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Successful detection and treatment of cyanobacterial blooms benefit from a thorough understanding of them. The sooner a harmful algal bloom is detected and identified, the easier and less expensive it will be to eliminate it. Many tools are available to refine monitoring and mitigation methods; research and technological advances continue to help support water utilities’ efforts. A laboratory in Wichita Falls, Texas, has developed a proactive, multifaceted approach to address the complexities of monitoring and mitigating blooms.

Microscopes can do only so much when it comes to monitoring raw water and managing potential hazards such as algal blooms. Technological advances are opening new frontiers in understanding cyanobacteria, leading to improved monitoring and forecasting at levels of efficiency and effectiveness unheard of until now.

Knowledge of rooting systems and their vertical distribution in the soil profile for field crops is required for designing crop rotation systems that allow for effective use of soil water and nutrients. This study determined the vertical distribution in the upper 100cm of the soil profile and the temporal growth patterns of roots for three pulses (Cicer arietinum L. chickpea, Pisum sativum L. dry pea, and Lens culinaris Medik. lentil) and three oilseeds (napus canola, juncea mustard, and Linum usitatissimum flax) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Crops were grown in 150-mm-diameter, 1-m-long lysimeters under low- (rainfall only) and high- (rainfall+irrigation) water availabilities in a 2-year (2006–07) field study, in Swift Current, Canada. Root volumes increased significantly from the seedling stage, reached the maximum at the late-flowering, and declined to maturity; this temporal growth pattern was independent with water availability. On average, ~44% of the root volume was in the top 20-cm soil layer, 70% in the top 40cm, and 90% in the top 60cm. About 5% of the roots in pulse crops were located below 60cm in depth, significantly less than the 12% for wheat, 13% for mustard, and 18% for canola. Under low-water conditions, Brassica oilseeds had greater root volume (33mm3cm-3) than wheat (27mm3cm-3), but under high-water conditions, root volumes were 27mm3cm-3 for the Brassicas and 32mm3cm-3 for wheat. Pulses had greatest root volumes under both low- (40mm3cm-3) and high- (42mm3cm-3) water conditions, with largest root diameters among crops evaluated, whereas flax the smallest. Rotating the shallower but larger diameter, thicker-rooting pulses with deeper but smaller diameter, thinner-rooting oilseeds or wheat may increase water- and nutrient-use efficiency at the system level.

Integrated management strategies are required to minimize ascochyta blight, a fungal disease caused by Ascochyta rabiei(Pass.) Labrousse [teleomorph, Didymella rabiei(Kovachevski) v. Arx] in chickpea (Cicer arietinumL.). This study determined the effect of cultivars varying in plant architecture and plant population density (PPD) on the severity of ascochyta blight. Four desi chickpea (with pinnate leaves) and four kabuli chickpea (two with pinnate leaves and two with unifoliate leaves) were grown at 25, 36, 44, 53, and 62 plants m−2(actual counts 3 wk after initial seedling emergence) at Swift Current from 2002 to 2005 and at Saskatoon in 2004 and 2005. Site‐years had a significant effect on ascochyta blight epidemics, with the highest severity at Swift Current in 2005 and lowest at Saskatoon in 2004. Across site‐years, ascochyta blight was most severe on ‘Evans’, followed by ‘CDC Xena’, and lowest on ‘222B‐11’. Cultivars with pinnate leaves had lower blight severity than those with unifoliate leaves during all growth stages. At the late‐pod stage, severity in cultivars with pinnate leaves averaged 15% compared with 48% in unifoliate cultivars. Kabuli cultivars had higher severity than desi cultivars throughout the growing season, and at the late‐pod stage, severity was 13% for the desi and 33% for the kabuli. There was a significant interaction between cultivar and PPD for blight severity. Ascochyta blight increased as PPD increased for the majority of the cultivars tested, with a few exceptions. Site‐year accounted for the largest portion of the treatment variance in blight severity (69%), followed by cultivar type (25%), and then PPD (6%). Increasing PPD consistently increased seed yield per unit area, despite more disease on plants at higher PPD. Identifying optimum plant populations for groups of cultivars with similar plant architecture should be a component in an integrated strategy to minimize ascochyta blight in chickpea.

Several letters are presented including one related to hunting of a Texas white-tailed deer, other related to the need to build a new set of jetties in the gulf in Texas, and "Saltwater" by Calixto Gonzales in the January 2012 issue along with the author's response to the same.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to the article in previous issue including a game camera set in Orange County, biological and wildlife information for hunting and fishing stories and fake renewal notices in mail.

The article focuses on motion picture director Tex Avery. Warner Bros. Inc. acquired the services of Avery around the year 1935. The director proved to be the studio's resident innovative genius and influenced the development of animated films. He created cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.