Faculty and Academics from various University of California campuses have offices and conduct research at Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Below is a list of the current groups conducting research based at this facility.
Houston Wilson - Entomology Dept - UC Riverside
The Wilson Lab is focused on the development, evaluation and adoption of integrated pest management practices for arthropod pests in orchards and vineyards - primarily almonds, pistachios, walnuts, figs, and wine grapes.
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Jackie Atim - CE Specialist Abiotic Stress
The abiotic stress research program focuses on the sorghum crop with trials hosted at Kearney and Westside RECs as well as UC Davis. Forage and grain seed evaluations are conducted to provide growers with information on yields, growth parameters and forage nutritional composition.
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Themis Michailides - Plant Pathology Dept - UC Davis
Our laboratory is leading research in fungal fruit tree pathology and is nationally and internationally recognized for the innovative ecological, epidemiological and disease management studies of devastating diseases of fruit crops such as brown rot in stone fruit (population dynamics, epidemiology, fungicide resistance, preharvest and postharvest detection, and disease management), Botrytis gray mold of kiwifruit and pistachio, fig endosepsis and smut, Botryosphaeria of pistachio, almond, and walnut, Alternaria late blight disease of pistachio, Alternaria rot and anthracnose of citrus, and aflatoxin contamination of nut crops (pistachio and almond) and figs.
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Peter Larbi - CE Agriculture Application Engineering
Goals of the agricultural applied engineering program towards research and extension is to improve pesticide spray application efficiency in orchard production and reduce general pesticide use in the San Joaquin Valley region of California.
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Carlos Crisosto - CE Postharvest Physiologist - UC Davis
My program's focus is to reduce losses, improve fruit quality and safety, increase consumption, and expand markets. I work with fresh fruit and nut industries to identify and investigate arising issues, then creating and introducing new technologies as pilot programs with expansion, if needed. My approach is to develop short-term commercial solutions, while simultaneously pursuing the mid-term goal of better physiological understanding to support the long-term goal of plant improvement.
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IR4
The purpose of the IR-4 program is to ensure that producers of specialty crops and ornamental plants have adequate tools to conduct sound, sustainable integrated pest management.
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Florent Trouillas - Plant Pathology Dept - UC Davis
he Trouillas lab is specialized in fruit and nut crop pathology. Our research program aims to solve disease problems affecting major fruit and nut crops by delivering efficient and innovative management strategies.
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Sandipa Gautam - CE Area Citrus IPM Advisor
The citrus entomology lab focuses on research and extension on arthropod pests affecting citrus crop grown in the San Joaquin Valley. The goal of the program is to develop contemporary and sustainable pest management strategies for growers.
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Khaled Bali - CE Irrigation Water Management Specialist
The irrigation and water management program at Kearney focuses on applied research and extension activities related to water use efficiency and sustainable ground water management in irrigated agricultural systems. The goal of the program is to provide research-based information to growers and stakeholders that will assist in addressing challenges related prolonged drought, limited water supplies, salinity, and over drafting of groundwater aquifer.
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Anthony Cornel - Associate Entomologist, Mosquito Control
Despite over a century of research focused on mosquitoes of medical importance there is still a lot more to be understood about them. The overall theme of research in my laboratory examines how disease vector mosquitoes adapt to the changing environment and then to establish improved guidelines to control them using existing and novel control measures.
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Giulia Marino - Asst CE Specialist Horticultural Physiology
The Tree Systems Lab focuses on research and extension investigating tree physiology and its applications to enhance the profitability of fruit orchard systems in a changing global scenario. Key crops include pistachio, olives, cherry and almond. The goal of our research is to understand the impact of abiotic stressors such as limited water, increased salinity, or erratic temperatures on tree physiological processes linked with productivity, and develop management strategies to maximize agricultural industry resilience.
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