- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Small grants (up to $25,000) to support professional development opportunities in sustainable agriculture targeted primarily to agricultural professionals such as extension staff, nonprofits, state and federal agency staff, PCAs/CCAs, etc. are available from Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education of California. Farmers and ranchers may be included but should not be the primary audience.
The goal of the WSARE California program is to increase the capacity of agriculture professionals who work in California to apply the principles of sustainable agriculture while working with their clientele (farmers, ranchers, consumers, youth, businesses, government or communities).
Applications will be accepted through Sept. 25, 2024. For more information regarding priority areas, eligibility and the application process, please visit https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/news/western-sare-mini-grants24-26.
- Author: Taiyu Guan
Date: August 28th, 2024
Location: Rice Experiment Station
(955 Butte City Hwy., Biggs, CA)
** No Registration Required! **
Meeting Agenda:
7:30 - 8:30 am Registration
- Posters and Demonstrations
8:30 - 9:15 am General Session
- CCRRF Annual Membership Meeting
- Rice Research Trust Report
- California Rice Industry Award
9:30 - Noon Field Tours of Rice Research
- Variety Development
- Disease and Insect Management
- Agronomy and Fertility
- Weed Management
12:00 (Noon) Lunch
2024-Invitation-to-Field-Day
How is your garden holding up during our all-too-frequent summer heat waves? Chances are you're seeing scorched leaves, deformed flowers, severe die-back, blistered branches, constant wilting, and even plant loss. Plants are unable to tell us immediately that they're suffering heat stress and sunburn until the damage is evident. As their caretakers, we must observe our backyard environment, heed long-term weather forecasts, and plan for future extreme heat conditions, sometimes many months in advance. Let's look at the causes of heat-related problems and consider some emergency strategies to protect our gardens until the cool autumn weather arrives.
When it's hot and windy and the soil is dry, plants can experience wilt and leaf scorch. Wilt is the earliest and most noticeable signal of heat-related problems. Extreme solar radiation quickens it. Wilt is initially observed when leaves or tender new growth droops, curls, or twists unnaturally. Eventually an entire plant can look limp, a sign of extreme plant stress.
Leaf scorch appears as browned leaf margins that eventually become tissue-paper thin. When whole sections of plants display leaf scorch, it's easy to be misled into thinking that the plant is dying.
There are a few things that can be done immediately to address these heat-related issues when you notice them. A close examination of a specific plant's parts and its surrounding environment is essential. A "bottom-to-top-to-outside" strategy is recommended, meaning that you should address stressed root zones first, then the overheated plants, and finally the superheated environment around and above the plants.
Lack of water is the most likely critical factor in extreme heat-related garden problems. The higher the temperature, with increased sunshine intensity or drying winds, the faster water evaporates, leaves transpire, and the soil dries. Watering not only hydrates roots but cools them as well. Remember this point because the initial water in a hose that has been left in the sun might be scalding hot. While we do not advocate wasting water, in this case it is best to run water through the hose until the water is cool. You should have a few buckets near your faucets to collect the hot water to use later on when it has cooled.
Potted plants require even more attention. Watering them two or more times a day might be necessary. When a potted plant is very stressed, try submerging it in a larger tub filled with cool water to re-wet the soil. Leave it in it until all the bubbling stops, then remove it, let the excess water slowly drain out, and place the plant in the shade.
Remove all weeds around your plants because they are competing for water. In addition to sucking up valuable moisture, weeds steal critical nutrients that your plants require. For example, research shows that calcium helps protect plants from heat stress. Be diligent about removing weeds, grasses, and even seedlings if they're suspected of drawing up too much water from their mother plant.
While you're mulching, check for suckers around trunks or from root shoots. While seasonal pruning should be avoided during high heat spells, removing suckers will reserve water for the original plant. Also, refrain from removing unsightly scorched leaves; portions might still be photosynthesizing and shading stems or new growth at the leaf axils. Remember: don't immediately equate burned leaves to a dead or dying plant. Give it time to recover before removing it.
Now that you've addressed the root and plant issues, move on to the environment around and above the plant. One strategy here is to mist the plant, though this is not a replacement for direct watering. Misting helps reduce air temperature and physically cools leaves. When partnered with shading strategies, mist becomes very helpful in locally reducing extreme heat. It is recommended to mist mid-day to early afternoon, allowing moisture to dry before dusk. Excessive moisture on leaves in the evenings can promote unwanted pests and fungus. Many commercial misting systems have timers and attachments to help you create an overhead system that is best for you and your garden. If you don't want to invest in a misting system, periodic mid-day spraying from a cool garden hose can work wonders to perk up limp, stressed plants. One key consideration about misting is to hand water the stressed plant first to revive it before doing any misting. If you hand mist first, the weight and pressure of the water on a heat-weakened plant might snap off new growth.
It is also important to reduce exposure to the light and heat reflected off buildings, concrete hardscaping, and even gravel walkways. Again, applying shade above plants will reduce the problem, but hanging a dark cloth or tarp on a building's walls or temporarily putting mulch onto concrete or other hardscaping can further reduce issues brought on by reflective heat and light conditions.
Lawns can also suffer during extreme heat events. Watering schedules should be set for early morning, with increased frequency (number of days) and extended watering times. Longer watering periods help grass roots grow deeper into cooler soil, creating increased resilience to extreme heat. A good test to see if a lawn is receiving enough water is observing the grass blades after walking across the lawn: if they bounce back, the lawn is well watered. If they remain bent, the lawn is too dry. Let grass grow longer between mowings (set mower up an inch or more), and never fertilize in the summer months.
Finally, observe the changing areas of light and shade in your garden throughout the year. Note areas that are sunny, those that have morning sun and afternoon shade, those with all-day filtered sunlight, and those with deep shade. Take note of places where reflective light and heat might originate. Determine how wind generally moves through your garden. Take pictures every month from the same vantage points at different times of the day. Your mission is to track the movements of sun and shadow on your garden. Make sure to photograph plants damaged by extreme heat. These aren't beauty shots. You can use this information for future long-term extreme heat mitigation strategies.
Extreme heat conditions are tough on the garden. Incorporating these recommendations shouldn't add too much work to your current garden activities. You'll be happy knowing that you helped your plants survive another summer. And remember to use a good sunscreen and wear a hat when out in the garden yourself.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.
- Author: Kendra T Rose
Dear Colleagues,
1) WSARE California is Now Accepting Applications for Professional Development Education Implementation Mini-Grants
WSARE California invites proposals for small grants (up to $25,000) to support professional development opportunities in sustainable agriculture targeted primarily to agricultural professionals such as extension staff, non-profit, state and federal agency staff, PCAs/CCAs, etc. Farmers and ranchers may be included but should NOT be the primary audience. The goal of the program is to increase the capacity of agriculture professionals who work in California to apply the principles of sustainable agriculture while working with their clientele (farmers, ranchers, consumers, youth, businesses, government, or communities). Applications will be accepted through September 25, 2024. For more information regarding priority areas, eligibility, and the application process, please visit: https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/news/western-sare-mini-grants24-26
2) The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is soliciting proposals for two programs; Research Grants and Alliance Grants Programs. The DPR's 2025 solicitations aims to fund projects that support the state's goal of transitioning to systemwide adoption of safer, more sustainable pest management, aligned with the Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap objectives.
Alliance Grant Program
Alliance Grants Program provides funding for projects that promote or increase the implementation, expansion, and/or adoption of effective, proven, and affordable integrated pest management (IPM) systems or practices that reduce risks to public health and the environment in agricultural, urban, or wildland settings.
Projects under this category must address one or more of the following priority areas:
- IPM for underserved or disadvantaged communities;
- Decreasing the use of pesticides of high regulatory interest (such as fumigants like 1,3-dichloropropene or sulfuryl fluoride);
- Advancement of urban IPM and safer, more sustainable pest management tools and strategies in urban settings;
- Advancement of IPM and safer, more sustainable pest management tools and strategies in agricultural settings adjacent to or near a school(s);
- Meeting the IPM needs of small growers; and/or
- TWO or more of the three sustainability pillars noted below and referenced in the
- Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) Roadmap:
- Human Health and Social Equity
- Environmental Protections
- Economic Vitality
The RFA and application materials for Alliance grants are available at: https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pestmgt/grants/alliance/app_materials.htm
Proposals Due: November 21, 2024 for Alliance Grants
Funding Amount: $50,000 to $400,000 for Alliance Grants
Project Length: Up to 3 years
Research Grants Program
Research Grants Program provides funding for research projects that advance integrated pest management (IPM) knowledge in agricultural, urban, and wildland settings. Projects should focus on reducing impacts to public health or the environment from pesticides of high regulatory interest.
Projects under this category must address one or more of the following priority areas:
- IPM for underserved or disadvantaged communities;
- Decreasing the use of pesticides of high regulatory interest (such as fumigants like 1,3-dichloropropene or sulfuryl fluoride);
- Advancement of urban IPM and safer, more sustainable pest management tools and strategies in urban settings;
- Advancement of IPM and safer, more sustainable pest management tools and strategies in agricultural settings adjacent to or near a school(s);
- Meeting the IPM needs of small growers; and/or
- TWO or more of the three sustainability pillars noted below and referenced in the Sustainable Pest Management (SPM)Roadmap:
- Human Health and Social Equity
- Environmental Protections
- Economic Vitality
The RFA and application materials for Research grants programs are available at: https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pestmgt/grants/research/app_materials.htm
Proposals Due: September 19, 2024 for Research Grants.
Funding Amount: $50,000 to $500,000 for Research Grants
Project Length: Up to 3 years
Visit the DPR Grants web page at https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/dprgrants.htm for more information.
Thank you.
Kimberly Lamar, Associate Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Meanwhile, here's another look at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's 2024 Moth Night, which drew widespread interest.
No one knows exactly how many moth events took place across the nation during National Moth Week, just as no one can predict how many species of moths and other night-flying insects will come to your porch light at night, or to your blacklighting display (UV light illuminating a hanging white sheet).
"Scientists estimate there are at minimum 150,000 moth species, and some believe that there could be over 500,000! Moths have been found that are small as a pinhead and as large as an adult-human's hand," according to NationalToday.com. "But of course, it's the incredibly complicated wing colors and patterns that make them especially dazzling."
A New Jersey non-profit organization, Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, launched the national event in 2012. The organization is dedicated to the conservation and promotion of the local environment.
The Bohart Museum's global collection of 8 million insects includes some 825,454 specimens of moths and butterflies, including 618,750 moths, ranging in size from the huge Atlas moths (10-inch wingspan) to the extremely tiny (4 mm wingspan) leafminer moths, says Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection. He and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas showed dozens of moth specimens and answered questions.
What moths were drawn to the blacklighting display? (See list on Bug Squad blog). Retired UC Davis staff associate John "Moth Man" De Benedictus and his colleagues set up the blacklighting display. UC Davis doctoral student Iris Quayle fielded questions about the differences between moths and butterflies (See Bug Squad blog).
In today's blog, we share images of
- Moth-er Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering
- Moth-ers UC Davis doctoral candidate Peter Coggan and his father, Pete Coggan of Minnesota (See Bug Squad blog)
- UC Davis student Kaitai Liu who showed stick insects and Madagascar hissing cockroaches from the live petting zoo
- UC Davis graduate student Riley Hoffman and fellow Bohart volunteer Barbara Heinsch, who staffed the family arts-and-crafts table.
Light Pollution. The Coggans answered many questions about light pollution. "Most organisms have come to rely on nighttime darkness for knowing when to reproduce, preparing for the winter, and moving around their environment," commented UC Davis doctoral student Peter Coggan. "The Industrial Revolution Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) has become a major conservation issue, disorienting and confusing countless species, often resulting in death. ALAN often kills or displaces organisms like bats, moths, and fireflies, making our nights less bio- diverse and more mosquito filled."
"Not only does it alter animal behavior but ALAN also has been linked to many human health issues like depression, obesity, and cancer," he said. "Although not widely known, ALAN is one of the easiest environmental crises to solve. Raising awareness and getting communities to reduce their light usage can solve the issue overnight and bring back the animals of darkness and the stars back to them."
The Bohart Museum's Moth Night also featured a display of various silk textile and cocoons, donated to the museum by Professor Richard Peigler of the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio. Bohart associate Mike Pitcairn, retired senior environmental scientist and supervisor, California Department of Food and Agriculture's Biological Control Program, staffed the table. (See more in upcoming Bug Squad blog.)
The Bohart Museum, founded in 1946, is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. Director of the insect museum is Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair of UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, Agricultural Sciences, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The open houses are free and family friendly. The next open house is on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. The theme: "Museum ABC's: Arthropods, Bohart and Collecting." Access the website at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu or email bmuseum@ucdavis.edu for more information.