CALS NewsLine from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

CALS NewsLine is dedicated to helping you learn more about our programs and activities. Subscription information is at the end of this newsletter.

IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED May 29, 2009 :

1. SELL EXTRA GARDEN PRODUCE AT FARMERS MARKET
2. ONCE SHUNNED, WASTEWATER NOW VIEWED AS A VALUABLE RESOURCE
3. GOLF COURSES GO GREEN WITH LESS GREEN--TWO APPROACHES
4. HORSE SENSE V WORKSHOP IN KINGMAN JUNE 13
5. TRACKING A WHITEFLY-TRANSMITTED CUCURBIT VIRUS IN MELONS
6. NEW CALS PUBLICATIONS: MAY
7. PARENTS OFTEN THE KEY TO CHILDREN'S FINANCIAL WELL-BEING
8. CALS IN THE NEWS: MAY

1 SELL EXTRA GARDEN PRODUCE AT FARMERS MARKET

Have you ever shied away from planting a big garden simply because you personally could not possibly use all of the fruits, vegetables and flowers that come at harvest time? Consider joining the ranks of home gardeners and small farmers nationwide who market fresh garden produce directly to people who crave a vine ripe tomato or a super sweet ear of corn just picked from the stalk.

Direct marketing is a term used to describe the sale of products by producers directly to consumers without going through a middle person, such as a store or broker. There are many ways to convert excess produce and products into cash by direct marketing. Farmers markets, subscription services, mail order and cash on the barrel at the front gate are some of the more common methods of direct marketing.

Read the rest of this "Arizona Gardeners" article written by Pinal County Cooperative Extension director Rick Gibson, in the May 20 edition of the Tri-Valley Dispatch at the link below.

2 ONCE SHUNNED, WASTEWATER NOW VIEWED AS A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Everyone agrees Arizona is dry. Even where rainfall is most plentiful, along the Mogollon Rim, annual precipitation is low compared to most other states.

Although dryness is a way of life in Arizona, its economy and population have grown, even flourished, on the development and management of ample water supplies: rivers flush with melting snow and runoff from summer rainstorms, large, productive aquifers and a relatively recent resource, the Central Arizona Project, which for years delivered more Colorado River water to central Arizona than could be directly used.

Despite these resources, Arizona remains dry and according to climate scientists, likely to become even drier in the future. What at one time were considered ample water supplies now appear limited, perhaps even insufficient in the face of drought and expanding demand.

One of the keys to solving the West's water-supply problems, therefore, is finding smart, innovative ways to reuse water we already have. Wastewater is now recycled for a range of non-potable uses. In the future, as needs continue to grow, reclaimed water may well be polished and purified for potable use.

Read more from the annual 2009 issue of Arroyo, published by the UA's Water Resources Research Center at the link below. This issue, sponsored by the UA's Environmental Research Laboratory, is dedicated entirely to understanding, regulating and using reclaimed water.

3 GOLF COURSES GO GREEN WITH LESS GREEN--TWO APPROACHES

Despite its reputation for indulging in water-wasting ways--or perhaps because of this reputation--people take note when Las Vegas makes a special effort to conserve water. Las Vegas is viewed as the prodigal son of cities, much lauded when it takes up the good cause of water conservation after its profligate ways.

The city of Atlanta, for one, found inspiration from Las Vegas's water saving efforts. A story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution stated, "When it comes to water, the Big Peach has a thing or two in common with Sin City." Atlanta officials hired consultants from Las Vegas to help them deal with their unprecedented drought.

That Las Vegas conservation efforts often make a bigger splash and get more attention than do Arizona's is grounds for a critical appraisal of their water saving strategies, especially if you are from Arizona. University of Arizona student researcher Tim Cloninger considered golf courses which are significant water users, comparing Las Vegas and Arizona strategies to promote more water-efficient courses. His study shows two much different approaches that yield different results.

Read more from the spring 2009 issue of Arizona Water Resource, published by the UA's Water Resources Research Center at the link below. Joe Gelt, Water Resources Research Center, jgelt@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/azwater/awr/awr-pdfs/2009-Spring-awr-newsletter.pdf

4 HORSE SENSE V WORKSHOP IN KINGMAN JUNE 13

The Mohave County Cooperative Extension is sponsoring the Horse Sense V Workshop to be held Saturday, June 13, 2009. Designed for horse owners and others who are interested, the event will run from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mohave Community College, 1971 Jagerson Avenue in Kingman.

Presentations will include: Horse Diseases: New Concerns for Horse Owners; Arizona Horse Laws and Body Condition Scoring for Abuse Enforcement; Toxic Plants: Facts for Horse Owners; Abandoned and Unwanted Horses in Arizona; Preparing Your Horse for Extended Trail Rides; Recommended Vaccinations for Mohave County Horses; and Stop the Madness!--The Growing Parasite Resistance Problems in the U.S.

For registration information and a list of speakers, see the link below or call the Mohave County Cooperative Extension at (928)753-3788.

5 TRACKING A WHITEFLY-TRANSMITTED CUCURBIT VIRUS IN MELONS

A plant virus that first attacked melon and squash crops in Arizona, California and Sonora, Mexico in 2006 has now been identified in an expanded range of wild and cultivated host plants. Found in Arizona and California, the plants may serve as reservoirs where the virus can survive and multiply after the melon crop has been harvested.

The whitefly-transmitted Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) was originally thought to infect only members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae, including melons, summer and winter squash, pumpkins, gourds and cucumbers. The virus originated in the Middle East and spread through Spain, South and Central America before arriving in Mexico and the United States.

"We previously thought CYSDV was confined to the Cucurbitaceae and we knew of no prospective wild hosts," says Judith K. Brown, virologist and whitefly vector biologist in the Department of Plant Sciences at The University of Arizona. "What we've learned is that in addition to cucurbits, the virus is now established in other native and naturalized flora that are abundant in the desert."

Read more from the 2008 Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station Research Report at the link below.
Judith K. Brown, Department of Plant Sciences, jbrown@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2008/article6.pdf

6 NEW CALS PUBLICATIONS: MAY

PEDOMETER AND NEW TECHNOLOGY--CELL PHONE & GOOGLE MAPS

Every step counts, especially if you wear a pedometer. Wear one on your waistband to tally up 10,000 steps a day, or use your cell phone if it has that feature. Perhaps you'd like to add to your walking or hiking experience by using Google Maps to chart and measure your route. Find out more about all three of these possibilities in the new Arizona Cooperative Extension bulletin, "Pedometer and New Technology--Cell Phone & Google Maps." The three-page guide offers a detailed Q&A to help you select and use these tools to increase physical fitness and have fun along the way.

See http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1491.pdf
Kay Hongu, Department of Nutritional Sciences, khongu@email.arizona.edu

MILK MATTERS!

Learn more about milk and why it's good for you. A new Arizona Cooperative Extension bulletin titled "Milk Matters!" outlines the benefits of drinking milk, including recommendations for the best types of milk products to consume. The three-page publication also features a comparison of the calorie, calcium and fat content in various types of milk, describes ways to include dairy products in the diet, and even includes an easy recipe for rice pudding.

Go to http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1490.pdf
Kay Hongu, Department of Nutritional Sciences, hongu@email.arizona.edu

CACTUS, AGAVE, YUCCA AND OCOTILLO

Arizona desert landscapes often feature a combination of four common plants: cactus, agave, yucca and ocotillo. Although they seem to thrive just fine out in the wild, transplanting and irrigating them at home can sometimes pose problems. A newly revised and updated Cooperative Extension bulletin, "Cactus, Agave, Yucca and Ocotillo" describes the biology of each of these desert natives and includes tips on care, including pest control.

The full-color, four-page publication is available at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1225.pdf
Jack Kelly, Pima County Cooperative Extension, jackelly@ag.arizona.edu and Rob Grumbles, Mohave County Cooperative Extension, grumbles@ag.arizona.edu

THE 2009 ARIZONA TURFGRASS, LANDSCAPE AND URBAN IPM RESEARCH SUMMARY

Growing turf in the desert can be challenging. CALS faculty conduct turf variety trials and study drought and salinity resistance in turf, weed control, nitrogen uptake, irrigation and other concerns. The recently published "2009 Arizona Turfgrass, Landscape and Urban IPM Research Summary" features the results of 19 studies online at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1487/

Dave Kopec, Karsten Turfgrass Research Facility, dkopec@ag.arizona.edu

7 PARENTS OFTEN THE KEY TO CHILDREN'S FINANCIAL WELL-BEING

The last 12 months paint a sobering picture of many corporate giants.

When consumers stop using their credit cards, they buckle in days. It's a macro-level reflection of the average American consumer: we live beyond our means, we don't save, and we borrow stress with every dollar. Research has shown that poor money management spills over into illness, depression and other problems.

But where do these financial behaviors come from? How can we change them? A new landmark study at The University of Arizona, led by Soyeon Shim, director of UA's John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, and her colleagues, hopes to answer these questions and more.

Just through its first year, the Arizona Pathways to Life Success for University Students, or APLUS, study already offers promising data for how people can begin to move toward healthier personal finances.

Preliminary findings from the study show that parents are poised to be the true heroes when it comes to better money management. APLUS researchers found that parents have more influence over their children's financial knowledge, attitudes and behaviors than work experience and high school financial education combined.

The survey also shows clear value in moderate work experience. Overall, young people with experience in the workplace developed more positive financial attitudes and behaviors and were better off than their non-working peers. At the same time, the research yields some troubling information.

Read more from the May 4 issue of UANews at the link below.
Soyeon Shim, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, shim@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/25529

8 CALS IN THE NEWS: MAY

ARIZONA PODCATS INTERVIEW ON THE UNDERWOOD FAMILY GARDEN

Listen to an interview with landscape architecture Director Ron Stoltz, and UA landscape alumnus Richard Underwood on the UA Underwood Family Garden, fed almost entirely by harvested water. The garden was created to honor the memory of Underwood's father, who was a Cooperative Extension agent in Navajo County. The interview is part of the Arizona Podcats release for May 21. Go to http://uanews.org/node/25787

INTERESTED IN WATER? LIST PROVIDES EXISTING, NEW, PROPOSED WEB SITES

Anyone interested in water is bound to have something to study in a new list of water-related Web sites from the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center.

Maps, detailed hydrological information, publications, newsletters, guides, conferences, teacher and student resources, wells, climate change and other information is available for novices and professionals alike.

Read more in the May 19 online edition of the White Mountain Independent at http://www.wmicentral.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20317067&BRD=2264&PAG=461&;dept_id=581752&rfi=6
Jackie Moxley, Water Resources Research Center, jmoxley@ag.arizona.edu

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR HONORS UA RESEARCHERS

Three units at The University of Arizona were honored by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of the Interior's "Partners in Conservation Award" was presented to the Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics and the Arizona Water Institute on May 7.

Kathy Jacobs, director of the Arizona Water Institute at the UA, accepted the award on behalf of the units and research team at the University.

Jacobs, Connie Woodhouse, David Meko, Bonnie Colby and Dustin Garrick, along with other members of a UA team, contributed to an Environmental Impact Statement associated with new guidelines for shortage sharing and cooperative management of Lake Mead and Lake Powell on the Colorado River.

The resulting "Interim Guidelines" are a major amendment to the "Law of the River," which is a collection of dozens of laws, court findings and operating agreements dating back to 1922.

Read more from the May 7 issue of UANews at http://uanews.org/node/25560
Kathy Jacobs, Arizona Water Institute, kjacobs@awr.arizona.edu

HOW TO INCREASE THE ULTRAVIOLET PROTECTION FACTOR (UPF) OF A T-SHIRT

Whatever style you wear this summer, you want it to be comfortable. And what is more cool and enduring than a cotton T-shirt you can accessorize to your heart's content. You may already have several T-shirts you cherish.

But have you thought about the shirt's UPF? That stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor, the standard rating system that tests and measures a fabric's ability to protect the skin from the initial onset of skin reddening caused by UV-B rays.

UPF values: -15 to 24 good sunburn protection -25 to 39 very good sunburn protection -40 to 50 excellent sunburn protection

A new white cotton T-shirt has a UPF of about 5. So that means about 1/5 of UV rays are transmitted through to your skin. Wash the t-shirt once and it shrinks, decreasing the spaces between the fibers in the fabric. This tightening of the weave increases UV protection by increasing the cover factor, the surface area of the fabric covered by fibers.

"Cover factor is the most important factor in achieving UPF ratings of at least 15 UPF, the lowest value for classifying a fabric as Ultraviolet protective," says Kathryn Hatch, Ph.D., professor, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

Read more from the May 9 issue of the San Jose Family Health Examiner
at http://www.examiner.com/x-5138-San-Jose-Family-Health-Examiner~y2009m5d9-How-to-Increase-the-UPF-of-a-Tshirt Kathryn Hatch, Department of Agricultural and Biosytems Engineering, khatch@ag.arizona.edu

THE SECRET IN THE CITRUS

We've told you about the germs that hitch rides on the bottoms of purses, and about the way we can scatter all sorts of disease-causing bugs through our homes with our vile vacuums.

Then there was the time we brought you a report called "Brush with Danger," about the germs on our hairbrushes at home.

Now Tucson's very own germ detective is at it again. This time, it's all about something we love in the Old Pueblo: limes.

What would we do without them? We put them in our drinks and in our food. But there's something you might not know.

The University of Arizona professor known as "Dr. Germ" has found the secret in the citrus.

Read more from the transcript of the May 4 KOLD broadcast at http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=10301493
Chuck Gerba, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, gerba@ag.arizona.edu

LAB SEEKS MALICIOUS CHEMICALS IN WATER

The tap water you drink at home could contain traces of estrogen, insecticide and even Viagra. Researchers at the Arizona Lab for Emerging Contaminants are working to find out what threat these chemicals may pose.

ALEC is a joint effort between the UA colleges of science, pharmacy, engineering, and agriculture and life sciences. Its goal is to provide researchers with the necessary tools to study water quality.

"We just want to be able to provide opportunities for researchers and student researchers to do research that in itself is very interesting," said Co-Director of ALEC Jon Chorover. "Now students and faculty can design experiments to better test water treatment facilities."

The tap water that most people ingest contains a very low concentration of potentially harmful chemicals, said Chorover. There are, however, a number of compounds that could be harmful, but researchers have only recently learned about them.

Read more from the May 5 issue of the Arizona Daily Wildcat at http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2009/05/05/News/Lab-Seeks.Malicious.Chemicals.In.Water-3736606.shtml
Jon Chorover, Arizona Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants, chorover@cals.arizona.edu

SCHOOL PROGRAM TOUTS WATER CONSERVATION

In a science classroom at Cottonwood Middle School, Tyler Lennon twists an aerator onto a faucet and then measures the flow into a beaker for 5 seconds. Her efforts have cut the flow nearly in half.

At a drinking fountain outside the cafeteria, Laura Wylie uses a bucket to measure how much water is wasted when she drinks. She says she'll try to use a cup from now on.

In a girls' bathroom, Austin Moffitt giggles as he checks around toilets for water stains that would indicate leaks. He locates none, but he does find manufacturer's stickers designating the toilets low-flow and marks his checklist as such.

For Austin and seventh-graders who spent class periods over two days auditing their school's water use, the experience offers lessons they can take home.

"I'll probably not leave the water on when I'm brushing my teeth and stuff," Austin said.

The water-audit program, which is available to schools statewide, was developed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources in partnership with the Arizona Project Water Education for Teachers and the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. The goal: using hands-on activities to get students involved in conserving water.

Read more from the May 1 issue of the Arizona Republic at http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/05/01/20090501waterkids0501.html
Kerry Schwartz, Water Resources Research Center, kschwart@ag.arizona.edu

To find out about available CALS publications and upcoming events, go to http://cals.arizona.edu/. If you have questions or comments about NewsLine, send an email to newseditor@ag.arizona.edu. Previous issues can be viewed at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/newsline/previous-issues.html

Let your colleagues know about CALS NewsLines. They (and you) can sign up to receive this free monthly electronic newsletter by visiting http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/newsline/ To remove your email address from the subscription list, send an email to: endnews@ag.arizona.edu The subject line should be: "drop from newsline". No text message is necessary.