<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<rdf:RDF
 xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
 xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/"
 xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
 xmlns:taxo="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/taxonomy/"
 xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
 xmlns:syn="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
 xmlns:admin="http://webns.net/mvcb/"
>

<channel rdf:about="http://science.gourt.com/Agriculture/Forestry.html">
<title>Forestry RSS : Gourt</title>
<link>http://science.gourt.com/Agriculture/Forestry.html</link>
<description></description>
<dc:language>en-us</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Copyright 2007, Gourt.com</dc:rights>
<dc:date>2009-12-17T08:21+05:00
</dc:date>
<dc:publisher>rtruog@gourt.com</dc:publisher>
<dc:creator>rtruog@gourt.com</dc:creator>
<dc:subject>Forestry RSS : Gourt</dc:subject>
<syn:updatePeriod>hourly</syn:updatePeriod>
<syn:updateFrequency>1</syn:updateFrequency>
<syn:updateBase>1901-01-01T00:00+00:00</syn:updateBase>
<items>
 <rdf:Seq>
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091216.htm" />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091215.htm" />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091214.htm" />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091211.htm" />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091210.htm" />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091209.htm" />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091208.htm" />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091207.htm" />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/brls5109.pdf                                                                    " />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/brls5009.pdf                                                                    " />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/crop1209.pdf                                                                    " />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/crop1209.pdf                                                                    " />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/dppr5009.pdf                                                                    " />
  <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/weth5109.pdf                                                                    " />
 </rdf:Seq>
</items>
</channel>

<item rdf:about="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091216.htm">
<title>Replicating Climate Change to Forecast its Effects</title>
<link>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091216.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[
    
       
	  
		 
		   
			 
				 ARS plant
				  physiologists Kent Burkey (left) and Fitzgerald Booker are using special
				  open-top chambers to see what impact climate change may have on soybeans, wheat
				  and the soils where they grow. Click the image for more information about
				  it. 
		   
		   
			 
				
				   
				 
				  Crops and weeds: Global
					 climate change's first responders &nbsp; 
				  Global warming may lower
					 grassland quality  &nbsp; 
				  Eastern Gamagrass loves
					 the heat 
				 
		   
		 
		Replicating Climate Change to Forecast its
		  Effects  By Dennis O'Brien  December 16, 2009 
		Agricultural Research
		  Service (ARS) scientists are replicating the effects of climate change to
		  see what the future holds for soybeans, wheat and the soils where they
		  grow. 
		Soybeans, wheat, and a number of other crops grow more when carbon
		  dioxide levels are elevated because the increased carbon is thought to give the
		  plants more "food." But those same plants are damaged and stunted by elevated
		  levels of ozone, a ground-level gas created when sunlight heats up automotive
		  and industrial pollutants. Levels of both gases are expected to rise as the
		  climate warms. 
		Fitzgerald
		  Booker,
		  Kent
		  Burkey and
		  Edwin
		  Fiscus, researchers at the
		  ARS
		  Plant Science Research Unit in Raleigh, N.C., are using 16 open-top
		  chambers to expose wheat and soybeans to the levels of carbon dioxide and ozone
		  that may be reached by 2050. By that time, carbon dioxide levels may be about
		  1.5 times greater than the current 380 parts per million, and daytime ozone
		  levels in the summer, now at about 50 to 55 parts per billion, may rise 20
		  percent. The goal of the study is to assess the effects of climate change on
		  growth rates, crop yields and soil chemistry. 
		The researchers have four sets of four chambers: a set with elevated
		  ozone, another with elevated carbon dioxide, a set with both gases elevated,
		  and four "control" chambers without elevated levels of either gas. They also
		  are leaving plant stems, empty pods and dead leaves in the chambers, and are
		  not plowing the soil to mimic conditions found in no-till farming. In this type
		  of cropping system, elevated carbon dioxide levels may increase soil
		  decomposition and slow down the accumulation of carbon in the soil.  
		Preliminary results show just slightly higher levels of soil carbon in
		  chambers with elevated carbon dioxide and in chambers with elevated levels of
		  both carbon dioxide and ozone, but not in chambers with elevated ozone alone.
		  Elevating carbon dioxide also reduced flour protein levels in wheat by 7 to 11
		  percent, but soybean protein concentrations were maintained because of
		  soybeans' ability to acquire nitrogen from the air. 
		This research supports the
		  U.S. Department of
		  Agriculture priority of responding to climate change.
		  Read
		  more about the research in the November-December 2009 issue of
		  Agricultural Research magazine  
		ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. 
		
    
    ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091215.htm">
<title>Sorter Detects and Removes Damaged Popcorn Kernels</title>
<link>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091215.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[
    
       
	  
		 
		   
			 
				
				  A device that can detect and remove damaged
				  popcorn kernels has been developed from a machine that is usually used to sort
				  wheat. Photo courtesy of USDA-GIPSA.   
		   
		   
			 
				
				   
				 
				  Sorting technology for
					 red, white wheat kernels &nbsp; 
				  Grain moisture
					 measurements may divert mold, insect infestation  &nbsp; 
				  Agricultural pest's genome
					 is sequenced 
				  
		   
		 
		Sorter Detects and Removes Damaged Popcorn
		  Kernels  By Sharon Durham December 15, 2009 
		A device developed by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
		  scientist to sort wheat has been successfully used to detect and remove popcorn
		  kernels that have been damaged by fungi. 
		ARS engineer
		  Tom
		  Pearson in Manhattan, Kan., developed the low-cost, high-speed device to
		  inspect and separate a variety of grains based on color variations or slight
		  defects. This technology was previously applied to sorting white and red wheat
		  grains. 
		The system achieved 74 percent accuracy when removing popcorn with
		  fungal damage called blue-eye, and was 91 percent accurate at recognizing
		  undamaged popcorn, according to Pearson, at the ARS
		  Center
		  for Grain and Animal Health Research in Manhattan. The sorter, which uses a
		  specially-designed camera linked to a processor, can handle 88 pounds of
		  popcorn per hour. Pearson is currently designing a sorting machine that has
		  much higher accuracy and can handle greater volumes. 
		Blue-eye damage in corn is characterized by a small blue spot of the
		  popcorn germ and is caused by certain species of Aspergillus and
		  Penicillin, which can grow under poor storage conditions and can affect
		  up to 20 percent of the popcorn harvest. Blue-eye can be minimized if popcorn
		  is dried before storage to reduce its internal moisture to no more than 14
		  percent. 
		The sorting device combines a color image sensor with what's called a
		  field-programmable gate array, which is a programmable, electrical circuit that
		  Pearson configured to execute image processing in real-time, without the need
		  for an external computer. 
		The sorter also could be useful for detecting and removing other
		  defective grains, such as insect-damaged grain, scab-damaged wheat, and bunted
		  wheat. Parts for the system cost less than $2,000, suggesting that it may be
		  economical to simultaneously operate several of the systems to keep up with
		  processing plant rates. 
		This research was published in Computers
		  and Electronics in Agriculture. 
		ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency in the
		  U.S. Department of
		  Agriculture (USDA). This research supports the USDA priorities of promoting
		  international food security and ensuring food safety.  
    
    ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091214.htm">
<title>Foodborne Staph Toxin Pinpointed by New Assay</title>
<link>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091214.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[
    
       




A new test that ARS researchers have developed to
trace a Staphylococcus aureus toxin is one billion times more sensitive
than the current &quot;gold standard&quot; assay. Click the image for more
information about it.






Botulism assay quickly
detects potent foodborne toxin
&nbsp;
Arcobacter: Foodborne
pathogen's genome exposed 
&nbsp;
Garden microbe foils E.
coli O157:H7 in laboratory tests 




Foodborne Staph Toxin Pinpointed by New Assay 

By Marcia Wood
December 14, 2009 Most people need about two days to
recover from being sickened by foods contaminated with what's known as
staphylococcal enterotoxin A, or &quot;SEA.&quot; Produced by Staphylococcus
aureus bacteria, this toxin is a leading cause of foodborne illness in the
United States and worldwide, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research
chemist
Reuven
Rasooly.
To help public health officials trace the source of food poisoning outbreaks
in which staph A is a suspect, and to give food makers another way to ensure
the safety of their products, Rasooly has developed a superior new test for
finding this toxin in foods. He and technician
Paula
M. Do developed the test at the
ARS
Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif.
The ARS test can detect the toxin at levels that are a remarkable one
billion times lower than the current &quot;gold standard&quot; assay for SEA.
The researchers' experiments with chicken, beef and milk indicate that the
assay reliably distinguishes active from inactive toxin and yields reproducible
results.
The test takes advantage of the fact that the toxin has a double life.
Besides causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastroenteritis symptoms,
SEA also acts as a superantigen&#151;a molecule that activates large numbers of
immune-system cells. The assay neatly exploits this trait by measuring
proliferation of splenocytes, which are immune system cells produced in the
spleen. For the assay, the cells are kept alive in laboratory petri dishes.
The SEA assay is practical, comparatively fast, and relatively inexpensive.
Experienced technicians can quickly learn how to perform the test using
equipment that's standard in laboratories across the nation.
Rasooly and Do describe their test in an article published earlier this year
in FEMS
Immunology and Medical Microbiology .
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The
Albany research is one of dozens of studies conducted by agency scientists
nationwide to help keep food safe&#151;a top priority of the USDA.

    
    ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091211.htm">
<title>Watermelon: Fruit on the Fast Track</title>
<link>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091211.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[
    
       


  
    
            ARS scientists Pat Wechter (left) and Amnon Levi
              have identified and characterized key genes regulating growth and development
              that enable watermelons to grow from tiny flowers to plus-size, market-ready
              produce in only five weeks. Click the image for more information about
                it.
  
  
    
            
        
          Researchers identify
            cause of watermelon vine decline
            &nbsp;
          Watermelon serves up
            medically important amino acid
            &nbsp;
          Watermelon line may help
            breeders combat mildew
        
  

Watermelon: Fruit on the Fast Track  
By Ann Perry 
December 11, 2009 
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are studying how watermelons grow from tiny flowers to plus-size, market-ready produce in only five weeks.  Their findings have resulted in the first reported large-scale study that identified and characterized key genes regulating watermelon growth and development. 
The researchers included plant geneticist Amnon Levi and plant pathologist Pat Wechter at the ARS U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, S.C. Plant geneticist Karen Harris at the ARS Crop Genetics and Breeding Research Unit in Tifton, Ga., plant geneticist Angela Davis at the ARS South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Lane, Okla., and molecular biologist Jim Giovannoni at the ARS Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health in Ithaca, N.Y., also contributed to the research. 
Tissue was taken from watermelons at three distinct stages during growth and ripening. Then the team analyzed RNA from all the tissue samples and used the RNA to develop a library of genes called expressed sequence tags (ESTs), which are unique gene segments involved in different aspects of development and metabolism. 
The researchers found that these genes were active in metabolism, cell growth, cell development, and transporting nutrients and other substances across cell walls. The genes also came into play in cell division, cellular communication, DNA copying, plant defense and stress response. 
The scientists also found a large number of ESTs that appear to be modulated in the fruit during development and ripening. But they can't match them up with any other known plant ESTs, so they may be unique to watermelon. 
This information could benefit plant breeders and watermelon producers alike. Since cultivated watermelons are not genetically diverse, they are more vulnerable to pathogens and environmental stresses. So finding sources of genetic resistance to watermelon diseases is essential to the continued success of U.S. production. 
Results from this study were published in Biomed Central Genomics. 
Read more about this research in the November/December 2009 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.

    
    ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091210.htm">
<title>ARS Scientists Help Fight Damaging Moth in Africa</title>
<link>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091210.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[
    
       




ARS is working on ways to keep the false coddling
moth out of the U.S. with the aim of averting a threat to the country's citrus,
corn, cotton and a wide range of nuts and fruits. Photo courtesy of the Pest
and Diseases Image Library, Bugwood.org






Scientists pit fungus
against apple pest
&nbsp;
New pheromone sprayer
leads amorous moths astray
&nbsp;
To catch a pest,
scientists fine tune traps




ARS Scientists Help Fight Damaging Moth in Africa

By Dennis
O'Brien
December 10, 2009 Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
scientists have launched a preemptive strike to combat the false codling moth,
a major pest in its native Africa.
If the moth enters the United States, it will damage citrus, corn, cotton
and a wide range of nuts and fruits, according to entomologist
James
Carpenter, at the ARS
Crop
Protection and Management Research Unit in Tifton, Ga. He is working to
control the moth in Africa, thereby reducing the risk of its arrival in the
United States&#151;and ensuring a future weapon if it does show up.
Carpenter and an international team of scientists have turned to a
tried-and-true method of pest control: the sterile insect technique (SIT).
Using this technique, both male and female insects are irradiated. The female
insects are left sterile by the irradiation and are unable to produce
offspring. The males are completely or partially sterilized; if they are able
to produce offspring, the offspring are sterile. By repeating the process, the
target insect population eventually declines.
Originally developed by ARS scientists to control screwworms, SIT is now
used to control Mediterranean fruit flies, pink bollworms and a number of other
moths and pests.
Carpenter began working with South African scientists several years ago to
develop SIT to control false codling moths and to test the methods in South
Africa&#146;s citrus groves. In a series of studies, Carpenter and his
colleagues found that irradiating adult false codling moths sterilized the
females and ensured that males produced only sterile offspring. The research
has been largely funded by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the
International Atomic Energy Agency, which is
dedicated to finding peaceful uses for nuclear energy.
Carpenter also helped South African scientists establish a facility in a
rural village where codling moths are reared, chilled, irradiated and
transported for release in the orchards. In a year of operations, sterilized
moths released aerially and by hand drastically reduced moth populations in
South Africa&#146;s Western Cape region. The sterile moths also are available
for shipment to the United States if they are needed here. A report on this
work was recently published in Area-Wide
Control of Insect Pests.
ARS is the principal scientific research agency of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This
research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security. 


    
    ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091209.htm">
<title>Farms, Fertilizers and Greenhouse Gas Emissions</title>
<link>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091209.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[
    
       
	  
		 
		   
			 
				 Research by ARS
				  soil scientist Rod Venterea on the release of nitrous oxide and other
				  greenhouse gases suggests farmers using reduced tillage can minimize nitrous
				  oxide emissions by putting fertilizers below the upper 2 to 3 inches of soil.
				  Click the image for more information about it. 
		   
		   
			 
				
				   
				 
				  Searching for ways to
					 reduce agriculture's climate change footprint &nbsp; 
				  More about no-till and
					 greenhouse gas emissions  &nbsp; 
				  Capturing carbon a key
					 benefit of no-till soil management  
				 
		   
		 
		Farms, Fertilizers and Greenhouse Gas
		  Emissions  By Ann
		Perry  December 9, 2009 
		Agricultural Research Service
		  (ARS) scientists are front and center in finding out how farming affects
		  emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). 
		Experts already know that N2O emissions rise as applications of
		  nitrogen-based fertilizers increase. Microbiologist
		  Tim
		  Parkin, who works at the
		  ARS
		  National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa, is
		  part of a team that is studying how different soils and different fertilizers
		  affect N2O emissions.  
		The researchers assessed the variation in the emissions of N2O, carbon
		  dioxide and methane from two different soil types&#151;a sandy loam mix and a
		  clay soil. The two fertilizers used in the study were urea-ammonium nitrate
		  (UAN) and a liquid swine manure slurry.  
		They found that overall N2O emission levels were highest from soils
		  amended with swine manure slurry. High levels of N2O emissions were measured
		  from sandy loam soils amended either with UAN or slurry. But on the clay soils,
		  only those amended with slurry&#151;and not with UAN&#151;had elevated N2O
		  emissions.  
		Soil scientist
		  Rod
		  Venterea, who works at the
		  ARS
		  Soil and Water Management Research Unit in St. Paul, Minn., is also
		  studying N2O emission dynamics. He found that the amount of N2O emitted from
		  fields fertilized with anhydrous ammonia was on average twice as high as
		  emissions from fields fertilized with urea. The higher emissions from anhydrous
		  ammonia were likely derived from the conversion of ammonia to nitrate.  
		His findings also suggest that farmers using reduced tillage can
		  minimize N2O emissions by placing fertilizers below the upper 2 to 3 inches of
		  soil. This is because in a reduced tillage system, the microorganisms that
		  support N2O emissions are concentrated in the topmost soil layer.  
		Results from Parkin's research were published in the
		  Journal of Environmental
		  Quality in 2008. Venterea's work was published in
		  Global Change
		  Biology in 2007 and the Journal of Environmental
		  Quality in 2005 and 2008.  
		Read
		  more about this research in the November/December 2009 issue of
		  Agricultural Research magazine. 
		ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the
		  U.S. Department of
		  Agriculture (USDA). The research supports the USDA priority of responding
		  to climate change. 
    
    ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091208.htm">
<title>Roasting Does More than Enhance Flavor in Peanuts</title>
<link>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091208.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[
    
       
	  
		 
		   
			 
				 Dark roasting peanuts, peanut flour and peanut skins enhances
				  their antioxidant levels, according to new ARS studies. Photo courtesy of
				  Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.
				 
		   
		   
			 
				
				   
				 
				  New research presented on
					 peanut components &nbsp; 
				  Measuring peanuts'
					 moisture&#151;while still in the shell  &nbsp; 
				  The powers of peanut
					 flours  
				  
		   
		 
		Roasting Does More than Enhance Flavor in
		  Peanuts  By Rosalie Marion Bliss
		December 8, 2009 
		Agricultural Research Service
		  (ARS) scientists have shown that increasing roast color intensity steadily
		  ramps up the antioxidant capacities of peanuts, peanut flour and peanut skins.
		  
		The study was conducted by food technologist
		  Jack
		  P. Davis and his colleagues in the ARS
		  Market
		  Quality and Handling Research Unit in Raleigh, N.C. ARS is the principal
		  intramural scientific research agency in the
		  U.S. Department of
		  Agriculture (USDA). 
		The researchers characterized changes in antioxidant levels of roasted
		  peanuts and the 
		corresponding blanched skins across an industrially relevant range of
		  roast treatments. For the study, peanuts were incrementally roasted at 362
		  degrees Fahrenheit from zero to 77 minutes. The water- and oil-soluble
		  antioxidant activity levels of the roasted peanut product samples were then
		  determined. 
		Dark-roasting consistently increased water- and oil-soluble
		  antioxidant capacities for both commercially available peanut flours and
		  blanched peanuts. Peanut skins, currently considered a waste product of
		  industrial peanut processing, had remarkably high antioxidant capacities across
		  all roast conditions. 
		These antioxidant increases upon roasting were attributed to greater
		  concentrations of phenolic compounds and/or "browning" reaction products. The
		  latter result from thousands of complex chemical reactions in which proteins
		  and sugars interact, ultimately resulting in brown pigmentation. These
		  reactions, collectively termed Maillard browning, are also thought to
		  contribute in part to the characteristic flavor of roasted peanuts. 
		The researchers also measured vitamin E in the roasted peanuts.
		  Vitamin E degradation was most rapid in oil from lightly roasted peanuts;
		  however, oil from darker roasted peanuts had better vitamin E retention than
		  that of lightly roasted or even raw peanuts. This preservation of vitamin E
		  could be due to the increased concentration of oil-soluble Maillard reaction
		  products, which seem to protect vitamin E from oxidation. 
		While darker roasted peanuts are inappropriate for some applications
		  due to sensory considerations, these materials are utilized to prepare, for
		  example, darker roasted peanut flours and flavor extracts. The study expands
		  the fundamental knowledge of roasting as it relates to the antioxidant capacity
		  of peanuts and peanut ingredients, according to the authors. Davis reported the
		  findings in
		  Food
		  Chemistry. 
    
    ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091207.htm">
<title>Long-Term Effects of Carbon Dioxide on Plants Studied by ARS</title>
<link>http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091207.htm</link>
<description><![CDATA[
    
       



Read the
magazine
story to find out more. 




For some forest species such as the longleaf pine,
it turns out higher CO2 levels that can come with global climate change could
be a boon, increasing growth and survival, according to long-term ARS studies.
Photo courtesy of David Stephens, Bugwood.org 






Elevated carbon dioxide
boosts invasive nutsedge 
&nbsp;
Elevated carbon dioxide
has uneven influence on longleaf communities 
&nbsp;
Farming practices
influence the effects of rising carbon dioxide 




Long-Term Effects of Carbon Dioxide on Plants Studied by
ARS 
By Don Comis
December 7, 2009 Long-term, open-top chamber studies
of how rising carbon dioxide (CO2) could affect crops, forests, and pastures
reveal a wide range of impacts, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
scientists.
Plant physiologist
Steve
Prior at the
ARS
National Soil Dynamics Laboratory in Auburn, Ala., heads this research
effort. He, plant pathologist
Brett
Runion, and other colleagues at the Auburn laboratory have found that
fast-growing exotic weedy invasives such as Chinese privet, nutsedge and
tropical spiderwort could become even more troublesome as CO2 levels increase
to 550 parts per million as predicted by 2050.
For forest species such as longleaf pine, higher CO2 levels improve water
use efficiency, which may improve drought tolerance, by causing leaf pores or
stomates to stay partially closed longer.
In their studies, growth and survival of pine trees went up, while growth
and survival of understory plants declined by half.
In addition to increased pine needle production under high CO2, the
scientists also found some chemical changes in these needles that litter the
forest floor, resulting in less nutritional content for millipedes and other
bugs and microbes that feed on them. These changes may alter carbon and
nutrient cycling in these natural systems.
And they found that higher CO2 can increase residues left from soybeans and
other crops and affect the amount of nitrogen available to plants as microbes
decompose the residue. Different soybean varieties may also have different
effects on nitrogen availability in a high CO2 world.
In addition to weeds, Prior and Runion also saw effects on disease and
insect pests, such as fusiform rust and the red headed pine sawfly.
The study supports the U.S. Department of
Agriculture&#146;s priority of responding to climate change.
Read
more about this and other climate change research in the November-December
2009 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is USDA&#146;s principal intramural scientific research agency.

    
    ]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/brls5109.pdf                                                                    ">
<title>Broiler Hatchery</title>
<link>http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/brls5109.pdf                                                                    </link>
<description><![CDATA[Broiler-Type Eggs Set In 19 Selected States Down Slightly. Broiler Chicks Placed Down 1 Percent....]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/brls5009.pdf                                                                    ">
<title>Broiler Hatchery</title>
<link>http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/brls5009.pdf                                                                    </link>
<description><![CDATA[Broiler-Type Eggs Set In 19 Selected States Down Slightly. Broiler Chicks Placed Up Slightly....]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/crop1209.pdf                                                                    ">
<title>Crop Production</title>
<link>http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/crop1209.pdf                                                                    </link>
<description><![CDATA[All Cotton Production Up 1 Percent from November. All Orange Production Down 1 percent from October....]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/crop1209.pdf                                                                    ">
<title>Crop Production</title>
<link>http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/crop1209.pdf                                                                    </link>
<description><![CDATA[All Cotton Production Up 1 Percent from November. All Orange Production Down 1 percent from October....]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/dppr5009.pdf                                                                    ">
<title>Dairy Products Prices</title>
<link>http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/dppr5009.pdf                                                                    </link>
<description><![CDATA[Cheddar Cheese prices received for US 40 pound Blocks averaged $1.58 per pound for the  week ending December 5....]]></description>
</item>

<item rdf:about="http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/weth5109.pdf                                                                    ">
<title>Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin</title>
<link>http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/weth5109.pdf                                                                    </link>
<description><![CDATA[NASS releases Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin...]]></description>
</item>

</rdf:RDF>