Pest Management & Plant Health

You just KNOW that some plants are considered weeds. Their common names give them away. They sound awful. Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). Ripgut brome (Bromus diandrus). Devil's claw (Proboscidea lutea). Smellmelon (Cucumis melo). Itchgrass (Rottboellia cochinchinensis).

It's going to be a long weekend, but it's a short one when you consider all the things you can do and see at the eighth annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 16. Bring your family. Bring your friends. Bring your camera.

Tsetse fly expert Geoffrey Attardo, a medical entomologist and assistant professor with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, is featured in a New York Times' article today (Feb. 12) on tsetse flies.

Did you read the article in today's New York Times about tsetse flies and the scientists who research them? Totally fascinating.

On Thursday, February 7, the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Stanislaus County Master Gardeners held their very first class. The topic was spring vegetable gardening.

Postdoctoral scientist Antoine Brieux of the Joanna Chiu lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will speak on "Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Photoperiodic Time Measurement in Drosophila melanogaster" at the next departmental seminar.

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Part of my role as a University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor is extending knowledge to my clientele and the public at large. One tool for accomplishing this task is the bi-annual publication of a the Agronomy and Weed Science Newsletter.

Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener of Contra Costa County Client's Request: I'm trying to implement an ongoing compost pile to sustain my backyard vegetable garden. However, my compost pile isn't getting hot.

Are you considering introducing cover crops into your production system? Are you wanting to plant hedgerows or wind breaks? Are you interested in prescribed grazing? Are you implementing reduced or no-tillage practices?