<body> --------------
Contact Us       Consulting       Projects       Our Goals       About Us
home / Archive
Nature Blog Network


    Mongabay, a leading resource for news and perspectives on environmental and conservation issues related to the tropics, has launched Tropical Conservation Science - a new, open access academic e-journal. It will cover a wide variety of scientific and social studies on tropical ecosystems, their biodiversity and the threats posed to them. Tropical Conservation Science - March 8, 2008.

    At the 148th Meeting of the OPEC Conference, the oil exporting cartel decided to leave its production level unchanged, sending crude prices spiralling to new records (above $104). OPEC "observed that the market is well-supplied, with current commercial oil stocks standing above their five-year average. The Conference further noted, with concern, that the current price environment does not reflect market fundamentals, as crude oil prices are being strongly influenced by the weakness in the US dollar, rising inflation and significant flow of funds into the commodities market." OPEC - March 5, 2008.

    Kyushu University (Japan) is establishing what it says will be the world’s first graduate program in hydrogen energy technologies. The new master’s program for hydrogen engineering is to be offered at the university’s new Ito campus in Fukuoka Prefecture. Lectures will cover such topics as hydrogen energy and developing the fuel cells needed to convert hydrogen into heat or electricity. Of all the renewable pathways to produce hydrogen, bio-hydrogen based on the gasification of biomass is by far both the most efficient, cost-effective and cleanest. Fuel Cell Works - March 3, 2008.


    An entrepreneur in Ivory Coast has developed a project to establish a network of Miscanthus giganteus farms aimed at producing biomass for use in power generation. In a first phase, the goal is to grow the crop on 200 hectares, after which expansion will start. The project is in an advanced stage, but the entrepreneur still seeks partners and investors. The plantation is to be located in an agro-ecological zone qualified as highly suitable for the grass species. Contact us - March 3, 2008.

    A 7.1MW biomass power plant to be built on the Haiwaiian island of Kaua‘i has received approval from the local Planning Commission. The plant, owned and operated by Green Energy Hawaii, will use albizia trees, a hardy species that grows in poor soil on rainfall alone. The renewable power plant will meet 10 percent of the island's energy needs. Kauai World - February 27, 2008.


Creative Commons License


Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Researchers develop drought-tolerant corn varieties


Scientists from AgriLife Research, part of the Texas A&M University System, have developed drought-tolerant maize varieties that yield well. The crops are not genetically modified, but are obtained by crossing temperate and tropically adapted varieties. Dr. Wenwei Xu, lead researcher, seeks to develop drought-tolerant plants that perform well under reduced irrigation.

With the continuing decline of the water level at one of the world's largest aquifers - the Ogallala Aquifer which is located beneath the Great Plains in the U.S. - and with increasing cost of pumping water, the use of drought-tolerant and high-yield corn hybrids is a key for sustainable corn production under limited irrigation, the breeder says.

The researchers hope to reduce the amount of water required for corn by at least 10 percent, which would make a serious difference on water withdrawal rates.

A field day was held recently at the North Plains AgriLife Research Station near Etter to demonstrate the differences between the parent plants and the offspring, or crosses.

Already the AgriLife Research program out of Lubbock has released four inbred lines of corn and numerous others are in the process for release.
The new multiple-stress-tolerant corn lines can be used to produce corn hybrids adapted to Texas and other southern states. They can be a powerful tool to save water and produce crops with yield and grain quality under stressful environments. - Dr. Wenwei Xu, breeder at AgriLife Research
The research station at Etter is one of three test sites in Xu's program. The others are located at Halfway and Lubbock. About 500 hybrids are being evaluated this year for either grain yield or silage yield and quality.

Xu said there has been an increasing demand for silage corn in the Texas High Plains, and producers need new hybrids adapted to the local environment. Corn produced in the U.S. is primarily based on two races of maize, but there are more than 250 races identified around the world:
Most of our breeding efforts start by crossing tropical corn with temperate elite lines. Then we select for desirable traits to broaden genetic diversity and introduce useful genes from exotic corn to improve stress tolerance, agronomic productivity, disease resistance, insect resistance and value-added grain characteristics. - Dr. Wenwei Xu
Xu said some of the experimental hybrids they are working with have produced the same silage yield under irrigation equaling 75 percent evapotranspiration as with 100 percent evapotranspiration irrigation.

Evapotranspiration is the loss of water from the soil both by evaporation and by transpiration from the plants, and is reported on a daily basis through the Texas High Plains Evapotranspiration Network:
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Bruce Spinhirne, AgriLife Research associate based in Lubbock, said they reduced the irrigation on a few hybrids by 50 percent and had a severe yield and quality limitation, so they followed that by the 75 percent water application.

Those results are due in part to the use of stored moisture in the soil profile, Spinhirne says. At 75 percent (evapotranspiration), you have 3 to 4 inches of available moisture that is used, where if you are watering at 100 percent, it is wasted, the researcher adds.

The average silage yield of 20 corn hybrids at two locations (Etter and Halfway) was 26.84 tons per acre under 75 percent evapotranspiration irrigation, just slightly lower than the 27.49 tons per acre under 100 percent evapotranpiration irrigation, Spinhirne said.

However there were significant differences among hybrids in each environment. One of the experimental hybrids produced the same amount of silage in both locations when irrigation was reduced from 100 percent to 75 percent.

The researchers think that developing and using new corn hybrids with improved tolerance to drought and other stresses is important and a viable water-saving approach.

References:
Wenwei Xu, Bruce Spinhirne, Thomas Marek, Brent Bean, and Dennis Pietsch. Silage Corn Hybrids for the Texas High Plains [*.pdf], Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.

2007 State Silage Corn Performance Test at Etter [*.pdf].

AgriLife Research: AgriLife Research breeder develops drought-tolerant corn - August 22, 2008.

More information on the corn and silage trials can be found here.


Article continues