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<UL> <LI> Daley - Quantify milk constituents that are of significance to human health; correlate milk nutrients to pasture forage intake; Identify milk constituents that will accurately index herds according to pasture forage consumption, under field conditions; develop a scientific, objective assessment tool, that will accurately categorize level of pasture consumption from bulk tank milk samples; promote the use of pasture within the dairy industry; improve the overall healthfulness of dairy products; and provide value-added marketing options for family farms. <LI> Han - Evaluate an alternative forest restoration treatment method that includes the use of a Yoader for yarding tree boles to roadsides, leaving limbs and tops on site; compare the economics of the alternative thinning method with current lop & scatter treatment practices; and survey residual stand damage/impacts on residual trees from thinning treatment practices. <LI> Headrick - Examine the biology and management of Trupanea vicina tephritid fruit fly species populations to test the efficacy of currently available low-risk pesticides in reducing populations in field settings; determine if populations that have locally attained pest status are invasive to Santa Barbara County; study chemical extracts of host plants and insect toidentify pheromones or kairomones to mediate attraction to alure as a means of developing a population monitoring tool. <LI> Humphrey - Promote poultry animal health while minimizing the negative impacts on performance that occur during an immune challenge; identify nutritional approaches to mitigate the catabolic response to infection in poultry; test the hypothesis that catabolic responses to infection can be mitigated by modifying amino acid ratios; determine the effect of feeding altered amino acid ratios on broiler performance prior to, during and post-infection; determine the effect of feeding altered amino acid ratios on the activation level of the immune system during an infectious challenge. <LI> Los Huertos - Investigate cultural practices that maintain the economic and resource base of row crop agriculture in the Central Coast; estimate global warming potential from row crops comparing organic and conventional farms as contrasting management practices; characterize soil greenhouse gas emissions on regular and event driven sampling scheme; hold public workshops in cooperation with public and nonprofit agencies regarding management practices that may reduce global warming potential of row crops. <LI> Pasakdee - Evaluate the potential use of canola as a cash crop in California's Central Valley during the 3-year certification transition period from conventional to organic cropping; examine various canola varieties suitable for the region; study organic fertility inputs; evaluate production of canola oil, canola meal, and their by-products for use as biodiesel, animal feed, and soil amendments. <LI> Still - Assess the significance of epigenetic control on the subsequent germination behavior of lettuce seeds germinated under environmental stress; provide insight and tools into assessing soft heritability; assess the first steps into epigenetic breeding.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Daley - Not all milk is created with the same nutritional value. While its composition can be influenced by a number of factors, animal nutritional influences have a significant impact on milk nutritional qualities including augmenting its antioxidant content. This project proposes to establish the relationship between high quality organic pasture grazing intensity and nutritionally significant milk constituents. Han - More efficient and effective mechanisms to thin topographically challenging steep slope second-growth forest stands that also protect forests from elevated fire hazard or soil erosion potential are highly sought. This project will compare and contrast the economics and practicality of conventional and a new forest restoration practice. Impacts will be evaluated by applying the study results into new forest restoration projects. Headrick - Trupanea vicina is a California native tephritid fruit fly species that has become a significant seed-feeding pest of commercial ornamental flower production in Santa Barbara County in the last two years. Damage due to its feeding has reduced many growers' seed production by 50%. It has the potential to significantly damage the areas' ornamental flower industry. This project will examine fly populations to test the efficacy of available low-risk pesticides, determine if they are invasive to the area and examine chemical extracts of host plants and insects as a means of developing a population monitoring tool. Humphrey - Activation of the poultry immune system occurs at the expense of animal performance and productivity. Given the continued banning of antimicrobials for use as growth promoters in poultry feed and the rising threat of Avian Influenza and other disease outbreaks, increasing our understanding of how to properly feed the immune system is vital for the continued growth and prosperity of the California poultry industry. Los Huertos - Although uncertainty exists in agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emission estimates, consensus exists that there are emissions, that they will increase if current practices are maintained, and that increased concerns for global climate change call for agricultural mitigation strategies. This project will investigate sustainable cultural practices that maintain the economic and resource base of row crop agriculture in the Central Coast. Pasakdee - A surge in demand for organic food has fostered an increased interest among California San Joaquin Valley growers to investigate sustainable organic farming practices and field certification period transitional cash crops. This project investigates the use of canola as a promising winter cash-crop during the transition period and an annual rotation crop later. Still - California and Arizona produce approximately 98% of all lettuce consumed in the United States with an estimated value of $1.9 to $2.3 billion. Lettuce is planted virtually every week of the year in these states, often under less than ideal germination and stand establishment conditions. This project will assess the significance of epigenetic control on the subsequent germination behavior of lettuce seeds germinated under environmental stress.
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APPROACH:<BR> Daley - The impact of grazing intensity on milk nutritional constituents important to human health will be established through high performance liquid chromatography. Cows will be exposed to four levels of grazing to establish a dose response in omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid, terpenes, and bioflavonoids. The results will provide important information on production practices that can be used for verification and validation for value-added marketing. <P>
Han - An economic analysis of current forest restoration practice costs will be compared to an alternate method by installing two treatments side-by-side in two different locations. Impacts will be evaluated by applying the study results into new forest restoration projects. Project results will substantially improve the current knowledge base regarding options for restoration treatments in Redwood National Park. <P>Headrick - We will use ecological and behavioral methods developed by the PI, combined with genetic and semiochemical analyses, in a unique way to examine how a California species of aster-feeding fruit fly from southern CA became a new pest of flower production in Santa Barbara Co. The results will be analyzed with the PI's unique database of tephritid biology and used to develop management guidelines. The grower's adoption of the recommendations will be quantified by use of a survey.<P> Humphrey - Nutritional approaches to mitigate the catabolic response to infections in poultry will be investigated by testing the hypothesis that catabolic responses to infection can be mitigated by modifying amino acid ratios and understanding how protein/amino acid nutrition can best provide immune system nutritional support. Information will provide nutritionists with a better understanding of how to formulate diets that promote efficient immune responses. <P>Los Huertos - Greenhouse gas emissions measured from row crops to determine if emission rates vary with selected cultural practices. Using standard methods, gas samples will be taken and analyzed for three greenhouse gases. By contrasting cultural practices and greenhouse gas emissions, we will provide row crop growers with valid emission estimates and potential strategies to reduce emission rates. The number of growers and pre/post surveys will be used to quantify impacts. <P>Pasakdee - The research explores growing canola during the transition period from conventional to organic farming. Field research to evaluate three non-GMO canola varieties with three levels of manure applications will be conducted. Canola production vs. fallowing fields will be compared for soil conservation, water quality, weed and disease suppression and net income impacts.<P> Still - Genetic lines of lettuce will be grown under production environments that differ in temperature and/or light quality. The genome-wide methylation status of the seeds from two different genotypes exhibiting strong environmental sensitivity will be assessed. Differentially methylated loci and transcript abundance of selected loci will be quantified. Impact will be assessed by tracking the number of breeders/scientists requesting information or citing publications from this research.