Growers, producers and exporters can spot foreign as well as domestic strains of cucumber mosaic virus with a new ARS-developed test kit now on the market.Tracking CMV is a key to limiting its damaging effects. The virus can hit farmers hard in the pocketbook. In 1992 it forced some Alabama tomato growers out of business. Faster detection will prevent such losses. The new test relies on sophisticated biochemistry but is easy to use. It is available from Agdia, Inc., of Elkhart, IN. Farmers and nursery operators simply hold a newly cut leaf against a specially treated paperlike membrane. The membrane can be quickly analyzed at a lab or the local Extension Service office. To devise the kit, ARS scientists collected more than 140 CMV strains, including strains from South Africa, Russia and Asia. By designing antibodies–custom-built molecules–that react to strains found both in the U.S. and abroad, they ensured that the kit would be comprehensive. In 1993, cooperative research by Agdia and ARS yielded test kits for a different class of pathogens called potyviruses, which attack tulips and other flowers as well as vegetable crops. CMV is a cucomovirus.

Floral & Nursery Plants Research Unit,

U.S. National Arboretum

Beltsville, MD Hei-Ti Hsu, (301) 504-5657,

hthsu@asrr.arsusda.gov

MS Bioscience of Dundee, IL, is marketing a new ARS-developed product that reduces potential salmonella contamination in poultry. The product, called PREEMPT, prevents salmonella bacteria from taking hold in the intestines of newly hatched chicks. ARS researchers at College Station, TX, isolated 29 beneficial intestinal bacteria from older birds and blended them into a mixture that can be sprayed onto newly hatched chicks to give them the same level of natural protection against salmonella as older chickens have. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved this bacterial mixture based on field tests with 80,000 chickens in U.S. commercial chicken houses. ARS has patented the bacterial mixture, known originally as CF-3, and the method for producing it. Food Animal Protection Research Laboratory,

College Station, TX Larry H. Stanker, (409) 260-9484,

stanker@tamu.edu

Red plastic mulch–developed and patented by ARS and Clemson University–is increasingly appearing in garden seed catalogs as a way to boost tomato yields. Red plastic mulch reflects onto plants higher amounts of certain growth-enhancing wavelengths of sunlight. ARS researchers found that two components of reflected light enhance plant growth: a low percentage of blue light and a high ratio of far-red to red light. Red mulch commercialized from the scientists' research is made to have precise levels of these components. In 3 years of ARS field tests, red mulch boosted tomato size up to 20 percent by increasing the plant's growth above the ground, especially in the fruit. The new mulch also conserves water and controls weeds. And the technology works for other fruits and vegetables, including strawberries, beans and turnip greens. Sonoco Products, Inc., of Hartsville, SC, licensed the ARS technology. Ken-Bar, Inc., of Reading, MA, a wholesale marketer of agricultural plastics, sells the red plastic mulch directly and through supply catalogs. Sonoco plans to get the mulch into major retail outlets by 1999. Burpee listed red plastic mulch for the first time in its 1998 spring catalog. Other catalogs listing the mulch include Gardens Alive, Gardener's Supply, Harris Seed, Snow Pond Farm Supply and Territorial Seed. Coastal Plains Soil, Water and Plant Research Laboratory,Florence, SC Michael J. Kasperbauer, (803) 669-5203,

kasper@florence.ars.usda.gov /

A simple new procedure developed by ARS scientists allows the citrus industry to use more citrus peel that would otherwise go to waste. About 95 percent of Florida's citrus crop is processed into juice and other products, creating lots of orange and grapefruit peel. Some of this peel is candied and sold as a delicacy. But 25 percent of the peel used for candying is discarded because the industry's candying process produces undersized pieces. The new ARS procedure reformulates undersized pieces into uniform strips that appeal to consumers and allow industry to use all the peel. Paradise Fruit Company, Plant City, FL, is test-marketing the procedure. The company is a division of Paradise, Inc., which is responsible for about 80 percent of the candied citrus peel produced in the United States.

Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory, Winter Haven, FL Robert A. Baker, (941) 293-4133,

rabaker1@concentric.net

New medical drugs and technology to improve cattle and swine production are just a few of the benefits that have resulted from the first decade of a groundbreaking partnership between government and private industry. The Biotechnology Research and Development Corp. was formed in 1988 to bridge the gap between government research laboratories and the marketplace, pairing federal researchers' innovation and expertise with industry's marketing know-how. BRDC seeks out projects at government and academic laboratories in targeted research areas that meet the technology requirements of member companies represented on the BRDC board of directors. So far, BRDC has funded $30 million in research in 140 projects. Among the fruits of BRDC's decade of government-industry matchmaking: technology to predict swine litter size, an effective vaccine against cattle shipping fever and a new method of cloning swine, now being tested in leading animal science laboratories.

Biotechnology Research and Development Corporation, Peoria, IL J. Grant Brewen, (309) 688-1188,

biordc@aol.com

Cooperative Research and Development Agreements
...To Phytotech, Inc., Monmouth, NJ, to develop approaches using plants to remove heavy metals from contaminated soils.ARS scientists pioneered techniques to use plants to "vacuum" heavy metals–like lead, uranium and cadmium–from the soil through their roots and store them in the above-ground plant tissue. Research on this clean-up strategy, known as bioremediation, has been hampered by inadequate understanding of the basic mechanisms of heavy metal transport in plants. But in the meantime, scientists have been investigating agronomic approaches for inducing plants to accumulate large quantities of heavy metals. One promising plant is Thlaspi caerulescens, a small weedy member of the mustard family. At the molecular level, ARS scientists have studied how this plant takes up, transports and stores zinc and cadmium. The plant tolerates high levels of these metals in the soil and its shoots can accumulate extremely high levels–up to 40,000 parts per million of zinc and 1,500 ppm of cadmium. The metals could be extracted from the soil by harvesting the plant shoots, which then are processed for storage or for extraction of the accumulated metals. Then, these metals would no longer represent a pollution hazard, but a source of the metals.

Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory, Ithaca, NY Leon Kochian, (607) 255-2454,

lvk1@cornell.edu

...With Norvartis Seeds, Inc., Nampa, ID, to evaluate hybrid lines of genetically engineered sweet corn for resistance to corn earworm and fall armyworm caterpillars. Norvartis researchers engineered the corn to carry a toxin-making gene from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria. Norvartis licensed this gene from Monsanto Company. The Bt toxin serves as a natural insecticide in the corn plant's leaves, husk, silks and other parts where the caterpillar pests feed. The toxin doesn't harm humans, livestock, beneficial insects or other animals. But caterpillars that consume the toxin either stop eating or die. Studies show earworms are more susceptible than fall armyworms. In feeding trials, 100 percent of earworms died after eating Bt-laced corn silks. Most armyworms survived but didn't reach their normal size. ARS scientists plan field studies to see how much less insecticide is needed when a Bt corn crop is planted. In Florida, which produces much of the nation's fresh-market corn, farmers must often spray up to 40 times a season to ensure unblemished, caterpillar-free ears. Earworms can cost farmers more than $1 billion annually in losses and chemical control expenses. Insect Biology and Population Management Research Laboratory, Tifton, GA Robert Lynch, (912) 387-2375,
rlynch@tifton.cpes.peachnet.edu

...With DeKalb Genetics Corp., DeKalb, IL, to evaluate corn hybrids that possess both natural and bioengineered sources of genetic resistance to the fall armyworm. The fall armyworm is a serious pest of corn, especially late-planted corn in the South. New commercial hybrids with greater resistance to the pests could reduce farmers' production costs and increase profits. In lab and field studies, ARS researchers evaluated worm-resistant and worm-susceptible hybrids developed by DeKalb. The company used germplasm that ARS had developed and released as a source of the natural resistance in their hybrids. They added the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes to both susceptible and naturally resistant hybrids. The genes command cells to produce a worm-killing protein. In research with DeKalb, ARS scientists found that combining Bt and natural resistance resulted in less damage to the crop than using either the same Bt or natural resistance alone. Fall armyworm larval survival and growth were reduced in field tests and laboratory bioassays. Crop Science Research Laboratory, Mississippi State, MS W. Paul Williams,(601) 325-2735,
pwilliams@dorman.msstate.edu

...With GFK Consulting, Ltd., San Clemente, CA, and Great Lakes Chemical Corp., West Lafayette, IN, to fine-tune a system for capturing methyl bromide after its use in fumigating harvested crops in airtight chambers.Methyl bromide kills damaging insect pests of fruits, nuts, grains and other commodities. The researchers' experimental system relies on activated carbon, made from coconut shells, to trap methyl bromide vented to it from the fumigation chambers. Lab tests under an earlier CRADA with ARS and GFK Consulting indicate activated carbon can snare up to 95 percent of the methyl bromide and that the carbon from coconut shells is superior to that from peat or bituminous coal for this specialized job. Researchers have already pilot-tested their prototype carbon-filled steel container at a packinghouse and now plan to try it out at a portside fumigation facility. When the carbon is spent, a reclamation facility operated by Great Lakes Chemical Corp. will remove the methyl bromide so the carbon can be re-used. With further heating, the used methyl bromide yields bromide salt, usable in manufacturing new methyl bromide or other chemicals. The idea of using activated carbon to trap methyl bromide that might otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere is not new. But the experimental technology may lead to the first practical, proven, carbon-based system that also reactivates the carbon and yields a usable byproduct. Production of methyl bromide is scheduled to be phased out in the United States because the chemical is thought to damage Earth's protective ozone layer.

Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory, Fresno, CA James G. Leesch, (209) 453-3090,
jleesch@qnis.net

...With American Biophysics Corporation, East Greenwich, RI, to develop new mosquito attractants for use in traps for surveillance and/or control.ARS scientists have identified several chemical compounds that have potential as attractants. The scientists will conduct laboratory and field tests to evaluate the commercial potential of these compounds. Since mosquitos can transmit some diseases, it is important to have better mosquito surveillance and monitoring in areas where there are disease risks. The new attractants would also be used to develop better traps for control, especially in areas such as parks, where there are nuisance mosquitos.

Mosquito and Fly Research Unit, Gainesville, FL Daniel L. Kline, (352) 374-5933,

dkline@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu

...With Caterpillar, Inc., Peoria, IL, to develop improved technologies and soil compaction characteristics related to rubber-belted tracks and tires used on farm tractors. ARS scientists will compare belted tracks and tires and provide information to improve traction systems. Better traction systems on agricultural tractors will reduce soil compaction and improve tractor performance. The tractors' heavy weight can degrade the soil and reduce crop yields by making it difficult for plant seedlings to push their way through the soil. Compaction also restricts root growth and prevents the plants from getting water and nutrients. Improving agriculture tractor performance reduces fuel needed for field operations, such as tillage, planting, cultivating and harvesting. Reduced fuel use lowers energy costs and decreases the environmental impact of exhaust emissions.

National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, Auburn, AL Donald C. Erbach, (334) 844-4517,derbach@eng.auburn.edu

...With Water Resources Publications, LLC, Englewood, CO, to enhance an environmentally friendly computer model, make it easier to use, publish documentation and a user's manual and market the package.ARS scientists designed the RZWQM–short for root zone water quality model–to aid farmers in finding the best ways to obtain maximum yields while protecting the environment. Within 3 to 5 years, farmers should have the model to help them pick the best tillage method, the safest types of fertilizers and the best times to apply pesticides and irrigate. RZWQM is the most complete model ever developed to simulate the effects of management on crop growth and water quality. Researchers could have it as early as fall of this year. The model will help identify the most critical gaps in research, pinpoint the type of data that should be collected, quantify and interpret results and transfer the knowledge and technology to other soils and climates.

Great Plains Systems Research Unit, Fort Collins, CO Lajpat R. Ahuja, (970) 490-8315,ahuja@gpsr.colostate.edu

...With Intervet, Inc., Millsboro, DE, to further test and evaluate a new ARS-developed, modified live vaccine against enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC). The new ARS vaccine is administered as a bath immersion for 7- to 10-day-old catfish. ESC is the number one disease of farm-raised catfish, causing losses of up to $50 million annually. No other catfish vaccines against ESC are available to the catfish industry. If developed commercially, this vaccine will prevent ESC and significantly reduce the volume of antibiotics now fed to catfish to control ESC.

Fish Diseases and Parasites Research Unit, Auburn, AL Phillip Klesius, (334) 887-3741, klesiph@vetmed.auburn.edu

Licenses

...To Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Johnston, IA, for a new, ARS-developed and -patented corn that could be more nutritious as feed and reduce water pollution.The new corn is low in phytic acid. Abundant in regular corn, phytic acid is a form of the nutrient phosphorus. But in its phytic acid form it cannot be used by poultry, swine and other animals with one stomach. Instead, the phosphorus winds up mainly in the animals' manure. Rain can carry excess phosphorus to waterways, where it nourishes algae. Unchecked algae blooms can consume all of the water's oxygen, choking out fish and other aquatic life. But low-phytic-acid grain holds more of a nutritionally available form of phosphorus, so up to 40 percent less of it is excreted in manure. Research may further increase the "capture" of corn's phosphorus. Cattle and other animals with multiple stomachs have natural enzymes to convert phytic acid into usable phosphorus. Feed for one-stomached animals can be treated with similar enzymes. But low-phytic-acid corn could be a less expensive, more sustainable approach. Pioneer and other hybrid corn seed producers are breeding the trait into elite corn lines. Commercial hybrids may be released in a couple of years. But this could happen only if the plants exhibit critical traits including desirable yields, nutritional qualities and pest and disease resistance. Meanwhile, ARS researchers are expanding the approach to other grains in which phytic acid ties up phosphorus: rice, barley and wheat.

Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research, Aberdeen, ID Victor Raboy, (208) 397-4162, vraboy@uidaho.edu

...To The Burchell Nursery, Inc., Oakdale, CA, to sell an ARS-patented apricot variety called Robada. Sweet, plump Robada apricots have fine-textured, deep-orange flesh and are more flavorful and aromatic than many other apricots. The fruit gives growers an alternative to the five standard apricot varieties raised in U.S. commercial orchards. In California, which produces nearly all of the United States' commercial apricots, Robada ripens from mid-May until nearly the end of the month. Though intended for eating fresh, further testing should reveal whether Robada is also suited for drying, canning or freezing. ARS fruit breeders made consecutive crosses of four different sets of parent trees to produce Robada, followed by eight years of orchard observations. ARS has licensed three other nurseries to grow and sell Robada apricot trees: Agri Sun Nursery, LLC, Selma, CA; Bright's Nursery, Inc., Le Grand, CA; and GIE Star Fruits, Mondragon, France.

Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory, Fresno, CA Craig A. Ledbetter, (209) 453-3064, cabetter@qnis.net

Last Updated: April 29, 1998
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