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

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Photo 2: Brad Hanson, a professor of Cooperative Extension in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, examines a stock of Orobanche ramosa pulled from off a tomato plant in nearby Woodland, where scientists are studying the parasitic weed. (Emily C. Dooley/UC Davis)

Parasitic weeds threaten tomato plants on California farms

October 9, 2023
By Gale Perez
At first glance, Orobanche ramosa looks like an interesting blossoming plant, one that could add a unique flair to flower arrangements. But it's a parasitic weed that attaches to roots, sucks out nutrients and is threatening California's $1.5 billion processing tomato industry.
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Non-native grasses are invading vast swaths of southern California. Those grasses feed wildfire, including the recent York Fire in the Mojave Desert. Recent fires have torched more than a million of the iconic Joshua trees native to the region. (Ziarnek-Krzysztof/Wikimedia Commons)

Wildfires linked to invasive grasses, Valliere says

September 24, 2023
By Gale Perez
Auto emissions 'fertilize' fuel Joshua trees burning in the Mojave Desert are the victims of changing patterns of wildfire, fueled by the spread of grasses that are not native to the region, restoration ecologist Justin Valliere told media in recent interviews.
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