IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED OCTOBER 31, 2003:

1. WEB SITE TRACKS SPREAD OF MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUSES IN ARIZONA
2. HONORING FORMER DIRECTOR OF WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH CENTER
3. DEVELOPING NEW CROPS FOR ARID LANDS
4. ARIZONANS TO ATTEND NATIONAL 4-H CONGRESS
5. REVEGETATING THE DESERT
6. COCHINEAL SCALE INSECTS ON CACTUS
7. HELPING YOUTH ACHIEVE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
8. GENETIC CODES OF RICE AND MAIZE UNLOCKED
9. GREENHOUSE CROP PRODUCTION SHORT COURSE
10. UPCOMING HORSE EVENTS
11. HOMECOMING EVENTS

Need to know what to do regarding West Nile Virus in Arizona? Updates on the virus are available through a new Web site. Mosquito-borne viruses currently being monitored in Arizona are the West Nile Virus (WNV), St Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLE) and Western Equine Encephalitis Virus (WEE). The site is maintained by the state of Arizona Public Health Services.

According to the Office of Infectious Diseases, encephalitis viruses such as WNV, SLE, and WEE are spread by infected mosquitoes that usually feed on birds, but occasionally bite people or horses, which may become infected. It is important to note that mosquito-borne encephalitis is not spread by person-to-person contact, nor by animal-to-human contact. People handling sick or dead birds should wear rubber gloves as a precaution.

Peder Cuneo, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
To learn more: http://www.hs.state.az.us/phs/oids/vector/wnv_update.htm


2 HONORING FORMER DIRECTOR OF WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH CENTER

The Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona will host a
special dedication ceremony and reception naming its main meeting area in honor
of former director Sol Resnick.

Resnick began teaching at the UA in 1959. He is an authority on arid and semi-
arid hydrology and has worked on water and irrigation projects all over the
world through the UA, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and
the World Bank.

The dedication and reception will be held Tuesday, Nov. 18, from 4:30 - 6 p.m.,
at the Water Resources Research Center, 350 N. Campbell Avenue, at Seventh
Street in Tucson.

Contact: Terry Sprouse, Water Resources Research Center
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/6.5.html

3 DEVELOPING NEW CROPS FOR ARID LANDS

Approximately 70 percent of the earth is under water, with land that supports plants, human beings and animals comprising the remaining 30 percent. Yet a third of that land mass is not suitable for traditional irrigated crops.
There is an increasing need worldwide for the development of crops that suit a dry, desert environment and provide an economic base in arid regions.

The Southwest Center for Natural Products Research and Commercialization at the University of Arizona is dedicated to researching not only the plants that will thrive in a dry climate but also the necessary changes in agricultural strategies that accompany the adoption of new crops. Research includes plant collection, assessment and improvement, quantitative agronomic studies, product economic analysis and development and demonstration of speciality crops.

Dr. Steven McLaughlin, Office of Arid Lands Studies
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/OALS/oals/npc/newcrops.html

4 ARIZONANS TO ATTEND NATIONAL 4-H CONGRESS

They pledge their heads, hearts, hands and health...Eight Arizona 4-H Youth Development youth delegates will attend the 2003 National 4-H Congress in Atlanta November 28-December 2. The theme for the 2003 4-H Congress is "Growing into the Future." The program offers a variety of educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities focusing on leadership, youth empowerment, and investigation of diverse cultural experiences.

For 79 years, delegates from the United States and its territories have participated in the Congress, which provides youth, ages 14-19, a quality educational and cross-cultural experience designed to address the needs and issues of youth while helping to develop capable, competent, and caring citizens.

Contact: Lisa Lauxman, Arizona Cooperative Extension

To learn more: http://www.national4-hcongress.com/

5 REVEGETATING THE DESERT

Desert areas are routinely cleared for agricultural operations in Arizona. Sometimes the farmers move on, leaving nature to reclaim the area after cropping has ceased. This creates an opportunity for erosion and invasive plants to take hold.

Researchers with the Desert Ecosystem Maintenance and Restoration Program are investigating best practices to reclaim desert areas. They are in the third year of a project near Gila Bend in central Arizona, using native desert plant species.

Contact: Ed Glenn, Environmental Research Laboratory
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/SWES/bulletin/newsletter.pdf

6 COCHINEAL SCALE INSECTS ON CACTUS

Centuries ago a highly-prized crimson dye for royal robes was produced by a tiny insect. Today cochineal scale is still thriving on desert cactus in Arizona neighborhood gardens. It shows up as a white, sticky mass on pad cactus, such as prickly pear.

When wiping it or hosing it off with a sharp stream of water, you may notice a brilliant deep red color. That is the carminic acid from the female insect. Cochineal is used for fabric dye, as a food coloring and as a pigment in lipstick.

The insect does not do significant damage to cactus, but because it is messy looking, hosing off may be the best control.

Rob Call, Cochise County Cooperative Extension
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/cochise/mg/pdf/Sep03.pdf

7 HELPING YOUTH ACHIEVE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Young people stepping from the safe haven of their homes and families into the world of dating and interacting with their peers face increased challenges when violence erupts. Intimate relationships are based on trust; date rape is a betrayal of that trust.

University of Arizona faculty, working with Cooperative Extension faculty and community members in three Arizona communities, have put together an education program to help youth reduce the risk of sexual violence. The programs are being implemented among racial and ethnic minority youth in communities that have expressed an interest in participating.

Sherry Betts, School of Family and Consumer Sciences
To learn more: http://msg.calsnet.arizona.edu/fcs/azyfc/promotingHealthyRelationships/overview.html

8 GENETIC CODES OF RICE AND MAIZE UNLOCKED

There are 13 known species of rice in the world. Over millions of years this
plant has adapted to many diverse growing conditions throughout the world.

Decoding the genetics of rice will allow researchers to track the disease
resistance and drought control functions of the plant. Not only will this help
improve the crop that feeds half the world, but the results of this research
will also speed the improvement of other cereal crops that can be grown using
fewer chemicals and less water.

The research is being conducted by scientists at the University of Arizona and
several collaborating institutions. In another project, the gene expressions of
maize, the most economically important crop in the United States, is under
study to gather baseline data and develop DNA microarray chips for selecting
beneficial genetic traits.

Rod Wing, Department of Plant Sciences
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/5.14.html

9 GREENHOUSE CROP PRODUCTION SHORT COURSE

Growing crops in a controlled, enclosed environment can extend the growing
season in the desert. A proper understanding of instrumentation and the effects
of an altered growing conditions on plants is essential to success.

A greenhouse crop production and engineering design short course, offered in
Tucson by the University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center,
will be held from January 18-21, 2004.

The short course will cover crop production, engineering, marketing, pest
managment and environmental control systems.

Mark Kroggel, Department of Plant Sciences, for registration information, costs
and student discounts.
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/ceac/extension/cpesJan04.htm

10 UPCOMING HORSE EVENTS

The CALS Equine unit is offering a series of workshops for horse owners:

November 1 - Second Annual UA Horse Conference, Campus Agricultural Center, Tucson. Includes several presentations on equine health care and management, training methods, equine trade show and lunch. Registration deadline is October 27.

November 2 - UA Ranch Horse Clinic, Campus Agricultural Center, Tucson. Includes discussion on the development of increased horse control and developing better cattle handling skills.

November 10, 17, and 24 - Nutritional Management: An Educational Series for Horse Owners, Sonoita. A series of three weekly, 2-½-hour sessions. A Tucson program is scheduled for January 26, February 2 and 9, 2004, and a third program is scheduled for Prescott on March 15, 22 and 29, 2004.

Mark Arns, Department of Animal Sciences

To learn more: http://animal.cals.arizona.edu/equine/workshops/index.php

11 HOMECOMING EVENTS

Homecoming, 2003
CALS events planned for UA Homecoming, November 7-8.

Friday, November 7:
Annual Touchstone Energy AgCat Open Homecoming Golf Tournament, at the Dell
Urich Golf Course at Reid Park in Tucson, breakfast at 6:45 a.m. tee off at
7:30 a.m. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences (CALS) student endowment. Player registration is $75 per
player and includes breakfast and lunch. Contact Amanda at 621-7190.

School of Renewable Natural Resources (SRNR) Alumni Get Together, at the
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, 5:00 p.m.

Bear Down Bash in the Student Union Memorial Center-Grand Ballroom, 5:30 p.m.
Bonfire/Pep Rally on the west UA mall, fountain side of Old Main, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday November 8:
13th annual Dean's Almost-World-Famous Burrito Breakfast & Auction, on campus
at the Student Union Memorial Center-South, 8:00 a.m.

School of Renewable Natural Resources (SRNR) Open House, Biosciences East, 9:00
a.m.

Aggie House Alumni Board Meeting, 819 N. Euclid, 9:00 a.m., lunch at 11:00 a.m.

Family and Consumer Sciences Reception, FCS patio, 11:00, and luncheon, FCS 101

Arizona vs. Washington football game, Arizona Stadium, 4:00 p.m.
To learn more: http://www.uagrad.org/Homecoming/hc_03.htm

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