- (Focus Area) Environment
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
If Cinderella were a butterfly, she'd probably be a white cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae.
The butterfly--in its larval stage it's a pest of cucurbits--is stunning as an adult. Just think of a flowing white gown, exquisite pirouettes, and a flutter like no other.
If you've ever tried to photograph a white cabbage butterfly, it's not all that easy. They are fast and fleeting. One minute they're on the lavender and the next minute they're not. One minute they're on the catmint and then...
Where did they go?
With a fast shutter speed, though, you can sometimes catch them in flight.
When Cinderella left the ballroom at the stroke of midnight (she should listened to her Fairy Godmother and kept better track of her time!) her carriage turned back into a pumpkin, the footmen into lizards, the coachman into a rat, and her dress turned back into rags.
Just as her Fairy Godmother warned.
But the finely, timely P. rapae just flutters away--white flowing gown intact...unless snagged by a predator.
- Author: Saoimanu Sope
Ahmed El-Moghazy joined UC Agriculture and Natural Resources as a UC Cooperative Extension food safety specialist in February and is based at UC Riverside. Food safety, according to El-Moghazy, are measures that ensure food is free from harmful contaminants, prevent foodborne illnesses and is safe to eat. El-Moghazy is responsible for assisting California farmers and food processing facilities to enhance food safety practices by training appropriate personnel and addressing food-safety issues on their farms.
As the principal investigator for the 2-SAFE Lab at UC Riverside, El-Moghazy is investigating the accuracy and applicability of point-of-use biosensor technology. The small, lightweight and easy-to-use sensor can be used while out in the field or in a packing house to test contamination of liquids such as irrigation and washing water or solids like food samples.
Testing for foodborne pathogens traditionally takes two to three days and the process can be costly. The biosensor technology that El-Moghazy is using is inexpensive and can provide results within one work shift, which allows businesses that grow fresh produce to confirm the safety of their products before sending them to the market.
The alternative, selling contaminated food to consumers, is not only detrimental to human health, but can ruin the reputation of businesses, making way for unanticipated costs associated with recalling contaminated products and regulatory consequences including fines and sanctions.
El-Moghazy is also developing the next generation of antimicrobial surface coatings and materials that can rapidly control the foodborne pathogens and hinder the transfer of harmful bacteria from contaminated food to non-contaminated food.
El-Moghazy is optimistic that his research can safeguard public health, reduce the burden of foodborne illness and protect the integrity of businesses. Although El-Moghazy serves the entire state, he is dedicating a large part of his needs assessment and efforts in Southern California where high-value specialty crops such as avocados and citrus are grown.
"Did you know that one in every six Americans get sick from eating food contaminated with a foodborne pathogen?" asked El-Moghazy. Understanding the fatality of foodborne illnesses, El-Moghazy believes that increasing awareness through education is an essential aspect of his role. "It's true, but not many people realize this, or that 40% of foodborne illnesses stem from fresh produce."
To protect consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires farms with a certain level of annual sales (adjusted for inflation) of fruits and vegetables typically consumed raw to have one employee who has completed an FDA-approved Produce Safety Rule Grower Training.
In addition to certified trainings, El-Moghazy offers technical assistance to ensure growers comply before and after inspections, as well as resources for several topics including produce safety, agriculture water, flooding, soil amendments, worker health, hygiene and training and postharvest handling and sanitation. He can also assist in developing food-safety plans and other general farm food-safety protocols. His technical expertise covers all aspects of food production and supply including irrigation water quality, hygiene of harvesting tools and transportation.
Before joining ANR, El-Moghazy completed two years as a visiting scholar in the UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering department before continuing as a postdoctoral fellow in the UC Davis Food Science and Technology department for 5 years. Much of his work was rooted in the development of biosensors and antimicrobial materials for food safety. While in Davis, he collaborated with local farms and food processing companies on food safety research and extension.
El-Moghazy earned a Ph.D. studying developmental biosensors for food safety applications to detect pesticides residues from a joint program offered by University of Perpignan in France and Alexandria University in Egypt. He also earned a master's degree in developmental biobased fungicides and a bachelor's in agriculture science from Alexandria University. Finally, he completed a fellowship at the Institute of Plant Protection, Szent Istvan University in Hungary, where he studied how to extend shelf-life of fresh produce using biomaterials.
El-Moghazy is based at UC Riverside in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology. He can be reached at aelmogha@ucr.edu or (951) 827-0257.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Ever seen the male longhorned bees, Melissodes agilis, zipping around your garden, trying to bump all critters, large and small, off of "their" blossoms? They own them, ya' know.
These male bees are SO territorial. We've seen them target honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, syrphid flies, spiders and praying mantises. And one another. Everything is fair game.
"They're saving the flowers for the females of their species, so they can mate with them," according to the late Robbin Thorp (1933-2019), UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor, Department of Entomology and Nematology.
But as dusk settles, there they are, the boys sleeping together in what Thorp called "The Boys' Night Out." The females return to their nests and the males "snuggle" together on lavender, sunflowers or whatever blossom suits them.
If you try to photograph them during the day when they're being territorial, you'll need to set your shutter speed at around 1/8000 of a second to freeze the action.
But if you try to photograph them at dawn or dusk when they're sleeping, it's so much easier. They begin to stir around dawn, as honey bees and bumble bees buzz by their sleeping quarters.
What's up, sleepy head?
What you do with firewood this upcoming 4th of July (and year-round!) can impact more than just the s'mores on your campfire. If you move firewood around the state, you could spread deadly plant diseases and invasive insects. Don't take firewood with you if you travel or camp this holiday weekend.
Bringing firewood from home, even dry, aged, and seasoned wood, can spread pests. Once you arrive at your destination, pests can emerge from the firewood and spread to the surrounding area. Invasive pests like the emerald ash borer, shothole borers, and goldspotted oak borer, kill millions of healthy trees every year and can be spread to new areas on firewood.
Buy firewood within 50 miles of where you plan to stay or buy firewood that is certified, heat treated. Be a good steward and protect the areas you love; buy it where you plan to burn it!
To learn more, visit https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/.
- Author: Humboldt Del Norte Counties Help Desk Team
Q: I have lots of weeds in my orchard. I've tried hand pulling and a high concentration of vinegar without much success to get rid of the stinging nettle, horsetail, hemlock, and wild radishes. Can I use herbicides?
A: So, what is a weed? It is a plant that is out of place, unwanted, or interferes with crop or livestock production. Weeds can also protect and restore exposed soils, provide habitat for beneficial organisms, such as pollinators, make nutritious food and fodder, and replenish and restore soil life.
Weed management includes hand pulling, mowing, decreasing the seed bank, and allowing them to grow in a controlled manner. Using herbicides is another tool in the toolbox and are effective when applied with knowledge and safety. Here are some resources for you about the identified weeds and the use of herbicides/pesticides. We encourage you to follow all directions and precautions when using chemicals so that you do not harm yourself or the environment.
Resources:
Weeds – Identifying and Controlling https://ucanr.edu/sites/hdnmastergardeners/Resources_for_Home_Gardeners/Weeds_-_Indifying_and_Controlling/
Weed Control in the Vegetable Garden
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/weed-control-vegetable-garden#herbicides
How to Manage Pests in Gardens and Landscapes, Burning & Stinging Nettles https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74146.html
Common Horsetail, U.S. Forest Service https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/equisetum_arvense.shtml#:~:text=Equisetum%20arvense%20range%20map.,Common%20Horsetail%20(Equisetum%20arvense)
It's True What They Say About Horsetails, Patricia Matteson, December 20, 2022 https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=55810
Horsetails Weed Report from the book Weed Control in Natural Areas in the Western United States
https://wric.ucdavis.edu/information/natural%20areas/wr_E/Equisetum.pdf
How to Manage Pests in Gardens and Landscapes, Poison Hemlock
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74162.html
UC IPM Pesticide Information, Active Ingredient: 2, 4-D
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/TOOLS/PNAI/pnaishow.php?id=3
Warning in the Use of Pesticides, https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/warning.html
UC IPM Weed Gallery – Wild Radish https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/wild_radish.html