Background:
Alfalfa is an important crop in this region and in CA with over 1 million acres.
There are several critical issues in alfalfa IPM including the use of insecticides
to manage Egyptian alfalfa weevils (Hypera brunnipennis) and imporved
management of worms. Insecticides used for weevil control in the late winter
and early spring are being found in the surface waters, i.e., Sacramento Delta,
and are coming under more strict regulations. A M.S. graduate student in my
lab, Karey Windbiel-Rojas,
has conducted research on the role of biological control in weevil management.
Examples of Recent and Ongoing Work
- Reduced risk materials including biological control products for alfalfa weevil management.
- Treatment thresholds for alfalfa weevil.
- Incidence of biological control for alfalfa weevils and state-wide monitoring of natural controls of alfalfa weevil.
- Revised sampling technique for alfalfa weevil larvae.