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IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED September 24, 2007:
- NEW MARICOPA COUNTY EXTENSION DIRECTOR NAMED
- FIELD DAY AT MARICOPA AGRICULTURAL CENTER OCTOBER 3
- NEW LEADS FOR CANCER DRUGS
- CONSERVATION EASEMENTS AND RIPARIAN AREAS
- PLANT SCIENTIST RICHARD JORGENSEN HONORED
- DAIRY PRODUCTION CONFERENCE OCT. 11 IN PHOENIX
- YOUTH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LESSON PLANS NOW AVAILABLE
- NEW PUBLICATION ON RIPARIAN AREAS
- SUSTAINABLE AQUAPONICS
- ARIZONA PEST ALERT INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE
- CALS IN THE NEWS
- ARIZONA HIGHLANDS GARDENING CONFERENCE OCTOBER 11-12
1 NEW MARICOPA COUNTY EXTENSION DIRECTOR NAMED
At 3.8 million people, Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the United States. Yet even with the high population, it is ranked 20th in the nation for agricultural production with over 627,000 acres in production on 2,110 farms.Monica Kilcullen Pastor, the new county extension director for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension office in Maricopa County, will provide leadership for UA faculty and staff who offer educational opportunities for people in this unique blend of urban and rural communities.
Pastor will also work with advisory boards and the county board of supervisors to assess evolving community needs. How Cooperative Extension's mission, "bringing research-based information into communities to help people improve their lives," can be used to answer those needs will be a primary focus of Pastor's work.
Monica Pastor, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, mpastor@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/18.1.html
2 FIELD DAY AT MARICOPA AGRICULTURAL CENTER OCTOBER 3
Research at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center (MAC) focuses on cotton, small grains, alfalfa, and new specialty crops that could be used to provide fibers, oils, pharmaceuticals and other products.An annual field day, held this year on October 3, highlights and showcases the MAC facility, research and education capacities, current research and ongoing education programs. A poster session is included to provide more detailed information on research projects.
The research projects are related to irrigation and crop water requirements, soil and crop fertility, insects and IPM management, cotton production and breeding, new crops and their uses, weed control, cultural management practices, plant diseases, and urban entomology.
The field day runs from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and includes lunch and a tour of the farm. No pre-registration is required.
Erin Taylor, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, etaylor@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/aes/mac/Forms/MACfieldday07/MAC_FIELDDAY.html
Tumor cells don't play by the rules that other cells have to follow. They grow and multiply unchecked because the mechanisms that regulate cell growth and program cell death have been turned off, making the renegade cells immortal. Cancer researchers are focusing on the role of particular enzymes involved in this biochemical malfunction to find new ways to halt or kill malignant tumors. Generally, enzymes play a key role in the signaling pathways of individual plant and animal cells.
Scientists at the University of Arizona have identified a new series of compounds that can halt the action of a specific enzyme called protein kinase B, also known as Akt, in cancer tumor cells. Their findings have been patented and will soon reach the clinical testing phase for the treatment of patients afflicted with cancer. The research is funded by the National Institute of Health and the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission.
To read the entire story in the 2007 Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station Report, go to the link below.
Emmanuelle Meuillet, Department of Nutritional Sciences, emeuillet@azcc.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2006/article8_2006.pdf
4 CONSERVATION EASEMENTS AND RIPARIAN AREAS
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits uses of the land for the purpose of protecting its conservation values. Another conservation easement has been worked out along the Babocomari River in Southeastern Arizona, making the fourth such agreement in the area since January. The total area now protected stands at 1,410.2 acres and 4.61 miles of river.What is occurring along the Babocamari River reflects a national trend: the increased use of conservation easements as a strategy to protect natural resources. In Arizona, a state anxious to preserve its few remaining flowing rivers, conservation easements are especially useful as a river management tool. Any river with private ownership of land alongside it that has conservation value is a candidate for conservation easements.
With its reduced flows raising concerns, the San Pedro River is a veritable active easement area, with many conservation easements having been negotiated and more are in the works. Experiences along the San Pedro demonstrate the workings of conservation easements as well as their possibilities and effectiveness as a river management tool.
The Brophy family, owners of Babacomari Ranch, has been a willing partner to working out conservation easements. The ranch is located along the Babocomari River, a key tributary to the San Pedro River. In the recent agreement, mentioned above, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased an easement protecting 487.3 acres of grasslands that contain valuable wetland habitat. Over time, Fort Huachuca army base will reimburse TNC $1.9 million for the easement.
Joe Gelt, Water Resources Research Center
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/AZWATER/awr/septoct07/feature1.html
5 PLANT SCIENTIST RICHARD JORGENSEN HONORED
The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) recently announced the recipients of its 2007 awards, presented at their annual meeting this summer in Chicago, Illinois. Richard Jorgensen, a professor in the UA Department of Plant Sciences, was designated a member of the 2007 inaugural class of ASPB Fellows.Established in 2007, the Fellow of ASPB award is granted in recognition of distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology and service to the Society by current members in areas that include research, education, mentoring, outreach, and professional and public service. Current members of ASPB who have contributed to the Society for at least 10 years are eligible for nomination.
In addition, Jorgensen received the ASPB Martin Gibbs Medal, presented biennially to an individual who has pioneered advances that have served to establish new directions of investigation in the plant sciences. Jorgensen was honored for his pioneering work leading to the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi). The work on cosuppression and epigenetic gene silencing, conducted in plants by Jorgensen and his coworkers, significantly contributed to the present understanding of the scientific and practical importance of RNAi.
Founded in 1924, ASPB (formerly known as the American Society of Plant Physiologists) has a membership of approximately 5,000 plant scientists from the United States and more than 50 other nations. ASPB publishes two of the most widely cited plant science journals in the world, Plant Cell and Plant Physiology.
Richard A. Jorgensen, Department of Plant Sciences and BIO5 Institute, raj@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://www.aspb.org/awards/#fellows
6 DAIRY PRODUCTION CONFERENCE OCT. 11 IN PHOENIX
The annual Arizona Dairy Production Conference will be held on October 11 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Phoenix Airport at 3422 E. Ellwood in Phoenix.This year's event offers dairy operators the latest information from researchers nationwide on the following topics: international labor management; feeding strategies for high feed costs: milk, corn, and distillers grain prices; cost of raising Holstein steers in the desert Southwest; anaerobic digestion of livestock manure; developing a livestock manure biogas project; and methane digestion From a producers point of view.
The conference runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and includes lunch.
Laura Rittenbach, Department of Animal Sciences, ljr22@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/dairy
7 YOUTH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LESSON PLANS NOW AVAILABLE
With the rate of childhood obesity increasing nationwide, regular physical activity is more important than ever for youth. Faculty in the Arizona 4-H Youth Development program have developed a series of lesson plans devoted to a wide range of physical activities for children, teens and young adults.The "Youth Physical Activity Lesson Plans" collection includes everything from simple tag and ball toss games to lessons on field days, geocaching, hiking, orienteering and walking races. The idea is to encourage youth to include regular physical exercise in their regular day.
The lesson plans are available to download as a pdf file at the link below.
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1408/
8 NEW PUBLICATION ON RIPARIAN AREAS
Riparian areas are called "ribbons of life"--they are considered the most productive habitats in North America. By definition they are in close proximity to water. This also means that changes made to riparian areas have direct impacts on water quality.A new CALS publication, Understanding Arizona's Riparian Areas, is available as a downloadable pdf file (5.4 mb) at the link below. Illustrated throughout with color photos, maps and diagrams, the publication includes full descriptions of riparian areas and their importance to the landscape, along with hydrologic and stream processes, biological processes in riparian habitats, the influence of Arizona's climate, and the effect of human alterations on riparian areas.
George Zaimes, School of Natural Resources, zaimes@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1432.pdf
It's no surprise that fish and herbs go together on a dinner plate, but at the University of Arizona's Environmental Research Laboratory they also grow together quite well.
In a greenhouse "aquaponics" system that combines aquaculture with hydroponics, Nile tilapia swim in 250-gallon tanks (about 950 liters) linked to hydroponic growing beds planted with Genovese basil. The system conserves water and nutrients by circulating fish waste to the plants, which in turn filter the water that goes back to the fish.
To read the entire story from the Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station Report, go to the link below.
Joel Cuello, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, jcuello@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2006/article9_2006.pdf
10 ARIZONA PEST ALERT INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE
Insects, nematodes, diseases and weeds: updated regulatory information related to new and potential invasive pest threats in Arizona and the desert Southwest is available through the Arizona Crop Information Web site.The site offers updates on Asian citrus pysillid and the light brown apple moth, along with detection and control information for other invasive pests, and links to press releases.
Al Fournier, Maricopa Agricultural Center, fournier@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/crops/pesticides/pestalerts.html
Project CENTRL http://westernfarmpress.com/news/090407-Arizona-program/
Sweet Tomatoes http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:100034
Arizona Project WET http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/201075.php http://uanews.org/node/15883
Glass Winged Sharpshooter updates http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2007/09/17/news/doc46eac86211fdb316571428.txt
12 ARIZONA HIGHLANDS GARDENING CONFERENCE OCTOBER 11-12
Emerging plant viruses, landscape planning, planting a salsa garden, bugs in the garden and watercolor and gourd art techniques are some of the highlights of the eighth annual Arizona highlands garden conference. "The Go Native, How-To Gardening Conference" will be held October 11-12 at the Apache Gold Casino, five miles east of Globe in central Arizona.The conference is open to the public and will offer three concurrent sessions both days on high-country gardening and landscaping, including hands-on workshops.
Registration fees are $65 for one day or $125 for both days. Registration forms and other details are available at the link below.
Chris Jones, Gila County Cooperative Extension, ckjones@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/gila/horticulture
To find out about available CALS publications and upcoming events, go
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