Posts Tagged: announcement

JOB OPENING // Herbicide Discovery Scientist

This job announcement ws sent to the UC Weed Research & Information Center.

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There are two Positions for Associate Investigators in Global Discovery Biology at DuPont Crop Protection in Herbicide Discovery.

We would be preferably interested in Masters as well as Bachelor level candidates. I’ll appreciate if you circulate this at Ole Miss College of Agriculture or recommend any particular individual who you think would be a potential Fit.

The interested individuals can contact me directly and send me their CV. They can also apply Online in DuPont’s Career Section. I’m attaching the position description in this email.

Thanks for your help.

Best Regards,
Atul

Atul Puri, Ph.D
Principal Investigator, Herbicide Discovery
DuPont Crop Protection
Stine-Haskell Research Center
1090 Elkton Road
Newark, DE 19711

Office: 302-366-5225
Fax: 1-866-511-3257
Email: Atul.Puri@usa.dupont.com

 

CAST issue paper on the threat of herbicide-resistant weeds on soil conservation efforts

I wanted to share a link today to a paper published by CAST, the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology.  This paper, entitled "Herbicide-resistant weeds threaten soil conservation gains: finding a balance for soil and farm sustainablity", was released about a year ago and addresses one of the less obvious issues resistance imposes - soil erosion.  This paper can be viewed or downloaded (free!) at the link above.

The development and adoption of effective postemergence herbicides, both conventional and GMO-linked, has resulted in tremendous gains in soil conservation for much of the country due to the reduction in "clean" tillage, in-season cultivation to control weeds, and tillage operations to incorporate soil-applied herbicides.  This is of particular benefit in regions with summer rain, intense winds, and varied topography (like much of the Midwest where I'm from) but it benefits California growers and citizens too.

I won't attempt (in a Friday afternoon blog post) to repackage the careful assessment and explanation written by Shaw, Culpepper, Owen, Price, and Wilson.  I'd encourage you to read through the article for a slightly different view of the complex issues and cost/benefit considerations made by weed managers.  In the CAST paper, the issue is largely soil erosion from water but here in California, you might be more likely to consider dust (PM10).  I'd offer the point that weed management considerations are full of trade offs - economics, time, environmental;  non-chemical weed control efforts are not without problem. 

Brad

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Herbicide-resistant weeds threaten soil conservation gains: finding a balance for soil and farm sustainablity

CAST Abstract.  (Shaw et al. 2012)

Tillage has been an integral part of crop production since crops were first cultivated. Growers and scientists have long recognized both beneficial and detrimental aspects of tillage. There is no question that most tillage operations promote soil loss, adversely affect (lower) surface water quality, and negatively impact soil productivity. Weed management is a primary reason for tillage, and until the development of highly effective herbicides, conservation tillage was not feasible. Furthermore, with the development of herbicide-resistant (HR) crops, particularly glyphosate-resistant (GR) crops, herbicides such as glyphosate minimized the need for tillage as a weed control tactic; the resulting crop production systems have been primary enablers for the success of U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Soil Conservation programs.

UCD agronomy/biofuels research technician job announcement

Junior Specialist

Department of Plant Sciences

Minimum requirement: B.S. degree in plant pathology, plant science, agriculture, biology, or related field. It is highly desirable for the candidate to have either a Masters degree and/or at least two years work experience in an applicable field.

Job Description: The Junior Specialist position will be in the laboratory of Stephen Kaffka in the Dept. of Plant Sciences, UC Davis. The successful candidate will assist with the field-testing and evaluation of biofuel and industrial crops including castor, sugar beets, canola and camelina.

Work will involve both laboratory- and field-based research and include: the establishment, management and harvesting of field trials at multiple locations throughout California; sample preparation and processing; laboratory and field data collection; data management; basic exploratory data analysis;  and, additional technical support for project leaders.  The junior specialist will be part of a multi-disciplinary group focused on the sustainable use of biomass for energy in California.

The candidate must have a valid driver’s license, the ability to travel throughout the state at short notice, and competency with Microsoft Office. Ideally the candidate should also have experience with field level agricultural experimentation, experience working with farm machinery, and a willingness to learn new computer programs. 

Salary: $34,680 per year plus benefits.

This is a two year appointment with the possibility of extension.

To Apply: Please email resume to Stephen Kaffka at srkaffka@ucdavis.edu.

UC-IPM Kiwifruit Pest Management Guideline updated and republished

A quick post today to share a link to the recently revised "UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines for Kiwifruit" (UC ANR Publication #3449).  You can download the whole document as a pdf here, or use it online at the above link.

Although there are also well-written sections on general kiwi pest management, as well as specific information on insects, mites, and diseases of kiwifruit, since this is the Weed Science blog, I'd better post a link directly to the Integrated Weed Management section authored by:

• K. Hembree, UC Cooperative Extension, Fresno County
• B. Hanson, Weed Science, UC Davis
• with contributions by W.T. Lanini and C. Elmore, Weed Science, UC Davis

I think these PMGs are among the most useful sources of pest managment information published by the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Managment Program. These agricultural and home garden pest management guides are updated every year or so with extensive revisions every few years. The authors usually include University of California faculty, specialists, and farm advisors and the guides are produced and edited by UC Statewide IPM Program, University of California, Davis. 

Visit the UC IPM homepage for more pest management information.  If you haven't used this resource before, you may be nearly alone.  According to the UC-IPM director - this web resource gets nearly 50,000 pageviews per day by folks from around the world!

Take care,

Brad

The importance of early response to invasive weeds (WSSA Press Release)

A repost and link today to a recent Weed Science Society of America press release entitled: "WSSA Scientists Stress the Importance of Early Response to Invasive Weeds"  Click the link to go to the full article.

I'll also give kudos to the WSSA web team on the brand new redesigned (and really sharp-looking Society webpage here: http://wssa.net/  A great resource for weed science info, jobs, and links to issues related to the impacts of weeds and related control measures - now even easier to navigate!

Brad

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An excerpt from the article quotes Dr. John Jaccetta, WSSA Past President and Fellow (and UC Davis undergraduate and MS graduate degrees):

“We’ve long understood the value of an early response to diseases impacting human health,” Jachetta said. “It’s time to bring that same sense of urgency to our natural environment and to take prompt, effective action to stop harmful invasive weeds.”

Early Detection, Ready Response: Seven Critical Steps

An effective program for “early detection, rapid response” will incorporate these seven important steps.

1. Identify. Both scientists and lay people are taught to identify problem plants.
2. Report. Online tools make it easy to submit information on a sighting.
3. Verify. Scientists validate reports of suspected invasive species.
4. Review. Data is used to keep tabs on the geography of an infestation – where the invasive weed has been spotted and how quickly it is spreading.
5. Assess. Experts evaluate the risk of the infestation to natural ecosystems, crops and the economy.
6. Establish a plan. An integrated plan is developed for managing the infestation.
7. Rapidly respond. The plan is quickly implemented and there is ongoing monitoring to gauge the effectiveness of control efforts.

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Click here for a direct link to the full, unabridged press release from WSSA

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