This year we welcomed Maggie Reiter as our new affiliated advisor. Reiter was hired in 2016 and is a UC Cooperative Extension Advisor for Environmental Horticulture. She covers Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kings counties, and also provides academic leadership to the Master Gardener Programs in those counties.
Reiter conducts a research and extension program centered on grasses and urban turf systems, dealing with concepts of ecology, water conservation, and integrated pest management. Upcoming projects include: evaluation of native grasses for an unmowed golf course rough, remote sensing of turfgrass response to deficit irrigation, and weed control in turf and ornamental settings.
“I’m best at the weeds,” says Reiter, when asked about preferred pests.
Before Reiter was affiliated with UC IPM, she was already working on UC IPM Pest Notes. Now a member of the Program, she continues to engage with others in UC IPM by participating in staff and IPM advisor meetings.
Reiter has a Master’s degree in Applied Plant Science from the University of Minnesota. Her previous research focused on turfgrass science, and her thesis evaluated low-input fine fescue species for golf course fairways.