1940s
1940
Developed and tested soilless media for
plant growth; vermiculite discovered.
Of gainfully employed persons, 18 percent were engaged in
agriculture.
Actinomycin antibiotic obtained from soil
microorganisms.
Developed new compound, ascorbyl palmitate,
from vitamin C and a long-chain fatty acid; used as an antioxidant in vegetable
soils and as a dietary supplement.
First commercial controlled-atmosphere storage for apples
constructed.
1941
Mildew- and rot-proof fabrics and
bandages developed. (more)
First simple daily nutrition guide
published. (more)
Beltsville small white turkey developed;
ancestor of today's commercial turkeys.
United States entered World War II.
Deep-vat fermentation developed in Peoria,
IL, allowing mass-production of penicillin. (more)
War Powers Act passed.
International Harvester Company perfected a one-row
high-drum picker for cotton.
Utilization Research and Development Divisions established
by USDA in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, and California to develop new
industrial outlets for agricultural products and crop residues.
(more)
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
Found genetic resistance to corn earworm in
a line of flour corn.
Demonstrated that methyl bromide is a
broad-spectrum biocide and controls nematodes.
1942
First nuclear reactor built.
Growth regulation ability of 2,4-D
(2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) discovered; chemical was later widely used as
an herbicide.
Postulated important physiological effect of
rutin on capillary blood vessels; discovered that buckwheat was economical
source of rutin and developed manufacturing procedures.
Emergency Rubber Production Act passed.
Discovered chemical structure of DDT;
military began to use chemical to protect against typhus.
(more)
Rhodesgrass mealybug identified in the U.S.
Induced ovulation in domestic fowl.
Lincoln Smooth Bromegrass released; dominant
variety for several years.
Ranger alfalfa released; dominant variety
for several years.
Effective huller developed for harvesting
castor beans.
Dourine of horses eradicated.
1943
Aerosol container for dispensing
insecticides patented. (more)
Palatable dehydrated eggs developed.
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
established.
Office of War Mobilization established.
Citrus canker eradicated from seven gulf states.
Developed method for cleaning Navy airplane
engines by blasting them with ground corn cobs.
Willamette red raspberry released;
predominant Northwest cultivar until 1980s.
Research to create fruit essences began; led
to development of concentrated frozen apple and grape juices.
Found that linoleic and linolenic acids were
retarding process of making synthetic rubber from butadiene and styrene; solved
by partial hydrogenation.
Texas cattle fever eradicated.
(more)
Coastal bermudagrass released;
revolutionized forage grass production in the southern U.S.
Buffalo alfalfa released.
1944
Discovered epoxidation, which allowed
production of flexible vinyl.
Organic Act provided for control and eradication of certain
animal and plant pests and diseases.
Antibiotic streptomycin isolated from soil
microorganisms.
Complement fixation test to diagnose
anaplasmosis in cattle developed.
Comstock mealybug controlled in eastern U.S.
using biological control. (more)
1945
World War II ended.
Food and Agriculture Organization formed by the United
Nations.
Developed a process for preparing purified
grade of oleic acid from inedible animal fats, used in cosmetics and as
lubricants in textile mills.
Bankhead-Flanagan Act provided for expansion of county
extension work.
Germany and Japan surrendered to the Allies.
Developed cytoplasmic male-sterile sugar
beet lines; led to emphasis on hybrid development.
Established that clay particles are minerals
with crystalline structures.
Developed x-ray diffraction to analyze
fertilizers.
Established fresh fruit maturity standards
for marketing oranges.
1946
National School Lunch Act passed.
Technique developed to produce high-quality
frozen orange juice concentrate. (more)
Research and Marketing Act passed.
Oriental fruit flies found in Hawaiian Islands.
(more)
Released 5,000 beetles as biological
controls against Klamath weed; the first successful attempt in the U.S. to
control a weed with a plant-eating insect.
Vigo soft red winter wheat released; one of
first of these types to withstand leaf rust.
1947
Avian leukosis virus first
isolated.
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act passed;
replaced Insecticide Act of 1910.
First U.S. case of scrapie diagnosed in sheep.
Organophosphate pesticides developed.
(more)
Saw-type lint cleaner for cotton gins
developed. (more)
Congress authorized cooperative project with Mexico to
eradicate foot-and-mouth disease there. (more)
National Foundation Seed Project organized
by USDA to assist the states in the rapid buildup of foundation seed
supplies.
Discovered antibiotic polymyxin.
Marfed soft white spring wheat released, the
major spring wheat grown in Washington until semidwarf wheats were
introduced.
1948
Saint Anthony Falls stilling basin
designed.
Time-temperature tolerance project began;
ultimately developed nine principles for freezing vegetables that remain the
industry standard. (more)
Cortisone found to relieve rheumatoid arthritis.
Screened 6,600 plant species for useful
chemicals. Found Mexican yam to have highest yield of compound diosgenin, an
ingredient that can be used to produce cortisone.
Chehalem trailing blackberry released; one
of the first high-quality processing cultivars.
Kennebec potato released.
Synthesized esters determined to be similar
to the active constituents of pyrethrum; one of these synthetic insecticides,
allerthrin, used in aerosol pesticide bombs. (more)
1949
Methods developed to remove off-taste in
soybean oil, including deactivating trace metal contamination and reducing
content of rancidity-causing linolenic acid. (more)
Radiocarbon dating invented.
Bluecrop highbush blueberry released; the
most widely planted blueberry cultivar in the world.
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