All Issues

Jojoba is a shrub or small tree, Simmondsia californica, of the family Buxacea, and is a native plant of southwestern North America. It has edible seeds that contain a valuable liquid wax. Recent interest in the plant was stimulated by possibilities for using the wax during cold rolling of aluminum sheets. According to these studies, staining and viscosity deficiencies make jojoba unsuitable as a rolling oil for aluminum; however, tests are being continued to determine other possible applications.

Spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Koch), populations in three cotton varieties in 1966, and four in 1967 were measured under controlled and uncontrolled conditions and data on plant injury, mite abundance and yields were compared for each variety. The variety Pima S-2 (Gossypium barbadense) was affected very little by mites. Auburn 56 (G. hirsutum) was severely damaged in the absence of pesticidal controls. Acala 4-42 and Acala SJ-1 (G. hirsutum varieties) suffered an intermediate amount of damage and yield depression from an uncontrolled infestation of mites. Fiber quality was affected only in the Auburn 56 variety.

Results reported here are for experimental applications during the past few years, and are not to be considered official recommendations of University of California. Recommendations for weed control in vineyards may be found in the current publication of “Weed Control Recommendations”, available at local Farm Advisor offices.

A considerable degree of control of prickly pear cacti has been achieved on Santa Cruz Island rangeland, as a result of ecological manipulation: primarily, through the introduction of an effective natural insect enemy of the prickly pear; and secondarily, by the initiation of better range management in promoting plant competition through wild sheep eradication and restricted cattle grazing.

California's affluent, growing population is using more outdoor recreation services than ever before. Camping, for example, has increased at a phenomenal rate since the war and more people are investing in summer and weekend vacation homes in such areas as Lake Tahoe. Many forest owners want to know whether they can increase their incomes by adding recreation enterprises to their land management programs. The answer is not obvious. Developing the recreational resources of a forest may require a large capital outlay, even for a primitive campground. Also, income from timber production must be sacrificed if a tract of land is shifted to recreational use. The demand for recreational services must be evaluated in terms of possible cash receipts.

Uniform Nitrogen Content in the foliage is desirable for optimum growth of annual flowering plants (bedding plants). Two of many fertilization procedures suggested to maintain this uniform level, include the use of controlled release nitrogen fertilizers, and constant fertilization at each irrigation with a dilute fertilizer solution. Tests reported here, were to determine the ability of these procedures to maintain nitrogen uniformity during early growth under commercial conditions.

Previous research has attributed a decline in turkey fertility to shallow insemination into the oviduct of the turkey hen. The study reported here was conducted to obtain more information on the effects of variations in depth of insemination, and/or dosage of semen during the artificial insemination (A.I.) process.