Greetings from Imperial County!
Arun Babu joins UCCE as the Entomology Advisor for Imperial County
Arun Babu joined UCCE on July 8 as the Entomology Advisor for Imperial County.
Babu is responsible for developing and implementing research and education programs on managing insect pests of vegetables, forage, field, and specialty crops in Imperial County.
Babu earned his undergraduate degree in Agricultural Science from Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala, India. After graduation, Babu started his professional career as an agriculture consultant on a project sponsored by the government of India. In this capacity, he served as an advisor for small-scale subsistence farmers of Southern India, providing technical assistance to a diverse clientele of underserved growers in making crop management decisions.
In 2011, Babu moved to the United States to join the master’s program in Entomology at Mississippi State University. His master’s research focused on the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, Bt resistance management in field corn.
After completing his master’s, he joined the Ph.D. program in Entomology at North Carolina State University. During his Ph.D. studies and postdoctoral research at NC State, he worked extensively on field crop IPM, focusing on pests such as brown stink bugs, Euschistus servus, corn earworm, and aphids in various crop systems. These studies have generated tangible results with a direct economic impact on growers and crop consultants.
Furthermore, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Georgia, focusing on monitoring and sampling, behavioral, and chemical management of the invasive pest, Drosophila suzukii, in small fruit crops. Results from his trials enhanced the IPM adoption in managing D. suzukii in small fruit crops and helped small fruit growers reduce their dependency on frequent insecticide-based management of this pest.
As an Entomology Advisor for Imperial County, Babu is committed to working with growers, PCAs, industry partners, government agencies, and other stakeholders. He is dedicated to developing practical, cost-effective solutions for the various pest management problems faced by the growers in Imperial County.
Babu is based out of the UCCE Imperial County office located in Holtville and can be reached at arbabu@ucanr.edu and (442) 265-7708.
2023 Guidelines
4 Tips To Stay Healthy with CalFresh Healthy Living - UCCE Imperial County
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Great video in Spanish. Wonderful job that CalFresh is doing in our preschools.
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Home Garden Planting Calendars
Insights: Water and Drought Online Seminar Series
The latest research-based advice on weathering a drought is now available free online. 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 webpages.
Each presentation is about one half hour in length and are available at the link below:
Drought Information
The University of California has been extensively involved in research and implementation of water conservation/management strategies throughout the state. A lot is knows about when and how to most effectively use limited water supplies. The links below contain a brief introduction. Additional information is available at UC ANR drought website. http://ciwr.ucanr.edu/California_Drought_Expertise/
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Contact Information
Imperial County
UC Cooperative Extension
1050 East Holton Road
Holtville, CA 92250-9615
Phone: 1-442-265-7700
Fax: 1-442-265-7723
Director:
Dr Oli G. Bachie