Free Online Research-Based Advice On Weathering A Drought

The latest research-based advice on weathering a drought is now available free online.

Spring is here, and California farming is in full swing. But this year, the agriculture industry is operating under the burden of unrelenting drought.

The UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources is working to help farmers cope with the unwelcome outcome of historically low rainfall the last three years. UC scientists, with support from the California Department of Water Resources, have recorded video presentations on high-priority drought topics that are available for viewing on the UC California Institute of Water Resources drought webpages.

“We are bringing the latest research on drought and water from the UC system’s leading experts to as many farmers, farm industry representatives, communities and students possible,” said Doug Parker, director of the UC California Institute of Water Resources. “People working in the ag industry are busy this time of year. They can get information from these videos whenever and, using mobile devices, wherever it is convenient for them.”

The first seven presentations in the “Insights: Water and Drought Online Seminar Series,” each about half an hour in length, are now ready for viewing. Topics are:

Groundwater and surface water interactions under water shortage
Thomas Harter, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC Davis.

No Water LogoCrop water stress detection and monitoring
Kenneth Shackel, professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis

Surface irrigation management under drought
Khaled Bali, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Imperial County

ET-based irrigation scheduling and management considerations under drought
Richard Snyder, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC Davis

Salinity management under drought for annual crops
Stephen Grattan, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC Davis

Salinity management under drought for perennial crops
Stephen Grattan, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC Davis

Water-use-efficient tillage, residue and irrigation management
Jeff Mitchell, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis

Some of the topics that will soon be added to the online drought series are:

Managing deficit irrigation
Marshall English, professor emeritus at Oregon State University

Managing rice systems with limited water
Bruce Linquist, UC Davis

Climate change and paleoclimatology: 2013/1014 in perspective
Lynn Ingram, UC Berkeley

Available tools for estimating soil suitability to groundwater banking
Antony O’Geen, UC Davis

Irrigation management of tomato under drought conditions
Eugene Miyao, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

How Will Monitoring Soil Moisture Save Me Water?
Dan Johnson, USDA-NRCS California State Water Manager

Winegrapes water management under drought
Paul Verdegaal, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Irrigation management of fruit and nut crops under Sacramento Valley conditions
Allan Fulton, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Alfalfa water demand and management under drought
Daniel Putnam, UC Davis

Field irrigation monitoring for maximum efficiency under drought conditions
Blake Sanden, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Subtropical orchards management under droughts
Ben Faber, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Additional valuable information from California academic institutions for dealing with the drought in the short-term and long-term is available at California Drought Resources. The pages are regularly updated to bring new developments from the state’s university and colleges to a broad range of communities, including farmers, ranchers, landscaping professionals, policymakers and California residents.

For more information on Insights: Water and Drought Online Seminar Series, contact Faith Kearns, UC California Institute for Water Resources, faith.kearns@ucop.edu.

Photo: Oroville Lake, February, 2009. Photo courtesy of California Department of Water Resources.