Elsewhere in ag utilization

By Joan Olson

Editor's note: As a service to our readers, we provide news about the work of others in the ag utilization arena. Often, research done elsewhere complements AURI's work. (Please note that ARS is the research arm of the USDA).

Composted waste is tops

Purdue University researchers have composted a nutrient-rich soil additive from waste such as coal ash, organic-rich industrial byproducts and yard waste. Mixing the material with poor-quality soil, even sand and gravel, creates a man-made topsoil that outperformed local topsoil yields in lab tests.

The man-made topsoil could be used to reclaim areas depleted of vegetation by industrial use, such as coal mines and gravel pits. It would not be cost-effective on farms, since it costs about $2000 per acre to spread a 12-inch-thick layer.

To make the topsoil, ingredients are mixed in piles on the ground. Added woodchips provide nutrient value and allow air to circulate through the piles as they compost for at least three months.

Source: Joseph Mikesell, director of utilities at Purdue University, (765) 494-7327; Jody Tishmack, ash management coordinator for Purdue Physical Facilities, (765) 494-0387.

Ostrich in any tongue

A meat guide using numbers instead of names to identify ostrich cuts has been adopted by 23 countries, including Australia, Israel, the United States and the Netherlands.

Since the ostrich market is global, the number system cuts through the language barriers. The international ostrich meat buyer's catalog makes selecting the bird cuts as easy as ordering a No. 3 combination plate from a Mexican restaurant. Countries using the guide will cut ostrich using the same specifications.

Big-eyed bug's fast food

The high cost of feeding predatory insects has hitherto limited their production and sale as a pesticide alternative. ARS scientists are patenting cheaper artificial diets for lab-reared big-eyed bugs and lacewings; two insects which devour a wide range of pests.

The new lacewing diet costs only $2.50 a pound, compared to a diet of insect eggs at $300 a pound. Lacewings and big-eyed bugs reared on the new diets produce more offspring, often mature faster, and are up to 50 percent larger than wild ones. With slight modifications, the diets work for other predators, including lady beetles and the minute pirate bug.

Sources: Thomas Henneberry, Western Cotton Research Lab, Phoenix, AZ, (602) 379-3524, and Allen C. Cohen, Biocontrol and Mass-Rearing Research, Mississippi State University, (601) 323-2230.

Guayule no ha-choo!

Latex from the Guayule shrub, a native of the American southwest, should provide a safe alternative for individuals allergic to rubber latex, preliminary medical tests show.

It's estimated that at least 20 million Americans suffer from allergies to latex made from the most common source, the Brazilian rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis. The idea of extracting rubber from guayule is not new, but an ARS team is the first to prove guayule's potential as a source of hypoallergenic latex. Guayule is grown in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Source: Katrina Cornish, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, (510) 559-5677.