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Giving Tuesday donations exceed UC ANR expectations
On Giving Tuesday 2019, donors gave $130,311 over 24 hours for UC Cooperative Extension, statewide programs and research and extension centers that make up the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources network.
The donations will help UC Agriculture and Natural Resources extend the power of UC research in agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, and youth development to more Californians in their own communities to improve their lives.
“The generosity of our donors will help us keep 4-H leadership-building activities affordable for California kids, and fund research into living with wildfire, farming in a changing climate, healthier foods, pest control for home and environment, and many other issues that concern Californians,” said Glenda Humiston, UC vice president for agriculture and natural resources.
“UC ANR researchers and educators are working in every county to bring practical, science-based answers to residents wherever they live in the state.”
Thanks to generous donors, volunteers, staff and board members who gave a total of $40,000 in matching funds, there was an incentive for donors across the state who wanted to double the impact of their gifts.
“We set a goal of collecting a total of $125,000 for 4-H and UC ANR from more than 500 donors on Giving Tuesday,” said Emily Delk, UC ANR director of annual giving and donor stewardship. In all, UC ANR received 580 donations on Giving Tuesday.
Donations are still being accepted to boost UC ANR programs and research for a healthier California. To give, visit http://donate.ucanr.edu.
To learn more about how UC ANR is helping your community, visit https://ucanr.edu/About/Locations and follow @ucanr on social media.
A Bug That's Not Wanted in the Vineyards
Back in July of 2016, a team of researchers affiliated with the University of California, Davis,...
The three-cornered alfalfa leaf hopper, Spissistilus festinus, transmits the grapevine red blotch virus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A three-cornered alfalfa leaf hopper, Spissistilus festinus, on a grape leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The leaf on the right has grapevine red blotch virus. (Photo by Raul Girardelo, UC Davis)
Did that Spray Work?
First of all, did it go where it was supposed to go?
I have been at several grower meetings lately where there has been talk of pesticide sprays and the value of coverage. If it's not where you want it, its not going to do it's job and might do some other job you don't want. Some sprays need to be spot on to do their job. “Contact sprays” like pyrethrums, oils and soaps need to contact the pest to knock out the pest. Even translaminar materials, like spinosad and abamectin, need to be in the location of the plant where the pest is feeding for them to work.
So how do you assess coverage? Unless you know where the sprays is going, you don't know whether the spray job worked until after you've wasted time and material to see if the pests are gone. Water sensitive papers placed in the tree can tell you where the spray is going and whether the application is successful. Was the volume right? Was the application speed right? Was too much material applied? Too little? The cards can be used for a quick evaluation of spray distribution, droplet density and canopy penetration.
The water sensitive paper cards are rigid pieces of paper that are yellow in color. They have specially coated surfaces that will stain dark blue when exposed to water-like droplets. The cards are stapled into the before you begin spraying. The upper surface will be stained dark blue when exposed by water. The opposite side of the water sensitive cards is water repellent. They cost about a dollar apiece.
Here are some examples of how to use water sensitive cards:
- Aerial Application for detecting coverage and canopy penetration. Cards can be stapled to the leaves at different heights and depths in the tree.
- Orchard Sprayers for evaluating spray distribution and spray penetration throughout the tree. Cards can be stapled to leaves in the upper, center, and lower portions of the tree.
- Backpack / Handheld Sprayers for evaluating spray distribution and droplet density for herbicide applications. Cards can be placed across one run width to determine spray volume and speed.
You can visually inspect the spray cards by counting the droplets by eye, or if needed, using a hand lens or some of the smart phone apps. Quickly glancing at the card, you can determine areas of over-application or under-application, dripping nozzles, or clogged/defective nozzles. It's easy to see whether the aerial spray was effective.
Photo: Spray patterns with different nozzle sizes and different spray volumes
Tom Wolf, https://sprayers101.com/wsp-coverage/
Rachel Vannette: Two National Science Foundation Grants
Congratulations to community ecologist Rachel Vannette of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and...
A digger bee, Anthophoroa bomboides, at Bodega Hay, Sonoma County. This is a solitary ground nesting bee, one of the species that collaborators Rachel Vannette, Bryan Danforth, Shawn Steffan, and Quinn McFrederick will study in their grant, "The Brood Cell Microbiome of Solitary Bees: Origin, Diversity, Function, and Vulnerability.” (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The research of UC Davis community ecologist Rachel Vannette involves microscopic organisms in the nectar of California fuchsia, Epilobium canum. She uses nylon bags to prevent pollinator contact. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Microbial stains (fungi and bacteria) isolated from floral nectar. (Photo by Rachel Vannette)
Why Drones Are Important in Sustainable Agriculture in the 21st Century
Drones... If you're thinking of apiculture, you might be thinking of drones (male bees). But if...
Lead author and entomologist Fernando Iost Filho of the Department of Entomology and Acarology, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is a former UC Davis exchange student.
A drone over a Santa Monica strawberry field. Drones can target pest outbreaks or hot spots in field crops and orchards, the scientists pointed out. (Photo by Elvira de Lange)
