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Agnet April 29/04
Biotechnology moratoriums will not stop development of biotechnology applications
Is GM approval system too tough?
GE soya imports to Spain exposed and rejected
Modern genetics societal dilemmas
A matter of trust
Green science building opens
Lactose plant has global potential
Tree-Killing beetle
Plant protection policy directives
California oak disease found in 61 nurseries in nine states
Phytophthora blight, vine crops – US
Ladybug, ladybug, leave the grapes alone
How to hit the bulls-eye for time of weed control
Winter injury in forage stands
Scientists meet to tackle gully erosion issue
Ag policy expert Dennis Avery featured at AMI convention
Wheat stripe rust – China
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Biotechnology moratoriums will not stop development of biotechnology applications
April 29, 2004
Biotechnology Australia
From a news release
Moratoriums on the commercial planting of GM canola in most states will not necessarily prevent the development of other gene technologies that have higher perceived benefits and fewer perceived risks, according to Craig Cormick, the Manager of Public Awareness for the Australian Government agency, Biotechnology Australia. Speaking today at a forum at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics in Adelaide, Mr Cormick said, "There are risks and benefits associated with all new technologies, including gene technology, and they need to be properly assessed before making decisions about whether they are right for Australia."
Some biotechnology applications that people may need to make decisions about include:
Biotechnology control of pest animals
Vegetables engineered to reduce cancer or heart disease
Salt-tolerant plants
Larger and faster-breeding fish and other seafoods, and
Plants that produce detergents, lubricants or plastics
"Unfortunately discussions on gene technology tend to be polarised into single arguments, for or against, but people really need access to the full facts and arguments to help them make more informed decisions," Mr Cormick said.
He also said, "While state moratoriums mean genetically modified (GM) canola will not be commercially grown in most states in Australia in the short-term, this does not mean that other applications might not be more widely embraced in the future."
"GM cotton that has been modified to have built-in pesticides is already widely grown across Australia with broad support, and farmers and consumers generally see many more benefits than risks," he said. "Other applications currently under development that may have higher perceived benefits include many health and medical applications, more nutritious foods, and plants with built-in resistance to plant viruses." Other GM applications that Biotechnology Australia surveys have shown are perceived to have higher perceived benefits than risks includes making plants more resistant to pests and using human genes to develop medicines and vaccines.
However applications where the public still see more risks than benefits include the use of gene technology in food and drink production and using human genes in animals for growing organs. Biotechnology Australia has produced several fact sheets to help inform community discussion, including Arguments for and against genetic modification and Current and potential biotechnology applications, which are available on the Biotechnology Australia web site: www.biotechnology.gov.au.
Is GM approval system too tough?
April 29, 2004
Newsroom Staff Reporter
According to this story, there has been no application to commercially release a genetically modified organism in New Zealand in the six months since the lifting of the GM moratorium, prompting questions in Parliament today about whether the new law for approving the release of GMOs is too tough.
The two-year moratorium was lifted last October after the Government set up a process for New Zealand’s Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) to test GMO applications based on the results of a Royal Commission of Inquiry which concluded New Zealand could cautiously proceed with the technology case by case.
ERMA chairman Neil Walter is cited as telling told the local government and environment committee that there had been 75 field trials of GMO crops approved in recent years, but there had been no application yet for a commercial release.
A few months ago it had detected a couple of indications of applications in the pipeline, he said, but neither had amounted to an application or even a pre-application discussion with ERMA about the process.
Committee member, United Future MP Larry Baldock questioned if the new system was too rigid and the bar had been set too high, adding,"It's almost like we have pseudo-moratorium in place if we have no applications coming forward."
Chief executive Basil Walker said that during the moratorium there was an impression around that rows of people were lined up to lodge applications on its expiry.
"That was never going to be the case . . . and I guess that's been proved . . . by what has actually happened," Dr Walker said.
GE soya imports to Spain exposed and rejected
April 29, 2004
Greenpeace
From a news release
‘Gene Detectives’ from the Greenpeace ship, the MV Esperanza, today intercepted and boarded a ship carrying thousands of tons of GE soya to demand an end to the massive contamination of the Spanish food supply by GE soya imports.
According to Greenpeace, the ‘Winner’ from Argentina is carrying about 9,000 tons of GE soya and about 11,000 tons of maize for the company Nidera. The GE status of the maize is not known at this time. Greenpeace ‘Gene Detectives’ are demanding documentation from the captain of the ‘Winner’ of exactly what GE crops his ship is carrying. Greenpeace also plans to take samples for independent analysis.
Greenpeace is highly critical of a major loophole in the new EU rules on traceability and labeling of GE crops that came into force last week. The group insists that for consumer choice to be meaningful, meat and dairy products from animals fed with GMOs must also be labeled.
“When Governments fail to protect our environment and our food safety, we need to take action to stop this dangerous and unwanted GE experiment,” said Daniela Montalto, Greenpeace Campaigner from Argentina. “In Argentina we have people going to bed hungry yet between 1997 and 2002 farmers in Argentina planted GE soya in over 14 million hectares of arable land, lured by the promises of higher crop yields and cheaper seeds. For a while the illusion worked, but now the truth is we are facing an environmental and social nightmare. We invite people the world over to reject GMOs in favour of real, sustainable agriculture which feeds people not pigs and we invite people to also vote with their wallet - Don`t buy GE food.”
Greenpeace has stepped up its campaign around the world against GE food. Shipments carrying soya suspected of being contaminated with GE have been targetted in ports around the world – The Rainbow Warrior held its position for eight hours yesterday in the channel of Port Kembla Harbour in Australia, delaying a U.S. shipment of GE soya leaving for Melbourne. Shoppers Guides have been launched in twenty countries including France, Brazil, Germany, Spain and Italy, the guides will effectively educate millions of consumers about GE products.
Modern genetics societal dilemmas
April 23, 2004
Crop Biotech Update
According to Dr. Gabrielle J. Persley of the Doyle Foundation for the International Council for Science (ICS), it is important that science contributes to an understanding of issues to enable people to make informed decisions.
Persley’s study, entitled “New Genetics, Food and Agriculture: Scientific Discoveries- Societal Dilemmas,” analyzed the findings of a selection of about 50 science-based reviews on modern genetics and its application in food and agriculture and the environment.
Persley noted that “the science underpinning developments in modern genetics is not informing the public in a manner that adequately reflects the volume and quality of scientific data and analysis available.”
She calls on the scientific community to play a more active and organized role in raising public awareness about emerging genetics and what these mean for society.
The study is available at www.icsu.org
A matter of trust
April 23, 2004
Truth About Trade Technology
Reg Clause writes that the American public belives that farmers makes good choices on their behalf. A huge majority--84 percent--believe farmers are concerned about food safety, according to a new poll sponsored by the Animal Agriculture Alliance and the National Corn Growers Association. Another 84 percent think farmers do a good job of producing healthy food at reasonable prices.
And the news only gets better: The public holds farmers in high regard, alongside teachers and doctors. Americans have a much dimmer view of politicians and Hollywood celebrities. When the subject is animal welfare on farms, for instance, people are much more likely to put their faith in farmers, animal veterinarians, and officials from the Department of Agriculture or the Food and Drug Administration than they are in animal-rights activists.
Yet the poll also contains a few warning signs. Only 47 percent say scientists should be free to use genetics to breed farm animals that will resist bacteria that cause human illness. This is not to suggest that most people are against the practice--30 percent said they were neutral or not sure--but it is also far from where we want to see it. Is it too much to ask for another one of those 84-percent majorities, especially when most Americans eat some form of biotech food just about everyday?
We clearly have much work to do. Polls conducted for the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology have shown that Americans have a poor understanding of genetically enhanced food. They don’t know many facts and their opinions are malleable.
That’s why the enemies of biotechnology continue to pose a threat. The evidence from Europe suggests that the “anti-biotech disease” is contagious and can embed itself in a population of otherwise sensible people, making them more prone to fits of mass hysteria.
But the facts are too compelling to ignore, Clause says, because the record is so positive. The years of successful adaptation of the technology in crops, for instance, have shown no negative effects on the environment or human health. The record is cleanly positive. I prefer to view the evidence and not blindly follow the dire theories of those afraid of technological progress.
The U.S. farmer understands how this technology works for him. That’s why it is widely adopted in one form or another. This highly trusted group of food producers has used a common sense approach to decisions that are now benefiting the U.S. food production system and consumers, alike.
Green science building opens
April 29, 2004
Landcare Research
From a news release
A new state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly science building will be officially opened today on University of Auckland's Tamaki campus. The new facility will house 100 staff members from Landcare Research and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, as well as University guests.
It also houses millions of insects and thousands of fungi and bacteria within Landcare Research's nationally significant collections.
Landcare Research Operations Manager Dr Maggie Lawton says the building sets a strong example of how choice of materials and thoughtful design can save costs and protect the environment.
"The building has very low electricity usage, and makes minimal use of Auckland's water, stormwater and sewage systems," Dr Lawton says.
"Construction costs were about the same as a regular building, but electricity costs are projected to be two-thirds lower. That's despite the high energy requirements of keeping the collections at a constant temperature and low humidity, and maintaining energy-hungry laboratory equipment. Electricity savings of up to $70,000 per year are expected."
The building is designed with a mix of high mass, insulation and shading, which minimises heat transfer between the inside and exterior. Architects and engineers worked with Landcare Research to develop energy and water systems that mimic processes in the natural world, with waste from one system usefully feeding another.
"Solar heated water is used in hand basins and the cafeteria and waste heat from freezers and refrigerators is used to warm offices," Dr Lawton says.
"The building catches rainwater from the roof, and will detain about 75,000 litres in storage tanks at any one time. "The rainwater irrigates our glasshouses and gardens and flushes the urinals and low-water-use toilets on the ground floor. Waterless composting toilets are installed on upper floors."
Special gardens and soak holes are being developed to minimise runoff into Auckland's stormwater system. Even the car park is pervious, and water (plus any contaminants) soaks in where it falls and is filtered through soils before it reaches groundwater.
Environmentally sustainable building materials were chosen.
"We used untreated cedar from certified plantations, pine veneer, and water-based acrylic paint wherever possible.
"Our carpet tiles are made largely of recycled post-industrial waste, and any worn areas can easily be replaced. Other floor surfaces are covered in an environmentally friendly alternative to vinyl called Marmoleum(r), or are left as exposed concrete, which contributes to the building's thermal mass."
Dr Lawton says given Landcare Research's focus on low impact urban design and sustainable management of resources, the aim for the new building was to lead by example.
"We wanted to prove that a 'green' building can be constructed at comparable cost to an ordinary building, and deliver specialist science needs for much reduced operational costs.
"We want it to set an example for other commercial buildings, and inspire other firms to consider sustainable approaches when they next build."
The new Tamaki building will be the subject of ongoing study by University of Auckland architecture and engineering students, who will monitor its performance.
Lactose plant has global potential
April 29, 2004
The Daily News
A project to develop a new pharmaceutical lactose plant at Kapuni will help Fonterra become the No 2 manufacturer in the world of pharmaceutical lactose.
The new plant, to be commissioned later this year, will produce pharmaceutical lactose of such high quality that it can be inhaled, enabling it to be used in a growing new form of medical treatment, inhalation of medicines.
Fonterra's manager of pharmaceutical lactose growth business, Sandra Neild, said the pharmaceutical industry was receiving a growing demand from its customers for inhalable medicines and the demand was being passed on to the manufacturers.
Miss Neild said the delivery of drugs to patients via the lungs offers opportunities for fast, slow or more controlled release, access to active drug ingredients not available when swallowed in tablet form and the ability to more accurately target the problem site in the body.
"Inhalation is used for treatment of respiratory-related problems such as asthma and hayfever and also for infections, cancer and cystic fibrosis. In the forseeable future it is likely that it will also be used for the treatment of diabetes, delivery of pain medication and as an alternative to injections."
Currently the world market for inhalation-quality pharmaceutical lactose is worth $5.5 million a year and is expected to grow by 15 per cent a year in the next five, with many new drugs being trialed.
Tree-Killing beetle
April 29, 2004
Associated Press
Tom Coyne
FREMONT, Ind. -- This story says that the emerald ash borer, an exotic Asian beetle that already has killed more than 6 million trees in Michigan, was found last week in three trees at a northeastern Indiana campground.
State officials say that it appears the beetles probably have been in Indiana two to three years, and wonder how far the insects may have spread.
"What keeps me awake at night is that from all indications this infestation has been there in Michigan between five and 10 years, and during that time there were trees moved out to Indiana and firewood moved out," said Robert Waltz, the state entomologist.
Three trees were found to be infested at the Jellystone Campground in Fremont about 40 miles north of Fort Wayne. Indiana Department of Natural Resources workers are checking the other 90 trees on the 145-acre campground for signs of the borers.
Waltz and Jodie Ellis, Purdue University's exotic insects education coordinator, were in Fremont on Tuesday to get a firsthand look at the damage the ash borers have caused.
The borers feed on the tree's vascular system, cutting the flow of water and nutrients inside. The first sign of infestation could be woodpeckers, the only natural enemy of the borer in the Midwest, Ellis said. The next is dead leaves and branches.
Ellis said an estimated 6 percent of trees in Indiana are ash. That means there are about 147 million ash trees in Indiana's forests, she said.
The ash were used to replace elm trees in many cities after those trees were killed by Dutch elm disease, Ellis said, adding that ash trees were used because they were believed to be resistant to disease and bugs.
Plant protection policy directives
April 27, 2004
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Joanne Rousson
This list server provides notification that Appendix 1 of Directive D-03-08 "Phytosanitary Requirements to Prevent the Introduction into and Spread within Canada of the Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis (Fairmaire), into Canada" has been revised and is available on the web at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/francais/plaveg/protect/dir/directf.shtml
California oak disease found in 61 nurseries in nine states
April 28, 2004
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Lisa M. Krieger, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.
In the past two months, this story says, the microbe that causes sudden oak death has been found in 61 plant nurseries in nine states, suggesting that the disease could invade forests far from its Bay Area origins.
The spread started through shipments of plants from the giant wholesale Monrovia Nursery in Azusa, east of Los Angeles. Monrovia is outside the 12-county quarantine area, including Santa Clara County, established in Northern California to contain the disease. It is not known how Monrovia's plants contracted sudden oak death.
Monrovia officials said in an April 13 statement that the company had now isolated all camellia varieties that tested positive and stopped shipping all host plant varieties from their California nurseries.
According to the U.S. Agriculture Department, Monrovia sent at least 292,500 plants susceptible to the fungus to 1,200 nurseries and retail outlets in 39 states during the period it was known to have the disease, and there is now evidence that Monrovia had shipped infected plants before the disease was discovered and could be stopped.
"There were plants that were shipped out to states that have traced back to sometime in early or mid-2003 that were found to be positive," said Daniel J. Williams, the Agriculture Department's program manager for its National SOD Survey. "Information indicates that the infection existed prior to 2004" at Monrovia.
Discovered nine years ago in an oak grove in Marin County hills, the fungus called Phytophthora ramorum has wiped out acres of forests in the most hard-hit region of the coastal Bay Area.
Plants such as camellias and rhododendrons can spread the disease, which weakens but does not kill them. But it is fatal to coast live oak, black oak and tanbark oak trees.
For a better picture of the nationwide scope of the disease, the Agriculture Department is launching a new survey to sample nurseries in all 50 states for traces of disease. Similarly, the U.S. Forest Service is searching forests in 34 states, particularly those with nurseries with known cases.
Last week, Agriculture Department officials expanded restrictions on California nursery shipments covering dozens of plant species. It restricts all potential hosts of the disease, as well as plants stored within 30 feet of the hosts. It also extends to all plants within the same genus as the identified host plants. Shipments can resume only after extended sampling from each nursery.
Four states have gone beyond these restrictions, banning all California plants.
Nurseries in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington have reported cases of disease. In one instance in Florida, the infection spread to an adjacent plant.
Phytophthora blight, vine crops – US
April 23, 2004
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
Pathologists are reporting a significant increase in the occurrence of Phytophthora blight [Pb] of vine crops, including cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash, in many vegetable-growing regions of the United States. This devastating disease, caused by the soilborne fungus Phytophthora capsici [Pc], often results in nearly total yield loss. According to Mohammad Babadoost, a plant pathology professor at the University of Illinois, Pb has become one of the most serious threats to production of vine crops, or cucurbits, in the US and worldwide. Recent outbreaks of Pb have threatened pumpkin and other cucurbit industries especially in Illinois, which produces about 90 per cent of processing pumpkins grown in the US. According to Babadoost, heavy crop losses often force growers to abandon their own farms, and move into different areas, sometimes traveling more than 50 miles, to find fields free of Pc. Pb can strike cucurbit plants at any stage of growth. Infection usually appears first in low areas of fields where the soil remains wet for longer periods of time. The pathogen infects seedlings, vines, leaves, and fruit. The disease is usually associated with heavy rainfall, excessive irrigation, or poorly drained soil. Frequent irrigation increases disease incidence.
Currently, there are no cucurbit cultivars with measurable resistance to Pb. Plant pathologists are working to find new methods of controlling the disease. Babadoost says that in addition to exploring cultural management strategies, plant pathologists are assessing the possibilities of biocontrol agents, fungicides for control of the pathogen in cucurbits and other crops as well as using induced resistance in plants.
Ladybug, ladybug, leave the grapes alone
April 29, 2004
The Standard (St. Catharines - Niagara)
A1 / Front
Don Fraser
This story says that the orange ladybug leaves a bitter taste with some discerning wine connoisseurs. In 2001, the multicolour Asian lady beetle infested Niagara and caused grief to the local grape and wine industry.
The pyrazine substance found in the bugs is harmless, but to sensitive palates, it can leave a barely noticeable aroma and bitterness in wine.
Pillitteri Estates winemaker Sue-Ann Staff is cited as saying that last year, the Niagara-on-the-Lake winery had to reject some grapes that were "loaded with ladybugs."
In 2003, Ontario wineries disposed of at least $10 million from the 2001 vintage because of the taste that can affect several litres of wine as a result of just one bug.
Debbie Zimmerman, chief executive officer of the Grape Growers of Ontario, said that growers must have a "clear understanding" of acceptable levels of aphids, which are eaten by the beetles, in their grapes, adding, "What we're (also) attempting to do is provide the grape and wine industry with some kind of understanding about this infestation and how it can potentially be controlled for the future."
A task force has brought together a number of players in the industry to examine ways to keep the beetles off grapes and to monitor them better.
Meanwhile, agricultural and scientific specialists in Niagara and elsewhere are working on at least $130,000 worth of government-funded projects to help growers and wineries manage the beetle pest.
Researchers are trying to predict when beetle infestations will occur before harvest takes place.
At least two projects are seeking to tackle the ladybug problem. The Grape Growers of Ontario have $30,000 of federal funding through the Agricultural Adaptation Council—a non-profit coalition of Ontario agricultural, agri-food and rural organizations.
With that money, researchers will try to match "information we know today into a protocol on how to best manage and monitor the pests," said Gerry Walker, special projects co-ordinator with the Grape Growers. Walker is co-chairing the Asian beetle task force with provincial pest management specialist Neil Carter.
The project will also suggest ways for growers and wineries to communicate with each another about infestation levels and the volume of grapes containing Asian beetles that are acceptable for processing.
The first "preliminary protocol" has been drawn up and sent out to the grape and wine industry for comment, said Walker. A final draft should be ready by June.
Walker said he was also applying for a federal "emergency registration of a pesticide" that will control the pests as they move into the vineyards this fall. "We're looking at several different products," he said.
Another $100,000 project run by professor Mark Sears of the University of Guelph will monitor the lady beetle population to find out the relationship between the beetle and aphid numbers.
How to hit the bulls-eye for time of weed control
April 28, 2004
Canola Council of Canada
From a news release
The ideal time to control weeds is a shifting target but by following several key principles growers can help ensure they hit the ideal weed control bulls-eye, says Christine Mardell, Canola Council of Canada agronomist for the Peace.
"Number one principle is to concentrate on controlling early emerging weeds—at the one- to four-leaf crop stage—and worry less about the later emerging weeds-at the four- to six-leaf crop stage. Spraying later emerging weeds is for aesthetics," she says.
Research by the Alberta Research Council (ARC) on wild oats has shown weeds that emerge before or with the crop cause greater yield loss than weeds that emerge after the crop. Fewer weeds tend to emerge after the crop has reached the four-leaf stage and those that do are usually weaker and spindly. Therefore, control weeds at the one- to four-leaf stage of canola to maximize profitability, she notes.
For good early season weed control, consider using a pre-seed burn-off treatment like glyphosate. Canola Council Canola Production Centre trials found significantly higher yields for a pre-seed burn-off compared to no burn-off. For optimum weed control, wait as long as possible to apply the burn-off (to maximize weed seed germination), but be careful to not go beyond the ideal seeding date, says Mardell.
The more competitive the weeds, the fewer needed to cause a yield reduction. "This illustrates another key principle of good weed control—field scouting. Know what is growing and refer to previous weed records to get an idea of what weeds may be an issue later in the season," says Mardell. If a herbicide-tolerant canola will be grown, growers can opt to wait until more weeds emerge and apply an in-crop herbicide. Growers have the option of one in-crop application or applying a sequential treatment. If relying on one herbicide application, recognize that weed competition is greatest at early crop stages. Therefore, time single herbicide applications early to keep the crop weed free at its most vulnerable stage. Later emerging weeds may contribute to the seed bank and not look attractive, but they have much less impact on yield than weeds present early in the season. In addition to herbicides, pre-seeding tillage can aid weed control. Winter annuals including cleavers, stinkweed and shepherd's purse are 'canola unfriendly' broadleaf weeds because they either have no control methods in conventional canola or are expensive to control in the crop. Light tillage in the fall will give 80 to 90% control of fall-germinated weeds, says Mardell.
Winter injury in forage stands
April 27, 2004
The St. Paul Journal
23
Leah Froehlich
This story says that winter injury in forage stands can cause a major decrease in forage yield, and sometimes requires the re-establishment of the stand depending on the severity of damage.
Winter injury is the failure of an over-wintering crop to survive the cold or fluctuating temperatures, resulting in uneven growth, damaged roots, decreased yield and in some cases, death of the plant. Winter injury usually occurs in early spring, after the plant's dormancy is broken. It can be caused by a number of factors including extremely cold temperatures, fluctuating temperatures, persistent ice sheeting and encasement, a lack of snow cover, soil heaving, or an unhealthy stand.
You may have winter injury in your forage stand if you notice some of the following symptoms:
Your forage stand is slow to green in the spring.
You have patchy growth throughout the stand. Winter kill may only affect certain plants or areas in the stand, resulting in bare patches with little or no growth.
You observe uneven growth on the plants themselves. Some buds on a plant crown may be killed during the winter. The uninjured buds will begin growth early in the spring while the killed buds may be replaced by new buds, resulting in a difference in shoot heights.
After digging up the roots of a few plants in the spring, you notice they have a grayish, water-soaked appearance. Once the water leaves the roots, they become dry, brown and stringy.
There are several steps that producers can take that can greatly reduce the risk of winter injury:
Maintain a healthy forage stand. Older, less fertile stands are far more susceptible to winter injury than are younger, vigorous stands. Adequate potassium levels in alfalfa stands are essential in helping to prevent winter injury. Soil test to determine your field's fertility status.
Do not overgraze your pastures. Plants that go into the winter stressed have less chance of surviving than do plants that have been allowed to regenerate their carbohydrate reserves.
Practice timely cutting management. Delaying the first cut of hay can mean a second cut is taken too close to freeze-up. For alfalfa, if a second cut is taken in the late summer or early fall, it needs to grow about 10 inches before the first killing frost in order to put down enough root reserves to survive the winter. Because of this, the second cut should be taken no later than four to six weeks prior to the first killing frost. Alfalfa can be cut following a killing frost, but ensure you leave six inches of stubble after cutting to provide insulation and to create a snow catch (Aasen, AAFRD).
Choose winter hardy varieties.
Scientists meet to tackle gully erosion issue
April 28, 2004
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
OXFORD, Miss.--Scientists from around the world will focus on one of the great threats to agricultural watersheds when the Third International Symposium on Gully Erosion begins here today. The symposium is hosted jointly by the National Sedimentation Laboratory (NSL) operated by USDA's Agricultural Research Service, and the University of Mississippi, both in Oxford. It will run through Saturday and expand upon the topics and themes of previous conferences in Belgium in 2000 and China in 2002. General objectives of this week's meeting will include improved understanding of fundamental processes and mechanisms of gully erosion; improved prediction methods; and development of techniques, technologies and strategies to control and prevent the problem.
Gully erosion is caused by runoff water that produces deep cuts in land. "It is the most visible, but least attended to, form of soil erosion," said NSL Director Matt J.M. Römkens. "Gullies affect land use, land accessibility, soil productivity, farming, roads and the stream system, among many other things."
Gully erosion produces more sediment than any other erosion mode, Römkens added. "It has received comparatively less attention than rainfall or overland flow-induced erosion due to the complicated nature and scale of the processes involved."
The symposium is being held in the E.F. Yerby Conference Center auditorium on the University of Mississippi campus.
Ag policy expert Dennis Avery featured at AMI convention
April 28, 2004
MeatAMI.com
Dennis Avery, described as “one of the nation’s leading experts on food and agriculture policy,” will deliver a General Session address at the American Meat Institute Annual Convention, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2004, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.
In his address, entitled “Feeding the World: The Promise and Political Perils of Biotechnology,” Avery will separate myth from reality, discussing the potential biotechnology holds for feeding the world and protecting the environment.
Avery is the director of Center for Global Food Issues.
Wheat stripe rust – China
April 29, 2004
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
The Ministry of Agriculture revealed on Thursday that 2 million hectares of wheat in China have been plagued by stripe rust and the infected acreage might reach 6.7 million hectares by the end of 2004. Minister Du Qinglin urged local governments to strengthen the early-warning system and to enhance efficiency in preventing and controlling the disease, hoping to restrain the infected areas within 5 per cent of the total wheat yield. The ministry set the wheat production goal for the summer of 2004 at an average rise of 5 kilograms per mu (0.067 hectare) over the same period of 2003. Du stressed that both governments and farmers should improve defensive abilities against other disasters, such as drought, plant lodging [the bending or falling over of a crop plant], and hot wind. He also reminded farmers to focus on irrigation to ensure a sufficient water supply for wheat, which was now at its key growth period for the year.
Agnet is produced by the Food Safety Network at the University of Guelph and is sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Plants Program at the University of Guelph, Agricultural Adaptation Council (CanAdapt Program), AGCare, Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, ConAgra Foods Inc., Meat Livestock Australia, Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited (Canada), Monsanto Canada, National Pork Board, Syngenta Seeds, Inc. USA, JIFSAN, CropLife Canada, Canadian Animal Health Institute, National Cattlemen's Beef Association/Cattlemen's Beef Board, Burger King Corporation, Southern Crop Protection Association, Ag-West Biotech Inc., Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, Syngenta Crop Protection, Feedlot Health Management Services, Institute of Environmental Science Research Limited , National Food Processors Association, Tactix Government Consulting, Inc., CanAmera Foods, Global Public Affairs, and Agri Business Group, Inc.
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