Information gained since California's last major drought in thesummer of 1977 promises to help guide farmers in nursing crops through current water-poor times, according Richard L. Snyder, a Cooperative Extension biometeorologist at UC Davis who helped develop a statewide system to provide information on the irrigation needs of various crops. "We now know more about when to apply water and the physiological responses of plants to water deficits," he says. This information will be particularly important for managing vines and trees, two groups of plants that are especially vulnerable during the drought. Snyder currently chairs a drought-response committee organized through the campus's land, air and water resources department.