Circular 65

A comparative yield trial with thirty-six named varieties and numbered selections of potatoes was conducted at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station’s (AFES) Palmer Research Center during the 1987 growing season. The trial was conducted at the Matanuska Research Farm, located 6 miles west o f Palmer on Trunk Road. Nonirrigated trials have been conducted each year beginning in 1982, and irrigated trials were begun in 1985. Results of previous trials have been recorded in Circulars 49, 54, and 58, available at the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station offices in Fairbanks and Palmer. Varieties with a history of commercial production in the Matanuska Valley (including 'Alaska 114', 'Bakeking', 'Green Mountain', 'Kennebec', and 'Superior') are included and serve as a comparative base for newly developed varieties, numbered selections, or older varieties that heretofore have not been tested at this location. Varieties that com pare favorably with the above-listed standards may warrant some consideration by commercial growers. Also included in this report are the results of abbreviated versions of the AFES potato yield trial that were conducted by cooperating individuals and agencies at nine locations throughout the state.Introduction -- Matanuska Farm Yield Trials: Cultural Practices and Environmental Conditions, Results and Discussion -- Trials at Other Locations in Alaska: General Procedures, Specific Site Information: Ambler, Copper Center, Delta Junction, Fairbanks, Kake, Kenai and Soldotna, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Palmer, Trapper Cree

Rates and Methods of Application of Nitrogen and Phosphorus for Commercial Field Production of Head Lettuce in Southcentral Alaska

Head lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the major agricultural crops grown in Alaska. In 1992, its wholesale value was approximately $314,000, second only to potatoes among Alaska’s commercially field grown vegetables (Brown et al., 1992). The quality of head lettuce is as important as yield, as lettuce heads that do not meet minimum size and weight standards are unmarketable. Head size and weight are strongly influenced by management practices, dictating a high level of management for successful commercial production. Among manageable cultural variables, rate of fertilizer application and the method of fertilizer placement are two of the most critical. Despite the value of the head lettuce crop to Alaska vegetable growers and the importance of fertilization as a management practice, little research has been published on rates of application and method of applying nitrogen and phosphorus to commercially grown head lettuce

Circular 111

In 1995, 27 head lettuce varieties were evaluated in a replicated study at the Palmer Research Center, and two growers’ fields in the Matanuska Valley. The 15 varieties that performed best in 1995 were selected for evaluation in 1996 and 1997. The performance of those 15 varieties in 1997 is summarized in this report. Results from the 1995 and 1996 trials may be found in UAF circulars 106 and 108 respectively

Operation Moonshot: rapid translation of a SARS-CoV-2 targeted peptide immunoaffinity liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry test from research into routine clinical use

OBJECTIVES: During 2020, the UK's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) established the Moonshot programme to fund various diagnostic approaches for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen behind the COVID-19 pandemic. Mass spectrometry was one of the technologies proposed to increase testing capacity. METHODS: Moonshot funded a multi-phase development programme, bringing together experts from academia, industry and the NHS to develop a state-of-the-art targeted protein assay utilising enrichment and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to capture and detect low levels of tryptic peptides derived from SARS-CoV-2 virus. The assay relies on detection of target peptides, ADETQALPQRK (ADE) and AYNVTQAFGR (AYN), derived from the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2, measurement of which allowed the specific, sensitive, and robust detection of the virus from nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of LC-MS/MS was compared with reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) via a prospective study. RESULTS: Analysis of NP swabs (n=361) with a median RT-qPCR quantification cycle (Cq) of 27 (range 16.7-39.1) demonstrated diagnostic sensitivity of 92.4% (87.4-95.5), specificity of 97.4% (94.0-98.9) and near total concordance with RT-qPCR (Cohen's Kappa 0.90). Excluding Cq>32 samples, sensitivity was 97.9% (94.1-99.3), specificity 97.4% (94.0-98.9) and Cohen's Kappa 0.95. CONCLUSIONS: This unique collaboration between academia, industry and the NHS enabled development, translation, and validation of a SARS-CoV-2 method in NP swabs to be achieved in 5 months. This pilot provides a model and pipeline for future accelerated development and implementation of LC-MS/MS protein/peptide assays into the routine clinical laboratory

Relative effectiveness of insulin pump treatment over multiple daily injections and structured education during flexible intensive insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes: cluster randomised trial (REPOSE).

Objective To compare the effectiveness of insulin pumps with multiple daily injections for adults with type 1 diabetes, with both groups receiving equivalent training in flexible insulin treatment.Design Pragmatic, multicentre, open label, parallel group, cluster randomised controlled trial (Relative Effectiveness of Pumps Over MDI and Structured Education (REPOSE) trial).Setting Eight secondary care centres in England and Scotland.Participants Adults with type 1 diabetes who were willing to undertake intensive insulin treatment, with no preference for pumps or multiple daily injections. Participants were allocated a place on established group training courses that taught flexible intensive insulin treatment ("dose adjustment for normal eating," DAFNE). The course groups (the clusters) were then randomly allocated in pairs to either pump or multiple daily injections.Interventions Participants attended training in flexible insulin treatment (using insulin analogues) structured around the use of pump or injections, followed for two years.Main outcome measures The primary outcomes were a change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) values (%) at two years in participants with baseline HbA1c value of ≥7.5% (58 mmol/mol), and the proportion of participants achieving an HbA1c value of <7.5%. Secondary outcomes included body weight, insulin dose, and episodes of moderate and severe hypoglycaemia. Ancillary outcomes included quality of life and treatment satisfaction.Results 317 participants (46 courses) were randomised (156 pump and 161 injections). 267 attended courses and 260 were included in the intention to treat analysis, of which 235 (119 pump and 116 injection) had baseline HbA1c values of ≥7.5%. Glycaemic control and rates of severe hypoglycaemia improved in both groups. The mean change in HbA1c at two years was -0.85% with pump treatment and -0.42% with multiple daily injections. Adjusting for course, centre, age, sex, and accounting for missing values, the difference was -0.24% (-2.7 mmol/mol) in favour of pump users (95% confidence interval -0.53 to 0.05, P=0.10). Most psychosocial measures showed no difference, but pump users showed greater improvement in treatment satisfaction and some quality of life domains (dietary freedom and daily hassle) at 12 and 24 months.Conclusions Both groups showed clinically relevant and long lasting decreases in HbA1c, rates of severe hypoglycaemia, and improved psychological measures, although few participants achieved glucose levels currently recommended by national and international guidelines. Adding pump treatment to structured training in flexible intensive insulin treatment did not substantially enhance educational benefits on glycaemic control, hypoglycaemia, or psychosocial outcomes in adults with type 1 diabetes. These results do not support a policy of providing insulin pumps to adults with poor glycaemic control until the effects of training on participants' level of engagement in intensive self management have been determined.Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN61215213.This research was funded by the UK Health Technology Assessment Programme (project No 08/107/01) and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment. See the HTA programme website for further project information. (http://www.nets.nihr.ac.uk/). This report presents independent research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). We also acknowledge financial support from the Research and Development Programmes of the Department of Health for England and the Scottish Health and Social Care Directorates who supported the costs of consumables, and of Medtronic UK, which provided the insulin pumps for the trial. These funders had no involvement in the design of the protocol; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; the writing of this paper; or the decision to submit this article for publication. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the HTA, NIHR, NHS, the Department of Health, or Medtronic UK

Rhizoctonia Disease (of Potato)

NYS IPM Type: Vegetables IPM Fact SheetRhizoctonia solani is a fungus that attacks tubers, underground stems, and stolons of potato plants. Although it probably occurs wherever potatoes are grown, it causes economically significant damage only in cool, wet soils. In temperate production areas, losses from R. solani are sporadic and occur only when weather is cold and wet in the weeks following planting. In northern areas, where growers often must plant in cold soils, Rhizoctonia is a more consistent problem. Poor stands, stunted plants, reduced tuber number and size, and misshapen tubers are characteristic of the Rhizoctonia disease

Research Progress Report, No. 37

Strains are spontaneously occurring variants within a potato variety that may possess qualitative or quantitative characteristics that are superior to the parent variety. Strain selection is a practice that has been in use with potatoes for many years and examples of successful strain selections include Russet Burbank from Burbank, Dark Red Norland from Norland and Norgold Russet “M” from Norgold Russet. Some strains are discovered based on chance observations of desirable characteristics while others are the products of systematic searches for superior performance. Strain can influence the quality and quantity of tubers produced by a given variety of potato