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| This Week's Titles: |
| Controlling
Parasites In Game Birds |
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New Institute Working To
Improve Plant Quality |
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| Start
Early Teaching Children Money Management |
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| Sweet
Progress Made At Vegetable Research Center |
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| College
Research Probe Travels To Mars |
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| Controlling
Parasites In Game Birds |
1:31 |
College scientists are conducting
studies on game birds, so parasites won't make them sick. |
Many people in Georgia
are becoming quail farmers, so they can raise bobwhite quail
for speciality food markets, as well as hunting. Last year farm-raised
quail production in Georgia was worth over thirty million dollars.
But several parasites can move in and cause significant losses
in flocks of game birds. Scientists with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are working
to develop treatments to control these parasites. "And we hope
that we'll be able to identify some treatment drugs that might
be effective in these birds. Our long term goal would be a vaccine
to use in these birds and that's probably part of the second
or third year of our program that we hope that we'll have a
vaccine in testing." That was Larry McDougald with the College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds there was
a similar parasite problem in chickens that was successfully
brought under control after a vaccine was developed. If university
scientists can develop a vaccine to control parasites in game
birds, it would save quail farmers money, and increase their
profits. 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.)
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| New
Institute Working To Improve Plant Quality |
1:30 |
A new institute at the University
of Georgia is working to improve plant varieties that will help
farmers and homeowners. |
The University of Georgia
Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics has researchers
who use both traditional and modern genetic technologies to
develop plants. Their goal is to create new and improved plant
varieties that are higher yielding, more disease resistant,
or simply look better in the landscape. Charlie Brummer, a scientist
with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences says the institute is also testing plants
resistant to drought conditions. "The drought is probably the
thing that's on everyone's mind and, from the homeowners perspective
ornamentals that require less water or turfgrass that doesn't
need as much water all the way to your soybeans or cotton that
can just stand, or at least survive if not produce well under
low water conditions. Drought's a big driver in just about everybody's
program these days." Charlie Brummer with the College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences. In addition to its research component,
the institute offers University of Georgia graduate degrees
in plant breeding, genetics, and genomics, as well as undergraduate
research opportunities. 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.)
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| Start
Early Teaching Children Money Management |
1:29 |
When teaching children about
money management, start early. |
When most children receive
money, it starts burning a hole in their pockets, and they can't
spend it fast enough. Michael Rupured, a financial management
specialist with the University of Georgia's College of Family
and Consumer Sciences says when it comes to money, children
often follow the example of their parents. "The person who's
best able to do that are the parents and to make sure the kids
are getting the right messages about money and how you spend
it. The things at school can help to reinforce the messages
that are being delivered at home but the reality is that most
kids are going to handle money the same way that they saw it
handled at home." Michael Rupured with the College of Family
and Consumer Sciences, who adds all children are different.
But it's still best to start teaching children money management
skills at an early age. Starting early to teach children to
become good money managers can prevent parents from having to
bail them out of a financial mess later in life. So get started
now, so you can reap all the benefits now, and later. 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.)
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| Sweet
Progress Made At Vegetable Research Center |
1:39 |
An important research center
in Southeast Georgia continues to make a sweet difference in
vegetable production. |
The Vidalia Onion and Vegetable
Research Center in Tattnall County is the only one of its kind
in East Georgia. The center focuses on commercial vegetable
production issues, and is the primary site for all Vidalia onion
research conducted in the state. Reid Torrance, coordinator
of the research center says the center now has plenty of land
and workers to work with Vidalia onions, and other vegetables.
"So now we have one-hundred forty-two acres, originally we had
the buildings and were leasing about twenty-two acres of cultivated
land. So that's been a big plus to allow us to expand and also
we have a cooperative relationship with the Department of Corrections.
Vegetables are very labor intensive and when you have multiple
harvest studies, it's nice to have plenty of labor available
and we do have a detail that's assigned to that facility everyday."
Reid Torrance with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, who adds the center now has a Digital
Distance Diagnostics Imaging System, which will speed up the
diagnosis of disease and other problems. A new office, lab,
and conference center will be complete in late June which will
allow more educational workshops and meetings to be conducted,
as well as field days at the center. 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.)
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| College
Reseach Probe Travels To Mars |
1:34 |
A research device that started
out in peanut fields recently moved to another world to conduct
more research. |
The device was first used
in 1987 as a moisture probe to measure the water content around
peanut pods. The probe could measure moisture without disturbing
the soil, which could destroy the pod. In 2004 the sensor device
attracted the attention of scientists working with NASA, at
the American Geophysical Union Meeting. They expressed an interest
in sending the device to Mars on the Phoenix mission, to search
for frozen water in the Martian soil. Tim Williams, a scientist
with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences says the probe is light weight, which
made it easier to transport millions of miles. "The advantage
of this particular instrument is that it's incredibly lightweight,
it's ounces whereas anything else is going to measure water
in that environment is way, way heavier. Its actually just two
little needles set a centimeter apart embedded in a little plastic
cap and connected to a little mini-computer controlling it,
single card computer." Tim Williams with the College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences. The sensor is mounted on a little
scoop on the end of a robot arm. The robot arm will take a sample
from the soil on Mars, and the sensor will take measurements
of the soil and confirm whether or not ice is present. 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.)
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