September 2024 Arkansas Ag Research Report
Genetics from muscadines, a species of grape native to North America, are being used to develop disease resistance in Vitis vinifera grapes.
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Through the Grapevine: Great things are in store for grapes
- Two fields of study combine to form foundational science on forest and stream health
- Find out who was named a Fellow of the Poultry Science Association
- Turfgrass study offers tips to keep your grass greener, longer
- How to improve crop yield predictions
- Finding ways to curb ‘peak demand’ in chicken houses
Big News
Vitis vinifera and muscadines: Grape breeders seek the best of both grapes with $7M grant
Renee Threlfall, associate professor of enology and viticulture in the food science department, and Margaret Worthington, associate professor of horticulture and director of the Arkansas Fruit Breeding Program, are co-directors of a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop Vitis vinifera and Muscadinia hybrids which share each other’s favorable traits.
The four-year Specialty Crop Research Initiative project unites scientists from 12 institutions. Research and extension efforts will be integrated through collaborations with industry partners, including 14 advisory board members and 38 stakeholders.
“This project has been a decade in the works, waiting for the right project partners to form this team,” Threlfall said. “A lot of planning and collaboration made this opportunity a success. Our goal is the introduction of disease-resistant cultivars with enhanced fruit quality leading to a more resilient U.S. grape industry.”
Margaret Worthington, left, and Renee Threlfall are co-directors of “Through the Grapevine: Developing Vitis x Muscadinia Wide Hybrids for Enhanced Disease Resistance and Quality.”
Natalie Clay and colleagues secure nearly $1M NSF grant to study riparian zones
Natalie Clay, an associate professor of entomology and plant pathology for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and colleagues secured a nearly $1 million National Science Foundation grant to investigate how salt impacts the movement of resources like carbon in riparian zones, the areas where forests and bodies of water meet.
Clay joins Michelle Evans-White, University of Arkansas biological sciences department chair and professor, and Sally Entrekin, professor of aquatic entomology at Virginia Tech, on the three-year fact-finding mission which converges terrestrial and aquatic science.
Natalie Clay is an associate professor of entomology and plant pathology.
Top Notch
Crop physiologist Larry Purcell spins full circle in retirement
Larry Purcell retired earlier this year after more than 30 years with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The Distinguished Professor of crop physiology was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award in September at the 2024 Southern Soybean Breeders Tour in Memphis.
Although not a soybean breeder, Purcell pioneered agricultural research using drones and digital cameras, investigating the genetic differences in a plants’ use of water and nitrogen. His research portfolio is rich with studies on how nitrogen fixation in soybean is impacted by drought, genetic differences among genotypes, and a soybean plant’s response of nitrogen fixation by drought.
Larry Purcell, center, with organizers of the Southern Soybean Breeders Tour, Caio Vieira, left, assistant professor of soybean breeding, and Feng Lin, assistant professor and soybean breeder for the University of Missouri.
Gisela Erf named Fellow of the Poultry Science Association
In honor of her 35 years of dedication to research and education, Gisela Erf, endowed professor of avian immunology, was recognized as a Fellow of the Poultry Science Association at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.
The status of Fellow is the highest distinction a Poultry Science Association member can achieve. The election recognizes members for professional distinction and contributions to the poultry science field.
Gisela Erf holds the Tyson Endowed Professorship in Avian Immunology.
Watch
Scott Lafontaine – Leading Beverage Innovation
Food safety and nutrition are essential, but taste often drives what we choose to eat. Assistant professor of food science and flavor chemist Scott Lafontaine evaluates and enhances flavors by investigating the chemical drivers of aroma, taste, and mouthfeel which define food and beverage quality.
Lafontaine is focused on beverage innovation and development, using one of Arkansas’ leading agricultural products — rice — to enhance beer. “I want to be a force in Arkansas to make it a better state.”
Brandon McFadden – Confronting Food System Challenges
There is no shortage of challenges for the food system. From changes in policy to new food technologies, consumers and producers can have a lot to worry about.
To consumer economics researcher Brandon McFadden, though, these challenges present opportunities to better understand human interactions with the food system. As a professor and the Tyson Endowed Chair in Food Policy Economics, McFadden aims to improve lives by helping consumers better understand the food system and the food system to better understand consumers.
Research Spotlights
New machine learning model offers simple solution to predicting crop yield
Sam Fernandes, an assistant professor of agricultural statistics and quantitative genetics with the Center for Agricultural Data Analytics, joined Igor Fernandes, a statistics and analytics master’s student, and Caio Vieira, an assistant professor of soybean breeding, in developing a new machine-learning model for predicting crop yield using environmental data and genetic information.
Their model, which was simpler than an established method, took less time for the computer to process, and the mean prediction accuracy improved 7 percent over the established model. They published a study on their results in the Theoretical and Applied Genetics Journal.
Sam Fernandes, left, assistant professor of agricultural statistics and quantitative genetics, and Igor Fernandes, statistics and analytics master’s student, showed a new way to combine environmental and genetic data to predict yield.
Chicken house electricity audit provides clues to curbing ‘peak demand’
Yi Liang, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering, conducted an 11-month study of a modern broiler chicken house’s electric load pattern and showed the most significant room for energy cost savings for poultry producers lies in avoiding “peak demand” charges associated with ventilation fans.
The results of the study provide guidance for methods to offset peak demand charges, which can account for up to 50 percent of some chicken house electricity costs. Results from the study co-authored by Thomas Costello, recently retired associate professor, were published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
Yi Liang, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering.
Multi-state study offers recommendations for keeping bermudagrass greener all season
Wendell Hutchens, an assistant professor of turfgrass science, co-authored a study published in the Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management journal that identifies three simple management tips to extend green color and reduce cold-weather injury in hybrid bermudagrass.
According to the study, hybrid bermudagrass is susceptible to cold-weather damage in the transition zone, an area that includes a band from Maryland and Virginia on the East Coast to Arkansas, parts of Missouri and Oklahoma, all the way to California on the West Coast. While the study highlights the Mid-Atlantic region, the work is relevant for anywhere in the transition zone, Hutchens said.
Wendell Hutchens, assistant professor of turfgrass science, participated in a study that identified key turfgrass management recommendations to help keep hybrid bermudagrass greener all season.
Study offers improvements to food quality computer predictions
Dongyi Wang, assistant professor of smart agriculture and food manufacturing in the biological and agricultural engineering department and the food science department, recently published a study that offers information that could give grocery stores insights on presenting foods in a more appealing manner. The National Science Foundation-supported study also provides data that could help optimize software designs for machine vision systems used in processing facilities.
Since human perception of food quality can be manipulated with illumination, the study showed that computers trained with data from human perceptions of food quality made more consistent food quality predictions under different lighting conditions.
Han-Seok Seo, professor in the food science department and director of the Sensory Science Center, was a co-author of the study.
Dongyi Wang, assistant professor of smart agriculture and food manufacturing.
Listen — Food, Farms & Forests Podcast
Rooting for the Future – Restoring Arkansas’s bottomland hardwood forests
Michael Blazier, dean of the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, introduces listeners to the Restoring Bottomland Hardwood Forests project, a $3.7 million USDA Climate Smart Program initiative. Blazier explains how this project will help underserved landowners across Arkansas convert idle farmland into thriving ecosystems.
How replanting forests can improve ecological benefits and empower landowners
Dive deeper into the Restoring Bottomland Hardwood Forests project with principal investigator Nana Tian. Planting begins this fall, and over the next 3-5 years, this project aims to restore approximately 600 acres of Arkansas bottomland forests by planting oak species and other hardwoods. Tian hopes the project will have a lasting impact on Arkansas’ ecosystem and economy.
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Hot off the Press
2023-2024 Arkansas Wheat Performance Tests
Wheat variety performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program. These tests provide information to companies developing cultivars and marketing seed within the state and help guide variety recommendations for small-grain producers.
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