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Show Chalcid Fly Control The first step in alfalfa seed chalcid fly control should be taken now. Chaff, from last year's alfalfa alf-alfa seed thrashing operations should be fed to dry livestock and non-dairy animals in the next few weeks, pointed out Dr. G. F. Knowl ton, Extension entomologist of the USAC. Effective control of the alfalfa seed chalcid is a community pro-blem.All pro-blem.All growers in an area should adopt control practices if full control con-trol benefit is to be obtained. Growers should consider the advisability ad-visability of raising all first, or all second crop seed, in any one seed area.lt is always well to eliminate volunteer alfalfa plants, which grow along ditch banks, roadsides, etc., which otherwise would be breeding chalcids to infest the commercial seed crop. First crop seed provides a longer breeding period for the seed chalcid each season than does the second crop seed. Growers should do such things as they can to reduce shatterinf and seed wastage in the field. Ef ficient cutting, raking and threshing thresh-ing equipment should be used care fully to reduce seed loss during harvesting operations. Always feed, burn, or compos) alfalfa and clover chaff stacks before be-fore May 1. Never plant uncleaned seed, nor screening, the entomo logist emphasized. Cultivation of seed fields, wher performed in fall, buries many seed so that they rot. This results in reduced chalcid emergence, Prof. C. J. Sorenson of the USAC experiment experi-ment station found. |