AFES Circular 80

To remain competitive, commercial vegetable producers require updated information on the performance of new vegetable varieties under the soil and climatic conditions of southcentral Alaska. Variety trials provide the opportunity to evaluate potentially adapted plant material. Although many varieties are developed in environments considerably different from that of southcentral Alaska, some may prove to be useful to commercial growers in Alaska. The information on new varieties must be collected over several growing seasons to provide sufficient confidence in the observed performance. Additionally, each year of the performance trials, new varieties are grown with traditional or standard varieties which are used to compare the quality of the new varieties. Commercial production of new varieties should be considered after several years of variety trial work with initial plantings on a small production scale.Introduction -- Overview -- Seed Source List -- Weather Summary -- Broccoli -- Cabbage -- Carrots -- Lettuce -- Potatoe

Suppression of Lung Tumorigenesis by Leucine Zipper/EF Hand–Containing Transmembrane-1

Leucine zipper/EF hand-containing transmembrane-1 (LETM1) encodes for the human homologue of yeast Mdm38p, which is a mitochondria-shaping protein of unclear function. However, a previous study demonstrated that LETM1 served as an anchor protein for complex formation between mitochondria and ribosome, and regulated mitochondrial biogenesis.Therefore, we examine the possibility that LETM1 may function to regulate mitochondria and lung tumor growth. In this study, we addressed this question by studying in the effect of adenovirus-mediated LETM1 in the lung cancer cell and lung cancer model mice. To investigate the effects of adenovirus-LETM1 in vitro, we infected with adenovirus-LETM1 in A549 cells. Additionally, in vivo effects of LETM1 were evaluated on K-ras(LA1) mice, human non-small cell lung cancer model mice, by delivering the LETM1 via aerosol through nose-only inhalation system. The effects of LETM1 on lung cancer growth and AMPK related signals were evaluated. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of LETM1 could induce destruction of mitochondria of lung cancer cells through depleting ATP and AMPK activation. Furthermore, adenoviral-LETM1 also altered Akt signaling and inhibited the cell cycle while facilitating apoptosis. Theses results demonstrated that adenovirus-LETM1 suppressed lung cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo.Adenovirus-mediated LETM1 may provide a useful target for designing lung tumor prevention and treatment

Supported housing programs for persons with serious mental illness in rural northern communities: A mixed method evaluation

Background: During the past two decades, consumers, providers and policy makers have recognized the role of supported housing intervention for persons diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) to be able to live independently in the community. Much of supported housing research to date, however, has been conducted in large urban centers rather than northern and rural communities. Northern conditional and contextual issues such as rural poverty, lack of accessible mental health services, small or non-existing housing markets, lack of a continuum of support or housing services, and in some communities, a poor quality of housing challenge the viability of effective supported housing services. The current research proposal aims to describe and evaluate the processes and outcomes of supported housing programs for persons living with SMI in northern and rural communities from the perspective of clients, their families, and community providers. Methods: This research will use a mixed method design guided by participatory action research. The study will be conducted over two years, in four stages. Stage I will involve setting up the research in each of the four northern sites. In Stage II a descriptive cross-sectional survey will be used to obtain information about the three client outcomes: housing history, quality of life and housing preference. In Stage III two participatory action strategies, focus groups and photo-voice, will be used to explore perceptions of supported housing services. In the last stage findings from the study will be re-presented to the participants, as well as other key community individuals in order to translate them into policy. Conclusion: Supported housing intervention is a core feature of mental health care, and it requires evaluation. The lack of research in northern and rural SMI populations heightens the relevance of research findings for health service planning. The inclusion of multiple stakeholder groups, using a variety of data collection approaches, contributes to a comprehensive, systems-level examination of supported housing in smaller communities. It is anticipated that the study\u27s findings will not only have utility across Ontario, but also Canada

Research Progress Report, No. 14

Weeds cause serious problems for commercial potato growers in Southcentral and Interior Alaska. Reductions in potato yields of 20 to 70 percent due to weeds have been observed in previous studies (Carling, unpublished data). Competition by weeds generally is so intense that profitable yields cannot be produced unless weed growth is controlled. Mechanical methods alone, including cultivation and hilling, have not provided acceptable levels of control. For many years, commercial potato growers relied on the chemical herbicide Premerge® (dinoseb) to control weeds. Premerge killed weeds by contact and was very effective in controlling the most troublesome broad leaf weeds when applied just prior to emergence of the potato plants. In addition, Premerge left no chemical residues in the soil to damage vegetable or other crops grown in succeeding years. Unfortunately, several years ago Premerge was found to be a hazard to human health and now may not be used as an herbicide. Commercial growers have been trying other chemicals as they search for alternatives to Premerge. Several of these chemicals are promising but, unlike Premerge, all leave chemical residues in the soil that could be toxic to crops that potato growers plant in rotation. In 1988, a field study was initiated to evaluate the efficacy and carryover of several herbicides. Five chemicals including: Treflan® (trifluralin), Enide® (diphenamide), Eptam® (ETPC), Sencor® (metribuzin) and Lorox® (linuron) were evaluated at Fairbanks and Palmer. Eptam, Sencor and Lorox controlled weeds most effectively of the five and were selected for reevaluation in 1989. Summarized in this report are data on potato yields and weed control from the study in 1989. Information on phytotoxic residues associated with some of these chemicals will be presented in later publications

Research Progress Report, No. 16

Traditionally, commercially grown potatoes are hilled in the production cycle between emergence and closure of the canopy. Hilling is usually accomplished with disks, sweep shovels, or similar tools that lift soil from between rows and deposit it beside and on top of the row. Reasons for hilling may include: improved weed control, improved drainage, minimization of greening of tubers, and raising of soil temperatures. Proper management of each of these factors may result in an increase in quality and quantity of tuber yield. Negative aspects of hilling have also been noted. Saffigna et al. (1976) reported that water distribution was uneven under potato hills, resulting in uneven availability of water to plants and increased loss of fertilizer due to leaching. Hilling operations may also damage potato plants, and significant reductions in yield are known to result from hilling and other types of cultivation (Nelson and Giles, 1986). Many commercial growers wait until vines are 12 or more inches tall before hilling. This scheduling is preferred because at this time the danger of covering plants is minimal. However, the vines of larger plants may sustain greater damage from hilling than smaller plants. Also, the possibility of damaging roots and stolons increases as the plants increase in size, so there may be advantages to hilling when plants are younger and smaller. Four different treatments including variations in time of hilling and height of hill were compared with no-hilling on four varieties of potato in the 1988 and 1989 growing seasons. This report contains a preliminary summary of data collected from these studies