'Trap' crop saves Texas cross timbers melon production
... his chances for profit would be gone. "When the foliage died, the melon would immediately develop sunburn. But it didn't matter. As the vines died, the melons would stop maturing. The losses were 100 percent in some cases," Mitchell said. With the insect vector identified, the entomologists could develop...'Weed from hell' found in Texas
...d Louisiana. "Because TSA produces an unpalatable foliage that goes ungrazed by livestock, the plant can rapidly spread over pastures and in woodlands, thus reducing stocking rate and negatively affecting livestock production systems," Redmon said. When mature, tropical soda apple can reach 6 feet in...Is that plant a tortoise or a hare? Answer predicts its response to environmental change
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL--As the spring foliage grows, each plant, like an entrepreneur, builds its leaves according to an economic strategy. Some plants live like the proverbial hare, following a "live fast, die young" strategy; their leaves produce and consume energy quickly but soon "burn out" ...'Knock out' rose receives Texas superstar and earthkind designation
...gicides were used, Knock Out plants retained their foliage in stark contast to the roses around them." During a four-year research study at the Texas A&M University System Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Dallas, scientists found Knock Out to be one of the finest landscape roses that they had e...Plant pathologists: Rust disease impacting ornamental plant production
...uous and evergreen trees, shrubs, cut flowers, and foliage and flowering potted plants, grew in value to $14.... easily lodge in the crown of plants that have had foliage removed for shipping purposes. Symptomless plants are then moved long distances through internationa...Measuring perchlorate levels in lettuce
...n was leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, where the foliage is consumed. However, for iceberg lettuce most of the perchlorate was in the frame and wrapper leaves that are discarded and not the head, which is consumed. Sanchez hopes to expand this preliminary survey into a more comprehensive, statistically rig...Biologists find unexpected rapid evolution in Caribbean lizards
...ecies, which live at the treetop and forage in the foliage found there. Glor and Larson's analyses show that a trunk-crown species in Hispaniola diverged millions of years ago from those in Cuba, and different trunk-crown species on Hispaniola are genetically different from other populations in different reg...Researchers discover birds protect trees in neotropics by eating insects
...the rainy season increased by 86 percent where the foliage was not reached by the birds. Van Bael's research ...allowed for repeated observation of branches where foliage was inaccessible or accessible to birds. "This research, because of good design and controls, lets u...Aged Polish forest plots teach new ecosystem lessons
...om the main roots, are as important to trees asnew foliage is," Tjoelker said. "Yet, we as foresters know less about that than other areas of treegrowth." He said the team also will consider decomposition of the forest floor litter and the pH ofthe soil which has been shown in preliminary tests to have chan...Untangling the web of tropical biodiversity
...e caterpillars, each carefully handpicked from the foliage in a lowland rainforest in Papua New Guinea. These caterpillars were then reared to adults, which allowed solid identification of species. "Our study of live insects enabled us to find and interpret insect community composition better than ever bef...Tourists, soothsayers & scientists try to predict peak Fall foliage color
...those trees whose brilliant yellow, orange and red foliage most responsible for making the landscape look lik...h Center, who's spent the last four years studying foliage in Vermont forests. She and a team of University of Vermont and US Forest Service scientists used th...Large volcanic eruptions affect the 'greener greenhouse'
...lt was that the plants did not produce as much new foliage and take in as much carbon. The model also showed that soil respiration, the amount of CO2 released by the microbial life that lives in the soil also decreased. The reduction was so great that for the two-year cooler period following Pinatubo, the l...Botanists discover new conifer species in Vietnam
...istinctive in that it bears two different types of foliage (needles and scale leaves) on mature trees. It produces fine, yellowish-brown, hard, fragrant timber that is highly prized by local citizens. Logging has reduced the number of larger trees, but some very large and stately specimens still grow on th...Farming inside forests hurts bird communities more than timber harvesting, study suggests
...r nests hidden deep within the foliage of tall trees, the researchers managed to look inside the nests using mirrors tied to the ends of long poles. Before making their observations, they would usually wait until the female left ...Autumn foliage may affect air quality, climate
...se gases are oxidizedin the atmosphere. To measure foliage emissions, scientists from NCAR and otherinstitutions are taking continuous readings above the forest canopynear Pellston, Michigan. Their instruments track both updrafts anddowndrafts, monitoring ions that collide and transfer protons to theVOCs. "I......weather of early spring upon us, yet complete tree foliage still a few weeks away, now is a good time to spot squirrels. "Anyone can do this, from backyard naturalists to the kids who feed squirrels" Brown said. "Most squirrels in Chicago treat humans as vending machines, so they're likely to come up to you...Evergreens help block pesticide from crop fields
... apply pesticides in the early spring, evergreen foliage would already be there to help collect the spray and reduce off-site movement of pesticides." Next, Hall and his colleagues want to expand their studies ...Digital plant doctor diagnoses plant problems
...u talk about symptoms in a crop such as discolored foliage orleafspots, the reason could be diseases, nutritional deficiencies orexcesses, or environmental stress. Now, extension agents can get a sample tospecialists in all three categories at once." While the DDIS may not rule out the necessity of sending p...Two-for-one special: industrial enzymes and food
...s of potato foliage produced per year, this is anuntapped resource for... would induce the enzyme-producing genein the foliage to "turn-on" after harvest. Hooker says although thePacific N......he majority are effective only when applied to the foliage so plantsthat emerge after the herbicide application escape injury. In a UC study, anewly registered herbicide, clopyralid, provided excellent control when sprayedon the leaves or applied to the soil to kill germinating seedlings. Successful...