- Author: Chris M. Webb
Ventura County UCCE staff research associate, Maren Mochizuki explains how weather data is collected and shared.
The California State Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) is a program of the California State Department of Water Resources Office of Water Use Efficiency.
CIMIS consists of a network of more than 120 weather stations throughout California that measure parameters such as air and soil temperature, precipitation or rainfall, wind speed, relative humidity, amount of solar radiation, and much more. This data is recorded every minute at most stations; data from some stations are available from as far back as 1982!
Growers use this data to aid in irrigation planning and scheduling for their crops but data from any of the stations is available free to the public the day after the data has been recorded.
To find stations nearest to you and to view a sample report with data from the last seven days, please visit: http://wwwcimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/frontSampDailyReport.do
Photos of CIMIS station
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Ever wanted or needed to know more about a pest? This is a common request at the Ventura County UCCE office.
The University of California has a wonderful website devoted to IPM (integrated pest management). The site is quite diverse. It has information about:
- the home, which includes pests of structures, people and pets.
- gardens and landscapes, where viewers can search by plant or by common pests, including plant diseases and weeds. Common management methods are also a part of this section.
- whether pesticide use is appropriate, how pesticide use relates to water quality, and other pesticide guidelines and suggestions.
- identification of pests and natural enemies with the aid of photo galleries.
- quick tips, available in PDF format, in English and Spanish.
These subjects and much more can be found here.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The California Avocado Commission (CAC) funded a multiyear study lead by Greg W. Douhan, a UC Plant Pathology and Microbiology researcher, to control avocado root rot. Control of this destructive pathogen will ultimately be accomplished with resistant rootstocks.
The research team is focusing on crossing already-resistant rootstocks, and has identified several that have greatly improved yields on land infested with Phytophthora cinnamomi. Six plots are being tended this year including one in Santa Paula. They have plans for additional plots for the study. Work is being done at the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine and at University of California, Riverside (UCR).
"Seed screening seeds from our breeding blocks will continue…We have also collected new isolates of P. cinnamomi to determine how diverse the population is so that appropriate isolates can be used in the initial screening process. My graduate student is finishing up this summer and will hopefully have most of our advanced lines characterized genetically. I am also submitting a USDA grant to work on the parentage analysis of our advanced lines as well as continue to work on genetically characterizing avocado rootstocks.”
To read the entire study report, please visit http://www.avocado.org/growers/symposiumcontent.php?research=b3.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Monique Myers, Ventura County UCCE’s Costal Community Development Advisor has some great information to help us conserve water and reduce the flow of pollutants all at the same time!
Myers writes this on our website, “Water is a valuable resource in Southern California. It is important that we capture rainwater and allow it to soak into the ground where it can water plants and replenish groundwater supplies. Rain that falls on hard surfaces, such as buildings and asphalt, picks up pollutants as it flows. This 'stormwater' is then directed to storm drains and ultimately ends up polluting our streams and oceans."
Individuals can help conserve water and prevent polluted stormwater runoff through wise gardening and land-use practices. Our website provides some useful tips for Southern California residents.
Some of the suggestions are for large projects, and while you might not be in a position to tackle those changes now, the information may be useful to you in the future or may be of benefit for a friend or neighbor. Many of the other ideas, such as composting and natural planting, can be incorporated easily as time and resources allow.
Please follow this link http://www-csgc.ucsd.edu/BOOKSTORE/greensheets.html to see them.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The Ventura County UCCE Master Gardeners is a busy and important volunteer group. Their mission statement is, “Enhance the well being of people, plants, and environment through science based gardening education and community outreach.” They work hard to do just that.
So far this calendar year our Master Gardeners have logged approximately 2,000 community service hours. These hours include assisting on Cooperative Extension research projects, leading tours of school children at the Hansen Ag Center, working at various gardens throughout the county, and staffing the Master Gardener Helpline.
The Master Gardener Helpline is a great resource for home gardeners. Please contact them with garden-related questions. The line is staffed Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1-4. They can be reached by calling 805.645.1455 or by email at mgventura@ucdavis.edu. Additional information and resources can be found here.