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Today I thought I'd share a few photos of a weed that is becoming more common in orchards in some areas of the Central Valley. I've gotten a few calls and ran across a few infestations of cutleaf eveningprimrose (Oenothera laciniata).
I went on a farm call last week (early May) in response to a suspected herbicide injury issue in a recently replanted almond orchard. The grower had applied a tankmix of glyphosate and Goal as a preplant burndown treatment a week or so before planting.
I was sent a short article from Science this week that discussed the impact of biotech crops on organic farms. The article is entitled "Can Biotech and Organic Farmers Get Along?" discusses issues with the science and politics surrounding GMO crops and gene flow to organic crops.
We commonly select for specific weeds in agricultural systems because of the neccessary managment practices. Cultivation, fertilization, irrigation, weed management, etc all can affect the weeds in a given field.