Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station

MSU Names New Animal Ag Environmental Stewardship Director

A nationally recognized expert on odor control has been named to head animal agriculture environmental stewardship at Michigan State University (MSU).

Wendy Powers, associate professor of animal science and agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University, has been named director of environmental stewardship for animal agriculture and professor of animal science and biosystems and agricultural engineering beginning Nov. 1. She also will be a Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension faculty member.

"I am excited to be joining Michigan State because of the caliber of the institution and the departments I am joining, and also because of the diversity of agriculture in Michigan," Powers said. "That diversity offers both unique challenges and unique opportunities. My goal is to facilitate a coordinated effort to address animal production environmental issues by working with clients to implement technology as it is developed and by working with policy-makers to convey science-based information so that relevant and effective policy can be developed."

A national expert on evaluating air quality for livestock, Powers uses a multispecies approach in her research to address environmental issues that affect animal agriculture. She will work closely with other MSU researchers to evaluate the impact of air and water quality on human health.

"Dr. Powers will develop a cutting-edge program that links animal agriculture, the environment and human health using an interdisciplinary, integrated approach," said Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "Her work will provide science-based information that will ultimately benefit all animal producers in the state."

As director of environmental stewardship for animal agriculture, Powers will work to influence policy and practices that will mitigate and improve the effects of livestock production on the environment. She will have a leadership role in developing collaborative, multidisciplinary research and outreach programs focused on enhancing environmental stewardship in Michigan's animal agriculture industry.

"I am thrilled that we were able to attract Dr. Powers to MSU," said Karen Plaut, chairperson of the Department of Animal Science. "Her expertise in air quality and her understanding of the environmental issues that are facing animal agriculture ensure that Michigan producers will continue to be seen as leaders in the stewardship of our land, air and water."

A prolific author and speaker, Powers is a member of numerous professional associations and government committees, including the Iowa State University College of Agriculture Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Response Team, the Iowa State University College of Agriculture/University of Iowa Department of Public Health/State of Iowa Air Quality Task Force, the Iowa Nutrient Management Task Force, the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Air Emissions from Animal Feed Operations, the American Dairy Science Association/American Society of Animal Science Program Committee for Contemporary and Emerging Issues (chair in 2003-04), and the Environmental Protection Agency Safe Harbor Monitoring Plan Committee.

Powers has been at Iowa State since 1997, first as assistant professor, then associate professor. In 2006, she received a Standards Developer Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers; in 2004, she received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Iowa Academy of Science, and in 2003, she received the Iowa State University Foundation Award for Outstanding Early Achievement in Extension and the American Society of Animal Science Midwestern Section Young Extension Specialist Award.

Powers received her bachelor's degree in animal science from Cornell University in 1989 and both her master's degree in dairy science and her doctorate in animal science from the University of Florida, in 1993 and 1997, respectively.

Widespread Testing Reveals Only One Tree with Plum Pox Virus

After testing samples from all susceptible trees at the MSU Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (SWMREC), the Michigan Department of Agriculture announced Sept. 1 that the plum tree found infected in August is the only one that is positive for plum pox virus (PPV), a plant disease known to infect certain stone fruits, such as peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums. PPV poses no human or animal health threat.

On Aug. 14, the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) and Michigan State University announced that PPV had been found in one tree at SWMREC. The strain identified, the D strain, is not known to affect cherry trees. The D strain identified in Michigan is the same strain discovered in Pennsylvania in 1999 and in Canada and New York later. It is less virulent than other strains, is not as easily transmissible by aphids, and will not affect the production, harvest or transportation of stone fruit in Berrien County this year because this strain is not transmitted by fruit.

The single positive tree has been treated with herbicide. The tree will be removed and burned once the herbicide has spread to the roots.

"U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] and MDA staff members are surveying trees in a 2-mile radius out from SWMREC and will continue to survey out toward a 5-mile radius until frost or leaf senescence prohibits any further sampling," said Bill Shane, district MSU Extension horticulture educator at SWMREC.

"Michigan and its partners have always worked closely to protect the state's agricultural diversity," said Robin Rosenbaum, MDA Plant Industry Section manager. "Early discovery of the virus through routine surveillance demonstrates that this aggressive approach to plant pests and diseases works."

PPV can be transmitted by aphids or transplanted rootstock. USDA and MDA personnel are working to establish the origination of the SWMREC incidence. PPV has not been found in any other Michigan location.

To learn more about plum pox virus, visit the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Web page or the MSU Integrated Pest Management Program PPV Web page.

Will Genetically Engineered Foods Cause Allergic Reactions?
MAES Scientists Receive EPA Grant to Find Out

The potential of genetically engineered foods to cause allergic reactions in people is a big reason why many people oppose the crops. Though protocols are in place to ask questions about the allergy-causing possibilities of genetically engineered foods, there has been no test that offers definitive answers.

An MAES food science and human nutrition researcher has developed the first animal model to test whether genetically engineered foods could cause human allergic reactions and has received a $447,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to validate the test.

Genetically engineered crops are created by inserting a protein from a different organism into the crop's genome. This is usually done to create a plant that is more resistant to insects or diseases.

"The World Health Organization Food and Agriculture Organization has a decision-tree approach to determining whether genetically engineered foods cause allergies," explained Venu Gangur, MAES food science and human nutrition researcher, who is also a faculty member in the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center. "But it has a major flaw. A critical question the decision tree asks is 'Does the protein cause an allergic reaction in animals?' The problem is that there has been no good animal model available to test this. So there was no conclusive answer to the question."

Gangur and students in his lab have developed a mouse model -- the first of its kind -- to test the allergy-causing potential of genetically engineered foods. He'll use the EPA grant to examine whether the model works on a variety of proteins. If successfully validated, the testing could be available commercially in about 5 years.

Perhaps the best known case of a genetically engineered crop potentially causing allergies was StarLink corn. Created by Aventis in 1996, StarLink contained the cry9C protein from a common soil bacterium, a strain of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The cry9C protein protected the corn from several types of corn borers and black cutworms. StarLink was approved by the EPA for use in animal feed and nonfood products in 1998. But in 2000, fragments of cry9C DNA were detected in taco shells and other food products.

"Many people believed that StarLink was responsible for their asthma attacks and other allergic reactions," Gangur said. "The Centers for Disease Control took samples and tried to figure out if StarLink was the cause. But the data were inconclusive. There was really no good method to determine if StarLink caused allergic reactions. This is why our model will be such a valuable tool. We'll be able to determine the allergenic potential of genetically engineered crops before they're released into the human or animal food chain."

Robert Tempelman, MAES animal science and statistics and probability scientist, is the project's co-investigator. Gale Strasburg, chairperson of the MSU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Jim Pestka and Maurice Bennink, MAES food science and human nutrition scientists, are also participating in the project.

Multimillion Dollar Pickle, Melon Crops at Risk; MAES Researchers Work with Growers on Disease Management

A deadly fungal disease’s second stopover in Michigan in as many years has the state’s cucumber growers and processors bracing for another year of crop losses. Consumers may also see the ripple effect in higher prices for fresh cucumbers at the store.

The culprit? Downy mildew, first confirmed in Michigan last summer on cucumbers and yellow squash. Little did Michigan growers think that they would be dealing with a second consecutive year of crop losses from the disease. After all, Pseudoperonospora cubensis, the pathogen responsible for the disease, can’t survive Michigan’s harsh, cold winters.

It wasn’t far into the 2006 growing season, though, when producers’ worst fears were realized -- in early June, downy mildew was confirmed in a field of slicing cucumbers in Monroe County. As harvesting time winds to a close for this year’s crop, the fungal disease has been confirmed on cucumbers and cantaloupes in 28 Michigan counties.

“Downy mildew is a devastating disease,” said Mary Hausbeck, MAES plant pathology scientist. “It has caused devastating crop losses for growers in other regions of the country. Last summer was the first time that Michigan was ever affected by an outbreak of the disease, and it affected thousands of acres of cucumbers.”

“People brushed it off last season as a one-time deal, but after this year, pickles have become a riskier crop than ever to grow in Michigan,” said John Swanson, president of Swanson Pickle Company, Ravenna. “Until last year, cucumbers had historically been a safe crop to grow here. Aside from Phytophthora, we don’t normally experience insect or disease problems. But after this year’s bout with downy mildew, growing practices will need to change.”

The downy mildew threat is particularly important to Michigan, which is the leading producer of processing cucumbers in the United States, accounting for one-third of the nation’s pickle cucumbers. In 2005, growers harvested 38,500 acres of cucumbers for processing and another 7,600 acres of cucumbers for fresh use. The processing cucumbers had a farm gate value of $30.6 million; the fresh cucumbers, $20 million.

Once introduced to a field, uncontrolled downy mildew can kill a crop within seven to 10 days. The fungus reproduces via microscopic spores, and humid, wet weather -- conditions common in the state in July and early August -- promotes production of the spores. The disease spreads quickly under favorable environmental conditions -- temperatures between 50 and 80 degrees Farenheit and moisture from dew or irrigation.

Once the disease hits an area, the only way to control crop damage is to apply fungicides. Preventive spraying outside the disease-stricken area helps to control spread of the pathogen to other parts of the state. Swanson says that this year’s fungicide costs are well into the millions of dollars.

Swanson, whose family has been growing cucumbers for more than 50 years, had never had to use fungicides on his crop until last year. After downy mildew was confirmed in August, he sprayed his last two fields seven times.

“It’s not a decision if you want to spray or not. Once the disease shows up, it’s too late, you don’t have a choice,” he said. “Anytime you spray, it costs $20 per acre for the fungicide alone, and, depending on the disease pressure, you need to spray once every five, seven or 10 days. This year we had to spray every seven days.”

A minimum of one spray every seven days from mid-June, when the first case of downy mildew was confirmed, through harvest the last week of August on 75 percent of the state’s cucumber acreage translates into just under $8.3 million in fungicide expense; labor, fuel and equipment costs are additional. This figure doesn’t take into account industry losses associated with crop shortages.

When downy mildew was confirmed last year, Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, awarded emergency funding to Hausbeck to identify which products were effective against downy mildew and develop fungicide application recommendations.

“Products that have historically worked against other diseases didn’t work against downy mildew,” Hausbeck said. “Without clear direction on which products to use, growers would have incurred additional expense and suffered further crop losses.

“It was because of the fungicide trials that I conducted last summer that I was able to respond quickly to growers with control recommendations when the first outbreak was confirmed early on this year,” she added. “The partnership between my lab, MSU Extension, processors, scouts, crop consultants and growers helped us get the word out about the disease so that growers knew what to do to protect their crops.”

Project GREEEN once again stepped up with emergency research funding when the Monroe County case was confirmed in early June. This year’s funding has been used to help support three fungicide trials in southeastern Michigan and to purchase and set up spore traps in six counties across the state to monitor movement of the fungal pathogen.

Agriculture's Conference on The Environment Set for January in Lansing

Every day environmental laws and regulations that influence producers and their farms are being created and enforced. Producers can learn how to address these issues, learn about management practices to control environmental risk, and find out what incentives and partnerships are available to them for compliance by attending Agriculture’s Conference on the Environment: Managing Today for Tomorrow Jan. 30 at the Lansing Center in Lansing, Mich.

The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature more than a dozen sessions covering environmental trends, laws and regulations, management practices, marketing, and partnerships and incentives.

Keynote speaker David Kohl, professor of agricultural finance and small business management and entrepreneurship at Virginia Tech, will discuss the 10 best management practices -- including environmental practices -- that will position producers’ businesses for sustainability to 2010 and beyond. His futuristic presentation will highlight how farms might work in the future.

Marketing consultant Jane Eckert, founder of Eckert AgriMarketing, will explain the importance of being a conscientious neighbor to nonfarm neighbors and suggest strategies for addressing their environmental concerns and maintaining good relations.

Bob Utterback, of Utterback Marketing Services, Inc., will show producers alternative strategies to meet marketing challenges in 2007. He’ll explain how the new Farm Bill, foreign demand and a highly volatile market could affect a producer’s bottom line and how to plan for such challenges.

The registration fee is $50 ($20 for students) before Jan. 22. It includes lunch, refreshments and parking. After that date, the registration is $75. To register by cash or check, go to the MAEAP Web site to print a registration form. To register by credit card, call Jim Van Arkel at 517-241-2232.

Agriculture’s Conference on the Environment: Managing Today for Tomorrow is hosted by the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP), Michigan Farm Bureau and GreenStone Farm Credit Services, and sponsored by Michigan State University Extension, the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and the Michigan Farm Radio Network.

MAES Researcher Cracks Genetic Secrets of Human Egg

The human egg’s ability to transform into a new life, or into new cells that may someday save lives, is well documented. The mystery lies in the mechanics -- in how a single cell can transform so nimbly.

A team of MSU scientists led by Jose Cibelli, MAES physiology and animal science researcher, reported in the Sept. 5 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they have identified genes unique to the human egg. The identification opens the way to understanding these genes’ functions, which may lead to solving problems ranging from infertility to degenerative diseases.

“What’s in the egg to have that power?” Cibelli asked. “Some of those genes are responsible for the magic trick that the egg has. This paper takes a peek at what genes are in the egg waiting to make these changes.”

Combined with sperm, the egg divides and organizes cells to ultimately create a human being.

Combined with technology, the unfertilized egg might be coaxed to produce other specific cells, including stem cells, which can be directed to grow into new tissue. This potential could be used to combat diseases.

Cibelli said his team’s mission is to grow stem cells without using fertilized embryos, which can be controversial. This work used only unfertilized human eggs that were obtained from women seeking fertility treatment at a clinic in Santiago, Chile. Women at the clinic must be reproductively healthy and no older than 35, and the cause of infertility must lie within the man. This meant the availability of exceptionally healthy eggs, Cibelli said. All the donors granted informed consent for their surplus eggs to be used for this research.

Cibelli worked with researchers in Chile to extract the RNA from the unfertilized eggs soon after they were harvested. That material, a treasure of genetic information, was frozen and shipped to MSU.

Cibelli’s team -- Arif Murat Kocabas, Pablo Ross, Zeki Beyhan and Robert Halgren -- started analyzing the thousands of genes represented in the human egg to identify those that are unique to the egg. They teamed with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston to work with sophisticated bioinformatics software.

To make a comparison that would show which genes were uniquely active in the human egg, they used RNA of all parts of the human body except that of the ovaries, where eggs are produced.

Then the computer analysis began. In a highly sophisticated matching game, every gene in the egg that was found in other tissues was eliminated, so that only unique genes remained.

Cibelli said that the team identified 5,331 human genes that are overexpressed in the egg. Of those, 1,430 are mysteries – their function is unknown.

The group also compared the human egg genes with those of a mouse as well as human and mouse embryonic stem cells. On the final intersection, 66 genes were found to be common between the four sets of data.

“There are thousands of genes that are redundant. We found about one in a thousand genes that are unique to the eggs -- and some of them, they don’t have a known function yet,” Cibelli said. “Now we can clone these genes and put them into cells and see if they may have a role in the creation of stem cells -- without fertilization or destruction of human embryos.”

Cibelli believes some of those genes know the big secrets, such as when a cell should slow down and later become a cell that can grow into any cell of the human body. The computer work of this preliminary search will lead to further experiments.

New Faculty Member

The MAES is pleased to welcome a new faculty member with an MAES appointment.

Philip Howard was named assistant professor of community, agriculture, recreation and resource studies in August. His research focuses on investigating the relationships between food, agriculture and public health, as well as assisting communities to characterize and respond to changes in the food system. One facet includes examining national consumer interests in ecolabels as a potential strategy for improving the livelihoods of small- and medium-scale farms. He also is studying consolidation in the food system, particularly in the rapidly growing organic sector.

Since 2002, Howard has been conducting postdoctoral research at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California-Santa Cruz. He is also a founding member of the Santa Cruz County Food System Network. Howard received his doctorate in rural sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2002, his master's degree in environmental studies from Evergreen State College in 1997 and his bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1995.

Plants Give Up Answers in the War on Bacteria

Back-to-back scientific papers by an MAES scientist are offering a revolutionary look at the battlefield on which plant diseases are fought and plants are often lost to bacteria.

The laboratory of Sheng Yang He, MAES plant biology scientist, has changed the textbook description of a plant’s surface terrain and is unveiling new knowledge of how bacterial pathogens invade plants and take hold. The most recent paper, published in the Sept. 8 edition of Cell, redefines the role of the plant’s pores in defense against invading bacteria and how some bacteria can overpower plants.

In August, in Science magazine, the lab outlined a better understanding of how bacteria set up camp and destroy the plant’s ability to fight infection.

“We’ve known for 100 years that bacterial pathogens cause illness in crops, yet we still don’t understand how they produce disease,” said He, a professor of plant biology, plant pathology, and microbiology and molecular genetics. “It’s very frustrating. How does this little thing do such great damage to plants?"

But this summer, Maeli Melotto, a research associate, and Bill Underwood, a graduate student in He’s laboratory, shed light on the behavior of one the plant’s first lines of defense against disease. Pores called stomata are like tiny mouths that open and close during photosynthesis, exchanging gases. In sunshine, the stomata open. In darkness, they close to conserve water.

It has been assumed that these tiny ports were busy with their photosynthesis business and were merely unwitting doorways to invading bacteria on a plant’s surface. Melotto and Underwood, however, have discovered that stomata are an intricate part of the plant’s immune system that can sense danger and respond by closing.

The lab performed experiments on Arabidopsis, a common laboratory plant, but the mechanisms could be universal across all land plants.

“When we started looking more closely and put bacteria on a plant surface, stomata close. It’s like they say, ‘Oh, we have to close the doors!’” Melotto said. “Even if it is in bright daylight, when the stomata are supposed to be open, they close.”

Melotto and Underwood found that plants recognized human-infecting bacteria, such as E. coli, and kept the stomata closed to them. Plant-infecting bacteria, like those most destructive to crops, have figured out a way to reopen the shut-down ports.

It appears those plant-based bacteria produce a phytotoxin, a chemical called coronatine, to force the pores back open. For bacteria, entry is crucial to causing disease and probably surviving. They could die if left lingering on the surface. Animal-based bacteria do not produce coronatine.

“Now that we know a key step in bacteria’s attack, we have something we can learn to interfere with,” Melotto said. “From this we can learn about disease resistance.”

It’s a weighty issue. Bacterial diseases can be catastrophic to crops. Fire blight caused $40 million in destruction to Michigan apple trees in 2000 alone and all but eliminated commercial pear crops in Michigan for that year.

He also sees useful human health implications. Understanding that animal pathogens, such as dangerous E. coli, cannot easily gain access inside the plant helps scientists understand how best to combat bacteria that cause food-borne illness. It is important to know, he explained, whether the organisms that cause food-borne illnesses rest on the surface of an edible plant or nestle inside, impervious to washing.

“We are thinking about the mysteries of plant pathologies, but these have broad implications,” He said. “We haven’t understood very well how plants and bacteria interact, but we’re finally seeing the light.”

Researchers Awarded $13.1 Million for Projects Aimed at Boosting Michigan Economy

Eleven Michigan State University research projects – from basic research to applied research already spinning off Michigan companies – are among the winners of the state’s 21st Century Jobs Fund Awards. Several projects are led by MAES scientists.

MSU projects were granted $13.1 million for research on topics ranging from ethanol fuel engines to laser-based molecular scalpel technology to ways to increase efficiency in pharmaceutical drugs.

“These 11 projects are wonderful representations of the breadth of applicable research that is positioned to benefit Michigan’s economy,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “It is yet another example of how Michigan State, from the very beginning of basic research to the blossoming of new Michigan businesses, is contributing to our state’s diversification.”

The state announced that 61 awardees have been selected by the Michigan Strategic Economic Investment and Commercialization Board to share more than $100 million from the fund’s first round.

MSU submitted 22 proposals.

MSU’s projects span the fund’s scope of life sciences, alternative energy, advanced automotive materials and manufacturing, and homeland security. Some of the MSU projects focus on bolstering the state’s bioeconomy, such as mechanical engineering professor Harold Schock’s proposal to develop ethanol fuel engines and MAES chemical engineering scientist Dennis Miller’s research on a continuous production process for biodiesel.

Other projects include research to strengthen air and water safety, by Syed Hashsham in civil and environmental engineering and the Center for Microbial Ecology. Mitch Smith and Robert Maleczka, in Chemistry, have developed a breakthrough with a patented chemical compound that makes drug synthesis more efficient and less costly.

MSU’s engagement in the awards underscores the collaborative nature of the 21st Century Jobs Fund Awards. MSU researchers and groups also are collaborators in nine other awards.

Moreover, several awardees are start-up companies that use MSU technology. For example, Diversified Natural Products, a company in Scottville, has 15 patents that have sprung from the research of MAES scientist Kris Berglund. AFID Therapeutics is the company of MAES biochemistry and molecular biology researcher Rawle Hollingsworth.

MAES Scientist Named Associate Director of MSU Land Policy Institute

The MSU Land Policy Institute has named Gerhardus Schultink, MAES resource development scientist, associate director for international programs.

Schultink, a member of the Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies, will be responsible for international land use planning, policy and development studies for the institute. With more than 25 years of experience in natural resource surveys, sector and impact assessment, land use planning, rural economic development and policy analysis, he has served as a consultant for international and domestic private sector firms and government agencies, such as U.S. Aid for International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and Development Program, and the World Bank.

From 1980 to 1991, Schultink directed the MSU Comprehensive Resource Inventory and Evaluation System (CRIES) project, a multidisciplinary systems approach to resource evaluation, development planning and policy analysis. The project developed geographic information and agroeconomic information systems to support land evaluation and policy analysis. CRIES software is being used in more than 40 countries and educational institutions. Most recently, he has worked with the Fulbright Foundation to establish an environmental protection center in Thailand, with the Japanese Science Foundation and several Japanese universities on regional and agricultural planning issues, and with European universities on academic reviews of environmental and life sciences programs.

Schultink received a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture and a master's degree in resource management and planning, both from Wageningen University, the Netherlands, and a doctorate in resource development from MSU.