A team of researchers, led by a University of California, Davis, plant scientist, has identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather — a discovery that could lead to lettuces that can sprout year-round, even at high temperatures.

The study also included researchers from Arcadia Biosciences and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India.

The finding is particularly important to the nearly $2 billion lettuce industries of California and Arizona, which together produce more than 90 percent of the nation’s lettuce. The study results appear online in the journal The Plant Cell.

“Discovery of the genes will enable plant breeders to develop lettuce varieties that can better germinate and grow to maturity under high temperatures,” said the study’s lead author Kent Bradford, a professor of plant sciences and director of the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center... Read More

Fall has finally arrived here in the Central Valley. Last week the temps were in the 90′s or more but over the weekend, slowly but surely, there was a cooling trend until finally there was but a trickle of rain … Continue reading →... Read More

Crews could begin ground spraying to kill mosquitoes in Ripon and Escalon as early as Tuesday night, according to the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District. It's part of the effort to keep mosquitoes from spreading diseases such as West Nile virus.

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