Fresh from the Field, Dec. 7, 2017

Research Details Genetic Resistance to Soybean Sudden Death

Soybean is one of the world's most valuable oil-seed crops and is a major source of protein for animal feed and human diets. In 2010, the total U.S. soybean crop value was over $38.9 billion, but may well have been 14.4% higher if not for diseases like soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS).

Now, a researcher from Iowa State University is charting mechanisms – one gene at a time -- that could lead to soybean varieties that are resistant to SDS. With support from a $5.3 million NIFA grant, Madan Bhattacharyya has found genes in the Arabidopsis plant that could act in concert to help soybeans fight off the disease.

Soybean plants that have had the gene inserted have shown SDS resistance in two years under field conditions.

NIFA supports this project through an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant.

Read the full story in Iowa Ag Connection. USDA photo.

Clemson Releases New Soybean Cultivar that Extends Planting Season and Growing Region

The soybean planting season and growing region have been extended thanks to researchers at Clemson University’s Pee Dee Research and Education Center. The Agustina soybean cultivar possesses the long juvenile (LJ) trait, which gives it the ability to produce high yields even when days get shorter and daylight hours are fewer. The LJ trait also allows the Agustina soybean to grow in regions that are not suited for most existing soybean cultivars. Agustina also is resistant to soybean cyst nematodes, the primary pest of soybeans.

NIFA supports the research with Hatch funding.

Read the full article in the Clemson Newsstand. Photo courtesy of Clemson University Public Service and Agriculture.

Predatory Insect May Help With Whitefly Control

Scientists at the University of Florida have found an insect predator that may help greenhouse tomato growers manage populations of the sweetpotato whitefly when used as a piece of an integrated pest management system. Sweetpotato whiteflies attack a range of plants, including sweetpotato, squash, tomato, and poinsettia. The fly transmits Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl virus, which cause plants to be stunted and unproductive.

After scientists introduced whitefly predator Dicyphus Hesperus into a greenhouse environment, only seven whitefly eggs and 14 nymphs per leaf were present, compared with untreated plants that had 151 eggs and 229 nymphs per leaf.

NIFA supported the program through an Integrated Pest Management Enhancement grant.

Read the full article in IPM in the South. Photo by Hugh Smith, University of Florida.

Longitudinal Perspectives of Faculty and Students on Benefits and Barriers to Transdisciplinary Graduate Education: Program Assessment and Institutional Recommendations

Addressing complex societal problems, such as childhood obesity, requires transdisciplinary approaches to reach effective solutions. With NIFA support, researchers at University of Illinois created the Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program (I-TOPP) to establish a new transdisciplinary PhD/MPH degree program focused on childhood obesity prevention. I-TOPP published its first program evaluation paper.

The study assessed benefits and barriers of a transdisciplinary approach to doctoral education from the perspectives of students working towards a joint PhD/MPH degree and their faculty advisors. Results show that benefits across five years included greater collaboration and networking, enhanced guidance and support, broadened ways of thinking, and expanded opportunities. In addition, I-TOPP students’ publications were cited five times more often than other students in similar fields.

Read the article in Palgrave Communications. iStock photo.

State’s Food Pantries Enjoy Fresh Food Grown at UNH Farms and Facilities

New Hampshire residents who rely on the state’s food pantries have been enjoying fresh food donated by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), including tilapia and lettuce produced in sophisticated aquaponics systems and squash and other vegetables grown at university farms.

Researchers at UNH have designed an aquaponics agriculture system to sustainably grow fish and fresh produce. The systems are designed for use in urban areas where fresh foods may not be readily available. So far this year, UNH has donated almost 5,000 heads of lettuce, 44 boxes of tomatoes, 28 boxes of peppers, 400 pounds of squash, and 1,100 pounds of fish.

NIFA supports this project with Hatch funding.

Watch the video on Facebook and hear researcher Tom Guerdat describe the aquaponics project.