 515KB)

Authors: Shawna Loper and Mike Ottman

Alfalfa is an important crop grown in Arizona with approximately 250,000 acres in production in 2011 and 2012 and 260,000 acres for 2013. As alfalfa stands age, they can thing and decline in plant density. This article takes a look at renovating alfalfa stands in Arizona.
Jan 2014

Summer Slump in Alfalfa

Publication (PDF, 425KB)

Authors: Mike Ottman and Ayman Mostafa

“Summer slump” is a decline in growth of alfalfa usually beginning in July in areas where maximum daily temperature exceeds 100 °F, such as the low elevation deserts of Southwestern U.S. This article discusses some of the causes behind this and potential impacts.
Jan 2014

Recommendations for Growing Standard-Height Wheat Varieties in Arizona

Publication (PDF, 537KB)

Authors: Mike Ottman and Joy M. Hought

Until the introduction of semi-dwarf wheat in the late 1960s, wheat varieties were typically one and a half to two times their current height. Most "standard height" wheat varieties are adapted to lower-input conditions, and cannot tolerate high-fertility environments without lodging. Planting date, seeding rate, nitrogen rate, phosphorus rate, and irrigation are discussed in this article.
Sep 2013

Forage Sorghum Harvest

Publication (PDF, 155KB)

Authors: Ayman Mostafa and Mike Ottman

Forage sorghums are warm-season, annual grasses that have the potential to produce large amounts of nutritious forage during summer months, especially in lower-elevation deserts, like central Arizona. If managed properly , sorghum can be used as supplemental feed during times of inadequate forage production or can be used as an emergency , late-planted crop to replace a primary crop that has been damaged by wind, hail or drought early in the growing season.
Jul 2013

Stink bugs in cotton, alfalfa, and other Arizona crops

Publication (PDF, 510KB)

Authors: Peter Ellsworth and Lydia Brown

In Arizona, we have many species of stink bugs; the species pictured above are encountered in cotton, alfalfa, and other crops. Some are occasional or potential pests of cotton. In the article the Brown Stink Bug (BSB), Eushistus servus, is discussed which has been a pest of cotton, especially in the past few years.
Jun 2013

Operation of Yield Monitors in Central Arizona: Grains and Cotton

Publication (PDF, 1.19MB)

Authors: Pedro Andrade-Sanchez and John T. Heun

Yield maps can be an important management tool to quantify the impact of management practices including water, fertility, pest control, variety selection, etc. Yield monitoring technology provides farm managers with information to improve input utilization, therefore many guidelines for their use are available online, including university cooperative extension bulletins for grain crops, and cotton.
Feb 2013

Insect Management on Desert Produce Crops: Western Flower Thrips 2013

Publication (PDF, 306KB)

Authors: John C. Palumbo

Western flower thrips are major pests to lettuces, cabbage, and spinach because of the damage they cause to these plants. This article describes their development, Economic Damage, and suggestions for their management.
Jan 2013

Seedcorn Maggot 2013

Publication (PDF, 230KB)

Authors: John C. Palumbo

Contains a description of the seedcorn maggot. This document also goes into the damages that are caused by this pest, and then covers some suggestions relating to management.
Jan 2013

Cotton IPM: A Quiet Revolution Reduces Costs, Losses and Risks for Arizona’s Cotton Growers

Publication (PDF, 88KB)

New technologies have enabled cotton growers to reduce their spray applications significantly while achieving among highest cotton yields worldwide. Arizona now produces the highest yielding cotton in the world, well over 1,500 pounds of fiber per acre, far exceeding the U.S. national average of about 750 pounds per acre. These technologies also help growers implement more ecologically based, sustainable IPM programs and become less dependent on broadly toxic insecticides.
Jan 2013

Guayule

Publication (PDF, 216KB)

Authors: Kurt Nolte

Guayule (why-YOU-lee) is a woody plant that thrives in the deserts of the U.S. Southwest and MExico. New Clean Technologies make it possible to extract natural rubber, latex, ethanol, non-toxic adhesives and other specialty chemicals from guayule.

ARIZONA PEST MANAGEMENT CENTER