Louisiana Agriculture magazine fall 2008.pdf

The first caterpillar-resistant transgenic cotton varieties (Bollgard) were approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1996. The Bollgard technology has successfully reduced the frequency of sprays for caterpillar pests by about half.

Experiences during the teenage years play a large role in determining whether teenagers go on to become productive and engaged citizens as adults.

The LSU AgCenter's mission is to serve Louisiana. And the employees did. In some cases, they were there to help others after hurricanes Katrina and Rita at great personal sacrifice to themselves. Read about the LSU AgCenter's response.

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine Summer 2008

The following articles appeared in the summer 2008 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.

The LSU AgCenter conducts greenhouse and landscape research on many new bedding plants each year to determine production practices to assist growers and observe performance in the landscape to provide garden centers, landscape professionals and home gardeners information on how these plants will perform under Louisiana’s growing conditions.

Herbaceous perennials are winter hardy ornamental plants that reappear each spring from their crowns or root systems. Many species can be used as groundcovers or landscape plantings to provide color for extended seasons. Some major species in production and landscape use are daylily, lantana, verbena, purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan.

Japanese holly fern is a popular fern in the southeastern United States. This plant is native to Japan. It forms a rounded mound that can be up to 3 feet wide and 1 1/2 feet tall. The foliage is glossy and very dark green.

Access to broadband technology in rural areas remains limited. In the United States, broadband refers to the set of technologies that provide a connection to the Internet, such as phone lines, satellite, fixed and mobile wireless and cable.

When Jere McBride was hired, he was the youngest administrator in the LSU AgCenter at age 36.

The use of the twin-drill (twin-row) configuration on 36- to 40-inch-wide beds is of interest to Midsouth producers, but as yet it is unproven as a yield enhancement practice for most agronomic crops.

LSU AgCenter Master Gardeners and Kids Hope volunteers have helped transform a once dull courtyard at University Terrace Elementary school into a flowering oasis.

A “gorilla” of a barnyardgrass and a “tough critter” nematode are two of the problems being tackled by LSU AgCenter researchers as reported at the June 24, 2008, field day at the Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph.

Farmers must rely on fungicides to protect their crops from certain diseases. One of the most serious of these diseases is Asian soybean rust, which is spread by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi.

Production input expenses for crop producers continue to rise. To reduce these costs, particularly fuel and labor, growers can co-apply multiple pesticides and eliminate trips across fields.

The Chinese tallow tree is a familiar sight growing in yards and along fence rows throughout Louisiana, though some may not recognize this name. In southern Louisiana, it is commonly called “chicken”or “chicken-foot” tree, presumably because its seeds hang in clusters that offersome resemblance to a chicken’s foot.

Once rooted in rural America, 4-H has significantly diversified over its 100 years of existence. Although 4-H has changed as society has changed, much of its success can be traced to its roots and original mission.

Transgenic plants that express insecticidal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt) have become standard for managing many caterpillar pests in cotton.

Bill Williams, formerly an associate professor at the LSU AgCenter’s Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph, has assumed a 75 percent appointment as extension weed scientist with a 25 percent research appointment. His office has moved to the Scott Researchand Extension Center in Winnsboro.

The lack of basic leadership skills and economic development knowledge is often identified by focus groups and advisory councils as a problem in rural areas.

Cathleen C. Williams writes about the trip to China by members of Class 10 of the LSU AgCenter’s Leadership Development Program.

Fourteen Bienville Parish 4-H’ers learned about the world of work in professional jobs this summer in a new program that’s a joint venture between the LSU AgCenter and the Bienville Parish Police Jury.

Patrick Colyer is first to be the second regional director in the LSU AgCenter administration.Colyer, a plant pathologist at the Red River Research Station in Bossier City for 25 years, became director of the Northwest Region, one of the AgCenter’s seven regions in March 2008.

New sugarcane varieties are increasing yields, but diseases pose a constant threat, farmers were told by LSU AgCenter researchers at a July 18, 2008, sugarcane field day here.

Sugarcane farmers heard about alternative crops and cane varieties under development during field days July 24 and 25 in Iberia Parish.

“Who likes squash?” asked Emily Neustrom, a project coordinator with the LSU AgCenter. She was holding up a packet of seeds and speaking to students at Baton Rouge’s McKinley High School. They were learning leadership, running a business, gardening and nutrition as part of a service-learning experience.

During the past 20 years, interest has increased in dietary effects of omega-3 fatty acids because they play a major role in human health. Natural fish oils are thought to help maintain heart and vascular health in humans.

Cotton defoliation, a critical step in cotton production, is the process of removing leaves and preparing the crop for mechanical harvest. Leaf removal facilitates harvest and allows for more efficient and faster picker operation, quicker drying of seedcotton, straightening of lodged plants, retardation of boll rot and faster opening of green bolls.

Tarnished plant bugs, which have historically been a mid-season pest of cotton, are now becoming a sporadic pest during seedling development. This is happening as agricultural conditions are changing, making it possible for more tarnished plant bugs to survive. These changes include more plant hosts because of more acres going into conservation reserve programs and an increase in conservation tillage.

To obtain maximum effectiveness of fall/winter herbicide programs, applications should be timed to emergence of winter weeds preferably once temperatures have cooled in late November or December. Producers are cautioned that although effective through winter months, these programs may not eliminate the need for a follow-up treatment before or at planting.

Of all the U.S. sugar-producing areas,Louisiana is the oldest and most historic. Sugarcane arrived in Louisiana in1751 with the Jesuit priests who planted it near where their church now stands on Baronne Street in New Orleans. The Louisiana sugarcane industry is in its third century of uninterrupted sugar production.

LSU AgCenter research has demonstrated that conventional, whole-field soil-sampling schemes and field-averaged yields do not satisfactorily describe the variations of yield and soil attributes present in several sugarcane fields. Research suggests a precision management approach.

Environmentally conscientious sugarcane growers voluntarily use best management practices (BMPs) to control runoff from production areas. Post-harvest residue management in sugarcane is one area in need of research-based information to determine the best management approach.

In recent years purple nutsedge has become more problematic in Louisiana sugarcane fields. Purple nutsedge is considered among the world’s worst weeds because of its perennial nature and ability to produce abundant and viable underground tubers.

In Louisiana sugarcane, row shoulders and middles are intensively cultivated to promote crop growth, eliminate ruts, incorporate fertilizer and control weeds. Sugarcane growers have been slow to adopt reduced tillage practices because of concerns over reduced yields and weed control.

In Louisiana, four to six harvests are made from a single planting of sugarcane. After that, the sugarcane must be replanted because of disease and weed pressure. During the fallow period, weeds must be managed to maximize yields for the next few years.

For more than 50 years, entomology programs at both the LSU AgCenter and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sugarcane Research Laboratory at Houma have conducted research addressing the development of new varieties resistant to the larval stages of the sugarcane borer moth. In addition, the two research partners evaluate resistance to aphids and a potential invasive insect pest of Louisiana sugarcane, the Mexican rice borer.

Sugarcane breeding, leading to the release of genetically improved varieties, has played a vital role in sustaining Louisiana’s sugar industry. Past sugarcane breeding efforts have relied solely on traditional breeding approaches.

For many sugarcane varieties, the rescuer can oftentimes be in need of rescue. Such is the case with LCP 85-384. The release of LCP 85-384 in 1993 was truly a hallmark of sugarcane breeding efforts in Louisiana. By 2003, it was apparent that LCP 85-384 was in need of replacement.

The United States is the world’s largest producer of ethanol, followed closely by Brazil. We produce about 13 million gallons of ethanol a day. To close the gap between fuel use and available ethanol would require a 50-fold increase in ethanol production. Currently, America’s primary agricultural source of simple sugars used for ethanol production is the starch in corn. But an expansion of this magnitude is well beyond our available corn supplies.

There are likely to be many solutions for achieving energy alternatives, and agriculture is being looked upon for several sources – including sugarcane.

The No. 1 goal of the Audubon Sugar Institute is to keep Louisiana sugar factories profitable.

As Louisiana begins its third century of sugar production, research continues to play a vital role that sustains both growers and processors. Many facets of the industry continue to change.

Rice is one of Louisiana’s leading agricultural commodities, with nearly 532,000 acres planted in 2002, producing an average yield of 5,772 pounds per acre. The 2002 gross farm income reached $122.8 million, and value added in marketing, processing and transportation increased that amount to $159.6 million.

The Biomass Research and Development Initiative in the 2002 farm bill sets a goal of a 12 percent increase in production of chemicals and materials from biomass by 2010.

The Northwest Louisiana Master Gardener Association celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008. Since it began, 343 gardening enthusiasts have been certified to educate and beautify their communities.

Louisiana landowners are showing interest in carbon trading – an emerging market that pays landowners for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

This year’s AgMagic had a record number of visitors – 13,840– and LSU AgCenter officials are already planning next year’s event.

Weather forecasting is both art and science. But the science – especially long-range forecasting for south Louisiana in the summer – makes prediction difficult. For the past few years, south Louisiana has had blocks of fairly dry weather in the summer, especially when compared to the 1980s and 1990s, according to Jay Grymes,LSU AgCenter climatologist. He expects this pattern of warmer and somewhat drier summers to continue.

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine Spring 2008.pdf

Louisiana sugarcane farmers will have a new sugarcane variety this fall with the release of L 01-283. Developed by the LSU AgCenter in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sugarcane Research Unit in Houma and the American Sugar Cane League in Thibodaux, L 01-283 is the latest in a series of new varieties for the Louisiana sugarcane industry.

Artificial ripening of sugarcane as a complement to natural maturity is possible because of the development of glyphosate, a plant growth regulator, for use as a chemical ripener that hastens sugarcane maturation and increases sugar yield per ton of cane and per acre.

At one time the Louisiana sugarcane crop was harvested using mechanical whole stalk harvesters, where stalks were piled in the field and burned to remove leaves before transporting to the mill. Beginning in the mid 1990s, growers shifted to chopper harvesters, where stalks are cut into billets, loaded directly into wagons and transported to the mill.

The production of sugarcane in Louisiana is a major contributor to the agricultural economy of the state. In total market value, sugarcane is the leading row crop commodity produced in Louisiana.

As prices for gasoline and diesel fuel climb, Louisiana farmers face increased cost to irrigate their crops. Electricity maybe a more efficient power source, says LSUAgCenter water resources specialist, Ron Sheffield.

The bacteria and viruses that cause diseases of sugarcane in Louisiana are distributed throughout an infected plant.

Sugarcane is affected by two diseases known as rusts because of the color of the lesions caused in the leaves and reproductive spores produced by the pathogens. One disease is called brown rust, and the other is called orange rust, based on differences in lesion and spore color.

LCP 85-384 is a sugarcane variety that will occupy a special place in the history of sugarcane in Louisiana. It ultimately occupied a record-setting 91 percent of the industry acreage in the state during 2004, and its widespread cultivation caused a major shift in harvesting practices that created many new research questions.

Sugarcane Yearly Crop Rotation

In the summer of 2000, daylily rust was reported for the first time in the United States. It has since spread across most of the country and continues to present problems for home gardeners, commercial landscapers and daylily growers.

In Louisiana and other catfish-producing states, most growers focus on the production of market-ready fish and purchase fingerling catfish to restock their production ponds from a smaller number of farmers who specialize in fingerling production. In Louisiana, fewer than 20 fingerling producers satisfy the annual seed stock requirements for the state’s catfish industry.

The use of plastic mulch is an important cultural practice in the commercial production of fruits and vegetables, but removal and disposal of the mulch cause problems.

The ability of farmers to burn sugarcane is a significant economic factor for the state’s sugarcane industry. Burning of sugarcane before harvest eliminates from 30 percent to 50 percent of the leafy trash (residue), which constitutes from 20 percent to 25 percent of the total weight of the plant.

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Spring 2000

Every once in a while someone comes along who can build a better mousetrap. And at the LSU AgCenter, that person is Richard Cooper, professor in the Department of Veterinary Science who’s come up with a way to get chickens to lay eggs containing human proteins.

A sugarcane-based biorefinery has been discussed for many years at the Audubon Sugar Institute. In the past few years funding has become available and work has started in earnest.

The LSU AgCenter is carrying out a unique program to help ameliorate and prevent obesity in Louisiana's children. The program is called Smart Bodies and is occurring in schools across the state.

Soy flour and more highly purified soy proteins contain a number of constituents that can be used in combating a variety of diseases. Soy isofla-vones may prevent diseases associated with post-menopausal women such as osteoporosis and coronary heart disease.

Interest in daylilies is still strong despite rust problems over the past several years. New daylily selections and All-American daylily winners need to be evaluated in the Gulf South for landscape performance.

Efforts in 2003 and 2004 included evaluation of cannas, coleus, angelonias, purslane, lantanas, perennial verbena, annual and perennial salvia, vinca, zinnias, melampodium, petunias, rudbeckia, phlox, daylilies, dianthus, ornamental kale, ornamental cabbage, calendula, violas, pansies, ornamental sweet potatoes, garden mums, African and French marigolds and others.

The Louisiana Master Gardener program started in Baton Rouge in 1994 and was adopted statewide in 1997. The program is offered in 20 parishes, with volunteer participation in 40 parishes.

Traditional pot-in-pot production in a nursery attempts to combine field and container-growing techniques and offers advantages over both production systems.

Ornamental gingers encompass a diverse and versatile group of plants that are gaining increased popularity in the flowering pot plant, landscape and cut flower markets. They have showy and attractive foliage and flowers, which make them interesting ornamentals.

Genetically engineered plants are an important part of integrated pest management (IPM) programs in cotton production. One such plant, Bollgard cotton, includes a gene from a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, that is toxic to caterpillar pests, while being safe for humans, other animals and the environment.

Bell peppers are grown extensively throughout southeastern Louisiana, with production concentrated in Tangipahoa and surrounding parishes. Gross farm value in 1999 was about $1.6 million.

Brahman-composite breeds were developed from Brahman-crossbred cattle. The Santa Gertrudis, Brangus and Beefmaster breeds were among the first Brahman-composite breeds, all British-based, developed in the United States.

An LSU Agricultural Center scientist played a major role in helping bring to marketa new environmentally friendly insecticide for sugarcane – so friendly that it won anaward from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Males of an animal species have an advantage over females in the propagation of their genes.

The LSU Agricultural Center has started an aggressive plan to improve the state’s water quality with a new approach to best management practices.

James L. Griffin, Terrence Tiersch and the LouisianaAgricultural Experiment Station’s Cotton Variety and Strain Evaluation Team won the top research awards presented at the LSU Agricultural Center’s Annual Conference in December 1999.

As field corn acreage has increased in the mid-South, consultants and farmers have often noted high tarnished plant bug populations in cotton fields adjacent to corn.

Common carpetgrass was introduced into the United States through New Orleans during the 1800s. The Creole citizens referred to it as "Louisianagrass" or "petit gazon," meaning small lawngrass.

Many soil types are present in the Mississippi River Delta of Louisiana. Optimal nitrogen application rates and timing are needed for each specific soil type.

Because of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, the state’s agriculture industry has become world-class and competitive globally. this is the opinion of three former experiment station directors as they reflected on the past.

Beef cattle in Louisiana are constantly infected with gastrointestinal nematodes, commonly referred to as roundworms.

Cotton is the most important textile fiber crop and the world’s second-most important oil-seed crop after soybeans. Cotton is grown commercially in the temperate and tropical regions of more than 50 countries. In the U.S., cotton is a major agricultural crop and was grown on more than 12.2 million acres in 2002. In Louisiana in 2002, cotton was produced on about 490,000 acres, which was well below the 50-year average of about 680,000 acres.

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine Fall 2000

Louisiana Agricullture Magazine 2000 summer

Louisiana Agriculture Magazine Winter 2000

The projected Louisiana gross farm value of forest products decreased significantly Oct. 1 , 2006, through Sept. 30,2007, according to the LSU AgCenter’s 2007 AgSummary.

Between 30,000 and 40,000 acres of sugarcane production in St. Mary, Iberia and Vermilion parishes were substantially affected by storm surge from Hurricane Rita that came on shore in southwestern Louisiana on September 24, 2005.

Sweet potatoes are an important agricultural commodity in Louisiana. More than 14,000 acres of sweet potatoes were planted in Louisiana in 2007 with a farmgate value of $65 million.

Louisiana sweet potato producers harvested an average to slightly above average crop in 2007, although acreage was slightly down from that of 2006 with 14,254 harvested acres for 2007.

Stink bugs were first recorded as pests of cotton during the early 1900s. The most common species of stink bug found in cotton fields across the southern United States are the southern green stink bug, green stink bug and brown stink bug.

Farmers have traditionally used harvest aids to desiccate weeds and improve crop quality and harvest efficiency. In recent years, harvest aids have become especially important in producing early maturing soybeans in Louisiana. Excessive foreign material and moisture associated with green plants at harvest can reduce the price producers receive.

The success of early season production coupled with the increasing late-season occurrence of Cercospora leaf blight, Asian rust and stink bugs has led Louisiana soybean producers to consider even earlier maturing varieties to maintain profitable soybean production.

Glyphosate (sold under numerousformulations including Roundup,Touchdown and others) is a nonselective, postemergence herbicide used to control weeds in reduced tillage systems and in glyphosate-resistant soybeans, cotton and corn marketed in the southern United States.