1) Researchers Releasing Better Tasting Tomato Varieties
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Old-fashioned, “heirloom” varieties may be losing their edge as the best-tasting tomatoes available. Flavorful new varieties are now entering the field.
Compared to their heirloom kin, these just-released, modern varieties are also easier to grow, said horticulturist Ward Upham at Kansas State University. Yes, their fruit has been flavor-enhanced. But, the plants themselves are disease-resistant, more productive and compact.
These new varieties include Mountain Glory, Red Defender, Scarlet Red, and SecuriTY 28.
“I have yet to see any seed packets for these varieties advertised on the home gardener market. But, the seed is available this year to U.S. commercial growers. So, by spring, gardeners may be able to find transplants at a nearby garden center or greenhouse,” Upham said.
The varieties’ taste improvements trace back to the 1990s. That’s when U.S. Department of Agriculture tomato researcher Ronald Buttery led a team who found something new in the natural chemicals that give tomatoes taste.
The chemical compound that the team extracted had been overlooked until then because it dissolves in water -- including tomato juices. Called furaneol (fur-ANN-ee-uhl), the compound was present in various amounts but proved to be highest in tomatoes known to be better tasting.
“That really caught tomato breeders’ attention,” Upham said. “Soon, some of them had identified the gene that controls the level of furaneol and incorporated it into their breeding programs. We’re now seeing the fruit – pun intended – of their research.”
A modern variety named Fabulous wasn’t part of this breeding program, he added. Yet, it naturally has higher than average levels of furaneol.
“And, Fabulous has been around long enough that seed may be available to home gardeners who would prefer to grow their own 2009 tomatoes from seed,” the horticulturist said.
Upham heads the Kansas Master Gardener program for K-State Research and Extension.
2) K-State No-Till Study: Water Erosion Curbed Even When Surface Residue Is Sparse
HAYS, Kan. – Even when surface residue is thin, no-till farming practices improve soils and reduce water-related erodibility. That’s the bottom line from a recent study across the central Great Plains by Kansas State University researcher Humberto Blanco.
“This regional study shows that no-till farming has large and positive effects on improving soil structural properties, increasing soil organic carbon content and reducing soil’s water erodibility -- even if surface crop residue levels are sparse,” said Blanco, who is a soil management researcher with K-State Research and Extension.
Blanco added, however, that no-till’s impacts on soil aggregate properties influencing wind erosion appear to be limited. This suggests producers will have to maintain adequate surface crop residue levels for no-till to reduce wind erosion.
“The ability of no-till to control water erosion has enormous implications, though, because intense rainstorms can cause large losses of soil in semiarid regions,” Blanco said. “Increasing soil organic concentration through no-till and other best management practices is crucial for reducing soil erosion, while also improving soil quality and sustaining crop production.”
Details of the study can be found on the K-State Extension Agronomy Web site: http://www.agronomy.ksu.edu/extension. (Click on “e-Updates/Current Topics” and on the Jan. 9, 2009, newsletter.) Humberto Blanco can be reached at 785-625-3425 or hblanco@ksu.edu.
3) Firewood-Harbored Insects Can Attack Living Trees
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Today’s high heating costs and push for alternate fuels are sparking renewed interest in wood-burning fireplaces and stoves.
“Some homeowners are still needlessly worried that they could be adding to the decline of our nation’s forests or bringing insects into their house on well-seasoned logs,” said Bob Atchison, Kansas Forest Service. “For forestry professionals, however, the biggest reason for concern right now is the homeowners who – knowingly or unknowingly -- buy firewood from out-of-state.”
Except for that concern, the state and federal foresters in the Western (U.S.) Forestry Leadership Coalition are actually promoting the idea of using wood as a fuel, Atchison said. They believe that turning U.S. forests’ waste wood into a renewable energy source will help prevent forest fires. It also should create jobs, promote tree and watershed health, and help maintain the quality of surface-water supplies.
Wood destined for home burning can’t be treated with chemicals or insecticides, he warned.
“Homeowners can be reassured, though, that most of the insects that can emerge from logs won’t infest or cause damage to structures,” Atchison said. “Besides, when you properly store firewood outdoors and only bring it indoors within hours of burning, the odds that insects will emerge are low.”
Even so, when firewood results from trees that were infested with wood-boring insects, the logs are likely to have borers, too – even in cold outdoor storage. Most of these boring insects are harmless, the forester said, but the emerald ash borer is a very real threat to the health of ash trees in Kansas.
“The Asian emerald ash borer has mostly been spreading via firewood since it was first found six years ago in Michigan. By 2008, the pest had killed about 50 million U.S. ash trees in 10 states, including Missouri,” Atchison said. (See: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/index.cfm.) “It’s why Kansans need to find out where their firewood comes from and encourage out-of-state visitors to leave firewood at home.
“Unfortunately, the emerald ash borer can also be introduced on ash tree nursery stock from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Unless we are lucky, as well as vigilant, we may end up having to treat ash borer-infested trees the way we now treat victims of pine wilt and Dutch elm: Remove and bury, chip or burn -- ASAP.”
4) Weather Wonders: Snow Blindness, Burn Are Hazards to Recognize
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Kansans generally don’t see enough snow on the ground to risk two common snow-related hazards. But, knowing how to recognize the problems can be helpful during trips to ski or snow country, said Mary Knapp, state climatologist of Kansas.
One affects the eyes and the other, the skin.
“Impaired vision or temporary blindness caused by sunlight reflected from snow surfaces is called snow blindness,” said Knapp, who directs the Kansas Weather Data Library, based with Kansas State University Research and Extension
The symptoms include a gritty feeling under the eyelids, excessive watering of the eyes, and double vision.
“Remembering to wear sunglasses or snow goggles can help prevent the problem,” she said.
The other hazard is snow burn. It is similar to sunburn in that it’s a temporary inflammation of the skin surface. But, its cause is light reflected from snow, rather than direct sunlight, Knapp said.
“Keeping skin covered, when possible, and applying sun block can reduce the risk,” she said.
More information about Kansas weather is available on the Kansas Weather Data Library Web site: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/wdl. Audio reports of “Weather Wonders” are available on the Kansas Radio Network http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/radio/ (click on “Weather Wonders” and scroll).
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