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New project aims to use farm waste to fuel bioeconomy
![The BioCircular Valley project will build a publicly accessible database of available feedstocks from forest, farm and food processing byproducts to guide farmers, biomanufacturers and community leaders in the Northern San Joaquin Valley in building up a bioeconomy. The BioCircular Valley project will build a publicly accessible database of available feedstocks from forest, farm and food processing byproducts to guide farmers, biomanufacturers and community leaders in the Northern San Joaquin Valley in building up a bioeconomy.](http://ucanr.edu/blogs/Green//blogfiles/107830small.png)
UC ANR to help create database, support technology for sustainable bioproducts and biofuels In California's Northern San Joaquin Valley, crop leftovers such as almond shells, fruit peels and orchard trimmings can potentially be converted into sustainable bioproducts and biofuels – with the right technology. The philanthropy Schmidt Sciences' Virtual Institute on Feedstocks of the Future, which supports replacing fossil feedstocks with renewable biomass sources, has awarded new funding to a group investigating how to make better use of the diverse agricultural waste in the region. “This is an important project for California as it quantifies the diverse ‘ingredients' in the North San Joaquin Valley available to fuel the emerging biomanufacturing industry in the state,” said Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. “This foundational work will kickstart a completely new...
Almond crop yields threatened by disease new to California
![Advanced symptoms of red leaf blotch (RLB) include large, yellow-orange blotches (roughly 1/2 Advanced symptoms of red leaf blotch (RLB) include large, yellow-orange blotches (roughly 1/2](http://ucanr.edu/blogs/food//blogfiles/107462small.jpg)
Detection of fungus causing red leaf blotch spurs call for grower vigilance Symptoms of red leaf blotch (RLB), a plant disease caused by the fungus Polystigma amygdalinum, have been observed for the first time in California across the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Molecular DNA testing by the laboratory of Florent Trouillas, University of California Cooperative Extension fruit and nut crop pathology specialist, has confirmed the detection of P. amygdalinum. Formal pest confirmation by the California Department of Food and Agriculture is pending. The disease, named for the characteristic orange-to-dark red blotches that appear on infected leaves, is typically nonlethal for trees but has been a long-standing problem for almond-growing regions across the Mediterranean. Causing trees to lose their leaves prematurely, the fungal pathogen can significantly diminish crop yields in the current year and the next. “It is one of the most severe diseases of almonds for Spain and the...
The unintended consequences of clean fuel policies
![Increased demand for renewable fuels is diverting edible vegetable oils, which are used as a feedstock for renewable fuels, from the food system. Credit: Getty images Increased demand for renewable fuels is diverting edible vegetable oils, which are used as a feedstock for renewable fuels, from the food system. Credit: Getty images](http://ucanr.edu/blogs/Green//blogfiles/107746small.png)
How policies affect emissions, land use, and the prices of fuel and vegetable oils Over the last two decades, both the federal government and state governments have enacted policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transportation sector. In a new Special Issue of ARE Update, University of California agricultural economists explore how these federal and state renewable fuel policies have affected biofuel production for motor and aviation fuels and consider how these policies have affected land use and food prices. Their research shows that as U.S. demand for renewable diesel began to outpace supply, consumer prices for vegetable oil—which is used as a feedstock for renewable diesel—surged. The national Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), implemented in 2006 and 2011, respectively, have led to an increase in the amount of biofuels consumed and produced in the United States. While the RFS mandates that a minimum...
Diagnosing herbicide problems takes detective work
![Kassim Al-Khatib, right, of the Department of Plant Sciences, explains symptoms from the group of herbicides that work by mimicking plant hormones and the synthesis of fatty acids, demonstrated on rows of annual crops. Photos by Trina Kleist, UC Davis Kassim Al-Khatib, right, of the Department of Plant Sciences, explains symptoms from the group of herbicides that work by mimicking plant hormones and the synthesis of fatty acids, demonstrated on rows of annual crops. Photos by Trina Kleist, UC Davis](http://ucanr.edu/blogs/food//blogfiles/107618small.jpg)
Field day offers examples, tips for solving the mystery A grower applies an herbicide to his tomato plants, or thinks a neighbor's treatment is drifting over her almond trees. A short time later, the leaves start to bleach or shrivel. Was it the herbicide? Or maybe water stress? Soil nutrients? Perhaps an insect? Figuring out the causes of crop problems takes detective work, and like solving any mystery, it starts with knowing the signs, gathering evidence and asking questions. The Diagnosing Herbicide Symptoms field day at UC Davis was an opportunity to see, up close, the shriveled cotton, scorched corn and dying sunflowers that can result when herbicides are applied incorrectly. Using the right herbicide – in the right proportion, at the right time and in the right field – can make the difference between a thriving crop and a financial loss. A top take-away to avoid problems: “Don't do stuff at night!” laughed Becky Wheeler-Dykes, a UC Cooperative...
UC food-safety specialist tests biosensors to ensure safe produce
![Ahmed El-Moghazy Ahmed El-Moghazy](http://ucanr.edu/blogs/food//blogfiles/107623small.jpg)
Ahmed El-Moghazy joined UC Agriculture and Natural Resources as a UC Cooperative Extension food safety specialist in February and is based at UC Riverside. Food safety, according to El-Moghazy, are measures that ensure food is free from harmful contaminants, prevent foodborne illnesses and is safe to eat. El-Moghazy is responsible for assisting California farmers and food processing facilities to enhance food safety practices by training appropriate personnel and addressing food-safety issues on their farms.As the principal investigator for the 2-SAFE Lab at UC Riverside, El-Moghazy is investigating the accuracy and applicability of point-of-use biosensor technology. The small, lightweight and easy-to-use sensor can be used while out in the field or in a packing house to test contamination of liquids such as irrigation and washing water or solids like food samples.Testing for foodborne pathogens traditionally takes two to three days and the process can be costly. The...
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