California ranchers benefit when they plan ahead for extreme weather variability, according to rancher surveys and interviews conducted by a team headed by Leslie Roche, a professor of Cooperative Extension in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences.
Mohsen Mesgaran, at the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, and team are developing a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence to help growers, backyard gardeners, landowners and others identify and treat weeds. The state Department of Food and Agriculture is funding the project with a grant of nearly $430,000. The development is expected to take two years.
Steam treatment of soil offers growers a viable alternative to chemicals and a money-saver for organic farmers. It also benefits farm laborers by reducing their exposure to potential harm, said graduate student Erika Escalona. She is assessing the impacts on weeds, soil-borne disease and the soil biome of steam treatments used to disinfest lettuce and spinach fields in the Salinas Valley.
Leslie Roche has received the Outstanding New Academic Award from University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources. Roche is an associate professor of Cooperative Extension, based in the Department of Plant Sciences. Her research looks at the agricultural, environmental and social aspects of ranching and livestock production.
The Soil Science Society of America has recognized Bruce Linquist’s leadership and research excellence, naming him a fellow of the society. Linquist was among 11 people honored for 2024. He’s a professor of Cooperative Extension in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, with collaborative research projects in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Four students connected to the UC Davis Department of Plant Science have received grants from the Milton D. and Mary M. Miller Plant Science Award, which supports learners interested in careers with Cooperative Extension. The 2024 awardees are Maya Shydlowski, Erika Escalona, Sam Dudley and Ben Baldi. All four students said they are eager to share what they are learning with people in the field who need solutions for everyday problems.
Advances in breeding and postharvest handling in strawberries and tomatoes, aimed at reducing the costs of disease in the field and in postharvest, were on display at the recent Strawberry Disease Field Day, hosted by the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program.
Weeds abound: On farmland, pastures, rangelands, in natural areas, in our yards and along our sidewalks. Managing those pesky plants costs plenty: California farmers alone spend more than $900 million annually on weed control, according to a University of California study.
A grower applies an herbicide to his tomato plants, or thinks a neighbor’s treatment is drifting over her almond trees. A short time later, the leaves start to bleach or shrivel. Was it the herbicide? Or maybe water stress? Soil nutrients? Perhaps an insect?
Figuring out the causes of crop problems takes detective work, and like solving any mystery, it starts with knowing the signs, gathering evidence and asking questions.
In the 1990s, long before "regenerative agriculture" was a buzzword and "soil health" became a cause célèbre, a young graduate student named Jeff Mitchell first learned about similar concepts during an agronomy meeting in the Deep South.
