Newsline for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

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IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED April 30, 2007:

  1. GETTING YOUR DESERT LANDSCAPE READY FOR THE HEAT
  2. TURFGRASS INSECT MONITORING IN PHOENIX AREA
  3. SUMMER AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS IN JUNE
  4. PROJECT BUDBURST ACTIVITIES IN ARIZONA
  5. CHILE RESEARCH IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA
  6. KRESGE FOUNDATION DONATES $800,000 TO NORTON SCHOOL
  7. NEW CALS PUBLICATION ON CONVERTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
  8. WATER CONFERENCE JUNE 5 IN PHOENIX
  9. RANGELAND ECOLOGY WORK IN ARIZONA
  10. ALTERNATIVE CROP RESEARCH AT MARICOPA AGRICULTURAL CENTER
  11. IN MEMORIAM: WARREN JONES
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1 GETTING YOUR DESERT LANDSCAPE READY FOR THE HEAT

Summer conditions in the Sonoran Desert can be brutal to landscapes. Knowing how to water and protect plants can mean the difference between gardening success and failure.

Master Gardeners from the Pima County Cooperative Extension office give weekly talks at various locations throughout the county on a variety of topics. The workshops are held at the Pima County Cooperative Exension office and the Wilmot and Oro Valley Libraries. Additional talks are scheduled in Green Valley at the Recreation Center.

For Master Gardener worskhops in your area see http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/mastergardener/index.html.

John Begeman, Pima County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/talks.html

2 TURFGRASS INSECT MONITORING IN PHOENIX AREA

Golf in Arizona is a $3.5 billion industry. Challenging and aesthetically pleasing courses are essential to attract tourists. Easy-to-use trapping and monitoring techniques for beetle grubs that live in the soil and destroy turf have been developed for golf course superintendents. With better knowledge of beetle occurrence, they are able to use pesticides more sparingly and more efficiently.

A network of insect trapping sites has been established around Phoenix in Maricopa County, with black light traps set up around the perimeter of the valley. These traps will enable the proper identification and timing of infestations of white grubs in turfgrass by monitoring adult flight of key beetle species.

Monitoring peak adult flight provides turf managers with accurate and reliable information, which is needed to make educated choices in developing effective and efficient control strategies against beetles and other insect pests.

At the link below turf managers can download documents such as how to identify key beetle species and an insect count graph.

Kai Umeda, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, kumeda@ag.arizona.edu

To learn more:
http://turf.arizona.edu/insectsurvey.htm

3 SUMMER AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS IN JUNE

The Summer Agricultural Institute is a five-day program designed to teach educators about food and fiber production and to help them incorporate that knowledge into their classroom lessons. Held in June of each year, the Institute combines hands-on learning about agriculture with practical curriculum development.

The Summer Agricultural Institute provides participants with free classroom materials to help educate students about agriculture. The program includes visits to a variety of agricultural operations, an entire day at one of the University of Arizona's research farms, visits to schools with active agriculture education programs, and one night spent on a working farm. Up to three graduate level credits for completing the program are available from the UA.

Monica Pastor, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, mpastor@ag.arizona.edu

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/agliteracy/summer.htm

4 PROJECT BUDBURST ACTIVITIES IN ARIZONA

Project BudBurst is a nation-wide project that tracks when plants leaf out and bloom. The project, just launched this month, runs through June 30, 2007. Anyone can participate just by signing up on the Web site (www.budburst.org) and clicking on the Participate! button.

The site makes it easy for people to identify their plant and pinpoint the plant's location on the map of the U.S. The Web site also has information for teachers and for students.

Various types of groups all over the country are involved; at the UA the focus is on after-school programs and things students can do with their parents.

Barron J. Orr, Office of Arid Lands Studies, barron@u.arizona.edu

To learn more:
http://uanews.org/spots/sci-13850.html

5 CHILE RESEARCH IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA

Thousands of red chiles gleam in the sun on Ed Curry's farm on an early November afternoon. The harvest is under way, with workers loading sacks of peppers into wagons in the fields. Paprika, ancho, cayenne; these and other varieties go onto conveyors at the on-site processing plant, where a separator divides them into vats of pulp, dryers full of dehydrated skins and piles of washed, sifted, highly valuable seed.

The flavor, degree of hotness and general quality of these chiles all depend on their basic genetic traits, breeding choices and crop management practices. There is an art and science in developing a chile variety, in knowing which pepper to choose to fit industry needs, and how to plant, irrigate, fertilize, protect and harvest it in response to conditions in the local environment.

Jeff Silvertooth, Soil, Water and Environmental Science, silver@ag.arizona.edu

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2006/article1_2006.pdf

6 KRESGE FOUNDATION DONATES $800,000 TO NORTON SCHOOL

An $800,000 challenge grant has been awarded to the UA John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences by the Kresge Foundation. The grant supports the school's capital campaign for its new building, McClelland Park, which is currently under construction. The challenge is for the Norton School to raise the remaining $2.8 million needed for the building, in new gifts, by February, 2008.

The Kresge grant launches the public phase of the Norton School's $24 million building fund campaign, which started in 2004. Construction started last May. Workers are currently erecting the columns and steel beams for the 70,000 square-foot complex, scheduled for completion in June 2008. To watch the building construction progress, visit the webcam at http://www.fdc.arizona.edu/webcam/fcs.cfm.

Soyeon Shim, Norton School, shim@cals.arizona.edu

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/4.25.html

7 NEW CALS PUBLICATION ON CONVERTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

Conversion from surface irrigation to drip requires more than just capital. Growers and irrigators must adjust their management strategies to accommodate the new irrigation system. In particular, drip systems are not designed to apply the large amounts of irrigation water that most surface systems are capable of applying. Depending on the design and layout of the drip system, it can take several hours to apply an inch of water while most surface systems can apply 4-8 inches within 12 hours. Because of this difference, growers using drip systems need to closely monitor the soil water status of their drip fields and irrigate appropriately.

A new CALS publication discusses the relationship between gallons and inches, and the hours of operation for drip irrigation systems used with rows crop production. Examples are given on how to determine application amounts and hours of operation needed to apply a targeted amount of water. Simple formulas that can be used on a hand-held calculator are given, as well as the option to download a Microsoft Excel program from the Internet. To view the publication go to the link below.

Ed Martin, Maricopa Agricultural Center, edmartin@cals.arizona.edu

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1430.pdf

8 WATER CONFERENCE JUNE 5 IN PHOENIX

The 20th Anniversary of the Environmental Quality Act and ADEQ: Assessing and Protecting Arizona's Water Quality will be held Tuesday, June 5 at the Hyatt Regency, Phoenix at Civic Plaza. The event is organized in part by the University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center (WRRC).

Together with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the Arizona Water Institute, WRRC has planned a one-day conference featuring a roster of distinguished speakers. ADEQ Director Steve Owens will deliver the State of ADEQ address at the luncheon. Gov. Janet Napolitano has been invited to start the program, and the day will end with a celebratory reception.

Panels include the History of the Environmental Quality Act and ADEQ, the Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF), Emerged and Emerging Contaminants, Emerging Policy Challenges and the Future of ADEQ.

Cas Sprout, Water Resources Research Center, csprout@cals.arizona.edu

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/AZWATER/conf2007/index.html

9 RANGELAND ECOLOGY WORK IN ARIZONA

The average herd size of a ranching operation in Arizona is about 200 head. Ranches are located on public and private rangelands, which together comprise approximately 86 percent of the state's total area of 62.4 million acres.

These vast areas dominated by grasses and shrubs serve multiple uses that include not only ranching but also farming, mining, recreation, and residential communities. Rangelands are especially vital to the watersheds and the people living downstream from them. In addition to domestic animals like grazing cattle, ranching operations in Arizona also support deer, elk and other wildlife.

The painstaking work of assessing changes to the landscape by counting the number and type of plants is supported by new technology and techniques such as global positioning systems (GPS), digital cameras, satellite imagery and computer spreadsheets.

George Ruyle, School of Natural Resources, gruyle@ag.arizona.edu

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2006/article3_2006.pdf

10 ALTERNATIVE CROP RESEARCH AT MARICOPA AGRICULTURAL CENTER

Someone driving by the Maricopa Agricultural Center might see only acres of unremarkable desert plants. Bob Roth sees the future of desert farming. A shrublike plant called guayule can produce hypoallergenic latex. Lesquerella, a small plant with yellow flowers, yields a powerful oil that can be used for cooking and in pharmaceuticals. The long, green stalks of hesperaloe have strong fibers that can be used in paper products.

The 2,100-acre University of Arizona facility focuses on native desert plants that can be turned into profitable specialty crops, a segment that state officials say accounts for 35 percent to 40 percent of Arizona's $9.2 billion agriculture industry.

To read the entire story from the Arizona Daily Star see the link below.

Bob Roth, Maricopa Agricultural Center, bobroth@ag.arizona.edu

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/5.42.html

11 IN MEMORIAM: WARREN JONES

Warren D. Jones, Professor Emeritus in the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, died April 7 at the age of 92.

Jones came to The University of Arizona in 1966 as a professor in the newly established undergraduate landscape architecture program. Before retiring in 1984, Jones planted many exotic heritage trees on campus, many of which have been designated Great Trees of Arizona.

Jones planted and tested hundreds of species on the UA campus to determine their adaptability for urban landscape use. The campus is a showcase for 400 tree species and more than 5,000 trees, and serves as an outdoor classroom for students and faculty.

After retiring from the university, Jones was an adviser to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and on the advisory board at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. He was a regular contributor to Sunset magazine and wrote numerous books about developing plants for dry climates. He was named a Master of the Southwest by Phoenix Home & Garden magazine in 1992.

Jones is survived by his three sons, David, Scott and Steve, five stepchildren, Steve Crofoot, Trish Weidert, Mark Crofoot, Kim Crofoot and Candy Crofoot Hensley, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A memorial service has been held. Remembrances can be made to the Arizona Nursery Association's ANAFUND-Warren D. Jones Scholarship, 1430 W. Broadway, #110, Tempe, AZ 85282; to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 Highway 60, Superior, AZ 85273, attention L. Bryant/ Warren Jones Fund; or to The University of Arizona Campus Arboretum by calling Libby Davidson at 621-1582.

To learn more:
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/178053.php

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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