Agriculture

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Photo: Frost injury to Montezuma (left, Yolo Co.) when min temperatures were below 32F (28F-31F) for 5 days late February (CIMIS, Davis, CA 2018). Newer oat hay varieties (right) head out later, often avoiding frost injury.
Alfalfa & Forage News: Article

New UC oat hay varieties show disease resistance and frost avoidance

October 17, 2018
By Rachael Long
Several new University of California forage oat varieties have been developed by Dr. Cal Qualset, Small Grains program, UC Davis recently. These are generally grown together in hay mixtures (e.g. a mix of oats, barley, and wheat), or as a sole-crop.
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A cabbage white butterlfy, Pieris rapae, heads for lantana in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Spotting the Cabbage White Butterfly

October 15, 2018
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
They're everywhere. But they're not welcome. Agriculturists who commercially grow cabbage and other cucurbits aren't fond of the cabbage white butterlfy, Pieris rapae, because its larvae are pests that ravish their crops. No welcome mat for them.
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bee hives in field
Farming in the Foothills: Article

Support Your Local Bee Keepers: how you can do your part

October 15, 2018
By Cindy Fake
The humming sound of busy honeybees filled the fall air, darting back and forth as I followed long-time beekeeper Randy Oliver around his bee yard. I was there to learn about a new issue for local beekeepers.
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Butterflies showing mutated wings on their right sides. This image was used in one of Arnaud Martin's research publications. (Credit: Nathalie Vessillier)
Bug Squad: Article

Oct. 19th Seminar at UC Davis: Do Butterflies Dream of Genetic Tattoos?

October 12, 2018
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Do butterflies dream of genetic tattoos? That's part of the creative title of a seminar that Arnaud Martin, assistant professor of biology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, will deliver next week to the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
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An anise swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon, sets the scene in the Kate Frey Pollinator Garden at Sonoma Cornerstone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Buy a Plant and the Pollinators Are Free!

October 9, 2018
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When you head over to a nursery, and see bees and butterflies and other pollinators foraging on the plants, that's a good sign. Buy the plants. Promise: The pollinators will come.
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