Recently added articles from Agricultural Research:
The future of fuel.(FORUM)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Forage crops as cellulosic feedstocks. New biorefineries. Increased farm profitability. Inexpensive fish food. Today's bioenergy research will affect all agricultural industries and commodities in a variety of ways. More than a mere buzzword, biorefining has been an important ...
Research helps set the stage for ethanol ... southern style.
Oct 01, 2008; ... With sugar on tap as an ethanol resource for use in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have already taken the next step: custom-breeding new varieties of so-called "energy sugarcane," whose sugar- and fiber-rich stalks could become the complementary ...
Fueling the farm: waste for energy and independence.
Oct 01, 2008; ... Imagine turning a noxious agricultural waste into a value-added bioenergy product for on-farm heating and power--or even into transportation fuels. Agricultural engineer Keri Cantrell, environmental engineer Kyoung Ro, and research leader Patrick Hunt work at the ARS Coastal ...
Banking on biobutanol: new method revisits fermenting this fuel from crops instead of petroleum.
Oct 01, 2008; ... A modified method of producing biobutanol is in the works to make the fuel more competitive with ethanol as a clean-burning alternative to gasoline and other fossil fuels. Biobutanol offers several advantages over ethanol. It can be transported in existing pipelines, is less ...
Superenzymes: turning tough cell wails into readily fermented sugars.
Oct 01, 2008; ... Splat! A blob of bright-red catsup from that juicy hamburger you're eating just landed on your favorite white shirt. No worries. You know that a few dabs of the enzyme-powered spot remover that's on your laundry room shelf will make every trace of the wayward ...
From garbage to gas: converting city refuse and farm leftovers to clean energy.(vineyards to use bioenergy)
Oct 01, 2008; ... It's a trashy idea. And it's one that everyone concerned about gas prices--and the environment--will surely love. The idea is to combine household garbage and other urban trash--known as "municipal solid waste" (MSW)--with after-harvest leftovers from fields, orchards, and ...
Cellulosic ethanol from corn stover: calculating--and improving--the bottom line.
Oct 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the Midwest, 100 to 150 million tons of corn stover--crop residue-is now left on fields to prevent erosion and return nutrients to soil. Now corn stover is being eyed as a possible source of cellulose for biofuel production. But the costs ...
Economic and biophysical models aid the process.(Assessing Biofuels' Sustainability)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Over the past decade, the search for alternative fuels has absorbed increasing amounts of agricultural resources, raising questions about how biofuel production affects U.S. agriculture and consumers. "There are many factors to consider, such as agricultural profitability, ...
A cornucopia of domestic energy crops.
Oct 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cuphea is a genus of flowering plants that yield a type of oil similar to palm kernel and coconut oils. These oils, which are produced commercially only in the Tropics, contain the capric, lauric, and other medium-chain-length fatty acids needed to make ...
Microbial collections key to unlocking new discoveries: who knows what lurks?(FORUM)
Sep 01, 2008; ... In 2005, Cargill, Inc., of Minneapolis, Minnesota, debuted a low-glycemic syrup known as "Xtend Sucromalt." It was the product of a 4-year cooperative research and development agreement involving a team of scientists and support personnel at ARS's National Center for Agricultural ...
Multiplying Metarhizium.
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scientists tap sturdy new form of fungus for better biopesticides. Metarhizium anisopliae is one mold you might not mind having around. Instead of growing on bread or shower curtains, it prefers the bodies of ticks and insect pests, such as ...
The roller in the rye: managing cover crops with rolling and crimping techniques.
Sep 01, 2008; ... Farmers could soon be on a roll when it comes to preparing their fields for planting. That's thanks to rolling machines--developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Auburn, Alabama--that can quickly flatten mature, high-biomass cover crops such as rye. ...
In search of--biological control agents for the invasive Australian pine.
Sep 01, 2008; ... The Australian outback is known for its wild and wide-open spaces, clean air, and breathtakingly clear night skies. Many venture to these remote parts of the continent for the tranquillity the outback offers. But for Agricultural Research Service entomologist Greg Wheeler and ...
Genetic twists for great greenhouse tomatoes.
Sep 01, 2008; ... Backyard gardeners everywhere know the frustration of discovering that their once-flourishing tomato crop has begun a gentle--or not so gentle--decline. Greenhouse tomato producers have profits as well as pride riding on their tomatoes. But tomato yields--and quality--have ...
"Tunnel vision" tracks emissions dispersal.
Sep 01, 2008; ... In the basement of the ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory (NSTL) in Ames, Iowa, a tunnel resting on a waist-high platform--and large enough for a person to fit in comfortably--stretches down a side hallway. "We got it secondhand from an out-of-state university," soil scientist ...
Feral cattle on Chirikof Island: isolated and genetically distinct.
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] About 60 miles southwest of Alaska's Kodiak Island, a small, flat landmass rises out of the Pacific Ocean. Treeless, desolate, and cold, the low-lying Chirikof Island is at the mercy of wind and waves. Its harsh climate has discouraged human settlement, ...
Brachypodium: a little-known grass gains research fame.
Sep 01, 2008; ... David Garvin may be the first U.S. scientist to pursue research using a wild grass known as "purple false brome," Brachypodium distachyon, as a model plant. Garvin, a plant geneticist with the ARS Plant Science Research Unit in St. Paul, Minnesota, learned of the short-statured ...
A family tree for Toxoplasma.
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scientists use DNA to track ancient evolutionary lineages and genetic migrations for a range of animals--including modern humans. ARS zoologist Ben Rosenthal is tracing the family tree of one of the most widespread parasites of warm-blooded vertebrates, ...
Genetic resistance to cacao diseases is key to safeguarding chocolate production.
Sep 01, 2008; ... In recent years, the cocoa industry has been threatened by a trio of devastating fungal diseases--frosty pod, black pod, and witches' broom. The diseases afflict Theobroma cacao trees, the beans of which are the source of cocoa, cocoa butter, and chocolate. To help stave off ...
Crunching new data on walnut genes.
Sep 01, 2008; ... Many things make a walnut wonderful--its rich taste, smooth texture, and, of course, its heart-healthy compounds. Now, ARS scientist Mallikarjuna Aradhya and his University of California-Davis colleagues have embarked on a 4-year study to identify walnut seedlings that have about a ...