- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
USDA announced last week that UC Davis and UC Berkeley are among 13 research universities across the country that will receive funds to develop ecologically and economically rational strategies for management, control or elimination of weedy or invasive species.
Nearly $500,000 will go to the Davis laboratory and $500,000 to a UC Berkeley laboratory. The 13 university recipients are sharing $4.6 million in all.
"Invasive plants and animals are a major threat to food and fiber production, costing U.S. producers between $7 billion and $27 billion per year, but by doing research on controlling and managing weedy and invasive species we help protect the productivity of America's farmers and ranchers," a
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
As if life weren’t difficult enough for California’s majestic oaks, they now face a brand new adversary. Already burdened by drought, wildfires, firewood harvesting and Sudden Oak Death, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported in December that goldspotted oak borer hitchhiked from Arizona or Mexico a few years ago and is now attacking Southern California oaks.
It was identified in the Golden State in 2006 and to date has besieged coast live oak, California black oak and canyon live oak, according to an article in the December 2009 issue of UC's Oaks 'n' Folks...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Working in media relations, we don't always think about the very-well-read section of the newspaper's editorial pages, the letters to the editor. But it can be a powerful outreach tool.
The UC ANR blog, written by Mike Bolda and titled "Strawberries and Caneberries," was recently plugged in a letter to the Ashland (Oregon) Daily Tidings by none other than Mike's sister, Karen Bolda.
An Ashland resident, Karen Bolda wrote:
"The Nov. 12 article on the discovery of the harmful fruit fly is...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
As if native weeds, diseases and insects weren't enough, California farmers seem to be facing ever increasing numbers of imported pests from far flung corners of the globe.
That fact prompted the Napa Valley Register to run a story about "Moth wars" which detailed battles underway to combat light brown apple moth, a pest from Australia, and European grapevine moth, an Italian native that has caused serious grapevine damage in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
The European grapevine moth "snuck in under the radar" about the same time agricultural officials were beginning releases of sterile light brown apple moth, the...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
USDA scientists released 3,000 sterile light brown apple moths yesterday in a Carneros vineyard, according to an article in the Sonoma Index-Tribune. The scientists hope that flooding the environment with sterile moths will prevent females from mating with normal moths and producing offspring.
Reporter Emily Charrier-Botts wrote that UC Davis entomologist James Carey does not expect the program to be successful. He said releasing sterile insects has eradicated only one pest in history - the screw-worm fly. (Screw-worm fly maggots, a livestock pest, feed on...