FEED - July 2010
Contents
1. Different crops and soil preparation practices affect storage of carbon in soil
2. Large test of engineered, invasive trees planned
3. Government research facility supports organic poultry
4. Researchers create low-allergy peanut using conventional breeding
1. Different crops and soil preparation practices affect storage of carbon in soil
Scientists continue to unearth the complex connections between agricultural practices and the ability of soil to store atmospheric carbon (pdf) that could otherwise contribute to global warming. A long-term study conducted in the Great Plains region of the United States has shown that the choice of crops and preparation of the soil can strongly influence soil health. The study compared cultivation practices over 33 years and found that not tilling the soil (not turning it over before planting), growing wheat, and leaving crop residues on the land after harvest built the most stable and carbon-rich soil. By contrast, cultivation of sorghum grain alternating with fallow land (land that is left unplanted for a season) degraded the quality of the soil. These patterns underscore the benefits of permanent protective cover on the soil and reveal the ways in which different crops and tillage practices affect the properties of soil and its ability to store carbon. It is important for scientists to understand these effects as policymakers consider incentives for farmers to adopt climate-friendly practices.
| "Studies like this one that span decades are critical for understanding how different agricultural practices enhance or degrade soil quality." ~ Noel Gurwick, Senior Scientist, Food & Environment Program |
2. Large test of engineered, invasive trees planned
Federal regulators have approved a large and controversial field trial of genetically engineered (GE) eucalyptus trees. The trial could involve more than 200,000 trees covering a total of about 300 acres in seven states. This is one of only a few field trials to allow flowering—and hence seed production—of engineered trees, which could potentially allow the trees' descendants to spread beyond the field trial sites. The trees are engineered with a gene for cold tolerance that will allow them to grow in colder climates than conventional eucalyptus trees; normally they would not be able to survive north of Florida. They also contain a gene for reduced fertility that will limit but not destroy their ability to spread. They are being grown as a potential new source of wood for pulp, paper, and biofuels. Many scientists are concerned about the trial because eucalyptus trees use a comparatively large amount of water, are prone to fire, may be invasive, and are unlikely to support the same level of biodiversity as native trees. These qualities could pose problems if the trees are approved for market and are widely planted, or if the trees' progeny spread in the environment. Read more from The New York Times.
3. Government research facility supports organic poultry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established a first-of-its-kind organic poultry research facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The facility will study the effectiveness of natural compounds such as plant extracts to kill bacteria in poultry. This research is vital because organic poultry growers are not allowed to use many of the treatments that are available to conventional producers to kill bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, which are commonly carried in the digestive tracts of poultry. UCS actively lobbied Congress to fund research on organic programs in the latest Food and Farm Bill; historically, nearly all funding for public research into poultry production has focused on conventional poultry systems. Read a press release about the research facility.
| "It's been a long time coming, but it's great for organic poultry producers finally to have government research support." ~ Margaret Mellon, Food & Environment Program Director |
4. Researchers create low-allergy peanut using conventional breeding
A new low-allergy peanut is in the works. Scientists created the new peanut through conventional breeding rather than genetic engineering. The peanut may be on the market in 2–5 years, according to a presentation at a conference by a member of the USDA team that developed it, but further research is needed. Scientists have also tried to genetically engineer peanuts with reduced levels of allergens, but these efforts have not resulted in a commercial product. People with a peanut allergy could consume a higher dose of the new variety before experiencing a reaction, and the low-allergy peanuts would be less likely to cause people who ate them to develop an allergy in the first place, according to the BBC News.
Click here to sign up for FEED and get food and environment updates through "The Pulse" – the monthly newsletter of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
