Ongoing research

The tender shoots of fava bean blossoms are attracting scores of aphids, which suits the ladybugs just fine. Nothing like an all-you-can-eat aphid buffet. The site: the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly garden located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.

The combination of 1,3 dichloropropene (1,3-D)and cholorpicrin is a popular choice for fumigating strawberry fields after methyl bromide. It is very effective and convenient to administer through the drip irrigation system.

Irrigation efficiency requires not only uniform irrigation, but also the proper timing and amount of applied water. It is important that the irrigator know the system water application rate, either in inches per day, inches per hour, or gallons per hour.

Abstract: Weed control in blackberries (Rubus spp.) is a serious problem for organic producers and those who wish to reduce their reliance on herbicides.

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."--John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra Ecologist Louie Yang of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, tags that quote at the end of each email. So true. On that note, did you catch the Feb.

During 2010 and 2011, the distribution of rice blast in California expanded considerably. The disease was found in areas where it typically had not been a problem in the past. Yolo County is one of these areas.

It's too cold in Tulelake to work in the field, so I'm stuck writing reports and going to meetings this week. I recently finished summarizing my 2011 onion weed control studies conducted at the Intermountain Research and Extension Center (IREC) in Tulelake.

Like to know more about honey bees make collective decisions? Mark your calendar to attend a seminar this week at the University of California, Davis. Brian Johnson, assistant professor at the UC Davis Department of Entomology, will speak on "Organization of Work in the Honey Bee" from 12:10 to 1 p.

A good way to spend part of Valentine's Day is to "bee" among the almond blossoms. We stopped by the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Facility on Bee Biology Road, University of California, Davis, today to see and hear the bees buzzing. That they did! An entire chorus of bee buzzing...

Strawberry plants suffering from salt toxicity. Symptoms include brown and brittle leaf margins (above, photo by Albert Ulrich, UC) and stunted plant growth (below, photo by Stuart Styles, CalPoly). Strawberry is among the crops that are very sensitive to salinity.