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Posts Tagged: pest
UC ANR experts, resources guide response to shothole borers in Bay Area
UC Cooperative Extension scientists, partners managed invasive beetle in Southern California
Late in 2023, a potentially devastating beetle was detected in the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time. But land managers, arborists and agency staff have one big advantage as they devise plans to control the invasive shothole borers (ISHB).
Thanks to collaborations led by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, they can draw upon the hard-earned experience of their colleagues in Southern California. Over the past decade, SoCal communities have lost “tens of thousands” of trees due to ISHB infestations, according to Beatriz Nobua-Behrmann, UC Cooperative Extension urban forestry and natural resources advisor for Los Angeles and Orange counties.
In one regional park, about 500 trees had to be removed in the span of just one year. “That kind of impact happened in many locations; a whole street might lose 90% of the trees – all of a sudden,” said Nobua-Behrmann, a member of a statewide network studying ISHB.
Spurred by such severe impacts, UC scientists have been studying ISHB and testing various control measures since about 2012. Their lessons are now informing efforts in San Jose – where the first case in the Bay Area was detected in November 2023 – and across the region.
“The UC ANR team is comprised of subject-matter experts,” said Drew Raymond, interim agricultural commissioner for Santa Clara County. “The team has compiled all of the experience from the agencies that have been doing work in Southern California and transplanted that experience here to Northern California.”
Lucy Diekmann, UC Cooperative Extension urban agriculture/food systems advisor, and Igor Lacan, UCCE environmental horticulture and urban forestry advisor, have coordinated regular meetings and trainings of Bay Area agricultural officials, land managers and arborists.
“Lucy and Igor have been instrumental in organizing our partners to establish an effective plan for shothole borers,” said Sara Davis, city forester for San Jose. “Because experts across the broader UC ANR network have many years of firsthand experience with this invasive pest, we are able to draw on their practical know-how to guide our monitoring, management and public education efforts.”
Davis is leading a trapping program in San Jose to determine how widespread ISHB is. Aside from a recent detection in the Santa Cruz Mountains, almost all of the approximately 30 confirmed cases in Northern California have been clustered along the riparian corridor of Coyote Creek through downtown San Jose. This pattern of intense but geographically limited damage was also seen across Southern California – notably in San Diego County along the Tijuana River Valley, where ISHB wiped out the willow population.
“I would expect us in the Bay Area to see this type of localized damage that is not fundamentally different from what they're seeing in Southern California,” Lacan said.
Unusually troublesome pest triggers deadly tree disease
The invasive shothole borers – a term for two species that are virtually indistinguishable, the polyphagous shothole borer and Kuroshio shothole borer – were first detected in Los Angeles in 2003. The tiny beetles, measuring 1.5 to 2 millimeters in length, became a major concern a decade later when swaths of urban forest began dying across LA County.
Infestations are harmful – and fatal for at least 17 tree species in California – because the fungus that the beetle “farms” as its food source causes a disease called Fusarium dieback. Alarmingly, ISHB make their home in a wide variety of trees; Nobua-Behrmann said 65 tree species in California have been identified as “reproductive hosts” where they can grow their populations.
“The fact that they are such a generalist species means that they can find a host almost anywhere,” she said, noting that sycamore, box elder, cottonwoods, oaks and willows are favorites of ISHB.
Furthermore, typical tools in the integrated pest management toolbox are unavailable or ineffective for this invasive beetle. Unlike most insects, these shothole borers mate with their siblings before leaving the tree, so they don't need to search for mates afterward. This means they are not attracted to the pheromone traps typically used for pest control; traps used for ISHB only work to track their numbers, not reduce them.
“Their biology limits what we can do,” Nobua-Behrmann said. “Since the beetles spend most of their lives inside the trees, it's also hard to reach them with insecticides.”
Largely hidden within trees, ISHB can build up their numbers, undetected for years. A tree with green and plentiful leaves may in fact be harboring a significant infestation. “It's easy for this beetle go under the radar and create a big population and a big problem before you even notice,” Nobua-Behrmann said.
Monitoring and early identification of infestations are crucial
Given this pest's elusive nature, monitoring and early intervention have proven to be essential in Southern California.
“All of the success stories have a major component of monitoring and detection; if you have a good monitoring program and you can quickly identify the trees that are infested, timely action can make a big difference,” said Nobua-Behrmann, citing Disneyland in Anaheim as one example where frequent surveys and robust monitoring prevented major impacts.
As most municipalities don't have the abundant resources of a world-famous theme park, Nobua-Behrmann pioneered a program in Southern California to train community members on recognizing telltale signs of the beetle. Specifically, they looked for its entry holes, which have a characteristically round shape and size, comparable to the tip of a ballpoint pen.
Beginning with UC Master Gardeners and UC California Naturalists and then members of the general public in LA and Orange counties (and later other SoCal counties), the program trained about 100 people on how to look out for the beetle. After verification by experts, volunteers were found to be nearly 90% accurate in identifying ISHB.
Although the volunteer monitoring program is on hiatus, Nobua-Behrmann said it had clear benefits that could potentially help other regions. “It would be great to get this program going in Northern California and hopefully get volunteers and people in the general public to help identify infestations there as well,” she said.
Statewide ISHB network spreads essential information
In addition to coordinating an in-person public training in San Jose in April, Lacan and Diekmann, the UC Cooperative Extension advisors, have been educating local UC Master Gardeners on how to spot signs of the invasive beetle.
For about a decade, Lacan has been warning people about the possibility of ISHB in Northern California, routinely including shothole borers in his presentations on “tree pests to watch.” “I've been doing this since before ‘day zero,' but there was not a whole lot of interest in ISHB, as you might imagine,” Lacan recalled. “But then all of that changed in fall of last year.”
In the past year, Lacan has done a dozen ISHB presentations, workshops and webinars, attended by a total of about 260 people – predominantly city foresters, land managers, production arborists and members of tree-related nonprofits.
Lacan noted that the most effective presentations have been at in-person events featuring UC ANR-affiliated experts such as Nobua-Behrmann, UCCE environmental horticulture advisor emeritus John Kabashima, and ISHB program staff Randall Oliver and Hannah Vasilis.
“Here is where we tap into our network,” Lacan said. “This is the power of the statewide shothole borers program.”
Another vital asset has been the collection of practical resources gathered by the ISHB program, the UC Integrated Pest Management team and partner organizations. One example is a deck of identification cards depicting how symptoms of infestation differ from species to species. Such detailed information can help managers determine whether a tree is truly infested – and thus allocate their limited resources more judiciously.
“These very specific, very seriously considered materials are the kind of thing that people really appreciate,” Lacan said. “It's not just a generic ‘it's kind of like this.'”
The symptoms, broken down by tree species, are also listed on the ISHB website. Raymond, the interim agricultural commissioner for Santa Clara County, said his team uses the website to get informed about ISHB and regularly refers community members to it.
“The ISHB website has been a great resource,” Raymond said. “It's full of important and user-friendly information.”
Communities learn to protect trees, adapt to shothole borers
If community members believe a tree is infested, they should review the symptoms of ISHB-Fusarium dieback. If the signs match what they are seeing, they should take a photo of the entry hole (with the tip of a ballpoint pen placed next to the hole as reference) and send images to their county agricultural commissioner's office or local UCCE advisor, who may then seek confirmation.
Extra eyes on urban forests are crucial to help experts identify potential “amplifier trees” – heavily infested trees, with more than 150 entry holes, that are often repeatedly reinfested by subsequent generations of beetles. They contribute to the recurring pattern of severe but localized infestations seen across Southern California – and now in San Jose.
New research suggests that removing severely infested trees – or just the most impacted limbs of those trees – can significantly lower the overall ISHB population and help less-infested trees in the area recover over time.
“You're not going to eradicate ISHB (at least not in Southern California); you're not going to get rid of them – you're going to have them forever,” Nobua-Behrmann said. “But you can keep them at a manageable amount.”
She also emphasized other actions the public can take to prevent the spread of ISHB, such as correctly disposing infested plant material – ideally chipping it to less than an inch in length (or as small as possible) and then composting the chips.
“It's also important to not move firewood and instead buy it where you will be burning,” Nobua-Behrmann said. “It's one of the best things people can do to protect trees from invasive pests.”
After identifying and removing amplifier trees, land managers and landscape arborists should have a plan for replanting, Lacan added. He said they should prioritize species that are less susceptible to the beetle, using his Pest Vulnerability Matrix tool that lists the major pests for different mixes of trees.
“We need to figure out how to have sustainable urban forests, even with this pest,” he said. “We know we can do it, largely thanks to our colleagues in Southern California. So the key lesson is to replant soon – choose smartly, but replant right away.”
UC ANR publishes first-ever manual on olive production for oil
Growers, UC Cooperative Extension researchers offer guidance on producing high-quality olives
Facing a deluge of lower-price products from Europe, the California olive oil industry is doubling down on its clear-cut competitive edge: the consistent and bona fide quality of its oil.
“Olive Production Manual for Oil,” a new book published by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, aims to help California olive growers maximize that advantage.
“It's a tough market to compete in, but I think the way to win for California is to compete on quality,” said book co-editor Selina Wang, a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology. “The quality of California olive oil is unmatched, but you can't make good quality olive oil with bad fruit, so the goal is to get more fruit from the trees – and for the fruits to be high-quality fruit.”
The 273-page manual, available for purchase online, is the first of its kind in the U.S. While some parts of the book are specific to California (which grows nearly all of the olives for domestically produced olive oil), most of the material would be useful to producers in other states, Wang noted.
“Through our conversations with growers, it became clear to us that a manual like this – not a scientific publication but a manual that is easy to follow, written in language that is accessible, and with pictures and illustrations – would be really helpful to the growers,” she said.
Growth of California olive oil industry necessitated creation of manual
Aside from a book focused predominantly on table olives and another on organic olive production (by UCCE farm advisor emeritus Paul Vossen), there was no one-stop, comprehensive resource on the bookshelf for oil olive growers. The need for such a manual had become more acute as oil olives replaced table olives in California orchards during the last 20 years.
Whereas harvesting by hand was historically cost-prohibitive, the introduction of super-high-density planting systems in 1999 made oil olive production more economically feasible. Mechanical pruning and harvesting of new cultivars (Arbequina, Arbosana and Koroneiki) – specifically bred for these densely planted orchards – led to the rapid expansion of oil olives in the state. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, California olive oil production jumped from 2 million pounds in 2006 to an average of 21 million pounds in 2021–23.
With about 37,000 acres of oil olives planted across California, the Olive Oil Commission of California saw the need to support the production of this manual. Championed by Dan Flynn, founder and executive director emeritus of the UC Davis Olive Center, Wang and co-editor Louise Ferguson outlined the contents of the book. They then sought out a mix of growers and industry professionals and UCCE advisors and specialists to write its chapters.
“Most of the information is data-based, from people who are working with the olives,” said Ferguson, a UC Cooperative Extension pomologist at UC Davis. “This is the first data-based olive oil production manual we've had.”
Manual infused with firsthand insights, practical recommendations
Hard-earned experience taught growers a valuable lesson that is conveyed in the book – the need to hand-prune. While mechanical pruning helps control the size of the trees, some hand-pruning is still required to allow light to filter to the leaves. Failing to do so leads to a dramatic decrease in yield.
“That happened in many of the orchards that were inexperienced in these new cultivars and new super-high-density planting systems,” Ferguson said.
She added that other key topics in the manual include irrigation management in a water-constrained state, nitrogen management, harvest timing and orchard site selection. Choosing a good spot for planting is crucial in this era of extreme climate volatility, Ferguson noted, as olive trees are significantly affected by temperature shocks in spring (fruit set) and fall (harvest).
For Wang, another overarching theme in the manual is the importance of testing. Testing the soil, water and leaves provides critical data that growers can use to adjust their inputs and production practices for optimal profitability.
“You may spend a couple hundred dollars on the lab work, but it will pay off, for sure – you're going to increase the health and productivity of your trees,” Wang explained. “Oil olive growers are paid based on the oil content in their fruit; you not only want to have a lot of fruit on the trees, you want to make sure that your fruit are accumulating oil.”
California oil olive growers, practices continue to evolve
Wang and Ferguson hope their book will help California producers compete more effectively in the global marketplace. Currently, about 90% of the olive oil consumed in the U.S. is imported from Mediterranean countries, due primarily to the lower price point. In that region, producers tend to harvest riper olives that produce oil at a greater volume but lesser quality.
In contrast, California growers harvest earlier and produce oil that is higher quality (with more flavor and more antioxidants) and far exceeds accepted standards for “extra virgin olive oil.”
According to Wang, California olive oil mills have nearly maximized their efficiency, and the growth opportunity for the industry is in the orchards: to optimize practices to produce more fruit, and to plant more trees. Wang said the new manual can help on both fronts.
“Just like for other crops, focusing on quality – while increasing efficiency and productivity, and therefore profitability – is the name of the game,” she said.
Ferguson also stressed that knowledge continues to evolve and urged growers to reach out to the editors and chapter authors with their experiences.
“Most of the authors are in California and they're working,” she said. “So if you start to notice things that are different, or you want more information or something is not clear, the authors are available.”
The manual can be purchased at https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=3559.
Visual ID guide from UC aids in managing new almond pest
Nut orchard hygiene key to control carpophilus beetle, say UCCE, UC Integrated Pest Management experts
Since the first reports of a new almond pest – the carpophilus beetle (Carpophilus truncatus) – came in during fall 2023, it has become clear that the beetle is widely dispersed across the San Joaquin Valley.
“My lab has identified infestations from every county in the San Joaquin Valley; we have found infestations in both almonds and pistachios, and we will likely find infestations in walnuts this fall,” said Houston Wilson, a University of California Cooperative Extension entomology specialist at UC Riverside. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has confirmed the beetle's presence in Stanislaus, Merced, Madera and Kings counties.
Historically a major threat to almond production in Australia, the beetle – as larvae and adults – feeds directly on the nut kernel. In California, some almond growers have lost 10 to 15% of their yield – a “significant economic loss,” according to Jhalendra Rijal, University of California integrated pest management (IPM) advisor for the region. Given the prominence of almonds as a commodity, even a 1% overall reduction statewide represents an approximately $70 million loss.
“This year there has been a lot more reports from PCAs [pest control advisers]; they're sending me the pictures of the damage and beetles,” said Rijal, noting that the increase is likely due to greater awareness of the pest.
To help almond growers identify the carpophilus beetle and develop management plans, Rijal, Wilson and their IPM colleagues have put together a visual ID guide for the beetle and the damage it causes, as well as telltale signs of navel orangeworm (Amyelois transitella) and ant damage. In particular, the experts would like PCAs and growers to differentiate between the carpophilus beetle and navel orangeworm, another key pest in almonds.
“Even though their way of causing damage looks more or less similar, we're dealing with two different types of insects,” Rijal explained. “One is a Lepidoptera moth [navel orangeworm], and the other one is a beetle – many of the management practices and biological controls would be different for these two different things.”
To control carpophilus beetle, ‘sanitize, sanitize, sanitize'
One crucial cultural practice for managing both pests, however, is destroying the remnant “mummy” nuts – the nuts that remain in the orchard postharvest. They serve as overwintering habitat for the carpophilus beetle, as well as its sustenance for the next generation of beetles in spring.
“The best way to manage this pest is to do the orchard hygiene – continuing the winter sanitation, destroying the nuts that are on the ground and on the tree and on the berms,” Rijal said.
Based on observations in Australia and locally, carpophilus beetles tend to rely more on mummies on the ground, whereas navel orangeworm generally favors mummies in the tree canopy. Correctly identifying the pest – with help from the new ID guide – enables growers to better target and prioritize their management efforts, Rijal said.
“What we are strongly emphasizing is that growers need to sanitize, sanitize, sanitize to control both pests,” Wilson added.
Correct identification of the pest would also prevent unnecessary application of insecticides, as those used for controlling Lepidoptera such as navel orangeworm would be largely ineffective on the beetle.
Indeed, another insight shared by Australian experts is that the carpophilus beetle cannot be controlled just by insecticide.
“Insecticides are not very efficient, given the cryptic nature of these beetles; exposing these beetles to the insecticide is very hard,” said Rijal, noting that the beetle spends most of its life cycle protected inside the nut.
Reporting carpophilus beetle infestation helps researchers
This harvest season, Rijal advises almond growers to harvest as efficiently as possible, to minimize the number of mummies that need to be cleaned up. And because signs of damage (like damaged hulls and frass) are most obvious during harvest time, Rijal said growers should review the new guide, using the photos and other resources to help identify potential pests.
If the grower or PCA suspects a carpophilus beetle infestation, they should contact the UCCE farm advisor in their area.
Scientists are looking to expand their knowledge about this relatively new pest to California. In the coming weeks, for example, researchers are planning to survey for the carpophilus beetle in the Sacramento Valley.
“Technically it has not been found there, but we suspect that we'll find it this fall when we go looking for it,” Wilson said.
Researchers are also collecting samples from infested orchards to better understand the biology of the species, as well as how it progresses through and responds to seasonal and climactic changes. In addition, they are analyzing data from a trial study of an insecticide that might be used as a supplemental control measure.
“This is our first full season dealing with this insect, and there are still many things we need to understand,” Rijal said. “We are continuing our research efforts on all fronts.”
ANR hires expertise in urban pests, plants and small farms
From Siskiyou County through Riverside County, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources has hired UC Cooperative Extension experts to help Californians address challenging issues.
The eight recently hired UC Cooperative Extension specialists, advisors and coordinators bring expertise in urban pest management, healthy families, regenerative agriculture, plant science, small farms and food safety to their communities.
Since 1914, UC Cooperative Extension researchers have been working directly with community members to improve their lives and livelihoods.
To see a list of UC Cooperative Extension experts who have joined in the past few months, visit https://ucanr.edu/About/DirectorySearch/Recent_Hires. The most recently hired scientists are introduced below.
Lee brings expertise in urban pest behavior to Capitol Corridor IPM role
Sang-Bin Lee joined UC ANR as the urban integrated pest management advisor for the Capitol Corridor – comprising Sacramento, Yolo and Solano counties – to help communities manage urban pests such as cockroaches, termites and ants.
“My high-level hope is to improve public health and the well-being of people in the Capitol Corridor region by implementing and improving the IPM program,” Lee said.
A native of South Korea, Lee earned his bachelor's in biology from Pusan National University. After working in the food manufacturing sector (which included a stint in Brazil, where he learned basic Portuguese), Lee decided to pursue his passion for studying animal behaviors. During his master's program in ecology at Pusan National University, Lee investigated behavioral changes in zebrafish after pathogen infection.
“My goal was to detect fish with symptoms much earlier than conventional methods to prevent the spread of pathogens in fish farms,” he said.
Intrigued by research on social insects, Lee went on to earn a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Florida, where he studied the social behaviors of termites. Lee has published 34 peer-reviewed articles in professional journals and has received several awards from Entomological Society of America and other professional societies.
He said that he finds urban pest management to be a fascinating discipline – and a very rewarding endeavor – in the field of entomology.
“My interests lie in the behavior of urban pests, and studying their behavior often provides a great opportunity to improve control measures,” Lee explained. “I have had many opportunities to communicate with people from the pest control industry and homeowners; conversations with these people often inspire me to work harder to help those who need my assistance.”
Lee is based in Fairfield, at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Solano County, and can be reached at sablee@ucanr.edu and (530) 574-9835. He is on X/Twitter @SangBinLee4.
New farm advisor Singh to bring latest research to Siskiyou County
Jagdeep Singh recently joined UC ANR as the agronomy advisor for Siskiyou County. In this capacity, Singh will primarily focus on crop production in alfalfa, pasture and small grains, as well as pest control and water management.
Originally from Punjab, India's agriculture-rich state, Singh brings a unique perspective to his work.
“My passion lies in directly impacting the lives of farmers who feed the world,” he said. “I'm driven by a constant thirst for knowledge and a commitment to bridging the gap between the most up-to-date research and practical, on-farm solutions. What motivates me is understanding farmers' needs and providing science-based answers to their questions.”
Singh earned a B.S. from Punjab Agricultural University, an M.S. from New Mexico State University, and a Ph.D. from Auburn University.
During his Ph.D. studies, he assessed 70 years of cotton breeding impacts on yield, nutrient relations and root architecture, while also studying cover crops for soil health improvement. His M.S. work focused on guar, evaluating its growth, yield, water extraction patterns and water use efficiency under deficit irrigation, as well as identifying cold-tolerant germplasm for cooler regions of the Southern High Plains.
In his new role at UC ANR, Singh aims to build strong relationships with the local community, certified crop advisers and industry groups, leveraging the well-established extension system.
Singh can be reached by email at fgssingh@ucanr.edu or by calling the UCCE Siskiyou office at (530) 842-2711.
Rosenberg joins UCCE as regenerative agriculture farm advisor
Sara Rosenberg joined UCCE as a regenerative agriculture farm advisor for Mariposa, Merced and Stanislaus counties.
Her disciplinary focuses are agroecology, sustainable nutrient management, and extension research and methodology. Her past research centers on understanding the implications of diversification (with a focus on crop rotations and cover crops) for California rice systems. For her master's program thesis, she conducted a countywide assessment to learn from rice growers about their experiences with crop rotations and understand barriers to adoption, opportunities, and required resources for successful implementation. This two-year study engaged grower communities to help develop research goals for her Ph.D. studies.
Her doctoral research explored how different summer crop rotations affect multiple sustainability factors including soil health, crop yields, weeds, input use and economics. She also assessed different cover-crop species performance in rice environments and their carbon and nitrogen contributions.
She earned a master's in international agriculture development and a Ph.D. in horticulture and agronomy from UC Davis.
Prior to working on her Ph.D., Rosenberg was an agriculture advisor in the Peace Corps for more than three years. She worked closely with smallholder farmers in West Africa, implementing conservation agriculture programs and increasing agricultural resilience in both annual crops and tree crops, mainly in the cashew forestry sector. In California, she has worked on farms for more than eight years, including running her own small, diversified farm in Woodland.
She is passionate about community-led development and using participatory research as a powerful tool for developing sustainable solutions. Her aim is to develop collaborative programming that will support a wide range of farm types, including commercial and small-scale, organic and conventional, annual crops, tree and vine crops, and livestock production systems.
She is developing a robust research program aimed at assessing farm sustainability impact across ecological, agronomic, social and economic factors. She will be collaborating with farmers to help overcome barriers to adopting regenerative practices and build their capacity to advance sustainability goals. Rosenberg also will be developing and promoting tested integrative management practices that increase climate resilience and ecosystem sustainability across diverse farming environments.
Rosenberg is based in Mariposa and can be reached at srosenberg@ucanr.edu and (209) 966-2417 ext. 1417.
Sangha joins UCCE as community water systems advisor
Laljeet Sangha joined UCCE as a community water systems advisor for Kern, Tulare and Kings counties.
To enhance community resilience, Sangha will lead an integrated extension education and applied research program in water resource management and community development.
He will address critical questions regarding the impacts of environmental stressors, such as chronic long-term droughts, water contamination and increased groundwater demand. Additionally, he will assist in water system consolidations and help communities meet regulatory goals such as those set by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP).
Originally from Punjab, India, Sangha earned his undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering from Punjab Agricultural University. He received his M.S. in biosystems engineering from Auburn University and his Ph.D. in biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech.
Sangha's early research focused on the influence of climate variability on ecologically sustainable water withdrawals from streams for irrigation. For his doctoral studies, he evaluated the impact of permit exemptions, climate change and demand growth on water supply. Additionally, he developed methods to quantify unreported water use for crop irrigation.
Sangha also has collaborated on projects in the Colorado River Basin, which explore why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. His work includes evaluating the effects of limited water availability on irrigation operations and developing adaptive options for farming communities in the basin.
Sangha is based in Bakersfield and can be reached at lsangha@ucanr.edu.
Beveridge joins ANR's Small Farms team
Claire Beveridge joined UC ANR as a small farms water-conservation academic coordinator for Fresno, Tulare and Madera counties. She is also part of the statewide UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, or SAREP.
As an academic coordinator, Beveridge supports small-scale, diversified and socially disadvantaged farmers in Fresno and surrounding areas in on-farm water conservation through education, technical assistance, outreach and research activities. This encompasses aiding farmers with improved irrigation practices and technologies, groundwater regulation compliance and on-farm groundwater recharge.
She also facilitates small-scale farmer access to state incentives for water and energy efficiency, as well as drought and flood relief programs. Beveridge also helps to inform state water policy on the unique needs of small-scale farms.
She is broadly interested in fostering sustainable water resource management through interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches among communities, decisionmakers and researchers.
Beveridge holds a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering with an emphasis in hydrology from the University of Washington. She conducted postdoctoral research at Florida International University and earned her bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering from UC Berkeley. She is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer in California, an inaugural editor of the Community Science Exchange journal and resource hub, and recently completed a USDA International Agriculture Education Fellowship in Uganda.
“I grew up in Madera and am excited to be serving my home region as part of UC ANR,” she said.
Beveridge is based in Fresno and can be reached at cbeveridge@ucanr.edu.
Pourkhalili to promote healthy families and communities
Azin Pourkhalili joined UCCE as a youth, family and community advisor for Kern, Inyo and Mono counties.
In her role, she will promote healthy families and communities by designing, delivering and evaluating strategies for encouraging nutrition and physical activity in youth and their families. Additionally, she will provide academic oversight of community education and outreach program staff who work with families and youth, including the UC 4-H Youth Development Program, CalFresh Healthy Living UC Nutrition Education Program, Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Juntos.
Pourkhalili brings over six years of experience in conducting health intervention research programs, including their development, implementation and evaluation.
Before moving to California, Pourkhalili was a Virginia Cooperative Extension research scientist. She worked on multiple health intervention projects, including nutrition education for older adults through the Elder Nutrition and Food Safety program and the prevention and management of chronic diseases through programs such as the Lifestyle Change Program, Diabetes Prevention Program, Balance Living with Diabetes, and Kick'n Cancer. She also collaborated with the Virginia Department of Health on various projects.
Pourkhalili's academic background encompasses the latest research in nutrition and physical activity education programs, chronic disease prevention programs and health education programs for different age groups. Building on her experience in implementing and evaluating nutrition education programs, her future research aims to address the unique health education needs of diverse communities in California. She plans to continue researching the evaluation and effectiveness of health education programs, such as CalFresh Healthy Living UC, EFNEP and 4-H.
She holds a Ph.D. in human nutrition, food and exercise, specializing in community and behavioral science, and a graduate certificate in gerontology from Virginia Tech.
Pourkhalili is based in Bakersfield and can be reached at apourkhalili@ucanr.edu.
Atume to provide small farms SGMA technical assistance
Ngodoo Atume joined UC ANR as a Sustainable Groundwater Management Act small farms technical assistance coordinator in the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
She will provide technical information, services, policy analysis and recommendations needed to engage and protect small-scale farmers in the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
Before joining UC ANR, Atume worked as a water policy analyst advocating for the implementation of the Human Right to Water in California. She also worked on the inclusion of underrepresented stakeholders in SGMA, Central Valley Salinity Alternative Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) and the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP).
Born and raised in Nigeria, Atume earned her bachelor's degree in water resources and environmental engineering at Ahmadu Bello University, where her research focused on the treatment and reuse of wastewater. She has a master's degree in sustainable water management from Tufts University.
Atume is based at the UC ANR office in Davis and can be reached at natume@ucanr.edu.
Fujiyoshi joins Capitol Corridor small farms team
Phillip Fujiyoshi joined UCCE small farms team in the Capitol Corridor as an extension and research associate. Working with Margaret Lloyd, UCCE small farms advisor, Fujiyoshi supports underserved farmers in Yolo, Sacramento and Solano counties by providing them with financial and agronomic technical assistance and making extension materials available in Spanish.
Born and raised in Santa Maria, Fujiyoshi earned his bachelor's degree in biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His academic knowledge of Spanish transformed into bilingual proficiency thanks to his life experiences of living with Spanish roommates, participating in a tree-planting brigade in Nicaragua and setting up a Spanish-speaking household with a Nicaraguan partner. The Nicaragua trip also sparked his lasting interest in agriculture, leading him into doctoral studies in agroecology at UC Santa Cruz.
After completing his Ph.D., Fujiyoshi performed molecular assays, contributed to phylogenetic studies, and led a spore-trapping field study in a lab studying grapevine trunk diseases. In addition, he pursued outside interests in agriculture, including winning an individual grant to study cabbage aphid behavior, pursuing informal cover crop trials in a community garden plot, volunteering on the UC Davis Student Farm, and giving agronomic advice to growers at the farmers market.
Fujiyoshi is based in Woodland and can be reached at (530) 666-8143 and pfujiyoshi@ucanr.edu.
Almond crop yields threatened by disease new to California
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 detected P. amygdalinum. Pest identification was confirmed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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 Middle East,” said Trouillas, an associate professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology. He recently co-authored an explanatory article on the UCCE San Joaquin Valley Trees and Vines blog.
With symptomatic trees seen in multiple orchards across Madera, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, Trouillas said RLB is already “somewhat widespread.”
“From the first observations so far, it seems like it affects some of the most-planted cultivars, like Nonpareil and Monterey,” he added. “We've observed it in a diversity of cultivars already.”
UC Cooperative Extension specialist urges taking preventive measures
According to Trouillas, RLB caused by P. amygdalinum is “highly specific” to almond trees, and generally only affects their leaves. Infection typically happens at petal fall, when small leaflets are first emerging and most susceptible to disease. After the pathogen's latent period of about 35 to 40 days, the first symptoms appear – small, pale-yellow spots on both sides of the leaves.
Those blotches become yellow-orange and then reddish-brown in the advanced stages of the disease during June and July. Now, with RLB symptoms becoming more prominent, Trouillas and UC Cooperative Extension advisors across the Central Valley have seen an uptick in calls.
“PCAs [pest control advisers] have been confused because they've never seen anything like this,” said Trouillas, noting that the yellow-orange-red blotches are symptoms unique to RLB and cannot be confused with other known almond diseases.
Applying fungicides after RLB symptoms appear is ineffective, Trouillas said. The best thing growers can do at this point is to report symptomatic trees to researchers so they can track the prevalence and distribution of the disease.
Growers who see signs of this new disease in their orchard should contact their local UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor.
Preventive measures are the best way to manage RLB, Trouillas said. He urges concerned growers to think ahead to next winter/spring and plan for fungicide applications at petal fall and – if rains persist – also at two weeks and five weeks after petal fall. Fortunately, those are the same three key timings for managing other diseases, like shot hole and almond anthracnose.
“Because RLB is something that is introduced and potentially aggressive, it will be important for growers to keep that in mind next year and be on schedule for next year's spraying program,” Trouillas said.
Additional information on RLB can be found at https://www.sjvtandv.com/blog/first-detection-of-red-leaf-blotch-a-new-disease-of-almond-in-california.
