ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Jim De Quattro, phone (301) 344-2756, [email protected]
March 27, 1997
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STORY LEADS:
New Way to Grow Broccoli Cuts Chemicals, Saves Water and Protects Soil
Americans are eating more broccoli, and scientists with USDA's
Agricultural Research Service have developed a better way to grow it.
By growing broccoli in a soybean mulch, they're using less chemicals,
conserving water and eliminating soil erosion. This no-till system allows
farmers to grow broccoli on the highly erodible soils of the mid-Atlantic
states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and North
Carolina, where the terrain is often sloped.
Working with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in
Blacksburg, Va., ARS scientists plant a forage soybean variety that's
high in nitrogen and grows to about 6 feet.
They then cut the plants or roll them over to form a mulch to cover the soil.
The thick thatch suppresses weeds, retains moisture, and protects and enriches the soil with organic matter. Broccoli requires soils rich in organic matter and high rates of nitrogen.
The March 1997 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, the monthly publication of the Agricultural Research Service, gives more details about the new no-till way to grow broccoli. The magazine can also be viewed on the World Wide Web at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR.
Scientific contact: Aref Abdul-Baki, USDA-ARS Vegetable Laboratory,
Beltsville, Md., phone (301) 504-5057, fax 301-504-5555, e-mail
[email protected].
Formulas to Help Microbes Clean Up Toxic Waste
Microorganisms will work hard to clean toxins from the soil or wipe out
food crop pests, but you have to treat them right, scientists with USDA's
Agricultural Research Service say.
The scientists have successfully harnessed the power of fungi to help
banish weeds and insects from farmers' fields. A crucial discovery along
the way: The right storage formula will make the fungi multiply.
One such formula is wheat-based Pesta, which provides a nourishing "home"
for two biological controls against swamp dodder, a pest of cranberries.
Scientists from New Orleans' Tulane University adapted the ARS technology
to their work with soil-cleansing fungi. The story of their collaborative
efforts with ARS scientists appears in the March issue of Agricultural
Research magazine.
The Cold War's end brought closure for many weapons plants, but toxic TNT
residues remain as deadly souvenirs. White rot fungi may have the power to break down these poisons into harmless by-products.
ARS scientists have developed a wide menu of formulas to keep white rot
fungi and other microorganisms thriving so they can reach their full
potential as soil cleaners and pest fighters..
Scientific contacts: William Connick and Don Daigle, ARS Southern
Regional Research Center, New Orleans, La., phone (504) 286-4363/4511, e-mail [email protected] and [email protected].
Photos ARE available from the AR story.
: K-7574-2, polluted refinery site; K-7571-4, scientist with flask of
fungi that degrade TNT; K7572-6, scientists with gel beads that hold
helpful fungi. ARS Photo Unit: phone (301) 344-2958, e-mail
[email protected].
New Technique Extracts Potential Cancer-Fighting Agent From Citrus
A new technique makes possible--for the first time--large-scale
extraction of useful natural compounds known as limonoid glucosides that show
promise as cancer-fighting agents. Scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research
Service identified the chemicals nearly a decade ago in oranges and other
citrus fruits.
ARS scientists helped develop the new manufacturing technique with
Japanese researchers. The Japanese group has test-marketed a fruit juice beverage with added limonoid glucosides.
The team has applied for patent protection for their method of extracting
the glucosides from citrus juice or the thick, dark brown material called
citrus molasses.
Scientific contact: Shin Hasegawa, USDA-ARS Process Chemistry and
Engineering Unit, Albany, Calif., phone (510) 559-5819; e-mail
[email protected].
Dumping on House Flies
House flies are in short supply in the poultry houses at Zephyr Egg near
Tampa, Fla. That's because scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research
Service teamed up with University of Florida cooperators to release a
predatory fly--the black dump fly--that gobbles up house fly larvae that
live in poultry manure.
Each week for a year, the scientists released 70,000 black dump flies
into the poultry houses at Zephyr. The company is one of the largest egg
producers in Florida, with two million chickens that can produce up to
300 tons of wet manure a day--heaven for house flies that breed in the manure.
But a single dump fly larva can kill up to 20 house fly larvae a day.
Soon after the dump flies were released, the house flies virtually
disappeared. This meant Zephyr no longer had to spray an estimated $12,000 a year in chemical pesticides to control the pests. Also, organic farmers are now
interested in buying the chemical-free manure.
Scientific contact: Jerry Hogsette, USDA-ARS Center for Medical,
Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, FL; telephone (352)
374-5912; e-mail [email protected].
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20770, phone (301) 344-2303, fax 344-2311.
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