As water becomes scarcer and more expensive in California, growers of water-intensive rice are looking for ways to cut back on the precious resource. By not tilling their land and by using drill-seeders, growers can save water and money, researchers at UC Davis are showing.
When interviewed to become a University of California Cooperative Extension specialist in environmental horticulture, Lorence “Loren” Oki was asked what kind of research he wanted to conduct. In response, he showed the hiring committee a photo of a residential gutter. “Water is a big concern, and I found very little research on runoff from homes,” said Oki. Studying residential runoff is what “started his career” with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources back in 2002.
Good news: Roses can be a part of your water-efficient landscape. Lorence Oki, UC Cooperative Extension environmental horticulture specialist in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, identified rose cultivars that remain aesthetically pleasing with little water.
Amelie Gaudin and Jeffrey Mitchell, faculty with the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, are part of a team honored for showing growers how wintertime cover crops can improve the soil while having little or no impact on groundwater use.
The team’s research was part of the University of California’s efforts to help growers thrive while complying with state groundwater regulations. Their work was honored with a Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Team by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Plants greatly influence our climate. In Northern Africa around 6,000 years ago, variations in weather patterns led to decreased water availability for vast savannas, which, in turn, led to less water restored to the atmosphere through plant transpiration. Due to this negative cycle, what was once a verdant landscape became the Sahara Desert, the largest hot desert on the planet.
