Gene Discovery Could Overcome Aluminum Barrier To Higher Wheat Yields...( varieties in about five years Gustaf...)

World population, now 5.8 billion, may grow to more than 9 billion by the year 2046, according to estimates by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Other USDA crop research having worldwide implications includes:

• USDA scientists developed a new test that will help plant breeders around the world find rice plants that have genes for greater resistance to zinc deficiency. Sulfides formed in rice paddies make zinc unavailable, which costs farmers million of dollars in lost yields annually. [Contact : Rufus Chaney, Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Beltsville, Md. (301) 504-8324]

• USDA scientists developed a soybean strain with both high yields and high protein levels. This is a first in soybean breeding and will overcome the problem of decreasing protein levels as seed yield increases. [Contact: Richard F. Wilson, Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research Laboratory, Raleigh, N.C. (919) 515-3171]

• USDA scientists conducted field studies of a taro variety called Lila. Taro is a tropical crop that produces underground stems that are an excellent source of starch and minerals. This variety can triple the yield of this root crop on tropical farms because it is more efficient than other varieties in using soil nutrients. Scientists say the findings could help boost taro production throughout tropical parts of the world. [Contact: Ricardo Goenaga, Tropical Agriculture Research Station, Mayaguez, P.R. (787) 831-3435]

• A USDA scientist developed new cucumbers that, when preserved as pickles, retain beta carotene that the body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A is necessary for normal vision, bone gr
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