The ARS Information Staff is at 6303 Ivy Lane, 4th Floor, Greenbelt MD 20770
Jim DeQuattro; 301-344-2756; [email protected]
Beetles: Number One Exotic Pest Intercepted at U.S. Ports
Beetles are now the number one insect interloper at U.S. ports. That
shouldn't be a surprise, since beetles are also the dominant animal life of
our planet, with nearly 300,000 described species--about one-fourth of all
animals.
When foreign shipments come into U.S. ports, they must be checked to
intercept any potential insect pests that might have hitched a ride. If
insects are found, they must be identified and appropriate action taken
before the infested cargo can be unloaded.
Fortunately, a group of scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research Ser
vice specializes in identifying beetles. In 1996, ARS experts at
Beltsville, Md., and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.,
received 2,445 requests for emergency insect identifications. About 700
urgent requests required immediate identification of more than 1,500 beetle
specimens.
Beetles cause millions of dollars in damage to structural timbers, stored
products and crops each year. Many beetles of foreign origin, such as
Japanese beetles, are now major U.S. pest species. Careful science-based
studies of foreign specimens are essential to ensure that exotic beetle
species don't slip into the United States.
Scientific contact: Natalia J. Vandenberg, ARS Systematic Entomology
Laboratory, National Museum of Natural History, Wash., DC, phone (202)
382-1792, fax 786-9422, e-mail [email protected].
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Irrigating on "Scheduler" for a Bigger Yield Forecast
Beating county yield averages by at least 25 percent in corn, sorghum and
wheat yields might just sound like a farmer's pipe dream. But three years
of tests on a Texas farm showed a computer program called "SCS-Scheduler"
can help make that dream come true, scientists with USDA's Agricultural
Research Service report.
The Scheduler computer program uses temperature and other data from field
weather stations to cue growers on the best time to irrigate, even before
the plants show any outward signs of damage. ARS scientists worked with
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil
Conservation Service) to develop the Scheduler.
In June 1992, the Scheduler alerted scientists that prolonged hot weather
had speeded up corn growth, requiring earlier-than-usual irrigation to save
yields. On the Texas test fields in 1993, Scheduler-irrigated corn yielded
an average 199 bushels an acre, compared to that year's county average of
157 bushels--an increase of 27 percent. A Hutchinson County, Texas, farmer
who continued to use the Scheduler long after the test ended says his yield
increases in corn, wheat and grain sorghum have continued, too.
Farmers who are interested in obtaining the Scheduler should inquire at the
nearest Natural Resources Conservation Service office.
Scientific contact: Terry Howell, USDA-ARS Water Management Research,
Bushland, Texas, phone (806) 356-5775, fax (806) 356-5750, e-mail
[email protected].
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Fermenting Fungi Faster to Quell Whiteflies
A fungus with a penchant for attacking and killing silverleaf whiteflies
and other crop pests could be the bioinsecticide to watch as scientists on
both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border work to make it commercially viable.
Scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research Service collaborated with
Mycotech Corp. of Butte, Mont., to improve methods for economically
producing large numbers of spores of the fungus Paecilomyces fumosoroseus.
These spores can be spread in fields as a non-chemical, environmentally
friendly weapon against the crop pests.
Scientists at the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico,
have begun working with the ARS researchers to develop fermentation media
that are more economical than the precisely defined recipes used earlier.
To further improve the spore survival rate, the international scientific
team is conducting research to precisely define requirements for storage
environments. Such requirements may involve packaging and temperature and
humidity controls.
Scientific contact: Mark A. Jackson, USDA-ARS National Center for
Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, Ill., phone (309) 681-6283, fax
(309) 681-6686, e-mail [email protected] (beginning April 28:
[email protected]).
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Vanishing Ponds Not a Sure Sign of Spring
Now you see it, now you don't.
The disappearance of ponded meltwater in the field may not be as accurate
an indicator of spring thaw as generations of farmers have believed, say
Agricultural Research Service scientists in the Soil and Water Management
Research Unit at St. Paul, Minnesota.
"We've been studying the hydrology of frozen soils for about 6 years," says
ARS soil scientist John Baker. "We've learned some new things about soil
properties in winter. For instance, we'd always assumed a frozen soil was
impermeable--that very little water could penetrate it--but we find that's
not always true."
"Soil doesn't freeze in one large block," Baker explains. "It freezes in a
progressive pattern, with larger pores freezing before smaller ones. This
means there is always some liquid water present in the soils around here.
But in very coarse sand or gravel, this would not be not true."
The traditional spring thaw heralded by the disappearance of ponded water
in fields is a bit deceiving, says Baker.
"In early spring, when the snow begins to melt, the initial meltwater often
refreezes where the snow and soil meet, blocking the penetration of
additional water. Excess snowmelt then flows across the surface of the soil
to low spots in the field, forming temporary ponds.
"At this point, the story gets more complicated," says Baker. "As thawing
continues, a point is reached at which the ponds drain rapidly--often in
less than a day. But this doesn't mean the soil underneath the pond is
completely thawed.
"Our measurements indicate that a substantial layer of the soil beneath the
pond, a zone as thick as 16 inches, can still be frozen at the time these
ponds disappear. The water is apparently moving through large cracks and
voids in the root zone, quickly reaching the subsoil below."
Scientists think their finding may lead to a changeover to tillage
practices that tend to avoid ponding and leave more moisture in the soil.
"Farmers may want to identify ponded areas in their fields in the early
spring and make changes in fall tillage patterns to maximize moisture
storage," says Baker.--By Dawn Lyons-Johnson, ARS.
John M. Baker is in the USDA-ARS Soil and Water Management Research Unit,
University of Minnesota, 439 Borlaug Hall, St. Paul, MN; telephone
612-625-4249, fax 612-649-5175, e-mail [email protected]
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Scientists Seeking Hard White Wheats for Soft Asian Noodles
Asian consumers favor bright yellow noodles with a soft and chewy texture.
At the same time, American wheat growers are hungering for new market
opportunities. Scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research Service are
developing new hard white winter wheat varieties that could fill both
demands by capturing the best qualities for oriental noodles.
Most American wheat varieties were developed for making bread, a product
that emphasizes different characteristics than noodles. As the researchers
modify hard white winter wheat varieties, they're aiming for lines with
less amylose, a component of starch. Reduced amylose would improve the
"mouth feel" of noodles making them more acceptable to consumers. And
there's another plus: When amylose levels go down, shelf life of bread and
baked goods made from that wheat may go up.
Genetic research conducted in Japan has determined the location of the
three genes responsible for amylose production in wheat. ARS scientists
plan to use that information to produce new wheat cultivars with the
traits most desired by processors and consumers. The scientists say
eliminating two of the three genes behind amylose production will lower
the wheat's amylose content by one- third. Turning off those genes
altogether would produce wheats with the kind of starch content,
mouth-feel and color desired by Asian consumers.
Hard white winter wheat is already a hit with American consumers, thanks
to its starring role in low-cholesterol whole wheat breads. Bread made
from hard white wheat has a lighter color and a sweeter taste. That's
because white wheat's outer kernel contains fewer tannins and phenolic
compounds that give red wheat products a stronger flavor.
U.S. production of hard white wheat is currently very limited. Nearly all
of the crop is used domestically in specialty-market breads.
A story about the research appears in the March 1997 issue of Agricultural
Research, ARS' monthly publication. The magazine also is on the World Wide
Web at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR
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Scientific contacts: At ARS Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Unit, Lincoln, Neb.:
C. James Peterson (phone 402-472-4020, e-mail [email protected]) and
Bob Graybosch (phone 402-472-1563, e-mail [email protected]), fax
402-472- 4020. At ARS' Wheat Genetics Quality Laboratory, Pullman, Wash.:
Craig F. Morris, phone 509-335-4055, fax 509-335-8573, e-mail
[email protected].
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Photo from AR magazine: #K5451-6, close-up, white wheat kernels. View
photo at AR website. Contact ARS Photo Unit by phone at (301) 344-2958 or
e-mail to [email protected].
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