IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED DECEMBER 23, 2005:

1. MISTLETOE IN THE WILD
2. PLANTING LIVING CHRISTMAS TREES
3. HEALTHY MEALS ON THE GO
4. GUAYULE RESEARCH AT MARICOPA AGRICULTURAL CENTER
5. BART CARDON INDUCTED INTO NATIONAL 4-H HALL OF FAME
6. UA ARBORETUM FEATURED IN ARIZONA DAILY STAR
7. SOUTHWEST INDIAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE
8. FATS AND CARBOHYDRATES IN HEALTHY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
9. EXURBAN CLIENTELE WORKSHOP
10. DELAYING INSECT RESISTANCE TO BT COTTON

1 MISTLETOE IN THE WILD

Mistletoes are perennial flowering plants that are parasitic on above ground portions of woody plants. Their specialized roots can penetrate a host plant and absorb nutrients. North central Arizona has seven species of true mistletoes and eight species of dwarf mistletoe. True (or leafy) mistletoe (Phoradendron spp.) has green leaves and white berries and is found on a variety of hardwood species, junipers, and cypress. Dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium spp.) are leafless and can be yellow, orange, brown, or green. Dwarf mistletoes only affect needle-leafed conifers and are rarely noticed by casual observers. There are several other mistletoe species found around the world.

True mistletoe plants are perennial and can live within their respective hosts until the tree or the branch they are attached to dies. They rely on the host plant to provide water and mineral nutrients carried by the water. While they are parasites in that they must have a living host, they do not necessarily cause a debilitating nutritional drain on the host. A few true mistletoe infections on an otherwise healthy plant cause little harm to the host. However, the portion of a branch beyond the point of a single infection may become stunted in growth and even die prematurely. Multiple infections can place significant stress on the host, possibly leading to premature death or weakening it to the point that it attracts another disease or insect pest.

The origin of the word "mistletoe" appears to come from the Anglo-Saxon words "mistel" which means dung and "tan" for twig. Mistletoe literally means "dung-on-a-twig."

For more information on dwarf mistletoes, see
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/diseases/az1309.pdf

For more information on true mistletoes, see
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/diseases/az1308.pdf

Jeff Schalau, Yavapai County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/holidaymistletoe2005.html

2 PLANTING LIVING CHRISTMAS TREES

Want to save your potted Christmas tree? The sooner these trees are removed from the warm, dry environment inside the home, the better their chances of survival after planting.

First, determine where to locate your tree. This will depend on the variety you have purchased. Afghan pine (Pinus eldarica) and Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) are the most common living Christmas trees sold in the desert. Take care not to plant your tree too close to your house, property line or driveway. These are both large growing species that need lots of room.

Even if you can't plant your tree immediately, move it outside to a shady location. This will help prevent the tree from drying out excessively before planting. Thoroughly water the container when you get it outside, and keep watering often enough to maintain the soil at an even moisture level.

John Begeman, Pima County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/gardening/news/articles/17.30.html

3 HEALTHY MEALS ON THE GO

Eating away from home can wreak havoc on nutritional balance when fast foods enter the picture. "Healthy Meals on the Go" is a new CALS publication that explains food preparation terms. It also gives healthy choice options for various restaurant types, such as Italian or Mexican.

The two-page publication is available online as a PDF file.

Linda Houtkouper, Nutritional Sciences

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1364.pdf

4 GUAYULE RESEARCH AT MARICOPA AGRICULTURAL CENTER

The Maricopa Agricultural Center (MAC), in cooperation with the USDA-ARS, has maintained and evaluated plantings of guayule, a Chihuahuan Desert native shrub, for over 10 years. Maintaining germplasm, selecting varieties, evaluating latex rubber yield potential, modifying cultural practices and investigating alternative uses of the guayule plant are all objectives of this project.

Because it is free of tropical proteins, guayule latex is unlikely to cause widespread sensitization associated with Hevea latex and is safe for people with latex allergies. This means that guayule users are far less likely to develop latex allergies and, if already allergic, are safe from adverse reactions. In addition, research performed by USDA and private industry is finding uses for the 85 to 90 percent of the guayule shrub that remains after latex extraction. For example, the recent study showed the guayule fibers to contain a type of natural pesticide to termites and, in addition, to be anti-fungal.

The Yulex Corporation, based in Carlsbad, California, has drawn from the MAC research to develop, manufacture and market a safe, natural rubber latex for medical products. Connect, a San Diego business development organization founded by the University of California-San Diego, holds a yearly contest for the most innovative new products.

Yulex Corporation was recently awarded top prize in the Life Sciences medical devices and diagnostics category. Eight winners in different categories were selected from more than 80 entries.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/aes/mac/guayule.htm

5 BART CARDON INDUCTED INTO NATIONAL 4-H HALL OF FAME

The late Bart Cardon, former dean of the UA College of Agriculture and past president of the Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation, was one of twenty significant contributors to the 4-H youth development movement honored with induction into the National 4-H Hall of Fame in October, 2005.

"4-H has a great legacy of dedicated and resourceful individuals who have joined together to make 4-H what it is today-a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills," said NAE4-HA President Mary Williams. "We are proud to honor these twenty laureates and their contributions to the 4-H youth development program."

NAE4-HA sponsors the virtual hall of fame with web pages that characterize the contributions to 4-H of each laureate with biographies, statistics, quotes and photos.

Jim Davis, Development and Alumni

To learn more:
http://www.nae4ha.org/hof/bcardon.html

6 UA ARBORETUM FEATURED IN ARIZONA DAILY STAR

In the 1970s and '80s University of Arizona landscape architecture professor Warren Jones searched the arid regions of the world for desert-adapted plants. Jones alone is responsible for nearly half of the 400 types of plants found on the UA campus, most of which were started from seedlings that he grew in coffee cans. When you're on the campus looking at plants, Jones' legacy is everywhere.

The full text of a recent article on the UA arboretum can be viewed at:
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/106941

For more on the history of the UA Campus Arboretum, see
http://arboretum.arizona.edu/history.html

Inquiries about the Campus Arboretum can be directed to Elizabeth Davison, Director, edavison@Ag.Arizona.Edu

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

7 SOUTHWEST INDIAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The results of recent census gathering on tribal lands, an update on the Extension Indian Reservation program, the cross breeding of cattle, and integrated agriculture are among the topics to be presented at the 18th Annual Southwest Indian Agricultural Association (SWIAA) Annual Conference.

The event will be held January 17-19 in Laughlin, Nevada. Titled "Southwest Tribal Unity--Growing Together To Meet The Challenges Facing Indian Agriculture," this diverse program will include topics and speakers from the national, regional, and local levels. Registration includes annual SWIAA membership dues. Registration fees are waived for full-time college and high school students.

Joe Hiller, American Indian Programs

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/americanindianprograms/swiaa.pdf

8 FATS AND CARBOHYDRATES IN HEALTHY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

In the 1980s and early 90s the popular fad diet trend was to cut back fat intake. Today many popular fad diets recommend cutting back (or cutting out) carbohydrate intake. Why the change? Some people think that the increasing waistband of many Americans from the 1980s through today is the result of following a low-fat or fat-free diet.

Many reduced fat or fat-free processed foods replace fat with carbohydrate or sugar. The increased intake of these foods by some Americans has led to higher carbohydrate intake. Some blame weight gain on this increased carbohydrate intake. In reality, many Americans had been focusing solely on cutting out fat, while ignoring their increasing portion sizes and calorie intake.

Jaclyn Maurer, Department of Nutritional Sciences

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1360.pdf

9 EXURBAN CLIENTELE WORKSHOP

The Inter-mountain West is experiencing some of the most dramatic population growth and land development in the nation. From 1982 to 1997, the total amount of developed land in the region grew by 2 million acres, or about half an acre per person, through conversion of agricultural land, forest, and natural open space. Arizona is no exception, more than doubling its population and tripling its employment between 1969 and 2003.

An Emerging Audience on a Changing Landscape: Arizona's Open Spaces and the New Exurban Clientele is a workshop that will be held on Friday, January 20 from 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at the UA Student Union, Level 3, Catalina Room.

The workshop will provide an opportunity to share the preliminary findings of a small Cooperative Extension research project focused on the changing rural population in Arizona, the growing "exurban" sector. In Arizona's open spaces, the traditional model of providing Extension educational services which support profitable and sustainable ranching are now being complimented by programs that promote successful stewardship related to lifestyles rather than livelihoods. However, reaching the new "exurban" clientele, though they share some characteristics with suburban populations, has proven challenging.

Exurbans are described as people who move to rural areas as an escape from city life. The term "exurbia" is currently used to describe low-density regions that maintain the benefits of an urban way of life yet are detached from major cities and metropolitan areas. Exurbia is not suburban sprawl but a type of land development that occurs in areas where agricultural production is perhaps no longer profitable.

Barron Orr, Office of Arid Lands Studies

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/newsline/OpenSpaces-Exurban_Invitation.pdf

10 DELAYING INSECT RESISTANCE TO BT COTTON

The refuge--an area planted with non-transgenic crops adjacent to transgenic crops--has been found to be a valuable strategy in delaying the evolution of insect resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops. Because the ecology, life history and genetics of resistance to Bt differ considerably among pests, different refuge strategies are implemented for different pests.

A flexible program that allows rapid and easy assessment of compliance to any refuge strategy mandated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been developed by researchers in the CALS department of entomology. The program uses as input a Geographical Information System (GIS) map of transgenic and non-transgenic crop fields and basic information on refuge strategies to determine regional compliance.

CALS scientists have demonstrated that this program can be used to precisely monitor compliance as determined by the EPA.

Guidelines to run the program are available at the link below.

Yves Carriere, Entomology

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/documents/evaluation.pdf

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