Backyard Orchard News
Drones are used for research and land management; do you want to learn how to use drones?
Jeffery Dahlberg, director of UC ANR Kearney Agricultural Research & Extension Center (KARE), specializing in plant breeding and genetics, is working with drones to collect data for one of his sorghum programs. Work will continue the development of field scale drought nurseries at both KARE and West Side Research & Extension Center (WSREC) under a DOE ARPA-e funded project that utilizes drone technology to phenotype sorghum lines on a weekly basis as they are stressed under pre- and post-flowering drought stress. Research will continue this coming summer to gather additional phenotypic data, along with heat stress measurements and soil moisture monitoring. These nurseries are part of an effort to identify genes that are expressed under different field stress conditions and relate them to sorghum's ability to withstand and recover from stress.
If you are interested in learning how to use drones for research and land management, you may want to explore attending the UCANR Informatics and GIS Program's Dronecamp July 25-27, 2017 at UCANR in Davis, Calif., the application period is March 1 – April 15, 2017. Dronecamp costs $500 for UC affiliates (UC employees and enrolled students), and $900 for non-UC participants. Dronecomp is designed for participants with little or no experience in drone technology, and want to learn how to use drones for mapping applications. The intensive workshop covers drone science; safety and regulations; mission planning; flight operations; data processing; data analysis; visualization; and the latest trends and technology. Read more.
Educating the Public About the Bees: Beekeepers Meet the Public at Cal Ag Day
"How are the bees doing this year?" That was the most commonly asked question at the California...
Staffing the CSBA booth and answering questions about bees are (from left) Bernardo Niño of the E. L. Niño Lab, Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; Eric Mussen, California Extension apiculturist emeritus, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; and Carlen Jupe, CSBA treasurer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Among those staffing the CSBA booth were (from left) Karli Quinn, CSBA associate director; Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist emeritus, UC Davis; Gini and Steve Godlin of Visalia (he is the president of CSBA); Bernardo Niño of the E. L. Niño Lab, UC Davis; and Carlen Jupe, CSBA treasurer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bees proved a big attraction at the California State Beekeepers' Association booth at Cal Ag Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A visitor photographs the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. observation hive at California Agriculture Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Congrats, UC Davis Ecologist Louie Yang
Congratulations, Louie Yang! The ecologist, an associate professor, UC Davis Department of...
Ecologist/associate professor Louie Yang (right) chats with students Geoffey Osgood (far left), animal biology major and Ryan Schemrich, entomology major. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Big Butterfly-and-Bee Day at the Bohart
It was a big butterfly-and-bee day at the Bohart. Despite other major attractions--including the...
Entomologist Jeff Smith, who curates the butterfly and moth display at the Bohart, shows South American rainforest butterflies, Preponas, in the genus Archaeoprepona to butterfly-bee enthusiast Ria deGrassi of Davis. (Photos by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Davis resident Ria deGrassi talks about finding an unusual bee in her yard. At left are Robbin Thorp (foreground), UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas (next to him).
Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, displays a male Valley carpenter bee, aka "teddy bear." He assured visitors: "Boy bees can't sting."
A visitor stops to read a poster at the close of the Bohart Museum open house.
Aphids--It's What's for Dinner!
"Well, yes, I would like some aphids for dinner," said every lady beetle (aka ladybug)...
A multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, chows down on an aphid while other aphids suck juices from the rosebud. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A multicolored Asian lady beetle on a rain-soaked rose leaf on the first day of spring, March 20, in Vacaville, Calif. Note the aphids below the beetle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Rain-soaked lady beetle eggs on the first day of spring, March 20, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)