Extension Publications: Recent submissions
Now showing items 1-20 of 1409
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Información de germinación para especies comunes de restauración de ArizonaLa restauración ecológica basada en semillas es un enfoque utilizado para revegetar hábitats dañados y perturbados mediante la dispersión de semillas con la expectativa de que ocurra la germinación y las plantas se establezcan y prosperen. Aunque la restauración puede mejorar la salud y productividad de los paisajes al revitalizar los servicios ecosistémicos tanto directa como indirectamente, lograr una restauración exitosa es difícil de lograr, especialmente en sistemas áridos (Copeland et al., 2018). La germinación es un cuello de botella bien conocido para el crecimiento de las plantas que dificulta una restauración exitosa (James et al., 2011).
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Jardinería con niños en educación preescolar y centros de educación y en aulasLos jardines proporcionan un entorno de aprendizaje práctico para involucrar a los niños pequeños. Si bien requieren cierta planificación y recursos para construir y mantener, incorporar actividades de jardinería en su aula o centro de educación infantil puede ser gratificante para los maestros y niños. A continuación, proporcionamos sugerencias para planificar un jardín, actividades de jardinería y cómo utilizar las actividades de jardinería para promover el aprendizaje y el desarrollo.
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Utilizando plantas nativas para controlar el zacate buffelIntegrar la restauración activa en un plan de tratamiento de especies invasoras mediante la siembra o plantación de especies nativas que puedan suprimir competitivamente a un invasor puede ayudar a mejorar los resultados del manejo de malezas. Esto ocurre porque las plantas nativas pueden tener rasgos (métodos de acceso a recursos) que se superponen con los invasores, restringiendo a estos últimos de aprovechar recursos como la luz y el espacio. Sin embargo, la eficacia de este enfoque suele estar modificada por la disponibilidad de agua. Esto se debe a que las plantas pueden responder a cambios en la disponibilidad de agua modificando rasgos, como la densidad y tamaño de las raíces (biomasa), afectando posteriormente la magnitud en la que pueden competir con los invasores (Potts et al., 2019). Identificar rasgos de especies nativas que sean competitivas contra especies invasoras en sistemas de tierras secas con disponibilidad variable de agua puede ayudar a mejorar los resultados del control de malezas.
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Sobresembrando cespedes de invierno en césped bermudaEn el desierto de baja altitud de Arizona, los céspedes de temporada cálida (césped bermuda, césped zoysia y césped San Agustín) entran en estado de dormancia y típicamente pierden su color verde durante el invierno. La sobresiembra de césped bermuda con un césped de temporada fría proporciona un césped verde durante todo el año. Un césped invernal sobresembrado proporciona un paisaje estético y funcionalmente ofrece un césped recreativo.
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Zonas climáticas de Arizona y su aplicación en el cultivo de plantasLas plantas crecen mejor en climas a los que están más adaptadas. Conocer la zona climática de una ubicación es uno de los factores para cultivar con éxito plantas al aire libre. Mientras que el suelo, el agua y la luz son críticos, las temperaturas bajas o altas pueden limitar el crecimiento de las plantas en una ubicación específica. Arizona es un estado grande que abarca 335 millas de este a oeste y 390 millas de norte a sur, con diversas zonas climáticas. El clima está influenciado por la elevación, que determina las temperaturas altas y bajas, y por la precipitación, que varía en todo el estado. La precipitación varía desde 3 pulgadas anuales en Yuma, en la esquina suroeste de Arizona, hasta más de 30 pulgadas en las áreas montañosas. El clima de Arizona se clasifica como árido o semiárido porque la evapotranspiración, la pérdida combinada de agua del suelo y las plantas en una ubicación, es mayor que la cantidad de lluvia que recibe el área.
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Foundations of Virtual Fencing: Training and Animal WelfareIn Arizona and other western states, ranchers and land managers rely on thousands of miles of permanent wire fencing to manage livestock on extensive rangelands (Hayter 1939; Netz 2004). This type of fencing has improved rangeland conditions in many places by aiding in the application of grazing systems (Holecheck et al. 2011). However, wire fencing can fragment landscape connectivity, pose a risk to wildlife, and is a major financial investment. Moreover, it offers limited flexibility in adjusting pasture size, actively manipulating grazing distribution, or avoiding high-use areas or sensitive habitats within a pasture (Jakes et al. 2018).
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Foundations of Virtual Fencing: The Vital Role of High-Quality GIS DataIn Arizona and other western states, ranchers and land managers rely on thousands of miles of permanent wire fencing to manage livestock on extensive rangelands(Hayter, 1939). This type of fencing has led to improved rangeland conditions in many places by aiding in the application of grazing systems. However, wire fencing can fragment landscape connectivity, pose a risk to wildlife, is a major financial investment, and provides little to no flexibility to rapidly change pasture size, manipulate grazing distribution, or avoid areas of high use or sensitive habitat within a pasture (Holechek et al., 2011; Jakes et al., 2018). As a result, there are constraints on the use of permanent fences as a tool for managing riparian health, post-fire vegetation recovery, or improving livestock distribution. While electric fencing can be used to address some of these problems (Barnes and Howell, 2013), electric fencing can be hard to implement across large pastures and requires a significant time investment to setup and move. Virtual fence (VF) technology is an emerging precision livestock management tool used to address these limitations and increase management flexibility and adaptive capacity to respond to changing.
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Cover Crops and Carbon Sequestration: A Perspective for Desert SoilsThe nature of agriculture has always been evolving with the needs of the people. As a result of the public’s concern over climate change, conservation strategies like cover cropping have been investigated to note any ecosystem services they may provide, allowing those in the industry to tally their many benefits. On a regional scale, cover crops may improve soil health and quality, additionally contributing to soil conservation; globally, cover crops may aid carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The importance of arid agriculture in this context cannot be overlooked. Many researchers, policymakers, and agricultural stakeholders in the US Desert Southwest have begun to realize that though cover crops may not be suitable for green manuring in the region due to strict water budgets, they may, however, be suitable for use as alternative forage crops to fetch additional economic gains while acting as physical barriers to prevent soil erosion and support beneficial ecosystem services ultimately improving soil health in desert agroecosystems.
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Guidance for Soil Moisture Sensor Selection: Market Analysis and Decision-Making StrategiesMonitoring soil moisture content is a critical aspect of effective irrigation scheduling. Maintaining optimal soil moisture levels is essential for plant growth and crop yield. Soil moisture monitoring can be accomplished through various methods, including the use of capacitance sensors that measure dielectric properties for volumetric water content assessments. Alternatively, traditional methods such as gravimetric sampling, primarily utilized in research, require weighing soil samples before and after drying to determine moisture content. These methods provide valuable insights for irrigation management, helping growers optimize water use and enhance crop productivity (Gu et al., 2020).
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Impacts of Deficit Irrigation on Barley and Durum Wheat Production in Arizona: A Preliminary ReportDeficit irrigation is often considered an effective irrigation strategy to conserve water and has been tested in different crop production systems and under different environments. In this research study, we explored the impact of deficit irrigation in the arid Southwest region, particularly in central Arizona, on the production of durum wheat and grain barley using flood irrigation. The experiment was conducted at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center in Maricopa, Arizona. We examined irrigation deficits of 12.5% and 25% and observed that a 12.5% deficit in irrigation led to 30% and 45% decline in grain yield for durum wheat and barley, respectively; however, the yield did not decline further under the 25% deficit irrigation treatment. Additionally, we did not record any changes in soil chemical properties or soil health. Our study concluded that under flood-irrigated durum wheat and barley, deficit irrigation may not be an economically viable strategy for water conservation in desert agroecosystems. However, this research also highlighted the need for similar research on drip- and sprinkler-irrigated small grain production systems.
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Cross Reality (XR) Activities for Community EngagementAs a part of your 4-H community outreach whether as an ambassador, volunteer, or staff you have the opportunity to go out and interact with schools and families. This will help you in promoting the 4-H program and highlight the benefits of supporting positive youth development in your community.
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What is Virtual Fence? Basics of a Virtual Fencing SystemIn Arizona and other western states, ranchers and land managers rely on thousands of miles of permanent wire fencing to manage livestock on rangelands. Patented in 1874, this type of fencing has been widely used to control the timing and distribution of livestock grazing across the landscape (Ray and Schamel 1997). When combined with modern rangeland management principles, the use of wire fencing has led to improved rangeland condition in many places by aiding in the application of grazing systems (Holecheck et al. 2011). However, permanent fencing also results in significant management limitations. Wire fencing can fragment landscape connectivity, pose a risk to wildlife, and can be a major financial investment for ranchers and land management agencies to establish and maintain (Jakes et al. 2018). Additionally, permanent fences provide little to no flexibility to rapidly change pasture size, manipulate grazing distribution, or avoid areas of high use or sensitive habitat within a pasture. As a result, there are constraints on the use of permanent fences as a tool for managing riparian health, post-fire vegetation recovery, or improving livestock distribution. Precision livestock management technologies have emerged in recent years to address these limitations and increase management flexibility and adaptive capacity to respond to changing environmental conditions as part of a larger grazing management system that balances economic and ecological outcomes (Trotter 2010; di Virgilio et al. 2018; Lima et al. 2018). Virtual fencing is one such technology.
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Growing TomatoesThe modern cultivated tomato originated from wild relatives in the mountainous regions of South America. It was in pre-Columbian Mexico that the tomato was domesticated before being taken to Spain as an ornamental plant. It wasn’t initially grown as a vegetable because it was believed to be poisonous. Tomatoes were adopted as a food crop first in Southern Europe, and later (19th century) in Northern Europe and the US1. Tomatoes are a popular and welcome addition to any home garden, and one of the easiest vegetables to grow. They require a little more skill in the low desert of Arizona, due to hot temperatures in summer and occasional freezes in winter. This desert region allows two short growing seasons, which means double the opportunity for delicious tomatoes.
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AZ 4-H Blacksmithing – Program OverviewThis document is intended to provide a brief overview of the blacksmithing program, instructional resources, equipment, and learning resources for beginning 4-H blacksmithing instructors. There are infinite rabbit holes that a beginning blacksmith can go down, and this project is an excellent means to support youth in finding their own spark. The information below is a general introduction to strategies for safe and educational youth experiences, the types and purposes of tooling used by smiths, locations to purchase equipment, and some good resources for learning to make your own tools and projects.
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Arizona Seed Production for Small-Scale Producers: Germination Requirements“Germination” means the emergence and development from the seed embryo of those essential structures that, for the kind of seed in question, are indicative of the ability to produce a normal plant under favorable conditions.” (3 A.A.C. 04). In biological terms, this is the stage of plant development where the seedling emerges from the seed coat or similar. In seed production, germination is the process to test the percentage of seedling emergence from a pre-determined number of seeds in a controlled environment. The germination rate is expressed as an emergence percentage.
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The Brown Dog Tick and Epidemic Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Arizona and northwestern MexicoThe brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus, has a worldwide distribution and is found throughout the United States (US) and Mexico. This tick is driving epidemics of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in Arizona and northwest Mexico. As the name suggests, the tick mainly takes blood meals from dogs, but it will also feed on humans and other mammals, and can carry serious disease causing pathogens. In the early 2000’s it was found to transmit Rickettsia rickettsii, (a gram-negative, intracellular, coccobacillus bacterium) that causes RMSF in Arizona. This was the first time this tick species has been associated with the disease in the US (Demma et al. 2005). Similar outbreaks occurred at the same time in Sonora and more recently in Baja California (Alvarez- Hernandez et al. 2017).