Ongoing research

Authors: Tunyalee Martin and Cheryl Wilen Italian White Snail Slowly Becoming an Invasive Pest (Again) Sometimes an invasive pest takes a while to become invasive.

Last year, we saw a number of disorders in sunflower that were mainly related to a heat stress by parental line interaction. Despite extensive testing by the USDA and UC ANR for pathogens in many affected sunflower plants, no causal agents were found.

As a commodity-based CE Advisor with a background in entomology, weed science is not a familiar subject to me, especially weed identification.

Figure 1: Citrus shoot dieback (top) and gummosis (bottom) caused by Colletrotrichum. A new disease of citrus has been found in the main growing regions of the Central Valley of California.

Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Client's Request: I am aware that asparagus is a 2/3/4th year veggie. I am a patient person. However, I am not so talented, or patient enough to start from scratch.

Reading the words bed bug in a sentence is enough to make most people's skin crawl! Bed bugs aren't a pleasant topic to discuss, but if you plan on staying at a hotel, hostel, or motel this summer, learning about bed bugs is a must! June 4-10 was Bed Bug Awareness Week, but it was also California In...

This week, we put the spotlight on invasive species and how these non-native plants, animals, and pathogens damage California's economy and environment.

Sometimes an invasive pest takes a while to become invasive. The Invasive Species Council of California defines an invasive species as non-native organisms which cause economic or environmental harm.

Chicory root coffee may inspire thoughts of pastry and jazz, but this rugged roadside weed has a place in Gilroy gardens and landscapes. Chicory is a woody perennial that comes in many different varieties, depending on the cultivar used: roots (var. sativum) and leaves (var.

We put in a shed behind my raised-bed garden a few years ago and because my garden is my sanctuary, I really didn't want that shed spoiling my view.