Chunk Melons for Easy Desserts, Snacks

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Fresh melons complement summer meals and snacks, yet melons of any size can intimidate children, or be bypassed by teens and family members looking for finger food or a quick snack, said Sandy Procter, Kansas State University Research and Extension nutrition specialist.

When washed, cut, chunked, placed in a covered container and refrigerated, summer melons are readily available for a snack or quick addition to a meal, Procter said. 

Fresh melons typically have a high water content that makes them refreshing and helpful in maintaining hydration during summer heat. Melons also are low in calories, usually about 60 calories or less per one cup serving, said Procter, who suggested using a measuring cup as a serving scoop to help family members judge serving sizes.

Combining chunks of muskmelon such as a cantaloupe (which is orange) and a light green honeydew melon with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or fresh sliced strawberries adds color, a wide range of nutrients and variety with minimal calories, she said.    

Washing the skin of a melon before cutting into it will prevent transferring any microorganisms that may have been present in the garden or on the skin of the melon to the edible portion of the melon, Procter said.

Berries stay fresher longer if stored unwashed and washed directly before eating, said Procter, a registered dietitian and state coordinator for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.  

More food, nutrition, food safety and health tips are available at county and district K-State Research and Extension offices and on Extension Web sites: www.ksre.ksu.edu, www.ksre.ksu.edu/humannutrition, www.ksre.ksu.edu/foodsafety/ and www.rrc.ksu.edu.                                                                        

K-State Agronomist Offers Tips on Sericea Lespedeza Control

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Sericea lespedeza continues to be a major concern on rangeland, pasture, and some Conservation Reserve Program acres in Kansas, a Kansas State University agronomist said.

“Sericea lespedeza is a state-wide noxious weed in Kansas and needs to be controlled,” said Walt Fick, a rangeland management specialist with K-State Research and Extension. “It has a tremendous seed bank that helps re-establish stands. Left untreated, sericea lespedeza will dominate a site, greatly reducing forage production and species diversity.”

There are no known biological controls that can be effectively used on sericea lespedeza, he said. However, grazing with goats can suppress the plants’ stands and produce a saleable product. It takes four to five goats per acre of sericea to graze the plant enough to eliminate seed production.

Mowing in mid- to late-July will reduce stands of sericea lespedeza to some extent, Fick said. Sericea has not been eliminated, however, even after several years of mowing.

Herbicides applied at the correct time and under favorable environmental conditions can significantly reduce it, he said.

Remedy Ultra (triclopyr) and PastureGard (triclopyr + fluroxypyr) can provide effective control when applied during June and into early July when the sericea plants are in a vegetative growth stage. Broadcast applications of Remedy Ultra at 1 to 1.5 pints per acre and PastureGard at 2 pints per acre should be applied in spray volumes of 10 to 20 gallons per acre. 

Products containing metsulfuron, such as Escort XP and Cimarron Plus, are generally more effective in late summer when sericea lespedeza is actively blooming, Fick said. Recommended rates are 0.5 ounce per acre of Escort XP and 0.625 ounce per acre Cimarron Plus. 

For spot application, mix 1 fluid ounce PastureGard per gallon of water, use a 1 percent solution of Remedy Ultra in water, or 0.3 grams Escort XP per gallon of water. Aerial applications of these products should be done with a minimum spray volume of 3 gallons per acre. Higher rates, such as 5 gallons per acre, will generally be more effective.

Herbicide treatments need to be repeated every two to four years to keep this invasive species in check. Initial treatments should reduce dense stands to the point where spot treatment can be used in future years.

Why Are Kansas Trees Stressed?

MANHATTAN, Kan. – By definition, most Kansas trees are under stress most of the time.

“If nothing else, our typical high and low temperatures for the year are a lot further apart than they are in many other states,” said Ward Upham, Master Gardener program coordinator for Kansas State University Research and Extension. “We’re right in the middle of the continent, where hot, cold, wet and dry weather systems tend to collide.

“Combined with our flat Plains terrain, that means we have to contend with all kinds of weather extremes. In fact, we can have drought in one area of the state while another area is suffering from floods.”

Over the past year, however, the state weather’s normal volatility has created an unusually stressful string of weather events. These stressors have been building up damage/injury levels that now are severe enough to be killing some trees and shrubs, Upham added. The contributors to this killing impact include:

*  Last year’s growing season was very wet in parts of Kansas. Unfortunately, if soils become so supersaturated that they no longer can provide the oxygen roots need – particularly for longer than just a few days – some degree of root-system damage will result.

*  Following that, much of Kansas had a dry, open winter, creating the possibility of drought stress. Winter also brought abruptly fluctuating temperatures, which also can damage root systems.

*  Early April 2009 brought a widespread, sharp cold snap that may have done more than kill existing leaves. Sometimes cold-damaged buds can carry on and produce leaves that do fairly well during cool, spring weather. Most often, however, these leaves aren’t able to function once the weather turns hot. The leaves may still be green when they drop or, at most, have turned yellow-green.

*  Depending on location, 2009’s growing-season weather thus far has ranged from extremely wet to extremely dry. Some areas also have experienced fairly wide, rapid temperature shifts.

 “About all we can do now is to remove the dead plant material and make sure our remaining ornamental plants don’t suffer from any drought stress this summer,” Upham said.

Trees Could Benefit as Stubble Fires Fade Into History                                                           

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Not so long ago, Kansas’ night sky would begin to glow gold-red with fire every July -- soon after the annual wheat harvest kicked into high gear. It looked fantastical. But, farmers were simply burning stubble to clear their gleaned wheat fields, plus heat-treat any weed seeds and diseases.

That sight isn’t so common now, and one Kansas forester says he’s glad the annual light show is fading.

“A consequence that still is often overlooked is the effect stubble fires have on the trees that border wheat fields,” explained Bob Atchison, the Kansas Forest Service’s rural forestry coordinator. “I’ve actually seen where the fires have damaged or totally taken out field windbreaks and riparian forests.”

Some farmers seem willing to accept that kind of risk to their trees, Atchison said. Others assume stubble fires won’t harm mature trees. These producers tend to view their woods as being a built-in fire break.

One fact does lend credence to the assumption, he added. If a fire isn’t too intense or long-lasting, a few Kansas tree species can withstand the exposure. As they mature, for example, bur oaks and cottonwoods gain the ability to survive a bit of burning heat. They develop a thick, protective bark.

Confusing the issue, fire also can be an important tool for forestry, when used correctly. Periodic, controlled burning of grasslands prevents woody encroachment, which “gives trees a bad name,” Atchison said. And, prescribed fire can be a successful tool in establishing oak forests and savannahs.

“Most often, though, uncontrolled burns end up killing or severely damaging any thin-barked trees. Tree exposed to the fire go up in flames. The tiny seedlings that could have become the next generation of woodlands – including such valuable species as the black walnut – turn to ash,” the forester said.

July’s nighttime fires are fading away, Atchison said, because more and more farmers are realizing that burning stubble sends soil nutrients up in smoke. It fosters erosion and reduces soil fertility and moisture.

“Perhaps now these farmers will begin to notice the research-backed fact that protecting hedge rows, field windbreaks and riparian forests can add value, too,” he said. “That’s true even if you discount woodlands’ positive impact on crop yields, state water quality, timber products, wildlife and recreation.

“Reduced- and no-till approaches to farming have done wonders for our environment. Even so, trees obviously still have an important role to play in a state that’s losing 2.1 tons per acre of cropland soil to water erosion every year  and 1.3 tons per acre of topsoil to the wind.”

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