Ongoing research

Nutrient availability from organic sources has been considered slow release by many growers and advisers. This may be true in environments are colder and especially soils are cooler.

What's the most dangerous animal on the planet? No, not rhinos, cape buffaloes, hippos, lions, elephants, crocodiles or sharks. It's an insect, the blood-sucking mosquito. Mosquitoes that transmit malaria, including Anopheles gambiae, kill more than people than any other animal on the planet.

Oregon State University is currently advertising a position for an Assistant Professor who will address Weed Management in Perennial Horticultural Crops. I'm excited about this position for a couple reasons.

Bees buzzed at Cal Ag Day. So did the people.

A 'Meyer' lemon should be quite happy along the coast, unless it gets planted in new soil that has low copper because of high soil pH or high organic matter. And then you wonder what is wrong. Mild copper deficiency is usually associated with large, dark green leaves on long soft angular shoots.

You won't want to miss what's happening on the UC Davis campus on Saturday, May 7. It's the second annual UC Davis Bee Symposium: Keeping Bees Healthy.

I found out today that I previously misread the label of a new herbicide registered in several California orchard crops. Broadworks Herbicide (from Syngenta) was registered in fall 2015 on several citrus, stone fruit, and tree nut crops (but not every crop in those groups).

They fondly call her "The Wasp Woman" in reference to her specialty. She is a recognized expert on aculeate wasps and works with some of the most difficult groups, including tiphiids and chrysidids.

If poet Gertrude Stein were alive today, she might say "A bee is a bee is a bee" instead of "a rose is a rose is a rose." Or, she might say "A fly is a fly is a fly." Oh, my.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Western Society of Weed Science last week down in Albuquerque, and it was a great time! As always there was quality information presented throughout the meeting along with great discussion about weeds inside and outside of the sessions.