Scientists: Nurseries spread P. ramorum to forests
Univ. of Calif.-Berkeley plant pathologists say genetic analysis of Phytophthora ramorum isolates indicate that the nursery industry may be responsible for unknowingly spreading the pathogen to California forests. Since the 1990s, the funguslike pathogen has killed hundreds of thousands of oaks and tanoaks along the Pacific Coast. It appears that a single strain of P. ramorum was initially introduced in U.S. forests, said Kelly Ivors, former U.C.-Berkeley post-doctoral student now with N.C. State Univ. Different strains exist in the European nursery trade, and at least 3 strains can be found in U.S. nurseries, Ivors said. It's unknown how U.S. and European nurseries were originally infected, but the leading theory is imported host plant material, Ivors said. Experts' best guess is the pathogen originated in the Indo-Malaysian region of Asia, but this has not been confirmed.
Expect immigration bill in May
Senate leaders have pledged to push a comprehensive immigration reform bill forward before Memorial Day, May 29, said John Farner, ANLA dir. of legislative relations. One proposal that has been touted would use Social Security Admin. mismatch letters as an enforcement tool. Currently, employers have no legal obligation to respond to these letters sent from the SSA when employees' names and SSNs do not match. This proposal would be bad for ag. businesses, which typically have a high number of mismatch letters, Farner said.
Watch for immigration program fraud
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a warning about immigration fraud. The department's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) wants companies to understand there is no temporary worker program that exists for illegal aliens in the U.S. Do not pay fees or fines to any person or organization claiming they can help apply for or receive benefits for a temporary worker program, USCIS warned. "Be wary of persons or organizations that claim they can assist in applying for benefits that do not exist," the warning read. Congress has not passed any legislation that would create a temporary worker program for people in the country unlawfully.
AARS names 2007 rose winners
All-America Rose Selections named its 2007 selections: Rainbow Knock Out, Moondance and Strike It Rich. Rainbow Knock Out from Conard-Pyle Co. is said to be even more floriferous and disease resistant than its parent, 2000 AARS winner Knock Out. Flowers are deep coral-pink with yellow centers and fade to light coral. Moondance is a floribunda from Jackson & Perkins with creamy-white flowers contrasted by glossy, dark-green foliage. Strike It Rich from Weeks Roses is a grandiflora with deep, golden-yellow flowers swirled with ruby red and a strong, spicy fragrance.
Rabbits cost Calif. growers big money
Researchers at Univ. of Calif. Statewide IPM Program are using sophisticated technology to reduce damage caused by cottontail rabbits at nurseries. "California nursery growers report cottontail rabbits as the primary cause of breached irrigation lines and plant damage," said Cheryl Wilen, statewide IPM adviser. "One large commercial nursery in San Diego County reported more than $10,000 each year in direct plant loss and nearly $12,000 annually for repairing irrigation lines." It's illegal to bait cottontail rabbits in California, so growers must look at other control options. Wilen recommends modifying spaghetti irrigation tubing by covering it with larger poly tubing or using a system where the tubing hangs down rather than lying on the ground.
Worth a visit
Where some people see a nursery, we see a body of complex parts and systems working together. This month we dissect procedures for weed control. Only on GreenBeam.com.
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