Agriculture Business Week

New findings show that a beneficial soil fungus plays a large role in nitrogen uptake and utilization in most plants.

In the current issue of the journal Nature, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Philip E. Pfeffer and cooperators report that beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi transfer substantial amounts of nitrogen to their plant hosts. A lack of soil nitrogen often limits plant growth.

The studies were conducted by Pfeffer band David Douds at the ARS Eastern egional Research Center, Wyndmoor, Pa.; Michigan State University scientists headed by Yair Shachar-Hill; and New Mexico State University scientists headed by Peter J. Lammers and including graduate student Manjula Govindarajulu.

(more…)

Posted on September 1st, 2012 under Soil. Tags: Fungi, Soil. Comments: 5

A new broad spectrum fungicide has been proven to kill different fungi and bacteria in ornamentals.

Fungicides have been used for more than 400 years from as simple as a brine solution, which was used for cereal seed treatment, to the introduction of very complex organic chemical compounds in the earlier half of the 20th century. There are different classes of fungicides that are classified according to their chemical structure. One of them is copper-based fungicides or copper fungicides. It has been used to protect crops after the ‘accidental’ discovery of the Bordeaux mixture by Pierre-Marie-Alexis Millardet in the late 1800s.

Disease control with the use of a copper based fungicide is done by disrupting the functions of the cellular proteins of fungi and bacteria. This is because when cupric ions are released in the presence of moisture, it destroys the secondary and tertiary structures (denaturation) of these proteins upon contact. Once these proteins are denatured, its functions are lost.

(more…)

Posted on June 2nd, 2009 under Ornamental, Plant. Tags: Bacteria, Copper, Fungi, Fungicide, Ornamentals, Plants. Comments: 7

DIAMOND V XP CULTURE IS DIFFERENT
Diamond V XP Yeast Culture is different from other yeast products in the feed market. It is a fermented product and not just yeast cells or yeast biomass. Manufactured by Diamond V Mills, Inc., this unique yeast culture product is more like a fermented beer, wine or bread than like baker’s yeast or an active dry yeast blend. Its vital components include yeast cell walls (beta-glucans and mannan-oligosaccharides or MOS ). yeast cell solubles and metabolites (organic acids, peptides, vitamins, lipids, oligosaccharides, nucleotides, amino acids, esters, and alcohols).

The guaranteed analysis of Diamond V XP Yeast Culture is as follows: not less than 12 percent crude protein; not less than 3 percent crude fat; not more than 6.5 percent crude fiber.

PRODUCTION OF FERMENTATION METABOLITES
Production of nutrilites or fermentative metabolites by the yeast cells is the principle behind the yeast culture fermentation. A specific culture media is inoculated with live yeast cells, allowed to ferment under a specific set of conditions, and then the entire fermented media is dried. It contains both the residual live yeast cells used in the fermentation as well as metabolites or metabolic byproducts which the yeast produced.

(more…)

Posted on May 20th, 2009 under Aquaculture, Fungi, Livestock. Tags: Feeds, Fish, Fungi, Livestock, Yeast. Comments: None