Posts Tagged: holly
Drip irrigation in arid regions can cut greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality
Study at Desert Research and Extension Center highlights agriculture's sustainability role
Under the blistering sun of Southern California's Imperial Valley, it's not surprising that subsurface drip irrigation is more effective and efficient than furrow (or flood) irrigation, a practice in which up to 50% of water is lost to evaporation.
But a recent study also concludes that drip irrigation can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from soil – which contribute to climate change and unhealthy air quality in the region – without sacrificing yields of forage crops alfalfa and sudangrass.
“It was really exciting to see,” said lead author Holly Andrews, a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona. “The crop yield was at least maintained and in some cases increased, but the water use and gaseous emissions were especially decreased under drip irrigation.”
Desert REC crucial to collecting data
Andrews and her colleagues gathered data from field studies at University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources' Desert Research and Extension Center, a crucial hub of desert agriculture research for more than 100 years. Studies in that context are increasingly important, as much of California and the Southwest becomes hotter and drier.
“We already have this history of looking at drip irrigation at this site, so our study was trying to build on that,” said Andrews, who lauded Desert REC's facilities and staff.
In their study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, researchers found that – in comparison to furrow irrigation – drip irrigation in alfalfa slashed per-yield soil carbon dioxide emissions by 59%, nitrous oxide by 38% and nitric oxide by 20%.
Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas with nearly 300 times more warming potential as carbon dioxide, and nitric oxide is a precursor to ozone and major contributor to air pollution.
While drip irrigation only decreased water demand 1% in alfalfa, the practice led to a substantial 49% decrease in irrigation for sudangrass. For more fertilizer-intensive sudangrass, drip irrigation also reduced soil emissions of nitrous oxide by 59% and nitric oxide by 49% – the result of drip irrigation making those fertilizers more efficient.
Water management can help mitigate climate change
Studying alfalfa and sudangrass – forage crops with very different fertilizer requirements – was a strategic choice by the researchers. They are number one and number three on the list of most widely grown crops by acreage in the Imperial Valley (Bermudagrass, another forage crop, is number two).
With so much land dedicated to producing these crops, the adoption of drip irrigation at scale could deliver significant benefits to residents' health and quality of life.
“The thought that saving water can increase yields while lowering the emission of trace gases that affect regional air quality and Earth's climate is quite encouraging,” said Pete Homyak, an assistant professor of environmental sciences at UC Riverside who contributed to the study. “This is especially true for the Imperial Valley, an arid region where water is a limited resource and where residents are exposed to bad air quality.”
Homyak, who is affiliated with UC ANR through UC Riverside's Agricultural Experiment Station, said that this study illustrates how changes in water management can substantially mitigate agricultural impacts on the environment.
The study findings should encourage growers to replace furrow irrigation systems with drip irrigation infrastructure – especially in combination with financial incentives from the state, such as cap-and-trade and carbon credit programs, that can help defray high installation costs.
“It really is worthwhile if you're thinking sustainability and environmental activism in how agriculture can actually support climate change mitigation,” Andrews explained. “These practices might be a way that we can start to change that picture a little bit – and make agriculture more sustainable by tailoring irrigation management to local climate conditions.”
In addition to Andrews and Homyak, the other study authors are Patty Oikawa, California State University, East Bay; Jun Wang, University of Iowa; and Darrel Jenerette, UC Riverside.
/h3>/h3>/h2>Flowers and Nectar and Butterflies and Bees
Suddenly it feels like winter. Well, not really, but the mornings are definitely brisk now and the...
Holly George, first female UCCE livestock advisor, retires
“My foray into livestock production started in the sixth grade when I caught a pig in the pig-scramble at the Yuba-Sutter 4-H Demonstration Day and raised it for the county fair,” recalled George, the oldest of eight children. “I was in a 4-H clothing project when I caught the pig.”
As an active member of 4-H and Future Farmers of America, the Yuba City native raised more than 350 hogs and several market lambs before her senior year of high school. Through FFA's Work Experience Abroad Program, she worked on a dairy and fruit farm in Switzerland.
George graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science and a credential to teach high school agriculture. After nearly a year working on sheep and cattle stations in New Zealand and Australia, she studied grazing strategies on rangelands at Utah State University to earn her Master of Science degree in animal science.
In 1983 she started working in Alameda and Contra Costa counties as a UC Cooperative Extension livestock, range and land-use advisor. In 1987, George moved north to become the livestock and 4-H youth development advisor for Plumas-Sierra counties, where she later became UC Cooperative Extension director for the counties and started the local UC Master Gardener Program.
“Although I was the first woman hired by UC Cooperative Extension as a livestock advisor, there were a few other women advisors and they were very supportive,” said George. “I'll always be grateful for the enduring support of the Ladies of Extension throughout my career.”
During the 1990s George organized annual Three-Forest Permittee meetings for ranchers interested in livestock grazing on the Plumas, Lassen and Tahoe national forests. These meetings led her to collaborate with colleagues from Chico State University, U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service and UC Cooperative Extension to develop workshops and educational materials on rangeland monitoring and native plants.
To help ranchers comply with irrigated lands regulations, she engaged scientists, Regional Water Quality Control Board staff and ranchers in a project to examine the impact of livestock grazing on water quality and discuss policy. In 2011, the State Water Resources Control Board approved her proposal to work with local landowners and monitor water quality in the Upper Feather River watershed, which saved the landowners an estimated $80,000 for additional studies.
“Holly has always been a great networker, bringing the ag community together and understanding our needs, especially the ranching community,” said rancher Gary Romano.
George collaborated with Davis artist jesikah maria ross on “Passion for the Land,” a multimedia project that featured 12 rural residents in Plumas and Sierra counties describing how they preserve the community's heritage while protecting agricultural lands and natural resources for future generations. After viewing the Passion for the Land videos, the Plumas County Planning Commission added optional agriculture and water elements to the county's General Plan Update.
“In a geographically isolated place, it is hard to have your voice heard,” George said. “Over the course of my career, I have explored different ways to bring people together and help them share their stories across the challenges of distance and ideology.”
Accolades for Passion for the Land inspired her to create the Toolkit for Change to guide others who want to use personal stories to help sustain rural communities. She was invited to teach digital storytelling to agriculture communication students at Chico State University.
“I loved working with young people and watching them grow over time,” she said. “I enjoyed the digital storytelling project with jesikah maria ross and ag and nature tourism efforts with Ellie Rilla and Penny Leff.”
In 2005, she worked with local ranchers and farmers, High Sierra RC&D, Audubon Society, Feather River Land Trust and Sierra Business Council to organize Barns, Birds and BBQ, an event in Sierra Valley for the public to learn about agriculture stewardship, conservation and biodiversity.
In 2013, she took a sabbatical leave to study rural community development by linking agriculture, art, local food, recreation and tourism. Since then she has brought together local artisans, agriculturists and business and conservation members to explore opportunities for collaboration. The group will launch the Sierra Valley Art & Ag Trail in October.
In retirement, George, who has been granted emeritus status in UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, plans to remain in Quincy and participate in community development activities. She also looks forward to creative ventures like woodworking and mixed fiber arts.
Wintertime Greenery
One of my favorite parts about the Christmas season is getting to bring a tree into my living room. I love the smell of an evergreen tree, and having one right next to my couch can't really be beat. I am certainly not alone in my love for greenery, and for bringing some of the outside inside. In fact, ancient cultures also used greenery to symbolize good luck and ward off evil-spirits during these darkest days of the year. I enjoy learning about the winter time traditions of other cultures and how they fit into how we celebrate Christmas today. A lot of these pre-Christmas traditions focused on a whole Christmas season, and on protecting the home from evil spirits that lurked during these darkest days of the year.
The Romans decorated with greenery for the New Year and also gave each other gifts known as strenae, sprigs and green branches gathered from the sacred groves of the woodland goddess of strength and endurance, Strenia. These evergreens were symbols of good luck for the year ahead. Sweet honeyed dates, figs, or small pieces of jewelry sometimes accompanied the strenae. Children were given small gifts, such as clay figurines or bags of nuts that could also be used as game tokens. To this day, gifts during the Christmas season are known as strenna in Italy and New Year's gifts are etrenne in France.
In preparation for the Twelve Days of Christmas (the twelve days following Christmas, December 26-January 6), prickly holly was placed around windows and doors - like evergreen barbed wire - to keep the roaming evil spirits, witches, goblins and trolls from entering the home and to protect the good fairies. Every sprig of evergreen had to be removed by the Twelfth Day or else bad luck would fall upon the home. The admonition to take down evergreens at the end of the Twelve Days was also applied to Christmas trees after they were incorporated into Christmas customs.
Mistletoe, the only exception to this rule, could be left up until the start of the next Twelve Days since it was thought to protect the home from lightening and fire. Mistletoe was held in awe because it remained green all year and bore its white berry fruit in winter when the trees on which it grew seemed lifeless. In the days of the Celtic Druids, this "magical" plant was gathered on special days in accordance with the cycles of the moon and was at its peak of power after the winter solstice (December 21).
From Controlling Insects to Relieving Human Suffering
From controlling insects to relieving human suffering... Entomologist Bruce Hammock, distinguished...
Entomologist Bruce Hammock in his UC Davis office. He holds a joint appointment with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)