IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED JUNE 27, 2005:

1. UA CAMPUS ARBORETUM PLANTS IN BLOOM
2. HEALTHIER GRAIN CROPS
3. FLORA AND VEGETATION OF OAK CREEK CANYON'S WEST FORK
4. NEW FACILITY FOR NORTON SCHOOL OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
5. CALS FACULTY AND STAFF AWARDS
6. UA STUDENT TRACTOR TEAM PLACES SECOND AT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
7. SUPERFUND BASIC RESEARCH PROGRAM FOCUSES ON WATER QUALITY
8. UA DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR DENNIS RAY VIDEO FEATURE
9. MONSOONS AND TREE HEALTH
10. TREES, GRASSLANDS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
11. STUDY LOOKS AT EFFECTS OF UV REFLECTIVE MULCHING
12. YOUTH LIVESTOCK QUALITY ASSURANCE TRAINING
13. NONPOINT-SOURCE EDUCATION FOR MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS (NEMO)

1 UA CAMPUS ARBORETUM PLANTS IN BLOOM

The University of Arizona Campus Arboretum boasts trees and unique plants from arid climates around the world. Seasonal cues such as soil temperature, rainfall, or the presence of pollinators will induce flowering. At any time of year, there might be lusty tropical clusters, aromatic scents from desert species, golden pannicles of pollen, red hot floret spikes, or white night-blooming bat-luring blossoms. Evenings throughout the summer are a good time to see plants in bloom.

Plants that bloom in Arizona's rainy season are responding to increased moisture along with intense heat. A sampling of those planted on the UA campus can be seen at http://arboretum.arizona.edu/bloom/monsoon.html .

The main library plant walk is just one of many plant walks around the UA campus. From the lacy leaves of the jacaranda to tropical shrubs and trees, the library is practically surrounded by a mini-arboretum. Landscape Architect Warren Jones planted many of his experimental species around the building after it was completed in 1977.

Libby Davison, Campus Arboretum

To learn more:
http://arboretum.arizona.edu/librarywalk.html

2 HEALTHIER GRAIN CROPS

The University of Arizona's BIO5 Institute and World Wide Wheat L.L.C., two of Arizona's leading research groups, have announced a partnership to develop foods that will help reduce obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol levels and cancer. This research partnership will develop new wheat, barley and oat varieties with major health benefits.

BIO5 is a collaborative interdisciplinary research institute at The University of Arizona that brings together top scientists from five disciplines--agriculture, medicine, pharmacy, engineering and basic science--to solve some of the world's most pressing problems. BIO5 creates
science, education and industry partnerships to disseminate knowledge and apply the knowledge gained to treat disease, feed humanity and preserve livable environments.

World Wide Wheat, headquartered in Phoenix, operates 17 research stations in seven different countries, producing superior varieties of cereal grains that are not genetically modified.

The Phoenix Business Journal carried an article about the partnership on June 17, at
http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2005/06/20/story8.html

Vicki Chandler, BIO5 Institute

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/3.1.html

3 FLORA AND VEGETATION OF OAK CREEK CANYON'S WEST FORK

The latest edition of Boyce Thompson Arboretum's magazine "Desert Plants" will interest aficionados of Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, Arizona. The June issue features the results of a study of the flora and vegetation of the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon, which includes a trail popular with hikers. The 60-page issue includes more than 300 beautiful full-color photographs of trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses, along with a map and description of the
area's history, geology, climate and hydrology, biotic communities, noteworthy plant species and more.

Edward Gilbert, curatorial/museum specialist at the University of Arizona Herbarium and Max Licher, amateur botanist in Sedona, Arizona, conducted the study.

"Desert Plants" is a journal devoted to broadening knowledge of plants indigenous or adapted to arid and sub-arid regions and to encouraging the appreciation of these plants. It is published by The University of Arizona for the Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum in Superior, Arizona.

Copies of the June issue of "Desert Plants" can be purchased for $10. A subscription to the magazine costs $20 and includes the June and December 2005 editions.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/desertplants/contact.html

4 NEW FACILITY FOR NORTON SCHOOL OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES

The John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, part of the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is outgrowing the building where it is currently housed. Fundraising has begun for a new 36,000-square-foot facility that will enable the school's academic majors and auxiliary institutes to expand their teaching, research and extension
functions.

The Norton School currently includes programs in Retailing and Consumer Sciences and in Family Studies and Human Development. Three institutes are also part of the school: the Institute for Children, Youth and Families; Take Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education and Research; and the Center for Retailing and Consumer Sciences.

The building was approved on June 17 by the Arizona Board of Regents as part of The University of Arizona's development plan.

Soyeon Shim, Norton School

To learn more:
http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/metro/80040.php

5 CALS FACULTY AND STAFF AWARDS

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences recently announced its annual faculty and staff awards. The recipients include:

CALS Year-to-Year Appointed Personnel Award for Excellence: Donna Peterson, assistant research scientist, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences. Her outstanding work includes an outreach program designed to prevent sexual violence and promote healthy relationships for teen participants, facilitated at four sites across Arizona.

CALS Career Development award: Sherry Lotz, associate professor, Retailing and Consumer Sciences Division of the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences. She is recognized for her pioneering work in developing new academic strategies, ranging from undergraduate and graduate programs to research.

CALS 2004-2005 Administrator of the Year Award: Don Slack, department head,
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. He was honored for his dedication and leadership in strengthening and expanding his department, reshaping the undergraduate curriculum to better meet the needs of constituents, students and their eventual employers.

CALS 2004 Third Quarter Outstanding Staff Award: Kathy Bell, administrative assistant, Environmental Research Laboratory(ERL). She was recognized for serving as "essentially the heart and soul of the ERL operation" in managing its financial affairs, including the multi-million-dollar budget of the National Science Foundation Water Quality Center housed withih the ERL.

CALS 2004 Fourth Quarter Outstanding Staff Award: Lyle Browning, La Paz County master gardener instructional specialist. He was honored for his contribution to the county horticultural program in the county through educational instruction, answering questions, maintaining great working relationsips with local officials, and serving as a positive influence on
citizens.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/awards/awardwinners.html

6 UA STUDENT TRACTOR TEAM PLACES SECOND AT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

The Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering department's student tractor team designed and built a 1/4-scale tractor that placed second in the 8th International 1/4-Scale Tractor Pull Competition June 2-5 at East Moline, IL. Team members were Travis Wuertz, Dyan Pratt and Marvin Wuertz.

Team advisors were Don Slack and Charlie DeFer. Only Kansas State University was able to outpull the UA tractor. Thirty-one teams from the US and Canada participated in the event. The UA team also received an award for sportsmanship.

Don Slack, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/14.7.html

7 SUPERFUND BASIC RESEARCH PROGRAM FOCUSES ON WATER QUALITY

The detection, remediation and prevention of water contamination in the Southwest and its human health effects will be a major thrust of The University of Arizona's Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP) (http://superfund.pharmacy.arizona.edu/) during the next five years. The program will also investigate ways to reduce airborne contamination from abandoned mine tailings.

Nine research projects will focus on two major types of contaminants: arsenic, a naturally occurring contaminant in surface and ground waters throughout the West, and halogenated organic solvents such as TCE, or trichloroethylene. Five of the projects will examine the human health effects of the contaminants and four will develop better ways to detect and clean up contaminated sites.

The program involves about 70 researchers and spans five UA colleges and 10 departments. In one project, SBRP researchers want to develop better ways to remove arsenic from drinking water and to dispose of the arsenic residues. "We want to help prevent another hazardous waste problem from developing 10-15 years from now," said Raina M. Maier, the SBRP's associate director and CALS professor of soil, water and environmental science.

Raina Maier, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/6.12.html

8 UA DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR DENNIS RAY VIDEO FEATURE

As a University Distinguished Professor, Dennis Ray is honored for his longstanding and continued record of excellent contributions to undergraduate teaching over more than two decades, not only in the classroom, but also through his involvement in the University-wide general education program. He is a professor of both plant sciences and arid lands studies in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

According to his colleagues, Ray has had a powerful and positive impact on the quality of the general education program and on academic advising. He has worked with faculty at all three Arizona universities and at Arizona's community colleges in the statewide articulation effort, and in the assessment of the quality of the University of Arizona's general education curriculum.

To view a Web video interview with Ray go to the link below.

To learn more:
http://uanews.org/movies/dennisray.html

9 MONSOONS AND TREE HEALTH

Monsoon season brings intense desert storms with strong, damaging winds. Trees with very heavy leaf canopies are more likely to be injured by strong winds. They act like sails catching the wind.

Remove storm damaged limbs by pruning back to a side branch or the main trunk. Some thinning of internal branches may be necessary to lighten the canopy and prevent storm injury.

John Begeman, Pima County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/gardening/news/articles/17.31.html

10 TREES, GRASSLANDS AND GLOBAL CHANGE

Range managers have seen western grasslands become overgrown with trees and shrubs that constrict water flow, alter soils and ultimately change how the land can be used. For the past 20 years, CALS plant ecologist Steve Archer has investigated how these changes in vegetation may have affected the accumulation and processing of carbon and nitrogen, two important elements linked to climate change, on southwestern rangelands.

His most recent work focuses on woody plant encroachment at the UA's Santa Rita Experimental Range, where he and his research team are measuring the carbon and nitrogen content of mesquite and other rangeland plants. The research will eventually show how much carbon is sequestered, or tied up, in various plants under different land management schemes.

Steve Archer, School of Natural Resources

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2004/article10_2004.pdf

11 STUDY LOOKS AT EFFECTS OF UV REFLECTIVE MULCHING

Three trials, one during the 2003 fall season and two during the spring of 2004 at the Yuma Agricultural Center, evaluated the effect of silver-metalized films, provided by ReflecTel Foils, Inc. and Pliant Corp., on total weight, sweetness, color and vitamin C content of cantaloupe.

The results showed that reflective mulching increased the total number of fruits by over 25%. Interestingly, the difference in the number of fruits was essentially due to an increase in the number of fruits that were ready to harvest at an early date. At first harvest, the number of ripe fruits in the mulch treatment was four times that in the control. This indicates that the bee-alluring property of reflective mulches resulted in more fruit set at early stages of flowering.

In addition, the fruits in the first of the two harvests showed higher quality, in terms of sweetness, pulp color and vitamin C content. The more intense orange color of melons grown with mulch may be indicative of higher beta-carotene content.

Reflective mulching has consistently given good results in several trials in Arizona in terms of yield and quality, which suggests that this technique can be a good option for increasing profits in times when prices are high. However, the grower is ultimately the one who needs to determine whether the cost of implementing the mulch is outweighed by the economic return.

Jorge Fonseca, Yuma Agricultural Center

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/crops/vegetables/quality/newsletter/2004/westveg1004.html#3

12 YOUTH LIVESTOCK QUALITY ASSURANCE TRAINING

Youth livestock producers are one link in the chain of wholesome food production. Each link in the chain relies on all other segments to make sure the product remains safe. Following good health, nutrition and management practices can ensure that animals perform at their highest level, and are a safe, wholesome product for consumers.

In order to educate youth and adults about the "Eight Good Production Practices" all Arizona youth livestock exhibitors are required to attend a Quality Assurance & Food Safety certification workshop prior to participating in their county fair and/or state fair.

The next Youth Livestock Quality Assurance workshop, sponsored by 4-H Youth Development will be June 29, 2005 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Patagonia Community Church in Patagonia.

Another training will be July 14, 2005, from 1:00-5:00 p.m. at the Young Public School Highway 288 and Baker Ranch Road in Young, AZ.

There is a $10.00 registration fee.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/quality/

13 NONPOINT-SOURCE EDUCATION FOR MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS (NEMO)

Nonpoint-source Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) is an outreach education partnership between the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The NEMO program provides water education to land-use decision makers, municipalities, and other stakeholders to restore, maintain, and protect water quality and quantity across the state of Arizona. Kristine Uhlman, senior program coordinator in the CALS School of Natural Resources, is the statewide coordinator for NEMO. She also was appointed to the Arizona Water Protection Fund for a 3-year term by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.

The Arizona Water Protection Fund was established in 1994 by the Arizona State Legislature to provide funding for maintaining, enhancing, and restoring rivers, streams, and riparian habitat. Further information can be found at http://www.awpf.state.az.us.

Kristine Uhlman, School of Natural Resources

To learn more:
http://www.srnr.arizona.edu/nemo/

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