http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogrss.cfm Latest Posts from the ANR Blogs en-us UC ANR http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/ Wed, 16 May 2012 16:45:52 PST Wed, 16 May 2012 16:45:52 PST Look to the ground for the small and minute details of the native False Babystars plant (Leptosiphon androsaceus), which can have a blossom smaller than Lincoln's head on a penny. Until recently this common plant was classified as Linanthus androsaceus and it is one of the many, many plants in the Phlox family ... Polemoniaceae. This is an annual herb, hairy in nature, with leaves that are each divided into needle-like lobes, which is endemic to California. It is common on the rangelands......
]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 15:57:12 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7509&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rjkeiffer@ucdavis.edu(Robert Keiffer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7509 Dry root rot has been a problem in citrus orchards for many years. Although generally a problem in coastal and northern California counties it has been reported in other citrus producing areas of the state. When present it generally occurs as a chronic problem affecting only a few trees in the orchard. Trees may be invaded at any time from planting to maturity; frequently mature, good producing trees are invaded. Once infection has occurred, it may be several years before any symptoms are......
]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 14:35:25 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7511&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7511 Birds, Blooms and Butterflies This month’s Advice to Grow By workshop will star birds, blooms and butterflies. The workshop, put on by the University of California Master Gardeners, will be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Garden of the Seven Sisters, located at 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo. Bring a notepad and be prepared to discover the connection between wildlife and success in the garden. As population soars and growth sneaks into unfettered areas, wildlife habitat continues......
]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 12:55:28 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7508&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed abreschini@co.slo.ca.us(Amy Breschini) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7508 This weekend, I attended the 7th of an 8-class series on Biodynamic Gardening/Farming at a local college. The topic for this month’s class was on “Growing Plants and Weed Management.” With regard to the “growing plants” segment of the class, the instructor (who also farms the land at the college), introduced me to the concept of “pricking out,” which means transferring a newly germinated seedling at the proper time to a larger container (note that......
]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 12:53:30 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7320&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bhomer@thehomers.com(Betty Homer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7320 University of California Cooperative Extension employees, who coordinate most of the sudden oak death-related research and monitoring in Northern California, got a surprise in the spring of 2010, when samples from a monitoring station near the mouth of Redwood Creek near Orick in Humboldt County tested positive for the pathogen. This meant that trees were infected somewhere in the 200,000-acre watershed – more than 50 miles from the nearest known infestation, and farther north than the......
]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 12:06:46 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7507&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed skolding@berkeley.edu(Sophie Kolding) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7507 The first Small Farm News of 2012 is ready for viewing! As always this newsletter is full of relevant and practical information to assist small-scale farmers and ranchers. Topics in this issue are: Workshops to prepare growers for food safety Building statewide support for California agritourism Selling wholesale at a farmers market Tips for growing, selling organic CSA operators offer tips How to identify ‘snake-oil’ products Pedro Ilic Award honors Paul Vossen The......
]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 10:29:26 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7505&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7505 How wood is used after it is cleared from a forest and where that forest is located largely affects the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere, according to a new study by UC Davis. The study, published this week in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Climate Change, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions. When trees are felled to create solid wood products, such as......
]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 07:56:41 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7500&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kekerlin@ucdavis.edu(Katherine Kerlin) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7500 If you're looking for a good bee plant that offers a little bit of an obstacle, try the violet trumpet vine (Clytostoma calystegioides). It's one of the UC Davis Arboretum All-Stars.What's an Arboretum All-Star? The UC Davis Arboretum horticultural staff, led by Ellen Zagory, singled out "100 tough, reliable plants that have been tested in the Arboretum." The All-Stars are "easy to grow, don’t need a lot of water, have few problems with pests or diseases, and have outstanding qualities in......
]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 21:12:38 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7503&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7503 University of California Cooperative Extension employees, who coordinate most of the sudden oak death-related research and monitoring in Northern California, got a surprise in the spring of 2010, when samples from a monitoring station near the mouth of Redwood Creek near Orick in Humboldt County tested positive for the pathogen. This meant that trees were infected somewhere in the 200,000-acre watershed – more than 50 miles from the nearest known infestation, and farther north than the......
]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 17:26:44 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7501&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7501 As cotton seedlings develop, western flower thrips (WFT) can occur in great numbers. As winter grain fields dried up for harvest or alfalfa fields are cut for hay, large numbers can descend on a cotton field causing growers and PCAs to pause and wonder, who goes there, friend or foe? FOE: Western Flower Thrips feed on young leaf tissue causing the leaves to distort and curl. If present in sufficient populations, they can feed and destroy the growing meristem region, setting back the......
]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 15:50:14 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7498&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pbgoodell@ucanr.edu(Peter Goodell) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7498 New exterior siding has begun to clothe the outside of the Rod Shippey Education and Field Lab building at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center. The siding was milled at the UC Berkeley, College of Natural Resources' Blodgett Forest Research Station located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The milled wood was from Incense Cedar (Libocedrus decurrens Torr.) which is a distinctive component of the Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest and can grow to be over 500......
]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 15:06:12 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7497&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rjkeiffer@ucdavis.edu(Robert Keiffer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7497 Growers, dairy operators, agency representatives, agricultural commissioners, policymakers and other community members will gather for half-day forums in June to discuss management of agricultural nitrogen. The forums will be held in Sacramento on June 12 and in Tulare on June 18. The California Department of Food and Agriculture and University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources will be hosting the two community forums to explore solutions to nitrate in groundwater and the role of......
]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 11:41:52 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7496&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7496 Each school day millions of children eat at school. Meals can be brought from home, or prepared by staff on-site. All meals have the potential to cause a foodborne illness. The National Coalition for Food-Safe Schools (NCFSS) is a collection of organizations working together to improve food safety in U.S. schools. From their website: “The National Coalition for Food-Safe Schools (NCFSS) is an alliance of representatives from a variety of renowned national organizations, professional......
]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 11:07:07 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7495&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7495 I had the opportunity to go hiking on Catalina Island in April and I saw an amazing display of California native plants. The Hermit Gulch trail is approximately a 4-mile looped trail. We started at the Hermit Gulch Campgrounds, hiked up to the summit, then back down towards the Wrigley Botanical Gardens.  It is moderate hike, along well marked trails, that took us about 2.5 hours.  It was an overcast day, so when we reached the Garden to Sky Summit, we couldn’t see both sides of the island, as......
]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 08:11:07 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7493&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed indigo_infusion@yahoo.com(Esther Blanco) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7493 Our yard is filled with such bee friendly plants as salvia, lavender, catmint and rock purslane. Lately, however, the honey bees have taken a liking to the sugar-water mixture from our hummingbird feeder. Manufacturers' bee guards are meant to deter them but frankly, we rather like attracting both the hummers and the buzzers."The bees are hungry," said bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey of the University of California, Davis and Washington State University.We like watching the honey bees gather......
]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 23:19:25 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7494&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7494 Usted sabe como funciona: se para en uno de los pasillos del supermercado y de manera disimulada olfatea los melones, esperando que su nariz le ayude a elegir el mejor melón maduro. Pero cuando llega a su cocina y lo corta en rebanadas, se da cuenta que no está tan maduro como hubiera deseado. Para suerte suya (y mía), la profesora asistente Florecen Negre-Zakharov, del Departamento de Botánica de la Universidad de California en Davis y su equipo podrían haber......
]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 17:47:24 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7502&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed lisa.rawleigh@ucr.edu(Lisa Rawleigh) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7502 Mon, 14 May 2012 15:28:52 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7489&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed besjml@sbcglobal.net(Mary Gabbard) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7489 Ah terrariums! How I love this tiny little worlds. In my experience, which is somewhat limited, the easiest ones are the dry cactus types. So little water involved. Just add some rocks, sand, and you have an itty bitty desert in that cognac snifter you never use. Stick with shade succulents like gasterias and haworthias. Don't put them too close to a window as the glass from the terrarium will magnify the suns rays and cook them, unless you're going for the desert apocalypse look. Another......
]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 15:28:11 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7470&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed strawberries_fresas@yahoo.com(Georgia Luiz) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7470 The demand for ethnic foods in supermarkets has continued to increase due to several factors, as reported in Facts, Figures and The Future by The Lempert Report. Among them: Intermarriage is on the rise. About 15 percent of all new marriages in the United States in 2010 were between spouses of a different race or ethnicity from one another, more than double the share in 1980 (6.7 percent), according to Pew Research Center. The growth of Hispanic and Asian populations in the United States......
]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 14:18:00 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7491&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed myriam.grajales@ucr.edu(Myriam Grajales-Hall) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7491 You know how it works: You stand in the grocery aisle, surreptitiously sniffing the cantaloupes, hoping your nose will lead you to a nice, ripe selection. But when you slice it open in your kitchen, it’s just not as ripe as you had hoped. Lucky for you (and me), UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences Assistant Professor Florence Negre-Zakharov and her team may have found a way to make imperfectly ripe fruit a thing of the past. "We are involved in a project geared towards developing rapid......
]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 11:51:17 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7490&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed denelson@ucdavis.edu(Diane Nelson) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7490 Fri, 11 May 2012 18:30:56 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7486&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cawilen@ucdavis.edu(Cheryl Wilen) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7486 The Plant Identification Lab at Foundation Plant Services (FPS), UC Davis provides variety identification using DNA Fingerprinting technology for grape, and other crops. The service makes DNA-based grape variety identification available to the public on a fee-for-service basis. The grape variety identification service can be used by nursery managers, grape growers, wineries, breeders and other industry representatives. The identification process begins by extracting DNA from the client's......
]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 17:37:36 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7485&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed sjvasquez@ucanr.edu(Stephen Vasquez) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7485 The Council of Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) recently released a commentary paper on the direct relationship between animal health and food safety outcomes. It is an informative read for livestock producers and consumers. The following is from the paper's introduction and objectives: "Many groups in society, including politicians, activists, scientists, and stakeholders, are advocating significant changes to livestock production practices. These changes include modification of......
]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 13:52:01 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7483&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jmharper@ucanr.edu(John Harper) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7483 The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted to support a bill introduced by Congressman Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, allowing businesses that rent pack mules and horses to operate in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks while a new wilderness plan is implemented, according to the Visalia Times-Delta. In 2009 a High Sierra Hikers Association sued the National Park Service for failing to conduct an adequate environmental impact analysis of its wilderness plan. As a result of the suit, a judge......
]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 13:32:59 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7482&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7482 The spring edition of California Agriculture has a varied collection of articles. You can read about solutions for nitrate in drinking water, protecting California forests form catastrophic fire, agricultural advances, and the history and legacy of the Morrill Act. Articles include: No-tillage and high-residue practices reduce soil water evaporation Research and adoption of biotechnology strategies could improve California fruit and nut crops Regulatory status of transgrafted plants is......
]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 12:02:46 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7481&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7481 We all have experienced the lovely red, orange, and yellow colors of autumn oak leaves and most of us look forward to this annual reminder of the fall season. Leaf colors basically come from four pigments that are naturally produced by leaf cells .... chlorophyll (green), carotenoid & xanthophyll (yellow,orange, and brown), and anthocyanin (red). Environmental factors influence the amounts of each pigment in the leaf and can therefore alter leaf color. Chorophyll, which is usually......
]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 11:26:33 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7479&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rjkeiffer@ucdavis.edu(Robert Keiffer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7479 With water rates on the rise, one of the easiest and cheapest things you can do to reduce your water bill is to ensure that your irrigation system is working properly. Use the seasonal checklist below as a guideline to performing routine maintenance on your system. Once you know everything is good to go, sit back and enjoy your savings. If not you, please be sure to share with the person that typically handles your irrigation maintenance....
]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 09:05:29 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7478&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed tjmajcherek@ucdavis.edu(Tammy Majcherek) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7478 Fri, 11 May 2012 07:09:31 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7477&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed sdkocher@ucdavis.edu(Susie Kocher) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7477 If you head over to the 137th annual Dixon May Fair, the state's oldest continuous fair, you'll see a flurry of butterflies. The fair, located at 655 S. First St., Dixon, opened Thursday, May 10 and continues through Sunday, May 13. Colorful specimens and butterfly posters from the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, grace the Floriculture Building. Over in the Fine Arts and Photography Building and Today's Youth Building, scores of artists--young and young at heart--are displaying images......
]]> Thu, 10 May 2012 22:40:09 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7476&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7476 Thu, 10 May 2012 14:16:45 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7474&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed tmgarbini@ucdavis.edu(Teresa Garbini) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7474 Mark Gaskell, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Santa Barbara County, is credited in the Santa Inez Valley Journal for helping a retired couple start a new business. Gaskell is an expert in small-scale farming. The article said Leonard and Nancy Morrell were unsure what to do with their 2.5-acre farm in Solvang after their kids were raised and they retired from their jobs. Leonard read a research paper by Gaskell that suggested the area provided excellent conditions to grow blackberries and......
]]> Thu, 10 May 2012 11:49:13 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7472&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7472 Thu, 10 May 2012 09:11:39 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7469&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed karl@ucanr.edu(Karl Krist) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7469 Once again we may be facing a difficult planting season. Stand establishment, weed control, and nitrogen management are particularly problematic in wet springs. Below are a few points that you might want to keep in mind. As always, if I can be of assistance don’t hesitate to give me call. Seed Bed Preparation Well prepared, dry soil improves seedling vigor and stand establishment. Unless there are other overriding constraints, take the time to let the soil dry rather than rush planting......
]]> Thu, 10 May 2012 09:09:58 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7434&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed laespino@ucdavis.edu(Luis Espino) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7434 In past newsletters and extension meetings the topics of N and P fertility have been covered recurrently. This year, Bruce Linquist, UC Davis Research Scientist, will begin a project to evaluate the status of K in rice soils in several locations across the Valley. His results will help explain occurrences of K deficiency. In the meantime, here is some basic information about K in rice systems. Potassium in soil and plants In the soil, K originates from slowly weathering minerals. In the soil......
]]> Thu, 10 May 2012 09:08:31 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7436&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed laespino@ucdavis.edu(Luis Espino) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7436 Anybody out there who doesn’t like to watch hummingbirds as they flit through the yard? If that’s you, read no farther but just skip to the last paragraph or two. If you’re like me, however, continue to read.Folks like hummingbirds for a variety of reasons: they are entertaining; they are fearless in defending their territory and feeders from others (including hummingbirds who are “strangers”, and for those of you who like nature photography, they are quite the......
]]> Thu, 10 May 2012 09:02:29 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7468&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed him2@pacbell.net(Betsy Lunde) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7468 Large RWW flight at RES (Biggs, CA) night of April 30. We got over 2100 RWW which exceeds the total number captured the entire season in 2011 (a record low with only 415) and rivals the seasonal total for any year of the last 10 (except 2009 which was over 6000). The night of April 29 appears to have over 500 adults as well (have not counted them yet). The environmental conditions for flight did not appear ideal during those nights but I guess it was “good enough”. Am I......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 22:36:07 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7466&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed laespino@ucdavis.edu(Luis Espino) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7466 A honey bee foraging in a lavender patch encounters a jumping spider and narrowly avoids becoming prey.HB returns to the hive only to notice a sister doing the waggle dance to communicate (erroneously) what a good foraging site this lavender patch is, and "Let's go!"HB head-butts her dancing sister to warn of the danger. The dancing stops. A "stop signal" just occurred.That's the short version of what biologist James Nieh of UC San Diego will discuss when he speaks on “The Role of......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 21:45:30 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7467&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7467 The ANR Budget Office is pleased to announce the launch of “Rate and Recharge : Step by Step”, a website designed to help Units successfully use recharge rates at ANR. Units that currently operate recharge centers or are interested in establishing them will find useful information including: Step by step instructions for planning, submitting, and monitoring rates A single location for forms, tools, and contacts Video examples of how to complete required forms An on-line......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 17:48:26 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7465&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed mlpoe@ucanr.edu(Michael Poe) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7465 First generation California red scale crawlers emerge at 550 degree days (DD). As of Monday, Kern County had accumulated 483 DD, and so the crawlers will begin emerging next week. Tulare County accumulated 443 DD and crawlers should emerge in the next 10-14 days. Fresno and Madera crawlers will emerge after that. See my web site for graphs of the progress of the degree days and a comparison to the 30 year average (we are about a week later than normal).......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 16:21:22 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7464&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed eegraftoncardwell@ucanr.edu(Elizabeth Grafton-Cardwell) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7464 The key to having effective whimsy in a garden, in my opinion, is balance--not too little, but more important, not too much. A whimsical piece in the yard should be slightly hidden and a surprise when discovered. Whimsy should make one at least smile, if not chuckle. It should fit well with the feeling of the garden as a whole, and not feel, when discovered, out of place. Articles of whimsy are usually obtained in unexpected ways. One does not set out to find a cute gnome, but comes......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 11:17:02 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7462&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cherylptts@aol.com(Cheryl Potts) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7462 Wed, 09 May 2012 10:54:33 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7461&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7461 A rather common perennial herb found in chaparral brushlands of eastern Mendocino County, and many other counties in California, is the native Woolly Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja foliolosa Hook. & Am.). This plant species is almost endemic to California and is found only slightly beyond our state's borders. The term foliolosa means "furnished with leaflets" which actually refers to the colored showy bracts. It can be found in yellow pine forest, foothill woodland, chaparral, and......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 09:47:06 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7460&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rjkeiffer@ucdavis.edu(Robert Keiffer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7460 Last week I was in Flagstaff, Arizona, for the Smallwood 2012 conference. I was on the planning committee and it was great to see over 200 people in attendance. The conference started with some good introductory presentations looking at the background to the Southwest forest products industry (Todd Morgan, University of Montana) and to broader federal policy issues (Butch Blazer, USDA). The conference then split into two tracks and covered topics ranging from collaboration, ecosystem......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 09:33:36 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7448&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed gmayhead@berkeley.edu(Gareth Mayhead) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7448 Cal/OSHA’s 2012 Heat Illness Prevention Campaign provides multiple approaches to protect outdoor workers from heat illness. The campaign is a combination of education, outreach and enforcement efforts. Education resources for employees are available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Punjabi and Mixteco. These free resources include DVD that features workers from agriculture, construction and landscaping occupations. Employers can also find resources to help minimize heat illness. In addition......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 09:05:47 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7459&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7459 According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS),California raisin type grapes using the overhead trellis management system totaled 19,543 acres (bearing and non-bearing) during 2011. This amounted to 9.8 percent of the total raisin type grape acreage. Varieties ‘Fiesta’ and ‘DOVine’ had the highest percentage of acreage using the overhead trellis system, at 52.2 percent and 41.2 percent, respectively. However, ‘DOVine’ at 609 acres is......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 08:52:46 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7458&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed sjvasquez@ucanr.edu(Stephen Vasquez) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7458 Construction on the Shippey Educational Center at the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center in Ukiah is in full swing, reported Carole Brodsky in the Ukiah Daily Journal. The lengthy article said ground was broken in October, and the facility is projected to be completed in the fall. "We've been a research and extension center since 1951, but have been primarily focused on research, without a strong extension component," said Hopland director Robert Timm. "Farm advisors in the extension......
]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 08:51:57 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7457&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7457 When TED extends an invite, that's a high honor.Scientists-artists Diane Ullman and Donna Billick, co-founders and co-directors of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, have been invited to speak at the second annual TEDx program hosted at the University of California, Davis. The theme of the daylong program, set from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, May 19 in Room 1100 of Social Sciences and Humanities Building, is “The Power of Perspective." Ullman and Billick are among some 14 speakers......
]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 21:13:06 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7456&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7456 Los investigadores y educadores de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales (ANR, por sus siglas en inglés) de la Universidad de California continúan combatiendo los incrementos en las tasas de obesidad infantil. La obesidad infantil está vinculada a muchos problemas que afectan la vida entera. Si no se hace nada con ellos, estos problemas tienen el potencial de revertir las expectativas de vida ganadas.Nuestra juventud merece un futuro lleno de promesas y posibilidades. Un cuerpo......
]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 17:20:13 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7484&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed lisa.rawleigh@ucr.edu(Lisa Rawleigh) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7484 Tue, 08 May 2012 16:42:24 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7455&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7455 Tue, 08 May 2012 16:29:50 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7454&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed dlmcintyre@ucdavis.edu(Darlene McIntyre) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7454 Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV) testing is complete at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center. Every tree at the Center is tested annually for presence of the virus, and infected trees are removed. This year we are using a new technique for half of our 12,000 trees; a direct tissue blot immunoassay (DTBIA-ELISA) with guidance from Dr. Ray Yokomi at USDA in Parlier. For the remaining trees we are collecting leaf samples for submission to the Central California Tristeza Eradication Agency in......
]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 15:34:01 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7453&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed eegraftoncardwell@ucanr.edu(Elizabeth Grafton-Cardwell) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7453 Tue, 08 May 2012 15:18:54 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7451&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7451 Tue, 08 May 2012 15:18:37 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7452&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jmharper@ucanr.edu(John Harper) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7452 The month of May was officially proclaimed "CalFresh Awareness Month" by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last week. A number of community advocates and organizations, including three UC Cooperative Extension representatives (County Director Keith Nathaniel, Program Coordinator Cynthia Orozco and Nutrition Advisor Brenda Roche Wolford) gathered to mark the occasion. This is the second year in a row the LA County Department of Public and Social Services (DPSS) spearheaded the effort......
]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 13:41:38 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7449&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed deekim@ucdavis.edu(Dohee Kim) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7449 We have many highly salt sensitive crops in Ventura County: strawberry, avocados, blueberries. Rainwater, the purest kind, is excellent for leaching salts, but, in years with low rainfall, salt accumulation and resulting toxicity is a big concern. Plant reaction to salts varies among varieties, stages of growths and environmental conditions and, perhaps most importantly, with the type of salts that they are exposed to. We typically determine salinity of water and soil by measuring Electrical......
]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 09:26:53 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7446&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7446 Have you considered celebrating spring by taking a wild flower tour into the country on a 1906 electric train? Located on Highway 12, between Fairfield and Rio Vista is the Western Railway Museum. It’s like stepping back 100 years in time to tour the extensive collection of trains and streetcars that date from 1890 to 1960. To ride the slow moving antique train with beautiful stained glass windows, sipping lemonade and munching cookies is delightful. In April each year, the Wild flower......
]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 09:17:24 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7371&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed slrdr13@comcast.net(Sharon Rico) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7371 UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers and educators continue to fight increases in childhood obesity rates. Childhood obesity is linked to many lifelong health problems. If left unchecked these problems have the potential to reverse life expectancy gains. Our youth deserve a future filled with promise and possibilities. A strong body and good health is the foundation on which a successful future can be built. UC ANR’s new after-school curriculum is designed to help 9- to......
]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 08:34:25 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7440&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7440 What's Mother's Day without moths?And caterpillars? Moth specimens and a fun caterpillar craft activity will highlight a pre-“Moth’er's Day” open house from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, May 12 at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, 1124 Academic Surge on California Drive, University of California, Davis campus. The event is free and open to the public.You can learn about moths and make "caterpillars" from colorful “scrunched-up paper” and chopsticks, says Tabatha Yang,......
]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 21:33:33 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7445&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7445 The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is one of the most widely distributed bird species in the world, occurring on all continents except for Antarctica. (Tyto is Greek for owl) It has also been introduced to many islands throughout the world including the Hawaiian Islands and the Seychelles Islands. In the Americas is is found throughout the lower 48 US states, Central America, and all of South America. Known for its predatory skills at nabbing rodents, in many places the agricultural communities place......
]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 18:13:19 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7444&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rjkeiffer@ucdavis.edu(Robert Keiffer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7444 New studies showing production costs for strawberries in three of California’s coastal growing regions are now available from the University of California Cooperative Extension. The studies estimate costs for producing strawberries in the Santa Maria Valley, Oxnard Plain and Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Each analysis is based upon hypothetical farm operations using practices common in the region. Input and reviews were provided by UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors, UC......
]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 14:24:20 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7443&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed skwillard@ucdavis.edu(Sandra Willard) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7443 New studies showing production costs for almonds, walnuts, mandarins, winegrapes and peppermint oil are now available from the University of California Cooperative Extension. Each analysis is based upon hypothetical farm operations using practices common in the region. Input and reviews were provided by UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors, UC researchers, growers, farm accountants, pest control advisers, consultants and other agricultural associates. Each study describes the assumptions......
]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 13:45:16 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7442&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed skwillard@ucdavis.edu(Sandra Willard) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7442 The UC Riverside Citrus Variety Improvement Program (CVIP), the forerunner of the Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP), began indexing candidate varieties in 1958. At that time, the full range of indicator plants that is utilized today was not known. In the early 1960s, the usefulness of ‘Dweet’ tangor as an indicator for Citrus Concave Gum Virus as well as other psorosis-like viruses was demonstrated. Consequently, starting in 1963 over 150 varieties not previously indexed on......
]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 12:51:57 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7112&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7112 Agriculture is more than food production. The term is used to describe the human cultivation of food, fiber and other products. Many people think of food farming and raising of livestock as the extent of agriculture, but there is much more to this powerful industry. For approximately 10,000 years agriculture has shaped civilization. And in fact some say that agriculture has made civilization possible. Agricultural progress allowed groups of people the first alternative to a hunter-gatherer......
]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 12:16:35 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7435&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7435 I was on a gardening outing last week at a local iris farm, and on my drive home my co-pilot gardener and I had to stop by Morningsun Herb Farm since we were driving right by. What fun, we both love to window shop in spring and pick up a few newbie's to try in our gardens. We found a good assortment of basil, squash, and tomatoes. I chose 'Pruden's Purple' as my tomato experiment this year. I have just found that others have grown this indeterminate variety to a size of 6 to 12 feet tall. My,......
]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 11:40:13 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7415&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed trishaerose@gmail.com(Trisha Rose) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7415 Mon, 07 May 2012 11:33:12 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7437&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed larriaga@ucdavis.edu(Lennis Arriaga) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7437 Mon, 07 May 2012 10:16:20 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7433&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed larriaga@ucdavis.edu(Lennis Arriaga) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7433 ...
]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 08:25:51 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7432&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed larriaga@ucdavis.edu(Lennis Arriaga) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7432 The pictures below are of a species of sap feeding beetles (Family Nitidulidae) found in one section of a local strawberry field. This case of these insects is pretty interesting simply because they are so uncommon to find in Watsonville. Conditions of discovery are the following. The location is a beautiful strawberry field full of big fruit, bordered by apples and blackberries. It is only the five or six rows bordering the apples and blackberries that have these sap beetles.The beetles......
]]> Sat, 05 May 2012 09:27:46 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7429&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed mpbolda@ucdavis.edu(Mark Bolda) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7429 So you want to learn about native bees...Just drop by the Davis Public Library next Thursday night.Pollination ecologist Neal Williams, assistant professor of entomology at UC Davis, will present a public lecture on “Promoting Native Bees for Gardens, Farms, and Native Plants” at the Davis Botanical Society meeting on Thursday night, May 10 in the Davis Public Library, 315 E. 14th St. Williams, to speak from 7 to 8 p.m., will discuss native bee biology and diversity in the Capay......
]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 21:29:13 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7431&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7431 The rice season has started. If you drive around the valley you will see tractors working the ground, fields being flooded and airplanes flying seed. The UC Rice Project staked its first variety trial of the season today. It was the Glenn County variety trial. This trial has 104 10x20 feet plots. We will probably seed this location next week. This trial has varieties in the intermediate/late maturity group and it's planted in a M-401 field. For previous results of the variety trials, check out......
]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 18:14:34 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7430&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed laespino@ucdavis.edu(Luis Espino) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7430 Cotton planting is well underway in the past 3 weeks now that the weather turned warm. While the initial planting was cool and intermittently wet, temperatures since April 16th in the San Joaquin Valley have been excellent for planting cotton. Looking at temperature conditions from March 1 to April 26, 2012 according to accumulated degree-days > 60◦ F five days after planting, Shafter and Five Points had 47% and 37% of those days in the Adequate to Ideal categories (Figure 1).  Since April......
]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 12:52:21 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7408&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pbgoodell@ucanr.edu(Peter Goodell) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7408 La nutrición, la seguridad alimentaria y la incertidumbre de las familias sobre  sus ingresos son retos que existen en muchas partes del mundo. La mitad de la población mundial vive en áreas rurales de países en vías de desarrollo. Debido a que el hambre y la desnutrición están con frecuencia vinculadas a la pobreza, el proveer oportunidades económicas a través de la producción hortícola no sólo contribuye al ingreso familiar, sino también aborda temas como la seguridad alimentaria y la......
]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 12:40:59 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7426&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed myriam.grajales@ucr.edu(Myriam Grajales-Hall) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7426 The Rod Shippey Education & Field Lab facility is rapidly approaching the final stages of construction.  Essentially all of the rough-in work has been completed ... components like rough-in electrical, rough-in audio-visual, rough-in plumbing, and insulation.  Window installation has begun, with the "store-front" windows and framing as shown hopefully give us a clear vision towards the future. ...
]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 11:56:34 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7425&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rjkeiffer@ucdavis.edu(Robert Keiffer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7425 From the Public Policy Institute of California:How important is water to California's economy? And how vulnerable is the state's economy to weaknesses in the water system? At this half-day event—coinciding with the release of the new PPIC report Water and the California Economy—participants will examine these questions and discuss priorities for water management. Please register by May 31—space is limited. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided and there is no charge to attend.For a......
]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 10:36:29 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7424&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed clhom@ucdavis.edu(Carole Hom) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7424 Fri, 04 May 2012 10:06:03 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7422&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ljhaynes@ucdavis.edu(Leah Haynes) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7422 Caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, fire blight is a common and frequently destructive disease of pome fruit trees and related plants. Symptoms commonly appear in spring. The first sign is usually a watery, light tan ooze that leaks from cankers. After being exposed to the air, the ooze darkens and leaves streaking on branches or trunks. Other signs of infection are petal fall, flower stem wilt, and the blackening and shriveling of flowers, shoots, and/or young fruit. As the disease......
]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 10:04:30 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7423&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7423 On a recent trip to the Midwest, I came across one of their native plants. This plant has a variety of names depending on the part of the Midwest it grows in.  I was in Missouri and there it is called Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), in other parts of the Midwest it may be called May pop, devils apple, raccoon berry, just to name a few. In researching this plant I found it is a member of the Berberidaceae family. The Mayapple is an unusual plant.  It grows in the woods and areas that stay wet......
]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 09:46:10 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7381&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed scrammy001@aol.com(Betty Victor) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7381 Fri, 04 May 2012 09:26:39 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7421&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cjmcdonald@ucdavis.edu(Chris McDonald) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7421 Fri, 04 May 2012 08:27:07 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7419&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7419 The solar array at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center has been completed. Robert Ray, superintendent of the physical plant, said it will be integrated into the PG&E grid within a month and begin generating electricity for the F. Gordon Mitchell Post Harvest Laboratory, the sensory laboratory and a plant and sample handling lab. Below are photos of the construction process. Infrastructure has already been installed underground to expand the array when funds become......
]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 07:38:48 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7414&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7414 Honey bees aren't that much into roses. Wild roses, yes. Cultivated roses, not so much. Given a choice, they'll take the lavenders, mints and salvia (sage) over the roses any time. Occasionally, however, we see honey bees foraging on roses in the UC Davis Arboretum's Storer Garden on Garrod Drive, or in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road. Ah, roses! One of life's simple pleasures. And what would Mother's Day be without them?Speaking of roses, this weekend on the UC Davis......
]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 22:12:19 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7418&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7418 When to Water Your Plants by Jim Borland   Master GardenerEverybody knows that plants can die of thirst, but don't forget you can also send them to an early grave by overwatering.  When we overwater, the soil becomes saturated and forces out vital oxygen, and we literally drown our plants.  So then how do we know when to water our plants? Here are some simple and useful methods that should help.First thing to do is make a close observation of your landscape plants. A plant's stress symptoms......
]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 18:13:15 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7417&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed abreschini@co.slo.ca.us(Amy Breschini) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7417 ...continuing on from yesterday's BLOG post about Sticky Monkey flowers and the genus Mimulus, the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center has seven species in that genus that have been recorded here.   The Common Monkey Flower (Mimulus guttatus), also known as Yellow Monkey Flower or Seep-spring Monkey Flower, is a common component of wet meadow locations.   This plant can sometimes be semi-aquatic with its herbage floating in small bodies of water. This species of plant apparently has......
]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 17:08:18 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7416&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rjkeiffer@ucdavis.edu(Robert Keiffer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7416 Thu, 03 May 2012 14:02:03 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7413&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bhanson@ucdavis.edu(Brad Hanson) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7413 Retired University of Nevada Cooperative Extension horticulture advisor Bob Morris is spending a year in Afghanistan to help establish an extension service in the war-torn country, said an article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Morris is participating in a program undertaken by a consortium of U.S. universities led by UC Davis. The program, funded with a $14 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, aims to help Afghanistan stabilize its agriculture-based economy. "Thirty years......
]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 10:17:36 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7411&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7411 Nutrition, food security and sufficient family incomes are challenges in many parts of the world. Half the world’s people live in rural areas in developing countries. Because hunger and malnutrition are often linked to poverty, providing economic opportunities through horticultural production not only helps family incomes, but also addresses food security and nutrition. Training women to produce and market horticultural crops in the developing world also helps provide a much-needed income......
]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 09:02:33 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7393&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed afilmer@ucdavis.edu(Ann Filmer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7393 Sometimes I think I should have my Master Gardener certification revoked.  I can be so oblivious to what’s really going on, particularly in my established container plants on my back patio.  I mean if they are green and upright, I’m pretty happy.  That said, even I began to notice the plants were looking a bit odd.  Many of them were starting to look they had been planted too high and then a lot of the soil had washed away, leaving the crown and superficial roots hanging in the breeze. I......
]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 08:23:03 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7370&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed arrolmetz@cs.com(Karen Metz) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7370 Monarch butterflies, says Sonia Altizer, are "globally distributed and best known for undertaking a spectacular annual migration in parts of North America." However, in wild populations, monarchs are commonly infected "with a specialist protozoan Ophryocystis elektroscirrha; this parasite can be transmitted both vertically and horizontally and causes debilitating infections." Altizer, an associate professor in the Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, will discuss "Migratory......
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 22:21:01 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7409&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7409 No, UC Hopland does not have monkeys sticking to the trees, but the Center does have an abundance of Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus), or sometimes called Bush Monkey Flower, scattered throughout the chaparral and oak woodland habitats.  It can often be found in rocky slopes or outcrops, or in shallow,poor, rocky soil types.  The woody stems of this species are covered with sticky secretions ... and hence it's name.  Belonging to the Orobanchaceae, or Broom-rape family, the orange......
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 17:39:07 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7410&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rjkeiffer@ucdavis.edu(Robert Keiffer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7410 Who doesn’t love cartoons and educational ones that aren’t boring are even better.  So imagine my joy when I happened upon the PBS Kids series Wild Kratts! This show not only teaches about ecology, it is a lot of fun! There are imaginative inventions, good story lines and so far, always happy endings!The show starts with a brief live action portion with the Kratt Brothers, Chris and Martin, and turns animated as they head out on various adventures. They can be rescuing Polar Bears or saving a......
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 15:01:18 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7407&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pattibrantley@yahoo.com(Patricia Brantley) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7407 At a gathering on the west lawn of the state Capitol on Monday, University of California President Mark G. Yudof called the Morrill Act, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, "A catalyst that transformed the United States." The legislation provided federal land to states to build universities that would extend to more Americans educational opportunities in agriculture and the mechanical arts. The act launched the University of California. Los Angeles Times reporter Patt......
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 14:15:14 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7403&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7403 Sólo en California se puede convertir a la tierra árida en el tazón de ensalada de la nación. A finales de 1800 los investigadores de la Universidad de California descubrieron cómo remover la salinidad de las tierras del Valle Central,  convirtiéndola en una de las regiones agrícolas más productivas. Los investigadores de la UC continúan jugando un papel importante en la agricultura de hoy, manteniendo a California como el principal estado agrícola de la nación, desde la lecherías en Tulare a......
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 14:03:10 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7406&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed myriam.grajales@ucr.edu(Myriam Grajales-Hall) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7406 Sólo en California se puede convertir a la tierra árida en el tazón de ensalada de la nación. A finales de 1800 los investigadores de la Universidad de California descubrieron cómo remover la salinidad de las tierras del Valle Central,  convirtiéndola en una de las regiones agrícolas más productivas. Los investigadores de la UC continúan jugando un papel importante en la agricultura de hoy, manteniendo a California como el principal estado agrícola de la nación, desde la lecherías en Tulare a......
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 13:58:18 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7405&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed myriam.grajales@ucr.edu(Myriam Grajales-Hall) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7405 Wed, 02 May 2012 13:56:05 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7404&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed sdkocher@ucdavis.edu(Susie Kocher) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7404 UC’s Nursery and Floriculture Alliance has many trainings scheduled, including several in Southern California. You can find program details on their website.  Also on the site, you will find archived presentations available for viewing and links to resources to help growers conserve irrigation water and manage water quality issues. The nursery and floriculture industry is big business in Ventura County. Even after experiencing a decline in sales during the recession, the most recent crop......
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 13:53:03 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7402&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7402 Wed, 02 May 2012 11:59:33 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7400&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7400 Wed, 02 May 2012 11:09:22 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7399&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ljpeterson@ucdavis.edu(Linda Peterson) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7399 Over 100 photos have been added to the ANR Repository from Monday's event celebrating the legacy and future of American public higher education. The event took place in a tent at the steps of the California State Capitol and was presented by the UC Office of the President. Time and location: April 30, 2012, 11am-3pm, West Lawn of the California Capitol Building, Sacramento.Photos feature: Barbara Allen-Diaz Dan Dooley Rose Hayden-Smith Linda Katehi Abraham Lincoln (!) Carol Liu Craig......
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 10:02:23 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7398&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed mlpoe@ucanr.edu(Michael Poe) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7398 This is a repost (with permission) of an article by Mark Bolda (UCCE Santa Cruz Co) from April 27, 2012.  The original post and the Strawberry and Caneberry blog can be found at: http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7362Brad by Mark Bolda:This comes up a couple of times every year so it is worth reviewing and certainly adds value to our catalogue of plant disorders on these berry blogs.The following plant sample of a proprietary variety was received 4/24/2012.  One can see......
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 09:25:10 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7397&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bhanson@ucdavis.edu(Brad Hanson) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7397 Wed, 02 May 2012 09:15:28 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7396&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7396