Category: Stewardship of Resources
Researchers in Applied Economics published a study that assesses the impact of water scarcity and climate on irrigation decisions for producers of specialty crops, wheat, and forage crops.
http://appliedecon.oregonstate.edu/irrigation-decisions-and-water-scarcity
Scientists in the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center are helping landowners draft conservation plans to protect sage grouse and possibly preempt listing of the bird under the Endangered Species Act.
AgSci helped lead the Statewide Public Service Programs’ successful bid for $14 million additional funds to support up to 40 new positions and stimulate new research and extension projects across the state. The new funding package increases the programs’ base budget to $118 million.
Robin Rosetta (North Willamette Research and Extension Center) has been working with collaborators to develop laser-guided spray equipment that reduces the volume of pesticides used on nursery and orchard crops by up to 77%.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/marion/new-intelligent-sprayer-lowers-pesticide-use-farms
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
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
Growers learn to predict its population, monitor its presence
The spotted wing drosophila fly is a threat to Oregon’s berry and cherry industries. Its larvae feed on ripening fruit, making it unmarketable. Native to Southeast Asia, the small insect was first detected in the Willamette Valley in 2009.
OSU researchers and Extension specialists responded quickly. With help from a $5.7 million grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, they have developed monitoring strategies and educated growers, processors and distributors about the fly. They’ve also produced publications on how to look for the pest, protect fruit and recognize damage. Additionally, they provide growers with up-to-date online information that allows them to assess the risk of infestation and potential crop loss. Scientists have also tested pesticides to manage the fly and shared their findings with the public. Researchers noted that in 2011, producers who followed the recommended monitoring protocols avoided excess pesticide applications.
Oregon ranks third nationally in the production of sweet cherries and blueberries, and first in black raspberries. It sold $76 million of cherries and $108 million of blueberries in 2012. If the fly damaged 20 percent of Oregon’s cherry and berry crops, that would equate to $31 million in lost revenue based on 2008 sales figures.
Source: Linda Brewer, manager of the spotted wing drosophila project at OSU; Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Facts and Figures brochure; economic impact report by the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics at the University of California
