- Author: Brianna Aguayo Villalon
- Editor: Monica Daniela Zuercher
- Editor: Wendi Gosliner
- Editor: Lorrene D Ritchie
School meals have been shown to be the healthiest source of food for US students on average and have been associated with multiple benefits to students. However, not all students eat school meals, even if they are eligible for free or reduced-price meals based on their family income. This study examined the association between parent perspectives about school meals and student meal participation during the school year 2021-22 in the context of the California Universal School Meals policy. NPI researchers surveyed 1,110 parents of California K-12 students and identified three groups of parental perceptions: positive perceptions (e.g. liking school meals and thinking that they are tasty and healthy), perceived benefits to families (e.g. school meals save families money, time, and stress), and negative perceptions (e.g. concerns about the amount of sugar in school meals and stigma). More positive parental perceptions about school meals and their benefits to families were associated with greater student meal participation, while more negative parental perceptions were associated with reduced student participation in school meals. Overall, study results emphasize that parent perceptions of school meals may affect student participation in school meal programs and that effective communication with parents to ensure parents are familiar with the healthfulness and quality of school meals may be critical for increasing meal participation rates. A podcast interview with researcher Monica Zuercher and a press release were published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, further explaining the research study findings. The research study was led by NPI researchers Monica Zuercher, Christina Hecht, Kenneth Hecht, Dania Orta-Aleman, Anisha Patel, Lorrene Ritchie, and Wendi Gosliner, as well as researchers Juliana Cohen, Deborah Olarte, and Leah Chapman with Merrimack College, Margaret Read with Partnership for a Healthier America, and Marlene Schwartz with the University of Connecticut.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Today, Memorial Day 2024, we pay tribute our fallen soldiers, and those who served, survived, and struggled home.
It's a day I remember my American Revolutionary War ancestors, but especially my Civil War ancestor, Samuel Davidson Laughlin, who at age 18 served as a Union color bearer in the Civil War. He was selected to carry Old Glory for his height (6'3"), his strength (farm boy from Linn, Mo.) and his courage (front-line duty).
"Being a color bearer (aka carrying the flag), was a prestigious and important role in the Army. Not only were you carrying the symbol of what you were fighting for, the flag was any easy mark for soldiers to organize around," according to an article written in a National Museum of Civil War Medicine post by Amelia Grabowski, the outreach and education coordinator at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum.
Young Samuel carried the flag in three of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War: the Battle of Lookout Mountain, and the battles of Chicamauga and Chattanooga. A musket tore a hole in his flag but he emerged from the Civil War physically unscathed.
He returned home to Missouri, married, moved with his family to Castle Rock, Wash., and built a round barn there in 1883. He would die of blood poisoning in 1910. In 1986 his barn would be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
He rests in a small cemetery next to his beloved barn. His gravestone reads simply: "Gone, But Not Forgotten."
"Color bearer" Noah Coughlan, a native of Vacaville, Calif., paid tribute to American soldiers, including Samuel Laughlin, in his 2023 Run Across America that spanned 167 days and 3,600 miles. See Run for Revival.
In addition, Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of summer, and as an aside, it's often the weekend when we see our first monarch of the year. Yesterday, right on cue, a monarch fluttered through our garden, touched down on a cherry laurel branch,surveyed the milkweed and floral resources, and then, poof...gone.
But not forgotten.
- Author: Anne Schellman
Although this substance looks like vomit and is called "Dog vomit slime mold," it is actually a living, growing fungi that thrives during moist, wet weather and is not harmful to your garden. Luckily it is short-lived and is drying up now that temperatures have warmed.
You can read more about dog vomit slime mold and other strange (or should we say ‘cool?') looking fungi that might appear in your garden or landscape on the UC IPM website at https://ipm.ucanr.edu/TOOLS/TURF/PESTS/disnusiance.html
Did you see this in your garden this year? Or in past years? Please comment below!
- Posted by: Gale Perez
Sterile Pollen Technique Shows Promise for Palmer Amaranth Weed Control
Newly published research provides a novel and sustainable weed-management strategy
WESTMINSTER, Colorado – 22 May2024 – Recently published research in the journal Weed Science shows that a sterilization technique commonly used to control insect pests can be modified to control weeds that require pollination to reproduce. More specifically, the researchers determined that employing a sterile pollen technique (SPT) could effectively disrupt Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S.) reproduction.
Palmer amaranth remains among the most detrimental weeds in North American agriculture, and its resistance to several herbicide groups makes its control a serious challenge. Yet, researchers in this study were able to find a promising new control method for Palmer amaranth and possibly for many other difficult-to-control weeds.
“Our results indicate that SPT, using irradiated pollen, can be a valuable approach for reducing weed-seed production,” says Mohsen B. Mesgaran, Ph.D., a plant sciences assistant professor at the University of California Davis, and the article's corresponding author. “SPT also holds potential for broad-spectrum weed control by mixing sterile pollen from multiple weed species in a single application.”
Additionally, the researchers found that SPT shows promise for managing troublesome herbicide-resistant weeds that have survived in-season control efforts.“We observed the greatest reduction in seed set when irradiated pollen was introduced to the stigma through artificial pollination prior to open pollination,” notes Mesgaran. “It appears that irradiated pollen exerts a preventive effect on naturally occurring pollen that arrives later.”
While the researchers determined that a dose of 300 units of ionizing radiation (Gy) strikes the optimal balance to achieve both efficient Palmer amaranth pollination and seed sterility, challenges still remain. For example, irradiated pollen is currently less competitive than naturally occurring pollen. Thus, field managers may need to employ additional measures to successfully control Palmer amaranth with SPT, such as dispersing irradiated pollen in the field before male anthesis and releasing it multiple times.
More information about SPT and Palmer amaranth control can be found in the article (by Wenzhuo Wu and Mohsen B. Mesgaran), “Exploring sterile pollen technique as a novel tool for management of Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri).” The research is featured in Volume 72, Issue 3 of Weed Science, a Weed Science Society of America journal, published online by Cambridge University Press.
Original source: Weed Science Society of America (https://wssa.net/2024/05/sterile-pollen-technique-shows-promise-for-palmer-amaranth-weed-control/)
/h3>- Author: Tom Hixson, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
Shakespeare may have believed that a rose by any name would smell as sweet, but a well-considered plant name—or an ineptly chosen label—can significantly enhance or tarnish its subject forever. In the plant world, botanical nomenclature experts frequently name plants after their “discoverers” and rarely consider how those names might affect a plant's future popularity.
Saddled with a name that fails to glide off the tongue, Heuchera (pronounced HEW-ker-ah) is a family of plants that deserves better recognition for adaptability to our climate and soils, drought tolerance and, especially, the beauty of its leaves and fairy-lamp flowers.
Savvy gardeners will forgive the clumsy name and take advantage of the astonishing palette of colors. Even a modest planting of these tough specimens can turn a dull landscape into an inspired showplace.
Native to North America, the Heuchera family has successfully adapted to a wide variety of soils and climate conditions. Heuchera sanguinea—native to the American Southwest and commonly known as coral bells or alum root—was the first species to come into prominence. It is prized for its airy, bell-shaped flowers which decorate slender stems above compact, evergreen foliage mounds.
Knowledgeable landscapers use Heuchera as ground covers, borders, and rock garden specimens. Bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators are attracted to Heuchera blossoms, adding yet another incentive to include them in local gardens.
The sturdy Heuchera has proved adaptable to many climates, such as the wind-swept terrain of California's Channel Islands, the varied seasons of the Mid-Atlantic region and the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. What makes these hearty plants so special for Napa
Valley is their water-wise nature and the colorful leaves they maintain through much of the year. Many varieties send out thyrses, or flower spikes, which resemble a multitude of tiny lanterns clinging to a slender stalk.
Not only do the plants' leaves deliver an amazing range of colors—from pink to pale green, teal, gray, red, brown, and orange—but the thyrses likewise come in an assortment of blossom heights and colors. Heuchera's variety of flowers and leaves can inspire the landscape designer to employ a single color or incorporate graduated colors and textures to create an eye-catching vista. One of the easiest perennials to grow, Heuchera are virtually carefree.
Tips for Growing Heuchera:
Heuchera thrive in a wide range of light conditions, from full sun to shade. Foliage color and bloom are best when plants receive at least four to six hours of direct sunlight, although lighter-colored leaves retain their truest color in shady spots.
Plant Heuchera in spring or fall. These plants tend to mound, growing 6 to 16 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide. Space plants at least 1 to 2 feet apart. They are most effective in small groups alongside complementary-colored plants, massed as a groundcover or used as pathway edging.
Even though Heucheraare (more or less) drought tolerant, all plants need adequate water the first year, so don't plant it and forget it. Heuchera don't need much water once established, but a good soaking may be necessary during hot spells. Irrigating regularly and applying light fertilizer in the first year should be sufficient to ensure success.
Heuchera adapt to a variety of soils, but heavy clay can be challenging for them. Incorporating loam, sand and compost into clay soil should help. Heuchera will not tolerate consistently soggy soil. There are approximately 37 major varieties of Heuchera, and the many hybrids provide a kaleidoscope of options. Consider these suggestions for Napa Valley gardens:
‘Old La Rochette' produces two-foot-tall stems with crowds of long-lasting pink blossoms in spring above clumps of green foliage.
‘Opal' blooms begin white but change to pink as they age.
‘Palace Purple' is renowned for its deep purple, maple-like foliage in sun or part shade. It is tolerant of both coastal conditions and clay and needs only moderate water.
‘Santa Ana Cardinal' and ‘Susanna' feature deep red flowers.
‘Peach Crisp' is prized for its colorful orange leaves.
The California Native Plant Society website provides useful information on Heuchera. Just type “Heuchera” into the search bar to reveal the range and suitability of various varieties in this area.
The genus was named after Johann Heinrich von Heucher, an 18th-century German academician and physician. Alas, the less-than-mellifluous “Heuchera” goes down in gardening history as a name that doesn't sell well.
But let's look on the bright side. Possibly because of its forbidding moniker, Heuchera escaped mainstream patronage and thereby avoided mall-landscape overuse. Instead of denouncing 18th-century botanical labelers, perhaps we should thank them for inadvertently preserving a gardening secret.
Library Talk: Join UC Master Gardeners and Napa County Library for “All About Lavender,” on Thursday, June 6, from 7 pm to 8 pm, via Zoom. Have you ever wondered what you can do with that gorgeous lavender growing in your backyard? Learn what lavender needs to thrive, and harvest ideas for how to incorporate it in your own homemade creations. Register to receive the Zoom link.
Workshop: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a workshop on “Planting for Monarchs and Other Pollinators” on Sunday, June 16, from 2 pm to 4 pm, at Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville. Learn about host plants and nectar plants and how to include them in your garden. This workshop is offered in partnership with Yountville Parks and Recreation Department. Register on their website. Click Adult Activities, then UC Master Gardeners, then Planting for Monarchs and Other Pollinators.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am until 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief description.
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