All Issues

Yearly screenings of field corn cultivars by UC Cooperative Extension help plant breeders and growers in hybrid selection for tolerance to Fusarium ear rot. Researchers have found that thrips feeding carries the fungus into the corn ear.

Although the calculation of potential cancer risks from pesticide residues in foods involves much scientific uncertainty, estimates of risk are currently used to guide policy decisions. Since risk estimates may vary by several orders of magnitude depending on the assumptions used in the calculations, it is imperative that assumptions be based on the best available scientific data.

Seepage losses in the San Joaquin Valley's Westlands Water District were estimated at 27,000 acre-feet a year, or about 2% of the district's water supply. Ditch configuration and construction techniques appear to influence seepage rates.

Owners and managers of blue gum eucalyptus stands will be able to use the equations to estimate the total wood volume for paper chips, biomass chips, or fuelwood. The equations were developed specifically for California's central coast.

This study considers a water marketing system in which farmers can buy a given amount of water, at a fixed price, and sell the amount not used. The system could induce farmers to upgrade their irrigation systems and reduce water application and drainage volume, while paying for drainage water disposal and maintaining profitability.

Seed collected from “native” or wild stands of rose clover withstood the cold, dry conditions of mountainous northern California in exploratory trials. They are potential new legume species for colder rangeland areas.

Of 27 turfgrasses and other plants evaluated for ability to provide ground cover under low irrigation, bermudagrasses and seashore Paspalum performed the best. Two species of saltbush, buffalograss, and two varieties of Phalaris also gave comparatively good cover and quality.

Effective aphid pest management strategies depend on a knowledge of the economically important species present in an area and their flight behavior. A suction trap at UC Davis collected 60 aphid species, most of which are economically important. The trap detected the first specimens of the Russian wheat aphid found in northern California.

Subclover mulches, which grow from fall through spring then die back before crop planting, show some potential for suppressing weeds and increasing soil organic matter. Vegetable yields varied in tests, depending on how the mulch was managed.

A study of bankruptcy plans confirmed in California suggests the new Chapter 12 provisions of the Bankruptcy Code have increased the bargaining power of financially distressed farmers relative to their lenders. But Chapter 12 may lead to higher interest rates on new agricultural loans.