- Author: Peggy Smith
After ‘galumphing' around Central Park Gardens in Davis for some time trying to catch the perfect photo of this brilliant green scarab beetle Cotinus mutabilis (commonly called figeater beetle) it was clear it wouldn't settle and pose for me. Chasing from one end of the garden to the other I thought “aha, I've got you” as it flew into the compost bin. As I opened the bin it was clear that it wasn't me who had ‘got' this beautiful beetle. I watched in fascination as the black widow spun its webbing around the beetle and then ran out attachment lines to the twigs in the compost. Nature itself is quite discompassionate, but I felt attached to this beetle and the happy memories it evoked of a childhood in Australia catching similar beautiful iridescent gems and then releasing them. I decided to intervene and very carefully, using a twig, moved the black widow to one side and extracted the beetle. After carefully removing the sticky webbing from around the beetle it paused in my hand and then flew off across the garden. I was sure the black widow would find a replacement dinner.
For more information https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/PESTS/grfruitbeetle.html
A YouTube video of the beetle versus black widow: https://youtu.be/U4_j9dby-i0
- 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: Priyanka Vyas
- Editor: Andy Lyons
- Editor: Sean D Hogan
- Editor: Genoa Starrs
We bring you stories from DroneCamp 2024, now in its 8th year and wrapping up a successful week at CSU Monterey Bay.
![Barbara Satink Wolfson Barbara Satink Wolfson](http://ucanr.edu/blogs/igis/blogfiles/107610.jpg)
“The goals of a prescribed burn are to reduce fuel load as much as you can, improve habitat and work with private landowners. I am especially excited to learn about drones equipped with thermal cameras to study fuel moisture and study ignition pattern of fires”, she said. Barb is hoping to learn object detection methods that can be used to process the imagery collected from drones and facilitate prescribed burns.
Hosted at California State University Monterey Bay Campus, this year's DroneCamp, now in its eighth year, leveraged upon the combined expertise of several UCs, CSU, and community colleges. It pooled together 29 instructors from CSU Monterey Bay, UC ANR, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, Lakeland Community College, and American River College. The instructors bring deep expertise in drone hardware, flying, and processing imagery collected through drones.
![DroneCamp 2024 Group Photo DroneCamp 2024 Group Photo](http://ucanr.edu/blogs/igis/blogfiles/107613.jpg)
80 participants , mostly from California , attend the in-person event in Montery, with another 43 participants who attended virtually. While the virtual participants get access to almost all the sessions that in-person participants get, they miss the most exciting part --- which is learning to fly drones.
“After attending the DroneCamp, I can help farmers collect and report their data better to the funders. I am excited to work with farmers to assess changes in biomass production over time to see how well the plants grew after the grant. We can also take pictures of the field to see whether all the plants are getting uniform water. Depending on where the plants are in relation to the pumps, some may get too much or too little water. We can use drones to see whether the irrigation system is uniform.”
Another application Ana is interested in is assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on farmland. Cover crops are crops planted between cash crops that provide various benefits and keep the land from being fallow. “We can use drones to compare different cover crops and how they perform to control weeds in fields”.
When asked how confident Ana feels about undertaking projects independently using drones in her work, she said, “DroneCamp gave me the connections I need to reach out to experts when I work on my own project”.
After attending DroneCamp, he feels he has attained basic skills and knowledge needed to fly a drone over an orchard, and ideas on how to use drone data to assess crop response to irrigation in a field.”
Tobias says, although satellite-based remote sensing is currently used to estimate how much water is by used by crops, there are still some questions regarding their accuracy. These are questions that researchers in the field are working on answering.
He notes: “Considering drones work on a field scale, it could help potentially refine the accuracy that we do not get from other remote sensing platforms.
DroneCamp also drew students from various universities who have taken some GIS training at their academic institutions, but not in mapping with drones. Manjot Singh, a student in plant science and agriculture from Fresno State University says, “I can get introductory and advanced GIS courses at my university, but there is no drone related course being offered”. May be this will help me if I pursue a PhD or make me marketable in future jobs”.
- Author: Lanie Keystone
In Henry David Thoreau's essay, “Walking”, he observed, “In Wildness is the preservation of the world.” I have always viewed Thoreau's vision as a statement of forward-thinking hope. Likewise, the subtitle of Mary Reynold's enlightened book reiterates that thought in a bold and new way when she exhorts: “Returning Our Gardens to Their True Nature Through Acts of Restorative Kindness—ARK”. Reynold's book shines light on one of the most important issues of our time—returning, at least in part, to the natural state of things. The subject may seem counterintuitive for a Master Gardener blog, but none more so than this book written by the renowned landscape architect Mary Reynolds.
After years of designing gardens all over the world, Reynold now argues for a shift in how and why we garden. Together with Ruth Evan's brilliantly whimsical illustrations, she makes the case for at least turning a small portion of our garden—even an edge—over to “where the wild things are!” Even if we garden in pots on a deck or balcony, the strategy is still the same.
A glance at the book's provocative table of contents tells much of the story. The first chapter relates ideas such as, “Birth of We are ARK; The Garden Industry and the Great Forgetting; Guardians, Not Gardeners. She goes on to talk about the Science of ARK; First steps to Creating an ARK Designed Landscape within our shared planet; Development of a Diverse ARK Ecosystem; Extra Layers for “Creature Support”; Minding the
Tiny and Diverse Kingdoms; Growing Own Food; and Reimagining Living in Harmony with the Planet.
In her realistic approach, she understands that one person can't save the world. But, if millions of people work together to save our own little patch of earth, “then we really have a shot.” She presents a most convincing case for a restored, native ecosystem. And, while she acknowledges that gardening is a wonderfully creative and important endeavor, she encourages her readers to pursue that creativity while remembering to nurture, not neglect all creatures of the earth.
Reynolds describes an ARK as “a thriving patch of native plants and creatures that have been allowed to be supported and exist in order to re-establish in the earth's intelligent, successional process of natural restoration.” Thus, these “ARKS” will become the “seeding grounds for our planets next story.” Through this innovative approach, Reynolds demonstrates that the ARK-building actions by just one person, multiplied by the many, can effect enormous change in the world. And she shows how even the tiniest patch of land matters. In Reynold's words, we can all help to “create an ARK for the earth.”
![we are the ark we are the ark](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107499.jpg)
Dear Colleagues,
Despite this being a very challenging budget year for California, the Legislature passed and the governor has now signed a final state budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which does not cut funding for UC. We are deeply grateful for the steadfast support of the governor, and our elected officials, for higher education in California.
With the budget signed, President Drake has formally approved the 2024-25 systemwide salary program. The 4.2% salary increase for policy-covered staff and academic appointees at all locations recognizes the extraordinary efforts of employees during this past year. Pay increases will take effect on July 1, 2024, for employees who are paid monthly and on June 23 for those who are paid bi-weekly.
Thank you for your dedication and passion for our mission of improving the lives all Californians. As we head into the 4th of July holiday, I hope you can enjoy some quality time with friends and family.
Best wishes, Glenda
Glenda Humiston
Vice President