This extension program focuses in developing new alternatives of Integrated Weed Management. Current projects include weed control in vegetable, field and tree crops. Emphasis is upon the evaluation of new products in the developmental phase and maximizing the performance of already registered products.
Salinas Valley lettuce growers spend as much as $30 million a year – about 3 percent of the cost of production – sending crews with hoes through lettuce fields to thin and weed the rows. Running the tech-assisted tractor through a field would save about $75 per acre, according to estimates by Mark Siemens, a mechanization specialist at the Yuma Agricultural Center and developer of the weeding technology.