First California Study of Ultra-Narrow Cotton Plantings Shows Promise

UC Cooperative Extension cotton farm advisor for Merced County Bill Weir believes he may be able to widen cotton profit margins by making planting rows ultra narrow. A pioneer in the 1980s of the now widely used 30-inch plantings, Weir will this year harvest the first research plot in California with rows just 15 inches apart. Weir calculates the cost of growing ultra-narrow-row cotton to be about $120 less per acre than 30-inch rows, primarily because of lower weed control costs and cheaper harvesting equipment. "We think you can use a pre-emergent herbicide in the spring, then spend no more on weed control because plant competition shades weeds out," Weir said. The finger stripper harvester for ultra narrow rows goes for half the cost of today's standard spindle picker, it moves faster down the row and picks a wider swath. Boll count in the ultra narrow rows indicates excellent yield, but actual data will not be available until mid-October. For more information contact Bill Weir at (209) 385-7403, blweir@ucdavis.edu.

Farmers May Take Self-guided Tours of Research Plots

UC Integrated Pest Management advisor Pete Goodell is trying a new way to educate the San Joaquin Valley's busy cotton farmers. Rather than selecting one specific date and time to view nematode management trials, he's set up a self-guided tour. California cotton producers reported losses of 28,000 bales in 1997 to root-knot nematode, a microscopic soil pest. Goodell and UC Riverside nematologist Phil Roberts are contrasting Acala varieties susceptible and resistant to root-knot nematode with and without the use of fumigant nematicides at the UC Shafter Research and Extension Center. "The goal is to develop and document non-chemical approaches to root-knot management," Goodell said. Farmers can see for themselves when they visit the plots, on Mettler Avenue between Merced and Madera avenues, just south of the reservoir. An information tube provides background and instructions, and key plots are identified. Visitors are requested to sign a guest registry and not enter the plots. For more information, contact Pete Goodell at (209) 646-6515, pbgoodell@uckac.edu.

Don't Let Pesticide Residues Scare you From a Healthy Diet

Consumers should not let worries about pesticide residues on food stop them from eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, advised UC Davis food toxicologist Carl Winter at a recent Fresno meeting. "We have reams and reams of scientific data that prove fruits and vegetables are essential to good health, while our research on the effects of pesticide residues on lab animals shows no adverse effects at typical exposure levels," Winter said. Studies have found that rats are not harmed when subjected to 10,000 times the typical human exposure to pesticide residue everyday. "Does that prove pesticides are safe?" Winter asks. "No. People can and have gotten sick from pesticide exposure in rare instances of blatant pesticide mismanagement." However, asserting the first principle of toxicology, "The dose makes the poison," he said people should determine for themselves what is an acceptable level of risk using factual scientific information. For more information contact Carl Winter at (530)752-5448, ckwinter@ucdavis.edu.

Jeannette Warnert
Public Information Representative
Ag and Natural Resources
UC Center
550 E. Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710