|
|
| This Week's Titles: |
| Serious
Disease Could Still Infect Strawberries |
|
|
Course Created To Help
Garden Workers |
|
| Don't
Waste Water When Watering Lawns |
|
| Important
Discovery Made Concerning Poultry Liter |
|
| Milk
Prices Going UP |
|
|
|
| Serious
Disease Could Still Infect Strawberries |
1:30 |
A serious disease could still
hit strawberry growers hard in 2004. |
Last year strawberry farmers
had an all-out war with anthracnose. Heavy rains throughout
last spring created ideal conditions for this disease to move
into strawberries earlier than normal, and cause a lot of damage.
This year, only one small case of anthracnose has been diagnosed
in Tattnal County. Phil Brannen, a plant pathologist with the
University of Georgia Extension Service says weather conditions
this year have made it tough for the disease pathogens to attack.
"This year up to this point its been so dry we've not seen it
but we have started picking up some indications that it's coming
in this last week we did have at least one location where there
was some anthracnose showing up so it may be starting this year."
Phil Brannen with the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences. The university scientist doesn't expect a widespread
outbreak of anthracnose in strawberries, as long as the weather
remains dry. But if rains increase and the weather pattern turns
wet, the disease could explode in fields, and cause a lot of
problems, and yield reductions. John Harrell, University of
Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
 |
| Course
Created To Help Garden Workers |
1:46 |
A course was recently created
at the University of Georgia to help garden workers in the state. |
For the past several years
the demand for well-trained workers at nurseries and home garden
centers has increased rapidly. So the horticulture industry
turned to the University of Georgia to help meet their needs
in horticulture. David Berle, a scientist with the University
of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
says the training was not easy. "Yeah it was actually a pretty
extensive program we started pretty much with some of the basic
biology or botany type topics like plant identification and
how plants grow, and then of course we worked in a lot of information
about caring for plants, and proper pruning and landscaping
as well as plant selection, and even I did a section on landscape
design." David Berle with the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, who adds nurseries exploded on the scene in the 1970.s
During the 1980's landscaping took off and worked up a full
head of steam. Now the green industry has an estimated $4.2
billion yearly impact on Georgia alone. And the demand for qualified
workers with a solid knowledge of horticulture has grown with
the industry. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
| Don't
Waste Water When Watering Lawns |
1:30 |
Georgian's should not get careless
when they apply water to their lawns this spring and summer. |
A dry winter and early
spring has many people concerned about a return to mandatory
water restrictions. Kerry Harrison, an engineer with the University
of Georgia Extension Service says one inch of water a week will
meet the moisture needs of most lawns in the state. "One inch
per week amount for most lawns in Georgia some will be a little
more, some will be a little less, depending on what type of
landscape that you're actually trying to maintain, but if you
can just remember one inch of water and how long that takes
to get that on." Kerry Harrison with the College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, who adds light, frequent watering
can actually lead to diseases, and cause more problems for a
lawn. The university engineer also recommends watering late
at night, or early in the morning, since gusty winds during
the day can blow the water away from the desired target. High
daytime temperatures evaporates much of the water, leaving little
for thirsty lawns to drink. John Harrell, University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting
from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
| Important
Discovery Made Concerning Poultry Liter |
1:37 |
College scientists recently
made an important discovery about poultry litter. |
For the past several years
we have heard concerns expressed about harmful bacteria developing
resistance to antibiotics. Scientists with the University of
Georgia's College of Arts and Sciences and Veterinary Medicine
have found that poultry litter left behind by flocks raised
in industrial chicken houses has a lot of genes called integrons
that promote the spread of several antibiotic resistance genes.
"And our finding bears on that, because we have found a genetic
element called an integron who's mission in evolution seems
to be to cluster together multiple genes, each of them conferring
resistance to different antibiotics, and they're quite abundant
in poultry litter these integrons." That was Anne Summers with
the University of Georgia. Findings from the research could
change our understanding of where resistance to new antibiotics
will develop, and how fast and how far it will spread and have
implications for all uses of antibiotics. John Harrell, University
of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
| Milk
Prices Going Up |
1:35 |
If you're a lover of milk,
get ready to pay more at grocery stores. |
For the past few years,
shoppers have been able to purchase milk at bargain prices.
But an agricultural economist with the University of Georgia
Extension Service says several factors came together that caused
milk prices to start increasing. "Including low prices over
the last several years for milk paid, or dairy farmers paid
for milk, the BSE incident out in Washington cut off replacements
new dairy animals coming in from Canada, higher feed costs,
all these have added together to bring about a shortage of milk
right now." Bill Thomas with the College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences, who adds higher fuel prices have also
been a factor in higher milk prices, since it cost more to transport
milk by truck. The university economists predicts milk prices
will continue to increase at least until the middle part of
the summer, when they could begin showing a slight decrease.
John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
|
|
