IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED MAR 19, 2004:

1. COPING WITH POLLEN AND ALLERGIES
2. PLANT PATHOLOGY LAB DIAGNOSES SAMPLES OF DISEASED PLANTS
3. ALEPPO PINE BLIGHT - CORRECTION
4. UNIVERSITY VP RECOGNIZES ARIZONA VETERINARY DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY
5. EXOTIC NEWCASTLE DISEASE
6. YOUTH GARDENING CONFERENCE
7. REMEDIATING SOIL AND GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION
8. COTTON ECONOMICS NOTES
9. DELAYING PINK BOLLWORM RESISTANCE
10. AGRICULTURAL MARKETING GUIDE AVAILABLE
11. WATER WISE WORKSHOP IN COCHISE COUNTY
12. FRUIT TREE BUDDING WORKSHOP
13. SMALL GRAIN VARIETIES FOR ARIZONA
    

1 COPING WITH POLLEN AND ALLERGIES

The onset of warm weather and the recent rains mean a profusion of blooms throughout the desert. Unfortunately, many of the state's urban landscapes include plants that can cause itchy, watery eyes, sniffling and other respiratory problems. The culprit, of course, is pollen.

What can be done about pollen? When feasible, horticulturists recommend soaking down the vegetation in your yard to prevent the pollen from remaining airborne. Eliminate weeds. Replace heating and air conditioning filters often, because these devices can cut down the pollen in the indoor environment. Wear a dust mask during peak pollen production periods. Wear sunglasses or prescription glasses to protect eyes. Stay inside on windy days.

Jeff Schalau, Yavapai County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/pollenandallergies.html

2 PLANT PATHOLOGY LAB DIAGNOSES SAMPLES OF DISEASED PLANTS

Extension Plant Pathology at The University of Arizona is a program for the diagnosis and management of plant diseases in the irrigated agriculture and landscapes of the arid Southwest, and of native plants in the Sonoran Desert region. The plant pathology lab at the University of Arizona processes plant samples to determine the cause of death. To submit a plant sample for
disesase diagnosis, follow these guidelines:1. Select a plant sample that shows distinct symptoms. If there are varying degrees of damage, include samples that show these stages of the problem. Include a healthy plant or parts of one if possible. Do not send dead, dried
samples -- they can rarely be used for diagnosis.

2. Send as much of the plant as possible. Depending on the problem, roots and shoots may both be necessary. Often foliar symptoms are the result of a root problem.

3. For roots: dig plants, do not pull them up. Include as much of the root as you can dig out, and leave adhering soil on the roots.

4. For branches, shoots and leaves: make sure several leaves or twigs are included that have symptoms. Cut the symptomatic sections of limbs or branches.

5. Keep all samples refrigerated until ready to send.

Other procedures for packaging and guidelines for special situations are listed at the web site below.

Mary Olsen, Division of Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Sciences

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/PLP/plpext/sample/sample.html

3 ALEPPO PINE BLIGHT - CORRECTION

Item number five in the February issue of NewsLine announcing an Arizona Forestry Council workshop incorrectly stated that Aleppo pine blight (APB) is a fungus disease. Aleppo Pine Blight has never been shown to be a fungal disease, but currently is suspected to be caused by mites.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/PLP/plpext/diseases/trees/pine/pineblight.html

4 UNIVERSITY VP RECOGNIZES ARIZONA VETERINARY DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY

A rancher finds a dead cow on his open range and wants to know what happened. A bobcat attacks a person for no apparent reason. Witnesses see a bird suddenly drop dead in mid-flight. A local veterinarian must euthanize a dog, but the cause of the animal's illness remains a mystery.

The Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (AzVDL) is where these mysteries are often solved. Faculty and staff at this facility, located in Tucson, diagnose the causes of death in animals that are brought to them. Dealing with unknowns is a basic reality of managing a diagnostic facility such as the AzVDL. Until conclusive diagnosis is made, the cause of death is not known, and therefore a zoonotic (animal diseases that can infect humans) cannot be ruled out. The risks to the employees themselves are managed through a combination of engineering controls, workplace procedures appropriate immunizations for staff and good professional knowledge and judgment.

Richard Powell, UA vice president for research, graduate studies and economic development, focused his Walkabout for Biosafety Excellence on this unique facility last month. Because of the reality of not knowing what types of biological hazards might be associated with their work, management and employees must take special measures to limit their risk of occupationally-
related disease. In addition, the role of the AzVDL in terms of national security issues has expanded since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/13.2.html

5 EXOTIC NEWCASTLE DISEASE

Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) was found last year in western Arizona, following an outbreak in California and Nevada.

The onset of END is rapid, with clinical signs appearing an average of five days after exposure. END is most severe in chickens, peafowl, guineas, pheasant, quail, cockatiels, cockatoos and pigeons. Turkeys, Amazon parrots and conures develop a milder form of the disease. Macaws, lories, African gray parrots, finches and canaries are relatively resistant to clinical
disease and may act as carriers.Birds are directly infected by breathing air or by ingesting food and water contaminated with the virus. Once introduced END is spread from farm to farm
by boots, feed sacks, egg trays, flies, mice or people. Humans can be infected with END, but the disease is usually limited to a mild inflammation of the eye (pink eye). People infected with END should not have contact with any poultry or avian species.

There have been no reports of humans becoming infected with END by consuming poultry products.

S. Peder Cuneo, Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

To learn more:
http://microvet.arizona.edu/AzVDL/infoAlerts/Newcastle-general.html

6 YOUTH GARDENING CONFERENCE

Gardening with children can be a rewarding experience, but planning is essential for a program to succeed. Networking with others involved in youth gardening can yield ideas on how to gain school administrator support, keeping children interested, and linking the gardening program to
standards-based curriculum.The 7th annual Southwest youth gardening conference will be held April 3, 2004 at Lowell Elementary School in 1121 S. 3rd Avenue in Phoenix. The program is geared to educators, school administrators, youth development specialists, home schoolers and parents, youth and community leaders, and agencies and organizations that support youth gardening.

Hands-on workshops and tours will be offered in addition to lectures on plants, garden assessment, horticultural therapy and other topics.

Lucy Bradley, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/youthgardens/program.html

7 REMEDIATING SOIL AND GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

Chemical compounds that contaminate soil may also pollute groundwater, causing health and environmental problems. Years after a hazardous substance has been taken off the market, it may persist in soil at the primary zone of contamination and also in plumes that spread out, making it difficult to clean up or remediate.

Organic soil contaminants such as trichloroethylene or TCE (once used to clean aerospace electrical components) persist because they get caught in pores between sediment grains in the soil. UA research has led to methods for cleaning up various Superfund sites, including one at Tucson International Airport (TIA).

Mark Brusseau, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2003/article2_2003.html

8 COTTON ECONOMICS NOTES

In February 2002 the Adjust World Price (AWP) for cotton was less than 30 cents a pound. An increase to 60 cents a pound was noted recently.The latest issue of Cotton Economics Notes, offered through the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, describes recent price movements, historical insurance returns for Arizona cotton, and how price movements for this year will impact the producer's "net cash" price received after accounting for government payments and potential Crop Revenue Coverage (CRC) insurance claims.

Russ Tronstad, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/arec/pubs/cotton-news/vol11-1.pdf

9 DELAYING PINK BOLLWORM RESISTANCE

Pink bollworm plagued Arizona cotton crops until 1996 when Bt cotton was introduced. Containing a natural insecticide from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, the transgenic crop preserves yields and protects farmworkers and the environment by reducing insecticide applications.This success will continue only as long as pink bollworm does not evolve resistance to Bt cotton, as it has previously to conventional insecticides. Many people expected rapid pest resistance to Bt crops because the diamondback moth evolved field resistance to sprays of Bt and many pests evolved Bt resistance in the lab.

In the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, researchers are studying the interaction between Bt cotton and insects. Their research is determining the effectiveness of Bt cotton, characterizing the genetic basis for pink bollworm's potential resistance, investigating factors that affect resistance evolution, and assessing the impact of Bt cotton on non-target
organisms.

Bruce Tabashnik, Department of Entomology

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2003/article12_2003.html

10 AGRICULTURAL MARKETING GUIDE AVAILABLE

The Western Extension Marketing Committee and University of Arizona Cooperative Extension recently published a book, "Western Profiles of Innovative Agricultural Marketing: Examples from Direct Farm Marketing and Agri-Tourism Enterprises."

The book is a collaborative effort with authors from seven western states. Using a case study approach, farmers learn concepts that can be applied to stabilize and enhance their businesses, as well as strategies to meet future challenges and risks. The publication identifies the sometimes subtle and unique factors behind the failures and successes of seventeen enterprises
located in western urban and rural settings.

Enterprises include a Nevada farm using e-commerce to sell hay to pet owners, a Hawaiian farm marketing processed Kona coffee to Japanese customers through agri-tourism, and Colorado ranchers working as a cooperative to develop a market for "natural" beef.

Six thousand copies of Western Profiles of Innovative Agricultural Marketing will be distributed throughout the West. Contents of the 122-page color publication are available as free downloads. Printed copies may be purchased online for $10.00.

Russ Tronstad, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/arec/wemc/westernprofiles.html

11 WATER WISE WORKSHOP IN COCHISE COUNTY

The Basics of Drip Irrigation, a Water Wise workshop, will be held April 3, at 9:00 a.m. at the University of Arizona's Sierra Vista campus.Grounds Supervisor Penny Artio will be teaching this free workshop at 1140 N. Colombo in Sierra Vista.

Because water use has begun to exceed water recharge in some areas of Cochise County, generating concern about depleting water resources, Water Wise programs are offered to the public. Other programs include water audits, school programs and building and landscaping tips.

Cado Daily, Cochise County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/cochise/waterwise

12 FRUIT TREE BUDDING WORKSHOP

Homeowners and commercial growers can learn to bud-graft fruit trees during a fruit tree budding workshop at the Yuma Mesa Agricultural Center. The Yuma County Cooperative Extension office is hosting the hands-on session on Monday, April 5 at 10:00 a.m. The Yuma Mesa Agricultural Center is located at the corner of County 15th and Avenue A in Yuma.

There is a $10.00 registration fee. Each participant is to bring a small sharp knife suitable for working with the budding materials.

Barry Bequette, Yuma County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/aes/yac/yumamesa.htm

13 SMALL GRAIN VARIETIES FOR ARIZONA

Many varieties of durum, barley and wheat can be grown successfully in Arizona. They include late-maturing, short season and high yielding types.

Growers throughout the state often obtain crop information from seed manufacturers. Researchers at the University of Arizona conduct variety trials on small grains at different locations across the state to provide objective information to local producers.

Mike Ottman, Plant Sciences

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1265.pdf

Let your colleagues know about CALS NewsLines. They (and you) can sign up to receive this free monthly electronic newsletter by visiting http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/newsline/ To remove your email address from the subscription list, send an email to: endnews@ag.arizona.edu The subject line should be: "drop from newsline". No text message is necessary.