- Editor: Laurie Askew
- Author: Laurie Askew
- Author: Glenn C. Hoyle
Burton John Hoyle passed away in McKinleyville on Nov. 9, 2020, just weeks from reaching his 101st birthday.
Burton (Burt) was born in Saranac Lake, NY, in 1919. He grew up in the Jamestown, New York, area. He graduated from high school in 1938 and spent several years pursuing odd jobs before starting college in 1941. He did not serve in WWII because of a childhood injury. In 1944, he graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in horticulture.
There was a war going on and jobs were scarce, so Burt applied to graduate schools. The University of California, Davis, wrote that classes were closed, but they did have a job opening in vegetable crops. After Burt got to Davis, classes soon resumed with the end of the war, and he graduated in 1946 with an M.S. in vegetable crops. That same year he also married True Dolson.
As 1946 drew to a close, Burt took a job with the University of California Cooperative Extension system to pioneer the Agricultural Experimental Field Station in Tulelake, now known as the Intermountain Research and Extension Center (IREC). From 1947-1965 Burt's research and work shaped many of the crops still grown in the Tulelake Basin today including potatoes, barley, peppermint and strawberries, according to a letter Rob Wilson, current Intermountain REC director, wrote to Burt for his 100th birthday.
However, Burt's big winner was the introduction of horseradish as a cash crop. In 1983, he was featured in an NBC nationally broadcast news show as the “Godfather of Horseradish.”
In 1965, Burt relocated to Fresno where he worked as a vegetable crops specialist at the University of California's West Side Station in Five Points. Two major publications from his many projects were A Guide to Commercial Vegetable Production (1970), Curley Top Identification Handbook (1977) [Curly top is a plant disease]. His work on “aggresizing” [a process for making the soil optimum for successful seed growth], for which he received a patent, led to widespread recognition in the agricultural research community.
Burt and True were active in the First Presbyterian Church in Fresno. One of the ways they lived out their faith was by opening their home to many foreign students. Over a period of more than 10 years, they hosted a number of Chinese, African and Middle Eastern students. Their involvement with these students was a ministry as they helped them with practical matters, and also spent hours counseling them about their lives.
Burt retired from UC ANR in 1983 and he and True relocated to Humboldt County. During the 1980s Burt enjoyed Rotary, his friends and taking pictures of beautiful Humboldt scenery. He traveled up and down the coast shooting pictures; then with his scanner and Adobe Photoshop, Burt explored the creative expressions of the visual, displaying some of his photos at local art shows. He and True were very involved with the Arcata Presbyterian Church and participated in many community activities. Burt and True also engaged in developing housing on land in Arcata, which True had inherited from her family.
True Dolson Hoyle passed away in 2005, and Burt married MaryAlice Comstock in 2006. MaryAlice preceded Burt in death on Sept. 16, 2020. She was 91 years old.
Burt was blessed by health, mental clarity and mobility throughout his life. He was known for his brilliant thinking and ever-present curiosity. During his final years, he was working on a book on statistical thinking and re-analyzing data from his field crop experiments he had collected more than 50 years ago. Even in his last days, his caretakers commented on his intellectual curiosity, his smile and sense of humor.
He is survived by his three children, Joe and Glenn Hoyle and Pamela Lund, three grandchildren, Julie McGuffey, Karin Ballstadt and Dennis Hoyle, and 10 great-grandchildren.
His three children remember the significant impact Burt had on their lives, but more importantly his love and concern for them, their families, and for the large number of people whom Burt influenced.
To read more about Hoyle's work at IREC, see this 1964 California Agriculture article //ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/340045.pdf.
- Author: Giuliano C. Galdi
- Author: Thomas Getts
- Author: Laura Snell
- Author: Nicole Stevens
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Good afternoon Growers!
Just like you, the Intermountain UCCE researchers have had a busy year, despite the turmoil surrounding us. Now that field work is done, it's time to take a look at the results.
In the attached Intermountain UCCE Research Update you'll find articles on alfalfa, grain and even livestock composting. Take a break, find a place to read and learn about pests, irrigation and maximizing yields. It's all there.
Thank you for your support of our Intermountain UCCE researchers Giuliano Galdi, Rob Wilson, Tom Getts, Laura Snell and Nicole Stevens.
We appreciate you.
Intermountain UCCE Research Update
- Author: Thomas Getts
- Author: Rob Wilson
- Editor: Laurie Askew
Does this weed look familiar?
Perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) also known as tall whitetop is a root-creeping perennial weed. It is commonly found along roadsides, ditches, and drains. It is also a big problem in pastures, non-cropland, and even cropland that is not tilled on a yearly basis. Perennial pepperweed spreads by seed and root fragments and is very persistent and difficult to control once established.
I've been amazed at the number of perennial pepperweed patches flowering along the road and ditches this year. The plants' tiny white flowers make it easy to locate patches this time of the year, and I challenge anyone to drive more than one mile on county roads without seeing a patch on public or private property. While dry seeds do not float, once submerged in water they can form a mucus membrane trapping air and allowing them to move with water. Anyone who has driven through Susanville or Reno can attest to this weeds propensity to take over river bottoms and floodplains. Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge is another example of how this weed can form dense, impenetrable stands. Due to its invasive nature, I encourage local landowners to take this weed seriously and aggressively treat this weed on your property. Perennial pepperweed is much easier to control when patches are small versus large impenetrable stands that can engulf fences, ditches, and even large farm equipment. It is a nasty, invasive weed that displaces much more desirable vegetation.
The key to managing perennial pepperweed is suppressing its extensive underground root system. The plant mainly spreads by roots and can resprout from root fragments buried deep in the soil. Hand-pulling is effective for single plants and seedlings, but hand-pulling will quickly become overwhelming in patches with hundreds of stems. Cultivation/tillage can be effective at suppressing plants and preventing new plants from becoming established, but it also a great way to spread root fragments. Tillage is NOT effective at killing well-established plants and large infestations as the broken root fragments quickly re-sprout.
Herbicides are an effective tool for managing perennial pepperweed, but herbicide choice, herbicide rate, and application timing are extremely important to obtain good control. Herbicides are most effective applied at the flowerbud to flowering stage. 2,4-D, chlorsulfuron (Telar), imazapyr, and glyphosate are effective herbicide active ingredients for perennial pepperweed (sold under several trade names). It is important to follow label directions and recommended rates for perennial pepperweed as higher rates are necessary to control this deep-rooted plant compared to annual weeds such as pigweed and lambsquarter. Keep in mind a single herbicide application rarely eradicates a patch. Yearly re-treatment for multiple years is often necessary for eradication. Another important consideration when using herbicides is to preserve desirable vegetation such as perennial grasses after controlling perennial pepperweed. Perennial pepperweed tends to choke out desirable grasses over time, thus bare ground and exposed soil is common after successful control of this weed. In these cases, desirable vegetation needs to be re-seeded or re-established to prevent perennial pepperweed or other weeds from invading the areas with bare ground.
In areas where pepperweed patches are young and there are there are still desirable perennial grasses, broadleaf selective herbicides such as 2,4-D or chlorsulfuron can control the pepperweed while releasing the grasses from competition. For spots that will need to be replanted, 2,4-D or glyphosate may be a better choice, as it can take years for seeds to germinate in areas treated with chlorsulfuron or imazapyr. Imazapyr can be a good choice where bare ground is a desirable outcome, but should not be used around desirable vegetation as it can move in the soil. Chlorsulfuron can also move with soil so do not use this herbicide on ditches and along crop field borders. The herbicide you choose should be dependent on where the pepperweed is growing and what else is growing with it.