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Gardening and landscaping information for virtually any size and type
of yard is available on a new CD-ROM, developed by the National
Agricultural Library. NAL's compact disc, called Plant It!, carries
nearly 1,000 color images of plants, trees and shrubs--identifying those
best suited for different climate zones in the United States. Available
commercially for $80, this disc will run on most IBM-compatible computers
with at least four megabyte of memory, a CD-ROM disc drive, and Microsoft
Windows. NAL houses thousands of documents related to home gardening and
landscaping, a multibillion-dollar industry. For non-USDA orders, contact
Dennis Watson, University of
Florida, (904) 392-7853. USDA employees can contact Dan Starr at NAL, (301) 504-6813.
National Agricultural Library,
Beltsville, MD
Pam Andre, (301) 504-5248
Internet users now have access to a database that allows better
assessment of the water pollution potential of 230 of the most widely used
pesticides. The database includes more than 95 percent of the popular
herbicides, fungicides and insecticides used in agriculture. And another
120 pesticides are being added. Farmers, pesticide companies, water
resource managers and environmental groups can access the ARS Pesticide
Properties Database to gain a better understanding of how and where
pesticides may threaten water quality. The data show 16 of the most
important chemical, physical and biological characteristics or properties
of pesticides. They relate to each pesticide's degradation rate or
likelihood of moving into surface or groundwater. For example, a chemical
that clings strongly to soil particles is less likely to be washed into
groundwater during a rain storm. The database is for use with crop and
soil computer models that account for local factors, such as soil texture
and temperature, that affect pesticide mobility and longevity. The
database is available on the laboratory's World Wide Web home page.
Systems Research Laboratory,
Beltsville, MD
Basil Acock, (301) 504-5827
Last updated: October 30, 1996
Return to: Quarterly Report
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Last Modified: 02/11/2002
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