Agriculture

A cartoon character that looks suspiciously like a Department of Plant Sciences professor leads an animated, online tutorial that recently won a 2022 Gold Award from the Association for Communication Excellence.

Well, that's something you don't see every day: a leafcutter bee sunning itself on a milkweed leaf. The narrowleafed milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis, beckons monarch butterflies (the host plant), aphids, praying mantids and assorted other insects, but once in a while, you'll see a leafcutter bee.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have found a way to reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizers needed to grow cereal crops. The discovery could save farmers in the United States billions of dollars annually in fertilizer costs while also benefiting the environment.

Steve Lundeberg CORVALLIS, Ore. Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to help protect bees from pesticides.

It is getting close to the time we need to scout for weedy rice. Our team will be scouting known infested fields that are planted to rice this year. Troy Clark, our Rice Junior Specialist, will be starting in the next few weeks, and will be reaching out to growers and PCA's.

Western spotted cucumber beetles know how to hit the spot. Make that "multiple spots." These beetles, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, are agricultural pests that feed on roots, seedlings, flowers and foliage. And they can transmit diseases.

CASI honored with SWCS 2022 Conservation Innovation Award - August 2, 2022 August 4, 2022 California's Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) Center was recognized as the recipient of the 2022 Conservation Innovation Award by the Soil and Water Conservation Society at their Annual Confer...

Lisa Morehouse https://www.kqed.org/news/11919000/ojais-famous-pixie-tangerine-struggles-to-survive-wildfires-and-a-hot-real-estate-market On his organic orchard in Ojai in May 2022, Jim Churchill picks the last of the season's Pixies.

August 17 (1-3 PM) Live Seminar and Hybrid Zoom Topic Speakers: Mary Lu Arpaia - UC Riverside Extension Specialist/Plant Breeder Avocado Varieties: Current status and crystal ball gazing towards the future Consuelo Fernandez - Brokaw Nursery R&D Manager Performance of Commercially Available Rootstoc...

As another potentially devastating wildfire season begins, California is facing a shortage of wildland firefighters.