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Hopland at 50: UC Research at home on the range
Cover:
UC's presence extends beyond campuses and classrooms, to rustic environments such as the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center in southern Mendocino County. As Hopland celebrates its 50th anniversary, California Agriculture features new and long-term research emanating from the center, once known as the Hopland Field Station. Beyond the HREC office mailbox is "Duncan House," the Pratt Ranch homestead at the time UC purchased the land from Roy L. Pratt in July 1951. The house was expanded and served as the Hopland Field Station office until 1961; it was also the residence of Superintendent Alfred H. Murphy ans his family from 1951 until his residence in 1986.
Main Photo by Phil Schermeister; inset photos by various photographers (see inside).
Powering agriculture: UC builds energy alternatives
Cover:
Long before California's current energy crunch, UC scientists were working with growers and food processors to devise new ways for reducing energy usage in agriculture. At UC Davis, a methane generator called the APS-Digester is under construction that can digest multiple batches of animal manure and plant waste, a significant advance over the old "single-batch" systems; the resulting biogas can be used to produce energy. David R. Bartell welds one of APS-Digester's tanks. Photo by John Stumbos.
Pierce's disease: The search for prevention and cure
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These healthy vineyards in Riverside County's Temecula Valley may be threatened by Pierce's disease, which has destroyed at least 500 acres of area grape-vines since 1997. Although the disease first appeared in California in the 1880's, recent introduction of the nonnative glassy-winged sharpshooter allowed it to spread more quickly. Other California crops, such as almonds and alfalfa, may also be at risk. UC scientists are collaborating on dozens of research projects to prevent and cure Pierce's disease... Photo by James Marshall/Corbis .
Finding methyl bromide alternatives: The race against time
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Methyl bromide has contributed to the success of California's vital strawberry industry. However, the fumigant is scheduled to be phased out for most uses in 2005 due to impacts on the ozone layer. UC scientists are searching for viable alternatives. For example, UC Davis researcher Elizabeth Mitcham is experimenting with new methods of postharvest fumigation, to control insects and mites in exports. In a promising study, inset , strawberries are exposed to various concentrations of carbon dioxide and acetaldehyde, a natural compund produced by the fruit. Cover photo by Phil Schermeister. Inset photo by Don Edwards .
In increasing numbers: Grandparents become parents again
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Statewide and nationally, the number of grandchildren being raised by their grandparents is on the rise. In Sacramento, Lula Jones, 69, cares for her great-grandchildren: top, Omari Lee, 4; left to right, Deandre Jones, 20 months; Zakari Griffin, 18 months; and Giovanni Griffin, 2... Photo by Suzanne Paisley .
UC scientists team up to fight sudden oak death
Cover:
UC Berkeley's Center for the Assessment and Monitoring of Forest and Envrionmental Resources (CAMFER) has developed a Web site featuring maps and aerial images of areas with high tree mortality due to sudden oak death (SOD). The public and various agencies can check these maps and send in new information. Shown is an aerial image of China Camp State Park in eastern Marin County, where oak mortality is extensive. The crowns of dead and drying trees appear gray; healthy vegetation appears red, and roads and trails are light blue. The image was acquired using an Airborne Data Acquisition and Registration (ADAR) sensor, which digitally captures refelcted light in visible and near infared at 1-meter ground resolution. See p. 15.
November-December 2001
Volume 55, Number 6
Volume 55, Number 6