Agriculture

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The honey bees swarmed last week to the entrance to the Epiphany Episcopal Church, Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Blessed Are the Bees

March 29, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Blessed are the bees. When honey bees swarmed last week at the entrance to the Epiphany Episcopal Church in Vacaville, the site seemed quite fitting. Biblical references to bees and honey, such as "the land of milk and honey," abound. Blessed are the bees.
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Cosmo, a bull calf was born in April 2020 at UC Davis. Scientists successfully genome-edited him as an embryo to produce more male offspring. Male cattle are more fuel-efficient than females and produce more meat with fewer cattle. Photo courtesy of Alison Van Eenennaam
Food Blog: Article

How do you feel about gene editing in livestock?

March 25, 2021
By Pamela S Kan-Rice
Participate in a genome-editing webinar and survey April 17 The health and well-being of animals can be improved with genome-editing technology, but only if people trust and accept the methods.
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UC Davis entomology major Rebecca Jean "RJ" Millena shows visitors some of the critters in the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
Bug Squad: Article

'When I Grow Up, I Want to Be an Entomologist'

March 25, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
How many kindergarten students have you heard say "When I grow up, I want to be an entomologist?" "Ento-what?" some folks will ask. "What's that?" Five-year-old Rebecca Jean "RJ" Millena could have told you. She still can. When she entered kindergarten in Concord, Calif.
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pomology course
Topics in Subtropics: Article

A is for Avocado and Alfalfa

March 25, 2021
By Ben A Faber
It's also for apple. And an apple tree acts more like an avocado tree than an alfalfa plant. Perennial woody plants have certain characteristics that are distinct from herbaceous plants. They are all plants, but how you prune, fertilize and irrigate are different.
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A row of honey jars. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Still Time to Register for UC Davis Honey Adulteration Symposium

March 24, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
There's still time to register for the online Honey Adulteration Symposium, hosted by the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center and featuring keynote speaker Michael T. Roberts of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law. The 2.
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tarped truck
Topics in Subtropics: Article

Tarped Against ACP

March 24, 2021
By Ben A Faber
Researchers at the California Data Analysis and Tactical Operations Center (DATOC) have analyzed Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) trapping data along major transportation routes before and after tarping regulations for bulk citrus shipments were enacted.
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A honey bee heads for fava bean blossoms. Note the silver-gray pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Lovin' the Fava Beans

March 22, 2021
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Every time we see honey bees pollinating fava bean blossoms, we think of actor Anthony Hopkins. Remember that malevolent scene in the "Silence of the Lambs" film (1991) when serial killer Hannibal Lecter (portrayed magnificently by Hopkins (says: "A census taker once tried to test me.
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citrus red mite damage

Citrus Mite Zoom

March 22, 2021
By Ben A Faber
David Haviland, UCCE Farm Advisor discussed integrated pest management for five different species of mites that cause economic damage to citrus, including proper identification, monitoring, and tools for management. Biological control was also be discussed, including the use of predatory mites.
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CUTLINE: First-generation, vision-based, intelligent cultivators are now available to help control weeds in specialty crops. (Photo courtesy of Steve Fennimore, University of California, Davis.)
UC Weed Science (weed control, management, ecology, and minutia): Article

Can Artificial Intelligence Help Growers Win the Weed Wars?

March 21, 2021
By Gale Perez
From the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) HEADLINES March 17, 2021 * * * * * * * * * * * WESTMINSTER, Colorado March 17, 2021 Weed control in vegetables, flowers and herbs can be incredibly labor intensive, experts with the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) say.
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