MAES News
January 2, 2009
- Diverse Landscapes Provide More Benefits -- MAES Scientists Urge Policymakers to Think Broadly about Biofuel Crops
- MAES Researcher Finds Only 3 Percent of Fast-Food Kids' Meals Meet Dietary Guidelines
- MSU Technology Harnesses Microbial Power to Boost Plant Production with Environmental Benefits
- MAES Research Shows Cover Crops, Compost Offset Carbon Loss from Corn Stover Ethanol Production
- Two MAES Scientists Named AAAS Fellows for Contributions in Plant Genetics and Genomics
- MAES Wildlife Scientist Part of $1.8 Million Department of Defense Grant
- MAES Researcher Thomas Whittam Dies
Diversity is valuable socially, economically and now environmentally.
Research by MAES scientists has found that growing more corn to produce ethanol - which creates less diverse landscapes -- reduces the ability of beneficial insects to control pests. Resulting losses are valued at about $58 million per year in the four states studied -- Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
"Corn is a less favorable habitat for many ladybird beetles [ladybugs] and other beneficial insects that feed on pests such as the soybean aphid," said Doug
Landis, MAES entomology scientist. "As we plant more corn, we reduce the ability of that landscape to supply beneficial predators to control pests in soybeans and other crops. This results in increased pesticide use and yield losses. This research estimates the value of this biological pest control service in soybeans to be about $240 million each year."
The research was published in the Dec. 15, 2008, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
From 2006 to 2007, a 19 percent increase in corn acreage in the United States reduced landscape diversity in many areas, the scientists said.
"Overreliance on any one crop is likely to reduce the value of natural control of pest insects by beneficial insects," said Scott
Swinton, MAES agricultural, food and resource economist and paper co-author. "If we look at farmers who grow only corn and soybeans, increasing corn acreage and reducing soybean acreage will probably mean higher costs for soybean pest control. Beneficial insects help control pests so growers have lower pest control costs."
Both Landis and Swinton are members of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, a partnership between Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct basic research aimed at solving complex problems in converting natural materials to energy.
The researchers say that achieving the biofuel production levels mandated by Congress will take millions of acres to provide the necessary raw materials and will change agricultural landscapes. Understanding how these landscape changes affect the sustainability of biofuel production is the overall goal of the research.
"Ultimately, we hope this helps policymakers think about which and how much of any biofuel crop, as well as the location of the crop, makes sense for a particular landscape," Landis said. "We could choose to create monocultures of a single biofuel crop or have diverse mixtures of many biomass sources, including perennial trees and grasses as well as corn. Diverse landscapes often support higher levels of vital ecosystem services such as pest suppression and pollination. Our goal is to provide information so people can make more informed decisions."
In addition to Landis and Swinton, other paper authors are Mary Gardiner, MSU entomology postdoctoral researcher, and Wopke van der Werf, professor of crop systems at Wageningen University in The Netherlands.
This research was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Avoidance and Mitigation Program, the DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, the National Science Foundation and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
For more information on Michigan State University's biofuel and bioenergy research, visit: www.bioeconomy.msu.edu.
MAES Researcher Finds Only 3 Percent of Fast-Food Kids' Meals Meet Dietary Guidelines
Only 3 percent of kids' meals served at fast-food restaurants meet federal dietary guidelines, according to the first study to examine the nutrient quality of such meals in a major U.S. metropolitan market.
MAES food science and human nutrition researcher Sharon Hoerr teamed up with economist Sharon O'Donnell and pediatrician Jason Mendoza from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston to assess the nutritional status of kids' meals in the Houston market.
The small percentage of meals that did meet dietary guidelines included milk and fruit as a side dish, and nearly all were deli-sandwich meals. They also had about one-third the fat, one-sixth the added sugars, twice the iron and three times the amount of vitamin A and calcium as did meals not meeting the criteria.
"This report is the first to characterize and compare the nutrient quality of all combinations of fast-food kids' meals in a major metropolitan market," Hoerr said. "Because 25 percent of children aged 4 to 8 years consume fast food on a typical day, the diet quality of kids' meals offered by fast-food companies contributes significantly to their overall health and well-being. Two trends motivate the need for an evaluation of the nutrient quality of fast-food kids' meals: the increased prevalence of childhood obesity and the amount of food consumed away from home."
The team assessed the quality of kids' meals in the fourth largest U.S. city by using nutrient values provided by the major fast food companies, the seven nutrient criteria from the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and dietary guidelines for sodium, fiber, added sugar and trans fat.
"We chose Houston because its fast-food restaurants include 12 of the 13 national and regional fast-food companies, represented by 477 restaurants that sell kids' meals," O'Donnell said. "Virtually every meal combination is offered in this market, so it provides a pretty comprehensive snapshot of what's out there."
Of the meals that did not meet the NSLP guidelines, more than 65 percent exceeded guidelines for total fat, 75 percent were deficient in calcium, 82 percent were deficient in iron, and 85 percent were deficient in vitamin A.
The choice of main entree by itself didn't influence the nutrient content of typical meals studied, the group found, but side choices did. Raisins appeared to be the most nutritious fruit side because of their high iron content.
"This suggests that parents should carefully read the nutrition information to determine what is included in these meals," Hoerr said. "Sparing use of dipping sauces and other condiments will also help to keep sodium, added sugars and fat low."
Although only a small percentage of the meals met NSLP guidelines, researchers believe that fast-food kids' meals can be designed to taste good and meet a basic level of nutrient quality.
"Fast-food companies are not required to produce meals that meet the nutrient protocol of the NSLP, so finding even a small percentage of meals that met the protocol is encouraging," Mendoza said. "Further, 42 percent of all the meal combinations in the study met four or more of the criteria."
Hoerr and her colleagues agree it is the responsibility of the restaurant industry to develop and market more nutritious kids' meal options and for parents to choose healthy kids' meals for their children.
"Through public policy efforts and purchasing choices, parents, physicians, consumer groups, policymakers and public health professionals can deliver a strong, united message to fast-food companies that kids' meals are most desirable when they are nutritious as well as tasty," Hoerr said.
The study, "Nutrient Quality of Fast Food Kids' Meals," was published in the November 2008 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
MSU Technology Harnesses Microbial Power to Boost Plant Production with Environmental Benefits
Farmers, home gardeners, golf course managers and other plant growers now have access to a new type of microbial fertilizer that dramatically increases plant size and yield. thanks to a licensing agreement between Michigan State University and Bio
Soil Enhancers, Inc.
C.A. Reddy, MAES microbiology and molecular genetics researcher, and Lalithakumari Janarthanam, visiting research associate, isolated beneficial bacteria, fungi and other soil microbes. The scientists then combined selected groups of organisms and identified a formulation that significantly increased plant growth and productivity.
"The microbe formulation offers a number of benefits to plants," Reddy explained. "It promotes growth by enabling plants to use atmospheric nitrogen. This reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The formulation also helps the plants become more disease-resistant and helps mobilize key minerals, such as phosphate, which helps crops produce plant-growth-stimulating hormone. Above all, the formulation is cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
"We tested the formulations on a number of plants, from bell peppers, squash and tomatoes to corn, soybeans and grasses," he continued. "The improvement in growth and yield was 25 percent to more than 90 percent. Even we were surprised by the broad spectrum of plants that benefited from the formulation. I don't know of any other product currently on the market that benefits so many types of crops."
The two most beneficial formulas have been commercially licensed by Bio Soil Enhancers, based in Hattiesburg, Miss. Wayne Wade and Krish Reddy, co-founders of the company, said initial products are on the market now, and new products are expected to be released very soon. They added that the microbial-based fertilizers cost less than nitrogen-based fertilizers. Bio Soil Enhancers is pursuing organic certification for the compounds, said Lou Elwell, company president and co-founder.
"Our midseason reports showed a 50 to 90 percent increase in cotton yield for the growers that were using our microbial-based fertilizer," Elwell said. "The improvements are very impressive."
"We look forward to working with Bio Soil Enhancers to further develop this promising soil enhancement formulation," said Mike Poterala, executive director of MSU Technologies, which is responsible for commercializing MSU technology and negotiated the license with Bio Soil Enhancers. "This is a very exciting development for MSU that promises significant improvements in plant quality and yield."
MAES Research Shows Cover Crops, Compost Offset Carbon Loss from Corn Stover Ethanol Production
Making ethanol from plant waste might quiet the food-versus-fuel debate, but removing organic carbon nutrients from the soil creates new issues. MAES scientists are finding a way around that problem, too.
Corn stover, the leaves and stalks of corn plants left after harvest, is a promising source of cellulosic ethanol. MAES crop and soil scientists Kurt Thelen and Doo-Hong Min and graduate student Bradley Fronning are finding that farming practices such as planting cover crops and adding manure and compost can reduce carbon loss in fields where corn stover is removed.
The team measured soil carbon changes as well as nitrous oxide and methane gas emissions from several test plots. They also assessed the carbon cost of crop inputs, methane emissions from manure sources, greenhouse gases generated during manure storage and application, and fuel use in crop production.
"The results demonstrate that bioenergy cropping systems, particularly those that use livestock manure as part of the management scheme, are a win-win option on both alternative energy and environmental fronts," Thelen said. "With proper management, livestock manure can replace carbon lost from corn stover removal and actually provide an environmental benefit, both in terms of greenhouse gas mitigation and the improved soil properties associated with increasing soil organic carbon levels, such as increased water retention."
"It will be important to build on this research by comparing tillage systems -- no-till versus conventional tillage -- and looking at integrated cropping systems such as corn-alfalfa rotations. In addition to their carbon storage and bioenergy value, these are very important crops as feed sources for the dairy industry," Min added.
The research is supported by the MAES, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and the Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases program.
The study, "Use of Manure, Compost and Cover Crops to Supplant Crop Residue Carbon in Corn Stover Removed Cropping Systems," was published in the November 2008 issue of the Agronomy Journal and is available online.
Two MAES Scientists Named AAAS Fellows for Contributions in Plant Genetics and Genomics
Two MAES researchers were recognized for their ground-breaking research by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which named them AAS fellows in December.
Dean Della Penna, MAES biochemistry and molecular biology scientist, and C. Robin Buell, MAES plant biology scientists, are among 486 AAAS members named as fellows this year.
Della Penna was honored for outstanding contributions in plant biochemical genetics and vitamin biosynthesis, and for leadership in altering crops to address micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries. Buell was named for distinguished contributions to plant and microbial genomics and genome biology, particularly in areas combining genome sequencing and computational biology.
Della Penna is an international authority on the biosynthesis of micronutrients in plants, doing pioneering research on vitamin A and vitamin E biosynthesis and using biochemistry, genetics and genomics to discover enzymes that plants use to make them. He also has led projects funded by international agencies and the Gates Foundation to improve the nutritional quality of rice, cassava and other foods in developing regions. His research also illuminates how vitamins contribute to the growth and stress tolerance of plants, which could lead to plants that thrive in substandard environments.
"What interests me in the research is that it is an opportunity to perform cutting-edge research on important areas of plant biochemistry/biology and has the potential to positively impact the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide," Della Penna explained.
"I was surprised," Buell said.
Recognized for her work with rice genomics, Buell has been at MSU for only a year, setting up her lab and starting new research projects on the Solanaceae family,which includes potatoes and tomatoes.
Buell sees herself as a translator between technology and biology, sequencing genes, analyzing them and developing genomic data bases for access by other researchers.
Della Penna, Buell and other new AAAS fellows will be recognized Feb. 14 during the 2009 AAAS annual meeting in Chicago. DellaPenna is a presenter at the annual meeting and will discuss his research on crop biofortification on Feb. 13.
MAES Wildlife Scientist Part of $1.8 Million Department of Defense Grant
MAES fisheries and wildlife scientist Michael
Jones is co-leader of a project receiving $1.8 million in funding from the Department of Defense to reconcile wildlife conservation with national defense needs.
The project focuses on increasing red-cockaded woodpecker populations, an effort that has been slowed by habitat fragmentation. The researchers want to develop a cost-effective habitat trading system, so that landowners can earn income by conserving endangered species habitat to offset the environmental effects of military installations.
The research is sponsored by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program.
MAES Researcher Thomas Whittam Dies
Thomas Whittam, MAES researcher and Hannah distinguished professor of bacterial evolution at MSU, died Dec. 5 after a two-year battle with brain cancer. He was 54.
Whittam's research focused on the evolution and emergence of pathogens that cause food- and waterborne infectious diseases, with an emphasis on pathogenic forms of Escherichia coli that cause intestinal infections. Whittam is credited with clarifying the ancestry of a new type of food-borne pathogen, E. coli O157:H7, which causes hemorrhagic colitis, a type of gastroenteritis that infects and damages the lining of the large intestine. In collaboration with microbiologists from other countries, he was also studying the global distribution of bacterial clones and the dispersion of specific virulence genes in human and animal populations.
"Tom was an outstanding scientist who not only demonstrated his dedication to research but worked hard to create opportunities for countless undergraduate and graduate students to receive the education and training they need to be successful food science and microbiology researchers," said John Baker, MAES associate director. "He will be sorely missed."
Before coming to MSU, Whittam served as a faculty member in the Biology Department and the Institute of Evolutionary Genetics at Pennsylvania State University from 1985 to 2000. He joined MSU in 2001 as a faculty member of the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center, where he held academic appointments in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.
Whittam received his doctorate in evolutionary biology from the University of Arizona in 1981 and his bachelor's degree in biology from Franklin and Marshall College in 1976.
He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Beth Whittam; three children, Andrew, Benjamin and Elizabeth; mother, Helen Whittam; and sister, Lynda Whittam.
An informal memorial service was held Dec. 13 at his home in Okemos. Donations may be made in his name to the Greater Lansing Food Bank, P.O. Box 16224, Lansing, MI 48901, or the American Brain Tumor Association, 2720 River Road, Des Plaines, IL 60018.
