Arizona Agriculture

Over the last few weeks we received reports of sluggish mummified aphids in many alfalfa fields across central Arizona. After visiting and collecting samples it appears the aphids are infected with fungal disease that can eventually kill aphids in these fields. This phenomenon is not usual in the desert. Fungi depend on high moisture to grow and propagate. The last rains we received created a favorable conditions for the growing of this fungus and allowed its infection to alfalfa aphids. We are monitoring this phenomenon, which we believe can give some relieve from the alfalfa aphid problem we are dealing with the last few years. Click Here for photos of aphids infected with this fungus. Watch for similar aphids in your field, and if you have similar situation, please let us know.

On Saturday, October 4, from 4:00-7:00pm, the State Office, Maricopa and Pinal County Cooperative Extension, Maricopa Agricultural Center and the Maricopa County Farm Bureau will be hosting the final of four Celebrating the Past, Envisioning the Future Centennial Event at the Phoenix Zoo - Neely Center (455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix). The program will include a reception, a BBQ dinner and some entertainment from our local 4-H youth. Special guests will be Dr. Ann Weaver Hart, UA President as our keynote speaker and Sean McLaughlin, CBS news anchor in Phoenix as emcee (and former 4-Her from Iowa). The evening will conclude with presentations to our Centennial Honorees.Registration ($25) is required. Everyone must register online. Questions regarding registration can be directed to Amber Jones (602.827.8210). Registrations cannot be accepted after September 19, 2014.

Additional information is available at the Centennial Events website which includes the agenda, a Phoenix Zoo map, and a registration link.
Please join us in Phoenix as we celebrate our Centennial!

Ayman Mostafa
Many growers, PCA and Extension specialists are always challenging by the task of determining unknown causes of poor crop growth in a field of alfalfa. Sometimes we can determine the causes, others we cannot achieve a quick conclusion, but often the actual causes of the problem are not known immediately. In alfalfa, several factors can interact to reduce crop growth, making diagnosis more problematic. Examination of field indicators and plant symptoms may provide clues as to the reason for poor growth or plant injury.
During the 2013 Western alfalfa symposium in Reno, Steve Orloff, Steve Norberg, Tim Hays of UC put an excellent program on “Diagnosing Problems in the Field”. The link to this session is now available at:http://lecture.ucanr.org/Mediasite/Play/ecdf9c44db224eba9745559f45f24b381d
All the videos and written material from this conference can be seen at: http://alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/+symposium/2013/index.aspx