- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A team of researchers has received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to find new ways to combat Johnsongrass, one of the most widespread and troublesome agricultural weeds in the world.
"Johnsongrass is a huge problem," said Jeff Dahlberg, UC Cooperative Extension sorghum specialist and director of the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier, Calif. "It impacts many different crops and is very hard to control."
Dahlberg is part of the team that includes scientists from Virginia, Kansas, North Carolina, Texas and Georgia. Andrew Paterson, director of the Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory at the University of Georgia, Athens, is the lead investigator.
Native to the Mediterranean region, Johnsongrass has spread across every continent except Antarctica. It was introduced to the U.S. in the 1800s as a forage crop, but it quickly spread into surrounding farmland and natural environments, where it continues to cause millions of dollars in lost agricultural revenue each year, according to the USDA.
The naturalization of Johnsongrass across much of the U.S. has also allowed the plant to develop attributes — such as cold and drought tolerance, resistance to pathogens and the ability to flourish in low-fertility soils — that make it particularly difficult to control. Adding to the challenge is the adoption of herbicide-resistant crops around the world.
"Herbicide-resistant crops have been associated with a dramatic increase in herbicide-resistant weeds," Patterson said. "With 21 genetically similar but different types of Johnsongrass known to be resistant to herbicides, it will only become more problematic in the future."
Over the course of their five-year project, the researchers will work to better understand the weed's capabilities and the genes that make Johnsongrass so resilient. Johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense] is closely related to sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], a healthy gluten-free grain, animal feed and biofuel crop. Lessons learned from the Johnsongrass research may lead to strategies to improve sorghum.
For his part, Dahlberg plans to use the global information system (GIS) to map the locations of Johnsongrass in California to better record its distribution in the state and to help understand how it spread into California by relating it to other populations of johnsongrass in the U.S.
"Ideally, we will use an app to map, identify, manage, and catalog populations that have developed different traits – such as susceptibility to plant disease, ability to host a particular insect, or resistance to herbicides," he said.
This information may lead to new management strategies that curb its growth, providing farmers with more options to combat the invasive plant. The researchers also hope that learning more about the fundamental structures that give Johnsongrass its unusual resilience will pave the way for new genetic tools to improve useful plants, such as sorghum.
Other researchers working on this project are Jacob Barney, Virginia Tech; C. Michael Smith, Kansas State University; Wesley Everman, North Carolina State University; Marnie Rout, University of Texas, Temple; and Clint Magill and Gary Odvody, Texas A&M University.
An initiative to manage endemic and invasive pests and diseases is part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Strategic Vision 2025.
![File photograph of Johnsongrass. File photograph of Johnsongrass.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Kearney/blogfiles/34955.jpg)
- Author: Tunyalee A. Martin
Wildlife and people have been in the news lately. Perhaps you've heard of coyotes wandering in your neighborhood. You might have also read about how you shouldn't feed wildlife. Did you know they are connected? It's a problem when people feed coyotes either intentionally or unintentionally through uncovered garbage and outdoor pet food. Available food may encourage coyotes to associate closely with humans and to lose their natural fear of us. These interactions will be discussed during a special symposium on urban coyotes at the 27th Vertebrate Pest Conference.
The Vertebrate Pest Conference is held every two years, mostly in California. This year, the meeting will be Monday through Thursday, March 7to 10 in Newport Beach. Meetings are held in cooperation with the Pesticide Applicators Professional Association (PAPA). The leading authorities with vertebrate management expertise from around the world congregate to present the latest research and extension information. Are you an animal control official, wildlife manager, agricultural producer, pest control adviser, consultant, educator, researcher, or natural resource manager? Then this meeting is for you. California Department of Pesticide Regulation and California Department of Public Health continuing education units are available for participants.
Special symposia include bird management, wild pig management, and urban coyotes. In Cooperative Extension Advisor Niamh Quinn's backyard of extremely urban Southern California, these coyote-human conflicts occur. With over 3 million people in Orange County, 8 state parks and beaches, countless city parks and 19 county parks and wilderness areas, conflicts with urban coyotes are bound to happen. Managing coyotes includes managing people's behavior too.
Quinn says, “We can't manage what we can't measure. This conference provides a unique opportunity to discuss ongoing conflicts, especially those related to urban coyote management. Research is needed to understand urban coyote behavior and if these behaviors are changing as a result of the way we are currently living. Outreach is needed to instruct urbanites on appropriate behavior where coyote conflicts are occurring, and managing coyotes is everyone's concern. We need better and improved strategies for measuring and managing these conflicts.” At the Vertebrate Pest Conference, hear from the experts on the latest information about coyote attacks on humans, coyote conflicts, and several talks on coyote management, including hazing.
Vertebrates are also problematic in commercial agriculture. A 2011 survey of wildlife damage by Cooperative Extension Specialist Roger Baldwin, stated agricultural losses from wildlife damage in California is likely in excess of $1billion annually. Based on the survey results, economic losses were greatest for voles and pocket gophers in alfalfa; and wild pigs, birds, and ground squirrels in nut crops. One talk at the Vertebrate Pest Conference will be a North American overview of bird damage in fruit crops. Other talks cover field rodent repellents, food safety, and trapping.
UC IPM has information on vertebrate pest management for urban and communities, as well as commercial agriculture.
![A file photograph of a coyote. A file photograph of a coyote.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Kearney/blogfiles/34736.jpg)
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The livestream will include workshops on soil health, long-term and strategic research and innovative educational systems.
The research program is held the first day of the internationally acclaimed EcoFarm Conference at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove.
Funding to live broadcast the research symposium was provided by USDA NIFA. In addition to UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, the symposium webcast is hosted by the Organic Farming Research Foundation.
Viewing the webcast is free, but requires advance registration. To register click here. Remote attendees will see the presentations and listen to a live broadcast of the speakers. Because the webcast is from a live conference, exact start and end times cannot to guaranteed and the program is subject to change.
Agenda (All times are Pacific Time)
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Opening Keynote and Thematic Presentations
- André Leu, IFOAM / Organics International President. The Vital Role of Research to Advance Organic Agriculture Worldwide.
- Mathieu Ngouajio, USDA/NIFA National Program Leader in Cropping Systems. USDA- NIFA support for Organic Agriculture Research, Education and Extension.
10:30 a.m. – 12 noon
Soil Health
- Anthony Yannarell, University of Illinois. Management affects the weed suppression potential of soil microorganisms and green manures
- James Stapleton, UC ANR Integrated Pest Management advisor. Advances in Biosolarization Technology to Improve Soil Health and Organic Control of Soilborne Pests
- Doug O'Brien, Doug O'Brien Agricultural Consulting. Trends in soilborne disease on two long-term organic vegetable farms in the west.
- Moderator: Heather Darby, University of Vermont
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Long-term and Strategic Research
- Amélie Gaudin, UC Davis, Long-term research in organic system at Russell Ranch: Results and opportunities to build sustainable and resilient systems
- Randy Jackson, University of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial: 26 years of research in agricultural sustainability
- Diana Jerkins, Organic Farming Research Foundation. Assessment of Future Organic Research Needs
- Moderator: Mark Lipson, UC Santa Cruz
2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Innovative Educational Systems
- Damien Parr, UC Santa Cruz. Integrating undergraduate interns in organic farming research and beginner farmer programming at the University of California, Santa Cruz
- John Hendrickson, University of Wisconsin. Coordinating a Three-Ring Circus with Lions and Cubs: Beginning Grower Training Programs at the University of Wisconsin
- Raul Villanueva, Texas A&M. Linking Organic Farmers and Students On Organic Production through Small Projects in South Texas
- Moderator: Mark Van Horn, UC Davis
System Requirements
Please connect to the webinar 10 minutes in advance, as the webinar program will require you to download software. To test your connection in advance, go here. You can either listen via your computer speakers or call in by phone (toll call). Java needs to be installed and working on your computer to join the webinar. If you are running Mac OSU with Safari, please test your Java at http://java.com/en/download/testjava.jsp prior to joining the webinar, and if it isn't working, try Firefox or Chrome. Find more detailed system requirements here.
- Author: Cheryl Reynolds
Are you looking for continuing education units (CEUs) to complete your renewal application this year for the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)? The UC Statewide IPM Program has several online courses available that can help you get those last few needed credits.
DPR license and certificate holders with last names beginning with M – Z renew this year. Renewal packets must be submitted to DPR before November 19th to ensure that licenses are renewed by January 1, 2016. After that, applications may take up to 45 calendar days to process.
The online courses available from UC IPM that offer units for DPR license renewal include:
- Providing Integrated Pest Management Services in Schools and Child Care Settings (1 unit Laws and Regulations and 1 unit Other)
- Pesticide Resistance (2 units Other)
- Pesticide Application Equipment and Calibration (1.5 units Other)
- IPM – A Solution for Reducing Pesticides/Water Quality: Pesticide Properties (1 unit Other)
- The Impact of Pesticides on Water Quality/Mitigating Urban Pesticide Runoff (1 unit Other)
- Water Quality and Mitigation: Bifenthrin and Fipronil (1 unit Other)
- Herbicides and Water Quality (1 unit Other)
CEUs from the Structural Pest Control Board are also available for most of these courses.
For a list of other approved online or in-person courses, visit the DPR website. UC IPM plans to add additional online courses for 2016, including those available for Laws and Regulations units. For more information about the courses UC IPM offers as well as additional training opportunities and pest management information, see the UC IPM web site.
![Man scouting for insects on a crop. Man scouting for insects on a crop.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Kearney/blogfiles/33157.jpg)
- Author:
Jeffrey Mitchell
This past Monday, October 26th, Jesse Sanchez, the farm manager at Sano Farms out west of the small town of Firebaugh, was honored in Washington, D.C. as a White House Champion of Change. Working closely with Alan Sano, the farm's owner, over the past ten years, Jesse has developed highly efficient production practices for the roughly 1500 acres of processing and fresh market tomatoes that employ the use of off-season cover crops to add carbon to the soil to improve tilth as well as water storage and movement in the soil, and also, the use of a form of reduced tillage that is called strip-tillage. Read more on the Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) website.
![Jesse Sanchez. Jesse Sanchez.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Kearney/blogfiles/32982.jpg)