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CA&ES Currents Newsletter
September 20, 2002
A Message from Dean Neal Van Alfen
Our
college has recently been designated as host of the Western Region
Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostics and Surveillance Network (WRDSN).
The opportunity to serve as one of only five such centers in the
country reflects our research leadership in the pest sciences and
ability to collaborate across interdisciplinary frontiers. This project
has been made possible through the Homeland Security bill. The United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has allocated the necessary
funds to UC Davis for coordinating this program. Richard Bostock, chair
of the Department of Plant Pathology, will serve as project
coordinator. We will also work closely with the California Department
of Food and Agriculture on diagnostic issues.
The purpose of the WRDSN is to help manage plant, environmental and
human health problems that might arise from biotic agents introduced --
either intentionally or accidentally -- into the environment. To
achieve this, we will establish a network for the detection and
diagnosis of plant health problems, extend and support sound public
policies, develop prevention and management strategies, and provide
leadership and training on the subject. The reason this is so important
is that Western region is one of the most important agriculture areas
of the country. Thus, the WRSDN -- with UC Davis at the helm -- is
accepting a major responsibility to help safeguard that food supply.
The scope and breadth of our project is immense, and includes Alaska,
California, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah,
Washington and the U.S. territories in the south Pacific. Of all the
regions within the network, ours is arguably the most diverse in the
types of climate and plants involved as well as geographic size. One
challenge facing us is that the pest and disease surveillance
capabilities vary widely across the states and territories involved. We
will work to improve resources and collaboration on this issue. This
summer we met with USDA officials and representatives from the other
research institutions in Washington, D.C. and hosted a follow-up
meeting on campus to draft a comprehensive plan -- though admittedly we
will adjust and adapt our approach as needed. Now, with a guiding
vision and resources at our disposal, we are ready to undertake this
extremely important task in the post-Sept. 11th era.
Neal K. Van Alfen
Dean
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
nkvanalfen@ucdavis.edu
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The Ann Noble Interview
Ann
Noble, professor in the viticulture and enology department, discussed
her research and career in a Sacramento Bee interview. Noble is
preparing for retirement after 28 years of service to UC Davis. Her
primary research has focused on sensory enlightenment, the process by
which winemakers and wine enthusiasts learn to objectively identify and
interpret the dozens of aromas wine is capable of casting from a glass.
She also developed the Wine Aroma Wheel to help people describe and
better understand wine.
“The more you can get people to not be afraid of drinking wine, the
more you help the wine industry. One of the things you've got to
recognize is that a wine expert isn't God. You've got to convince
consumers that they (consumers) are right,” Noble said.
Read moreonline
Ann Noble
Professor
Department of Viticulture and Enology
acnoble@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-0387
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Eric Mussen on Bees and Dry Weather
Eric
Mussen, extension specialist in the entomology department, was quoted
by the Associated Press on how drought conditions affect honeybees.
With rainfall in some areas of the San Joaquin Valley and Southern
California down as much as 70 percent, the wildflowers have dried up,
denying bees a primary food source. The few remaining plants have
produced little nectar, said Mussen. "The plants just can't suck enough
juice out of the ground."
More informationhere
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Barbara Schneeman Scales the Food Pyramid
Barbara
Schneeman, professor in the nutrition department, commented in the
Sacramento Bee on her research into the usefulness of the food pyramid.
She has worked with the USDA over the past 12 years to review and
revise the nation's dietary guidelines. While the guidelines have been
updated, the pyramid has remained largely untouched. Schneeman suggests
that federal authorities need to ask whether the number and size of
servings in the pyramid are still pertinent, whether the foods shown on
the triangle are the most relevant to Americans today and whether the
structure's symbols are effectively guiding people toward smart choices.
Read thefull article
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Richard Harris Receives Arboriculture Honor
The
International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) recently honored Richard
Harris, professor emeritus in the environmental horticulture
department. The organization voted to rename an award the Richard W.
Harris Authors Citation based on the researcher’s significant
contributions to the growth of the arborist’s profession, especially in
the area of publications. ISA distributes this award to authors of
outstanding arboriculture publications. The society has served the tree
care industry for over 70 years as a scientific and educational
organization.
International Society of Arboriculture website
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Marion Miller to Chair State Committee
Governor
Gray Davis appointed Marion Miller, chair of the environmental
toxicology department, to chair the state Developmental and
Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee. Since 1994 Miller has
served on the committee, which acts as the state’s qualified scientific
expert on chemicals causing reproductive toxicity. The courses she
teaches cover the biological effects of toxicants, career options in
environmental toxicology, reproductive toxicology, and principles of
pharmacology and toxicology.
Marion G. Miller
Department of Environmental Toxicology
mgmiller@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-4526
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Sudden Oak Update
Two
of California's most highly prized trees -- coast redwood and Douglas
fir -- are susceptible to Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen that
causes Sudden Oak Death, UC researchers have confirmed. Over the past
seven years, Sudden Oak Death, a highly contagious fungus-like disease,
has killed tens of thousands of oaks and tanoaks along the northern
coast of the state.
Researchers from UC Berkeley and UC Davis have isolated living cultures
of P. ramorum from the branches and needles of coast redwood and
Douglas fir saplings that had shown symptoms of infection. The
researchers first announced the discovery of P. ramorum DNA in the
trees earlier this year, but couldn't confirm that the pathogen was
causing infection until living cultures were successfully grown from
the field samples.
It is not yet clear how seriously the disease will impact California's
coast redwood and Douglas fir trees, which are ecologically and
economically vital to the state, particularly to the timber, nursery,
landscape and construction industries.
Read moreonline
David Rizzo
Associate Professor
Department of Plant Pathology
dmrizzo@ucdavis.edu
(530) 754-9255
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Stargazing and Andean Agriculture
For
at least the past four centuries, indigenous potato farmers of the
Peruvian and Bolivian Andes have gathered in midwinter to gaze up into
the night sky and observe the Pleiades. If this star cluster appears
big and bright to them, they think that they will have plentiful rains
and big harvests the next summer; if the cluster appears small and dim,
they anticipate less abundance. Their belief is so strong that they
time the planting of their crops accordingly. One might imagine this as
nothing more than an odd superstition, but the scheme actually works,
according to research by Benjamin Orlove, a professor in the Department
of Environmental Science and Policy.
Orlove and his colleagues discovered that the apparent size and
brightness of the Pleiades varies with the amount of thin, high cloud
at the top of the troposphere, which in turn reflects the severity of
El Niño conditions over the Pacific. Because rainfall in this region is
generally sparse in El Niño years, this method provides a forecast that
is as good or better than any long-term prediction based on computer
modeling of the ocean and atmosphere.
Read more
Benjamin Orlove
Professor
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
bsorlove@ucdavis.edu
(530) 754-6114
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For the Halibut
A
UC Davis aquaculture project to farm California halibut may help this
fast-growing segment of the global food economy. Raul Piedrahita,
professor in the biological and agricultural engineering department, is
designing state-of-the-art aquaculture systems for halibut. The keys
are improved diets and recirculating seawater systems. With halibut
reared on the UC Davis campus, Piedrahita is studying their responses
to such variables as temperature, salinity, water velocity, oxygen
consumption and ammonia production. His goal is to develop a prototype
halibut aquaculture system. The development of halibut aquaculture
would create new opportunities for the aquacultrue industry and for
restocking and research programs in California and throughout the West
Coast. The research findings will be useful for the design of systems
for other ocean species.
Raul Piedrahita
Professor
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
rhpiedrahita@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-2780
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Dedicating the Plant and Environmental Sciences Building
The
campus community is invited to the formal dedication and opening of the
new Plant and Environmental Sciences (PES) Building at 11 a.m. on Sept.
23. Building tours will follow from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The PES
Building is located at the corner of North Quad and California avenues.
Six different research stations outside will demonstrate the type of
science that takes place in the building. Designated labs within the
building will be open to visitors.
The concept of the PES building emerged from extensive discussions
within CA&ES in early 1997. The building supports interdisciplinary
studies and will house some of the faculty, students and staff from the
Departments of Agronomy and Range Science; Land, Air and Water
Resources; Environmental Science and Policy; and Environmental
Horticulture. It is the first academic building completed for the
college within the last decade.
Susan Kancir
Executive Assistant
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
sgkancir@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-5597
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Preserving the Ralph Moore Rose Collection
The
Department of Environmental Horticulture has embarked on a project to
preserve Ralph Moore’s extensive rose variety collection. Moore has
been a pioneer in the rose breeding business for more than 60 years and
has introduced at least 300 varieties of miniatures and other roses.
Most of the miniature roses sold today are descended from Moore’s
hybrids. To preserve this legacy, the department is compiling a
database specifying the qualities and ancestry of selected rose
varieties and creating a historical record of Moore’s hybridization
techniques. The department is also exploring the possibility of
establishing a faculty position as a resource for breeders to work on
ornamentals, which would involve the Moore collection.
Environmental Horticulture Department website
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Crop Production and Marketing Course
UC
Davis Extension offers a wide variety of professional education courses
designed for growers, processors, food distributors and retailers. A
new course, “Identity Preservation Practices for Value-enhanced Crops,”
will focus on identity preservation in crop production and the
marketing of those products. The course takes place at the Heidrick
Agricultural History Center in Woodland on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Read moreon the web
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Western Region Teaching Symposium
On
Sept. 13-14, UC Davis will host the Western Region Teaching Symposium.
CA&ES is co-sponsoring the event in conjunction with CSU-Chico,
CSU-Fresno and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. Educators are encouraged to
attend the annual event, which is held in a different Western state
each year. Historically, attendees have been faculty/extension
specialists and administrators from state universities and land-grant
colleges in Western states and the Pacific Islands. It is an
opportunity to meet and converse with teachers, administrators and
extension specialists about teaching.
Registration and program information is availableonline
Annie King
Associate Dean
Undergraduate Academic Programs
ajking@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-7150
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Exotic Pests Workshop
The
Exotic Pests and Diseases Research Program will hold its first annual
research workshop on Oct. 10 at UC Davis. This workshop provides an
opportunity to review current research funded by the research program
and the chance to interact with the investigators and listen to
presentations. The workshop will take place in the AGR Room at the
Buehler Alumni Center.
Deadline: Sept. 27
Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program site
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Southern California Groundwater Tour
The
Water Education Foundation will hold a tour of groundwater basin
management issues in southern California. The tour begins and ends at
Ontario International Airport and travels to Orange County, Los
Angeles, the Oxnard plain, and East Kern and San Bernardino Counties.
Visit Chino Basin dairy farms; the Santa Ana River recharge facility;
Whittier Narrows Superfund Site; Ventura wells; the Mojave River Basin;
and coastal salinity intrusion recharge sites.
See the tour itineraryonline
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Biopesticide Research Program
The
IR-4 Biopesticide Research Program invites grant proposals for funding
in 2003. The IR-4 Project is a federally funded agricultural program
aimed at assisting specialty or minor crop producers by facilitating
the availability of safe and effective pest control products. All
proposals must have a primary focus on biopesticides.
Program information is availableonline
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Reduced-risk Pest Grants
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation is offering financial support for Pest Management Alliance grant projects.
To apply, download theRFP package
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