The University of California has made two new Web sites, chock full of reliable science-based information, available free to the public on the Internet.

The first is a portal to all of UC's gardening information titled California Gardening. The site organizes and extends UC's vast store of knowledge about gardening, landscapes and lawns. A blog on the Web site is updated weekly to highlight gardening content pertinent to the season. The new site also links to useful gardening resources on other UC Web pages, according to a news release by UC Master Gardener information representative Donna Seaver.

"When UC sites have thorough content covering a particular topic, we link to that site rather than duplicating it,” the release quoted Pam Giesel, the academic coordinator for the statewide UC Master Gardener Program. “For example, Center for Landscape and Urban Horticulture, and our sister site, California Backyard Orchard contain an abundance of information about sustainable gardening and are all linked to the new portal.”

The second new Web site, launched yesterday, was two years in the making. It contains the full text of California Agriculture journal for the past 63 years -- close to 6,000 articles -- freely accessible and searchable, according to a news release by the journal's managing editor, Janet Byron.

"This highly valuable research is now widely available online for the benefit of authors, readers and scientists worldwide,” the release quoted Janet White, executive editor of California Agriculture journal. “Our old, well-worn hard copies have been transformed into (a digital format) . . . with the highest levels of data integrity and readability.”