Some major events and developments have taken place recently in the Colorado river water shortage arena. As a result, we are entering into a series of substantial and complicated legal aspects associated with the Colorado River situation.
As part of the SW Ag Summit that is taking place in Yuma this week, we are conducting a breakout session on Thursday, 23 February 2023 titled “Colorado River Water Shortage: Agricultural Perspectives”.
This session will provide a brief review of the background and current situation on the Colorado River and very importantly it will include perspectives from members of the lower Colorado River agricultural community including the Palo Verde Valley, the Imperial Valley, and the Yuma area irrigation districts.
The program outline is as follows:
2023 Southwest Ag Summit
Educational Program
Thursday – February 23, 2023
Morning Breakout Session
9:30 am – 11:30 am
I hope you are frolicking in the fields of wildflowers picking the prettiest bugs.
I was scheduled to interview for plant pathologist position at Yuma on October 18, 2019. Few weeks before that date, I emailed Dr. Palumbo asking about the agriculture system in Yuma and what will be expected of me. He sent me every information that one can think of, which at the time I thought oh how nice!
When I started the position here and saw how much he does and how much busy he stays, I was eternally grateful of the time he took to provide me all the information, especially to someone he did not know at all.
Fast forward to first month at my job someone told me that the community wants me to be the Palumbo of Plant Pathology and I remember thinking what a big thing to ask..
He was my next-door mentor, and I would stop by with questions all the time especially after passing of my predecessor Dr. Matheron. Dr. Palumbo was always there to answer any question, gave me that little boost I needed, a little courage to write that email I needed to write, a rigid answer to stand my ground if needed. And not to mention the plant diagnosis. When the submitted samples did not look like a pathogen, taking samples to his office where he would look for insects with his little handheld lenses was one of my favorite times.
I also got to work with him in couple of projects, and he would tell me “call me John”. Uhh no, that was never going to happen.. until my last interaction with him, I would fluster when I talked to him, I would get nervous to have one of my idols listening to ME? Most times, I would forget what I was going to ask but at the same time be incredibly flabbergasted by the fact that I get to work next to this legend of a man, and get his opinions about pest management. Though I really did not like giving talks after him, as honestly, I would have nothing to offer after he has talked. Every time he waved at me in a meeting, I would blush and keep smiling for minutes, and I always knew I will forever be a fangirl..
Until we meet again.
Interested in the latest ag technologies? There are a couple of events coming up next month that are worth reminding everyone about. The first is FIRA USA which is a 3-day event being held October 18-20th in Fresno, CA. The focus is on autonomous farming and agricultural robotics solutions. The event includes top-level keynote speakers, breakout sessions, a trade show and in-field demos of automated/robotic harvesting, weeding and planting equipment. The emphasis is on specialty crops, many related to vegetable crop production so it looks to be an informative program. For more information, click here or on the image below.
If you are unable to attend FIRA USA, another option is the University of Arizona’s 3rd AgTech Field Day. The event will be held Tuesday, October 25th at the University of Arizona’s Yuma Agricultural Center. The program will feature many of the technologies presented at FIRA being demoed in the field.
As mentioned in the previous issue, we’d like to showcase as many innovative ag technologies as possible at our UA Field Day. There is still room on the program, so please contact me if you are interested in demoing your equipment or know someone that is. It’s an open invitation - private companies, and university and government researchers are all welcome!
Fig. 1. FIRA-USA conference held October 17-20th in Fresno, CA.
(Photo credits: FIRA-USA).
Fig. 2. The University of Arizona’s 3rd AgTech Field Day will be held Oct. 25th,
2022, at the Yuma Agricultural Center, Yuma, AZ. (Photo from UA’s 2nd AgTech
Field Day held in 2021).
One of our local PCAs (Pest Control Advisors) in Yuma, Arizona found Buffalobur nightshade last week in an artichoke field in the area.
Buffalobur is a summer annual that belongs to the Solanaceae family. Another weed from this family commonly seen is Silverleaf nightshade (Solanum eleagnifolium). Unlike Silverleaf that has a purple flower, Buffalobur has a yellow flower. Leaves are deeply lobed from half to all the way to the midrib resembling small watermelon leaves. Sometimes toothed, the leaves are alternate on the stems with star-shaped hairs and are TOXIC TO HUMANS AND LIVESTOCK.
Animals would have to consume 0.1-0.3 % of their bodyweight to have toxic effects. Goats and sheep are more resistant than cattle to the weed's glycoalkaloid solanine, which is the toxic agent [3].
Its named Buffalobur for the prickly burs that got entangled to the fur of the bisons. Plants can reach up to 60 cm tall [2].
This weed is a natural host of the Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). It is also an alterative host of some mosaic virus affecting potato, tomatoes, and alfalfa. Additionally, it can harbor nematodes that are damaging to tomatoes [1].
According to the National Noxious Weed Control Board 2,4-D and Banvel are herbicides that provide complete control of this weed [3].
If infestations are small, it is also recommended to remove plants wearing sturdy gloves. The objective is to prevent the mature burs from releasing seeds when dehiscence occurs increasing the infestation.
Thank you for sharing your findings with the University of Arizona Vegetable IPM Team.
Image Courtesy of Jim Daily
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