California Ag Network

Tag: Sustainable Agriculture

  • UC Davis Opens Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation

    The University of California, Davis, celebrated the grand opening of the Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation.

    Made possible by philanthropic support, including a lead transformative gift from Lynda and Stewart Resnick, through their foundation in 2022, the new center is housed within the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The center builds on the university’s longstanding global leadership in agriculture with a focus on translating research into real-world impact.

    “This center represents the best of UC Davis, uniting our strengths in agriculture, engineering and environmental sciences to address challenges facing communities across California and around the world,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “We are deeply grateful to Lynda and Stewart for their partnership and support, which expand research opportunities and drive solutions that will shape the future of agriculture.”

    Students, faculty, staff, donors and industry partners joined university leaders May 19 to celebrate the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, open house and tours.

    “Lynda and I have always believed that growing more food with fewer resources is one of the most important things we can do,” said Stewart Resnick, chairman of The Wonderful Company. “UC Davis is the leading ag university in the country, and we all have a stake in giving them everything they need to continue leading on this important work. This center will train the next generation, drive practical solutions, and get this urgently needed progress to growers and communities around the world.”

    The Resnick Center reflects a broader commitment from the couple and their foundation, whose $50 million gift to UC Davis in 2022 included $40 million for the facility and $10 million to establish the Resnick Agricultural Innovation Research Fund, advancing research into sustainable uses for agricultural byproducts. Stewart Resnick also serves on the Chancellor’s Board of Advisors, underscoring the Resnicks’ longstanding commitment to the university and its mission.

    The 34,000-square-foot facility includes hands-on learning in an innovative and immersive environment that connects education to research and discovery. Experts across disciplines will work in labs equipped with robotics, sensors, data science and artificial intelligence — technologies transforming how agriculture is managed and scaled. Research efforts will focus on making agricultural systems more resilient, developing advanced technologies, maximizing sustainability through water and energy efficiencies, and expanding access to nutritious food.

    “The new Resnick Center strengthens our ability to integrate research, teaching and extension in ways that directly serve California and beyond,” said Ashley M. Stokes, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “It creates a dynamic environment where discovery, learning and community engagement come together — accelerating innovation, deepening partnerships with industry, and translating knowledge into real-world solutions. The design and flexibility of the space allow us to reimagine ideas and respond with agility to the evolving needs of our communities.”

    The center will incorporate specialized labs and equipment that bolster efforts to transform agricultural byproducts into useable materials. This work is supported by the annual competitive research grants funded by the Resnicks, through their foundation.

    Over the past three years, UC Davis researchers have explored how agricultural waste — including discarded hulls and shells from California’s iconic specialty crops like almonds, pistachios and pomegranates — can be repurposed as soil amendments, sustainable food products and low-cost industrial materials. The new facility will allow for widespread exploration of even more agricultural crops and potential uses.

    In addition to experiential learning opportunities, the facility houses The Wonderful Scholar Center, a student success hub that offers academic and career advising for more than 50 students who are attending UC Davis on a Wonderful Scholarship. With a commitment to supporting first-generation students, the Resnicks, their foundations and The Wonderful Company have awarded over 3,500 scholarships of up to $40,000, providing mentorship and tutoring support with dedicated coaches, and equipping students with the tools to succeed in college and beyond.

    “As a first-generation college student who grew up around agriculture, I came to UC Davis with a deep appreciation of what farming families are up against. The Wonderful Scholarship brought me here, and this center has shown me how research, innovation, and policy all have to work together to change the future of agriculture,” said Jose Gomez, Wonderful Scholar and second-year political science major. “What the Resnicks have built isn’t just a building. It’s a bridge across disciplines — driving research, innovation, and people forward. I intend to spend my life serving others and advancing solutions that strengthen our communities.”

    “Today marks the beginning of a new era,” Chancellor May said. “The discoveries made inside this building will extend into farms, fields, and communities around the globe, shaping a more resilient and sustainable future for agriculture.” — Story by Courtney Tompkins, UC Davis

  • Fertilizer Additives Market Expected to Generate $3.82 Billion by 2031

    The Global Fertilizer Additives Market Size is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.54% from 2024 to 2031, according to a new report published by Verified Market Research®. The report reveals that the market was valued at USD 2.89 Billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 3.82 Billion by the end of the forecast period.

    Global Fertilizer Additives Market Overview

    Sustainable Agriculture Practices Driving Demand: With the global agricultural sector increasingly prioritizing sustainability, the utilization of fertilizer additives to reduce nutrient loss and environmental repercussions is growing. These additives augment fertilizer efficacy, resulting in enhanced crop yields and a less environmental impact. This transition is prompting governments and agribusinesses to invest in novel additions, hence expediting the expansion of the Fertilizer Additives Market.

    Rising Population and Food Demand: The burgeoning worldwide population is driving an increased demand for food production. Fertilizer additions are essential for optimizing agricultural productivity by enhancing nutrient uptake and inhibiting fertilizer breakdown. This market driver is anticipated to enhance investments in agricultural technologies, establishing a robust growth trajectory for the Fertilizer Additives Market as farmer’s endeavor to address food security challenges.

    Technological Advancements in Additive Formulations: Innovations in additive formulations are transforming the Fertilizer Additives Market by providing sophisticated solutions that enhance fertilizer stability, nutrient accessibility, and application efficacy. These technical innovations are drawing industry leaders aiming to maintain competitiveness in a progressively demanding market. Companies engaging in research and development to create next-generation additives are strategically positioned to exploit this increasing demand.

    To Purchase a Comprehensive Report Analysis: https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/select-licence?rid=22886

    High Production Costs of Fertilizer Additives: The sophisticated technologies and specific components utilized in the production of fertilizer additives frequently result in elevated manufacturing expenses. This may restrict market penetration, especially in developing areas where cost-effectiveness is paramount. Although major agribusinesses may implement these advances, smaller farms may struggle to justify the costs, thus hindering the overall expansion of the Fertilizer Additives Market.

    Stringent Regulatory Frameworks: The worldwide initiative for environmental sustainability has resulted in more stringent rules regarding chemical fertilizers and their additives. This fosters environmentally sustainable practices; nonetheless, managing intricate regulatory obligations may hinder product development and elevate compliance expenses for enterprises. This constraint can impede market growth, particularly for firms functioning in areas with stringent regulatory environments in the Fertilizer Additives Market.

    Limited Awareness in Developing Regions: Despite the advantages of fertilizer additions, insufficient understanding among farmers in underdeveloped nations serves as a market constraint. Numerous small-scale farmers persist in utilizing conventional fertilizers, oblivious to the efficiency enhancements that additives can provide. The deficiency of information, combined with limited access to advanced agricultural inputs, may impede the growth potential of the Fertilizer Additives Market, particularly in rural regions with restricted access to current farming methods.

    Geographical Dominance

    The Asia-Pacific region occupies a preeminent position in the Fertilizer Additives Market owing to its extensive agricultural sector and increasing food demand driven by a burgeoning population. China and India are significant providers, bolstered by enhanced governmental measures promoting sustainable agricultural techniques. This dominance stimulates market expansion as the region invests in sophisticated agricultural technologies, increasing demand for effective fertilizer additives and providing possibilities for global firms to enhance their presence.

    Key Players

    The “Global Fertilizer Additives Market” study report will provide a valuable insight with an emphasis on the global market. The major players in the market are KAO Corporation, BASF SE, Filtra Catalysts & Chemicals Ltd.¸Arrmaz, Forbon Technology, Olsa Group, Clariant, Novochem Group, Amit Trading Ltd, Chemipol, Michelman, Corteva Agriscience, Lignostar.

    Fertilizer Additives Market Segment Analysis

    Based on the research, Verified Market Research has segmented the global Fertilizer Additives Market into Function, Application and Geography.

    • Fertilizer Additives Market, by Function:
      • Anticaking Agents
      • Antifoaming Agent
      • Corrosion Inhibitors
      • Dedusting Agent
      • Hydrophobic Agent
    • Fertilizer Additives Market, by Application:
      • Ammonium Nitrate
      • Urea
      • Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP)
      • Bio-based Fertilizer
      • Diammonium Phosphate
      • Triple Super Phosphate
      • Ammonium Sulfate
    • Fertilizer Additives Market, by Geography
      • North America
        • U.S
        • Canada
        • Mexico
      • Europe
        • Germany
        • France
        • U.K
        • Rest of Europe
      • Asia Pacific
        • China
        • Japan
        • India
        • Rest of Asia Pacific
      • ROW
        • Middle East & Africa
        • Latin America

  • UC Davis Bee Haven Coordinator Receives Research Grant

    Samantha Murray, education and garden coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven and a bee specialist, has just received a grant from the El Dorado Beekeepers (EDB) to support her research on how nutritional supplements affect honey bee health and colony performance.

    Jim Guilliams, president of EDB, and his wife, Debbie Katz, secretary of EDB, recently toured The Haven — the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology’s half-acre public demonstration garden on Bee Biology Road — and presented her with a check.

    Samantha Murray, education coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven and a bee specialist, receives a research grant from Jim Guilliams, President of the El Dorado Beekeepers. At left is UC Davis bee scientist and Bee Haven director Elina Lastro Niño.

    “I’ll be investigating how different dietary supplements influence the health and survival of caged honey bees, with the goal of generating insights that can be applied to colony-level management,” Murray said. “The project will track bee health, survival, and feed intake. Findings will be shared with beekeepers and used to help improve practical beekeeping strategies that enhance colony health, productivity, and resilience against environmental and disease-related stressors.”

    “Bee losses nationwide are particularly bad this year,” according to UC Davis Bee Haven Director Elina Lastro Niño, professor of UC Cooperative Extension, Apiculture; a key member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) faculty; and the founder and director of the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP). “This past winter the nation’s beekeepers lost 1.1 million bee colonies. Since 2006, beekeepers have reported average annual colony losses of up to, and in some cases above 50 percent, threatening the stability of our food supply.”

    Guilliams, a 30-year beekeeper who has achieved the journey level of CAMBP,  the second highest level, said that “Promoting science driven education is very important to our bees and beekeepers. Too much unproven information is being dispersed throughout our communities which increases mortality among all our bee populations.  We are happy to support projects from the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, the leader in our region in the field of entomology and bee research.”

    Guilliams described Murray’s grant submission as “outstanding,” adding that “her research topic is centered on nutritional supplements and how they affect honey bee health.  The outcome of this research will contribute to healthier colonies with higher survivorship. We are happy to award our 2025 research grant for $1000 to Samantha, and we thank her for doing this important work.”

    EDB is a 501(3) (C) organization providing science-based education to its members and improving beekeeping information through the support of bee science.

    “We annually donate money to bee research and community organizations that teach the importance of bees in our lives,” Guilliams noted.  “EDB has members from throughout the Sierra foothill community in central California and we strive to provide them with the best science-based bee and beekeeper education. We have approximately 150 members in our club, extending from Sacramento’s 6-foot elevation to South Lake Tahoe’s 6300-foot elevation. So there is a lot of diversity in climate, etc., within our club area.”

    Vital Resource

    The UC Davis Bee Haven, installed by ENT in the fall of 2009, is known as a vital resource for pollinator education, research, and conservation. More than 200 native plants thrive in the garden, which is located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. UC Davis Distinguished Emeritus Professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) recorded more than than 80 species of native bees at the site.  They range from the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, to the metallic green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus.

    A key art attraction in the garden is the six-foot-long ceramic-mosaic worker bee sculpture by self-described “rock artist” Donna Billick of Davis, who served as the co-founder and co-director of the UC Davis Art-Science Fusion Program with UC Davis Distinguished Professor (now emerita) Diane Ullman of ENT.

    Samantha, a member of the E. L. Niño lab, and known as “Sam,” is a bee researcher, beekeeper, a pollinator garden specialist, a UC Davis alumna, and a harpist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music (2025) from UC Davis.  Throughout her UC Davis career, she performed with the Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Flute Choir and the Harp Ensemble.

    Sam became involved with the UC Davis Bee Haven in the summer of 2024 when she served as a lab technician at the Laidlaw facility for Richard Martinez, a graduate student in the E. L. Niño lab. “I was assisting with his research on nutritional diets for bees,” she related.

    Samantha, who grew up in Sonoma County,  traces her interest in bees to age 7, when she joined a Girl Scout Brownie troop. Her interests soon expanded to pollinator gardens and beekeeping. She became a beekeeper as a sophomore at Santa Rosa High School, and served as president of the Santa Rosa High School Beekeeping Club for three years. She subsequently joined the Sonoma County Beekeepers’ Association and the California State Beekeepers’ Association.

    Murray interned with Conservation Works, a non-profit organization based in Santa Rosa that fosters environmental awareness and action, seeking “tangible efforts in pollinator protection, water conservation, climate resilience, and the development of sustainable communities.”

    “Within this encouraging setting, I collaborated with Girl Scout troops across Sonoma County, embarking on projects to establish bee-friendly gardens to support local pollinators,” Murray related. “This immersive experience ignited within me a profound fascination and connection with bees that would later grow to deepen my interest in apiculture and the greater biology of bees.”

    In the summer of 2021, Samantha received the Girl Scout Gold Award, equivalent to the Eagle Scout award, the highest rank in the Scouts BSA program. In her project, Samantha “addressed the critical lack of knowledge surrounding bees by developing informative presentations aimed at educating youth about the significance of pollinators. By delving into topics such as bee welfare, environmental improvement, and the intricacies of the bee world—from pollination to beekeeping and communication—I sought to bridge this educational gap. To make learning about bees interactive and engaging, I curated bee activity kits containing exciting projects like crafting clay seed bombs for flower planting. These presentations covered a spectrum of bee-related topics, including pollination, bee-friendly planting, metamorphosis, and the vital roles bees play within the hive.”

    While at Conservation Works, Samantha designed and implemented pollinator gardens, and educated the public, including “the young ones” on the importance of pollinator gardens. She participated in an episode of the Imagine If podcast, co-sponsored by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and the National Geographic Society.

    The public opening of The Haven took place on Sept. 11, 2010 when hymenopterist Lynn Kimsey,  now a UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emerita, chaired the department, and when Missy Borel Gable (now director of the University of California Master Gardener Program), served as the garden’s inaugural director.  Also in 2010, Sacramento Bee selected The Haven as one of the top 10 public gardens in the region.

    The Haven is open to the public from dawn to dusk. Admission is free throughout the year, as is the first hour of parking on weekdays, according to the UC Davis Transportation Services. Parking is always free on weekends.

    The Haven’s only financial support is through public donations. “Every dollar goes directly toward maintaining the garden, supporting educational programs, and ensuring a thriving future for pollinators,” said Cari DuBois-Wright, Director of Development, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Donations can be made through the website at https://beehaven.ucdavis.edu/donate  or by contacting DuBois-Wright at (530) 752-6971 or caduboiswright@ucdavis.edu.

  • Key Discovery on How a Plant-Parasitic Nematode Infects Such a Wide Range of Organisms

    UC Davis nematologists, including Valerie Williamson, professor emerita in the Department of Plant Pathology, and associate professor Shahid Siddique, Department of Entomology and Nematology, have long wondered how the plant-parasitic nematode, the Northern root-knot nematode, is able to infect such a wide range of organisms, from monocots and dicots to annual crops and woody plants.

    Now a 15-member research team of international nematologists and biotechnologists, led by UC Davis nematologists, have gained insight into how the DNA of this nematode species, Meloidogyne hapla, facilitates their success.

    The discovery, hailed by the team as groundbreaking, “is the most complete and contiguous genome assembly for a plant-parasitic nematode to date,” agreed Williamson and Siddique, co-authors of a newly published paper, “High-Resolution Genome Assembly and Linkage Mapping in Meloidogyne hapla Reveal Non-Canonical Telomere Repeats and Recombination Hotspots Associated with Effector Proteins,”  in the open-access medical journal, PLOS Pathogens

    The peer-reviewed research is online at https://tinyurl.com/44zx2eh2.

    “Interestingly, we discovered that Meloidogyne hapla uses an unusual DNA repeat at the ends of its chromosomes instead of typical telomeres, suggesting it may have an alternative way to protect its chromosomes end,” Siddique said.

    “Overall, our study integrates high-resolution structural genomics, genetic mapping, and functional inference to uncover links between genome architecture, recombination landscapes, and host–parasite interactions,” said first-author Pallavi Shakya, a doctoral candidate in the Siddique lab who received her master’s degree in plant biotechnology from Wageningen University, The Netherlands.

    Other co-authors include UC Davis doctoral candidate Alison Blundell and UC Davis postdoctoral researcher Dadong Dai, both of the Siddique lab, and scientists from The Netherlands, France, Indonesia, Australia, and Croatia.

    “Plant parasitic nematodes cause billions of dollars of damage annually to plant crops globally,” said Williamson, a Fellow of the Society of Nematologists.  “Root knot nematodes (RKN) are the most damaging species group in large part because they are able to infect diverse crops including both monocots and dicots, annual crops and woody plants.”

    “Over twenty years ago, my group and others decided to focus on a single species as a model to serve as a resource,” Williamson related. “We chose the species Meloidogyne hapla due to its relatively simple DNA genome, its genetic tractability, and the observation that isolates of the nematode differed in plants that they could infect. While considerable progress was made in analyzing the DNA, attempts to completely understand the genome structure were hindered by the tiny size of the organism and limitations in technology.”

    However, in recent years, dramatic improvements in biotechnology and bioinformatics developed. “Our international team of nematologists and biotechnologists worked together to produce a complete assembly of the genome that represents the DNA sequence of full-length chromosomes,” she said, pointing out that “As far as we are aware, this is the most complete genome for a plant-parasitic nematode.”

    has several novel features: Chromosome ends do not resemble those of most other animals or plants; the chromosome structure differs between isolates of this nematode with breaks, rejoining and recombination between chromosomes of different isolates,” Williamson said. “This genome flexibility may provide a clue as to how root-knot nematodes are able to change the spectrum of hosts that they can infect.  It will also provide a resource for studying the genome of other important RKN species and allow identification of nematode genes that contribute to successful parasitism. This information should inform best strategies for RKN control as well as development of plants with increased resistance.”

    The Northern root-knot nematode causes significant economic damage to many crops by causing root galls, stunting, reduced yield, and disfigurement, which makes infected produce like carrots unmarketable.  The damage affects a wide range of plants, including vegetables, fruit trees, and wine grapes in certain regions. Infections are most severe in young plants, which can lead to complete crop destruction, while established plants may sustain significant yield reduction.

    The abstract:

    “Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are among the most destructive agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses across a wide range of crops. Meloidogyne hapla is a valuable model for studying root-knot nematodes due to its parasitic diversity, small diploid genome, and a reproductive strategy that facilitates genetic analysis. Here, we report the most contiguous genome assembly to date for any plant-parasitic nematode built using PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore, Illumina, and Hi-C sequencing. Genetic linkage analysis of F2 populations derived from crosses between M. hapla strains validated the assembly but also revealed anomalies indicating chromosome structure differences between parental isolates such as fissions, fusions, and rearrangements. Strikingly, we identified sharply delimited zones with extraordinarily high recombination on most chromosomes. Notably, several of these high recombination zones were significantly enriched for genes encoding secreted proteins, many of which contribute to parasitism.

    These findings suggest that meiotic recombination facilitates effector diversification and offer insight into how these parasites diversify their effector protein repertoire to change or expand their extraordinary host range. We further report the discovery of a novel 16-nucleotide tandem repeat and lack of canonical telomere repeats at chromosome ends. The localization of this 16-nt repeat at chromosome ends highlights a potentially divergent mechanism of chromosome-end maintenance in this nematode group. Overall, our study integrates high-resolution structural genomics, genetic mapping, and functional inference to uncover links between genome architecture, recombination landscapes, and host–parasite interactions.”

  • 2025 Results of Pre-Emergent Herbicide Demonstration Trial for Walnut

    The 2025 UCCE walnut pre-emergent herbicide demonstration trial is completed, and the results show strengths and weaknesses of 19 different herbicide treatments, applied either in February or March.

    Takeaways:

    1. All treatments were applied with a strong post-emergent mix, but hairy fleabane and white clover were not adequately controlled with post-emergent treatments alone. Control was dependent on the addition of an ALS inhibitor herbicide (products like Craze, Matrix, or Mission).

    2. Summer annual weeds were best controlled by products with long residuals (products like Alion, Chateau, Brake On! (not registered in CA), and Prowl.

    3. Yellow nutsedge was controlled by treatments with Zeus or Craze.

    4. Conclusion: Pre-emergent treatments in late winter must account for winter annual weeds that have already emerged and perennial weeds while also maintaining good residual control further into the summer.

    Introduction

    Winter pre-emergent herbicide applications are critical to get right if yearly weed management operations are going to be successful in walnut orchards. Poor selection of herbicides or missed timing could make the difference between good control and battling an overwhelming infestation of weeds. In walnut orchards I have regularly heard two comments concerning pre-emergent herbicide applications in walnut orchards:

    1. Those who apply pre-emergent herbicides in the fall, just after harvest, tend to have the cleanest orchards.

    2. February or March are the most common times to apply pre-emergent herbicides in walnut orchards.

    Maybe my perception is incorrect, but these weed control strategies seem to be at odds. When it comes to winter annual weeds, it is likely safest to apply pre-emergent herbicides before germination due to several common weed species with herbicide resistance issues (hairy fleabane, Italian ryegrass, annual bluegrass). Applications later in the winter will have to deal with emerged weeds, potentially resulting in more escapes and misses.

    However, herbicide treatments in February or March are common, and many growers have been successful with these treatments. Why is this, and what is the key to achieving good control later in the winter? Success at later timings depends on how much post-emergent activity you are getting out of your tank mix. Some pre-emergent herbicides can contribute to your post-emergent activity. Common pre-emergent herbicides like Goal, Chateau, Matrix, Pindar, and others add some extra post-emergent activity to tank mixes when used in winter months. Dr. Brad Hanson (UCCE Weed Specialist at UC Davis) discussed this topic when he addressed tank mixes of Alion and Matrix in his UC Weed Science Blog article (linked here). My recent work with rimsulfuron on established johnsongrass also explored this subject (linked here). These prior discussions focused on rimsulfuron products as tank mix partners for pre-emergent applications, but I wanted test a broader range of products applied in February and March. This year’s walnut preemergent herbicide demonstration made some progress toward that goal.

    I will discuss my findings next, and at the end of this article I have included results tables. All products except one are currently labeled for use in walnut orchards, though with some restrictions on orchard age. The one unlabeled product in this study was Brake On!, manufactured by SePRO, currently pending registration in CA. This is not an exhaustive list, and the data provided here does not constitute a recommendation of any product.

    Trial design

    In 2025, I arranged my pre-emergent demonstration trial to evaluate individual products and tank mixes for weed control efficacy when applied in February and March. This trial was installed in the Loybas Hill region of Tehama County, in a 4-year-old walnut orchard with Tehama silt loam soil. A post-emergent mix of 2 qt/A Roundup Powermax 3 and 2 qt/A Rely 280 was added to every plot in February, and pre-emergent herbicides were applied either in the mix, or one month later in March. The tables at the end of this article show the full list of treatments and when they were applied. The first table represents weeds that were present at application, hairy fleabane and white clover. The second represents weeds that grew to be prominent in May and June, so their control depended on residual activity from my herbicide treatments lasting long into the summer.

    Results overview

    White Clover and Hairy Fleabane (Table 1): Both weeds were controlled by all three group 2 herbicides tested: Craze, Revolt, and Mission. Revolt was weaker on fleabane while Craze was weaker on clover and these differences also showed up in the tank mix treatments with both products applied with Prowl. February and March treatments with these three herbicides produced very similar results. The 12 fl oz/A rate of Chateau also effectively suppressed both species.

    Summer annual weeds (Table 2): The primary weeds in the categories recorded here were grass weeds (jungle rice and large crabgrass) and broadleaf weeds (prostrate knotweed, spurge, and pigweed). Many herbicides provided good control until June (3-4 months after treatment) but only Alion, Brake on! (not currently labeled for CA), and March-applied Mission maintained “good” control of broadleaves through July. Only Alion and Prowl maintained “good” control of grasses through July.

    Yellow Nutsedge (YNS; Table 2): Zeus was the best tested product for nutsedge control, but Craze also showed some effects in July by keeping nutsedge coverage low. Rimsulfuron products like Matrix and Revolt are also labeled for YNS control, but labels suggest sequential applications, and the application timings used in this trial may not have been ideal to target YNS with this product.

    Summary and cautions:

    This is a single trial only representing one weed population and one soil type, so results may vary by location. However, hopefully this demonstrates the importance of tank mixing to control emerged weeds as well as future emergence. Group 2 herbicides like Revolt, Mission, and Craze can provide good post-emergent control in addition to their pre-emergent activity. But be cautious, this herbicide group is notorious for herbicide resistance. Do not overuse this class of herbicides or you will likely start seeing weeds escaping your treatments.

    Look through the following tables if you are interested in seeing more information on efficacy in these trials. To see weed coverage data, view the report on the UCCE Tehama website here. Thanks to the California Walnut Commission for supporting this work. For any questions or additional information, contact Ryan Hill at 530-527-3101 or rjahill@ucanr.edu. — By Ryan Hill, UCCE Agronomy and Weed Science Advisor, Tehama County

    Weed control tables:

    Control was determined by calculating % reduction in weed coverage, relative to the plot with the worst infestation. Control is summarized by four categories. These categories may not represent each grower’s threshold of tolerance for weed control, but they can still provide relative comparisons between the products tested.

    Poor control is indicated by a “p”, representing control between 0 and 50%.

    Moderate control is indicted by an “m”, representing control between 50 and 70%.

    Good control is indicated by a “g” and highlighted light green, representing control between 70 and 90%.

    Excellent control is indicated by an “e” and highlighted dark green, representing control between 90 and 100%.

    Table 1: The effect of different pre-emergent herbicides on two weeds that were present at application, hairy fleabane and white clover.

    Table 2: The effect of different pre-emergent herbicides on weeds that germinated or sprouted in summer. Summer annual broadleaves included prostrate spurge, knotweed, and pigweed and summer annual grasses were primarily crabgrass and jungle rice.

  • AI Tool to Help Farmers Measure Real-Time Crop Health from the Field

    Leaf Monitor, a new mobile tool backed by artificial intelligence and predictive modeling, could revolutionize how farmers monitor crops and make decisions by providing real-time nutrition and leaf trait information in the field.

    “Having this information is very valuable for the farmers,” said Alireza Pourreza, associate professor of Cooperative Extension and director of the Digital Agriculture Laboratory in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of California, Davis. “In five seconds, they can have a sense of how much nutrition they have in a leaf.”

    Development of the AI model was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s HiRes Vineyard Nutrition multistate project and its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, as well as the California Table Grape Commission.

    Maha Afifi, director of viticulture research at the California Table Grape Commission, said the tool could be a game changer for the table grape industry if it leads to faster decision-making about fertilizer use. The right amount typically leads to healthier vines that produce more grapes with optimal size, weight and color.

    “The evaluation of vine nutrient status is one of our top priorities,” Afifi said. “At the same time, exploring new technology tools like this project is a high priority for us because they will be important to the future of the table grape industry.”

    Field testing

    The Leaf Monitor tool uses a handheld spectrometer to measure leaf reflectance beyond the range of light visible to the human eye.

    Once a leaf is scanned, its spectral data is uploaded to a cloud-based machine learning system designed to predict leaf traits and nutrient content. This algorithm was developed and trained by the Digital Agriculture Laboratory over five years using a dataset of thousands of leaf samples collected from California’s specialty crops, primarily grapevines and almonds. The samples were chemically analyzed to determine nutrient levels and structural leaf traits, providing the data needed to build an accurate prediction model.

    “Nutrient deficiencies in plants often go unnoticed until late in the season, by which point the damage is already irreversible,” said graduate student Parastoo Farajpoor, who is running the project. “This is why early detection is essential. Spectrometry provides a rapid and reliable way to identify these deficiencies before visible symptoms appear.”

    After a recent demonstration, Bulleseye Farms Irrigation Manager Geoff Klein said the tool could help save money and improve yields. Bullseye grows walnuts, pistachios, tomatoes, corn, wheat, rice and sunflowers in Yolo and Solano counties.

    Tailored crop management

    Currently, farmers typically take leaf samples, dry them, grind them up and send the samples off to a lab for testing, which can take up to two weeks to return results. Bullseye samples leaf tissues about three times a year.

    “Right now, it doesn’t really make sense to go out and take tissues in every single corner just because it’s expensive,” Klein said. “It’d be really cool if I could just walk out there and test a couple of different places.”

    The Leaf Monitor tool helps farmers tailor management decisions to specific areas rather than an entire field. Calibrating fertilizer use to real-time data can prevent overuse and nitrogen runoff, a financial and environmental challenge that many growers face.

    “I feel like there’s a lot of times we do need to put less [fertilizer] on, where we end up putting more, because that’s what the nitrogen removal formula says,” Klein said. “But with this app we can use less because we know the actual conditions at the time. I think it opens a lot of doors in terms of getting data back in real time and also utilizing the level of control we have with the data.”

    The app can also aggregate the scans and map out spatial patterns over a large area.

    “What we know is every field has variability that is not necessarily visible to the farmer’s eye,” Pourreza said.

    The prototype Leaf Monitor tool is free and included in a set of tools that can be downloaded on the Digital Agriculture Laboratory website. A web-based version of the tool will follow while the team continues to feed new data into the algorithm to refine the predictions. On average, it achieves about 65% accuracy across all traits, with predictions for certain nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, performing better than the overall average. Users will need to pair it with a spectrometer.

    “We need to produce more food while using less resources so we need to have some kind of monitoring system to give us precise and accurate feedback on our management practice,” Pourreza said. “This technology is growing very fast.” — By Emily Dooley, UC Davis

  • Turning Food Scraps into Opportunities

    For every juicy tomato or crunchy almond California grows, there’s a pile of pulp, hulls or scraps that often goes to waste. A new online tool, created by University of California, Davis researchers, tracks those agricultural byproducts aiming to find innovative ways to put them to use.

    The Byproduct Database, maintained by the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems, is an ongoing research project that includes a catalog of byproducts like fruit skins and nut shells, and potential ways to reuse them across different industries.

    Edward “Ned” Spang, principal investigator and associate professor with the Department of Food Science and Technology, said about one third of the food produced worldwide, doesn’t get eaten. The database consolidates information about food waste in one place, detailing what the various leftovers are made of and where they’re available in the state. Spang believes it could help guide decisions on reducing waste by potentially turning these materials into new products for food, cosmetics or pharmaceutical industries.

    “In the food production space, there’s a lot of edible material, or potentially valuable material, that’s been overlooked for a long time as waste,” Spang said. “So, the questions we are trying to understand include: ‘How much of this material is out there? What is it composed of? Where is it? When is it available?’”

    Tomatoes, almonds, pistachios and pomegranates

    The pilot phase of the database currently features four major crops: tomatoes, almonds, pistachios and pomegranates. As the research team continues to gather data, they will update the site to include other crops and byproducts, including wine grapes, stone fruits and citrus. In collaboration with Ilias Tagkopoulos with the Department of Computer Science, Spang is looking into developing and applying AI tools to expand the site faster and with less manual work.

    For pistachios, the website illustrates that the largest byproduct is the hull, which is often discarded, and that undersized pistachios could be a valuable resource if there was a market for it. The website helps outline the various byproducts for potential upcycling, where leftovers are transformed into new ingredients. Local companies are already developing new products using materials such as brewers’ spent grain (a byproduct of beer production), okara (a fibrous byproduct from soymilk production) and grape pomace (leftovers from winemaking).

    Researchers are looking at where food gets lost in the field and at the processing plant. With tomatoes, some get damaged on the vine, others get tossed out for not meeting quality standards. Spang said those leftovers, or side streams, are opportunities for upcycling.

    “It’s a material that’s already been cultivated, harvested and processed, so anything you do that’s economically productive means that all the resources embedded in that material, like fertilizer, water and energy, were not wasted in vain,” said Spang, who also directs the Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science. “It is a real win-win opportunity.”

    Finding new uses

    The skin and pulp of a tomato contain lycopene, an antioxidant known for its health benefits. Users of the website can visualize where these leftover tomato parts, and its valuable lycopene, are found, helping to imagine new ways to make use of this healthy compound.

    “We expect our primary user to be entrepreneurs who are looking for new business models in upcycling, or who might have an advanced extraction technology to derive value from some of these overlooked materials,” Spang explained. “But producers and growers would also benefit as new revenue streams deliver value up and down the food supply chain.”

    The database will soon include cost estimates and economic variables to help users make more informed decisions. This will allow them to assess factors like how much lycopene is in a byproduct, its value per milligram and the costs associated with extracting it.

    New space for agricultural innovation on campus

    The research project is funded by a grant from the Resnick Agricultural Innovation Research Fund, created by a $50 million gift by Lynda and Stewart Resnick, co-owners of The Wonderful Company. Part of that donation also establishes the Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation, currently under construction on campus, that will include a large space for biomass staging and extraction, a process to pull valuable compounds from fruits, vegetables and grain residues.

    Food waste happens, but this work is helping build a food system that wastes less and supports sustainability, which Spang hopes will excite everyone.

    “We have to be a little more creative with our food system,” he said. “We can make our current food system more productive by investigating novel upcycling ideas and processing systems that create more revenue for producers and hopefully deliver more value to consumers as well.” — By Tiffany Dobbyn, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, UC Davis, tadobbyn@ucdavis.edu

  • Commercializing Almond Hulls as Food Ingredients

    Almond Board of California — Historically used for dairy cattle feed, almond hulls have had a consistent place in the animal nutrition space. However, a declining dairy herd, in combination with hulls being traded below their production cost, has propelled the industry and the Almond Board of California (ABC) to think about alternative revenue-generating opportunities.

    Helping lead this charge is ABC’s Biomass Working Group, formed in 2017 to explore new applications for almond co-products.

    “This biomass working group is where business meets science,” said Michael Kelley, chairman of the committee and president of Central California Almond Growers Association (CCAGA). “We have become exceedingly appreciative of the ideas and the potential for the commercialization of products using almond hulls.”

    Nutrition Potential

    One area almond hulls have shown strong potential for is human food products. Because of their high fiber content, natural sugars, phytochemicals, minerals, and processing versatility, they offer multiple benefits in the value-added ingredients food space.

    Being that they make up 50% of the almond fruit, they are also abundant in California, creating a reliable and readily available supply for large-scale product development.

    While some may question their safety for human consumption, there are positive indicators that prove almond hulls can meet food-grade quality standards. ABC Associate Director of Food Research and Technology, Guangwei Huang, noted that almond hulls have long been used safely in livestock feed, with no negative effects on animal health or performance. Studies have also shown that pesticide residue and toxicity exposure are not a concern.

    To explore these possibilities further, ABC partnered with Mattson, a product innovation firm, to develop samples of what could be done with hulls.

    These included a high-fiber bar made with 15% almond hulls, delivering five grams of fiber per serving, and a coffee beverage crafted from coarse-ground, roasted hulls. When added to coffee, almond hull powder helped reduce bitterness and enhanced sweetness. In baked goods like bread, it boosted both fiber and phytochemical content.

    Opportunity in “Upcycled” Markets

    Another advantage almond hulls offer is that by adding just 10% or more of almond hull powder to a product, it can qualify for a new third-party “upcycled” certification. While “upcycling” is a relatively new term, it’s become increasingly important to consumers concerned about food waste, noted Daniel Kurzrock, founder and CEO of Upcycled Foods.

    After working with upcycled ingredients across various commodities, Kurzrock said he’s seen firsthand the wide-ranging benefits. These include improved sustainability and circularity, the creation of new revenue streams, reduced disposal costs and stronger alignment with shifting consumer values.

    “The almond industry is not alone in seeing this potential,” he said. “There’s profit potential for every aspect of the stakeholder chain if we’re able to create uses that are solving problems for companies that buy ingredients.”

    Because the end-market for almond hulls is still being widely explored, he also suggested that at this stage in development, it’s important to initiate customer conversations before deciding what to invest in.

    “An approach that we find to be working with other materials is doing a pilot to produce some quantity of viable hulls that can go to a miller or a secondary processor to start those customer conversations,” he said.

    Steps for Commercialization

    While it’s not realistic to expect the hulls to be process-ready when leaving the huller/sheller, Huang said efforts to clean and improve their quality can still make a significant impact.

    “When the time comes, the industry needs to set minimal specifications or quality requirements for almond hulls for food uses,” Huang said. “We are trying to minimize foreign material, and most importantly, we need the involvement and attention of stakeholders. We’re not expecting the huller/seller to get hulls to the ready-to-process stage, but they can minimize those foreign materials down to less than 5%.”

    The industry must also complete a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) assessment for human consumption, a requirement mandated by the Food and Drug Administration since hulls haven’t previously been used as a food ingredient. This assessment  is expected to be completed by late 2025, Huang said.

    Innovations in Processing

    Several companies in the almond industry are already investing in hull-cleaning systems to ensure they are ready for when almond hulls receive food-safe approval. One of those pioneer companies is Cortez Growers Association.

    Recognizing almond hulls as a potential revenue stream, Cortez implemented a cleaning system to remove unwanted materials – sticks, shells, and almond meats – that typically end up in the hull pile. By separating these components, they could sell the almond meats as hash, a “refreshing benefit” to add value to what was once considered waste, said general manager, Dave Thiel.

    Other processors are also refining their methods. Corbin Sturdivan of Wilkey Industries explained that current hull cleaning systems include an aspirator to remove the shell from the hull and a detwigger deck to remove sticks from the hulls.

    “While this has worked for many years to reduce the fiber content for dairy feed, there is more refinement that we can do with this system by introducing additional screening and additional aspiration,” Sturdivan said.

    Through their trials with ABC, Sturdivan and his team discovered that by adding a screen to sift through the hulls, they could be better classified and ranked.

    “We would de-twig the product; it would be screened, and the screen would sift out all of the fines from the hulls,” he said. “What is left over is what we would call scalped hulls, and this is your larger, good material created from the early stages of hulling.”

    From their observation, Wilkey Industries also found that 1 to 1.3% of total hull weight can actually be recoverable kernel.

    “That translates to roughly 3% of your kernel production that is actually sitting in the hull pile,” he said. “So, by integrating a screen and some additional aspiration, not only can we clean the hulls, but we can also reclaim those kernels and hash that have much higher value to be sold instead of letting them go to dairy feed uses.”

    Additional Sorting Techniques

    As cleaning technologies continue to advance, innovations in color sorting are emerging as a key tool for preparing almond hulls for food-grade applications. The team at Chandler Automation has spent time working on this, and the initial models have been successful at “creating pure hull piles in one pass,” said CEO, Sean Chandler.

    More research is needed to determine where this best fits in the manufacturing process – be it at the huller, processor, or a separate site and how it will be financially feasible.

    “We have to do more research on our side to see the best way to mechanically clean hulls, mechanically feed it, and mechanically pass it through our systems because the technology is there to create that pure, premium hull,” he said.

    Looking Ahead

    As ABC continues to refine its strategy for marketing almond hulls as a food ingredient, the industry is taking proactive measures to position itself for success, and that starts with collaboration among all players involved.

    “We are about to begin a new journey to generate more revenue from almond hulls,” Huang concluded. “It will take a while and more effort to develop the market and demand, but if you are interested in creating more value out of almond hulls, many of us can work together to shorten the process.”

  • Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative Opens Enrollment for Reimbursable Cover Crop Seed

    Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative is pleased to announce open enrollment for the USDA’s newly expanded Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) program—building on last year’s successful Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative. This year, the program is expanding direct funding to producers, and the new incentive will reimburse producers for the purchase of up to ten acres worth of seed for any perennial conservation cover.

    One choice for the incentive, Oakville bluegrass, is dormant from April through September and doesn’t compete with cash crops for water or nutrients making it ideal for California permanent crops. This low growing, drought tolerant cover crop will last over ten years when well managed, significantly reducing labor and input costs for growers.

    As part of the USDA’s AMP initiative, producers can now access:

    • Full seed cost coverage for up to 10 acres of Oakville bluegrass
    • An additional $100/acre incentive for up to 100 acres.
    • Support in the form of a grower’s guide, educational field days, and guidance on carbon removal credits.

    “We’re thrilled to put more money in producers’ hands under the Advancing Markets for Producers program, ” said Jeff Thiel, Director at Oakville Bluegrass Cooeprative. Perennial cover like Oakville bluegrass can reduce operating costs over time while also building soil health and conserving water. We’re especially excited to help producers tap into the growing carbon credit market while establishing a proven, cost-effective cover crop.”

    Interested growers can attend an online informational session on October 21 at 11 am by registering at https://bit.ly/ampobc25 or visit https://www.obc.ag/advancing-markets-for-producersfor more information.

    The Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative collaboratively creates solutions to the most pressing challenges facing growers. Members work together to uncover best practices in sustainable agriculture tailored to the needs of specialty crop growers. Learnings are shared so all members can benefit from adopting practices that will ensure the long-term sustainability of profits from their farms.