​In accordance with UC Davis's current policies, we are temporarily closed to the public until further notice. Please reach us by email. ​​

A Virtual Open House
  Agricultural Entomology
(Already happened)

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Ian Grettenberger, PhD, Assistant Specialist in Cooperative Extension at UC Davis (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Madi Hendrick, UC Davis graduate student. https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=43802
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Tadpole shrimp are a major pest of rice. While not insects, they are still arthropods.
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Rice plants. Photo courtesy of https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=39110
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Armyworm larvae damaging alfalfa. http://www.ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=43512
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Facebook Live Q & A
with UC Davis scientist Ian Grettenberger and Madi Hendrick

(Already happened)
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Ian and Madi will be used Zoom via Facebook Live, so this is what the screen may look like.
Ian and graduate student Madi discussed  some of their work on insects in two different agricultural areas— rice and alfalfa— in a casual presentation titled,
"The good and the bad: Insects and other arthropods in agriculture, with a focus on  California rice and alfalfa" 

Ian's fields of expertise include field and vegetable crops; integrated pest management; applied insect ecology, and biological control of pests.
Among his current grants:
  • Protection of rice from invertebrate pests
  • Insecticide resistant alfalfa weevils in the western United States: Quantifying the scope of resistance and implementing a plan to manage the threat​
  • Management of key cotton arthropod pests with insecticides and acaricides, a proactive approach to prepare for the invasion of the tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta)  into California
  • Detection, biology and control of the exotic Swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii) for California cole crops
  • Management of the western spotted and striped cucumber beetle in melon production
  • Biological control of the bagrada bug
  • Insecticide resistance monitoring and evaluation of efficacy of current chemical tactics for managing aphids and thrips in lettuce
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Videos

Enjoy these pre-recorded tours of the Bohart.
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Activities

Rice is known botanically as Oryza sativa and is considered a grass, as are barley, oats, rye and wheat. Here you will use rice to make an image of  a rice plant or you can design your own image.

Rice Art

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Starting in March fields are prepared. By April, the fields are ready to be planted. Water is run into the fields to a depth of only five inches and water soaked rice seeds are planted from above using airplanes.

The rice grows rapidly, ultimately reach-ing a height of three feet. During this time, farmers are careful to maintain a consistent water depth of the same five inches. By late summer, the grain begins to appear in long panicles on the top of the plant. By September, the grain heads are mature and ready to be harvested. On average, each acre will yield more than 8,000 pounds of rice.

-Text and information is from the California Rice Commission guide "Rice 101"
https://calrice.org/pdf/crc101guide_mw_06.pdf
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History 

Commercial rice production began in California in 1912. Rice is grown on approximately 550,000 acres statewide. Rice production is concentrated in the Sacramento Valley, where about 95% of California rice is grown, with the balance grown in a few counties of the northern San Joaquin Valley. California rice production yields may exceed 10,000 lbs/acre, which is 20% above the U.S. average. Over 90% of the rice acreage in California is planted to medium grain varieties, with limited area planted to short and long grain varieties.

California is unique among the U.S.  rice producing states in its geography, climate and environmental regulations. The growing season is characterized by a Mediterranean climate with negligible rainfall, high solar radiation, and relatively cold night-time temperatures. Because of its dry Mediterranean climate and northern latitude of 38–40°, California varieties and many of the agronomic practices are quite different from other rice production zones in the U.S. Additionally, California’s urbanized population demands that rice (and other crops) be produced with environmentally benign methods with no off-farm impacts. There is frequently conjunctive use of farmland for wildlife habitat and other purposes.

-From the University of California Agronomy Research and Information Center, Rice
http://rice.ucanr.edu/About_California_Rice/rice.ucanr.edu/About_California_Rice/
 

Check out these other science/insect resources from other museums:

These are approximately hour long presentations and discussions with Cal Academy scientists. Brian Fisher, who got his PhD at UC Davis studying ants, is one of the featured people. 
This amazing bug fair is going to be on-line this year. Also, check out their new exhibit on urban L.A. entomology.