Ongoing research

The 2016 UCCE grain corn variety trial was planted on April 27th. The trial is located in the Delta on Tyler Island. Three replicate blocks of eighteen varieties were planted by air planter.

KMJ 580 radio's early-morning Ag Report which is produced by ag reporter, Don York, featured a short audio segment on the upcoming California farm demonstration network's series of farm visits featuring innovative soil care farmers.

When the monarchs return to southern California and central Mexico to overwinter, the residents rejoice. When the bumble bees emerge from their nests in the spring, we, too, rejoice. They are like the swallows of Capistrano and the monarchs of Pacific Grove.

I have been getting some questions about the new variety M-209. The most common question is how it responds to blast. Unfortunately, we do not know the answer to that. The last two years there has been very little blast in the valley, so we haven't been able to evaluate M-209's response to blast.

Each of us have the entire blueprint for our bodies contained in every cell, and the same is true of plants. This information is stored in the form of an extremely long molecule known as DNA (in human cells its length is ~6 feet).

This "B" gets an "A" for good grooming. We recently watched a honey bee land on the edge of a planter. "Hmm," we thought. "Why is she landing there? She should be foraging on the flowers in the pollinator garden." We soon found out.

There are so many exciting new developments happening in respect to drones within the University of California system it is hard to know where to start.

Back in 2013 we purchased a stunning yellow rose, "Sparkle and Shine," at the UC Davis Rose Weekend. Well, it was a natural thing to do--a honey bee was on it! Honey bees aren't all that attracted to commercial roses, but this one was. Honey bees are still attracted to it.

This is a question I have gotten recently. Should a N topdress be planned or can it be avoided? Research conducted by Bruce Linquist, UCCE Rice Specialist, has shown that a N topdress is unnecessary if an adequate amount of N is applied at planting.

Thanks to Emeritus UCCE Advisor, Maxwell Norton, of Merced County, CASI was invited to prepare an article for the Central Valley Farmland Trust's LEGACY newsletter that has now been printed.