The public is invited next week to provide input into the development of a statewide system by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) that will notify the public in advance of pesticide applications occurring near where people live, work or play.
The 2021-22 state budget allocated $10 million to DPR to begin the development of the tool, which will advance environmental justice and further protect public health by providing transparent and equitable access to information on the application of pesticides. This will, in turn, provide an opportunity for people to make their own decisions about any additional precautions they may want to take to protect their health.
“Our goal is to increase transparency and provide equitable access to information about pesticide applications,” said DPR Acting Director Julie Henderson. “This will provide an opportunity for the public to make their own decisions about additional health precautions they want to take to protect themselves and their families. We believe this is also an opportunity to strengthen the engagement between DPR, County Agricultural Commissioners and the communities we serve.”
The webinars are scheduled for:
Details are available on DPR’s website.
The input gathered through this webinar series, in addition to focus group discussions conducted in August 2021 with community members, regulatory agencies, growers, and regulated industries, will inform DPR’s design and development of the system.
DPR and the state’s 56 County Agricultural Commissioners work together to ensure compliance with pesticide laws and regulations, including operating strict enforcement programs, monitoring the use of restricted materials and fumigants, and penalizing illegal pesticide use. DPR’s current regulatory structure provides a strong and enforceable framework for the safe application of pesticides.
“The development of this system will build on DPR and California’s existing regulatory framework, providing the public with the opportunity to receive a real-time notification about pesticide applications occurring nearby,” said Henderson.
The development of this statewide system will include additional public workshops to collect input on the tool’s scope and design, development of a platform that is usable and accessible, and a formal regulatory process. The tool is anticipated to launch in 2023-24.
To learn more about the development of the tool, see DPR’s website.
To receive the latest updates via email, you can subscribe to DPR’s listserv.
California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s mission is to protect human health and the environment by fostering safer and sustainable pest management practices and operating a robust regulatory system to monitor and manage the sale and use of pesticides across the state. DPR’s work includes registering all pesticides sold or used in California, conducting scientific review and evaluation of pesticides to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health or the environment, monitoring for pesticides in the air and water, and enforcing pesticide regulations in coordination with 56 County Agriculture Commissioners and their 400 field inspectors. DPR also conducts outreach to ensure pesticide workers, farmworkers and local communities have access to safety information, and invests in innovative research to encourage the development and adoption of integrated pest management tools and practices. More information about DPR can be found at www.cdpr.ca.gov.
A local infestation of the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) has been detected in a residential area of Vacaville in Solano County. The pest is primarily a threat to grapevines because it can spread a fatal bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease (PD); however, the pest and disease can also impact susceptible types of citrus crops. Five adult GWSS were found Oct. 1 in traps set as part of a broad array designed specifically to detect this pest throughout areas of the state that are not infested. Additional traps have since been deployed at a higher density near those two initial detection sites, detecting approximately 35 additional GWSS. Visual surveys of plant material in the area have also detected egg masses in the same neighborhood. No GWSS or egg masses have been detected outside this immediate area.
Working with the Solano County Agricultural Commissioner’s office and others in the region, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is continuing to survey the area, inform local growers and the broader community, and develop appropriate next steps to eradicate this infestation.
If agricultural officials determine that pesticide treatments are necessary to eradicate this infestation, treatments would be made by ground equipment only and would consist of applications to the root zone and leaves/branches of the host plants to target adult GWSS and provide long-term, systemic protection against re-infestation. In previous eradication projects for this pest, properties with host plants within a 150-meter radius around each detection site were treated.
Residents of affected properties will be invited to a public meeting with officials from CDFA, the county agricultural commissioner’s office, the Department of Pesticide Regulation and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to address residents’ questions and concerns. Residents would be notified in writing at least 48 hours in advance of any treatment.
GWSS is an invasive and aggressive vector of PD, which is considered one of the most devastating diseases of grapevines in the world. It currently infests 12 California counties, with established populations across Southern California. While grapevines are the pest’s most famous target, other crops and ornamental plants such as almonds, citrus, stone fruit and various shade trees are also at risk from the PD’s strain of the bacterium.
For additional information and details on the infestation, please visit CDFA’s website here. — Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program
A tiny wasp may be the solution for managing an agricultural pest causing major economic damage to fruit, vegetable, and field crops in North America and Europe.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are currently studying Trissolcus japonicus, commonly known as the samurai wasp, to see if this parasitoid wasp is the right biological control agent for reducing brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (BMSB) populations outside of Asia.
Biological control is the process of reducing or mitigating pests or pathogens by using the pest’s or pathogen’s natural enemies. The samurai wasp is a known natural enemy for the BMSB in Asia, and researchers are understanding how it behaves in non-native environments.
At the ARS Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit in Newark, DE, researchers are observing the behaviors of both quarantined samurai wasps from Beijing and local wild populations. They found these wasps have a strong preference for parasitizing BMSB’s eggs.
“Parasitic wasps have the amazing ability to detect kairomones [chemical substances emitted by one organism and detected by another organism] that are left on surfaces or in the air of their hosts,” said Dr. Kim Hoelmer, research entomologist and research leader at the Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit.
“In the field, when a female samurai wasp looks for evidence of her host in the environment, she can detect her host’s kairomones left on a leaf’s surface. The wasp increases her search when she detects the kairomones and that increases her probability of finding the host.”
The research shows promise in that samurai wasps prefer their natural hosts’ eggs over those of other species.
This finding does not surprise researchers since it is common for parasitoid wasps to have close relationships with their hosts.
“The more intimate the relationship is, the better parasitoid wasps are as biocontrol agents,” said Dr. Matt Buffington, research entomologist with the ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory, located in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.
Buffington and postdoctoral ARS scientist Elijah Talamas were instrumental in correctly identifying the samurai wasp from other Trissolcus species.
“Parasitoid wasps play major roles in population regulation [of pests]. With this one species, we can explain how biological control works in our environment,” said Buffington.
But do samurai wasps exhibit the same behaviors in the wild?
In addition to laboratory studies, researchers are observing samurai wasps in natural environments, such as orchards and crop fields, where the BMSB is present. These wasps are adventive in North America, meaning they arrived accidentally without any human aid.
At the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, WV, researchers are studying how samurai wasps reduce BMSB populations across a landscape. The research aims to determine if samurai wasps can survive in areas with other agricultural factors such as pesticides.
According to research entomologist Dr. Tracy Leskey, BMSB populations can disperse and develop in areas outside of orchards and crop fields. The stink bugs constantly reinvade new areas, called wild host habitats, for survival.
“We hope that samurai wasps can reduce those populations in wild host habitats, so we have less pressure in our agricultural areas,” said Leskey.
The wasp is tiny; approximately 1.5 mm or the size of a sesame seed.
Even though the samurai wasp shows promise as a biological control agent, researchers must follow a rigorous process to ensure that the samurai wasp’s impact is limited to its host and is not a threat to animals, humans, and crops.
ARS researchers are in the process of requesting a permit for quarantined samurai wasps from Beijing to be approved for field release. Currently, wild populations of the samurai wasp are in 14 states. The permit would allow states without wild populations to use the wasp as a biocontrol agent for managing their BMSB populations. In addition, the permit would allow states with existing wild populations to introduce new samurai wasps in their management efforts.
BMSB has been detected in 47 states and four Canadian provinces. BMSB is responsible for crop damage costing millions of dollars each year. This pest is also causing agricultural damage abroad after its infestation in European countries.
Researchers from other ARS laboratories are also studying the samurai wasp, including the Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory in Tifton, GA, Horticultural Crop Research Laboratory in Corvallis, OR, Sino-American Biological Control Laboratory in Beijing, China, and USDA-ARS European Biological Control Laboratory in Montpellier, France. – By Jessica Ryan, USDA ARS Office of Communications
Save the date, Friday, November 11th for the annual Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo at the Big Fresno Fairgrounds. Held by Malcolm Media Ag Publishing in cooperation with California Ag Network, Pacific Nut Producer, American Vineyard, and California Fresh Fruit Magazines, it is the ultimate postharvest industry gathering place for regional grape, nut & tree fruit growers and crop advisors. Fresno is the number one Ag County in the state and the center of the Central Valley’s rich and diverse agricultural production. Nearly a thousand growers, PCAs and industry stakeholders attend this expo to enjoy State of the Almond, Pistachio, Walnut, Pecan, Tree Fruit, Raisin, Table & Wine Grape Industry presentations, Continuing Education Credited IPM seminars, great food & company, and an industry trade show featuring over a hundred Ag businesses.
This event is FREE to attend and wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of local industry associations, universities and our sponsors this year: Ag Access, Advancing Eco Agriculture, Almond Alliance of California, American Pistachio Growers, Blue White Robotics, Burchell Nursery, California Fresh Fruit Association, Dave Wilson Nursery, Duarte Nursery, Enterprise, Firman Pollen, Fresno State Viticulture & Enology, Jack Rabbit, JSC Agricultural Supply, Live Earth Products, Orchard Machinery Corporation, Phoenix Renewable Services, Phytech US, Preferred Employers Insurance, Saturas, Sun-Maid Growers, Sunridge Nurseries, Synagro, Wonderful Laboratories, and Wonderful Nurseries.
Online pre-registration for the event is now available HERE and includes the ability to preregister for any CE credits attendees would like to receive. 3 hours of PCA/PA/QAL/QAC credits have been approved for this event, with 5 hours of CCA credits pending.
Also new to this year’s program will be three special panel discussions: one featuring options & incentives for groundwater recharge with Chase Hurley from Triangle T Water District, Dave Krietemeyer from USDA-NRCS and growers Lucas Avila & Karun Samran. In a special presentation for raisin growers this year, Matthew Fidelibus from the UC Cooperative Extension will be discussing prospects of the newest DOV varieties with growers Austin Hubbell and Steven Cardoza. Aubrey Bettencourt from the Almond Alliance of California will also be leading a panel discussion on almond supply chain solutions and the upcoming Farm Bill impact on specialty crop agriculture. The USDA Farm Service Agency will also be conducting a brief workshop to assist growers in signing up for a new round of disaster aid, the tree & vine replant programs and other eligible programs. See the full program below for more details.
This event along with other Malcolm Media Ag Expos has generated nearly $150,000 in scholarship endowments for the agricultural programs at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Fresno State, Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Davis. Interested in exhibiting/sponsoring? Visit agexpo.biz/exhibit and give us a call at 559-298-6020 to see what options are still available.
Save the date, Tuesday, November 8th for the annual Tree & Vine Expo at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, in Turlock, California, the heart of North Valley wine grape, tree nut and fruit country. Held by Malcolm Media Ag Publishing in cooperation with California Ag Network, Pacific Nut Producer, American Vineyard, and California Fresh Fruit Magazines, it is the ultimate postharvest industry gathering place for regional grape, nut & tree fruit growers and crop advisors. Nearly a thousand growers, PCAs and industry stakeholders attend this expo to enjoy State of the Almond, Walnut, Pistachio & Wine Grape Industry presentations, Continuing Education Credited IPM seminars, great food & company, and an industry trade show featuring over a hundred Ag businesses.
This event is FREE to attend and wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of local industry associations, universities and our sponsors this year: Ag Access, Air Burners, Almond Alliance of California, Blue White Robotics, Dave Wilson Nursery, Duarte Nursery, Firman Pollen, JSC Agricultural Supply, Live Earth Products, Preferred Employers Insurance, Saturas, Turlock Irrigation District, Turrentine Brokerage, Wonderful Nurseries, and Yosemite Farm Credit.
Online pre-registration for the event is now available HERE and includes the ability to pre-register for any CE credits attendees would like to receive. 4 hours of PCA, PA, QAL and QAC credits have been approved for this event, with 4.5 hours of CCA credits pending.
Also new to this year’s program will be a special panel discussion led by Aubrey Bettencourt from the Almond Alliance of California covering almond supply chain solutions and the upcoming Farm Bill impact on specialty crop agriculture. The USDA Farm Service Agency will also be conducting a brief workshop to assist growers in signing up for a new round of disaster aid, the tree & vine replant programs and other eligible programs. See the full program below for more details.
This event along with other Malcolm Media Ag Expos has generated nearly $150,000 in scholarship endowments for the agricultural programs at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Fresno State, Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Davis. Interested in exhibiting/sponsoring? Visit agexpo.biz/exhibit and give us a call at 559-298-6020 to see what options are still available.
Plants regulate their growth and development using hormones, including a group called strigolactones that prevent excessive budding and branching. For the first time, scientists led by UC Riverside have synthesized strigolactones from microbes. The work is published in the open-access journal, Science Advances.
Strigolactones also help plant roots form symbiotic relationships with microorganisms that allow the plant to absorb nutrients from the soil. These two factors have led to agricultural interest in using strigolactones to control the growth of weeds and root parasites, as well as improving nutrient uptake.
These root-extruding compounds don’t come without risks. They also stimulate germination of witchweeds and broomrapes, which can cause entire crops of grain to fail, making thorough research essential prior to commercial development. Scientists are still learning about the physiological roles played by this diverse group of hormones in plants. Until recently, manufacturing pure strigolactones for scientific study has been difficult and too costly for agricultural use.
“Our work provides a unique platform to investigate strigolactone biosynthesis and evolution, and it lays the foundation for developing strigolactone microbial bioproduction processes as alternative sourcing,” said corresponding author Yanran Li, a UC Riverside assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering.
Together with co-corresponding author Kang Zhou at National University Singapore, Li directed a group that inserted plant genes associated with strigolactone production into ordinary baker’s yeast and nonpathogenic Escherichia colibacteria that together produced a range of strigolactones.
Producing strigolactones from yeast turned out to be very challenging. Although engineered yeast is known to modify the strigolactone precursor, called carlactone, it could not synthesize carlactone with any of the specific genes used by the researchers.
“This project started in early 2018, yet for over 20 months there was basically no progress. The gatekeeping enzyme DWRF27 is not functional no matter how we try in yeast,” Li said. “Kang developed a microbial consortium technique to produce a Taxol precursor in 2015 and that inspired this wonderful collaboration.”
The team turned toward E. coli, which had already been shown capable of producing carlactone. The carlactone it produced, however, was unstable and could not be further modified by engineered E. coli into any strigolactones. Li’s group managed to optimize and stabilize the carlactone precursor.
To their delight, when the yeast and bacteria were cultured together in the same medium, the E. coli and yeast worked as a team: E. coli made carlactone, and the yeast transformed it into various final strigolactone products. The method also produced enough strigolactones to extract and study. Using this platform, the group identified the function of multiple strigolactone biosynthetic enzymes, showing that sweet orange and grape have the potential to synthesize orobanchol-type strigolactones.
The team also engineered microbe metabolism to boost strigolactone production threefold to 47 micrograms per liter, enough for scientific study. Though commercial production of strigolactones is still a long way off, the new method for biosynthesizing them from a yeast-bacterium consortium will help scientists learn more about this important group of plant hormones, especially the enzymes involved.
Enzymes are protein catalysts and are responsible for modification of carlactone by yeast. Because carlactone is unstable, it cannot be purchased from commercial sources. As a result, many plant scientists have difficulty studying new enzymes that may work to transform carlactone into strigolactones.
“The new yeast-bacterium co-culture provides a convenient way for scientists to complete such works because the bacterium makes carlactone in situ,” Zhou said. “With discovery of more enzymes and optimization of the microbial consortium, we can manufacture strigolactones in quantity in the future.”
Li and Zhou were joined in the research by Sheng Wu, Anqi Zhou, and Alex Valenzuela of UC Riverside; and Xiaoqiang Ma at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. The paper, “Establishment of strigolactone-producing bacterium-yeast consortium,” is available here. — By Holly Ober, UC Riverside
Save the date, Friday, November 5th for the Sonoma Grape Expo at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds in Sonoma County, Malcolm Media’s premier event for North Coast Wine Grape Growers and PCAs. Held biennially in collaboration with American Vineyard Magazine, California Ag Network (and the Sonoma County Vineyard Technical Group this year), it is the ultimate postharvest regional gathering place for wine grape growers and crop advisors. Hundreds of growers, PCAs and industry stakeholders attend this expo to enjoy State of the Wine Grape Industry presentations with Allied Grape Growers and Turrentine Brokerage, Continuing Education Credited IPM seminars, great food & company, and an industry trade show featuring the North Coast’s most innovative vineyard technologies, products and services.
This event is FREE to attend and wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of local industry associations, universities and this year’s sponsors: Wonderful Nurseries, Live Earth Products, FieldIn, Belkorp Ag, Casa Cristal Nursery, Vineyard Industry Products, and the Sonoma County Vineyard Technical Group.
Online pre-registration for the event is now available HERE and includes the ability to pre-register for any CE credits attendees would like to receive. Three hours of PCA, PA, QAL, QAC and 4.5 hours of CCA credits have been approved for this event.
Also new to this year’s program will be a special panel discussion led by Jason Saling, President of the Sonoma County Vineyard Technical Group. In addition to wildfires and a challenging marketplace, the North Coast wine grape industry is under an increasing threat of invasive vineyard pests and diseases that need to be kept at bay. Saling and his associates will address the need for collaborative IPM strategies through a county wine grape pest control district. See the full program below for more details.
This event along with other Malcolm Media Ag Expos has generated nearly $150,000 in scholarship endowments for the agricultural programs at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Fresno State, Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Davis. Interested in exhibiting/sponsoring? Visit agexpo.biz/exhibit and give us a call at 559-298-6020 to see what options are still available.
Grower-Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) — Implementing effective disease and pest management strategies is a continual challenge for farmers. While these challenges are not new in agriculture, they impact more than just farmers. Lower yields due to disease and pest pressure affects farm employees and harvesting crews too and can also inhibit our ability to provide a steady supply of affordable and healthy produce to consumers.
Unfortunately, farmers of leafy greens are now dealing with the re-emergence of a damaging disease called thrips-vectored Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus or INSV. According to local farm advisors this increase in INSV is often accompanied by Pythium wilt infections, which is a relatively new problem in the region.
Lettuce fields are infected by INSV via thrips migrating in from infected host plants in the early spring. Fields infected by INSV cause stunting, yellowing, wilting of the outer leaves and eventual death for leafy greens. Currently, there are no effective treatments for INSV and Pythium wilt on organic and conventional lettuce farms.
To support farmers as they battle INSV, GSA created a new task force to identify major research questions, examine treatment strategies, develop treatment efficacy trials and build a grower education program specific to these diseases.
Mary Zischke, former Executive Director of the California Leafy Greens Research Board, was hired by GSA to lead and coordinate Task Force activities. In addition, to assist local farm advisors and help advance University of California cooperative research efforts, GSA added Jasmine Rodriguez to its team. Rodriguez is currently working toward her biology degree at California State University, Monterey Bay and also serves as a laboratory assistant for entomology research projects at the UC Cooperative Extension in Monterey County.
“Mary and Jasmine will provide our industry with the additional personnel resources and experience as we combat this complex disease and pest control problem,” says Christopher Valadez, GSA president.
To further expand resources and personnel, GSA has applied for a California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Block Grant. The grant would allow scientists to conduct multi-year field research trials assessing the effects of common crop rotation sequences, monitor Pythium wilt and INSV occurrence in commercial fields, conduct greenhouse studies to characterize the interactions between Pythium wilt and INSV in lettuce to understand their impacts on overall plant health and disease management.
If awarded the grant, the GSA team will work with researchers from California State University, Monterey Bay and U.S. Department of Ag, Agricultural Research Service in Salinas. Grant outcomes would include knowledge of the impact of crop rotation on Pythium wilt and thrips populations as well as the interplay between Pythium wilt and INSV and how to jointly manage them.
While GSA is hopeful the grant provides future resources, we will continue moving needed work forward to uncover potential answers and treatment strategies so farmers in our region can minimize losses. Farming equates to surmounting challenges and GSA is committed to supporting farmers as they face those challenges.
Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program — A significant number of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) detections in Kern County – more than 115 since this time last year – is a stark reminder to remain vigilant against the pest and the deadly disease it can spread, Huanglongbing (HLB). Last week, an adult ACP was confirmed from a commercial citrus trap in the east Edison area. This detection, along with two recent detections in Arvin residential properties, provides more urgency for growers with citrus east and south of Bakersfield to participate in the upcoming coordinated treatment.
The preferred timing of the treatment is mid-August through mid-September to prevent ACP populations from building on the fall foliar flush. Coordinated treatments like this were done during the same time period in 2018 and 2019 with great success in significantly suppressing ACP populations in commercial citrus orchards.
The San Joaquin Valley ACP/HLB Task Force recommends growers treat all commercial citrus orchards located south or east of Bakersfield – including young, non-bearing trees. For more information on ACP treatments and effective materials, see the University of California’s UCIPM Pest Management Guidelines for Asian Citrus Psyllid.
Past coordinated treatments in the county have been successful in suppressing ACP populations. By participating in this late summer/early fall treatment, Kern County can greatly reduce the number of psyllids, and thus reduce the risk of HLB being transmitted to our commercial citrus.
If you suspect ACP in your orchard, please notify the California Department of Food and Agriculture Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. For questions, contact Kern County Grower Liaison Judy Zaninovich at jsleslie@msn.com or 559-730-8691 or the Kern County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office at 661-868-6300.