CALS NewsLine from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED July 9, 2009 :
- WATER WISE RAINWATER HARVESTING TOUR JULY 11 IN SIERRA VISTA
- DANIEL BUNTING OFFERED NSF GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
- UA OFFERS WATERSHED STEWARD TRAINING IN PHOENIX
- EMPLOYEE Q&A: VETERINARIAN PEDER CUNEO
- EARN MASTER GARDENER STATUS WITH FALL COURSE IN PIMA COUNTY
- CALS PUBLICATIONS: JUNE/JULY
- USE SULFUR TO RECLAIM POOR DESERT SOILS
- CALS IN THE NEWS: JUNE/JULY
1 WATER WISE RAINWATER HARVESTING TOUR JULY 11 IN SIERRA VISTA
What do dogs, cats, vegetables and landscape plants have in common? They are all at sites featured on this year's Water Wise Rainwater Harvesting Tour. On July 11, three residential collection systems, four systems at the University of Arizona South and the first rainwater collection system on a city of Sierra Vista building--the animal center--will be open to show how to collect and use rainwater.
It is amazing that 60 gallons of water can be collected from a 1,000-square-foot surface in a rainfall of only one-tenth of an inch. If a 55-gallon barrel is under the downspout, it will soon overflow sending the collector on a search for more containers.
However, it is easy to collect more rain if containers are not practical or if a roof drains into a landscape. The soil becomes the storage vessel. Although stormwater can be abundant, remember that the average annual rainfall for the Sierra Vista area is only 15 inches and most of that either evaporates or runs off. Rain replenishes our drinking water supply so every drop collected counts and the soil is an excellent place to store it.
For a map and details, contact jwilliam@ag.arizona.edu or call (520) 458-8278, Ext. 2141.
Find out more in the July 2 edition of The Sierra Vista Herald at the link below.
Joyce Williams, Cochise County Cooperative Extension, jwilliam@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/07/02/news/doc4a4c5664a78a6392400016.txt
2 DANIEL BUNTING OFFERED NSF GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
Daniel Bunting, a graduate student in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, was offered the prestigious and highly competitive Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation in May 2009. As an NSF fellow Bunting will receive a $30,000 annual stipend for three years and more than $11,000 for tuition and travel.
He is currently in his second year of graduate studies at SNRE, working with assistant professor Shirley Kurc on his project "Using Existing Agricultural Infrastructure for Restoration Practices: Factors Influencing Successful Establishment of Cottonwood over Saltcedar."
Shirley Kurc, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, kurc@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.nsfgrfp.org/about_the_program
3 UA OFFERS WATERSHED STEWARD TRAINING IN PHOENIX
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension is seeking applicants for the Phoenix Master Watershed Steward Program to become volunteers who share their knowledge about water issues.
The course, which has not been available in the Phoenix metropolitan area for the past two years, enables participants to get involved with local water resources while learning how to make more informed decisions related to their own land, community and watersheds.
According to Summer Waters, assistant agent of water resources at the UA Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, individuals that complete the course enjoy opportunities to work with community organizations--including watershed partnerships and state agencies--to implement projects that monitor, maintain and restore the health of Arizona's watersheds.
"Ongoing volunteer projects include photopoint monitoring in the Tonto National Forest and Saguaro National Park, riparian assessments along urban and preserved corridors and outreach at Arizona Project WET Water Festivals," Waters said. "Graduates of this class will also have the opportunity to volunteer as docents at the new Rio Salado Audubon center."
This intensive 10-week course will educate and train participants about local watershed issues and water resources in Arizona.
Read more (including information about application deadlines) in the July 6 issue of UANews at the link below.
Summer Waters, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, swaters@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/26286
4 EMPLOYEE Q&A: VETERINARIAN PEDER CUNEO
Driving near Campbell Avenue and Roger Road, the green and picturesque Campbell Avenue Farm, with its cattle and grazing horses, makes it feel for a moment like you've left Tucson. But not only is it a part of Tucson, it's part of The University of Arizona's 180-acre Campus Agricultural Center, home to three greenhouse complexes, a 300-animal dairy research center, an equine teaching and research facility, beef cattle research facilities and more. Charged with caring for the farm's large animals is Peder Cuneo, the UA's extension veterinarian and associate director of University Animal Care.
Read more about Cuneo and his work in the July 1 edition of University Communications' Lo Que Pasa.
Peder Cuneo, Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, cuneo@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://lqp.arizona.edu/node/1593
5 EARN MASTER GARDENER STATUS WITH FALL COURSE IN PIMA COUNTY
You, too, can become a master gardener. All it takes, says the Pima County Cooperative Extension, is the desire to learn and help others. The learning takes place through a 50-hour training course featuring instrution in a range of topics from basic plant science to water conservation.
After that, master-gardener hopefuls serve internships supervised by qualified MGs. Upon completion of 50 hours of volunteer service, interns are then certified.
Classes are 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 15-Nov. 24. August 1 is the deadline for applying to the Master Gardener Program, and the course fee is $150.
To obtain an application or for more information, contact the Pima County Cooperative Extension office at (520) 626-5161, or (520) 648-0808 in Green Valley.
The above notice appeared in the June 21 issue of the Arizona Daily Star's "at Home" section.
Francine Correl, Pima County Cooperative extension, fcorrel@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/athome/297614
6 CALS PUBLICATIONS: JUNE/JULY
DIAGNOSING HOME CITRUS PROBLEMS
Split fruit, streaked leaves, stunted growth--what's going on with your citrus tree? A new Arizona Cooperative Extension bulletin offers a collection of symptoms and solutions, accompanied by full-color photos. You can check problems of fruit, leaves, branches, the trunk or the entire tree.
Go to http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1492.pdf
Glenn Wright, Yuma Agricultural Center, gwright@ag.arizona.edu
COMANDRA BLISTER RUST
Comandra blister rust is a native disease in Arizona on ponderosa pine. It also occurs on Mondell pine, a pine species introduced for landscapes and Christmas tree production in Arizona. Comandra blister rust can cause death of ponderosa saplings, but it is not an important disease of mature ponderosa trees. However, infections kill Mondell pine, and they should not be planted within a mile of Comandra.
The alternate host for the rust is Comandra pallida, for which the disease is named. Comandra pallida, commonly called bastard toadflax, is a small herbaceous perennial plant found in close association with oak. It has small light pink flowers in terminal clusters and nutlike fruit. It is found throughout Arizona at elevations of 4,000- 8,000 ft.
A newly revised Cooperative Extension bulletin, "Comandra Blister Rust" describes the life cycle of Comandra blister rust disease and how to prevent and control it.
Go to http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/diseases/az1310.pdf
Mary Olson, Division of Plant Pathology, molsen@ag.arizona.edu
COTTON (TEXAS) ROOT ROT
Cotton Root Rot occurs throughout the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is easily recognized in infected cotton in late summer by large areas of dead plants, hence its common name. It is most common in the low desert areas where winters are mild, but also occurs at higher elevations, up to at least 5000 ft, where susceptible plants are introduced. Disease occurs in different soil types and in areas as diverse as the low lying flood plains of rivers and washes of central and western Arizona and the higher grassland hills of southern Arizona. It has an extremely wide host range and has been reported as a pathogen of over 2000 dicotyledonous plants.
Find out more about this disease in a newly revised Cooperative Extension bulletin, "Cotton (Texas) Root Rot." The guide covers identification and control, and includes a chart of plants that are susceptible, tolerant or immune to the disease.
Go to http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/diseases/az1150.pdf
Mary Olsen, Division of Plant Pathology, molsen@ag.arizona.edu
GROWING GRAIN SORGHUM IN ARIZONA
Grain sorghum (milo) is a warm season, annual grain crop. It is more resistant to salt, drought, and heat stress than most other crops. Nevertheless, highest yields are obtained when stresses are minimized.
Grain sorghum hybrids can be classified as short, medium or full season. Medium and medium-full season hybrids are grown in Arizona as a general rule. Short season hybrids do not have the yield potential to be profitable under Arizona's growing conditions.
To start your own crop, read more from Arizona Cooperative Extension's recent bulletin, "Growing Grain Sorghum in Arizona." The publication covers planting, fertilizing, irrigating, weed, pest and disease control, and harvesting.
Go to http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1489.pdf.
Mike Ottman, Department of Plant Sciences, mottman@ag.arizona.edu
7 USE SULFUR TO RECLAIM POOR DESERT SOILS
While it is found on just about every nursery or garden center shelf in Arizona, elemental sulfur may be one of the least understood of all gardening products available today. Here are a few tips for using it correctly.
In gardening, elemental sulfur has two main uses. The first use is as a nutrient or fertilizer for plants growing in sulfur-poor soils. The second use is as a soil additive to help reclaim poor quality soils and irrigation waters. Elemental sulfur, or soil sulfur as it is sometimes called, can play an important role in maintaining good plant health in desert soils, but it must be used correctly for best results.
First, the good news: Most desert soils in Arizona possess sufficient sulfur for good plant growth and there rarely is a need to specifically add sulfur as a fertilizer in home gardens and landscapes. This occurs as the native rocks break down during the weathering cycle releasing sulfur and other nutrients into the soil environment where they are picked up by the roots of plants and used in the process of growth and development.
In low sulfur soils, such as artificial potting soils, plant deficiency symptoms include a light green color of younger leaves with occasional dead spots in the leaf tissue. Unfortunately, these symptoms are also similar for other nutrient deficiencies and are easily confused. In these cases, an all-purpose complete fertilizer enhanced with micro nutrients may be a good choice for good plant health.
Read more from the June 1 edition of the Tri-Valley Dispatch at http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20320964&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=230743&rfi=6
Rick Gibson, Pinal County Cooperative Extension, gibsonrd@ag.arizona.edu
SIGNS OF INFECTION SEEN IN JAGUAR
To taxidermist Marc Plunkett, the liquid streaming from Macho B's left hip "looked like a volcano of pus coming out." Plunkett was describing what he saw when he skinned the dead jaguar's body so the hide could be preserved for future displays. To his eye, the fluids pouring through a three-quarter-inch-sized hole in the hip were clear signs of an infection--an infection that until now had not been publicly reported by any agency involved in the death or investigation of Macho B's death.
Plunkett and two outside wildlife medical specialists agreed that such an infection could have been a key to understanding what caused this country's last known wild jaguar to slow down and ultimately stop moving a week after the Arizona Game and Fish Department captured, radio-collared and released him on Feb. 18 south of Arivaca. The animal, age 15 or 16, was recaptured and euthanized March 2 after Phoenix Zoo veterinarians determined he had incurable kidney failure.
But Plunkett and other experts disagree as to whether the hole and the eruption of fluid were caused by a natural infection or by the dart that pierced the jaguar's left rump--a few inches below that hip--with an anesthetic after Game and Fish technicians found the animal in a snare trap.
Read more, including comments from UA veterinary research scientist Sharon Dial,
in the July 7 issue of the Arizona Daily Star at http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/299932
Sharon Dial, Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, sdial@email.arizona.edu
GRANDPARENTS RAISING KIDS ARE ADAPTING TO THE DIGITAL AGE
They don't know the difference between Tweeting and texting. But a growing number of Tucson grandparents now raising their grandchildren are trying to get up to speed with modern adolescence and the technology that dominates this generation.
As if the challenge of parenting for a second time isn't sufficiently daunting, the grandparents have to monitor online chats, social networks and numerous gizmos and gadgets. The digital age means the generation gap between today's kids and many of their custodial grandparents is wider than ever.
Mary Melissa Brooks says it's as if her life's script has been flipped. "I was single . . . traveling, doing my thing," she says of life before she took over the rearing of her granddaughters seven years ago. "My life changed (as) different as night and day."
Brooks, 56, says it took more than three years to get her granddaughters--now ages 9 and 7--to the point where they were stable and healthy after being separated from their mother.
Read more from the July 6 issue of the Arizona Daily Star at http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/299796
For information on Arizona Cooperative Extension's role in the K.A.R.E. program in southern Arizona, see http://ag.arizona.edu/grandparents/southern/kare/index.html
and http://ag.arizona.edu/grandparents/southern/resource_book/welcome2.html
Linda Block, Pima County Cooperative Extension, lblock@ag.arizona.edu
TIME CAPSULE: DON'T HAVE A COW, HAVE THREE
[Fifteen years ago] it probably was not as rare as a white buffalo, but the odds of triplet cows were one in every 16,800 live births. Born on the Fourth of July, this Holstein trio made its debut at the University of Arizona Dairy Farm on July 6, 1994. Jamie Anderson, supervisor of the dairy farm, joined Suzanne Torsheya and Kendra Williams in helping the calves' mom by feeding the youngsters a preparation that was high in sugar and protein.
Read more from the July 6 issue of the Arizona Daily Star at http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/299818
PRUNE PLANTS THE RIGHT WAY IN HOT WEATHER
Pruning trees during their growth period seems counter-intuitive to most home gardeners, but that's what a master gardener suggests for taking care of desert trees in July.
Recent studies at the University of Arizona show that desert trees--among them, mesquite, desert willow and palo verde--recover from pruning better in the summer because they grow quickly, says Nancy McCue, master gardener coordinator at the University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension.
"They heal much better when we prune in the heat. They do recover quicker," says McCue, a master gardener for 10 years.
When pruning a young desert tree, leave shoots growing low on the trunk for one year to strengthen it. Cut those shoots soon after to avoid creating a multi-trunk tree. Unlike wild desert trees, those bought from nurseries have begun training to grow a single one, says McCue.
Read more from the July 5 Arizona Daily Star article at http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/related/299336.php
STUDY: ONE IN 10 KIDS BULLIED ONLINE
Nearly 10 percent of children are bullied by electronic means such as text messages, with girls more likely to be victims, U.S. researchers said.
The study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found bullying remains much more common in person, with large numbers of kids continuing to harass one another by spreading rumors, turning fellow students into outcasts and intimidating others through words and violence. Thirteen percent of students said others physically bullied them -- hit, kicked, pushed or shoved them or locked them indoors.
Stephen Russell, director of the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth & Families at the University of Arizona, said there was a bright spot in the study--the findings suggest parents have the power to prevent kids from bullying or being bullied.
Read more from the June 29 issue of YellowBrix, Inc. at http://www.1003thepeak.com/cc-common/news/sections/lifestylearticle.html?feed=104774&article=5671091
Stephen Russell, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, strussell@arizona.edu
LETTUCE TRAILS
A head of lettuce can have a long journey from the field to your salad bowl, but a new locally developed project can tell you just where that lettuce came from, providing a safer way to regulate the leafy green industry.
The project by the University of Arizona Yuma County Cooperative Extension uses a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and GPS technology to store and transmit information about the crop.
This results in almost instant traceback of leafy greens. That way, if there's ever a health scare associated with the crop, shippers will be able to tell where it came from, making it safer for consumers.
"This is a huge thing in terms of novel creativity and innovation in terms of traceback in the world," said Kurt Nolte, Extension director and project leader.
As the lettuce is cut, it's loaded into boxes to be shipped. The boxes have a sticker with the RFID tag. The tag has what Nolte calls essentially a "thumb drive," about the size of a pinhead, where it stores information. Then, as the box travels on a conveyor belt, it passes under an antenna that records the information associated with the crop, he said.
Read more from the June 27 issue of The Yuma Sun at http://www.yumasun.com/articles/lettuce-51083-project-crop.html
Kurt Nolte, Yuma County Cooperative Extension, knolte@ag.arizona.edu
COW THERMONITOR: DATA LOGGERS INSTALLED TO GIVE UK-WIDE PICTURE
Knowing the ambient temperature and humidity around dairy cows can help farmers and consultants optimise cow comfort and production--but data is often either not available or difficult to analyse.
That is why Farmers Guardian has teamed up with Zinpro Performance Minerals for this new UK-wide project.
Four data loggers have been placed at dairy farms in the North, South, East and West of the country and will automatically take temperature and humidity readings every 15 minutes.
Every fortnight, these details will be downloaded and cross-referenced against the internationally accepted heat stress chart developed by the University of Arizona.
Read more from the June 26 issue of Farmers Guardian at http://www.farmersguardian.com/story.asp?sectioncode=29&storycode=27114
The temperature and humidity index originally developed at The University of Arizona by Dennis Armstrong and Frank Wiersma was recently updated by Rosemarie Zimbleman and Robert Collier.
Robert Collier, Department of Animal Sciences, rcollier@ag.arizona.edu
AG INSTITUTE FLAUNTS VERDE VINES, FARMS AND RANCHES
One of the organizations dedicated to overcoming our collective ignorance of what it takes to put food on the table is the University of Arizona's Cooperative Extension.
Not only do they offer a wide range of educational opportunities for the general public, but they also offer an intensive agricultural education program, specifically geared towards educators.
They call it the "Summer Agricultural Institute." For five days, a group of 30 or so teachers from throughout the state are given the opportunity to hop a bus and see what is really taking place in Arizona's agricultural scene.
However, it is more than a bus ride. It is a chance to get out of the classroom and see how farms, ranches, vineyards and a variety of related agricultural businesses operate.
In short, it is five days of real world education that can be taken back to the classroom.
Read more from the June 16 issue of the CVBugle (Camp Verde Bugle)
at http://campverdebugleonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=23444
Gerry Parker, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, parkerg@cals.arizona.edu
STUDENTS EAGER FOR AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS
Freshman and sophomore students interested in welding, woodworking, gardening and raising animals are looking forward to Campo Verde High School's agriculture program.
The Gilbert Unified School District's fifth high school will open on Aug. 10 to freshmen and sophomores, and the school already has a greenhouse, a large classroom with new technology, and a grassy couple of acres of land for future barns and stalls to raise award-winning show animals, said Jenna Clark, Campo Verde's agriculture teacher, who taught at Desert Ridge High School last year.
"I got involved in agriculture programs (at her alma mater, Chandler High School) because I couldn't have an animal at my home," said Clark, who received her agriculture technology management degree with a teaching emphasis from the University of Arizona in 2008.
Read more from the June 13 issue of the East Valley Tribune at http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/296910.php
Billye Foster, Department of Agricultural Education, billye@ag.arizona.edu
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