Agriculture

April showers bring June flowers, but spring also brings seminars about insects.

Many plant species are leafing out and flowering earlier in response to rising temperatures, and those that are not are declining at alarming rates in some circumstances, says urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology in newly published resear...

Tensiometers are useful for monitoring soil moisture in vegetable and row crops so that plants are not over-watered nor become water stressed. As the name implies, tensiometers measure soil moisture (water) tension, otherwise referred to as matric water potential.

Looking a little dry out there? Dry conditions mean it's good to be cautious about nitrate toxicity in forage crops, particularly small grain hay, grasses, and anything weedy! Nitrates can harm or even kill animals. Growers should test forages and stay vigilant.

So here you are, a honey bee seeking nectar from an unopened citrus blossom. And then your tongue (proboscis) becomes all sticky with pollen, nectar and other particles. What to do: you, the worker bee, take a brief break and clean your tongue. Problem solved.

University leaders, faculty and students from across the U.S. and around the world are working together to tackle a complex set of challenges that prevent millions of people from getting enough of the right foods.

Citrus Industry The Australian finger lime, a citrus relative, could be a new specialty crop for Florida citrus growers. Traditionally, finger limes have remained rare in the United States, grown few and far between.

Lessons from our first Prescribed Fire on Working Landscapes Workshop As I wrote in a blog post in February (Working with Fire), at one time, fire and fire agencies were part of the ranching culture of the foothill communities where I grew up.

It's just not a picnic without insects. And when the 107th annual UC Davis Picnic Day goes virtual on Saturday, April 17, the insects will go virtual, too.

Yes, there will be bugs. The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the Bohart Museum of Entomology will be participating in the virtual 107th annual UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 17, a traditional event being held untraditionally this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.