MAES News
September 28, 2005
- Pueppke Named Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Director
- MAES Researchers Receive $4 Million NSF Grant to Uncover Gene Functions
- MSU Animal Industry Initiative Awards 2005-06 Research Dollars
- MAES Researchers Battle No. 1 Bee Killer
- New Faculty Members
- MAES Researchers Develop Insect, Disease Control Options for State’s Vineyards
- Weather-based Integrated Pest and Crop Management Conference Scheduled for October
- MAES Researchers Deliver Latest Potato Research Findings to Growers
- MAES Researchers Helping Christmas Tree, Ornamental Growers Deal with Weeds
Pueppke Named Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Director
Steven Pueppke has been named director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and assistant vice president for research and graduate study at Michigan State University.
Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, announced that the appointment will become effective January 1, 2006, pending approval by the MSU Board of Trustees.
Pueppke comes to MSU from the University of Illinois, where he has been associate dean for research in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences since 1998.
“At a time when Michigan State University is redefining what it means to be a land-grant university in the 21st century, it’s exciting to welcome Dr. Pueppke,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “He brings a tremendous vision of how MSU’s land-grant roots and values are translated into a vibrant foundation of research and technology transfer that will continue to be an engine for economic development here in Michigan and will ultimately benefit people across our nation and around the world.”
Pueppke is to succeed John C. Baker, who has served as interim director of the MAES since November 2004, and J. Ian Gray, who was director from 1996 to 2004.
Baker will return to his position as associate dean for research and graduate studies for the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine at the end of October. Gray was appointed MSU vice president for research and graduate study last November.
"I have known Steve for many years, and I know that the MAES will be in good hands,” Gray said. “He has a vision for the modern agricultural experiment station and will foster a strong research environment across the university. I look forward to working with him.”
It is a homecoming of sorts for Pueppke. The Fargo, N.D., native received his undergraduate degree in horticulture from MSU. He also received a doctorate in plant pathology from Cornell University.
Pueppke said he was attracted to Michigan State for three reasons: the strength and diversity of Michigan's food and agricultural system, the quality of the MSU faculty and the clarity of the university's global vision.
Pueppke is a professor of crop sciences and director of the University of Illinois National Soybean Research Laboratory in addition to his role as associate dean for ACES. He also directs Global Connect, an initiative focused on the globalization of the college’s academic, research and outreach programs. He serves on several boards and committees within the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges focusing on experiment station policy, as well as the International Arid Lands Consortium and the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service International Programs office. He is a past president of the board of the National Council on Food and Agricultural Research and past chairperson of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council.
He is also a member of numerous professional societies, including the Phi Kappa Phi honor society and Sigma Xi Scientific research society.
Steve Pueppke brings a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to a position that is critical to the success of Michigan communities, agriculture and natural resources,” Armstrong said. “It is a tribute to Michigan State University and to the reputation of our research programs that he will become a member of the MSU team.”
Before moving to the University of Illinois, Pueppke served as chairperson of the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Missouri and as plant sciences unit leader. He was a visiting professor at the University of Geneva, Switzerland (1989-90), and the University of Marburg, Germany (1996-97). He was also a faculty member in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida and in the Department of Biology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (1976-79). He served as senior research associate at the Charles F. Kettering Laboratories during 1975-76.
MAES Researchers Receive $4 Million NSF Grant to Uncover Gene Functions
A collaboration of Michigan State University researchers will use a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to uncover the functions of genes in a plant – research that may ultimately lead to improvements in human health and agriculture.
In a collaborative effort spanning several departments, MSU scientists will determine the functions of roughly 4,400 nuclear genes from the Arabidopsis plant. Arabidopsis is a flowering plant whose entire 29,000-gene sequence is known.
Scientists will focus on the genes that encode the chloroplast-targeted proteins that trigger photosynthesis. Understanding how these genes operate could yield significant breakthroughs in biotechnology and genomics worldwide, resulting in advances in human health and agriculture.
The chloroplast gives green plants their color and carries out photosynthesis and produces oxygen. It can be thought of as the world’s life-support system. It is an attractive target for biotechnology because it produces many molecules important to agriculture and human health, such as vegetable oils, starch for ethanol-based fuels, vitamin E and amino acids. Despite the many functions of a chloroplast, the MSU team estimates that it takes only around 4,000 genes to make a functional chloroplast, which is similar to a simple bacterium, rather than the tens of thousands of genes required to make a whole plant.
“If we completely understand the chloroplast, it should then be possible to engineer plants to be more productive harvesters of the sun’s energy into biomass to decrease dependence on oil,” said Robert Last, MAES biochemistry and molecular biology and plant biology scientist. “We also will be able to more efficiently make nutrients important to human health. These include vitamins and heart-healthy oils.”
The NSF’s Arabidopsis 2010 project is a worldwide effort to catalogue the function of every gene in the plant – something never before accomplished with any plant or animal.
The $4 million grant begins Dec. 1 and will continue for four years. The project will create eight full-time jobs for technicians, graduate students and postdoctoral students, as well as fellowships. An additional 10 positions to be created for undergraduate students will enable them to receive valuable research experience.
Involved in this functional genomics research are scientists from several departments in the MSU College of Natural Science, including the departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Plant Biology and Physics, and the MSU-DOE Plant Research Lab.
Last is the project’s principal investigator. Co-investigators are MAES scientists Christoph Benning, Dean DellaPenna, John Ohlrogge and Katherine Osteryoung. Other MSU scientists on the team are Ken Nadler, Yair Shachar-Hill, Andreas Weber, Bill Wedemeyer and Curt Wilkerson.
MSU Animal Industry Initiative Awards 2005-06 Research Dollars
Twelve MSU animal science research and Extension projects will share more than $300,000 in funding approved by the Animal Industry Coalition for 2005-06.
Each year, state funding supports projects that are part of the Revitalization of Animal Agriculture in Michigan Initiative. The initiative, commonly referred to as the Animal Industry Initiative (AII), is Michigan’s animal agriculture research, teaching and outreach initiative at MSU.
The 12 projects were selected from approximately 40 proposals submitted to the Animal Industry Coalition addressing challenges affecting livestock producers and their industries in the state as identified by livestock industry leaders. Proposals were ranked on the basis of the issues identified as high priority by industry, MSU Extension area of expertise teams and the Animal Industry Coalition.
“It is exciting to be able to award funding to individuals whose projects represent high quality scientific research and educational activities that will benefit our animal industries,” said Karen Plaut, chairperson of the MSU Department of Animal Science.
The Animal Industry Coalition includes representatives from the MSU departments of Agricultural Economics, Animal Science, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Crop and Soil Sciences, Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Large Animal Clinical Sciences, as well as the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension. It provides program direction to applied research and education projects involving Michigan’s beef, dairy, equine, poultry, sheep and swine industries, and works with various industry advisory committees to help establish research priorities for improving Michigan animal agriculture.
More than 125 research projects have been funded since AII was established in 1996. Projects funded for 2005-06 include:
- Several industry newsletters: Cattle Call, produced by MAES scientist Dan Buskirk; MSU Equine Newsletter, produced by animal science researcher Christine Skelly; Michigan Dairy Review, produced by MAES researcher David Beede, who also holds the Clinton E. Meadows endowed chair; and MSU Pork Quarterly, produced by MAES scientist Ronald Bates.
- Efficacy of Ozonated Water Foot Baths on Papillomatous Digital [Dermatitis] by Ron Erskine, MAES MAES large animal clinical sciences researcher.
- Economic Benefits of Reduced Phosphorus Excretion in Michigan Feedlots by Steven Rust, MAES animal science researcher.
- Optimal Livestock Diet Formulation with Farm Environmental Compliance Consequences by Christopher Wolf, MAES agricultural economics scientist.
- Studying Skeletal Health in a Livestock Species by Mike Orth, MAES animal science researcher.
AII is a partnership between MSU, livestock producers and industry organizations, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture. Its mission is to develop profitable and sustainable farm production practices, environmentally sound manure management systems, and scientifically sound animal nutrition, comfort, and disease diagnosis and treatment standards, and to improve the quality and safety of processed animal products.
MAES Researchers Battle No. 1 Bee Killer
Beekeepers may soon have a new line of defense against the deadly Varroa mite, the No. 1 killer of honeybees in the United States, thanks to work being conducted by MAES researchers at Michigan State University.
Varroa mites, which invaded the United States from the eastern hemisphere in 1987, can kill an entire bee colony within 1 to 2 years if left untreated. Infestation causes a general weakening in the colony as mite numbers increase. This results in fewer bee offspring and deformed bees.
The Varroa mite wiped out nearly 50 percent of the U.S. commercial honeybee population during the winter of 2004. Michigan has an estimated 65,000 commercial honeybee colonies. An average honeybee colony contains 30,000 bees.
Zachary Huang and Ke Dong, both MAES entomology researchers, and fellow MSU scientists are currently conducting research that may help them develop management practices to reduce the number of honeybees lost to the invasive pest. Huang, who specializes in honeybees, and Dong, a toxicologist, make an ideal team because of their complementary expertise.
MSU researchers are testing Varroa mites to learn whether they are developing resistance to Apistan, the only insecticide that has been federally registered to control the mites. Apistan is a type of pyrethroid insecticide, an insecticide that binds to an insect’s sodium channels. Sodium channels play a key role in transmitting nerve signals in insects and other arthropods, such as mites. Treatment with Apistan disrupts the mite’s nerve signals and kills it.
Huang and his fellow MSU researchers became the first group of scientists to clone and sequence a full-length sodium channel gene in an arachnid (a term used to refer to mites, ticks and spiders).
“We discovered four genetic mutations that might be responsible for the resistance,” he explained. “We inserted one of the mutation sequences into a cockroach sodium channel gene and found that it does indeed alter the sodium channel’s reaction to pesticides.”
Researchers then conducted a survey to see whether the four mutations existed in Michigan mites. To their surprise, they did not find the mutations in Michigan mites in the 2004 study, even though two of the mutations were discovered in them.
“This finding suggests that Michigan mites are either not resistant to Apistan, or, if they are resistant, they must possess other mechanisms that can block out the pesticide’s effect on nerve transmission,” Huang said.
Huang said there are three types of mechanisms by which organisms can develop resistance to sprays and insecticides: an organism can change its skin features to make it more difficult for the pesticide to penetrate its body, it can alter its chemistry so it can break down the pesticide more quickly and efficiently, or its target sites can change so that the pesticide doesn’t affect it. Huang and his colleagues have been focusing their studies on the third mechanism -- altering the target sites -- but they concede that perhaps the first and second mechanisms are also involved.
“When we’re able to fully understand how the mite’s resistance mechanisms work, we can develop ways to minimize insecticide resistance,” Huang said.
Huang hopes to expand his research into other species so he can compare those findings to pesticide resistance in Varroa mite.
“I’d like to see if we can express the mite’s sodium channel gene in frog eggs so we can expand our pharmacology study of pesticide resistance,” he added.
In 2000, with funding from Project GREEEN, Michigan's plant agriculture initiative at MSU, Huang invented the Spartan Mitezapper, a chemical-free method of controlling Varroa mites. Electrically charged wires generate enough heat to kill both the mites and drone pupae but not the worker bees. The device costs about one-eighth the cost of chemicals, potentially saving Michigan beekeepers upwards of $120,000 per year in chemical costs. In addition to being expensive, chemicals can harm the bees or contaminate the honey or beeswax if not used carefully.
Michigan produces 4.8 million pounds of honey annually at a market value of $7 million, ranking it among the nation’s top 10 states for honey production. The state’s total revenue from honeybees tops $300 million when one adds values from other crops that depend on honeybees for pollination.
The MAES is pleased to welcome four new faculty members.
Robert L. Last, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and plant biology, became affiliated with the MAES in August. His research focuses on using genetic, genomic and biochemical approaches to understand the regulation of biosynthetic pathways of importance to flowering plants and the animals that nutritionally depend on them.
From 2002 to 2004, Last was program director at the National Science Foundation's Plant Genome Research Program. From 1998 to 2002, he was director of model organism functional genomics at Cereon Genomics, L.L.C., and from 1989 to 1998, he was a professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at Cornell University. From 1986 to 1989, he was an NSF postdoctoral fellow in plant genetics at the Whitehead Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Last received his doctorate in biological sciences from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1986 and his bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1980.
Ronald Gehl was named assistant professor of crop and soil sciences in August. His research focuses on soil fertility and nutrient management for field crops in Michigan.
He is a member of the Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy. Gehl received his doctorate in agronomy in 2004 and completed a 1-year postdoctoral position in soil microbial ecology and nutrient management in 2005, both at Kansas State University. He received his master's degree in plant and soil science from the University of Tennessee in 1999 and his bachelor's degree in natural resources and environmental science from Purdue in 1996.
Robert Britton, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, became affiliated with the MAES in August. His research focuses on identifying new ways to inhibit the growth of pathogenic organisms. To do this, he is working to determine the functions of genes that are highly conserved and essential for growth in bacteria. He also is working on the genomic and genetic characterization of Lactobacillus reuteri, a probiotic bacterium that, when consumed, improves the overall health of people and animals.
Before coming to MSU in 2003, Britton completed a 6-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his doctorate in cell and molecular biology from the Baylor College of Medicine in 1996 and his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Nebraska in 1989.
Alesia Montgomery was named assistant professor of sociology in August. She is an urban sociologist whose research focuses on how economic, political, demographic and technological developments are changing the structure of opportunities, the moral order of institutions and the meanings of bodies within cities. She is currently developing a comparative ethnography of African American family life in Detroit and Los Angeles.
Before coming to MSU, Montgomery completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation/University of California-Los Angeles Center on Everyday Lives of Families from 2002 to 2004. She received her doctoral and master's degrees in sociology from the University of California-Berkeley in 2002 and 1999, respectively, and her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California-Irvine in 1986.
MAES Researchers Develop Insect, Disease Control Options for State’s Vineyards
Michigan grape growers have more management options available to them for controlling insects in their vineyards, thanks to research by MAES scientists that was funded by Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), the state’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU.
Grape berry moth is the primary insect pest infesting Michigan vineyards. An uncontrolled infestation can reduce yields and contaminate berries. A new generation of pesticides, called insect growth regulators, appears promising -- they can kill the insects without killing their natural enemies.
The research project has resulted in solid scientific data to help Michigan grape growers continue producing an economically sustainable crop and, according to Rufus Isaacs, MAES entomology researcher, it is also a proactive effort to prepare grape growers for the possibility of future changes in insecticide regulations.
“One of the most important reasons we launched this project was that we wanted to provide grape growers with an alternative to the most commonly used pesticides for grape berry moth,” Isaacs said. “The Food Quality Protection Act has restricted two of the primary insecticides that grape growers used in the past to manage this pest, and it’s possible that there will be restrictions on other broad-spectrum insecticides in the future. Because of this research, we now have experience with using reduced-risk insecticides on commercial farms, and growers have increased options available to them for insect control.”
MAES researchers and some of the state’s leading grape growers partnered to carry out the three-year study. Because researchers wanted to conduct their research under the most challenging conditions, the four farms selected for the project each had a history of high grape berry moth infestations. Each farm site performed a comparison study between a vineyard treated with the new selective pesticides and a vineyard using the grower’s conventional broad-spectrum insect management program.
“Part of the project has been for growers to see how the new insecticides perform on their farms, in a commercial setting rather than at a research station, and how they compare to traditional chemical applications,” Isaacs said. “The new selective insecticides work differently from conventional insecticides, and growers have to become familiar with them and gain some confidence in how to best use them to control pests.”
Scouting to determine the number of insect pests present in a vineyard and the rate at which the pests multiplied was another key component of the study. In contrast to spray programs that are routinely scheduled without first scouting the vineyard, spray applications in this project were determined according to scouting reports.
“One important thing to realize about grape berry moth is that pest pressure can vary considerably between farms or vineyards, so instead of relying on a blanket recommendation for the whole county, it is important for individual growers to know what’s happening in their own vineyards,” said Paul Jenkins, MSU graduate research assistant.
“Every time that a grower has to spray, it’s a considerable expense, so it makes sense to combine chemicals for insect control when spraying to prevent plant disease,” he added. “By scouting each week and monitoring insect pest numbers, we can give the grower advance notice when the prevalence of disease risk is high. This way, growers can plan ahead and combine chemicals to control both insects and disease in their next spray cycle.”
At present, a selective insecticide management program costs more than a broad-spectrum insecticide program, but researchers are continuing to seek ways to reduce costs.
“Though the economic cost is greater right now, there are advantages to switching at least partially to selective insecticides,” Isaacs said. “With many new insecticides, you get a longer duration of control, increase natural biological control and reduce the environmental impact of grape production.
“It’s also a good idea for growers to be proactive and get some experience with these new chemicals,” he added. “If they convert even a small portion of their vineyard spray program, they can see how these chemicals work for them, and they’ll have some understanding of what these new products can do for them. This will be especially important if they find they can no longer use some of the products they are accustomed to using.”
Selective insecticides may be beneficial for Michigan’s juice grape production and even more promising for the state’s growing wine grape industry. Some experts predict that the Michigan wine grape industry may increase its acreage tenfold by 2025. The environmental benefit of using reduced-risk chemicals may prove to be as important in marketing as it is in producing the highest quality grapes and achieving a premium price.
Weather-based Integrated Pest and Crop Management Conference Scheduled for October
Growers, crop consultants, researchers and Extension educators interested in learning about and contributing to plans for developing a weather-based integrated pest and crop management system can attend a one-day conference Oct. 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the MSU campus.
Conference attendees will learn about the current integrated pest management (IPM) and integrated crop management (ICM) systems available and provide information to help researchers develop a sustainable weather-based IPM and ICM system that will serve the state’s plant agriculture industries.
Morning program speakers are Carol Windels, from the University of Minnesota, who will discuss the uses of weather-based IPM products; Juliet Carroll, from Cornell University, who will cover delivery of information and products to users; Dave Meek, of Campbell Scientific, Inc., who will present information on weather data collection and transmission technology; and Kathleen Baker, from Western Michigan University, who will speak on the development of a plant pathology-focused model using data from the Michigan Agricultural Weather Network.
The afternoon session will be devoted to open dialog about key issues in planning for a high quality, sustainable weather-based IPM and ICM system for Michigan. Input gathered from conference participants on perceived needs, priorities and strategies will be summarized and presented to conference attendees and the conference sponsors.
The conference is sponsored by Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Environmental and Economic Needs), Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, and the MSU IPM Program.
There is no fee or registration deadline, but registration is limited to 100 participants and will continue only until all seats have been filled. Lunch will be provided.
To register for the event, e-mail Angela Jernstat. Include the subject line “weather-based IPM conference” and your name, business affiliation, e-mail address and mailing address in the body of the e-mail. Registration information may also be mailed to 243 Natural Science Building, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824.
A conference brochure can be downloaded. For more information on the conference, e-mail Michael Brewer, MSU IPM coordinator, or call him at 517-353-5134
MAES Researchers Deliver Latest Potato Research Findings to Growers
Michigan potato growers can access the latest research findings and management recommendations from the comfort of their homes, thanks to MAES researchers and funding from Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU. MAES researchers have developed video, print and electronic resources on a variety of potato management topics, including agronomy, potato breeding, insect and disease management, and variety storage management.
Fifteen years ago, more than 54,000 acres were planted to potatoes in Michigan, there were 500 Michigan potato growers, and the average field size was 40 to 60 acres. Today, though total acreage remains about the same, there are only about 100 growers in the state, and the average field size ranges from 40 to 200 acres.
Fifteen years ago, it was common for potato growers to take time away from the farm to attend educational workshops and field days, but today, increased responsibilities on the farm make it more difficult for them to spend time away to learn about the latest strategies for improving crop yield and managing plant diseases. Now potato growers can access the latest information on potato production and management practices without ever having to leaving their farms.
The increasing number of fungicide-resistant disease pathogens makes it more critical than ever for growers to be able to make proper and timely diagnoses of potato diseases and to have access to the most up-to-date recommendations for optimal pesticide use and application timing.
Much of this information can be found on the MSU potato diseases Web site. The site provides growers with the latest information on disease prediction models, foliar and tuber diseases, Extension bulletins and research articles. A news and alerts category links growers to information on upcoming field days and workshops and other potato-related topics.
Willie Kirk, MAES plant pathology scientist and project co-leader, uses the late-blight-specific link (found on the MSU potato site under the heading “Disease Prediction”) to deliver late blight control recommendations. Potato late blight weather monitoring links offer growers online tools for calculating DSVs (disease severity values) and comparing data from the state’s 44 weather stations.
“The Web site has become an important information delivery system in recent years,” he said. “Growers can access the newest research updates and disease control recommendations when it best suits their schedules.”
In addition to the Web site, a DVD documenting MSU’s potato research programs offers growers a chance to learn about the university’s plant breeding, entomology, weed science, plant pathology and agronomy research projects and whom they can contact to answer their potato management questions. To receive a free copy of the DVD, contact Chris Long, MSU potato specialist, at 517-355-0271, ext. 193.
A new series of MSU fact sheets is also available. The fact sheets contain the latest information on Michigan potato diseases and strategies for preventing and controlling them. They can be ordered online from the MSU Bulletin Office or downloaded from the MSU potato site.
Sieglinde Snapp, MAES horticulture scientist and research project co-leader, said it’s important for growers and others associated with the potato industry to have access to the latest information on potato management so that potato crops can achieve maximum quality and yield.
“Thanks to the new series of Extension bulletins, DVDs and Web resources on Michigan potato production, growers, MSU Extension agents and crop consultants now have a much wider range of resources available on potato production and crop health management topics,” she said.
MAES Researchers Helping Christmas Tree, Ornamental Growers Deal with Weeds
Weeds can create big problems for Christmas tree plantings and ornamental crops. Now, because of research being conducted by MAES scientists at MSU, growers of these economically important crops may soon be able to try out new management practices to help eliminate weeds and increase yields.
Michigan Christmas tree and ornamental tree crops generate nearly $300 million per year in farm-gate value for Michigan growers. Weeds are a major problem in ornamental production because they compete for sunlight, nutrients and moisture, and weed pressure can cause small trees to die. Weeds also reduce the quality of potted plants and Christmas trees.
“Growers of all crops need help developing effective and economical weed control practices,” said Bernard Zandstra, MAES horticulture scientist. “Controlling weeds is one of the most time-intensive and expensive management practices for ornamental and Christmas tree growers.”
With funding from Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Environmental and Economic Needs), Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, researchers are experimenting with a variety of weed control strategies, including cover crops and new herbicides.
Zandstra said effective weed control practices should improve ornamental and Christmas tree quality and yield, reduce labor expenses and increase farm-gate revenues by an average of 5 percent, or $14 million a year.
“We’re trying to help growers make more money and make the industry more profitable by increasing crop yields,” Zandstra said.
