Woolly Cupgrass Biology and Management

Woolly cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa [Thumb.] Kunth.) is a relatively new weed in Iowa. Woolly cupgrass is native to East Asia, specifically China and Korea, and was first reported in the United States during the 1940\u27s. The first identified infestation in Iowa was located in Ringgold County and reported in 1957. Since then, economically important infestations have been discovered throughout Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Recent estimates suggest that woolly cupgrass infests approximately 7 to 10% of the row crop acres in Iowa. While this weed can be found in most areas of Iowa, localized and severe infestations occur in northwest, west central, north central and east central Iowa

Herbicide Resistance in Crops and Weeds

Herbicide resistance, whether as a potential problem in weeds, or as a potentially important agronomic tool, has become an extremely volatile issue in agriculture. Documents such as Biotechnology\u27s Bitter Harvest suggest that herbicide resistance in crops will be a major environmental and economic disaster. Industry representatives suggest that herbicide resistant crops will be excellent tools for growers and actually improve the environmental safety of herbicide use. Agronomists voice concerns about the appearance of weed biotypes that demonstrate herbicide resistance. This paper will provide an objective review of herbicide resistance in crops and weeds and suggest possible results of herbicide resistance specifically for Iowa agriculture

Troublesome Palmer Amaranth Expanding Its Range

Many people are aware of the problems Palmer amaranth is causing farmers in the mid-south and southeast United States. Palmer amaranth is a close relative to Iowa’s number one weed problem – waterhemp. Like waterhemp, Palmer amaranth is a species with a propensity to evolve herbicide resistance. Glyphosate resistant Palmer amaranth devastated the cotton industry, which has fewer chemical options than available in corn and soybean. This article will describe Palmer amaranth and the risk of it appearing in Iowa

Carryover Concerns for 2013

One of the consequences of the current drought will be reduced herbicide degradation. In some situations, this prolonged persistence will lead to damage to the rotational crop next spring. The risk of carryover injury will vary widely from field to field depending on several factors (Table 1); thus, it is important to evaluate each field individually

Herbicide Resistance and Weed Management Tactics Survey

Farmer and agribusiness participation is requested in an online survey being conducted by Kevin Bradley at University of Missouri

Weed Survey to Evaluate Potential Herbicide Resistance

The Iowa State University Weed Science group, in conjunction with the Iowa Soybean Association, is continuing to survey weed populations in Iowa for herbicide resistance

Soybean meal is necessary in diets for early-weaned (12 d of age) pigs

A total of 192 pigs (initially 8.0 lb and 12 d of age) was used to determine the optimal soybean meal level to be included in starter diets for the 12-d-old weaned pig. The trial was a 28 d growth assay. Pigs were allotted by weight to six replicates of four treatments with six or 10 pigs per pen. From d 0 to 14 postweaning, pigs were fed a common diet or experimental diets containing 5, 10, and 15% soybean meal. These high nutrient dense diets were formulated to contain 1.7% lysine. All pigs were fed a common transition diet from d 14 to 21 postweaning formulated to contain 1.4% lysine and a common phase II diet from d 21 to 28 postweaning formulated to contain 1.25% lysine. Linear improvements in average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were observed in the d 0 to 14 postweaning period as soybean meal increased from 0 to 15% of the diet. No differences in growth performance were observed when pigs were fed the common transition and phase II diets from d 14 to 21 postweaning and d 21 to 28 postweaning, respectively. Pig weights on d 14, 21, and 28 postweaning improved linearly. Thus, the improvements in ADG and ADFI for the cumulative (d 0 to 28 postweaning) period were a result of the performance in the d 0 to 14 postweaning period. The advantage in pig weight on d 14 postweaning was maintained through d 28 postweaning. In conclusion, soybean meal can replace skim milk and be included at a level between 10 and 15% in the diet of pigs weaned at 12 d of age.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 18,199

Is it Palmer Amaranth?

Numerous weedy species in the pigweed family (Amaranthaceae) are found across Iowa, including waterhemp, redroot pigweed, smooth pigweed, Powell amaranth and others. At this time, Palmer amaranth has not been confirmed in the state, but because of its presence in surrounding states we suspect it may be here, or will appear in the near future

Biphasic alterations in coronary smooth muscle Ca2+ regulation in a repeat cross-sectional study of coronary artery disease severity in metabolic syndrome

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is progressive, classified by stages of severity. Alterations in Ca(2+) regulation within coronary smooth muscle (CSM) cells in metabolic syndrome (MetS) have been observed, but there is a lack of data in relatively early (mild) and late (severe) stages of CAD. The current study examined alterations in CSM Ca(2+) regulation at several time points during CAD progression. METHODS: MetS was induced by feeding an excess calorie atherogenic diet for 6, 9, or 12 months and compared to age-matched lean controls. CAD was measured with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Intracellular Ca(2+) was assessed with fura-2. RESULTS: IVUS revealed that the extent of atherosclerotic CAD correlated with the duration on atherogenic diet. Fura-2 imaging of intracellular Ca(2+) in CSM cells revealed heightened Ca(2+) signaling at 9 months on diet, compared to 6 and 12 months, and to age-matched lean controls. Isolated coronary artery rings from swine fed for 9 months followed the same pattern, developing greater tension to depolarization, compared to 6 and 12 months (6 months = 1.8 ± 0.6 g, 9 months = 5.0 ± 1.0 g, 12 months = 0.7 ± 0.1 g). CSM in severe atherosclerotic plaques showed dampened Ca(2+) regulation and decreased proliferation compared to CSM from the wall. CONCLUSIONS: These CSM Ca(2+) regulation data from several time points in CAD progression and severity help to resolve the controversy regarding up-vs. down-regulation of CSM Ca(2+) regulation in previous reports. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that alterations in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) contribute to progression of atherosclerotic CAD in MetS