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The Joro Watch team is pursuing a number of approaches to Joro spider research, looking into their impact on native species — like pollinators and native spiders — habitat, lifecycle and management. To help facilitate more conclusive research, UGA experts ask that the public help gather critical data by monitoring spider populations in the environment. (Photo by Carly Mirabile) CAES News
Joro Watch Initiative
They have been described as palm-sized, parachuting creatures with the potential to spread up the East Coast. Now dozens of webs are appearing in trees, on fences and in gardens around the Southeast, and social media and message boards are buzzing with Joro spider sightings. Discussions of eradication methods ranging from chemical sprays to “Joro sticks” are rampant. Joro season is here.
An arched iceberg located along the Antarctic Peninsula, taken June 17. Last month Antarctic sea ice extent reached a record low for June, at 4.68 million square miles — or about 471,000 square miles below average. (Photo by Dan Costa/National Science Foundation/Creative Commons) CAES News
Weather extremes
Halfway through 2022, Earth is on course for another top-10 finish in global temperature. After six months, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the period from January through June 2022 was the planet’s sixth warmest on record, with observations that go back to 1880. Antarctica also saw its lowest June ice coverage on record.
Robin Buell, GRA Eminent Scholar Chair in Crop Genomics, works in a plant growth chamber. Buell received nearly $800,000 in funding to study the genome of tepary bean in an effort to address climate-related difficulties faces in production of common bean. CAES News
Bean Genes
The common bean — which includes many varieties of dry beans, from navy and black beans to red, pinto and green beans — are an important nutritional source for many world populations. However, rapidly changing climate conditions are making them increasingly difficult to grow in many locations due to high temperatures and susceptibility to diseases and pests.
Doctoral student Taylor Miller checks on one of more than 50 bluebird boxes at the UGA Golf Course for a study tracking baby bluebirds' immune response to pre-hatch stress. CAES News
Stress and Immunity
Many studies have shown that prenatal stress in mothers can be linked to adverse outcomes in the physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral well-being of children. Now a study at the University of Georgia is examining how pre-hatch exposure to the stress-associated hormone corticosterone influences immune function in baby bluebirds.
Irrigator Pro App Credits Austn CAES News
Irrigation Scheduling
As climate variability increasingly affects producers across the Southeastern U.S., Wes Porter spends a lot of time thinking about water — specifically, crop irrigation — and how available tools can benefit farmers threefold.
Using added inorganic fertilizer may not be worth the financial risk for smallholder maize farmers on rain-fed farms in sub-Saharan Africa, such as this small maize farm in Tanzania. CAES News
Return on Investment
Using fertilizer to increase crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa may seem like a logical choice, but farmers in rain-fed areas must also weigh the potential for low rainfall or excess heat during the growing season.
The Great Georgia Pollinator Census was launched in 2019 as a citizen science research project inviting Georgians from across the state come together for two days in August to document pollinator populations. South Carolinians will join the count this year. CAES News
2022 Great Pollinator Census
The citizens of South Carolina will be joining the Great Georgia Pollinator Census for the August 2022 count, expanding the reach of the pioneering project in the Southeast. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension launched the Great Georgia Pollinator Census in 2019 as a citizen science research project inviting Georgians from across the state to document pollinator populations.
Close-up of a firefly against a dark background with its abdomen lit up.
Fireflies' bioluminescence comes from light-producing lantern organs in their abdomen where the chemicals work with other substances in the insect’s body to produce light. CAES News
Firefly Season
Georgia is home to more than 50 species of fireflies — or lightning bugs — more than any other U.S. state. The dancing light patterns we enjoy in our gardens and landscapes are an important, and nostalgic, part of Georgia summer evenings. To protect these insects and ensure that we continue to enjoy them, it is important to understand their lifecycle and habitat needs.
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KPI-ADS Partnership
In the decades since Keith Kelly graduated from the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences with a degree in agricultural economics, he has built a diversified slate of agricultural businesses encompassing 17 distinct brands. Now Kelly is applying his agricultural knowledge and Kelly Products Inc. to a new initiative to combine leading-edge technology with the expertise of UGA’s Department of Animal and Dairy Science.