CALS NewsLine from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

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IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED August 21 , 2009 :

1. PROGRAM ON ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN WATER MANAGEMENT AND POLICY SEPTEMBER 1
2. CALS PUBLICATIONS: AUGUST
3. WALNUT GULCH WATERSHED TOUR IN COCHISE COUNTY AUGUST 25
4. CALS IN THE JOURNALS
5. NUTRITION NETWORK WORKING TO COUNTER CHILDHOOD OBESITY
6. THREE UA RESEARCHERS RECEIVE AWARD FOR BEST PAPER
7. RESEARCHERS TO SEQUENCE WEST AFRICAN RICE STRAIN
8. CURRY SEED & CHILE COMPANY FIELD DAY SEPT. 25
9. THE LEGUMES OF ARIZONA PROJECT
10. CARL OLSON: BUGMAN
11. CALS IN THE NEWS: AUGUST

1 PROGRAM ON ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN WATER MANAGEMENT AND POLICY SEPTEMBER 1

The Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) is hosting a special Community Evening Program, "Israeli and Palestinian Water Management and Policy: Challenges Facing Water Managers and Potential Solutions" on Tuesday, September 1, starting at 7:30pm at the Westward Look Resort, Sonoran Ballroom, 245 East Ina Road, Tucson.

UA President Robert Shelton will make introductory remarks, followed by keynote speakers Dr. Shaddad Attili, Chairman of The Palestinian Water Authority and Professor Uri Shani, Director General of The Israeli Water Authority.

If you would like to attend, RSVP to Jane Cripps, Water Resources Research Center,
at jcripps@cals.arizona.edu or (520.621.9591, ext. 55).
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/azwater/AzIP_Community_Prog.pdf

2 CALS PUBLICATIONS: AUGUST

ARIZONA WELL OWNER'S GUIDE TO WATER SUPPLY

There are more than 100,000 domestic use wells in Arizona. These private wells provide water to an estimated 120,000 households, with some 300,000 persons, or about 5% of the state's population. Most well owners are not trained as well operators and are often unfamiliar with water quality standards and testing, and rarely know much about their systems or the local aquifer.

A new Cooperative Extension publication, "Arizona Well Owner's Guide to Water Supply" is intended for Arizona residents who depend on private wells for their water needs. The publication is designed for well owners who want to become familiar with Arizona's groundwater sources, water quality and water testing options, and well maintenance issues.

Topics include 1) an overview of the state's water resources and how Arizona's major cities use these sources, 2) a description of Arizona's geology and how location affects the quantity and quality of aquifer water resources in our state, 3)common contaminants found in Arizona's groundwater and guidelines--including national drinking water standards--for testing well water to insure safe drinking water in private wells, 4) national drinking water standards and common methods of home water treatments, and 5) detailed descriptions of private wells including regulations, construction, protection, and maintenance guidelines.

The guide can be downloaded at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1485.pdf.
To purchase as a 76-page spiral-bound hard copy booklet, see http://ag.arizona.edu/AZWATER/
or order from CALSmart at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/
Janick Artiola, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, jartiola@ag.arizona.edu
Kristine Uhlman, Water Resources Research Center, kuhlman@ag.arizona.edu

NON-NATIVE, INVASIVE PLANTS OF ARIZONA

The noxious weed problem in the western United States has been described as "a biological forest fire racing beyond control because no one wants to be fire boss." Many weed scientists compare small noxious weed infestations to biological time bombs, primed to explode when the right combination of environmental conditions comes along.

To help identify noxious weeds, Arizona Cooperative Extension has updated the guide "Non-native, Invasive Plants of Arizona." The publication was produced in conjunction with the conservation districts and the RC&D (resource, conservation and development) areas of Arizona. It is not intended to provide a comprehensive list of all of Arizona's invasive weeds, but rather, it illustrates a few invasive plants that have become, or have the potential to become, problematic in Arizona.

Large enough to contain pertinent, useful information, but small enough to fit into a pocket, backpack, or saddlebag, the 84-page booklet is arranged by plant life form (i.e., grasses, forbs, woody plants, and aquatic, riparian, or wetland plants). There is an Arizona Noxious Weed Reporting Form at the back.

Read more at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1482.pdf.
To order copies of the guide, contact any NRCS office or Conservation District in Arizona or
Coronado RC&D at 520/384-2229 ext. 122.
Larry Howery, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, lhowery@ag.arizona.edu

PINE BARK BEETLES

Bark beetles contribute to the death of thousands of ponderosa pines in Arizona each year. Most often when larger trees are attacked and killed they have been weakened by drought, lightning, construction activity or they have been growing on poor sites. Of special concern is the loss of high-value trees at home sites or in developed recreation areas.

Pine bark beetles in Arizona are generally of the genus Ips or Dendroctonus. However, several other genera also attack pine, including: Hylastes, Hylurgops, and Pityogenes. Often several species will attack at the same time. Identification of specific beetle species can be difficult. Identification can be aided by knowing the host species attacked, time of year, and the design of the galleries (tunnels) created by the adults and larvae.

Read more in the newly revised guide from Arizona Cooperative Extension titled "Pine Bark Beetles." The four-page, full-color guide includes information on evidence of infestation; life history and species located in Arizona; and methods of prevention and control.

Online copies are available at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1300.pdf
Tom DeGomez, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, degomez@ag.arizona.edu

3 WALNUT GULCH WATERSHED TOUR IN COCHISE COUNTY AUGUST 25

The Arizona Rural Water Association (formerly the Arizona Small Utilities Association) is sponsoring a tour of the Walnut Gulch Watershed Experimental Station with Arizona NEMO on August 25.

Walnut Gulch, located near Tombstone, has been studied for over 50 years under a program funded by the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, and the University of Arizona. Data collected on the watershed has contributed to the development of several watershed modeling tools. The full-day tour, which is open to the general public, leaves from Tucson at 8:00 a.m. and returns at 4:30 p.m. The tour is free (with lunch on your own).

Details are posted on the website below.
Kristine Uhlman, Water Resources Research Center, kuhlman@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://nemo.srnr.arizona.edu/nemo/WalnutGulchAdventure.pdf

4 CALS IN THE JOURNALS

PESTS COULD OVERCOME GM COTTON TOXINS

Laboratory studies suggest that it may be possible for insects to overcome two disparate toxins produced by genetically modified cotton. The results strike a cautionary note at a time when developers are racing to create crops that produce many different pesticides.

Insects can become resistant to individual insecticides in much the same way as bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics. One way to reduce this threat is to adopt a 'pyramid' approach and create crops that produce multiple toxins that target the same pest.

"This is the current trend of all the companies," says Juan Ferré, a geneticist at the University of Valencia in Spain. "They are all combining more than one gene to have better control and to delay resistance." For example, next year, Monsanto, a US agricultural products company based in St Louis, Missouri, intends to launch a line of maize (corn) that contains eight different genes that make the crop resistant to herbicides and to attack by insects.

Read more about this research, which involved Bruce Tabashnik, head of the University of Arizona Department of Entomology in the July 6 edition of Nature at the link below.
Bruce Tabashnik, Department of Entomology, brucet@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090706/full/news.2009.629.html

5 NUTRITION NETWORK WORKING TO COUNTER CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Concerns about children growing up without proper nutrition and adequate exercise have increased throughout the nation given the increased prevalence of childhood obesity. At The University of Arizona, one program is training teachers and program administrators to help their students--mostly children who are low-income--to begin making more healthy choices.

The UA Arizona Nutrition Network, which runs throughout the year, began in 1998 to coordinate initiatives throughout the state that promote nutrition and physical activity among youth.

"We are providing information about fostering healthy habits at the crucial years," said Laurel Jacobs, program coordinator for the network, which provides the training and also funding incentives for the sites participating in its program.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 19 percent of U.S. children between the ages of 6 and 11 are overweight. Children and adolescents who are obese are at a heightened risk for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and also liver and lung problems.

"We want to increase knowledge and also prevent childhood obesity, which we are seeing more and more," Jacobs said, pointing to research that indicates involving children in nutrition early helps to prevent health problems in the future.

The Arizona Nutrition Network's target audience is children who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP-Ed, program ^S formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. The network is currently working with more than 100 sites, collaborating with school districts, the YMCA and parks and recreation programs.

Read more from the July 21 edition of UANow at the link below.
Laurel Jacobs, Department of Nutritional Sciences, jacobsl@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/26491

6 THREE UA RESEARCHERS RECEIVE AWARD FOR BEST PAPER

Three University of Arizona researchers will receive an award from the American Water Resources Association for their analysis on the challenges of modeling, and the uncertainty in managing, the water supply in the Colorado River Basin.

The authors are Dustin Garrick, a doctoral degree candidate in geography and regional development; Katharine Jacobs, professor of soil, water and environmental science; and Gregg Garfin, deputy director of science translation and outreach at the UA Institute of the Environment.

The three will receive the Boggess Award at the association's award luncheon, which will be held Nov. 11 in Seattle.

The award is a tribute to their paper, "Models, Assumptions, and Stakeholders: Planning for Water Supply Variability in the Colorado River Basin," which was published in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.

The Boggess Award was established by the association in 1973 to honor the author, or authors, of the best paper published in the journal during the previous year.

Read more from the July 17 issue of UANow at the link below.
Katharine Jacobs, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, kjacobs@hwr.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/26439

7 RESEARCHERS TO SEQUENCE WEST AFRICAN RICE STRAIN

A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will allow University of Arizona researchers to unlock the genetic code of West African cultivated rice--and along the way to gain knowledge that could help commercial rice strains to better withstand dwindling resources, a changing climate and increased demand.

BIO5 Institute members Rod A. Wing, who holds the Bud Antle Endowed Chair for Excellence in Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Steve Rounsley, research professor of plant sciences, are co-primary investigators on the new grant. Wing previously took part in a six-year, $200 million project to sequence the genome of Asian cultivated rice.

Now, new techniques Wing and Rounsley have developed will allow them to sequence West African rice in only six months at a fraction of the cost.

"We'll be the first to so rapidly generate an extremely high quality genetic sequence, one that can be used forever to unravel the secrets of West African rice," Wing said.

Asian rice is the most common commercial rice crop and serves as a staple food in many countries. Since West African rice was originally cultivated under harsher conditions than Asian rice, it's better adapted to withstand hardships such as high temperatures and limited water.

Understanding the genes behind those adaptations could be a valuable first step in breeding new, hardier Asian strains as well--crucial work, given that the world's rice-dependent population is expected to double in the next 25 years.

Read more from the July 13 UANews article at the link below.
Rod Wing, BIO5 Institute, rwing@email.arizona.edu and
Steve Rounsley, Department of Plant Sciences, rounsley@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/26380

8 CURRY SEED & CHILE COMPANY FIELD DAY SEPT. 25

Do you like a good chile-induced sweat? Perhaps you just have an old-fashioned appreciation for the great foods of the Southwest? Mark your calendar for the Curry Seed & Chile Company in Pierce, AZ for their annual field day on Friday, September 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The field day includes information on field trials run in collaboration with CALS researchers.

Ed Curry extends an invitation to tour his chile fields, featuring the famous "Arizona 20" chile invented by Ed Curry and his partner, well-known chile breeder Phil Villa. Learn about Ed's adventures in chile breeding (did you know red chiles are used to color lipstick?).

See the processing facility where some of the Santa Cruz Chile Co. products come to life. You can even buy some of the best salsas on the market to take back to your own kitchen. And then enjoy a delicious lunch featuring world-famous chile rellenos created using Ed's mom's secret recipe. There's no charge, but reservations are required, so they can make enough chili for y'all. Call 520-826-1057 to reserve your place and get driving directions or see the link below.

Ann Stevens, CALS Development & Alumni, astevens@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://curryseedandchile.com/portal/ContactUs/tabid/56/Default.aspx

9 THE LEGUMES OF ARIZONA PROJECT

March was ushered in by some record-breaking warm temperatures. As a result, plants responded by breaking their winter dormancy ahead of schedule.

The Legume family is the third largest family of flowering plants in Arizona with approximately 375 native and naturalized taxa. Legumes [plants that generally bear beans, peas or seeds in pods] are important landscape plants in warmer areas of the state. In addition to over two dozen native taxa, nearly 70 non-native taxa are commercially grown as landscape plants. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is the only major agronomic legume crop in Arizona, although small acreages of Cicer and Phaseolus are planted.

Ranging from annual and perennial herbs to vines, shrubs and trees, legumes are found in Arizona from the hottest, driest deserts to cool, moist, high elevation montane habitats. This diversity is reflected in the approximately 75 genera of legumes native to the state.

The Desert Legume Program (DELEP) of The Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum and The University of Arizona is preparing a new volume titled "Legumes of Arizona - an Illustrated Flora and Reference." The publication, which will provide detailed information on some 450 taxa, will be a comprehensive resource on the native, naturalized and commercially grown legumes found in the state.

Read more from the August issue of Aridus, DELEP's bulletin, at the link below.
Matthew B. Johnson, Desert Legume Program, mjohnson@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/desertlegumeprogram/pdf/aridus_21_2.pdf

10 CARL OLSON: BUGMAN

To some, bugs are simply a source of the heebie-jeebies. But for Carl Olson, the creepy crawlies of the insect world are things to be respected and admired.

Dubbed the "Bug Man," Olson is curator of The University of Arizona entomology department's research insect collection, which has about 1 million specimens, representing thousands of species from Arizona and beyond.

As an assistant in extension, Olson works to educate the public on the benefits of bugs. He also fields thousands of insect inquiries every year from people trying to identify what's been bugging them.

A true insect advocate, Olson had a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face as he talked with Lo Que Pasa about his work with critters that make many people's skin crawl.

Read Olson's interview at the link below.
Other recent articles about his work include http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/303566
and http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/08/07/news/doc4a7bd06f8a751747090926.txt
Carl Olson, Department of Entomology, bugman@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://lqp.arizona.edu/node/1729

11 CALS IN THE NEWS: AUGUST

APHIDS SAVED FROM GRUESOME DEATH BY VIRUS-INFECTED BACTERIA

The term "beneficial virus" sounds like an oxymoron. But for pea aphids under attack by parasitic wasps, carrying infected bacteria is the difference between life and a slow death, according to new research conducted at The University of Arizona.

The wasps lay eggs inside the aphids, and the wasp larvae eat the living aphids from the inside out.

"A parasitoid death would be a very gruesome death," said first author Kerry M. Oliver. "It's like the movie 'Alien' where this thing grows inside of you and then ruptures out of you and kills you."

In laboratory experiments, about 80 percent of aphids carrying uninfected Hamiltonella defensa bacteria died as a result of wasp attacks. However, most of the aphids whose H. defensa bacteria had a particular virus did survive wasp attacks.

Read more about this research, which includes Martha K. Hunter of the Department of Entomology as a colleague, in the August 21 issue of UANews: http://uanews.opi.arizona.edu/node/26925
Martha K. Hunter, Department of Entomology, mhunter@ag.arizona.edu

UA COMPOST PROGRAM VICTIM OF STATE BUDGET

A University of Arizona composting program looked to its backers to be a boon for the environment and the economy at once.

It was going to buy a composting machine to turn grass, leaves, garbage and horse manure into compost that could be sold to businesses and individuals to nourish household gardens.

But this program has temporarily run aground due to the state's budget crisis. It had been awarded a $100,000 state grant in April to buy the machine, prepare land and buy solar panels to power the composter. The UA had agreed to kick in $25,000 in matching funds.

But because of a likely $6 million, or 32 percent, budget cut to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality by the Legislature for fiscal 2009-10, ADEQ is not financing this and up to 20 other grants for recycling and waste-reduction programs around the state--the kind it normally supports every year.

Read more from this article in the August 17 issue of the Arizona Daily Star at http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/politics/305189
Steve Husman, Campus Agricultural Center, husman@ag.arizona.edu

CITRUS PACKERS HOPE FOR TOP DOLLAR SEASON

They may not know it, but many Americans are about to get a little taste of Yuma. With the start of the local citrus packing season, crops such as lemons will end up in many people's glasses of water, pies and other culinary creations.

Yuma's citrus packing companies could have a good lemon season, said Glenn C. Wright, associate research specialist for the division of horticulture and crop sciences with the University of Arizona.

"Overall, I think we'll be in pretty good shape," he said.

There was a bumper crop in 2008 because of a freeze the year before, Wright said. This year, he said there will probably be about 25 percent to 30 percent less crop than last year, but because the 2008 crop was large, this year is more normal.

"The combination of a big crop last year with the economic downturn, and also big crops from our competing countries, led to prices that were not as high as the growers would have liked to have seen," he said.

Competitors in countries such as Chile and Mexico are wrapping up their packing season in September and October, Wright said. And growers in southern California may go year-round, but the time when they have less product is in the fall, he said.

In Yuma, the lemon season runs from just after Labor Day until February or the end of March, but other fruit such as minneolas, oranges or grapefruit might run a little longer, he said. That minimal competition could set the Yuma market up for success.

Read more from the August 15 edition of the Yuma Daily Sun
at http://www.yumasun.com/articles/year-52175-crop-season.html
Glenn Wright, Yuma Agricultural Center, gwright@ag.arizona.edu

AGENCY DECISION LACKS SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT, ALLEGE RESEARCHERS

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's decision to relax a key safeguard for a new variety of genetically engineered corn was not based on science, alleges a top researcher.

Two weeks ago, The Epoch Times reported on the controversy raised by the government's decision to approve SmartStax corn, a new variety of genetically engineered (GE) corn that combines ,or "stacks," eight previously approved genetic modifications into one strain.

But questions raised during research for that story were left unanswered including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) decision to substantially reduce a key safeguard placed on other GE crops. That safeguard, known as a refuge area, is a portion of each GE crop, usually around 20 percent, that is planted with a non-genetically modified variety of the plant.

The refuge area lessens evolutionary pressure on pests to develop resistance to the genetic modifications by giving them a place to feed on unmodified plants. These insects don^Yt develop resistance and can also breed with insects that do develop resistance to slow the spread of that resistance.

Gene traits to combat pests, mainly the corn borer (a type of moth which bores into corn in its caterpillar stage) and corn rootworm, (a beetle that attacks corn roots during its larvae stage and other parts of the plant in its adult beetle stage) are based on a naturally occurring soil bacteria.

Pests will inevitably develop resistance to the bacteria--it is just a matter slowing the development of that resistance, says Bruce Tabishnik, head of entomology (the study of insects) at the University of Arizona and one of the most cited experts in insect resistance to Bt toxins used in GE corn.

"Resistance is expected no matter what toxin or combination of toxins is used to control insects," he said.

Read the entire article in the August 12 issue of The Epoch Times
at http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/20932/
Bruce Tabashnik, Department of Entomology, brucet@ag.arizona.edu

HERBARIUM AT UA SOUTH HELPS CATALOG PLANT LIFE IN COUNTY

Ever wonder about that unknown plant in your yard--is it a good weed or a bad weed? Thanks to the efforts of a group of volunteers, that plant can be identified, dried and even archived.

The Cochise County Herbarium, a facility that houses mounted plant specimens, is a little-heralded resource for residents of the county to identify the thousands of plants found in backyards, alleyways, mountains and deserts.

Cecile Lumer, the curator of the herbarium, pulled out some yellowed files of plant identifications performed 50 years ago from 1958 to 1962 in the Chiricahua Mountains. Though the plants have lost color from the drying process, they still hold all the attributes necessary to identify them. What has piqued her interest, though, is the mapped recordation of plots and a list of the plants found in them.

"We could go back to these same plots today with GPS and see what, if any, change has occurred," she said. "There could be something different there now."

Read more from the August 10 issue of the Sierra Vista Herald, about the herbarium housed on the campus of the University of Arizona South.
The herbarium is affiliated with Cochise County Cooperative Extension:
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/08/10/news/doc4a7fdb5fdb7d7313298456.txt
Cado Daily, Cochise County Cooperative Extension, cdaily@ag.arizona.edu

ECSTASY IN YOUR PUTTING GREEN?

Ecstasy in your putting green? It's more likely than you might think. New research presented Wednesday at CSU shows that plants irrigated with treated wastewater can "take up" chemicals ranging from antibiotics to methamphetamine and ecstasy.

University of Arizona professor Charles A. Sanchez is conducting research on the Colorado River, looking into where such chemicals are found and at what levels they can be found in plants irrigated with treated wastewater.

Read more from the August 6 issue of the Coloradoan.com at
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20090806/NEWS01/908060376/Expert--Plants-can-absorb-chemicals-from-treated-wastewater
Charles Sanchez, Yuma Agricultural Center, sanchez@ag.arizona.edu

LOCAL SHRIMP FARM NOW EXPORTS TO THE US MAINLAND

Local shrimp farm Saipan SyAqua Aquaculture now exports hundreds of pounds of fresh chilled shrimp to the U.S. mainland, months after breaking into the Guam military and civilian market. Rommel G. Catalma, operations manager of Saipan SyAqua, and Paul Zak, a marketing and sales consultant for the local firm, yesterday said the trial shipment to Seattle in Washington State which serves as entry point to the U.S. began in June, and they are soon expecting the order for the fourth shipment.

"We are optimistic that we are going to sell thousands of pounds [of fresh chilled shrimp] a month with this," Zak told Saipan Tribune in an interview at the shrimp farm in China Town.

He said the distributor in Seattle they're doing business with supplies seafood products to some 1,200 high-end restaurants and businesses. Zak said they could not divulge the name of the Seattle firm at this time, adding that shrimp from their shipments also reached as far as New York City, Knoxville in Tennessee, and Dallas in Texas.

Read the rest of this article--which references the University of Arizona's shrimp disease certification program--in the August 5 edition of the Saipan Tribune at http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=92458
Donald Lightner, Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, dvl@email.arizona.edu

MOM AND DAD AS FINANCIAL ADVISORS

Why are so many students deep in debt before they finish college, only to take on more debt as they begin their careers? The answer may be found by looking at the social forces that shape the attitudes and behaviors of today's youth --forces influencing them in ways that will determine their financial success or failure as adults.

According to a new study by Dr. Soyeon Shim, from the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona in the US, and her colleagues, parents have the greatest influence on students' financial habits, over and above work experience and financial education in high school. The new four-step model, which analyzes the process of financial socialization in first-year college students, is published online in Springer's Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

Students perceive financial independence as a means to achieve adult status. Although some young adults in college learn to manage their money well, many others overspend their budgets, accrue credit card debt, and fail to pay off debts on time. Dr. Shim and colleagues examined the processes that occur during adolescence that may explain these differences in financial management. They focused specifically on the period during which college students adjust to living away from home. The authors tested their proposed four-stage financial socialization model, which focuses on the role of parents, work and education, and their connections to the financial learning, attitudes, and behaviors of first-year college students.

Read more from the August 3 edition of Science Daily
at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727081110.htm
Soyeon Shim, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, shim@ag.arizona.edu

SENSITIZING TUMOR RESPONSE TO CANCER THERAPY

Two forms of skin and brain cancer respond very poorly to chemotherapy and radiation: melanoma and glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer.

Both are the focus of an intensive effort in the department of nutritional sciences at The University of Arizona to find natural, biologically active compounds that will sensitize the cancerous tumors to therapy without damaging normal tissue. By using the compounds in conjunction with conventional treatment, the researchers hope patient survival rates will ultimately increase.

The incidence of melanoma, an aggressive and often fatal form of skin cancer, is increasing at the rate of 3 percent annually, according to the American Cancer Society.

Read more from the July 30 issue of UANews at http://uanews.org/node/26588
Randy Burd, Department of Nutritional Sciences, rburd@u.arizona.edu

MALL KIOSKS PAVE WAY TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Mall kiosks and carts are a popular way to start a new business, even in this economy. Nationally, a growing number of people who have been laid off or are out of work are getting into the $12 billion-a-year specialty-retail industry, which includes gift shops and kiosks, said Patricia Norins, publisher of Specialty Retail Report magazine. In Tucson, Park Place mall has many people interested in starting up, said Jim Heilmann, its senior general manager.

Both Tucson Mall and Park Place have 30 kiosks and are 100 percent committed for 2009 with a waiting list, he said. Heilmann said he has noticed the waiting list seems to be longer this year than in the past three years.

Read more from the this article, which includes commentary from Melinda Burke in he July 26 issue of the Arizona Daily Star:
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/07/26/news/business/20090726_busin_200533.txt
Melinda Burke, Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing, mburke@ag.arizona.edu

TRACKING WHITEFLY-TRANSMITTED CYSDV IN WESTERN 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.

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, plus 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 Brown, virologist and whitefly vector biologist, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona (UA).

"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." So far the new hosts include common bean (Fabaceae), alkali mallow and Malva parviflora (Malvaceae), and buffalo gourd, a wild member of the Cucurbitaceae, according to tests conducted in Brown's lab in Tucson and also in the USDA lab of William Wintermantel in Salinas, Calif.

Read more from the July 4 issue of Western Farm Press
at http://westernfarmpress.com/vegetables/melon-disease-0710/index.html
Judith K. Brown, Department of Plant Sciences, jbrown@ag.arizona.edu

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