Agricultural researchers have mixed up a new snack food that's high in protein and it tastes good. But snack lovers need not feel guilty when they eat it, because it's low in fat. "We don't want it to have high saturated fat, but a mono-unsaturated fat in peanuts that is considered good fat." That was Dr. Yao-Wen Huang with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Huang uses peanuts that had almost all the oil squeezed out of them. Most of the time processors would throw them away, but the scientist saw the main ingredient for a new snack food: a peanut chip. You take virtually oil-less peanut, then add some soy flour or wheat flour, a dash of salt, and some peanut butter to make the new snack food. Once the chips are cut up and baked, they come out tasting like thin pieces of peanut brittle. The new healthy snack idea could appear on grocery store shelves in about two years. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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Potato lovers in south Georgia normally plant seeds in the ground in late-February and early-March, while gardeners in north Georgia will have to wait until around April 1 to plant Irish potatoes. Wayne McLaurin, a horticulturist with the University of Georgia Extension, says once planted Irish potatoes should not suffer serious damage from cold weather. "If we get a slight frost after they're up it'll knock them back but they usually come back. I've never had any real problem with them not coming back," (says) Wayne McLaurin with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. When selecting potato seeds to plant, select those labeled as "certified disease-free," at garden shops and in mail-order catalogs. Don't try to cut corners by purchasing potatoes at grocery stores for planting. They give a poor performance in gardens. Select a site to plant the potatoes that drains well and receives plenty of sunlight. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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Many farmers are finding they can make money on strawberries, and the number of growers is fast expanding. But methyl bromide, a popular chemical used to fumigate the beds, will be phased out by the year 2005. For the past three years, scientists with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have been working on alternatives to this popular chemical. One uses black plastic, and no chemicals. "The non-chemical one that we're looking at is solarization which basically is baking the soil, and all you need to do for that is put a piece of plastic on the soil, and as you can imagine it gets pretty darn hot in the middle of the summer underneath that plastic out there," (says) Mark Rieger with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds solarization requires growers to prepare their black-plastic-covered planting beds in July instead of October, so the heat can kill insects, diseases and some weed seeds. The university scientist is also looking at chemical options. One would allow strawberry growers to use the same application equipment they used to apply methyl bromide. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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Georgia is the leading pecan producing state, averaging over 60 million pounds annually. Many different pecan varieties exist, and they can vary widely in their adaptation and performance throughout the growing region. But many growers do not know the specific variety of some of the trees in their groves. For the last two to three years, scientists with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have been running tests, using DNA to identify young pecan trees. The test is quite simple and accurate. "Yeah, all we need to do the DNA test is just a single leaf from the tree, so generally we can take that leaf the first year it's planted and we can get all the DNA from that leaf that we need to run our tests." That was Patrick Connor with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds more research will be needed before DNA becomes a common testing tool for identifying pecan varieties. But information has already been gathered on the genetic parentage of many of Georgia's most important pecan varieties. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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Many people have yards full of evergreen plants and shrubs to add beauty to the landscape. Mel Garber, a horticulturist with the University of Georgia Extension Service, says several of those evergreen shrubs need a good trimming during mid to late winter. "Some of the evergreens, the most common ones you have down here are the various hollies, legustrum, wax myrtle, for most yards that would be our most common evergreens," (says) Mel Garber with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds crepe myrtles should also be pruned now before active growth starts in the spring. The university scientists says shrubs that burst forth with colorful blooms in the spring, like azaleas and camellias, should not be pruned now. They can be pruned later this spring when they finish showing off their blooms for another year. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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