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Thesis (M.S. - Renewable Natural Resources)--University of Arizona. / Includes bibliographical references.

4 pp. / Mesquite trees can be used as a food source. There are forty-four species of mesquite tree found throughout the world. The Sonoran desert region has three native species of mesquite: the honey, screwbean, and velvet mesquite. Mesquite pods have been used by indigenous groups in the area as a food source for many generations. The pods can be ground into flour or cooked whole in water to produce beverages. The article provides the best practice guide for making your own mesquite flour and introduces several original cooking recipes.

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4 pp. / Mesquite (Prosopis sp.) is a popular tree in landscapes in Arizona because of its drought tolerance and attractive growth habit. Powdery mildew has been observed from late summer until early spring on mesquite leaves. It has been identified as Pleochaeta polychaeta based on morphological descriptions and comparison to herbarium specimens. Surveys were conducted in fall 2008 through winter 2009 at two locations in southern Arizona to determine the susceptibility of different mesquite species to powdery mildew. Twelve mesquite trees representing two species were sampled at Texas Canyon near Willcox, AZ, and 177 trees representing eight species were sampled at the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, AZ. The North American mesquite species P. glandulosa var. glandulosa and P. velutina were infected with powdery mildew at the University of Arizona campus and P. velutina at the Texas Canyon site. No powdery mildew was observed on P. alba, P. cinerea, P. nigra, P. chilensis, P. pubescens and P. chilensis x flexuosa. The powdery mildew affects the aesthetic value of severely infected trees but seems to have little effect on long term tree health.

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The expansion of mesquite (Prosopis velutina) in southeastern Arizona and attempts to control or remove mesquite have been well documented. However, removal of woody plants may affect the distribution and quantities of nutrient resources within soil including changes in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling and changes in the amounts of C and N sequestered in these soils. We hypothesized that mechanical mesquite removal would alter soil microclimate and nutrient inputs, leading to changes in soil C and N cycling and microbial communities and activities.This study was conducted at two separate semi-arid grassland sites south of Tucson, AZ during a three-year period. There were six study plots at each site, three plots from which mature mesquite trees had been mechanically removed and three plots where mature mesquite trees were left intact. We measured the soil temperature and moisture, C and N pools, N2O and CO2 fluxes, N mineralization rate, and microbial resistance and resilience to determine if short term changes in any of these parameters were taking place.No significant differences in N mineralization rate or microbial resistance or resilience were found between the soils under intact mesquite and from plots where mesquite had been mechanically removed. Soil temperature was not statistically analyzed because temperature was taken in only one plot per treatment and without within-treatment replicates, t-tests could not be performed. Statistically significant differences in soil moisture, total soil C and N, microbial biomass C and N, heterotrophic plate counts, and CO2 and N2O fluxes were found between treatments on different dates throughout the experiment. Despite this finding of some significant differences between treatments for some parameters measured, no recognizable pattern of changes was observed during this study. Over the course of the experiment, the data did not support our overall hypothesis, that short term changes in microclimate following mesquite removal would alter soil C and N cycling and microbial communities and activities.

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