Pest Management & Plant Health

While most Californians are wholeheartedly embracing the wet start to winter, one group is welcoming the rain more warily (and wearily) lettuce growers in the Salinas Valley.

We all encounter pests in our homes, gardens, and landscapes, but which ones are most popular in California? While we can't say for certain, website traffic to UC IPM's Pest Notes gives us a glimpse of popular pests. Here are the top ten most frequently viewed publications in 2021.

Weedy rice was found in California on a large scale in 2016, over 8 counties, after having been only found in a few fields in one county prior to 2008. In 2020, University of California Cooperative Extension conducted a comprehensive survey.

Every year, invasive pests cause billions of dollars of damage to California agricultural systems and natural areas. These pests can be weeds, plant pathogens, insects, vertebrates, shellfish and other aquatic species.

If you have a peach or nectarine tree in your landscape, most of the leaves have probably dropped. This is a great reminder to gardeners that it's time to spray for peach leaf curl. Right now, the fungus that causes leaf curl is present on your trees.

Mosquito expert Sylvia Fischer of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will target the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, when she presents a UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's virtual seminar on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

Mosquito expert Sylvia Fischer of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will present the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's virtual seminar on Wednesday, Jan.

The California Dry Bean Advisory Board is requesting applied research proposals for 2022. This commodity-based research request is sponsored by the California Dry Bean Marketing Order, under the guidance of CDFA (CA Dept Food & Ag).

January has always been my least favorite month of the year. The often dreary, short, gray days seem especially dull after all the December festivities. Going outside to work in my garden is a chore when I'd rather be snuggled under a blanket with a good book in front of a fire with a hot drink.

UC Davis second-year doctoral student Alison Coomer is now a global champion.