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#4154 From: Doug Powell <dpowell@...>
Date: Sat Oct 8, 2005 4:46 am
Subject: Agnet Oct. 7/05 		dpowell@...
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Agnet Oct. 7/05

Defeating the 'superpests'

Brazil biosafety congress yields manifesto

Flies show pollen power

First nine years of GM assessed

Barley gives salt tolerance to GM oat

Brussels says no to gene technology ban

Vietnam conference sets solutions to boost biotech

International experts discuss food safety in Africa

Substantial equivalence between GM, conventional potatoes studied

Barley gives salt tolerance to GM oat

Thanksgiving harvest bounty made possible thanks to sustainable farming practices and pesticides, research analysis shows

BASF to divest imazamethabenz herbicides

White leaf spot, Brassica juncea - Australia (WA): 1st report

ARS scientists collaborate to increase irrigation accuracy

USDA awards $25.05 million in partnership agreements to develop risk management tools and education

Mycogen seeds/Dow Agrosciences Llc and Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.; availability of determination of nonregulated status for genetically engineered corn

University of Kentucky; availability of an environmental assessment and a finding of no significant impact for field tests of genetically engineered neotyphodium

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Defeating the 'superpests'
October 7, 2005
TerraDaily
The Rothamsted scientists, supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, have developed a product that blocks the enzymes and then delivers a dose of pesticide 4-5 hours later to kill the newly defenceless insect.
Scientists have developed a new technique that makes pesticides more effective by removing insects' ability to exhibit resistance.
Their research will extend the effective life of current pesticides, significantly reduce the amount that needs to be sprayed and remove the need for farmers to move to stronger and more harmful chemicals.
Researchers at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, working with researchers in New South Wales, Australia have developed a way to counter the pests' most common way of becoming resistant and in trials it has proved to be almost 100 per cent effective.
Resistance to pesticides is a global problem, which is hitting tropical and developing countries particularly hard. Insect pests often develop resistance by over-producing enzymes that degrade the effectiveness of a pesticide.
The Rothamsted scientists, supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), have developed a product that blocks the enzymes and then delivers a dose of pesticide 4-5 hours later to kill the newly defenceless insect.
The technique uses piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a chemical derived originally from the sassafras tree and used for many years in laboratories to enhance the effectiveness of other chemicals. The PBO binds to the enzyme that would otherwise break down the pesticide.
However, the key with this research has been to work out the correct time delay between applying the PBO inhibitor and spraying the pesticide. The insects' enzyme function has to be completely debilitated before pesticide is sprayed for the method to be effective.
Dr Graham Moores, research leader at Rothamsted Research, said, "Populations of aphids, cotton bollworm, whitefly, diamondback moth and mosquitoes are all becoming harder to control so we need a way to overcome insects' increasing resistance to pesticides.
"Using this approach to defeat the pests' enzyme processes reduces the amount of pesticide that farmers need to spray on a field. It will also help farmers in developing countries who cannot afford more costly, newer chemicals. In tests on whiteflies in Spain and Australia the enzyme inhibitor combined with a time delayed release of the pesticide proved to be almost 100 per cent effective."
Professor Julia Goodfellow, Chief Executive of BBSRC, said, "This research shows how UK agricultural science can have real benefits for a wide range of people. This research has led to a product that can help both western and developing world farmers to defeat insects that have built up resistance to common pesticides. This will directly help to reduce the pesticide burden on the environment."
The phased-release technology has been developed in partnership with Dr Robin Gunning at New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Tamworth, Australia and the Italian company Endura SpA.




Brazil biosafety congress yields manifesto
October 7, 2005
CropBiotech Update
The 4th Brazilian Congress on Biosafety , and the 4th Latin-American Symposium on Transgenic Products were held last September 26-29 in Porto Alegre , Brazil. The events were presided over by 95 lecturers, and attended by 720 participants from 20 different countries, along with representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Organized by ANBio, the National Biosecurity Association, the meeting aimed to strengthen the cooperation amongst Latin American countries in terms of biosecurity, biosafety regulations, and public communication and perception. Talks were delivered explaining the approaches of different countries regarding the issues, as well as similarities in the ways by which the same countries developed their laws, regulations, and communication strategies. The meeting also featured a regional workshop that aimed to work on a Technical Platform for Regional Cooperation on Biosafety.
The program covered the different aspects of biosecurity, from biosafety in human health, to biosafety in the use of genetically modified organisms. Speakers included Dr. Mirian Gallardo of the National Institute of Agricultural Research in Argentina, who presented the results of nine years of feeding studies on animals who were fed with feed products derived from genetically modified (GM) organisms. Her research showed that GM feed is as safe as its conventional counterparts.
Dr. Graham Brookes of the United Kingdom also presented his nine-year study of the environmental and economic benefits received by countries which have been planting Bt cotton, Bt corn, and RR soybean. Other speakers included Dr. Klaus Amman, and Dr. Peter Bennett.
Congress participants also signed and approved a Manifesto, recommending urgent regulation of the Biosafety Law approved last March, as well as development of GM research in the country. The Manifesto was sent to Brazil's President Lula.




Flies show pollen power
October 7, 2005
Stuff.co.nz
Tim Cronshaw
The skills of native flies in pollinating South Island crops may shed more light in evaluating the potential of cross contamination from genetically modified plants.
A study by Crop Food Research is monitoring the behaviour of native flies in arable plants and has found they could be major pollinators.
Until now it was assumed bees do most of the crop pollination and arable farmers have traditionally placed honey bee hives next to crops for this purpose.
Native flies have, however, been found in some crops carrying up to 19,000 pollen grains – as many as honey bees.
The observations are hoped to give greater knowledge of the pollinators ability to move genes so scientists can accurately predict what would happen if modified plants were at some stage commercially introduced into the country.
"If New Zealand was ever to allow commercial transgenic crops we must first examine any possibility of gene flow from these crops to other crops, weeds and native flora," said Crop Food Research entomologist Dr Brad Howlett.
Over the last two summers he and fellow entomologist Melanie Walker have spent 14-hour days watching bees, flies and other pollinators in fields of onions and brassicas in Marlborough, Canterbury and Central Otago.
Definite patterns have yet to emerge, but they are surprised about several findings, including the numbers of native flies in onion and brassica crops.
Howlett said there were more native flies found to be carrying similar pollen loads to honey bees in some areas. The bigger and hairier flies carry the most pollen, while the small, less hairy ones carry fewer than 10 grains.
The range of pollinators in crops, however, varies widely even on sites that are close together.
In Central Otago it was found that two onion fields about 17km apart attracted completely different ranges of insects.
In one site where honey bees were introduced to help with pollination, there were the same number of native fly pollinators as there were honey bees.
On crops of pak choi (Chinese cabbage) near Lincoln and Gore, a bibionid fly was found in numbers 10 times more than honey bees and carrying the same amount of pollen.
Howlett said it was unknown whether fly populations varied yearly and more research was needed to monitor geographic variations.
Little was known about the role of native pollinators in transferring pollen in crops before this study. Kiwifruit is the only other crop where pollinators have been surveyed to a wide extent in New Zealand, he said.
While the research funded by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology until 2008 is still at an early stage, scientists hope to learn more about the potential of bees and flies to move pollen from genetically modified plants to traditional plants.
Howlett said there was international concern that genes modified for herbicide tolerance could be transferred to weeds or non-crop plants via pollen and make control more difficult.
"But to evaluate the likelihood of the movement of transgenic genes via pollen away from genetically modified plants, we must first understand the mechanisms that cause pollen movement. That is what this research is all about."
Over the next three years the research will attempt to confirm initial observations by measuring the distance pollen is moved from crops and the effectiveness of pollinators.
Howlett said the research could be useful if the varroa bee-mite disease arrived in the South Island and native flies were found to be effective as alternative pollinators.




First nine years of GM assessed
October 7, 2005
CropBiotech Net
Graham Brookes and Peter Barfoot of PG Economics Ltd., UK take stock of how biotech crops have made an impact in the first decade of their use. Their article, “GM Crops: The Global Economic and Environmental Impact - The First Nine Years 1996-2004,” appears in the online Agbioforum journal.
Both researchers found that the use of biotech crops in the last nine years has brought substantial net economic benefits at the farm level amounting to a cumulative total of $27 billion. They pointed out gains in important crop sectors such as cotton, which has benefited from an additional $6.5 billion in terms of farm income levels since 1996.
They also found that the use of biotech crops has reduced pesticide spraying by 172 million kg, as well as the environmental footprint associated with pesticide use by 14%. In the maize sector, pesticide use decreased by 24 million kg; while farmers reduced herbicide use by 5 million kg in the canola sector.
Researchers also found that the technology has significantly reduced the release of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, which is equivalent to removing five million cars from the roads.
Read the complete article at http://www.agbioforum.missouri.edu/ v8n23/v8n23a15-brookes.htm.




Barley gives salt tolerance to GM oat
October 7, 2005
CropBiotech Update
Oat is a major cereal crop important to human and animal diets. A successful oat harvest is highly dependent on osmotic stress, which in turn may be affected by drought or soil salinity. Most oat cultivars are moderately tolerant to such stresses, but soil salinity can decrease oat seed germination and stunt subsequent development in some cultivars.
Due to the complexity of the salt tolerance trait, traditional breeding has hitherto been unsuccessful in oat improvement. Hesham F. Oraby, of Michigan State University, and colleagues take the first step in genetic enhancement of the crop as they find that “Barley HVA1 Gene Confers Salt Tolerance in R3 Transgenic Oat.” Their work is published in the Crop Science journal.
Researchers introduced three genes into oat: HVA1, from barley, for stress tolerance; B-glucoronidase; and the bar herbicide resistance gene. An analysis of the transgenic plants showed that the genes had been stably transferred and expressed. The plants also showed increased tolerance to salt stress conditions, as well as better growth during the recovery period. Researchers also found that higher salinity levels significantly reduced plant growth of both transgenic and control plants.
Subscribers to Crop Science can download the article at http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/full/45/6/2218. Other readers can take a look at the abstract at http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/45/6/2218.




Brussels says no to gene technology ban
October 5, 2005
Swissinfo
Via AgBioView at www.agbioworld.org
Simon Thönen
A proposed moratorium on genetically modified organisms, similar to a current Swiss initiative, has been rejected by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
On Wednesday the ECJ threw out an application from the Austrian province of Upper Austria for a moratorium. The Austrian province was hoping to achieve exactly the same goals as the Swiss campaign. They wanted a ban on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture for several years.
Supporters want to protect conventional and biological farmers from potential contamination by genetically modified crops in neighbouring fields. The Austrians argued that coexistence between genetically modified and natural agriculture is not possible.
But the ECJ said the province had not provided sufficient evidence that it had an "unusual or unique ecosystem". The Austrians had needed to prove this in order to receive an exemption from strict European Union regulations.
In principle it is permitted to cultivate genetically modified crops, which have been approved by Brussels, anywhere in the EU. "This is a very strong signal to EU members that an EU-wide cultivation ban conflicts with Single European Market rules," explained the spokeswoman for Stavros Dimas, the EU Environment Commissioner.
Mixed reactions
The verdict is a defeat for some 160 regions in Europe that have declared themselves GM-free zones up to now. But they are not ready to throw in the towel. "The movement against genetically modified seeds will not be stopped by one ruling," the environmental organisation Friends of the Earth said in Brussels. In Austria, other provinces have already introduced strict precautionary regulations that make genetic farming almost impossible in practice.
However, the EU ruling pleased opponents of the GM-free initiative in
Switzerland. A referendum on the issue will take place in Switzerland at the end of November. Johannes Randegger, a parliamentarian from the centre-right Radical Party, said the EU had already scientifically proved that the coexistence of genetically modified and conventional farming is possible. "This ruling shows that moratoriums are superfluous," he said. Maya Graf from the Green Party naturally saw it differently. "The European public is mostly against gene technology in food," she said. "They are denying us the possibility to decide on this question democratically"




Vietnam conference sets solutions to boost biotech
October 7, 2005
CropBiotech Update
Proposals to boost biotechnology in Vietnam were forwarded during a conference organized by the Vietnamese Party's Commission of Science and Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology. These include: building of research and training centers of international standards, establishing venture investment funds for production, and setting up suitable mechanism and policies for the development of biotechnology.
Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Van Phong requested relevant ministries and local units to assure implementation of the Government's action plan on biotechnology.
The action plan specifies that the country will focus on developing and applying bio-technology in agriculture, aquaculture, medicine, processing, and environmental protection.
In the same conference, Tran Duy Quy, Director of the VietnamAgricultural Genetics Institute, noted that biotechnology products developed by Vietnamese research institutes generate some 50 billion Vietnam Dong (US $3M) annually. These products include agbiotech products, enzyme proteins, and biofertilizers.
More news summaries from Vietnam are available from Le Hien of Biotech Vietnam at hienbiotechvn@....




International experts discuss food safety in Africa
October 7, 2005
CropBiotech Update
International experts discuss food safety in Africa
Experts from 50 countries have converged in Harare, Zimbabwe to discuss ways to ensure safer food for better health and agricultural trade opportunities in Africa. They note that an improvement in the food safety system could reduce about 2000 deaths daily as a result of food and water contamination.
Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, the Regional Food Safety Conference will discuss an Africa-wide Strategic Plan of Action for Food Safety to reduce future threats to public health and international trade caused by contaminated food and food products that do not meet international quality and safety standards. An example is the control of mycotoxins in staple African crops such as maize, groundnuts, and dried fruits.
Contact John Riddle of FAO for more information at John.Riddle@... or see the FAO release at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/107908/
index.html




Substantial equivalence between GM, conventional potatoes studied
October 7, 2005
CropBiotech Update
The concept of substantial equivalence is important when studying the safety of biotech crops. This involves comparing the biotech crop with its conventional counterpart. If both are nearly the same in terms of nutritional content, water content, metabolite composition, etc., then they are deemed substantially equivalent, or satisfactorily one and the same.
Gareth S. Catchpole of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, and colleagues explore the concept in greater detail in “Hierarchical metabolomics demonstrates substantial compositional similarity between genetically modified and conventional potato crops.” Their work appears in the latest online issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
By fingerprinting the total metabolites of field-grown biotech and conventional potato tubers, and comparing the data, researchers found that apart from the changes expected in the genetically modified potatoes, all the potatoes in the study were substantially equivalent to each other. They also found large variations in the metabolite profiles of conventional cultivars - but the metabolite profiles of the biotech potatoes were well within the natural metabolite range of the conventional lines, and were similar to the Désirée progenitor line as well.
Read the complete article at http://www.pnas.org/cgi/ content/full/102/40/14458.




Barley gives salt tolerance to GM oat
October 7, 2005
CropBiotech Update
Oat is a major cereal crop important to human and animal diets. A successful oat harvest is highly dependent on osmotic stress, which in turn may be affected by drought or soil salinity. Most oat cultivars are moderately tolerant to such stresses, but soil salinity can decrease oat seed germination and stunt subsequent development in some cultivars.
Due to the complexity of the salt tolerance trait, traditional breeding has hitherto been unsuccessful in oat improvement. Hesham F. Oraby, of Michigan State University, and colleagues take the first step in genetic enhancement of the crop as they find that “Barley HVA1 Gene Confers Salt Tolerance in R3 Transgenic Oat.” Their work is published in the Crop Science journal.
Researchers introduced three genes into oat: HVA1, from barley, for stress tolerance; B-glucoronidase; and the bar herbicide resistance gene. An analysis of the transgenic plants showed that the genes had been stably transferred and expressed. The plants also showed increased tolerance to salt stress conditions, as well as better growth during the recovery period. Researchers also found that higher salinity levels significantly reduced plant growth of both transgenic and control plants
Subscribers to Crop Science can download the article at http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/full/45/6/2218. Other readers can take a look at the abstract at http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/45/6/2218.





Thanksgiving harvest bounty made possible thanks to sustainable farming practices and pesticides, research analysis shows
October 7, 2005
Canada News-Wire
TORONTO - We should include modern farming practices and pesticides on the list of things we give thanks for this weekend, according to a new report which says we'd be paying a lot more for our Thanksgiving dinner without them.
Without pesticides to protect food crops from insects, weeds, diseases and other threats, it's projected that overall crop yields could be cut in half, and food prices would soar.
The research analysis on the Benefits of Crop Protection Technologies on
Canadian Food Production, Nutrition, Economy and the Environment was conducted by Guelph-based Safefood Consulting Inc. It reviewed 179 different pieces of research conducted by experts in a variety of areas including agriculture, economics, health and nutrition.
It can be accessed on-line at www.croplife.ca/foodforthought. Click on "Media."
Lorne Hepworth, president of CropLife Canada, the trade association of pesticide developers and distributors, said, "Thanksgiving is an appropriate time to focus on the essential role that crop protection products like pesticides play in modern farming."
"Advances in farming techniques, like modern-day planting and soil tillage practices, are among the key elements. And crop protection technologies like pesticides are important tools for farmers because they literally make the harvest that we celebrate on Thanksgiving possible. Without them, we would have a dramatically limited range of food choices, they'd cost significantly more, and we'd have to sacrifice a great deal of Canada's natural wilderness by turning it into additional farmland," Hepworth said. Among the report's key conclusions, it says that if pesticides were to be eliminated:
Crop yields would fall by 30% to 50%, largely due to losses to insects
and pests
World food losses due to pests in the field and in storage facilities
would be in the range of 30% to 40%
Production costs would rise by 75%
Retail food prices would go up 27%, costing the average household
hundreds of dollars more per year
Returns to food producers would drop by 30%
Lower yields from existing agricultural lands would require conversion of significantly more wilderness to farmland.
The agri-food sector is worth about $70 billion a year to the Canadian economy, or about 8.8% of our total Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Research cited in the study suggests that an outright ban on pesticide
use would have serious socio-economic consequences, including a lower standard
of living, reduced amounts and varieties of foods, soaring prices and significant job and economic losses both within the agri-food sector and in the Canadian economy overall.
Hepworth says as the world population continues to grow, continued advancements in research and development of agricultural technologies like newer, more effective and safer pesticides will be needed in order to further increase our agricultural productivity.
CropLife Canada is the trade association representing the developers, manufacturers and distributors of plant science innovations - pest control products and plant biotechnology - for use in agriculture, urban and public health settings. CropLife Canada stands for safety and innovation supported by a foundation of continuous research and a strong commitment to stewardship.
BENEFITS OF CROP PROTECTION TECHNOLOGIES ON CANADIAN FOOD
PRODUCTION, NUTRITION, ECONOMY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
ABOUT THE RESEARCH ANALYSIS
This analysis was prepared for CropLife Canada by Safefood Consulting
Inc. of Guelph, Ontario. A total of 179 different studies, research papers,
articles and surveys from academic/scientific, government and agri-food
industry bodies in Canada, the United States and other countries were
reviewed. It can be accessed on-line at www.croplife.ca/foodforthought - click
on "Media."
KEY FINDINGS
1. General
Pesticides help farmers achieve higher yields, higher quality produce, lower production costs and increased yields.
In developed countries, 3% to 5% of the population produces enough to feed the rest and generate a surplus for export. Pesticides and other agricultural technologies help farmers to significantly increase crop yields, and made possible the modern societal shift from having most of the population involved in agriculture-based employment to other endeavours.
2. Crop Protection Yields
Yields of many crops could decrease by as much as 50% from current levels if there were no crop protection, due to losses largely to insects and pests.
Yield losses without the use of herbicides specifically could be as high as 53%.
If no crop protection was used, world food losses due to pests in the field and in storage are projected at 30% to 50% of current levels. Many tropical and sub-tropical fruits and vegetables would not be available in Canada without protection provided by pesticides before and after harvest, during transport and storage.
3. Financial Benefits Implications
Financial benefits to farmers in terms of crop loss prevention were calculated at $3.22 per dollar spent on pesticides for Ontario growers (1998), with Saskatchewan growers reporting a $2.22 return per dollar. Without pesticides, projections estimate production costs would rise by 75%, retail food prices would rise 27%, returns to producers would fall 30% and domestic consumption would decrease by 11%. Without pesticides, it's estimated that prices would be 50% to 100% higher for foods such as fruits, vegetables and non-staple commodities, and 25% to 50% higher for staple foods. It is estimated that zero pesticide use will increase the consumer's annual expenditure by $228 (in 1989 dollars).
4. Environmental Benefits/Wilderness Preservation
World grain production has tripled since 1950; pest controls are a key factor.
Increasing yields from existing farmland is key to saving wilderness from conversion to agriculture. Without pesticides, reduced yields would require a 90% increase in cropland in order to maintain current food production levels.
It's estimated that a wilderness area the size of the Amazon Basin has been preserved by technological improvements in agriculture including pest controls.
Between 1990 and 1992 alone, 5,000 acres of Ontario farmland were returned to nature under Agriculture Canada's Permanent Cover II program. In western Canada, some fragile prairie soils are being returned to pastureland, which reduces soil degradation, provides wildlife habitat and improves water quality.
Continued advancements in agricultural technologies are needed to further increase production on existing agricultural land.
5. Nutritional Health Benefits
Numerous studies have associated consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables with reduced risk for most types of cancer. Lower income households purchase fewer servings of fruits and vegetables than higher-income households, and would be more significantly impacted by higher food prices.




BASF to divest imazamethabenz herbicides
October 6, 2005
From a press release
TORONTO - BASF announced today it has divested its imazamethabenz herbicide business outside of Europe to Nufarm Limited, which is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The only imazamethabenz herbicide marketed by BASF in Canada is ASSERT®, a crop protection product developed to help control weeds in wheat and barley.
This transaction is part of BASF Agricultural Products' strategy to concentrate on its innovative portfolio and divest mature products to companies, such as Nufarm, that specialize in particular market segments and that can pursue these businesses with a dedicated strategy. Both companies have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction.
About BASF
With sales of (euro) 3,354 million in 2004, BASF's Agricultural Products division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve yields and quality of agricultural crops. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF's Agricultural Products division is to be the world's leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at http://www.agriculturalproducts.basf.com .
About Nufarm
Nufarm Limited is an Australian-based company, headquartered in Melbourne, with strong capabilities in chemical synthesis, sales and marketing. Through a global network of manufacturing and formulation facilities, Nufarm specializes in crop protection and has a number of industrial, fine and performance chemicals businesses. Nufarm employs more than 2,500 people at its various locations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Further information can be found at www.nufarm.com http://www.nufarm.com . ® ASSERT is a registered trademark of BASF.
Always read and follow label directions.




White leaf spot, Brassica juncea - Australia (WA): 1st report
October 7, 2005
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Sponsored in part by Elsevier, publisher of
http://thelancet.url123.com/a5dpp
Date: 6 Oct 2005
From: ProMED-mail American Phytopathological Society, Plant Disease Notes [edited]
http: //www.apsnet.org/pd/searchnotes/2005/PD-89-1131B.asp
1st Report of White Leaf Spot Caused by Pseudocercosporella capsellae on Brassica juncea in Australia.
L. Eshraghi, School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, W.A. 6009, Australia; M. P. You, Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, W.A. 6151, Australia; and M. J. Barbetti, School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, W.A. 6009, Australia. Plant Dis. 89:1131, 2005; published on-line as DOI: 10.1094/PD-89-1131B. Accepted for publication 7 Jul 2005.
Brassica juncea (L.) Czern Coss (mustard) has potential as a more drought-tolerant oilseed crop than Brassica napus, and the 1st 2 canola-quality B. juncea cultivars will be sown as large strip trials across Australia in 2005. This will allow commercial evaluation of oil and meal quality and for seed multiplication for the commercial release Australia-wide in 2006.
Inspection of experimental B. juncea field plantings at Beverley (32 deg 6 min 30 sec S, 116 deg 55 min 22 sec E), and Wongan Hills (30 deg 50 min 32 sec S, 116 deg 43 min 33 sec E), Western Australia in September 2004 indicated the occurrence of extensive leaf spotting during B. juncea flowering. Symptoms of this disease included as many as 15 or more grayish white-to-brownish spot lesions per leaf, often with a distinct brown margin. Some elongate grayish stem lesions were also observed as reported earlier for B. napus oilseed rape (1).
When affected materials were incubated in moist chambers for 48 h, abundant conidia typical of Pseudocercosporella capsellae (Ellis Everh.) Deighton were observed that matched the descriptions of conidia given by Deighton (2) and those on B. napus in Western Australia (1).
5 single-spore cultures from lesions were grown on water agar (WA), where the colonies characteristically produced purple-pink pigment in the agar after 2 weeks growth in an incubator maintained at 20 deg C with a 12-h photoperiod (3). Since agar cultures of P. capsellae rarely produce conidia (3), this observation helped with the verification of the cultures.
Mycelial inoculum from these cultures was used to inoculate cotyledons of 50 7-day-old plants of B. juncea to satisfy Koch's postulates. Small pieces of mycelia were teased out from the surface of the growing margin of potato dextrose agar (PDA) cultures and inoculated onto both lobes of each cotyledon and plants incubated in a 100 percent humidity chamber for 48 h within a controlled environment room maintained at 20/15 deg C (day/night) with a 12-h photoperiod.
After 2 weeks, lesions 5 to 8 mm in diameter were observed on the cotyledons. There were no symptoms on control plants that were treated with water only. Lesions on infected cotyledons incubated on moist filter paper for 24 h produced abundant cylindrical conidia showing 2 to 3 septa measuring 42.9 to 71.4 micrometers long and 2.9 to 3.1 micrometers wide. Single-spore isolations from these conidia produced typical P. capsellae colonies showing purple-pink pigments in WA, and dark, compacted, and slow-growing colonies with a dentate margin on PDA.
White leaf spot caused by P. capsellae is an important disease of crucifers worldwide, but to our knowledge, this is the 1st report of P. capsellae on B. juncea in Australia. In Western Australia, P. capsellae occurs on B. napus oilseed rape (1) and in 1956, 1984, and 1987, it was recorded on B. rapa, B. oleracea, and B. chinensis, respectively (4), and on the same range of Brassica hosts in other regions of Australia.
References:
(1) M. J. Barbetti and K. Sivasithamparam. Aust. Plant Pathol.10:43, 1981.
(2) F. C. Deighton. Commonw. Mycol. Inst. Mycol. Pap. 133:42, 1973.
(3) S. T. Koike. Plant Dis. 80:960, 1996. (4) R. G. Shivas. J. R.
Soc. West. Aust. 72:1, 1989
ProMED-mail
promed@...
[_B. juncea_ has advantages over B. napus including more vigorous seedling growth, quicker ground-covering ability, greater tolerance to heat and drought, and enhanced resistance to the blackleg fungus, Leptosphaeria maculans. WLS survives on residues of infected plants. Under favourable autumn and winter conditions, it produces wind-borne conidia, which mainly cause leaf lesions. In turn, the conidia produced in these lesions are carried by wind and rain to cause secondary spread of the disease. WLS is also spread from infected seeds and from pieces of infected debris present with the seed.
Optimum temperatures for WLS infection are 13 to 18 deg C, but high moisture levels are necessary for disease development. WLS disease usually develops after periods of high rainfall. It can be found in most plantings, but is not usually a cause of heavy yield losses. WLS can cause complete loss of leaves in highly susceptible varieties, with yield losses as high as 30 per cent if the disease is severe. However, losses are unlikely to exceed 5 to 10 per cent with current Australian cultivars. Nitrogen-deficient crops seem to be more severely affected by WLS.
Disease management is similar to that of blackleg which means using crop rotation and good hygiene. Sow only cultivars expressing very high levels of resistance, and practice crop rotation. All varieties recommended for sowing in Western Australia have good adult plant resistance to blackleg. Canola fields should be in a rotation for at least 3 years to allow diseased residues to decompose and reduce the risk of ascospore infection. In recent years, some growers have successfully reduced this break period, but there is increased risk from this practice. If the seedling stage of crop development (cotyledon to 1- or 2-leaf stage) coincides with heavy airborne spore discharges from nearby stubbles, even adult resistant varieties can suffer substantial damage. If there is no erosion risk, destroy crop residues after harvest to reduce carryover of the fungus on infected stems.
Graze stubbles heavily to reduce fungus carryover. Canola should be planted as far as possible from previous canola crops to reduce the risk of infection by wind-borne ascospores. Do not plant in areas downwind from old stubbles where the prevailing winds are likely to blow air-borne spores.
Links:
http://www.aces.edu/department/grain/Bulletin1150.htm



ARS scientists collaborate to increase irrigation accuracy
October 7, 2005
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
View this report online, plus any included photos or other images, at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) laboratories in South Carolina, Montana and Colorado are combining traditional equipment and cutting-edge tools in a system that provides just the right amount of irrigation.
Researchers at the ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water and Plant Research Center at Florence, S.C., are assessing variables such as soil quality, crop type and temperature to determine when and where to irrigate. Through several years of testing, scientists have modified their center-pivot systems to distribute water more accurately.
Scheduling irrigations to meet crop demands is a challenge, but sprinkler systems are being developed to meet it. Current research is investigating the benefits of variable-rate irrigation.
Frequently, soil, topography and water needs vary within a field. For instance, a 14-acre field in Florence could have 12 different soil types. Precision irrigation, according to ARS agricultural engineer Kenneth Stone at Florence, aims to match water application with soil variations and crops. More precise delivery of water, nutrients and pesticides means higher yields and environmental benefits.
Excessive watering, a chronic pitfall, can leach chemicals into groundwater.. Wet plant leaves are more vulnerable to disease from moisture-loving fungi, increasing the need for fungicides.
In Sidney, Mont., Robert Evans, an agricultural engineer at the ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, investigates how GPS, wireless communications and real-time microclimate and soils monitoring will allow traditional irrigation equipment to deliver water and nutrients across varying landscapes with greater precision.
Dale F. Heermann, a collaborator at the ARS Water Management Research Unit in Fort Collins, Colo., and his colleagues developed a computer program called Center Pivot Evaluation and Design that models water distribution and predicts
irrigation uniformity. Heermann's group has also developed technology allowing farmers to reduce herbicide use without yield losses.
ARS researchers strive to improve efficiency and environmental consequences of traditional irrigation techniques. Great progress has been made, but Evans believes the best is yet to come.
Read more about the research in the October 2005 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct05/fields1005.htm
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief in-house scientific research agency.




USDA awards $25.05 million in partnership agreements to develop risk management tools and education
October 7, 2005
USDA
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2005/10/0435.xml
WASHINGTON - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced awards of approximately $25.05 million in agricultural risk management partnership agreements.
"The Bush Administration is committed to providing farmers and ranchers the best and most reliable risk management tools available," said Johanns. "Through these partnerships, women, minority, limited-resource, and other traditionally underserved agricultural producers will receive assistance in understanding and using risk management tools to improve their economic viability."
The agreements provide funds for projects to develop new risk management tools for farmers and ranchers, as well as outreach and education opportunities to limited-resource and other traditionally underserved farmers and ranchers.
Community Outreach and Assistance Agreements - $6.9 million
Sixty-four competitively awarded partnerships with community-based, educational, and nonprofit organizations will use $6,970,780 million to educate women, limited-resource, and other traditionally underserved farmers and ranchers. For example, Concentric Management, Inc. will use its award of $190,000 for a project entitled Meat Goats: Alternative Livestock Production as a Tool for Risk Management. This North Carolina-based project will demonstrate successful strategies to manage and mitigate aggregate risks of farms owned and operated by women, socially disadvantaged, and other traditionally underserved farmers and ranchers and serve as a training pilot for management systems, which can be transferred to other small scale livestock operations.
Research and Development Agreements - $8.2 million
USDA awarded twenty agreements, totaling $8,238,242 million, to qualified public and private organizations for research and development of new non-insurance risk management tools. For example, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln received $1,023,038 for their project, Rangeland and Forage Geospatial Decision Support System for Drought Risk Management. This project will develop risk management tools to assist forage and rangeland producers by expanding the innovative Vegetation Drought Response Index (Veg DRI).
Education Partnership Agreements and Targeted States - $9.95 million
The Targeted States Program will use $4,400,971 to deliver crop insurance education to producers in 15 historically underserved states through cooperative agreements. Specialty crop, livestock, nursery, and horticulture producers will benefit from $5,237,680 million in education partnership agreements for forty commodity partnership programs. Small Sessions is a new category of Education Partnership Agreements this year. Thirty-two smaller projects, with a total award amount of $316,141 in amounts up to $10,000 each, are awarded for projects such as the one in Louisiana and surrounding states. This multi-state project will provide information to help producers reduce the risks of direct marketing their raw and value-added products; and a project in the Northeast will create farm to cafeteria initiatives to assist limited resource farmers to manage risk by building alternative markets.
Complete listings of the agreements can be found on the RMA website at:
http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/2005/10/05compartnershipstable.pdf
http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/2005/10/05smallsessionstable.pdf
http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/2005/10/05targetedstatestable.pdf
http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/2005/10/05outreachtable.pdf
http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/2005/10/05rdtable.pdf




Mycogen seeds/Dow Agrosciences Llc and Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.; availability of determination of nonregulated status for genetically engineered corn
October 7, 2005
[Federal Register: (Volume 70, Number 194)]
[Page 58663-58664]
[DOCID:fr07oc05-27]
[Docket No. 04-113-2]
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our determination that the Mycogen Seeds/Dow AgroSciences LLC and Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. corn designated as corn line DAS-59122-7, which has been genetically engineered for resistance to a corn rootworm complex and for tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate, is no longer considered a regulated article under our regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms. Our determination is based on our evaluation of data submitted by Mycogen Seeds/Dow AgroSciences LLC and Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. in their petition for a determination of non-regulated status, our analysis of other scientific data, and comments received from the public in response to a previous notice announcing the availability of the petition for nonregulated status and an environmental assessment. This notice also announces the availability of our written determination and our finding of no significant impact.
DATE: Effective September 23, 2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Michael Watson, Biotechnology
Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 147, Riverdale, MD
20737-1236; (301) 734-0486; e-mail: michael.t.watson@.... To obtain copies of the petition or, the determination, the environmental assessment (EA), or the finding of no significant impact (FONSI) contact Ms. Ingrid Berlanger at (301) 734-4885; e-mail: ingrid.e.berlanger@.... The petition and the EA, including the FONSI and determination, are also available on the Internet at
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs/03_35301p.pdf and http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs/03--35301p—ea.pdf.





University of Kentucky; availability of an environmental assessment and a finding of no significant impact for field tests of genetically engineered neotyphodium
October 7, 2005
[Federal Register: (Volume 70, Number 194)]
[Page 58664-58665]
[DOCID:fr07oc05-28]
[Docket No. 05-062-2]
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment for a field trial of genetically engineered strains of an endophytic fungus of perennial ryegrass, Neotyphodium sp. isolate Lp1. The fungi have been genetically engineered to disrupt the ergovaline synthesis pathway. The environmental assessment provides a basis for our conclusion that these field tests will not present a risk of introducing or disseminating a plant pest and will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Based on its finding of no significant impact, the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared for these field tests.
DATES: A permit may be issued on or after October 7, 2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Blanchette, Biotechnology
Regulatory Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 147, Riverdale, MD
20737-1236; (301) 734-5141; e-mail:
michael.p.blanchette@.... To obtain copies of the petition, the environmental assessment (EA), or the finding of no significant impact (FONSI), contact Ms. Ingrid Berlanger at (301) 734-4885; e-mail:
ingrid.e.berlanger@.... The EA and FONSI are also available on the Internet at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs/05_15201r_ea.pdf


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