IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED MARCH 30, 2005:

1. SPRING GARDENING: WEED CONTROL
2. GERM CITY EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT
3. BOOJUM TREE REMOVED FROM UA CAMPUS
4. NEMATODE RESEARCH AT THE UA
5. FORGOTTEN AZTEC SUPERFOOD RE-EMERGES
6. SPRING HERB GARDENING WORKSHOP IN MARICOPA COUNTY
7. PORTION CONTROL, FOOD OPTIONS AND WEIGHT LOSS
8. 2005 INDIAN LIVESTOCK FIELD DAYS
9. ENDOWMENTS SUPPORT 4-H SCHOLARSHIPS
10. NEW ASSISTANT DEAN FOR CALS
11. RESOLVING ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS CONFERENCE
12. IN MEMORIAM: BART CARDON
13. DESERT LEGUME PROGRAM (DELEP)
14. POLLEN INCREASE BRINGS MISERY

1 SPRING GARDENING: WEED CONTROL

The abundance of rain this winter has led to an outstanding show of wildflowers in the desert. Along with the wildflowers has come an extraordinary growth of weeds. Weeds can be removed by hand, mowing or chemical control.

In an effort to decrease the threat of wildfire this summer, some municipalities are stepping up code enforcement efforts by citing property owners for overgrown vegetation. For specific information in your area contact your local county cooperative extension office horticulture program.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/urbanipm/weeds/weeds.html

2 GERM CITY EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT

Hand washing is basic to food safety, personal health, and disease prevention. Most people--including children and adults do not wash their hands as often or as well as needed.

Germ City: Clean Hands, Healthy People is an educational project to enhance awareness and improve the effectiveness of hand washing. Current partners include Cooperative Extension faculty and staff in several states: Washington State University, West Virginia University, University of Idaho, Alabama A & M University and University of Arizona. Local collaborators include health professionals, school teachers and staff, local agencies and
community organizations, and community volunteers.

The project goals are:
-Enhance awareness of the importance of hand washing
-Improve effectiveness and frequency of hand washing among children, youth, adults, senior citizens, and at-risk groups rural and urban settings
-Modify attitudes, enhance personal motivation, and facilitate behavior change
-Evaluate effectiveness of the hand washing education program

Germ City provides participants the opportunity to evaluate their own hand washing skills. Participants are asked to rub glo-germ lotion on their hands and then wash them. Next they enter the 8 ft. x 8 ft. "Germ City" tent. Any places that were not adequately washed appear bright orange. Correct hand washing techniques are explained. Germ City provides a perfect activity at health fairs, school family nights, and other community events involving 75 or more people.

Sharon Hoelscher Day, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/fcs/germcity.htm

3 BOOJUM TREE REMOVED FROM UA CAMPUS

The historic boojum (Fouquieria columnaris) in the Krutch Garden at the center of the UA Mall was removed March 15. It was planted sometime in the late 1920s or early 1930s after a UA-sponsored collecting trip to Baja California.

The striking plants are native to the Baja peninsula and Sonora. Normally they live several hundred years, but, like all plants, are subject to freezes, water stresses and disease.

A local nursery owner spotted the diseased base of the boojum on March 3. The softened bark and soft tissue damage around the entire base and central core of the plant was preventing it from taking up water and nutrients. More important, however, is the degree of the damage, which encircles the stem and compromises the structural integrity of the 37-foot plant, made it a risk to people in the area and to other plants in the Krutch Garden.

The demise of the boojum, one of three in the Krutch Garden, offers a chance to clone the shoots of the plant. This effort, which will be rigorously documented, is a rare opportunity to evaluate the methods of regenerating boojums, to try saving the precise genotype of the century-old plant, and, if successful, to re-introduce those rooted cuttings into the Krutch Garden.

Libby Davison, Campus Arboretum

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/5.30.html

4 NEMATODE RESEARCH AT THE UA

Nematodes comprise a worm family so large it literally covers the earth. They range in size from less than a micron in length to as much as 26 feet. Worldwide interest has begun to focus on microscopic nematodes that live with symbiotic bacteria, particularly for their potential in controlling specific insect pests.

Known as entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN), the juvenile stage of these tiny worms travels with bacteria in its intestine that specifically kill certain insect species.

In the soil or in encrypted habitats such as the pockets behind the bark of trees, the juvenile nematode waits for (or sometimes actively seeks) an unsuspecting host - a grub or a larva - to jump on it and penetrate it through the insect's natural openings. Or the nematode may enter the host directly by using a dorsal tooth.

ONce the right nematodes are identified, they can be suspended in gels or dried in powder and sprayed, broadcast or irrigated onto crops. Large numbers of infectious juveniles are released to inundate and kill the pest insects quuickly. This method works best on greenhouse ornamentals and vegetables, citrus, cranberry, turfgrass and other crops, rather than on
high-acreage crops like cotton and soybeans.

Patricia Stock, Department of Plant Sciences.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2004/article5_2004.pdf

5 FORGOTTEN AZTEC SUPERFOOD RE-EMERGES

In their new book,"Chia: Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs," authors Ricardo Ayerza Jr. and Wayne Coates compare fatty acid profiles of chia seeds with other major sources such as fish oil, flaxseed and marine algae.

Chia offers superior omega-3 fatty acid content. It has more protein, lipids, energy, and fiber but fewer carbs than rice, barley, oats, wheat or corn, and its protein is gluten-free. Chia is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc and copper. Chia is low in sodium: salmon has 78 times as much, tuna 237 times as much.

Wayne Coates, Office of Arid Lands Studies

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/16.5.html

6 SPRING HERB GARDENING WORKSHOP IN MARICOPA COUNTY

Part of the Desert Garden Institute, the Spring Herb Gardening class will be offered April 2, 2005 from 9:00 a.m. until noon at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension office, 4341 E. Broadway Road in Phoenix.

Taught by Maricopa County Master Gardeners and Arizona Herb Association members Mike and Carolyn Hills, this class will teach participants how to choose, plant and care for herbs and how best to use them in the landscape. The cost is $20.00 and pre-registration required.

The Maricopa County Cooperative Extension office grounds include an extensive herb garden originally planted nearly 15 years ago as a demonstration of the various designs and uses of herbs for the desert Southwest.

Lucy Bradley, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/graphic/dgibrochure2005.pdf

7 PORTION CONTROL, FOOD OPTIONS AND WEIGHT LOSS

Just because a recipe calls for a specific ingredient doesn't mean you must use that ingredient. Your favorite recipes can be modified to make them more nutritious or lower in fat by reducing or substituting ingredients that are more acceptable.

Nutrition and Healthy Weight, a free class on portion control, food options and weight loss, will be held April 14, 2005 from noon until 1:00 p.m. at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension office, 4341 E. Broadway in Phoenix.

Sharon Hoelscher Day, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/fcs/healthy.html#mod

8 2005 INDIAN LIVESTOCK FIELD DAYS

The Southwest Indian Agricultural Association 2005 Indian Livestock Field Days will be held April 12-13, 2005 at the Ft. McDowell Recreation Center. Registration is $30.00. There is a discounted rate of $10.00 for students.

The event, which is open to the public, includes programs on the National Animal Identification System, foreign animal disease, and invasive weed control. Please click on the link below for more information and the registration form.

Liz Didier, Haulapai Indian Reservation Extension Program

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/nativeamericanprograms/livestock.pdf

9 ENDOWMENTS SUPPORT 4-H SCHOLARSHIPS

Three new endowments in the Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation will increase the number of awards available to Arizona's 4-H members who are continuing their educational experience in college.

In addition to numerous scholarships already being awarded, the Pima County Horse Project endowment and the Everett Grondin Memorial endowment will award a total of four new scholarships this year. The newly established Don Landeen Memorial endowment will award an annual scholarship next year for the first time.

Scholarship endowments are an incredible way to honor an important 4-H leader or memorialize a loved one. Funds given to create a named endowment (normally $10,000 within a three- to five-year period) are invested by the 4-H Foundation and only the interest income is used to award annual scholarships. Over time, scholarship endowments will result in awards
valued at a greater amount than the initial gift establishing the fund.

Joe Leisz, Arizona 4-H Foundation

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/15.9.html

10 NEW ASSISTANT DEAN FOR CALS

Mike Proctor has been appointed assistant dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, along with a faculty appointment as an associate specialist in the college's School of Natural Resources.

He takes leadership in managing CALS external affairs, including public policy and legislative issues, strategic initiatives for the college, and relationships with industry and community contacts in rural and urban Arizona.

Proctor will also be involved in the planning and development of CALS statewide resources and facilities. These efforts will support CALS teaching, research and Cooperative Extension programs.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/1.32.html

11 RESOLVING ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS CONFERENCE

A conference designed to enhance the effectiveness of communication between opposing sides of an environmental conflict is set for May 24-26 in Tucson at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort.

Pathways to Successful Environmental Conflict Resolution is sponsored by the Morris K. Udall Foundation, The University of Arizona's Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy and various federal agencies.

To learn more:
http://www.mediusevents.com/ECR2005

12 IN MEMORIAM: BART CARDON

Bart Cardon, Dean Emeritus of the College of Agriculture, past president and founding member of the 4-H Foundation, and longtime supporter of Arizona's agricultural industry and youth, passed away March 21, 2005.

A private service will be held with the family in the near future, and a public memorial will be held at a later time.

Bart and his wife, Charlotte, established scholarship endowments in both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the 4-H Foundation, and in 1997 Bart was honored by friends and supporters with the creation of an endowed chair in his name in the College.

An interview with Bart Cardon, featured in the Arizona Review Newsletter of the Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, Spring, 2003, can be found by clicking on the link below.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/arec/pubs/arizonareviewnewsletter/ArizonaReviewspring2003.pdf

13 DESERT LEGUME PROGRAM (DELEP)

The legume family, consisting of some 18,000 species, is a major division of the plant kingdom. This family is spread over the globe. Members of the family have long served human needs. They are used as food for humans and animals. Food legume species include alfalfa, soybeans, edible peas and beans etc. Legumes also provide shade, timber, firewood and windbreaks. They serve admirably in landscape plantings and as sources of medicinal compounds and industrial products.

Many of the species have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria which grow on the plant roots and convert nitrogen from the air into a form that is usable by plants. This feature equips many legume species to fit into a pattern of sustainable agriculture.

The Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum jointly sponsors the Desert Legume Project (DELEP) with the University of Arizona. The Taylor Family Desert Legume Demonstration Garden at the Arboretum is just one of DELEP's significant accomplishments.

Matt Johnson, Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/BTA/delep.html

14 POLLEN INCREASE BRINGS MISERY

Rising temperatures and abundant winter rain have triggered plants to bloom. With that comes an increase in misery for allergy sufferers with itchy, watery eyes, sniffling and other respiratory problems.

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.

If necessary, wear a dust mask during peak pollen production periods and 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

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