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 AgComm
News Purdue Extension Purdue
Agriculture Purdue University 
Jay Akridge Olivia Maddox Cherryl Frederick  Agricultural Communication |
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January 2009 Welcome to Purdue Agriculture Report, an e-newsletter for business and community leaders on research, academics and Extension across Indiana and around the globe. Life sciences research can move the economy forward By Jay Akridge, Interim Dean of Purdue Agriculture Purdue University agricultural researchers push the borders of knowledge every day. And the discoveries made in our laboratories also expand opportunities for new economic development. In the stories below, you will see examples of how our research leads to innovation. Purdue's Scott Jackson and his contributions in sequencing the soybean genome were recently announced, paving the way for improved plants with specific traits. Also, the findings of Nick Carpita and Steve Scofield will help us make progress toward making cellulosic ethanol economically viable. University research is an important investment in our nation’s economic future, laying the foundation for improving lives and livelihoods. Story links Researchers find nature's shut-off switch for cellulose production
Nicholas Carpita, a professor of botany and plant pathology, said that small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) play a normal role in plant development by shutting off genes involved in primary cell wall growth in order to begin development of thicker, secondary cell walls. "These small RNAs were known to play a role in fending off disease-causing pathogens, but we are only now beginning to understand their involvement in normal plant development," he said. "If we can learn to interfere with the down-regulation of cellulose synthesis, then plants may be able to produce more cellulose, which is key to biofuels production." Economist: 'Blending wall' stands in way of ethanol growth Ethanol production opened the door to the renewable fuels industry. The industry now must get past an imposing wall of federal regulations and market conditions if it hopes to grow, said a Purdue University agricultural economist. "The ethanol industry is now faced with what is called a 'blending wall,'" said Wally Tyner, an energy policy specialist. "The ethanol industry will not and cannot grow with the blending wall in place. That means we won't have cellulosic ethanol and the demand for corn for ethanol will be limited unless the blending wall is somehow changed or we find a way around it." The blending wall refers to the amount of ethanol gasoline companies are permitted to blend with petroleum-based fuel. Federal standards set the amount at 10 percent of gasoline consumption. Unless the barrier is removed, ethanol production could level off by 2010, Tyner said. Simple soybean anything but - genetically, researcher says Think humans are complex creatures? Consider the lowly soybean, said a Purdue University researcher. When it comes to genetics, the soybean plant is far more intricate than that of a human, said Scott Jackson, a plant genomics and cytogenetics researcher in Purdue's Department of Agronomy. Jackson was among a team of researchers that mapped and sequenced the soybean genome for a project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI). The genome can be viewed online at http://www.phytozome.net/soybean. Study: Data analysis influences farmland protection policy They might be neighbors geographically and agriculturally, but Indiana and Illinois are worlds apart when it comes to preserving farmland, said two Purdue University forestry and natural resources researchers. Illinois takes an aggressive approach to protecting farmland from excessive development and urban sprawl, while Indiana is far less regulatory, said Linda Prokopy, an assistant professor in environmental and land-use planning. Part of the reason, Prokopy said, is because policy-makers in the two states interpret and apply U.S. Department of Agriculture farmland data differently. "They use the data to justify distinctively different approaches to farmland protection," she said. Prokopy and graduate student Aaron Thompson compared Indiana and Illinois farmland acreage losses and government responses in a study titled "Tracking Urban Sprawl: Using Spatial Data to Inform Farmland Preservation Policy." Webinar to help improve supervisor, workforce relationships The Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service is sponsoring a five-part webinar series to teach supervisors how to improve on-the-job performance for both themselves and their employees. The Enhancing Supervisory and Employee Performance program, sponsored by Purdue Extension's Women in Agriculture team, will consist of sessions held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the following Mondays: Jan. 12 and 26, Feb. 9 and 23, and March 23. "This program will benefit anyone who has employees," said Kelly Easterday, educator, Purdue Extension Kosciusko County. "Participants will walk away with employee management information that will make any employer's job easier." For registration forms, more program information or to learn about the webinar and participant requirements, log on to http://agriculture.purdue.edu/wia/upcoming.htm. Stress relief: Lab mice that exercise control may be more normal
Laboratory mice live in sterile environments controlled by humans. Joseph Garner, assistant professor of animal sciences, said that can be stressful for the animals because they do not have much control. "The perception of its ability to control stress has a bigger impact on the animal than does the stress itself," he said. "Chronic, uncontrollable stress changes animals, making them different than normal. This ultimately makes them less valid research subjects." Conference helps growers learn the ins and outs of organics The fifth annual Midwest Organic Production and Marketing Conference and Trade Show, held in conjunction with the Indiana Horticulture Congress, will be Jan. 21-22 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Indianapolis. "Participants will leave the conference with a better understanding of organic production techniques," said Jim True, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service educator and co-conference planner. "Once a grower can produce the product, they'll need to market it and we've got sessions explaining different marketing strategies such as community supported agriculture and how to sell to wholesalers." Online registration is available at http://orgconf.sustainability.uiuc.edu/. Upcoming Events January 3 - 20: Indiana Area Beef Meetings January 12: Enhancing Supervisory & Employee Performance Webinar Series January 13 - March 3: Forest Management On Private Woodlands January 13 - 15: Fort Wayne Farm Show January 19 - 21: Indiana Horticultural Congress and Trade Show January 21 - 22: Midwest Organic Production & Marketing Conference January 21 - 22: Heart of America Grazing Conference January 27 - Feb. 24: Managing Margin Risk - Interactive Video Conference January 30 - 31: Farming Together Workshop Click here for more information on upcoming events |
Purdue University researchers found a mechanism that naturally shuts down cellulose production in plants, and learning how to keep that switch turned on may be key to enhancing biomass production for plant-based biofuels.
Purdue University scientists found that mice raised in cages may relieve stress with behaviors associated with mice in the wild. And for researchers using lab mice, this may mean that by allowing mice to express these behaviors they can conduct research with animals that act and respond more naturally, hopefully making research data more reliable.