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IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED July 20, 2006:

1. NEW REPORT ON WATER RESOURCES IN THE TUCSON AREA
2. HOME LANDSCAPING TIPS TO BE FIREWISE
3. PURPLE CORN AND RNA BREAK GENETIC LAWS
4. SHADE 2006: ONE-DAY SEMINAR FOR GREEN INDUSTRY IN AUGUST
5. BURROWING OWLS IN THE SOUTHWEST
6. V BAR V RANCH EXPLORERS FIELD DAY
7. COLORADO RIVER RESEARCH LINKS CLIMATE INFORMATION TO MANAGEMENT
8. THE ROLE OF HEAT SHOCK PROTEINS IN HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH
9. GROWING GRAPES AT HOME
10. NEW PUBLICATION ON WATER RESTRICTIONS FOR LARGE TURF FACILITIES
11. ALTERNATIVES TO TREE STAKING
12. CARRYING CAPACITY FOR ANIMALS ON ARIZONA LANDS

1 NEW REPORT ON WATER RESOURCES IN THE TUCSON AREA

A new report from The University of Arizona analyzes the cost and availability of water in the region and calls for businesses here to consider how future growth will impact those resources.

The report, "Water Resource Availability for the Tucson Metropolitan Area," was written by Sharon B. Megdal, director of the UA Water Resources Research Center. Megdal was contracted by the Metropolitan Pima Alliance, with funding provided by Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Tucson Association of REALTORS, Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, Marana Chamber of Commerce, Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the Tucson Regional Water Council.

Medgal says the report offers a general education about water management and water availability for the region. To see the full report, go to http://cals.arizona.edu/azwater/

Sharon Megdal, Water Resources Research Center

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/9.16.html

2 HOME LANDSCAPING TIPS TO BE FIREWISE

The 2006 wildfire season has the potential to be well above normal for the number of fires and acres burned, according to the Arizona Forestry Division.

More homes and other structures have been built in wildland environments throughout Arizona. This trend is creating an expansion of wildland-urban interface areas where buildings are located next to large amounts of vegetation, making them extremely vulnerable to fire.

Howeowners can safeguard their property by maintaining irrigation systems to keep plants from drying out; removing dead vegetation from the roof and yard, and disposing debris properly; cutting overhanging branches so the lowest is 10 feet from the ground; and refueling garden equipment carefully, storing any combustible materials away from the house.

Landscapes should be installed according to the recommended defensible-space zones. That is, the plants near your home should be more widely spaced and lower growing than those farther away. Do not plant in large masses. Instead, plant in small, irregular clusters or islands. Use decorative rock, gravel and stepping-stone pathways to break up the continuity of the vegetation and fuels. This can modify fire behavior and slow the spread of fire across your property.

The links listed at the Web site below offer more tips and provide resources available to homeowners in the wildland urban interface to learn about keeping property safe from wildfire.

Chris Jones, Gila County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/firewise/howto.html

3 PURPLE CORN AND RNA BREAK GENETIC LAWS

A newly cloned gene in corn will help explain how unusual interactions between a parent's genes can have lasting effects in future generations. The finding has implications for breeding better crop plants and unraveling complex genetic diseases.

The new research indicates that an additional molecule, DNA's little cousin RNA, is needed for the intriguing gene interactions known as paramutation. Paramutation doesn't follow the laws of classical Mendelian genetics.

Classical genetics states that when offspring inherit genes from their parents, the genes function in the children the same way the genes functioned in the parent.

When paramutation occurs, one version of the parent's gene orders the other to act differently in the next generation. The gene functions differently in the offspring, even though its DNA is identical to the parent's version.

Vicki Chandler, BIO5

To learn more:
http://uanews.org/cals

SHADE 2006: ONE-DAY SEMINAR FOR GREEN INDUSTRY IN AUGUST

The Southwest Horticulture Annual Day of Education (SHADE) sponsored by the Arizona Nursery Association will be held Friday, August 11 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Paradise Valley Doubletree Resort, Scottsdale.

UA turf researchers will present information about insects and diseases in turfgrass, Arizona arborists will discuss trees and plant health, and local horticulturalists will talk about horticulture and the public realm through urban art and landscapes.

To see the full agenda and register for the workshop go to the link below.

Kai Umeda, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://turf.arizona.edu/2006_SHADEagenda.pdf

5 BURROWING OWLS IN THE SOUTHWEST

At dawn and dusk they wing their way through the desert, tracking small prey. During the day they can be found chasing down grasshoppers or beetles, or posted as sentinels outside their nesting burrows. Although small in size, burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) are helping to answer big questions researchers have about avian migration.

Once a purely migratory species, many of these eight-inch birds are now making themselves at home year round in the desert grasslands, golf courses and agricultural fields of the Southwest. Their petite size and unusual nesting habits make them interesting wildlife for both urban and rural residents to watch.

CALS researchers have been studying the ecology and conservation needs of burrowing owls throughout the western United States for the past seven years. They have devised reliable methods of estimating their populations, examined the birds' use of artificial nesting boxes on golf courses, and studied the birds' food and nesting habits. These studies focus on the factors that influence nest site selection and reproductive success.

Courtney Conway, School of Natural Resources

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/landandpeople/spring2006/article1.pdf

6 V BAR V RANCH EXPLORERS FIELD DAY

Each year in late August the gates swing open for visitors at the UA V Bar V Ranch. The V Bar V Ranch is 77,000 acres that span the high desert of Yavapai County near Camp Verde into the mountains of Coconino County. As one of nine CALS Agricultural Experiment Stations, the V Bar V continues as a working cattle ranch and serves as an educational and demonstration facility focusing on environmental, wildlife and domestic livestock issues in Arizona and the Southwest. Vegetation zones, including high desert chaparral, pinyon-juniper, and pine, are typical of those on most of the commercial ranches in central and northern Arizona.

The Explorers Day is held annually on the fourth Saturday of August, which this year is August 26. The event runs from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. in Mahan Park (near Happy Jack, Arizona). The public is invited to participate in educational activities, presentations, displays, and the highlight of the day: a V Bar V beef barbeque lunch with Dutch oven cobbler for dessert. All activities, lunch and bus transportation from Camp Verde, Prescott, Phoenix, and Tucson are included in the registration fee, which is $12 for students and $20 for adults.

Dave Schaefer, V Bar V

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/aes/vbarv/ranchexplorersday.html

7 COLORADO RIVER RESEARCH LINKS CLIMATE INFORMATION TO MANAGEMENT

As it churns its way through the arid West, people, wildlife, vegetation, and aquatic creatures depend on water from the Colorado River. Dammed throughout its length and used for recreation and power, the river also is tapped and siphoned for the agricultural and developmental uses of an increasing population. It is estimated that 25 million people in the Southwest rely on it.

For the first time in history, however, users are facing serious shortfalls and the potential that the river won't be able to meet needs. A University of Arizona research project is investigating the role of climate information in water management decisions.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is responsible for regulating Colorado River water in the lower basin -- the span that traverses Nevada, California and Arizona -- and decides when to release water into Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

One of the top priorities is to understand how the various states use and share water in times of shortages. UA researchers are helping the Bureau of Reclamation integrate new types of information into their river model.

Kathy Jacobs, Arizona Water Institute

To learn more:
http://www.vpr.arizona.edu/ror/summer06/water3a.html

8 THE ROLE OF HEAT SHOCK PROTEINS IN HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH

Severe stress affects the billions of cells in our bodies by stringing out their proteins. Under threat of disease or extreme environmental conditions, regular cell proteins can literally come undone by unfolding their amino acids, like a skein of yarn unraveling. If the unraveling goes too far in too many cells, critical body processes begin to break down and the organism dies.

Heat shock or heat stress proteins attempt to refold the protein, restoring its bundled structure to protect the cell. Hsp70, or heat stress protein 70, is one of the most studied heat stress proteins, appearing in bacteria, animals and humans. Cattle exposed to high heat and humans with diseases such as cancer and AIDS show elevated levels of heat stress proteins in their cells or antibodies against heat stress proteins in serum (blood).

Although it is one of the body's natural forms of defense, Hsp70 is not always strong enough to prevent death. Scientists want to learn more about Hsp70 and related proteins to see if there is a way to mobilize or enhance them deliberately for human and animal health.

Vince Guerriero, Animal Sciences

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2005/article10_2005.pdf

9 GROWING GRAPES AT HOME

Grapes are abundant producers in Southern Arizona. In fact, not that many years ago, Pinal County was a major producer of table grapes, with some 1,500 acres of vineyards. Arizona's wine grape production is centered not far from Tucson in Santa Cruz and Cochise counties with commercial vineyards as close as Vail./p>

It's possible to grow a variety of European table and wine grapes in home gardens in and around Tucson and other parts of the state./p>

Probably the most abundant grape variety for Southern Arizona is Thompson Seedless. It's one of the most popular grapes for eating fresh, with a sweet but mild flavor. The berries are medium-size and the clusters large with greenish-white to golden berries. Thompson Seedless is the variety most often used for making raisins. Other recommended table grape varieties include Cardinal (dark red berries), Perlette (pale green berries) and Flame Seedless (red berries)./p>

If you're interested in making wine, several European wine grapes also grow and produce well in our area. Some of the best reds for our hot climate include Shiraz, Petite Sirah, Barbera, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon. Recommended white wine grapes include Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Pinot Grigio.

John Begeman, Pima County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/18.6.html

10 NEW PUBLICATION ON WATER RESTRICTIONS FOR LARGE TURF FACILITIES

The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) limits the amount of groundwater large turf facilities may use for irrigation in the Tucson and Phoenix Active Management Area. Groundwater use is capped at 4.6 and 4.9 acre-feet per acre per year for turfgrass grown within the Tucson and Phoenix acive management areas, respectively.

Operators of these facilities have expressed concerns that ADWR regulations (water duties) are too stringent and provide insufficient water to produce acceptable quality turfgrass and to sustain leaching requirements necessary to avoid problems with salinity. University of Arizona research appears to support their concerns.

In an effort to help clarify this issue, a study was initiated at the University of Arizona Karsten Turf Research Facility in Tucson.

Paul Brown, Arizona Meteorological Network

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1381.pdf

11 ALTERNATIVES TO TREE STAKING

Tree failure resulting from improper staking is among the leading causes of tree death in urban areas. Staking is a common practice following planting of most trees in the landscape.

Many container-grown trees require temporary staking to allow new lateral roots to become established in the soil and anchor plants sufficiently. Common problems from wire ties include 1) guy wires that are too tight, 2) wires cutting into the tree, and 3) wires left in place too long. Stakes become a problem when they are 1) too tall and physically damage branches in the canopy, 2) left in place too long and 3) are placed too close or in the wrong position according to prevailing winds.

Four methods of tree staking were investigated on two different tree species in research conducted in the Tucson area. A demonstration project in the Tucson area was planted to show how four methods of tree staking affected growth of two different tree species.

Stakes as short as 15 inches or stakes (screw anchors) that are driven through the root ball into the underlying soil have been used with great success in the Netherlands. These methods provide opportunity for new roots to establish while the root ball is kept in place and while minimizing interference with trunk movement and development. Short stakes, like all above ground stakes, should be removed within two years, but screw anchors through the root ball are left in place and require no further maintenance.

Ursula Schuch, Department of Plant Sciences

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1359/az13592e.pdf

12 CARRYING CAPACITY FOR ANIMALS ON ARIZONA LANDS

Do you know what the carrying capacity of your property is? Carrying capacity is the maximum stocking rate (the number of animals on a given area at any one time) possible without inducing damage to vegetation or related resources. It may vary from year to year on the same area due to fluctuating weather and subsequent forage production.

Landowners interested in purchasing horses and other livestock to graze their property should determine if the animals will have sufficient forage to remain healthy. Because they will also want to ensure that grazing does not permanently damage soil and vegetation resources, animal numbers and/or grazing time must be controlled. If either too many animals are allowed to graze or animals are allowed to graze too long, forage will be adversely affected.

Repeated removal of forage by grazing animals will weaken plants and allow less palatable plants to replace them. Eventually all forage plants will be eliminated from a pasture if heavy grazing is left unchecked. In the extreme, uncontrolled grazing can change a pasture with grasses and other forage into a dirt lot with a few weeds.

Jim Sprinkle, Gila County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/gila/animalsciences/documents/az1352.pdf

To find out about available CALS publications and upcoming events, go to http://cals.arizona.edu/. If you have questions or comments about NewsLine, send an email to newseditor@ag.arizona.edu. Previous issues can be viewed at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/newsline/previous-issues.html

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