- Author: Jules Bernstein, UC Riverside
Genetic insights help rice survive drought and flood
Plants — they're just like us, with unique techniques for handling stress. To save one of the most important crops on Earth from extreme climate swings, scientists are mapping out plants' own stress-busting strategies.
A UC Riverside-led team has learned what happens to the roots of rice plants when they're confronted with two types of stressful scenarios: too much water, or too little. These observations form the basis of new protective strategies.
“This one crop is the major source of calories for upwards of 45 percent of humanity, but its harvests are in danger,” said Julia...
- Author: Shannon A Klisch
- Author: Andrea Keisler, SLO CalFresh Alliance Chair
Participation in CalFresh by eligible elderly Californians is estimated at 19%
CalFresh Food, known nationally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and historically as the Food Stamp Program, is California's largest food assistance program and serves as the first line of defense against food insecurity by providing eligible households with an EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card that can be used to buy food at many grocery stores and farm-direct outlets.
However, CalFresh is greatly underutilized. The U.S. Department of...
- Author: Amy Quinton, UC Davis
Scientists make the first large-scale estimate of live microorganisms consumed in the U.S. diet
Our diets provide us with the building blocks we need to stay healthy and fight disease. The nutrients in foods and beverages can be tallied up to know if we are getting what our bodies need. Yet what if a nutrient has been overlooked? For instance, friendly microbes in raw and fermented foods have not been measured as part of our diets — until now.
“Ultimately we want to understand if there should be a recommended daily intake of these microbes to keep us healthy, either through the foods or from probiotic supplements,” said Maria Marco, a...
- Author: Madison Sankovitz
Caring for feedlot cattle, examining onion irrigation practices, and teaching preschoolers about agriculture are not part of the typical college curriculum. But for Desert Research and Extension Center's five college student interns, these activities are what fill their days.
Located on 255 acres of Southern California desert, DREC focuses on advancing irrigated desert agriculture, livestock and feedlot management, and pest management. It is also home to the Farm Smart agricultural education program, reaching approximately 7,800 participants annually.
In February, DREC welcomed the college student interns - creative thinkers working at the intersection of experimental research and...
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
A strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza is currently infecting and killing wild birds and domestic birds in at least 29 states across the United States.
A UC Agriculture and Natural Resources poultry expert urges commercial and backyard chicken owners to take precautions.
“When it comes to protecting your flock, there is no treatment for HPAI so the best thing you can do is focus on biosecurity,” said Maurice Pitesky, UC Cooperative Extension poultry specialist in the School of Veterinary...
