Building in Integrated Pest Management network in cooperation with Iowa fruit and vegetable growers

Fifty-one commercial growers of apples, strawberries, tomatoes, and/or watermelons cooperated with Iowa State University (ISU) Extension specialists in a three-year program to evaluate IPM control techniques. Scouts and growers monitored pest infestations and diseases such as codling moth on apples, tarnished plant bugs on strawberries, and anthracnose on tomatoes and melons. Growers sprayed only when pest populations or disease risk values reached levels capable of doing crop damage. Weather conditions were monitored for periods favorable to pest outbreaks. On average, ISU researchers estimate that growers applied from 25 to 55 percent fewer insecticide and fungicide sprays (depending on the year and the particular pest) by using IPM methods in comparison to their usual practices. For the growers, this meant decreased input costs, a better bottom line, and enhanced competitiveness

Epidemiology of Gallbladder Disease: Cholelithiasis and Cancer

Diseases of the gallbladder are common and costly. The best epidemiological screening method to accurately determine point prevalence of gallstone disease is ultrasonography. Many risk factors for cholesterol gallstone formation are not modifiable such as ethnic background, increasing age, female gender and family history or genetics. Conversely, the modifiable risks for cholesterol gallstones are obesity, rapid weight loss and a sedentary lifestyle. The rising epidemic of obesity and the metabolic syndrome predicts an escalation of cholesterol gallstone frequency. Risk factors for biliary sludge include pregnancy, drugs like ceftiaxone, octreotide and thiazide diuretics, and total parenteral nutrition or fasting. Diseases like cirrhosis, chronic hemolysis and ileal Crohn's disease are risk factors for black pigment stones. Gallstone disease in childhood, once considered rare, has become increasingly recognized with similar risk factors as those in adults, particularly obesity. Gallbladder cancer is uncommon in developed countries. In the U.S., it accounts for only ~ 5,000 cases per year. Elsewhere, high incidence rates occur in North and South American Indians. Other than ethnicity and female gender, additional risk factors for gallbladder cancer include cholelithiasis, advancing age, chronic inflammatory conditions affecting the gallbladder, congenital biliary abnormalities, and diagnostic confusion over gallbladder polyps

Correlation of yield, vine weight and earliness in watermelon, Citrullus vulgaris Schrad

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1969 E82Master of Scienc

Sweet Corn

Although corn includes dent, flint, flour, and popcorn, sweet corn (Zea mays var. rugosa) is the first thing that comes to mind for many Americans. Sweet corn differs from field corn in that more sugar and less starch accumulates in the kernels. The five main types of sweet corn are standard sugary (su), sugary enhanced (se), shrunken-2 (sh2), synergistic (syn), and augmented supersweets (shA). These types vary in sugar content, texture, length of harvest period, storage life, and seed vigor/germination requirements.</p

Potatoes

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world. The edible part of the potato plant is the underground swollen stem known as a tuber. The tubers of potato cultivars vary in size, shape, color, storability, and culinary uses.</p

Sweet Corn

Although corn includes dent, flint, flour, and popcorn, sweet corn (Zea mays var. rugosa) is the first thing that comes to mind for many Americans. Sweet corn differs from field corn in that more sugar and less starch accumulates in the kernels. The five main types of sweet corn are standard sugary (su), sugary enhanced (se), shrunken-2 (sh2), synergistic (syn), and augmented supersweets (shA). These types vary in sugar content, texture, length of harvest period, storage life, and seed vigor/germination requirements

Peppers

Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern portions of South America. Peppers have been used in these regions as a culinary spice for nearly 6,000 years. Columbus brought peppers back to Europe where they quickly became popular and spread throughout the world. Peppers can be divided into a number of different groups or types based on pungency, flavor, culinary use, fruit shape, and color. The chart below contains several of the most common types and their fruit characteristics

Cole Crops

“Cole crops” is a general term used to describe several vegetables in the mustard family, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, and kohlrabi. All cole crops are cultivated varieties of the species Brassica oleracea. They are cool-season vegetables that prefer 60°-70°F temperatures for optimal growth and can withstand light frosts without injury.</p

Potatoes

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world. The edible part of the potato plant is the underground swollen stem known as a tuber. The tubers of potato cultivars vary in size, shape, color, storability, and culinary uses