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| Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences VISION eXtra is e-mailed weekly to faculty and staff of Bumpers College and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Division of Agriculture. This service is primarily for timely announcement of news and events for the AAES and Bumpers College. Submit items to hmedders@uark.edu. You may also wish to submit items to headline@uark.edu for posting on "UA Daily Headlines" for campus-wide distribution. |
Aug. 11 , 2008 |
2. Small-scale biofuels unit demonstrations set for Rice Field Day
3. Summer scholars conduct plant disease research
4. John Clark is ASHS president
5. Drought tolerance a topic at Turfgrass Field Day
6. Weed warning issued at Lon Mann Cotton Research Station Field Day
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1. RREC Field Day Wednesday
Division of Agriculture Field Days continue this week with the annual Rice Field Day at RREC, Stuttgart, on Wednesday, Aug. 13. Others scheduled are:
Southern Pea Field Day, Aug. 22, Vegetable Research Station, Alma;
Forestry and Wildlife Field Day, Sept. 18, Southwest Research and Extension Center, Hope.
Forestry and Wildlife Field Day, Oct. 11, Pine Tree Branch Station, Colt.
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2. Small-scale biofuels unit demonstrations set for Rice Field Day
Small-scale units for making fuel from vegetable oil or animal fat and from residue of crops or other plants will be demonstrated during a field day at the Rice Research and Extension Center Wednesday, Aug. 13.
The bio-fuel processes will be shown by Samy Sadaka, extension engineer, in the Bioenergy, Biofuel and Bioproducts Laboratory at RREC.
The field day begins at 8 a.m. and will also include tours and presentations on agricultural field research and extension programs and family-oriented activities.
The biofuels demonstrations will include a unit for making biodiesel, a gasification unit that transforms solid biomass into a gas that can be substituted for natural gas, and a pyrolysis unit that converts biomass into bio-oil, which is similar to fuel oil and can be further refined.
Three different tours of research plots, each lasting about an hour, will depart multiple times at staggered intervals during the morning.
- Tour A will include rice breeding for Clearfield and conventional rice lines, soybean plots for lespedeza worm and soybean rust, fertility research for minimum nitrogen and other fertilizers, and biomass energy research.
- Tour B will include agronomics of row rice, disease research for smut, and weeds research for levees and soybean herbicides.
- Tour C will include USDA Agricultural Research Service sites of the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center including research on rice-weed interactions and rice diseases.
Family-oriented activities will be held from 8 to 10:30 and will include sessions on 4-H ATV safety; wildlife and water quality; hands-on 4-H Science, Technology, Engineering and Math; and consumer education.
Posters and displays of other division research and corporate sponsors will also be on display all morning. The field day will conclude with an indoor program. Speakers will include Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult, RREC Director Chris Deren, DBNRRC Director Anna McClung and the commodity board chairs for rice, soybeans, wheat and corn and sorghum. Andrew McKenzie, associate professor of commodity marketing, will present "What is Basis and what does it mean to the farmer?"
Lunch will be served following the indoor presentations. Field day programs, received at registration, will be required as tickets for the lunch.
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3. Summer scholars conduct plant disease research
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| SUMMER SCHOLARS. Adair and Bollenbacher summer interns working on plant pathology research projects and their faculty advisers are (from left) Bryan Petty, John Rupe, Mauricio Antonio Cuzato Mancuso, Angela Maria Iglesias Garcia, Jim Correll, Michele Burnham and Burt Bluhm. |
Undergraduate student interns are getting a head start on graduate school as Adair and Bollenbacher scholars in the plant pathology department.
The four students gave presentations Aug. 6 in Coombes Auditorium in the Plant Sciences Building on research they are conducting under the guidance of faculty advisers. Their research is on the genetics and epidemiology of disease organisms that affect crop plants.
The C. Roy Adair Undergraduate Research Internship Program is funded by an endowment established in memory of a USDA-ARS rice breeder based at the Rice Branch Station who helped establish the Arkansas rice industry. The Katharine Bollenbacher Memorial Endowment was created in 1984 in memory of a pioneering UA plant pathologist.
The students, their projects and faculty advisers are listed.
Alisha Michele Burnham of Lancaster, S.C., is a senior at Coker College in Hartsville, S.C. Her project is Gene Discovery in Cercospora Kikuchii. Her adviser is Assistant Professor Burt Bluhm.
Angela Maria Iglesias-Garcia of Cali, Columbia, has a bachelor's degree in biology from Universidad del Valle in Columbia. Her project is Genetic and Molecular Characterization of Verticillium dahliae. Her adviser is Professor James Correll.
Mauricio Antonio Cuzato Mancuso of San Paulo, Brazil, is a senior agronomy major at San Paulo State University. His project is Epidemiology of Frogeye Leafspot: Modeling the Effect of Temperature and Leaf Wetness on Infection. His adviser is Professor John Rupe.
Bryan Petty of Joplin, Mo., is a senior at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin. His project is Quantification of Wheat Resistance to Fusarium using Real-time PCR. His advisers are Professor Eugene Milus and Assistant Professor Burt Bluhm.
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4. John Clark is ASHS president
John Clark, department of horticulture, began a one-year term as president of the American Society for Horticultural Science in July. He is the first ASHA president from Arkansas since Jim Moore in 1988. ASHS is the primary professional organization in horticulture, and it publishes three refereed journals.
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5. Drought tolerance a topic at Turfgrass Field Day
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| DROUGHT TEST. Professor Mike Richardson discusses results of drought tolerance tests of grass varieties at the Turfgrass Field Day. |
Some grass varieties can go without water in the summer for up to 60 days with no damage and even retain some green color, says turfgrass scientist Mike Richardson, department of horticulture.
Drought tolerance was one of many topics at the Turfgrass Field Day Aug. 6 at the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Most of the 190 visitors were turf industry professionals from throughout Arkansas and adjoining states, said Aaron Patton, assistant professor and extension specialist.
Attendance was up 60 percent over last year, Patton said. “We try to make it worthwhile for people to spend the day with us. We vary the topics, and we added a trade show this year, which seemed to be popular.”
Richardson said turf scientists conducting drought tolerance research nationwide hope to provide the basis for a “water star” seal that the public can rely on to signify superior drought tolerance.
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| HOW FAST? Graduate assistant Jay Richardson shows plots for testing methods to increase "green speed" on the biggest natural putting surface in Arkansas at the U of A System Division of Agriculture's research and extension center. The field day included a 250-foot putting contest. |
“It's the same idea as the 'energy star' for appliances,” Richardson said. “We haven't worked out all the details, but I think we'll get there.”
Drought tolerance research is conducted in a new 35 x 130 ft. “rainout shelter” at the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Plastic sheeting over a 17 foot tall frame and open sides allow sunshine in but keep rain off the test plots.
The first year of rainout shelter tests revealed significant genetic differences in drought tolerance, but additional data are needed before publicizing results, Richardson said. Results will help plant breeders develop varieties with superior drought tolerance.
Richardson sees several other big reasons for documenting drought tolerance in turfgrass varieties. One is that most people tend to over-water, which sets turf up for disease and pest problems.
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| RAINOUT SHELTER. A 35 x 130 x 17 ft. shelter is used for turfgrass drought tolerance research at the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville. |
A second reason is that when water is in short supply, the first restrictions are often on watering lawns, golf courses and athletic fields.
A third reason is to reinforce the idea that turfgrass is “green,” meaning environmentally friendly. The balance of environment benefits versus the water and other inputs required, when properly managed, add up to a positive impact, Richardson said.
“Turf tips,” upcoming events, and Division of Agriculture research and extension project reports are available on the Internet at http://turf.uark.edu.
Bachelor's and graduate degree programs in “horticulture, landscape and turf sciences” are offered by the horticulture department in Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
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6. Weed warning issued at Lon Mann Cotton Research Station Field Day
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| HERBICIDE RESISTANCE. Weed scientist Ken Smith talks about the spread of glysophate-resistant weeds in Arkansas during a field day Aug. 7 at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station. |
Pigweed, johnsongrass, horseweed and giant ragweed are all showing resistance to glyphosate herbicides in Arkansas, said Ken Smith, weed scientist for the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture.
Pigweed is a big problem in eastern Arkansas, Smith said during a field day Aug. 7 at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station in Marianna.
During his presentation, Smith held up a 3-foot-long specimen of pigweed. "We sprayed this plant three times with Roundup," he said, adding that the specimen was found in Lee County, where Marianna is located.
Smith said glyphosate-resistant pigweed is spreading quickly. The area where the weed was found in 2007 was twice that of 2006.
Smith is conducting trials with various alternative herbicides in combination with glyphosate. So far, he said, results have varied and researchers are still looking for an effective combination. For now, he said, "If you have resistant pigweed in your fields, use a combination of glyphosate and another herbicide for best results."
Pigweed seed is not spread by wind, Smith said, so good management makes a difference. "Even if your neighbor doesn't take care of his fields, your diligence will keep your fields clean unless you have water moving off his land onto yours."
Pigweed seed moves with water or soil, Smith said. "When you look at how glyphosate-resistant pigweed has spread, it follows the rivers," he said.
In other topics covered at the field day, visitors heard a summary of research projects at the station, a report on late season water and insect management in cotton, research on stretching fertilizer dollars, management practices for corn and grain basis and marketing issues.
Guest speaker Larry McClendon, a Marianna cotton farmer and ginner, and chairman of the National Cotton Council of America, spoke about the council's activities in helping to formulate the new Farm Bill, negotiating trade and supporting agricultural research.
The Delta Area Health Education Center of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences provided free health screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar and body fat. Cholesterol screens were offered for a fee. Dermatologist Dr. Jessica Pillow provided free skin cancer screenings.
AAES and Bumpers College Web sites:
http://aaes.uark.edu/
http://bumperscollege.uark.edu/