Project: 30 Development of Grain Legume Varieties
Project Leader: Steve Temple
Objective: 1) Evaluate alternative grain legume species and varietal types (architectural), in conventional and reduced-till systems. Initial focus will be on winter legume species. 2) Select high-yielding, Ascochyta-resistant, compound-leaf garb lines with high yield and excellent grain quality, to compliment the simple-leaf, determinant Sierra, which is more of a "spring"- type for many locations and planting dates. Support (planting and harvesting and seed) agronomic work on weed management and herbicides, and other production practices of grain legumes. Produce pure, high-quality seed for UCCE workgroup members to use in their legume research.
Project: 44 Alfalfa Seed Production and Pollination Research
Project Leader: Shannon Mueller
Objective: To establish an alfalfa seed field in the typical area of production to enable research on production systems, insecticide efficacy, pollinator safety, and/or data development in support of pesticide registration efforts. Priority uses for this field would be established in conjunction with the alfalfa seed industry on an annual basis.
Project: 46 Pima Cotton Variety and Management Trials
Project Leader: Robert Hutmacher
Objective: The objectives of these studies will be to: (1) evaluate differences in growth and yield responses of select Pima varieties to specific production management approaches (irrigation water reductions, N fertilizer levels, plant growth regulator approaches); and (2) determine fiber quality responses of included varieties to management practice changes in this study. With concerns for water supplies and costs of inputs, this change in the focus of these Pima variety trials is being shifted to a narrower range of varieties selected to represent differences in growth habit (height, duration of growth or fruiting) and responses of these varieties to shorter-season management approaches (one less irrigation, moderate reduction in N fertilizer) and resulting impacts on needs for a PGR.
Project: 48 New Oilseed Crops for Biofuels in California
Project Leader: Steve Kaffka
Objective:
- Evaluate the response of new winter annual oilseed species to late spring irrigations and varying levels of nitrogen fertilizer.
- Evaluate diverse varieties of new winter annual oilseed species for performance in the western San Joaquin Valley.
Project: 51 Agronomic Testing of Transgenic Cotton Strains for Water Use Efficiency, Herbicide Resistance
Project Leader: Robert Hutmacher
Objective: The two main focus areas of continuing work will include: (1) field evaluations of new transgenic cotton materials for early stage field evaluations for drought stress tolerance and productivity of strains under development for improved water use efficiency – these are private company products, but potentially of interest in the U.S. cotton industry for eventual commercial application. Goals of the project are to provide a uniform soil and management test location for: (2) continuing evaluations mostly of herbicide-resistant cotton materials for suitability for production (agronomic characteristics, yield and quality characteristics) under conventional and herbicide application treatments.
Project: 52 Germplasm Screening for UC / San Joaquin Valley Cotton Board Entries
Project Leader: Robert Hutmacher
Objective: 1) fiber quality testing for early identification of Acala and Pima cotton varieties to advance into larger-scale grower field tests in later years in the University of California-administered San Joaquin Valley Cotton Board program; and 2) information on yield potential and growth habit (earliness, size, ease of defoliation) of a wide range of Acala and Pima cotton varieties
Project: 53 California Uplands Advanced Strains Screening Trial
Project Leader: Robert Hutmacher
Objective: The general objectives of the experiments are to provide information on varietal performance in multi-year studies to evaluate currently-available Acala varieties for mid- and late-season growth characteristics, lint yield and quality performance under a range of soil types and field cultural conditions in the San Joaquin Valley. The Research and Extension Center sites serve an important reference point in this type of variety trials, since management can be fine-tuned at the Research Centers to minimize differences in cultural practices and pest management that might otherwise influence varietal comparisons. These varieties are often of importance in seed production efforts in the San Joaquin Valley.
Project: 67 Pre-harvest Preparation of Cotton: Acala and Pima
Project Leader: Steve Wright
Objective: The objective of these studies is to define the most appropriate conditions for ideal defoliation and crop termination. In addition, it is necessary to evaluate alternative, as well a new materials, to current defoliation programs in a manner to insure optimum performance and minimum impact on fiber quality. Information will be gathered on over 30 different chemical combinations of new defoliants and tank mixes to determine which is the best defoliant for different conditions to maintain efficacy, and reduce costs.
Project: 69 Small Grain Variety Evaluation
Project Leader: Steve Wright
Objective: To conduct approximately 6-8 small plot studies to evaluate red and white wheats, durum wheats, triticale, and barley.
Project: 72 Evaluating Sweet Sorghum as a Feed Stock for Ethanol Production Project Leader: Steve Kaffka Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of sweet sorghum to provide a continuous feed stock supply to an ethanol facility in the San Joaquin Valley by evaluating fresh and dry weight yields, quality and potential ethanol yield over a potential 5-6 month harvest season.
Project: 82 Screening Upland and Pima Cotton Varieties
Project Leader: Dan Munk
Objective: To determine yield and quality characteristics of unique cotton plant materials in highly productive SJV soils and develop comparison information with respect to industry standard varieties. To develop and provide limited agronomic information on these unique cotton varieties that have shown good potential for seed increase by the SLV cotton grower.
Project: 83 Developing No-Till Low-Input Cropping Systems for California's Central Valley
Project Leader: Dan Munk
Objective: A long-term field research project incorporating a linear-move irrigation system will be used to evaluate multiple irrigation and tillage management systems in multiple-crop rotations that include: (1) conventional agronomic crop rotations, flat planting under no-till or reduced-till, low input management; (2) reduced till, higher input and more aggressive crop rotation for higher yield and economic output potential; (3) high intensity inputs, double-cropping or multiple-crop management; and (4) conventional tillage and furrow irrigation. Variations of systems #1, 2, and 3 will be irrigated using the linear move sprinkler irrigation system. System comparisons will include yield and output responses, input costs and quantities of input used (water, nutrients, fertilizers), all equipment use and operations to plant, manage and harvest crops, and economic evaluations of each system.
Project: 86 UC Switchgrass Field Evaluation Project
Project Leader: Dan Putnam
Objective: This trial is being conducted to determine the adaptation, biomass yield, potential cutting schedules possible in the San Joaquin Valley environment, and other potential production or management issues for a new crop, Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass) under western San Joaquin Valley irrigated conditions. Ten or more experimental switchgrass genetic lines will be compared to commercially-available standard varieties from different U.S. zones. The relative biomass productivity, maturity ratings, and agronomic characteristics of diverse germplasm will be evaluated in this study. Stand establishment issues, weed management requirements
Project: 92 Conservation Tillage Systems for the San Joaquin Valley's West Side
Project Leader: Jeff Mitchell
Objective: The objectives of this proposed research are to compare reduced tillage and conventional tillage practices in crop rotations common to California’s San Joaquin Valley during a "transitional" period and beyond in terms of:
- farm productivity and profitability
- practical aspects of CT production including crop establishment, in-season mgmt and postharvest management
- soil quality indicator properties
- the quantity and composition of dust produced
- soil water storage and crop water availability, and
- pest and crop management requirements, and
- to disseminate widely information related to the background, goals and outcomes of the proposed project
Project: 93 Innovative Tillage Options: Making Cotton and Processing Tomatoes More Productive
Project Leader: Jeff Mitchell
Objective: The objectives of this project are 1) to evaluate alternative tillage and crop planting management systems within a tomato / cotton rotation in terms of profitability and resource use, 2) to determine the capability of these systems for sequestering soil carbon, and 3) to extend information resulting from this project throughout row crop production regions of California's Central Valley. The tillage / planting systems that are being evaluated are listed below:
o standard tillage with single row cotton (S)
In each of these tillage / planting system treatments, we have “standard weed management” and “herbicide-tolerant cotton seed” subplots.
Project: 94 ANR Conservation Tillage Workgroup Demonstration Evaluations
Project Leader: Jeff Mitchell
Objective: