Aug. 9, 2007 |
1. Arkansas Wins National IFT College Bowl
2. Field Day Features Turfgrass Programs
3. Division and Campus Host Biodiesel Study Demonstration
4. Food Science Sponsors MasterFoods USA Summer Interns
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1. Arkansas Wins National IFT College Bowl
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| National Champion Quiz Bowl team members are front row from left, Sarah Stribling, Navam Hettiarachchy (coach), Vishal Jain and Brittany Adams. Back row, Arvind Kannan, Ken Over (captain) and Michael Kaminski. |
A University of Arkansas team of food science students won first place in the National IFT College Bowl competition July 30 at the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting in Chicago.
Team members are Ken Over (captain), Vishal Jain, Arvind Kannan, Brittany Adams, Michael Kaminski and Sarah Stribling.
Coach Navam Hettiarachchy said, “Our team demonstrated excellent performance, and very hard questions related to food science were answered spontaneously in a competitive professional manner.”
The UA team was one of six regional champion teams in the national contest. Others were from the University of Minnesota, Penn State University, Purdue University, Chapman University and the University of Georgia.
Dr. Hettiarachchy, University Professor of food science, has coached the team for many years. Her teams have won several regional championships, including the last three years, and another national championship in 1966. Former students of hers are now faculty members and college bowl coaches Louisiana State University, Oklahoma State University and Chapman University.
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2. Field Day Features Turfgrass Programs
By Fred Miller
Grass is big business in Arkansas, as evidenced by some 115 turf professionals who attended the Division of Agriculture’s Turfgrass Research Field Day Aug. 1
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| Extension weed scientist John Boyd describes weed control in landscape turfgrasses during the Turfgrass Research Field Day Aug 1. | Graduate student Josh Landreth describes variety trials for golf and sports turf varieties. |
"The production, cultivation and utilization of turfgrass is all or part of many industries in Arkansas and accounts for thousands of jobs and millions of dollars for the state’s economy," said Mike Richardson, professor of horticulture.
Arkansas has 55 turf production firms with gross sales of $24 million, according to Arkansas Horticulture Industry: Economic Impact and Characteristic. Turfgrass is also an essential part of the state’s 243 golf courses and 67 irrigation installation and service firms that contribute a combined $248 million to the economy.
The field day featured tours of test plots on the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville, presentations and demonstrations of research in landscape, golf and sports turfgrass management. Topics covered variety trials and selection, weed and pest control, establishing and maintaining lawns and sports surfaces, and related issues.
The field day also included workshops that counted credit toward required pesticide recertification for turf care professionals.
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| Mike Richardson, professor of horticulture, describes over-seeding research on sports turf varieties. |
Doug Karcher, associate professor of horticulture, said the research highlighted during the field day is designed to help answer questions about the typical problems faced by Arkansas turf managers.
"We conduct variety trials to see which grasses are best adapted to Arkansas," Karcher said. "If anyone needs to reestablish a lawn, golf course or sports surface, we have data they can use to be sure they select the best variety."
The research program studies the abilities of different varieties to recover golf divots and recuperate from traffic and other uses. Scientists are also developing best management practices for weed control, fertility, irrigation and other needs for grass surfaces.
"Field days give us an opportunity to showcase some of the research and studies we have going on to support the turfgrass industry," said Aaron Patton, extension turfgrass specialist. "We can show turfgrass professionals some of the things we're doing to try and help them do their jobs a little better. It also provides a networking opportunity for professionals."
Patton said about half of the attendees worked in the golf industry or were suppliers to golf courses. The rest worked in lawn care industries or were groundskeepers for universities or other institutions.
Field day visitors included turf professionals from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Tennessee, Mississippi and Oregon.
Seven Division of Agriculture scientists collaborate in turfgrass research and extension programs and have developed one of the finest undergraduate and graduate education programs in the country in Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, said David Hensley, head of the department of horticulture.
In addition to Richardson, Karcher and Patton, the turfgrass team includes Eugene Milus, professor of plant pathology; John Boyd, extension weed specialist; Don Steinkraus, professor of entomology; and James Robbins, extension horticulture specialist.
"The research and extension programs exist to provide science-based support for the ‘green industry,’ and the academic program prepares students for leadership and management roles in the industry," Richardson said.
Research-based information and publications, as well as information about the turfgrass program, are available on a new Web site: http://turf.uark.edu/
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3. Division and Campus Host Biodiesel Study Demonstration
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| Graduate student Garris Hudson demonstrates the collection of data on gas emissions from one of 17 utility trucks running on biodiesel for the Arkansas Biodiesel Project. |
The Division of Agriculture and UA Department of Facilities Management hosted area media representatives for a demonstration of a research project to evaluate the use of biodiesel in a fleet of 4-wheel-drive utility vehicles used by campus maintenance crews, with a focus on the environmental impact of emissions, fuel economy and engine wear.
Donald M. Johnson and George W. Wardlow, professors of agricultural systems technology, received a grant from the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board for $18,000 for the first year in a multi-year project in cooperation with facilities management. The grant is from check-off funds provided by the state's soybean farmers.
Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities management, said the project is part of a campus sustainability initiative.
"Facilities management is assessing and developing plans and goals to support progress in all areas to reduce energy consumption and our impact on the environment,” Mike Johnson said, explaining that the department has implemented changes affecting capital construction to meet high industry standards for energy efficient and environmentally friendly design in projects greater than $1 million.
Mark Cochran, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, said, "This project is an example of the division's research and extension efforts to support the emerging biofuels industry in the state and region." He said the division uses biodiesel, where available, in vehicles and equipment such as irrigation pumps.
Don Johnson said graduate student Garris Hudson is working with the drivers of 17 Kubota utility vehicles to record data on engine emissions, fuel usage and engine wear. Results will be compared between vehicles using either petroleum diesel or a B20 biodiesel blend. A blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel is the current standard for commercial use.
The City of Fayetteville, which recently installed a system for storing biodiesel and blending it with regular diesel, will provide the B20 fuel for the project.
"It is documented that biodiesel burns cleaner than petroleum diesel and provides essentially the same level of fuel efficiency in a B20 blend," Johnson said. "However, there are some gaps in the research," he added.
Wardlow said studies have shown that biodiesel emissions contain less total greenhouse gases and other pollutants. But there are conflicting results on oxides of nitrogen, one of the greenhouse gases; different studies show slightly higher or lower levels in biodiesel vs. petroleum diesel, he said.
"We believe this study will make a significant contribution to the body of data on oxides of nitrogen and other emissions, as well as the understanding of how biodiesel impacts engine wear and fuel efficiency," Johnson said.
Kubota drivers are keeping a data logbook on each vehicle. The data include emission levels of several gasses as measured by Hudson. He also tests samples of engine oil periodically. The chemical profile of the oil reveals the degree of engine wear, he said.
Robert Stobaugh, a Conway County farmer and member of the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and National Biodiesel Board, said the soybean board is funding the study because it believes the results will further demonstrate the benefits of biodiesel. About 90 percent of biodiesel is made from soybean oil.
"I know from running B20 in 30-year-old engines and brand new engines that it is good fuel and burns cleaner. This project will help document those facts," Stobaugh said.
Stobaugh said biodiesel is readily available in about one-fourth of the counties in Arkansas at prices that are competitive with petroleum diesel.
Biodiesel is produced in Arkansas by Patriot Biofuels at Stuttgart and FutureFuel Chemical Co. at Batesville with a combined capacity of some 27 million gallons a year. Construction is underway on at least four other refineries, which could more than triple the state's annual production capacity.
Stobaugh said growing demand for biofuels has significantly improved the prices farmers are receiving for feedstock crops such as corn for ethanol and soybeans for biodiesel. Prices of some other crops have also increased due to a shift of acreage into energy crops, he said.
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4. Food Science Sponsors MasterFoods USA Summer Interns
Five undergraduate students conducted research projects in the MasterFoods USA summer internship program conducted each year since 2003 in the food science department. The program is directed by Navam Hettiarachchy, who obtained funding through an Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) grant.
The program was featured at the IFT annual meeting in Chicago July 28-Aug. 2 as a successful outreach to under-represented minority students. The program was initially funded for four years, and IFT has extended the funding on an annual basis. Hettiarachchy plans to recruit another five interns for the summer of 2008.
The 2007 interns gave presentations on their projects July 23 in the food science department. Their names, schools, project titles and faculty mentors are listed below.
Anthony Sims, Alabama A&M. Bifidobacterium Growth Effects in Carbohydrate Sources, and Farmers Market Survey Dealing with Organic Products and Food Safety. Mentor, Steve Ricke.
Maxine Roman, University of Illinois. Evaluation of Novel Citrus Antimicrobials for the Control of Listeria monocytogenes on Poultry. Mentor, Phil Crandall.
Francine DeNay Henderson, Alabama A&M. Antihypertensive activities of Rice Bran Fractions. Mentor, Navam Hettiarachchy.
Cuwonna Peoples, UA-Pine Bluff. Prediction of Cooked White Rice Texture Attributes and RVA Parameters by Near-Infrared Reflectance Analysis of Whole Grain. Mentor, Francois Meullenet.
Shannon Coleman, Alabama A&M. Functional Properties of Rice as Affected by Degree of Milling and Cooking Method. Mentor, Ya-Jane Wang.
AAES and Bumpers College Web sites:
http://aaes.uark.edu/
http://bumperscollege.uark.edu/