UC Weed Science (weed control, management, ecology, and minutia)

Several years ago, I had what seemed like a great weed research idea. My idea addressed a serious agricultural weed problem in California, it was applicable to several cropping systems, it used an integrated approach to weed management, and it utilized a pretty novel approach (or so I thought).

Many of the ranchers I've spoken with over the last year and a half have said that tumbleweed, also known as Russian thistle (Salsola sp.), is a big problem in both San Benito and Monterey counties.

Recently I was a participant on an educational noxious weed tour in Sierra Valley. It is a beautiful mountain valley where most agricultural production is devoted to grazing and hay production.

Here are a few articles from California Ag Today Mechanical Weeding Saves Labor http://californiaagtoday.com/mechanical-weeding-vegetables/ Tracking Herbicide Resistance in Weed Evolution http://californiaagtoday.

The Economist reports that Hungarian biologists have trained rabbits to preferentially eat common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), an invasive plant (and a native to North America). http://www.economist.