Providing Innovative Leadership in Water, Energy & Air Resources
The Central Valley of California is vulnerable to water supply fluctuations and is in need of rotational crops such as sorghum, that are adapted to its unique conditions. Sorghum is a crop that is well known for its ability to adapt to poor quality soils and water in hot, arid environments with limited or irregular rainfall.…
Almonds are a prominent cash crop in the Central Valley of California. According to the Almond Board of California, almonds use roughly eight percent of California’s agricultural water supply; therefore, there is a high demand to focus on sustainability of the crop. In recent years, California has been in critical drought conditions that have had…
The Central Valley, due to its agricultural capacity, is a breadbasket for the United States. This comes with rewarding benefits and inevitable costs. The inevitable costs that the Central Valley faces include maintaining access to ample water supplies for agriculture and keeping groundwater clean. It is a challenge that offers many opportunities for researchers to crack…
There are wasps that lay eggs on a host insect, such as a caterpillar, and once their eggs are hatched they eat the host. These wasps are an example of insect parasitoids. They rely mainly on chemical substances for communication to locate and recognize both their mates and their hosts. The purpose of this ARI…
The purpose of this project was to engage the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) region in developing a water management planning process. The purpose of the plan was to develop the capacity for regional sustainability of water supplies for agricultural, domestic, industrial, and environmental uses. The goals of this project included: Further developing and applying the…
The WATERIGHT site was developed by the Center for Irrigation Technology at California State University, Fresno with significant support from the US Bureau of Reclamation. The website is designed to be a multi-function, educational resource for irrigation water management. The site is designed for three audiences: homeowners, commercial turf growers, and agriculture. WATERIGHT allows growers…
Horseweed (Conyza Canadensis), hairy fleabane (Conyza bonariensis), and junglerice (Echinochloa colona) are problematic weeds in the perennial cropping systems of California. This problem has been growing due to populations that have become resistant to the commonly used herbicide glyphosate and glyphosate + paraquat. Two alternative herbicides have been identified in perennial cropping systems: sethoxydim and…
The Center for Irrigation Technology is involved in more than just irrigation product testing, certification and applied research. Since 2002, CIT has managed the Advanced Pumping Efficiency Program (APEP) for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. APEP is an incentive program intended to improve overall pumping efficiency and encourage energy conservation in California. The program offers…
This project was conducted by Dr. Gary Bañuelos to develop information about the nutritional and nutrient value of Cactus Pear Fruit (Opuntia ficus-indica) as well as production, marketing, and consumption data. Opuntia has the potential to become a new cash crop that can be grown on unused land. Opuntia is also known to contain many health…
The carbon calculator developed during this project is a major milestone for the pistachio industry in California. Research has been performed to implement a life cycle analysis of greenhouse gases in pistachio production; however, none of the studies produced a tool that could be used by growers to track carbon dioxide in their orchard operations. …