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Does livestock grazing benefit organic crops? Multistate research team explores impacts

To see if livestock grazing is beneficial in organic farming, or poses food safety risks, multistate research partners received a nearly $1 million grant from the USDA to study the impacts of livestock grazing cover crops on the bacterial population dynamics, soil building, and environmental health. Professor Amelie Gaudin, Plant Sciences, is part of the research team.

Resources for Small Grain Management: UC Small Grains Blog

The annual small grain field day and other field-based activities were cancelled due to COVID-10, so Mark Lundy and colleagues are sharing digital resources related to nitrogen fertilizer management in small grains, small grain variety evaluation, and leaf and canopy meters to measure the N status of crops. Also posted are virtual field tours of small grain variety evaluation plots.

UC Davis Releases 6 New Varieties of Organic Beans

The Department of Plant Sciences has released six new varieties of organic dry beans which are higher yielding, and are resistant to bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), a disease that prevents bean plants from maturing promptly and uniformly. Spearheading the project were Ph.D. candidate Travis Parker, Distinguished Professor Paul Gepts, and Charlie Brummer, professor and director of the Plant Breeding Center at UC Davis.

Soil Health Practices Show Economic and Ecological Benefits

California organic farmers are sharing information about their efforts to combine reduced tillage with the use of cover crops on their vegetable farms to protect and improve soil health while adding carbon and diversity to their production systems. Jeff Mitchell, Plant Sciences, UC Davis, is spearheading this ongoing project.

Conservation Agriculture Key in Meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals

Conservation agriculture is key in meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals. A new analysis shows benefits of conservation agriculture to crop performance, water efficiency, and climate action in South Asia. JK Ladha, an adjunct professor in Plant Sciences, UC Davis, is co-author of the Nature Sustainability article.

Almond Orchard Recycling a Climate-Smart Strategy

Recycling trees onsite can sequester carbon, save water and increase crop yields, making it a climate-smart practice for California’s irrigated almond orchards. Professor Amelie Gaudin, Plant Sciences, UC Davis, worked with postdocs, grad students, and Cooperative Extension colleagues.

Mexican corn to feed poor nations?

Can an ancient corn from Mexico help feed people in developing regions around the world? Allen Van Deynze and other researchers at UC Davis and Northern California, and in Mexico, have been working hard to answer that question.

Wildfire Perceptions Largely Positive After Hiking in a Burned Landscape

When hikers returned to UC Davis Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve in 2016, a year after the Wragg wildfire, many expected to see a devastated landscape. They did, but many were also energized about the new changes they saw. Allie Weill, then a graduate student with Professor Andrew Latimer, Plant Sciences, published a paper on this.

Elephants Reverse the Depletion by Cattle of Soil Carbon and Nutrient Pools

Truman Young, Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis, co-authored an article showing that megaherbivores (elephants) mitigate the negative effects of cattle on tropical African savanna rangelands, where wild herbivore populations are declining. He is project director of the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE), the most productive field experiment in Africa, and the site of this research.

Effectiveness and Impacts of Dust Control Measures for Owens Lake

A new NAS report finds innovative approaches for dust control are needed at Owens Lake, California, to improve air quality, reduce water use, and preserve habitats. Professor Valerie Eviner, Plant Sciences, UC Davis, serves on the Owens Lake Scientific Advisory Panel (OLSAP) to assess how to manage Owens Lake.

Taking a Byte Out of Big Data in Farming

Troy Magney, Dept. of Plant Sciences, is using methods such as hyperspectral imaging – a remote sensing technique – to measure plant water stress, nutrient status, biomass, and photosynthesis in order to make informed decisions about water and fertilizer management. This is important for global agriculture in the future.