The following peer-reviewed research articles have been published in the University of California’s California Agriculture journal. To download full-text PDFs, go to: http://californiaagriculture.ucop.edu

Better wines, more vines: The California wine industry is growing and changing amidst a global revolution in grape growing, wine production, wine marketing and consumer tastes. In an overview of the California wine industry, UC researchers report that California accounted for roughly 90% of the value of U.S. wine production in 2006, while U.S. per capita wine consumption and the quality of wine consumed continued to rise. The largest California wineries have long accounted for most California wine shipments and continue to expand with respect to volume and number of labels. While small wineries sell most of their wine directly to end-users, many midsized wineries face challenges in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Contact: UC Davis Agricultural Economist Rachael Goodhue, (530) 754-7812 or goodhue@primal.ucdavis.edu.

Lower-risk herbicides are cost effective for Central Coast vineyard floors: Central Coast growers are under increasing scrutiny and regulatory pressure to keep herbicides from contaminating groundwater and, in turn, the Monterey Bay and National Marine Sanctuary. UC researchers evaluated nine combinations of vineyard floor management practices for their impacts on fruit yield, quality and costs. Compared to the grower standard, post-emergence herbicide treatments generally used smaller amounts of chemicals and were less costly, with similar yields and quality. Contact: UC Cooperative Extension (Santa Cruz) Advisor Laura Tourte, (831) 763-8040 or ljtourte@ucdavis.edu.

Minimum tillage could benefit California rice farmers: Field research and grower interviews were used to evaluate the potential of minimum tillage for California rice systems. By tilling only in the fall (instead of both the fall and spring), rice farmers controlled herbicide-resistant weeds when combined with a stale rice seedbed, which entails spring flooding to germinate weeds followed by a glyphosate application to kill them. The results indicated that yield potentials are comparable between water-seeded minimum- and conventional-till systems, and that rice growers could reduce fuel costs and plant early. However, minimum tillage may require more nitrogen fertilizer to achieve these yields. Contact: UC Davis Plant Scientist Bruce Linquist, (530) 752-3125 or balinquist@ucdavis.edu.

Clearing pistachio mummies from the ground is most effective for navel orangeworm control: Controlling navel orangeworm, a key pistachio pest, is problematic because the moth overwinters in nuts. Researchers investigated the number of available mummies and their levels of navel orangeworm infestation from winter through early summer in California pistachio orchards. In contrast to almonds, the study found that it is more productive to focus on clearing pistachio mummies from the ground than on removing them from trees. Contact: USDA Research Entomologist Joel P. Siegel, (559) 596-2735 or jsiegel@ fresno.ars.usda.gov.

Bait formulations for navel orangeworm egg traps tested: In response to changes in the availability of commercial bait material for navel orangeworm egg traps, researchers evaluated alternative baits for use in monitoring this key pest of almonds, pistachios, walnuts and figs. Three seasons of field tests showed that egg traps baited with almond meal plus 3% or 10% crude almond oil received similar numbers of navel orangeworm eggs, and that these traps were equally effective for at least 10 weeks. Contact: USDA Research Entomologist L.P.S. (Bas) Kuenen, (559) 596-2762 or bkuenen@fresno.ars.usda.gov.

Public work projects cultivate youth in workforce development programs: Using comparative case studies, UC researchers evaluated youth workforce development programs in California funded by the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA). They found that successful youth public-work initiatives generally have the following three characteristics: (1) a balance of employment preparation with social services and personal support; (2) youth grouped in cohorts that work and learn together; and (3) caring adult supervision that combines discipline and support. Contact: David Campbell, (530) 754-4328 or dave.c.campbell@ucdavis.edu.

Also in this issue, news and editorial features include:

• Trained sheep chomp weeds, avoid vines
• Mapping shows continued vineyard expansion
• Oiled birds cleaned up at UC facility following San Francisco Bay spill
• Service grants allow 4-H-ers to build healthier communities
• Editorial: UC know-how can boost the California wine economy

California Agriculture is the University of California’s peer-reviewed journal of research in agricultural, human and natural resources. For a free subscription, go to: http://californiaagriculture.ucop.edu, write to calag@ucop.edu or call (510) 642-2431 x33. For a hard copy of the journal, contact Janet Byron, (510) 642-2431 x19 or janet.byron@ucop.edu.