Topics in Subtropics - Agriculture and Natural Resources Blogs

Problems with vermin, coyotes and birds in your grove or specialty crops? Vertebrate Pest Conference Seminar Series Coming Soon!

Author: Sonia Rios

Published on: January 30, 2017

The Vertebrate Pest Council, with assistance from the Pesticide Applicators Professional Association, will be hosting a series of seminars throughout the state starting in late February. These seminars will be focused entirely on human-wildlife conflict issues. Check out the agendas for each location, and if interested, sign up. They will be providing up to 7.5 hours of CE and lunch will be provided.

Seminar Sessions & Locations:

Petaluma, Feb 28: http://www.papaseminars.com/Images/Seminars/PETALUMAVPCSEMINAR22817_28-2-2017.pdf

Stockton, Mar 2: http://www.papaseminars.com/Images/Seminars/STOCKTONVPCSEMINAR3217_2-3-2017.pdf

San Bernardino, Mar 7: http://www.papaseminars.com/Images/Seminars/SANBERNARDINOVPCSEMINAR3717_7-3-2017.pdf

Fresno, Mar 9: http://www.papaseminars.com/Images/Seminars/FRESNOVPCSEMINAR3917_9-3-2017.pdf

Registration: http://www.papaseminars.com/Seminar

Tags: bird damage (1), gopher in groves (1), PAPA (1), UCCE Seminar Series (1), Vertebrate pest managamnet (1)

Comments: 0

Soil Health Websites

Author: Ben Faber

Published on: January 13, 2017

A recent website just posted hopes to make research papers available to the general public. Many times these papers are locked away in archives or libraries and are hard to access. This website wants to change that. It is sponsored by various group0s, including USDA, University of Missouri, industry, Resource Conservative Districts and other entitites. It's a small data base at this point, but hopes to build over time. check it out:

http://soilhealthinstitute.org/about-us/

There's a lot of distracting stuff at the site, but the guts are at

http://www.soilhealthinstituteresearch.org/Home/Search

Other good ag websites are the USDA's National Ag Library:

https://www.nal.usda.gov/

USDA's Agricola

https://agricola-nal-usda-gov.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu/

USDA's ATTRA which is loaded with basic and detailed farming information:

https://attra.ncat.org/

USDA's Farming Information Center

https://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic

It's a new year, READ ON!!!!

Tags: agriculture (15), alternative (1), compost (9), farming (4), health (6), information (4), soil (39), websties (1)

Comments: 0

Citrus Day Coming Up at UC Riverside

Author: Sean Nealon

Published on: January 10, 2017

Mikeal Roose, a professor of genetics at UC Riverside.Photo credit: L. Duka.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — The University of California, Riverside will host the 5th annual citrus field day for citrus growers and citrus industry professionals on Jan. 27 at the university's agricultural operations fields.

The event, which will includes a mix of presentations and field tours, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Advance registration, which is $25, is required. The deadline is Jan. 22. There will be no day-of-event registration available.

To register visit: https://form.jotform.com/53556635957975. For more information call 951-827-5906.

The following is a tentative schedule for the event:

8 a.m. – Introductions by Peggy Mauk, director of agricultural operations at UC Riverside and a subtropical horticulture extension specialist, and Tracy Kahn, curators of UC Riverside's Citrus Variety Collection.
8:10 a.m. – Welcomes from Kathryn Uhrich, dean of UC Riverside's College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and Michael Anderson, a divisional dean for agriculture and natural resources.
8:30 a.m. – Minimizing the potential for nurseries to contribute to Asian citrus psyllid spread in California – Matt Daugherty, a cooperative extension specialist, entomology. To minimize the potential for nurseries to contribute to Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing spread, as occurred in Florida, regulations are in place in California that restrict movement of containerized citrus and require specific insecticide treatments. Daughterty's is evaluating how well such steps reduce the risk of human-mediated Asian citrus psyllid spread. He is using a combination of monitoring in nurseries, field experiments on chemical control efficacy, and characterization of the effects of nursery practices on psyllid management.
9:15 a.m. – Microbiota-based approach to citrus tree health – Philippe Rolshausen, cooperative extension specialist, subtropical horticulture. He will talk about how bacteria, fungi and viruses associated with the plant, either on its surface or inside, can affect plant health and productivity. He will demonstrate how these organisms can be used for disease control. He will use Pierce's Disease found in grapevines as an example and also draw a comparison with Huanglongbing found in citrus.
9:45 a.m. – Low seeded citrus – variation in seed content and its causes – Mikeal Roose, professor, botany and plant sciences. Roose specializes in plant breeding, particularly with citrus.
10:30 a.m. – Break
11 a.m. – Novel detection methods for Huanglongbing – Wenbo Ma, associate professor, plant pathology. Her research is focused on developing methods that detect Huanglongbing by monitoring so-called “effectors” secreted from the bacterial pathogens causing the disease.
12 p.m. – Lunch (catered by Anchos Southwest Grill)
1 p.m. – Pesticide safety training – Vince Samons, UC Riverside agricultural operations.
1:45 p.m. – Walk-thru of the Citrus Variety Collection, Rootstock Trial and Phytophthora root rot trial.

To make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citrus Variety Collection Endowment fund or the Citrus Research Center & Agricultural Experiment Station support fund go to the following link and select College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences then select the specific fund: https://advancementservices.ucr.edu/GivingForm.aspx

Tags: citrus varieties (2), grapefruit (27), kumquat (2), lemon (107), mandarin (72), orange (70), tasting (3)

Comments: 0

Huanglongbing Detected in Cerritos, Los Angeles County

Author: Ben Faber

Published on: January 4, 2017

[News release from the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program]

An intensive risk survey in Cerritos, Los Angeles County, resulted in the discovery of Huanglongbing in a single orange tree. California Department of Food and Agriculture staff began the survey after a sample of Asian citrus psyllids from the area was found to be positive for the bacteria that causes HLB.

The diseased tree was located across the street from the property where bacteria-carryingpsyllids were detected.PCR testing confirmed the disease yesterday, but the diseased tree was actually removed last week thanks to the homeowners proactively granting permissiontoCDFA staff. This is another example of the risk surveyhelpingCDFA staff find anderadicateHLB positive trees, and successfully collaborate with homeowners in urban areas.

The survey in Cerritos is nearly complete, and mandatory Asian citrus psyllid treatments will begin Jan. 9. This detection will result in a new HLB quarantine encompassing portions of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. A quarantine map will be released shortly. CDFA recently completed treatments in San Gabriel and is nearing completion on treatments in Hacienda Heights; surveys in both areas will continue.

For information about the Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing disease and what you can do to prevent and monitor for the pest, visit the ANR ACP/HLB Distribution and Management web site and UC IPM's Pest Note: Asian Citrus Psyllid and Huanglongbing Disease.

Photos: Adults and Nymphs

Tags: ACP (126), Asican Citrus Psyllid (1), Citrus Greening (13), Huanglongbing (89), invasives (13)

Comments: 2

Biomass Sources and Concerns

Environmental and Regulatory Issues

Biomass Utilization Methods

Presentation and Panel Speakers