Crop Tech Corner

LAWRENCE, Kan. (DTN) -- This bi-monthly column condenses the latest news in the field of crop technology, research and products.

A NEMATODE-FIGHTING FLOWER

A small flowering plant native to Europe, Asia and Africa could give soybean producers better protection against soybean cyst nematodes (SCN). The plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, has long been favored by geneticists and researchers for its small, easily sequenced genome and rapid lifecycle. Now a team of researchers has discovered that overexpressing certain genes from the Arabidopsis flower in soybean plants makes them much more resistant to SCN. Specifically, transgenic soybeans that expressed three Arabidopsis genes had 62% to 67% fewer SCN cysts on their roots than control plants. The genes, which control the plant's regulation, synthesis and signaling of salicylic acid, could be used to engineer soybean plants with more natural resistance to nematodes, researchers concluded. See the study here: http://goo.gl/….

ROBOTS TAKE ON BUGS

Could robots replace entomologists or pest seeking crop scouts some day? One University of California-Riverside professor might have taken the first step in that direction. "We have created insect classification tools that can outperform the world's top entomologists in a fraction of the time," computer science professor Eamonn Keogh told the university paper, UCR Today. Keogh and a team of grad students and professors built a wireless bug sensor that logs data points such as the wing beats of the insect, its location, and the time of day it was detected. Over three years, this data was used to build algorithms that can identify species of insects with up to 99% accuracy. The rate drops as more species are added to the mix, but the researchers hope to add more variables such as temperature and humidity to push the accuracy rate ever higher. These sensors, which Keogh estimates could cost as little as $10 to build, could allow for precision pesticide application or help limit the spread of insect-borne diseases in the future. See the UCR Today article here: http://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/….

NEW FUNGICIDE FOR SORGHUM APHIDS

The Texas Department of Agriculture has approved a new fungicide for producers to use against sugarcane aphids, which invaded Texas sorghum fields and caused significant yield losses last year. The fungicide, Cheminova Dimethoate 4e Insecticide, is produced by Cheminova Inc. The sugarcane aphid has been spotted in sorghum fields across the south, from Louisiana to Mexico, and it has thrived in the droughty conditions of the southwest. Texas growers started seeing yield reductions of 50% to 70% shortly after the aphid was discovered in 2013, Raul Villanueva, an entomologist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, told DTN in an earlier story.

Tests run by Texas A&M researchers showed that the Cheminova fungicide can drop aphid numbers dramatically within four days of application. The company recommends a rate of 1 pint per acre. The fungicide approval in Texas was granted in late April and will not expire until Dec. 31, 2015. See Cheminova's press release here: http://goo.gl/….

MORE BT BEANS UNDERWAY

Another Bt-soybean product has been deregulated by the United States. Dow Agrosciences' GE soybean variety, DAS-81419-2 contains two Bt-genes that protect plants against lepidopteran pests such as soybean looper and velvetbean caterpillar. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service granted Dow's Bt-soybean variety a non-regulated status on April 17, making it the second non-regulated Bt-soybean product in the U.S.

Monsanto's MON 87701, a soybean trait with one Bt-gene, was deregulated in the U.S. in October 2011. The trait is found in the company's Intacta soybeans, which were launched last year in South America, and the company is doing studies to see if it has a place in U.S. agriculture, as well. Like Monsanto, Dow is focusing on South America for its new Bt-soybean trait, which will eventually be offered as a stack in the company's Enlist soybean varieties. Dow plans to license Enlist varieties with DAS-81419-2 to regional seed companies in Brazil and Argentina in the next three to five years. Pending regulatory approval, Enlist soybeans could be launched in the United States as early as 2015, but Dow has indicated the Bt-trait will not be included in the U.S. launch. See Dow's petition to deregulate DAS-81419-2 here: http://goo.gl/… and the USDA's decision here: http://goo.gl/….

SORGHUM CHECKOFF FUNDS PIONEER RESEARCH

The Sorghum Checkoff is funding a three-year research project by DuPont Pioneer to make genetic improvements to sorghum. The checkoff will pay Pioneer $800,220 to focus its extensive seed technology resources on three genetic projects to improve sorghum lines. According to a company press release, the first project will search for a "haploid inducer" line, which would kick start a double haploid breeding program for sorghum. Double-haploid breeding is a faster breeding technique that allows scientists to produce pure parent lines in only one generation. The second project will focus on creating a faster screening method for stalk lodging, and the third project will tackle the development of sorghum hybrids with minimal or no tillering. Any resulting sorghum lines developed from these projects will be made available to the industry, as well as Pioneer. See the press release here: http://goo.gl/….

NEW SUNFLOWER HYBRID ON THE MARKET

DuPont Pioneer is offering a new sunflower variety this spring: Pioneer P64ME01. This conventionally bred hybrid was created for the NuSun oil market and boasts a mid-oleic, mid-maturity and disease-tolerant profile, according to a company press release. The hybrid also includes DuPont's ExpressSun trait, which allows the plant to tolerate the company's Express herbicides. It is recommended for Dakota sunflower growers, and has a high yield potential that should respond well to intensive management, the release noted. Mid-oleic sunflower oils are more stable and have less saturated fat and higher oleic levels than conventional vegetable oils. See the company press release here: http://goo.gl/….

Emily Unglesbee can be reached at emily.unglesbee@dtn.com.

Follow Emily Unglesbee on Twitter @Emily_Unglesbee.

(CZ/SK)

Copyright 2014 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.