PMSP for Western Alfalfa and Clover Seed Production

Priorities

Category Rank Pest Type Pest Crop Stage Priority
Extension/Outreach 1 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Continue to provide field tours to improve regulators’ understanding of production practices and to increase awareness of beneficial pollinator importance to the crop.
Extension/Outreach 1 Insects Educate growers about cutworm complex lifecycle, economic threshold and management options and timing.
Extension/Outreach 1 Insects Educate growers about degree-day modeling and threshold-based pest control recommendations.
Extension/Outreach 1 Insects Avoidance in Pre-Storage Educate growers about the problems with exporting straw as a mulch.
Extension/Outreach 1 Nematodes Provide better information on the varietal resistance to different species of nematodes.
Extension/Outreach 1 Nematodes Provide better information on the varietal resistance to different species of nematodes.
Extension/Outreach 1 Pathogens Produce extension publications addressing field selection and land preparation toward stand establishment for seed production.
Extension/Outreach 1 Pathogens Provide extension publications on management of alfalfa diseases in seed production.
Extension/Outreach 1 Pathogens Fall Provide extension publications on management of alfalfa diseases in seed production.
Extension/Outreach 1 Weeds Educate seed growers and surrounding landowners about preventing yellow starthistle establishment.
Extension/Outreach 1 Weeds Educate growers about the utility and delivery of GDD models.
Extension/Outreach 1 Weeds 1- to 5-inch Shoot Educate growers not to use glyphosate (Roundup) when following GMO crop.
Extension/Outreach 2 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Educate public on the utility of pesticides and benefits of using chemicals vs. not using chemicals (i.e., risk education). This includes education at the school, university, EPA, and legislature levels.
Extension/Outreach 2 Insects Educate growers on benefits of growing alfalfa seed following a crop that has been fumigated for nematodes.
Extension/Outreach 2 Insects Continue education of regulators (in a field setting) about the unique pest management needs due to pollinator preservation.
Extension/Outreach 2 Nematodes Educate growers on benefits of growing alfalfa seed following a crop that has been fumigated for nematodes.
Extension/Outreach 2 Weeds Educate the public and regulatory agencies about the benefits of spot burning.
Extension/Outreach 2 Weeds Train alfalfa and clover seed handlers and processors to comply with new non-food pesticide administrative rule (OR).
Extension/Outreach 3 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Develop a regional pest management strategy focusing on resistance management, especially for lygus bug and aphids. Develop an educational program for resistance monitoring.
Extension/Outreach 3 Nematodes Educate growers on benefits of using nematode-resistant varieties for nematode management on other crops.
Extension/Outreach 3 Nematodes Educate growers on benefits of using nematode-resistant varieties for nematode management on other crops.
Extension/Outreach 3 Weeds Provide the results of herbicide research in extension publications for each state.
Extension/Outreach 4 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot List alfalfa hay crop in the Best Management Practices handbook (i.e., NRCS conservation plan to encourage planting of alfalfa vs. corn or other traditional crops). Explain benefits of alfalfa over corn (i.e., less runoff, less erosion, less tillage, adding nitrogen to the soil, acts as a soil conditioner, classified as a carbon sink).
Extension/Outreach 4 Nematodes Provide extension publications on management of alfalfa nematodes.
Extension/Outreach 4 Nematodes Provide extension publications on management of alfalfa nematodes.
Extension/Outreach 5 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Educate general public on importance of pollinator bees.
Extension/Outreach 6 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Provide education on the delivery and utility of growing-degree-day models for insects and weeds.
Extension/Outreach 7 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Educate public and legislators on benefits of field burning and how they may outweigh the drawbacks (i.e., risk education).
Regulatory 1 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Maintain current registrations of organophosphate insecticides.
Regulatory 1 Insects Preserve a wide range of insecticide chemistries and mode-of-action choices for resistance management and pollinator protection.
Regulatory 1 Insects Avoidance in Pre-Storage Reinstate tank mix desiccant for California.
Regulatory 1 Insects Bloom Preserve burning as a better management practice for straw removal in fall or spring.
Regulatory 1 Insects Fall Provide better access to grasshopper bait (e.g., Internet purchase).
Regulatory 1 Nematodes Facilitate phytosanitary certification of seed and testing for seed exports leaving the U.S. (i.e., nematode screening in the debris with the seed, not within the seed).
Regulatory 1 Nematodes Facilitate phytosanitary certification of seed and testing for seed exports leaving the U.S. (i.e., nematode screening in the debris with the seed, not within the seed).
Regulatory 1 Pathogens Facilitate registration of new seed treatments and/or field treatments for damping off diseases.
Regulatory 1 Pathogens Improve certification standards for phytosanitary field testing of seed exports leaving the U.S.
Regulatory 1 Pathogens Fall Facilitate phytosanitary certification of seed and testing for seed exports leaving the U.S.
Regulatory 1 Weeds Work with state regulatory agencies to allow spot burning in an integrated dodder control program (needed in California, needs to be maintained in other regions).
Regulatory 1 Weeds Pursue 2,4-D,B ester manufacturing and registration.
Regulatory 1 Weeds Fall Permit spot burning for dodder management in California.
Regulatory 1 Wildlife Bloom Change Washington State law so that gophers can be trapped.
Regulatory 2 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Encourage state departments of agriculture to play a bigger role in regulating GMOs (i.e., control of pollen transfer and concerns with foreign markets).
Regulatory 2 Insects Preserve dimethoate registration.
Regulatory 2 Insects Fall Provide control of grasshoppers on public land, as they migrate to croplands.
Regulatory 2 Nematodes Expedite registration of future nematode seed treatments.
Regulatory 2 Nematodes Expedite registration of future nematode seed treatments.
Regulatory 2 Pathogens Facilitate labels for the new seed treatments.
Regulatory 2 Pathogens Improve and expedite methods for obtaining phytosanitary certificates for seed shipments internationally.
Regulatory 2 Pathogens Fall Improve and expedite phytosanitary certification for international seed shipments.
Regulatory 2 Weeds Provide improved clarity on herbicide application issue around salmonbearing streams. EPA needs information to support approved regulatory labels.
Regulatory 2 Weeds Facilitate 3rd party registration of metolachlor (Dual) in Idaho.
Regulatory 3 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Maintain a wide variety of chemical controls (including broad-spectrum and selective pesticides) for resistance management.
Regulatory 3 Insects Provide clarity on pesticide application issue around salmon-bearing streams. EPA needs information to support approved regulatory labels.
Regulatory 3 Weeds Regulate GMO stewardship issues (i.e., isolation, resistance management, export issues).
Regulatory 4 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Enlist industry input to EPA when making decisions on pesticides in reference to ground and surface water quality.
Regulatory 4 Insects Streamline label requirements for field posting after spraying. Current requirements vary by chemical (e.g., posting times vary, posting required on all 4 corners of the field and every entry point). It is very labor intensive with the number of small fields.
Regulatory 5 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Collaborate with all Western states to pursue new pesticide labels.
Research 1 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Develop new biological controls, new chemistries, and resistant alfalfa germplasm for lygus bug control.
Research 1 Insects Understand aphid complex life cycle and develop economic thresholds, management options and timing recommendations.
Research 1 Insects Develop selective systemic compounds for red clover and alfalfa seed that do not adversely affect pollinators.
Research 1 Insects Bloom Research improvements in fall storage of pollinator bees, including control of pollinator parasites in storage.
Research 1 Insects Fall Research and improve biological control for lygus bug, including fungal pathogens, parasites, and beneficials.
Research 1 Insects Planting Improve diagnostics for lygus bug damage to seed.
Research 1 Nematodes Find non-fumigant seed treatments for root-knot and lesion nematode control.
Research 1 Nematodes Find non-fumigant seed treatments for root-knot and lesion nematode control.
Research 1 Pathogens Develop seed treatment to control damping off.
Research 1 Pathogens Develop new control measures for Sclerotinia.
Research 1 Pathogens Fall Develop new control measures for seedborne diseases (Verticillium wilt, alfalfa mosaic virus, and Bacterial wilt)
Research 1 Weeds Research new control methods for dodder, including post-emergence herbicides.
Research 1 Weeds Look at new herbicides for alfalfa seed, red clover seed, and crimson clover seed, to get ahead of resistance (broadleaves and grasses).
Research 1 Weeds Fall Research more dodder management techniques.
Research 2 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Research the biology and ecology of natural enemies of lygus bug.
Research 2 Insects Develop standard (more stringent) tests for aphid resistance classification.
Research 2 Insects Develop more growing degree-day (GDD) modeling for additional insect pests and beneficial insects.
Research 2 Insects Fall Improve economic threshold determination and monitoring techniques for pest and beneficial insect populations.
Research 2 Insects Planting Research emerging pests that limit seed production.
Research 2 Nematodes Develop commercially viable alfalfa and clover varieties resistant to nematodes.
Research 2 Nematodes Develop commercially viable alfalfa and clover varieties resistant to nematodes.
Research 2 Pathogens Develop new control measures for seedborne diseases.
Research 2 Pathogens Develop new control measures for Verticillium wilt.
Research 2 Weeds Research new control methods for Canada thistle.
Research 2 Weeds Research alternative control measures for prickly lettuce, yellow nutsedge, and white cockle.
Research 2 Weeds Fall Research more Canada thistle management techniques.
Research 3 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Develop regional lygus bug resistance monitoring programs.
Research 3 Insects Develop resistant germplasm for lygus and aphids, either through biotechnology or traditional breeding techniques.
Research 3 Insects Develop puncture wound method for early detection of weevils.
Research 3 Insects Develop puncture wound method for early detection of weevils.
Research 3 Insects Fall Develop selective systemic insecticides for red clover and for alfalfa seed that do not hurt pollinators.
Research 3 Insects Planting Establish and/or validate thresholds for late season pests, such as lygus, spider mites, and alfalfa seed chalcid.
Research 3 Nematodes Research cultural management methods for nematodes, especially for stem nematode.
Research 3 Nematodes Research cultural management methods for nematodes, especially for stem nematode.
Research 3 Pathogens Discover the relationship of clover root cucurlio and Phytophthora.
Research 3 Pathogens Research and develop new fungicide modes of action for resistance management.
Research 3 Weeds Develop new biocontrols for dodder management.
Research 3 Weeds Determine effects of herbicides on seed quality and germination.
Research 4 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Develop new pest management strategies for pollinator bee safety (esp. disease management strategies).
Research 4 Insects Investigate efficacy of chemical controls on alfalfa seed chalcid.
Research 4 Insects Research biological controls for lygus, which would include fungal pathogens and parasites.
Research 4 Insects Fall Develop GDD modeling for more insect pests and beneficials.
Research 4 Insects Planting Examine selective pesticides and application timing to manage pests, preserve natural enemies, and reduce input costs.
Research 4 Nematodes Understand nitrogen mineralization following green manure crops.
Research 4 Nematodes Understand nitrogen mineralization following green manure crops.
Research 4 Pathogens Develop commercially viable seed crop varieties to continue resistance management.
Research 4 Pathogens Research new control measures for spring and summer black stem.
Research 4 Weeds Develop growing degree day (GDD) models for dodder emergence in growing regions beyond California.
Research 4 Weeds Develop and research new herbicides for more complete weed control.
Research 5 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Update economic thresholds for insects and beneficials; standardize sampling techniques for insect levels.
Research 5 Insects Find new, cost effective chemical control for clover root curculio.
Research 5 Insects Review economic thresholds for insect pests. Current thresholds are not dynamic enough to reflect prices and other concerns.
Research 5 Insects Fall Research alternative modes of action for lygus bug control.
Research 5 Nematodes Investigate the use of green manure crops for nematode management in preparation for spring planting.
Research 5 Nematodes Investigate the use of green manure crops for nematode management in preparation for spring planting.
Research 5 Pathogens Develop disease-resistant varieties.
Research 5 Weeds Look at increasing the activity of the 2,4 D,B amine with surfactants.
Research 6 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Develop new, cost effective controls for noxious weeds (e.g., dodder, Canada thistle, white cockle, and other difficult-to-control weeds).
Research 6 Insects Investigate cutworm species complex, life cycle, economic threshold evaluation and management options and timing.
Research 6 Insects Develop insecticides with alternative modes of action for lygus control.
Research 6 Insects Fall Determine effects of new compounds on natural enemies and pollinators.
Research 6 Nematodes Develop pre-plant sampling method for nematodes
Research 6 Nematodes Develop pre-plant sampling method for nematodes.
Research 7 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Develop growing degree-day models for major alfalfa seed pests.
Research 7 Insects Evaluate aphid species complex and composition, economic threshold, and management options.
Research 7 Insects Determine effect of new compounds on natural enemies and pollinators.
Research 7 Insects Fall Develop better diagnostic tools for lygus damage at bud and seed stage.
Research 8 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Develop systemic aphicide for clover aphids.
Research 8 Insects Improve management options that consider reducing negative effects on pollinators
Research 8 Insects Improve diagnostics of lygus damage at bud stage and seed stage.
Research 9 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Develop soil insecticide for crown/root borer in red clover (western Oregon).
Research 9 Insects Develop alternatives to synthetic pyrethroids.
Research 9 Insects Improve insecticide resistance management programs for key pests.
Research 10 All 6- to 12-Inch Shoot Develop control measures for Sclerotinia in red clover (western Oregon).
Research 10 Insects Test insecticides for efficacy on pea leaf weevil.
Research 10 Insects Develop insect management plans that mitigate negative effects on general predators and biological control agents.
Research 11 Insects Improve economic threshold development and evaluation.
Research 12 Insects Improve pest and beneficial monitoring techniques.
Research 13 Insects Examine biopesticides for pest management.
Research 14 Insects Examine and understand the interaction of chemical, biological and cultural pest control techniques.
Research 15 Insects Research block planting of crops on a regional basis.