...Growing Weed Resistance Problem Threatens U.S. Farms Resistance of weeds to the herbicide glyphosate has grown over the past two decades, and this global problem has hit home. The U.S. has officially overtaken Australia as the #1 spot for herbicide-resistant weeds worldwide, according to Stephen Powles, director of the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative at the University of Western Australia. This dubious distinction is of concern because the U.S. has joined other world-leading grain-producing countries in experiencing weed resistance, potentially endangering crop yields amid a growing world population. During the “Weed Resistance in the Americas” panel at the 2013 Farm Progress Show, Powles and other leading global experts shared weed management observations and expertise to help and support U.S. farmers: Aaron Hager, associate professor of Weed Science, University of Illinois; Pedro J. Christoffoleti, head of the Department of Crop Science at the University of São Paulo in Brazil; and Harry Strek, head of Profiling and Market Support in the Weed Control Biology Research group at Bayer CropScience in Frankfurt, Germany. The event followed a week-long weed resistance tour of the U.S. and Canada hosted by Bayer CropScience. Moderator Arlene Cotie, product development manager with Bayer, said the panelists wanted to educate and urge growers to “take action” to protect their fields and yields. International weed resistance experts warned U.S....
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...the world manage to mass produce enough food to feed the billions? Mass production of crop cultivation on a large scale. In order to do this successfully and provide food for the populations there are a few primary issues which must be addressed. One of the main issues the farmers of the world must deal with is the problem with crop destroying insects and invasive plant species. Pesticide is used to identify both insecticides and herbicides, or (as I like to refer to them) bug and weed killers. Although pesticides curb the effects of insects and weeds in food cultivation, the detrimental health issues concerning the effects of pesticides continues to increase; therefore, pesticides should have stricter standards imposed upon their use, and more focus should be made towards developing alternative methods and safer solutions. Depending on location, environment, weather, and many other variables there is a great need to protect the world’s crops from the devastating effects of bugs and weeds. Certain species are capable of terminating the growth of necessary food sources. Of course humanity would react as alarmist and jump to an immediate solution of “Kill! Kill ‘em all!” without first considering the possible consequences to themselves or future generations. I’m told its human nature, and can relate to the pressures of solving the mysteries of life but, seriously?!? What would make them consider that another living creature, be it plant or animal, would not be capable...
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...While the original Monsanto made a name for itself through the manufacturing of chemicals, new Monsanto took quite a different turn. It switched its emphasis from chemicals to food. Today’s Monsanto owes its $8.6 Billion in sales to biotechnology; specifically to its sales of genetically modified (GM) plant seeds. These seeds have revolutionized the agriculture industry. Throughout history, weeds, insects, and drought have been the bane of the farmer’s existence. In the past century, herbicides and pesticides were invented to ward off pests. Yet applying these chemicals to an entire crop was both costly and time-consuming. Then Monsanto scientists, through their work in biotechnology, were able to implant seeds with genes that make the plants themselves kill bugs. They also created seeds containing the herbicide Roundup Ready, an herbicide that kills weeds but spares the crops. The broad introduction of these GM seeds in the 1990s unleashed a stream of criticism. Monsanto was nickname “Mutanto,” and GM produce was called “Frankenfood.” Critics believed that influencing the gene pools of plants we eat could result negative health consequences, a fear that remains to this day. Others worried about the health effects on beneficial insects and plants. Could pollinating GM plants have an effect on nearby insects and non-GM plants? CEO Hugh Grant decided to curtail the tide of criticism by focusing on biotechnology on products that would not be directly place on dinner plate, but...
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...can be said true of nearly anything you have an abundance of. Then, there’s grazing, letting animals eat the plant. This is the method currently being used in parts of the Southern United States. There’s also removing the crowns, which is the flower on top of the plant that has all of the vines coming out. Mowing close to the ground regularly is also a proven weapon against the Kudzu plant. Herbicide has been used for a while, but is harmful for the environment, so it’s not being used much anymore. Finally, there is a specific kind of mold that eats up the Kudzu plant, killing it slowly as it devours it’s way to the root. The Kudzu Vine has the potential to be a devastating plant. But, we are working our hardest to turn it from a common weed, to a medical plant that could save millions of...
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...2:30 p.m. The event took place at the Washington State Arboretum Park. Upon arrival I had no idea what to expect. I figured we would be pulling some small weeds or planting trees and flowers. This was not the case. I was surprised to find that our task was to dig up blackberry plants. I quickly noticed that these enormous prickly weeds were everywhere, almost completely taking over in certain areas in the park. I was intimidated at first in trying to tackle these weeds because I don’t have much arm strength. Even the woman showing us what to do had trouble digging one up. Shovels and pitchforks were given to us as our tools. The shovels definitely were the way to go. It proved to be a strenuous job to dig these plants up because it was hard to navigate the area without getting pricked by the thorns, and the roots on most of them were thick and went into the dirt pretty deep. Some of the weeds were even “double rooters,” meaning they were rooted into the ground in two separate places. I would feel so accomplished after digging one up only to find, when I tugged on it to bring it to the pile, that it was rooted into the ground again somewhere else a few feet away. I eventually got the hang of digging the plants up and ended up accomplishing quite a lot with the group I was working with. The truck we were placing our pulled weeds in was overflowing because we had dug up so many, and that was only our group’s pile and there were three groups total. I feel that all of us volunteers...
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...Sativa vs. Indica: The Biggest Differences between the Two Cannabis Plants Indica and sativa are two major types of cannabis plants which can mix together to create hybrid strains. Each strain has its own range of effects on the body and mind resulting in a wide range of medicinal benefits. Indica plants typically grow short and wide, compared to Sativa plants that grow tall and thin. Indica plants are better suited for indoor growing because of their short growth, and Sativa plants are better suited for outdoor growing because some strains can reach over twenty five feet in height. The high produced from smoking Indica bud is a strong physical body high that will make you sleepy or ‘couch-locked’. It provides a deep relaxation feeling, where as a Sativa high is known to be more energetic and uplifting. Marijuana strains range from pure Sativa to pure Indicas and hybrid strains consisting of both. Indica and Sativa 30% Indica – 70% Sativa, 50% – 50% combinations 80% Indica – 20% Sativa. Because Sativa and Indica buds have very different medicinal benefits and effects, certain strains can be targeted to better treat specific illnesses. Indica dominant Marijuana strains tend to have a strong sweet or sour odor to the buds, ex. Kush. OG Kush providing a very relaxing and strong body high that is helpful in treating general anxiety, body pain, and sleeping disorders. Indicas are very effective for overall pain relief and are often used to treat insomnia for many people. Indica...
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...Jimi Underwood 10.24.2014 PLNT 5412 Proposal for Blue Grama Breeding Program Introduction Recently, there has been a growing interest in the use of North American native grasses for the use as a turfgrass and as ornamental grass. Multiple reasons exist for this interest; among them are the perceived lack of invasiveness (as compared to other introduced species), their existing adaptation to the climatic conditions of specific locations, and even the maintenance and storage of the germplasm (Watkins et al., 2013). This growing interest is a sign to breeders letting them know that a market exists for the right native grasses. It is my belief that blue grama fills the need of the market looking for a native, low-maintenance, and attractive turfgrass. Blue grama [Bouteloua gracilis (Willd. ex Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths] is one of the 57 species of grama grasses (genus Bouteloua Lag.) that dominate the xeric grasslands of North America. These grasslands are found in the central and southern regions of North America occupying a large portion of the continent. Yet, despite having a wide range of adaptability and fairly high diversity within the genus, the grama grasses are only found as a native in the western hemisphere (Smith et al., 2004). This seemingly limits the global use of grama grasses, yet they have potential for use in their native ranges. The grama grasses represent a genus with a high potential, and out of the 57 species I feel blue grama seems more fitting than most for...
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...Pollution has been found to be present widely in the environment. There are a number of effects of this: * Biomagnification describes situations where toxins (such as heavy metals) may pass through trophic levels, becoming exponentially more concentrated in the process. * Carbon dioxide emissions cause ocean acidification, the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans as CO2becomes dissolved. * The emission of greenhouse gases leads to global warming which affects ecosystems in many ways. * Invasive species can out compete native species and reduce biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris and biomolecules (allelopathy) that can alter soil and chemical compositions of an environment, often reducing native speciescompetitiveness. * Nitrogen oxides are removed from the air by rain and fertilise land which can change the species composition of ecosystems. * Smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carry out photosynthesis and leads to the production of tropospheric ozone which damages plants. * Soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. This will affect other organisms in the food web. * Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause acid rain which lowers the pH value of soil. The 48-year-old businessman, who was vice president of the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee and is on the board of Inter State Gas Company and Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, strongly believes in the potential of Pakistan’s...
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...cultural assets |Internal | |Strengths |Weaknesses | | | | |Yellagonga Regional Park is among one of the eight park within |Water catchment area and urban development such as storm water | |the Perth Metropolitan Region; |and ground pollution; | |Great potential tourist attraction; |Invasion of weeds; | |Beauty of the landscape; |Occurrence of fire, rubbish dumping and presence feral animal | |Presence of very attractive species; |and pest; | |Great diversity of environment in a large territory; |Uncontrolled access; | |Low level of human pressure on resources, large areas of |Poor control of domestic pets; | |natural interest; |Degradation of heritage sites, fauna habitats and bushland | |Pak contains a wide variety of ecosystems from...
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...Jacqueline Higgins Mr.Graham English 1101 8 October 2012 WEEDS VS FLOWERS The contrast/comparsion between flowers and weeds can be a matter of perception. Weeds spread profusely far faster than flowers. Unlike flowers, weeds are vigorous competitors for light, nutrients and water that all garden flowers need. Their presence may provide a natural way to bring missing nutrients to the soil’s surface, but weeds will push out the flowers that are intended to grow in a flower bed. Weeds are unattractive to most of us. Weeds are a form of plant that grows where it does not belong or where it’s not wanted. A flower grows where you plant it and it blossom so beautiful where you want it to grow. A weed is something that grows anywhere. Weeds are unattractive to most of us. Because they have prickles and thorns that stick you as you are trying to get them out of your garden. When they grow they take over your garden and grow to a certain point and then turn all brown and ugly. They roots grows very deep and destroy the roots of your flowers and that then makes it very hard to kill them off, before they kill off your flowers that you have planted . Weeds makes it hard for other flowers to grow in the same bed , because they pull all the nutrients and light that s need for your flowers to grow. Flowers are those plants that we intentionally plant in our gardens to grow. Flowers are something with life and different rays of colors and beauty that enhance your garden...
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...Justin Tonter Professor Smith English 1A 8 July 2014 Why We Should Legalize Cannabis While more and more people are supporting the legalization of cannabis, there are still many who are on the fence about the issue. Even though I do not smoke marijuana, I am all for legalization as I believe the positives that come from it outweigh the negatives by a great deal. So far we have seen two states legalize marijuana for recreational use, the two being Colorado and Washington, and the positive effects it’s having on these states are outstanding. The people who are still not all the way on board with it believe that weed is just for lazy people who eat Doritos and watch Family Guy all day long and they can’t see any of the great benefits cannabis can actually have. Seeing what has happened in Colorado and Washington more people are seeing the benefits legalization can have, not only on people for health benefits but for the states economy as well, not to mention a decline in crime. Between January 1 and 2 April 30, violent crime and property crime in Denver dropped 10.6 percent compared to that same span one year earlier. Homicides have dropped to less than half of last year’s levels, and motor vehicle theft has shrunk by over one-third (“Crime down and revenue up in Colorado since start of marijuana legalization”). A long with lower crime rates the state is gaining a bunch of money from taxes on marijuana as well. Kelly Phillips Erb who is a writer for Forbes said this...
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...Amanda Martinez Proceed with the Weed! Although people say marijuana has no benefit or purpose of use, I strongly standby the fact of it becoming legalized acknowledging that there has been positive results’ concluding from the medicinal uses of marijuana, growth in job marketing and fiscal matters. The first and most essential reason that marijuana should be legal is that there are no cautious proven facts or reasons for it not to be legal. Some people ask 'Why should marijuana be legalized?" but we should really be asking "Why should marijuana be illegal?" Some of the United States labels Marijuana as a gateway drug leading to a life of failure because it is assumed to not having a legitimate purpose of use. Although there has been proven facts of positive benefits from the uses of marijuana. Many people against legalizing marijuana argue that marijuana should stay illegal because it poses health risks. This claim is not logically sound because Marijuana’s health risks are too complex therefor can’t be specifically classified of being a detriment to an individual’s health or not. The health risks that are believed to occur from ingestions of marijuana are most likely to be known as exaggerated. When people against legalization begin to go over health risks with the public they use it as a strategy for providing controversy arguments to try convincing individuals to avoid excessive use of marijuana or use at all. No one realizes that alcohol and tobacco are a...
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...Rough Draft Chad Coble 1-14-2014 ENG-102 Growing up, everyone is told that, “Drugs are bad for you,” time and time again. When you are a kid you don’t really understand the reasoning behind it, but you listen to your elders regardless. I remember being told this my entire life and even to this very day. But when I got older I realized that people would still use drugs even though it’s illegal. I could never understand why someone would go against the law and risk there future just to use drugs? The drug that I am talking about is marijuana, and surprisingly it is all around us. Marijuana is even referred to in today’s media Mainstream media sources that people enjoy, like music, movies, and TV shows, do not even bother to leave the drug out of their system. Now being a young adult and having my own personal experience with the drug and knowing its effects on others, I wonder why it’s not legal. Why is it that this drug has become illegal all over the world? The debate to legalize marijuana in the United States of America has been fought over nonstop since the existence of the drug and its effects. Marijuana has been tested and proven to provide a very positive impact on the American society for many reasons. Some of these reasons are for America’s economy, health and even crime. These reasons could very well help America thrive in the future and that is why Marijuana should be legalized in the United States of America. This naturally found plant known...
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...Marijuana has been used all over the world, by people from many different backgrounds and cultures and is dated back as far as 2737 B.C. It wasn't until 1937 that marijuana became illegal in the United States. Marijuana is a very prominent and controversial issue in society today. According to a nationwide Rasmussen poll, as of 2012 fifty-six percent of Americans think marijuana should be legalized and regulated like alcohol and tobacco. Today there are seventeen states that have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana, and two states that have legalized it for recreational use as well. However, in a world where millions of people have died from alcohol and tobacco use, do we really need another legal drug? Many would argue no, but when scientific studies have shown that marijuana is actually less harmful to a person than alcohol or tobacco, it makes no sense to keep it illegal. Marijuana prohibition is simply doing more harm than good to society. In the 1920s, alcohol prohibition led to the widespread proliferation of violent criminal organizations that corrupted politicians and law enforcement officials to illegally peddle booze to otherwise law-abiding citizens. Similarly, by keeping marijuana illegal for the last seventy-five years, we have created a black market that helps fuel some of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world. Legalizing marijuana could take the marijuana business out of the hands of drug cartels, by regulating and taxing marijuana in...
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...iterature surrounds us every day and encourages us to broaden our imagination. There are various different types of literature, such as poetry and short stories. As humans it is in our nature to judge; we cannot truly avoid judging the stories we read any more than we can avoid judging the people we meet. However, when judging the stories we read we should understand the different kinds of values it presents. Looking at “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, we can see that both works of literature bring a variety of things to the table. In this essay we will compare and contrast these works of literature and their relationships among the following elements: content, form, and style. In the poem “The Road Not Taken” (Frost, 1916) or the short story “A Worn Path” (Welty, 1941) the theme is similar. While one speaks of a “Path” the other of a “Road” the theme that each of these writings share is presented differently throughout each piece. “The Road Not Taken” (Frost, 1916) sets the poem with a man on a forest road on an autumn morning. This revealed to me, the reader, that this was about a journey. Frost also uses the word “I” throughout the poem, letting me know he is telling this from a First-Person point of view, most likely Frost using a persona or “mask”. “A Worn Path” (Welty, 1941) opens on a cold frozen winter day with an elderly black woman making her way through the woods. Immediately...
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