Academic Report of College of Agricultural Sciences

Brett Tyler is the director of the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing (CGRB), a vast array of sequencing machines, genotyping computers, and sophisticated microscopes. The center utilizes cutting-edge technology borrowed from the Human Genome Project to sequence DNA . Tyler currently leads a research team that studies oomycetes, a class of tiny kelp-like organisms that includes notorious pathogens of many important crops. Their work sheds light on how pathogens affect a plant’s immune system.

Researcher Maps Fungal Genomes

The technological efficiency of the CGRB allows Joseph Spatafora, a professor of botany and plant pathology, to cost-effectively study the molecular world of fungi. Spatafora, along with an international team of scientists, working in collaboration with the Joint Genome Institute of the U.S. Department of Energy, is mapping the genomes of over 1,000 fungi species. His team’s ultimate aim is ambitious: the development of a fungal genomic reference library to help scientists create new alternative fuels, find organic ways of cleaning up contaminated soils, and improve natural products in food and medicine.

Parasite Research Helps Salmon Population

Stephen Atkinson, a postdoctoral scholar in OSU’s Fryer Salmon Disease Laboratory, uses the center to map the genetic patterns of a parasite called Ceratomyxa shasta that infects salmon and trout. The  patterns help scientists predict how the parasite will effect juvenile salmon, enabling hatchery managers to time their releases accordingly in order to limit exposure.

CRBD Technology Has Worldwide Impact

In Asia, hurricanes can force floods of salt-tainted seawater into rice paddies and upset livelihoods. Pankaj Jaiswal, a plant biologist, studies traits such as salt tolerance within the rice genome. Jaiswal is comparing varying levels of salt tolerance in various rice varieties by exploring how the expression of genes is regulated under high salt versus normal conditions. By identifying genes responding to high salt conditions, the research will help plant breeders use these genes for developing salt-tolerant varieties.

Implications on Cancer Research

Finally, cracking the genetic code can yield insights into one of humanity’s most baffling enigmas—cancer. Siva Kolluri, an OSU cancer researcher, uses the center’s fast, automated analyses to investigate new cancer drugs that can target and kill abnormal cells.

The CGRB allows OSU researchers to move beyond known techniques and use revolutionary technology to answer novel research questions.

http://oregonprogress.oregonstate.edu/summer-2014/big-datas-next-frontier

Bruce Mate is leading a new U.S. Navy-funded research project investigating the movements of whales and how marine life will be affected by current El Nino conditions.

http://mmi.oregonstate.edu/bruce-mate

http://oregonprogress.oregonstate.edu/summer-2014/marine-mammal-institute

Jay Noller, one of several AgSci scientists/artists, uses soils as a subject and a medium for his paintings, which are exhibited internationally, including a large permanent display at the Allison Inn in Newberg. He uses visual art as a way for students to see the world beneath their feet.

http://soilscapestudio.com/about.html

The newsletters include stories about grants, awards, and funding, as well as international connections and faculty spotlights. The link is the CAS comprehensive list of 2015 Departmental newsletters:

http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/main/newsletters

Small farms see bigger profits by selling direct to consumers

Direct farm marketing is becoming a big part of Oregon agriculture. According to the 2007 USDA Census of Agricultural, 6,274 Oregon farms sold products directly to consumers, with total sales of $56 million. This is a 144 percent increase over the $21 million in farm direct sales reported in the 2002 Census. It’s a trend that OSU Extension is supporting with direct marketing research and education.

“Farmers’ markets are a great success story for Oregon agriculture,” said Larry Lev, OSU Extension economist. “They create a direct way that communities can support agriculture in the local area, which contributes to the vitality of communities and Oregon agriculture.” Lev works with the OSU Extension small farms program to conduct direct marketing research and deliver outreach education to help Oregon farmers learn how to market directly to consumers more effectively.

This year, AgSci researchers released two new high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties, “Rosalyn” and “Bobtail,” that show resistance to drought, important to growers in the face of a changing climate.

http://www.capitalpress.com/content/mw-Bobtail-Rosalyn-052113-mug

A five-year, $5 million grant, funded by the EPA, has enabled OSU’s National Pesticide Information Center to expand its online services. Last year the website had 1.8 million visitors, with 32 million overall hits, and the hotline handled 17,000 phone calls, offering information in over 170 languages.

http://portlandtribune.com/fgnt/36-news/221635-82155-osu-expands-pesticide-info-program

Paul Jepson, in the Dept. of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, is the Director of the IPPC (Integrated Plant Protection Center). The IPPC built free online tools that link nearly 16,000 weather stations across the country to the biological schedule of over 100 pests and plant diseases. Farmers can use the software to schedule precise times to spray, making pesticide usage more efficient and less taxing on the environment. Furthermore, Dr. Jepson is active in IPM (Integrated Pest Management) education and outreach and has provided instruction and workshops in the UK, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, Kenya, Malaysia, and Peru.

http://oregonprogress.oregonstate.edu/summer-2014/pest-counterpunch

http://www.ipmnet.org/Staff-Paul.htm

http://ipmnet.org/

Chris Langdon, a shellfish biologist at the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, continues his research to help protect Oregon’s $70 million oyster industry by genetically improving oysters, making them larger, tastier, and more resistant to increasingly acidic oceans. Since 1996, his work has led to growths in commercial yields of up to 35%, injecting an estimated additional $4.5 million per year into the Northwest’s seafood economy.

http://oregonprogress.oregonstate.edu/summer-2015/build-better-oyster