The University of California, Riverside (UCR) College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) hosted the Cooperative Extension (CE) Advisors and UCR CE Faculty Collaboration Meeting on May 23.

CE advisors located in (or serving) over 14 counties across California were invited to learn about the ongoing research by UCR CE faculty to enhance collaboration between CE advisors and faculty, and to address existing and emerging agricultural challenges to better serve California and the US.

The following CE faculty provided oral presentations on their current research projects:

Connecting the Dots Between Production Horticulture & the Consumer for Subtropical Fruit Crops
Mary Lu Arpaia
Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Subtropical Horticulture
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences 

Turfgrass Research & Outreach
Jim Baird
Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Horticulture
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences 
turfgrass.ucr.edu

Management of Insect Pests in Subtropical Fruit Crops
Bodil Cass
​​Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Entomology
Department of Entomology

Urban/Structural Entomology Labs
Dong-Hwan Choe 
Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Entomology
Department of Entomology

Insect Invasion Biology & Vector-Borne Plant Disease Management 
Matt Daugherty
Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Entomology
Department of Entomology

Optimization of Citrus Horticultural Practices
Ashraf El-kereamy
Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Horticulture
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Advanced Technologies for Improving Food Safety of Fresh Produce 
Ahmed El-Moghazy
Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Food Safety
Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology

Minimizing Disease Impact in Subtropical Fruit Crops
Fatemah Khodadadi
Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist
Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology

Subtropical Horticultural Research
Peggy Mauk
Director of Agricultural Operations
Professor of Cooperative Extension
UC Cooperative Extension Specialist
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Black Earth & Robots
Milt McGiffen
Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Vegetable Crops
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Nursery Production: Plant Nutrition & Water/Native Plant & Pomegranate Operations
Donald Merhaut
Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Horticulture
Department of Botany and Plant Sciences

Nematode Management in Vegetable Crops
Antoon Ploeg
Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Nematology
Department of Nematology

Disease Management in Vegetables & Small Fruits
Alex Putman
Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist in Plant Pathology
Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology

Geospatial Soil & Plant Sensing Research
Elia Scudiero
Associate Professional Researcher
Department of Environmental Sciences

Tree & Vine Research Overview
Philippe Rolshausen
Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Subtropical Crops
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Precision Urban and Agricultural Water Management in Southern California
Amir Verdi
Associate Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Agricultural and Urban Water Management
Department of Environmental Sciences

California’s Citrus Clonal Protection Program & Its Research in Addressing Citrus Challenges
Georgios Vidalakis
Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Plant Pathology
Director, Citrus Clonal Protection Program
Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology

Nematode Diseases of Trees & Vines
Andreas Westphal
Professor of Cooperative Extension and Cooperative Extension Specialist of Nematology
Department of Nematology

In addition to CE advisors and faculty, the collaboration meeting was attended by UCR Agricultural Experiment Station faculty and CNAS leadership including CNAS Interim Dean Peter Atkinson and chairs of agricultural departments. The meeting was organized by Isgouhi Kaloshian, Professor of Nematology and former CNAS Agriculture & Natural Resources Divisional Dean, Peggy Mauk, Agriculture Operations Director and CE Faculty, and Donald Merhaut, CE Faculty.

For more information about Cooperative Extension at UC Riverside, please visit cnas.ucr.edu/ce-specialists.

For more information about the University of California Cooperative Advisors, please visit cnas.ucr.edu/about/cooperative-extension.

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