Food Science Commons^™

Nixing Nitrate Flow From The Farm, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

When early settlers arrived in the Midwest, they began constructing an underground network of tile drains to channel water away from the soggy prairies, which then became some of the most fertile crop fields in the country. But now when nitrate from soils and fertilizers leaches out of those flourishing fields, the subsoil engineering also facilitates the discharge of nitrates into nearby streams and rivers.

Because these local waterways are part of the vast Mississippi River Watershed, the nitrates are eventually transported into the Gulf of Mexico, where they can feed the development of oxygen-deficient “dead zones.” But nitrate management …

Multi-Pronged Fight Against Zebra Chip Disease In Potatoes, Jan Suszkiw

Agricultural Research Magazine

Thanks to the investigations of scientiststurned- detectives, potato growers in the western United States and abroad now know the identities of the pathogen and insect responsible for outbreaks of the costly tuber disease known as “zebra chip.”

So named for the dark stripes it forms inside afflicted tubers when cut and fried to make chips or cooked at high temperatures for other dishes, zebra chip has caused millions of dollars in production and processing losses since its first reported U.S. occurrence in potato fields near McAllen and Pearsall, Texas, in 2000. The disease, whose above-ground symptoms include necrosis and purplish, …

A Dose Of Selenium That Goes A Long Way, Sandra Avant, J. Bret Taylor

Agricultural Research Magazine

In western parts of the United States where some rugged ranges can only be reached by horseback, ranchers often find themselves saddling up weekly to deliver mineral supplements to livestock grazing in nutrient-deficient regions, especially areas scarce in selenium. The routine is not only time-consuming but also costly, and in some leased-land arrangements, such supplementation practices are prohibited.

Selenium, a trace mineral and component of important selenoprotein antioxidants, is essential for good health in livestock and humans. If the body cannot form these important antioxidant proteins, it predisposes the animal to sickness and eventually death at a young age.

Selenium …

Step-By-Step Strategies For Restoring Western Rangelands, Ann Perry, Roger Sheley

Agricultural Research Magazine

Invasive plants exploit every environmental angle in their favor. So restoring damaged rangelands in the western United States involves a lot more than just getting rid of bad plants and bringing in good plants.

Since 1990, Agricultural Research Service ecologist Roger Sheley has been refining a process for identifying factors that give the undesirable space invaders their territorial edge—and figuring out strategies for restoring a healthy mix of native vegetation for rangelands in need of remediation.

“Killing a weed is like treating a symptom,” says Sheley, who is co-located at Oregon State University’s Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center in Burns, …

A New Way To Map Drought And Water Use Worldwide, Don Comis, William P. Kustas, Martha C. Anderson

Agricultural Research Magazine

Every month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Center for Climate Prediction has a drought briefing by teleconference to identify the latest drought areas in North America.

ARS scientists Martha Anderson and Bill Kustas are hoping that in a year or so, data from their computer model/satellite package will give evapotranspiration (ET) maps a seat at that briefing. With funding from NOAAand the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), they have developed a modeling system that NOAA will use to generate ET estimates over the continental United States. NOAA will evaluate these ET products to see how well they …

Locations Featured In This Magazine Issue February 2012

Agricultural Research Magazine

Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

United States Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center,

Hilo, Hawaii
2 research units ■ 72 employees

Western Regional Research Center, Albany, California
8 research units ■ 243 employees

Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory, Wapato, Washington
1 research unit ■ 58 employees

Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Unit, Prosser, Washington
1 research unit ■ 39 employees

Range and Meadow Forage Management Research Unit, Burns, Oregon
1 research unit ■ 44 employees

Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit, Aberdeen, Idaho
1 research unit ■ 66 employees

U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, Dubois, Idaho
1 research unit ■ 23 …

Battling Problem Pests In Paradise, Stephanie Yao, Dennis O’Brien

Agricultural Research Magazine

Sandy beaches, blue water, warm weather, and—invasive insects? One of these things certainly doesn’t belong. When we think of island paradise, invasive insects don’t usually come to mind. But these pesky pests are a problem for countries all over the world.

In two separate projects, Agricultural Research Service scientists are working with their Azorean and French Polynesian counterparts to help control invasive insects there. Since these pests are also invasive in the United States, these collaborations may have mutual benefit. So far, the results have been promising.

An Infestation in the Azores

Off the coast of Portugal lies an archipelago …

Identification And Analysis Of The Ige Binding By Parvalbumin And Other Potential Allergens In Different Fish And Frog Species, P. Lee, J. A. Nordlee, S. J. Koppelman, J. L. Baumert, Steve L. Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Rationale: Serological cross-reactivity to different fish and frog species is common among fish-allergic individuals.We examined the intra- and inter-individual diversity in IgE responses of fish-allergic subjects to various fish and frog species and identified novel allergens besides parvalbumin.

Methods: Sera from 38 subjects with a clinical history of fish allergy were analyzed for IgE-binding profiles to crude extracts of 26 raw fish and frog species, and purified cod and carp parvalbumin using IgE-immunoblotting. Sera of 7 subjects showing similar IgE-binding profiles in the IgEimmmunoblotting were pooled to identify potential allergens in pilchard, herring, cod, cusk, and rainbow trout using two-dimensional …

Evaluation And Identification Of Markers Of Damage In Mushrooms (Agaricus Bisporous) Postharvest Using A Gc/Ms Metabolic Profiling Approach., Aoife O'Gorman, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Jesus Maria Frias

Articles

The aim of this research was to use the gas mass spectrometry (GC/MS) profiling method coupled with chemometric tools to profile mechanically damaged and undamaged mushrooms during storage and to identify specific metabolites that may be used as markers of damage. Mushrooms grown under controlled conditions were bruise damaged by vibration to simulate damage during normal transportation. Three damage levels were evaluated; undamaged, damaged for 20 min and damaged for 40 min and two time levels studied; day zero and day one after storage at 48C. Applying this technique over 100 metabolites were identified, quantified and compiled in a library. …

Grapefruit, Marie Stosich, Emily Morales, Heidi Leblanc

All Current Publications

This publication guide to eating, selecting, cooking, and storing grapefruit.

Carolyn Blake, Carolyn Blake, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

An Alabama native, Carolyn Blake has worked in child nutrition for 37 years.

Arlene Colston, Arlene Colston, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Arlene Colston is a food service manager at McAdory High School in McAdory, Alabama.

Margaret New, Margaret New, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Alabama native Margaret New is the bookkeeper for child nutrition with the Bessemer City School System in Alabama.

Idella Dial, Idella Dial, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

An Alabama native, Idella Dial has worked in Alabama school nutrition programs for forty-five years.

Irma Maye, Irma Maye, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

A Birmingham, Alabama native, Irma Maye started out as a substitute in school nutrition kitchens before working her way up to manager. Retiring after twenty-nine years, she continues to sub when called upon.

Annie Drake, Annie Drake, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Annie Drake is the manager of school food service at Shelby County High School in Columbiana, Alabama.

Julia Williams, Julia Williams, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Julia Williams is a school nutrition manager in Alabama. Williams started as a part-time dishwasher, then worker, then assistant-manager, and after seventeen years had worked her way up to food service manager.

Emma Sidney, Emma Sidney, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Emma Sidney was a child nutrition program manager in Alabama.

Corn Defenses Probed For New Pest-Fighting Clues, Jan Suszkiw, Eric Schmelz, Alisa Huffaker

Agricultural Research Magazine

On one front, a team led by ARS plant physiologists Eric Schmelz and Alisa Huffaker has identified 10 compounds in corn, kauralexins and zealexins, which rapidly accumulate at fungal infection sites, impeding the microbes’ spread. Kauralexins and zealexins, members of a larger family of plant-defense compounds known as “terpenoid phytoalexins,” are also partly triggered by insect chewing—with Ostrinia nubilalis, the European corn borer, among species that find them distasteful.

On another front, Huffaker led the discovery of a new peptide (protein) in corn, ZmPep1, that’s produced in response to fungal infection. In addition to serving as a sort …

Using Cactus As A Bioremediation Tool, Dennis O’Brien, Gary Bañuelos

Agricultural Research Magazine

Ancient seas that once covered the area left behind marine sediments, shale formations, and deposits of selenium and other minerals. Anything grown there needs to be irrigated, but the resulting runoff, when it contains high levels of selenium, can be toxic to fish, migratory birds, and other wildlife that drink from waterways and drainage ditches. Selenium runoff is subject to monitoring by regional waterquality officials. Periodic droughts and population growth are also squeezing supplies of the fresh water available for irrigation.

“We need to find a way to keep the land productive, but that becomes difficult when you have environmental …

There’S A New Biofuel Crop In Town, Ann Perry, Keri Cantrell, Kyoung Ro, Philip Bauer

Agricultural Research Magazine

Work by Agricultural Research Service scientists in Florence, South Carolina, suggests that farmers in the Southeast could use the tropical legume sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) in their crop rotations by harvesting the fast-growing annual for biofuel.

Agricultural engineer Keri Cantrell, agronomist Philip Bauer, and environmental engineer Kyoung Ro all work at the ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center in Florence. They compared the energy content of sunn hemp with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)—another common regional summer cover crop—in 2004 and 2006.

The crops were grown in experimental plots near Florence, and both were harvested …

Mining For Phytochemicals: A Multifaceted Effort, Kay W. Simmons, Jack Okamuro

Agricultural Research Magazine

Unlike in animals, the “fight or flight” response isn’t an option for imperiled plants—including those grown as crops for our food, fuel, and fiber needs. A plant, for example, cannot simply uproot itself and sprint to safety from an approaching caterpillar.

But plants can defend themselves, and they’ve done so for millennia, by using an abundance of potent secondary compounds broadly referred to as “phytochemicals.” Some, like glyceollins in soybeans, are produced only in response to a specific threat—similar to the adrenaline surge a person experiences from a life-threatening event. For plants, this threat can be from a grazing animal, …

Agricultural Research Magazine January 2012

Agricultural Research Magazine

Table of Contents

4 Corn Defenses Probed for New Pest-Fighting Clues

7 Comparing Light- Conversion Efficiency of Plants and Manmade Solar Cells

8 Building Baby’s Tiny Bones: Formulas and Mother’s Milk Analyzed in Animal Study

10 Recognizing the Threat of Leptospirosis

12 Using Cactus as a Bioremediation Tool

14 ARS Scientists Rally ’Round the Range

17 There’s a New Biofuel Crop in Town

18 A Search for the Sweet Spot in Sugar Beet Production

20 Nutrient Data in Time for the New Year

22 A Rough, Tough Forage for Rangeland Cattle

23 Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Recognizing The Threat Of Leptospirosis, Sandra Avant

Agricultural Research Magazine

“The disease in humans can often be an acute infection,” says lead scientist Richard Zuerner, a former microbiologist with the Agricultural Research Service’s National Animal Disease Center (NADC) in Ames, Iowa. “In areas where it is endemic, like Brazil, it occurs on a periodic basis, and a portion of those infected will experience pulmonary hemorrhage, which can lead to a very rapid and painful death.”

Leptospirosis in livestock can cause abortions, stillbirths, reduced milk production, and lower fertility, Zuerner says. In horses, it can also result in uveitis, a potential cause of blindness.

Less is known about leptospirosis in wildlife, …

Comparing Light-Conversion Efficiency Of Plants And Manmade Solar Cells, Donald R. Ort, Sharon Durham

Agricultural Research Magazine

When it comes to using light energy, how do manmade photo cells compare to plants’ photosynthesis? An Agricultural Research Service scientist participated in a study comparing how efficiently plants and photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into energy. The study, published in Science, could help researchers improve plant photosynthesis—a critical first link in the global supply chain for food, feed, fiber, and bioenergy production.

Comparing the two systems is a challenge. Although both processes harvest energy from sunlight, they use that energy in different ways. Plants convert the sun’s energy into chemical energy, whereas solar cells produce electricity.

Scientists know that …

January 2012- Locations Featured In This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine

San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, Parlier, California

3 research units ■ 117 employees

Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns Oregon

1 research unit ■ 44 employees

The Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Unit, Prosser, Washington

1 research unit ■ 39 employees

Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory, Kimberly, Idaho

1 research unit ■ 40 employees

Logan, Utah

3 research units ■ 100 employees

Las Cruces, New Mexico

2 research units ■ 54 employees

Ames, Iowa

8 research units ■ 535 employees

Little Rock, Arkansas

9 research units ■ 67 employees (1 ARS employee, 66 university employees)

National Center for …

Building Baby’S Tiny Bones: Formulas And Mother’S Milk Analyzed In Animal Study, Marcia Wood, Jin-Ran Chen, Aline Andres

Agricultural Research Magazine

For millions of American infants, a bottle of warm, soy-based baby formula is what’s for dinner. It’s also what’s for breakfast, lunch, and all those between-meal feedings, as well.

At least, that’s the routine for a healthy, soy-fed baby’s first few months of life. After that, baby may be ready to handle solid food—puréed fruits and vegetables, for instance.

At the USDA-ARS Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center in Little Rock, principal investigator Jin-Ran Chen, M.D., is taking a close look at the effects that soy formula, cow’s-milk formula, and mother’s milk have in regard to development of strong, healthy bones. As …

Nutrient Data In Time For The New Year, Rosalie Marion Bliss, Joanne Holden

Agricultural Research Magazine

Federal rules published in 2010 require specific meat and poultry products to carry new nutrition information starting January 2, 2012. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that the new rules will make important nutrition information readily available to consumers on 40 of the most popular cuts of meat and poultry. Two timely data sets provided by the Agricultural Research Service’s Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) in Beltsville, Maryland, are being used by the beef and pork industries to provide the new Nutrition Facts labels for their products.

Previously, NDL researchers, in collaboration with representatives of the beef and pork …

Back Matter Agricultural Research Magazine January 2011

Agricultural Research Magazine

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

5601 Sunnyside Ave.

Beltsville, MD 20705-5128

A Search For The Sweet Spot In Sugar Beet Production, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

The whole point of growing sugar beets is to produce sugar. But once the beets are harvested and stored for processing—usually in huge piles that can weigh thousands of tons—they slowly start to decay, which lowers their sucrose levels.

Roots store sugar even more poorly if they originate from fields infested with the virus that causes rhizomania, a disease that also severely affects yield. Resistance genes in sugar beet help protect the plant from rhizomania, but some strains of the virus have evolved to overcome one of the resistance genes, Rz1.

“The economic loss from damage to stored beets …