Fresh from the Field June 1, 2017

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Fresh from the Field is a weekly album showcasing transformative impacts made by grantees funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

June 1, 2017


Success Stories

20120106-OC-AMW-0358 Bob Nichols USDA photo switchgrass.JPG

Reclaiming strip mine fields for biofuel crop production

Strip mines are so common in rural Pennsylvania that many people are unfazed by the sight of rock-filled piles of dirt and tracts of barren land.

"In Pennsylvania, there are hundreds of thousands of acres that have not been reclaimed after strip mining," said Marvin Hall, professor of forage management at Pennsylvania State University. "If we show that land can be highly productive after mining, then maybe we'll see fewer abandoned strip mines and more grassy fields."

With NIFA funding from the Northeast Woody/Warm-season Bioenergy Consortium (NEWBio), researchers saw that switchgrass shows promise in reclaiming strip mine fields. It's a hardy, deep-rooted, perennial grass that's known for its ability to grow despite poor soil quality, drought, or flood. Switchgrass has many environmental and commercial benefits, such as providing shelter and food for wildlife, soil conservation, livestock feed, animal bedding, mulch, and landscaping.

Switchgrass also has the potential to serve as a renewable energy source — its biomass can be condensed into fuel pellets for heating, and it also can be used to make ethanol, an alternative to gasoline.

Read more about PSU research on strip mine field reclamation.


USDA bee3443-1 photo Stephen Ausmus

Bees and trees

A University of Kentucky (UK) entomology doctoral student, Bernadette Mach, has developed a list of bee-friendly trees and shrubs for the Ohio Valley region. The list can help homeowners find the right plants for their yards to help conserve bees. In the past 10 years, researchers estimate that pollinator populations have declined between 30 and 60 percent, depending on the pollinator. While much of the attention has focused on dwindling honeybee populations due to colony collapse disorder, native bee populations including bumblebees, mason bees, and many other solitary bee species, are also on the decline. Mach started her research project in the summer of 2014. It is the first comprehensive study of its kind. The project is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Plants Bees Like Best is available online.


News Coverage 

USDA photo courtesy University of Hawaii

What's water got to do with it?

Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. In this integrated system, fish waste, which contains nitrogen, helps feed plants, which in turn clean the water in the fish tank. These systems are popular due to their sustainability, higher nutrient retention efficiency, and lower water requirements. With Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) funding, researchers at the University of Hawaii identified that tomato, pak choi, and romaine lettuce were the best plants to grow for recycling nitrogenous waste from fish tanks. 

Read the Hawaii News Now story. 


Library

UtahExtensionphotocredit

Managing Utah’s pest problem

Every year, Utah scientists discover two to three plant diseases that have not been previously reported in the state. In addition, known diseases in the state move on to new hosts. Among the newly identified diseases: Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum, which infects potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes; potato virus Y strain NTN; and watermelon mosaic virus on pumpkins, squashes, and gourds. Another disease, bacterial spot, was introduced on tomatoes and peppers through contaminated seeds, resulting in yield losses of $4,000 to $6,000 per acre. Early detection of new diseases allows growers to control the diseases before they spread further. Utah State University Extension includes entomologists and plant pathologists who serve the communities by addressing various plant and pest issues. The Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab (UPPDL) serves on the Utah School Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coalition and provides IPM training to public health employees and public, private, and charter school faculty and staff.

Learn more about Utah plant pest programs.


Video

USDA photo Alaska

Alaska creates safer homes

Radon is a cancer-causing, colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that is present in Alaska, particularly in the interior uplands. University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service agents offered more than 20 workshops in seven communities to address radon prevention, testing, and mitigation to 400 residents. Extension agents also tested 15 schools for radon, finding one classroom that had contamination levels high enough to require remediation. 

View the radon safety video


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