- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UC Cooperative Extension experts are advocating for aggressive control of invasive stinkwort to prevent it from becoming an established California weed, reported the Sacramento Bee. Joe DiTamaso, UCCE specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, said he believes CalTrans will have to treat stinkwort as an invasive of high and unique concern if it has any hope of controlling its spread.
Stinkwort made its first California appearance in 1994, but remained quite rare until the mid-2000s, when it began spreading rapidly. Stinkwort is now found in 36 of the state's 58 counties,...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Winged primrose willow, a weed native to South America, was found last fall in a few Butte County rice fields, alarming agriculture officials about its possible spread to Colusa and Glenn counties, said an article in the Colusa County Sun-Herald.
The weed is highly invasive, produces vast quantities of seeds and survives under a wide range of hydrological and climatic conditions.
"Farmers have to keep an eye out for this weed, and let us know if they think they have it," said Luis Espino, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Colusa, Glenn and Yolo counties, a rice production...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Invasive plants and insects are proliferating faster than ever, causing massive problems in the environment, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Ben Faber told farmers at the Ventura County Research Symposium yesterday, the Ventura County Star reported.
Faber said invasive species are being introduced at a rapid rate around the world, and are primarily spread by humans.
He differentiated between non-native plants that are beneficial, such as avocados and citrus, and invasive plants that have been accidentally introduced into an ecosystem where they...
