Cooperative Research and Development Agreements

...With Ava Chemical Ventures, Portsmouth, NH, to conduct further studies to identify a form of synthetic sugar ester that is highly water soluble yet remains active in killing insect pests. Leaves of a wild relative of tobacco make natural sugar esters that kill whiteflies and other soft-bodied pests. A new synthetic version of the active ingredient in natural esters has commercial potential as a pest killer, ARS scientists say. Sugar esters break down the outer coating of the pest, causing its body to shrivel as it loses water. In field tests, spraying a mix of water and esters extracted from plants killed all the pear psylla—a soft-bodied insect pest—infesting pear leaves. The spray even killed pear psylla that hatched 3 days later. Sugar esters are relatively nontoxic to beneficial, hard-bodied predators such as lady beetles. But extracting the compounds from plants is difficult and expensive. Synthetic esters would sidestep these drawbacks. ARS scientists working with Ava Chemical Ventures found an easier, cheaper way to mass-produce sugar esters. The new synthetic compound can easily be mixed and sprayed using standard tank sprayers. In field and lab tests, the new compound controlled pear psylla, whiteflies, aphids, thrips and other pests without harming beneficials. ARS scientists believe the new ester may be registered as early as 1999. Ava has applied to register the ester's use with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Agriculture.
Appalachian Fruit Research Station, Kearneysville, WV
Gary J. Puterka, (304) 725-3451, ext. 361, gputerka@asrr.arsusda.gov.

...With the Canadian Pacific Railway, Minneapolis, MN, to use alfalfa plants to clean up the site of a 1989 railcar spill of nitrogen fertilizer. An ARS study under way since 1996 shows that a special type of alfalfa is helping to clean the affected area. The alfalfa is called Ineffective Agate because, unlike regular varieties, it forms ineffective root nodules that are unable to use nitrogen from the air. So, it must get all its nitrogen from water and soil. This trait would normally be considered a flaw for a legume crop—but it's what makes Ineffective Agate highly effective for environmental clean-up. Before the spill near Bordulac, ND, ARS scientists had conducted tests and found that Ineffective Agate would take up 30 to 40 percent more nitrogen from soil and water than would standard alfalfas. Previous cleanup efforts at the site included excavating topsoil and irrigating nearby corn and wheat with pumped groundwater. But the groundwater and soil still had excessive levels of nitrogen. Since 1996, Ineffective Agate has taken up about 250 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year, compared with 70 pounds for corn or wheat crops. The ARS scientists are collaborating with North Dakota State University Carrington Research and Extension Center and Braun Intertec Corp., an environmental consulting firm. In 1997, a cooperating farmer harvested the alfalfa for hay three times. About 300,000 gallons of groundwater were pumped and used to irrigate the alfalfa. With the early spring warmth and more normal summer rainfall, researchers hope to pump a million gallons this year and to harvest the alfalfa four times. They predict this will boost the nitrogen removal rate to nearly 450 pounds per acre and remove the excess nitrogen from the groundwater and soil.
Plant Science Research, St. Paul, MN
Michael P. Russelle, (612) 625-8145, russelle@soils.umn.edu

...With Finnfeeds International, Helsinki, Finland, to see if feeding fish an all-plant-protein diet with a key liquid enzyme will help them grow more efficiently. The research should help fish farmers reduce feed and production costs, improve the nutritional value of fish diets and increase farmer profits. The enzyme is a protease, which can help the fish more readily digest and absorb the plant (soy-based) food. ARS scientists want to see whether the plant protein feed supplemented with protease can replace the standard, more expensive feed containing fish meal. The fish under study are tilapia, popular in Asian countries—and showing up on more U.S. menus. Since 1997, U.S. fresh and frozen tilapia imports have increased 28 percent. The expanding market has led more American fish farmers to raise this tropical beauty. ARS scientists also want to know if the protease supplement can improve nutritional value of soybean-based meals for other aquiculture species.
Fish Diseases and Parasites Research Lab, Auburn, AL
Chhorn E. Lim, (334) 887-4525, limchh@mindspring.com

...With Small Potatoes, Inc., Madison, WI, to test an ARS-developed gene for lowering levels of natural chemicals called glycoalkaloids in otherwise promising strains of experimental potatoes. The experimental potatoes may boast valuable traits such as appealing color, texture, or resistance to insects or disease. But these spuds have zero commercial potential if they also contain high levels of bitter-tasting glycoalkaloids. ARS and Small Potatoes, Inc., scientists will test a gene constructed by an ARS team in California. Potatoes possessing the rebuilt gene had up to 50 percent less glycoalkaloids in preliminary experiments. The new gene may open the door to superb new potatoes for baking or processing into chips, fries and other tasty potato products. Potatoes are America's favorite vegetable. The 1996 U.S. crop of 25 million tons was worth $2.4 billion to growers.
Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA
William R. Belknap (510) 559-6072, wrb@pw.usda.gov

...With Perry Tritech, Inc., Jupiter, FL, to develop technology to improve the design and operation of plows that bury undersea cables. This kind of plow has a knife-like blade connected by a cable to a ship, which pulls the plow along the sea floor. The blade slices a narrow furrow into the ocean bed so that fiber-optic communications cable can be buried. This protects the cable from damage by fishing nets, boat anchors and natural forces. ARS scientists working with the company have unique facilities for conducting tillage and traction research. And undersea plow blades are similar in design and operation to tillage blades used on farmland. The tests should help improve blade design—a benefit to both the agriculture and communications fields—and conserve energy. The undersea communications business is a multibillion dollar industry.
National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, Auburn, AL
Donald C. Erbach, (334) 844-4517, derbach@eng.auburn.edu

Licenses

...To DEKALB Genetics Corp., DeKalb, IL, to use an ARS-developed corn that should boost the grain's nutritional value and reduce phosphorus pollution. The experimental corn contains up to 66 percent less phytic acid, a phosphorus-containing compound. Because animals with one stomach, such as pigs and poultry, cannot use phytic acid, much of the phosphorus in conventional corn ends up in their manure. When carried by rainwater to nearby lakes and streams, the phosphorus may turn into a pollutant, nourishing algae that use up oxygen needed to keep fish and other aquatic dwellers alive. Some of the low-phytic-acid corn produced in ARS experiments contained two-thirds less phytic acid, with no reduction in phosphorus content. And, some test animals fed the experimental corn excreted 25 to 40 percent less phosphorus in their manure. DEKALB researchers will experiment with breeding the low-phytic-acid trait into some of the company's proprietary hybrids. The new corn may prove less expensive to farmers than giving their animals phosphorus supplements or treating conventional feed corn with natural enzymes that break down phytic acid. (PATENT 5,689,054)
Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit, Aberdeen, ID
Victor Raboy, (208) 397-4162, vraboy@uidaho.edu

....To Betterbee, Inc., Greenwich, NY, to produce a new ARS-developed product that could give U.S. beekeepers a superior, alternative protection against varroa mites. These pests are becoming resistant to the standard control, fluvalinate, sold as Apistan. In tests, the new treatment—a gel containing formic acid—killed up to 84 percent of varroa mites and 100 percent of tracheal mites, another bee pest. The gel protects keepers and hives from toxic formic acid fumes. It is sealed in a small plastic bag that beekeepers would simply slice open and place in the hive. The acid slowly evaporates, killing the mites without contaminating the hive or honey. The company expects to have a product ready for EPA review soon.
Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD
Hachiro Shimanuki (301) 504-8975, hshimanu@asrr.arsusda.gov

Patents

Strong doughs from wheat flours make large loaves of light, fine-textured bread. By rebuilding some wheat-flour genes, ARS genetic engineers have increased a key indicator of dough strength: the time it takes to mix the dough. To accomplish this, the scientists retooled some of the genes, known as high-molecular-weight glutenin genes, by making longer versions of the naturally occurring ones. The central sections of these new genes have more "repeats" of a portion of genetic material thought to be key to dough strength and the dough's ability to trap and contain tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. Formed naturally by yeast during mixing, the bubbles enable doughs to rise, forming high, delectable loaves. (PATENT APPLICATION 08/785,716)
Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA
Olin D. Anderson, (510) 559-5773, oandersn@pw.usda.gov

A pheromone identified by ARS scientists may one day give fruit growers an early warning of plum curculio weevils. By revealing the pests' first arrival in an orchard, a trap containing the pheromone could give growers precious time for a pre-emptive strike that protects the fruit and prevents the weevils from reproducing. The weevils, Conotrachelus nenuphar, attack apples, peaches, cherries and plums in the southern and western U.S. Adult female weevils lay eggs under the skin of embryonic fruits, causing yield loss and scarring. Normally, a grower becomes aware of the pests only after the eggs are laid, when a telltale "crescent moon" blemish appears on the embryonic fruit. Once this "moon" has risen, the fruit will wind up scarred. But ARS scientists identified a natural chemical pheromone, grandiosic acid, that the male curculio moth releases to attract females. In outdoor tests, scientists hung traps baited with the attractant in orchards at blossom time. This snared female curculio moths before they could begin laying eggs. The growers had enough time to apply insecticide before the trees dropped their petals. It's too late to spray for plum curculio once the petals drop and the fruit begins forming. ARS scientists patented the pheromone trap and are seeking companies to license the technology. (PATENT 5,714,139)
Food Safety and Quality Research, Peoria, IL
Fred J. Eller, (309) 681-6232, ellerfj@mail.ncaur.usda.gov

The free lunch may be over for hungry rice weevils, sawtoothed grain beetles and other stored grain pests, thanks to the ARS-patented Electronic Grain Probe Insect Counter (EGPIC). EGPIC is the latest improvement in technology that monitors insects in stored grain. It includes an infrared beam to sense insects. And it quickly, accurately and economically records and time-stamps when the pest drop through a probe trap. Current probes remain in grain bins until an inspector manually removes and visually inspects them. EGPIC sensors transmit insect counts back to a central computer via SMARTS (PATENT APPLICATION 08/556,054), a data transmission network for large-scale monitoring by up to a million probes. Insect infestations cause millions of dollars in stored-product losses and fumigation costs each year. EGPIC will allow companies to target heavily concentrated insect areas of a grain bin with fumigants or other control alternatives, eliminating the need to treat the entire bin. (PATENT 5,646,404)
Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, FL
Dennis Shuman, (352) 374-5737, dshuman@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu

Last Updated: November 13, 1998
Return to: Quarterly Report Table of Contents