1960s
1960
Gypsy moth pheromone discovered;
proposed using sex attractants to disrupt mating.(more)
US-1140 great northern bean released;
dominant variety in this seed class for 25 years.
Developed method for shrinkproofing wool
called interfacial polymerization; known as the WURlan process.
Revealed that protein similarities between
plant and disease organism are involved in susceptibility of the plant to the
disease.
Instant sweet potatoes developed.
Discovered mechanism of delayed bitterness
in citrus juices and identified enzyme system that prevents bitterness in whole
fruit. (more)
Determined cause and prevention of cockle
defect in sheepskins.
Robinson, Osceloa, and Lee tangerines
released. (more)
PD-611 tobacco released; first tobacco line
resistant to root-knot nematodes.
Wells and Lakota durum wheat
released.
Vinall wild rye released.
Utah Synthetic C alfalfa released.
Chinook and Ranier cherries released.
Midway strawberry released.
1961
Path of carbon in photosynthesis determined (Calvin cycle).
Statistical Reporting Service established.
Neutron probe developed for field
measurements of soil-water content.
First commercial semidwarf cultivar of a
cereal grain in North America released; Gaines high-yield wheat helped launch
'Green Revolution.’ (more)
Feed Grain Act passed
Peace Corps established.
Equine piroplasmosis reported in the U.S.
Economic Research Service established.
Developed cytoplasmic male-sterile millet.
By 1965, Indian scientists had developed a new hybrid from these seeds that
yielded 88 percent more grain than common millet. (more)
Developed method to prevent gelling in
canned evaporated milk.
Demonstrated that flavor components in fruit
could be incorporated into amorphous sugar that was moisture stable at room
temperature; used to fortify flavors of candies, cookies, and cakes.
Discovered that spraying linseed oil
mixtures on new concrete prevented damage from salt put on roads to melt ice
during winter.
Emerald crownvetch discovered by plant
exploration team in southeastern Russian, introduced into Midwest.(more)
Developed method for measuring pungency of
onions by determining amount of pyruvic acid.
Isolated an abscission-accelerating chemical
from cotton burs, absicisn.
Badger Shipper cabbage released; first with
some resistance to clubroot.
Bethel and Kent soybean released.
Woodard blueberry released.
Belle Patna rice released.
Denta sweetclover released; first nonbitter
white sweetclover.
1962
Silent Spring published; documented the effect of chemicals on the
environment. (more)
Discovered breeding line that could restore
fertility to male-sterile wheat plants.
Library collection of USDA designated as
National Agricultural Library.
Cereal leaf beetle discovered to be established in
Michigan.
Purified and structurally identified three
soluble ribonucleic acids (RNAs). (more)
Developed method for built-in permanent
creases for wool trousers.
First laboratory test developed to detect
bluetongue neutralizing antibody.
Released four inbred lines that resulted in
first commercial production of hybrid seed of pearl millet.
Developed methods using calcium to remove
strontium-90 radioactivity from wheat and milk.
Developed method using cyclic lighting and
chemical retardants to produce compact poinsettias with dark-green
foliage.
U-1421 safflower released.
First precision weighing lysimiter with
automated data processing developed.
Discovered new sugar in honey, named erlose,
resulting from the action of the honey bee enzyme invertase on sucrose.
1963
Virulent-virus hog cholera vaccines outlawed. (more)
Produced first evidence of large genetic differences in
amino acid composition of cereal protein, thereby making possible improvement
of the nutritional quality of cereal protein.
Abscisic acid identified.
Slack mercerization developed to improve
cotton stretchability. (more)
Simple test for galactose developed; served
as basis for diagnosing infants with galactosemia.
Discovered Chediak-Higashi syndrome in mink
and cattle.
Fiber retriever invented to increase
efficiency of cleaning section of card in cotton by up to 40 percent.(more)
Proved that tropical horse tick,
Dermacentor nitens, can transmit equine piroplasmosis.
Discovered that wild carrots give sheep
acute sensitivity to sunlight, causing sunburn of sensitive areas.
Starch-based polyethers developed and
converted to foam; dries as a rigid layer of insulation.
Crane and Orrin Chinese chestnuts released,
the only chestnuts that can be grown in the eastern U.S.
Penobscot potato discovered; first with good
resistance to leaf roll virus.
Jensen-Haise equation developed.
1964
Agricultural Appropriation Act authorized fifth utilization laboratory at
Athens, GA.
Showed that detergents made from fats are
biodegradable and produce much less foaming than detergents made from
alkybenzene-sulfonates.
Discovered that different plant varieties
alter soil pH differently.
Developed plastic frames for bee
honeycombs.
Simple method developed to determine amount
of available lysine in oilseed meals.
Chemically treated cotton batting created;
held its shape better than older versions.(more)
First field test of devices for an automated
irrigation system performed.
1965
United States entered Vietnam conflict.
Discovered molecular structure of transfer
RNA. (more)
Juvenile hormone of insects identified and
synthesized.
Durable-press cotton textile (permanent
press) developed. (more)
Water Resources Planning Act passed.
Nugaines soft white winter wheat released;
sister to Gaines with resistance to stripe rust and cephalosprium
stripe. (more)
Hood strawberry released; most important
processing cultivar for many years.
Light-absorbing pigment called chromosphere
discovered as the activating agent for phytochrome. (more)
Conducted initial field trials using
corrugated-wall polyethylene plastic tubing for subsurface drainage; installed
tubing with an ARS-developed plow, rather than excavating trenches to install
tubing in the soil.
Discovered that addition of vitamins C and E
reduced levels of nitrosamines in fried bacon and nitrite-cured products;
industry changed processing to minimize consumer exposure to cancer-causing
nitrosamines.
Developed a continuous process for making
bulgur, while reducing cost by two-thirds; invented WURLD wheat, a chemically
peeled, creamy white bulgur that looks like rice.
Abscisin II, a plant hormone that
accelerates plant defoliation, isolated.
Tidwarf bermudagrass released.
Spring Pink poinsettia released; first
variety with pink bracts and green foliage.
Yakima snap bean released; first commercial
snap bean with good resistance to curly top.
Controlled European wheat stem sawfly in the
eastern U.S. using biological control. (more)
Developed Beltsville Universal Computerized
Spectrophotometer, which led to commercial development of near-infrared
reflectance instruments for analysis of bulk commodities like wheat, corn, and
soybeans.
1966
High-lysine corn developed; bred to enhance protein level.
(more)
Eradicated screwworm fly from the U.S. using
sterilization. (more)
First monitoring program established to
determine effects of typical agricultural pesticide use.
Laboratory Animal Welfare Act passed; renamed Animal Welfare
Act in 1970.
Cotton Research and Promotion Act passed.
Discovered that protein is not essential in a milk cow's
diet.
Camptothecin shown to have antitumor activity; isolated from Camptotheca trees grown by ARS, samples
provided to National Cancer Institute as part of a germplasm research
project.
Identified methionine as the precursor of
ethylene, the plant hormone that promotes fruit ripening.
Smoothstem and Thornfree semierrect
blackberries released, first thornless blackberry cultivars.
Juvabione isolated, a substance in balsam
fir wood that prevents immature insects from maturing.
First electron microscope image produced of
virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease in infected animal cells.(more)
Food for Peace program amended to permit the enrichment and
fortification of commodities to improve their nutritional quality.
Showed that dairy cows could have protein
needs met with low-cost urea instead of high-cost protein feeds; research
funded by ARS.
Fortuna released; first rust and sawfly
resistant wheat.
Developed method for chemical pruning side
buds from chrysanthemums without harming the growing tip.
Conducted initial testing of prototype
laser-beam system for controlling depth and grade in subsurface drainage
installation equipment. The laser-plane grading system was adopted and modified
by industry and is now used worldwide.
Showed that ozone and sulfur dioxide in
combination more seriously affected plants than either did alone.
Developed high-calorie, nontoxic fat
emulsion for intravenous feeding from purified cottonseed oil and egg
lecithin.
1967
Viroids discovered, the smallest known
agents of plant disease. (more)
Wholesome Meat Act passed.
Blueboy released; first semidwarf soft red
winter wheat.
Grew Marek's disease-causing virus in the
laboratory for the first time.
Developed wheat-soybean tempeh.
1968
Alfalfa blotch leafminer found in the U.S.
Reported that soil eventually controls
disease 'take-all’ after years of continuously grown wheat.
Determined that lupine is toxic to cattle;
caused crooked calf disease or abortion.
Arthur soft red winter wheat released;
double the yield of standard Trumbull variety.
Friar plum released.
Team alfalfa released; ozone
resistant.
Concept of crop coefficients for use with
evapotranspiration developed.
1969
Food and Nutrition Service established. (more)
Use of modified live-virus hog cholera vaccines
outlawed.(more)
National Environmental Policy Act passed.
Discovered bovine leukemia virus.
Mycoplasmalike organisms discovered.
Discovered bovine C-type virus; later renamed bovine
leukemia virus.
A mycoplasma, a type of microorganism
associated with animal disease, identified for the first time as the cause of a
mechanically transmitted plant disease.
Patented ammoniation process for
detoxification of aflatoxin.
Discovered mode of inheritance of
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in dogs and mink.
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