7 4 9. ii, I- ~ 1~ 4-1- 2~. -i, 1 .- , mu!' '~. '4 -~ ~. *. -.ai- -- '~ -. , *WJ FrF rFF *r~ rI? -~~~ - .. w.mmuiu OF AGiUCULTUiAL iE~EAiCiI 4 AN N N 4 ' o - - - r "9I te I 4 -_ 1 .w 1 IN THIS ISSUE Bacteria-Treated Seed Promotes Health in Cotton_3 Anatomy of Effective County H=ealthConcisExplored_4 Dogwood Anthracn sfecting Trees nAlabaa a5 Can We Have Clear Lakes and Good Fishing?_6 Cockroach Control Using Insect Growth Regutors____ _ 7 Carotenoids Add:Color to Ornamental Fish_8 Communication Cans nhance Children's Social :Skills 9 Feeding Programs Affect Jerformance of= Young Pigs_ __ 10 Reducing InputsMay Be Profitable for Cotton Producers_ 11 Tropical Corn Has a Niche *in Conservation Tillage _________12 Fusarium-Resistant watermelon Developed ___________13 Management Strategies Important in Recycling Laying Hens_____14 Fermentation an Option for Handlin Polry carcasses _______15 New Insect Pest of Pine Nurseries Indentified_____________16 ON THE COVER. Flowering dogwoods are a sign of spring, but these trees may be in danger from a new disease, see story on page 5. UPCOMING EVENTS Livestock/Forage Field Day, Piedmont Substation, Camp Hill Livestock Field Day, Lower Coastal Plain Substation, Camden Forage/Waste Management Field Day, Upper Coastal Plain Substatio Winfield Rural Revitalization Conference, Tuskegee University Forage and Livestock Field Day, Sand Mountain Substation, Crossvi Conservation Tillage in Row Crops, Montgomery Conservation Tillage in Row Crops, Cullman Strawberry Field Day, Chilton Area Horticulture Substation, Clantor Horticulture Field Day, E.V. Smith Research Center, Shorter )n, Ile n * For times of meetings contact your county Extension Service office. DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS A s winter gives way to spring, more and more people will be involved in out- door activities, two of which are gar- dening and tishing. This issue of Highlights includes articles on a wide range of topics, but gardeners and fishing enthusiasts will want to pay special attention to the articles on dogwood anthracnose and on the bal- ance between clear water and good fishing. An important mission of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) is to detect problems before they adversely affect producers and consumers. In the case of dogwood anthracnose, the AAES joins other southeastern universities in seeking to identify the disease, determine how rap- idly it is spreading, and search for remedies. This case is symptomatic of the different types of problems that plague production agriculture. While most producers and con- sumers only want answers, scientists must investigate many aspects of the problems before apractical, environmentally saferem- edy is found. The article on the tradeoff between clear water and good fishing is a good example of the balancing act scientists must perform in seeking remedies that are not only beneficial to the producers, but also environmentally safe. In the case of water quality in Alabama lakes, scientists could easily find a remedy to poor quality water or to poor fish production. But, the prob- lem of improving both without hurting ei- ther is most difficult to solve. These research projects emphasize the adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Our research is becoming more proactive than reactive, a sign of for- ward-thinking scientists. Spring 1993 Volume 40 Number 1 A quarterly report of research published by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University. LOWELL T. FROBISH. Director DAVID H. TEEM ............. Associate Director RUSSELL B. MUNTIFERING ... Associate Director PAT GREEN .................. Assistant Director ROY ROBERSON .......... Assistant Director KATIE SMITH ............... Associate Editor ROBYN HEARN .............. Associate Editor TERESA RODRIGUEZ ..... Art Designer Editorial Committee: Lowell T. Frobish; D.G. Himeirick ,Associate Professor of Horticulture; K.L. Bowen, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology; ET. Moran, Professor of Poultry Science; L.A. Shanley, AssistantProfessor of ConsumerAffairs; C.W. Wood, Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Soils; H.W. Kinnucan, Associate Professor of Agricultural Eco- nomics and Rural Sociology; R.A. Tufts, Associate Professor of Forestry; W.J. Moar, Assistant Professor of Entomology; J.L. Sartin, Associate Professor of Animal Health Research; and Roy Roberson. EDITOR'S NOTE. Mention of trade names does not indicate endorsement by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station or Auburn University of one brand over another. Any use of pesticide rates in excess of labeled amounts in research reported does not constitute recommendation of such rate. Such use is simply part of the scientific investigation necessary to evaluate various materials. No chemi- cal should be used at rates above those permitted by the label. Information contained herein is available to all persons without regard to race, color, sex, or national origin. March 18 April 8 April 22 April 29 May 11 May 11 May 13 May 13 June 23 P. M. BRANNEN AND P. A. BACKMAN BACTERIA-TREATED SEED PROMOTES BETTER SEASON-LONG HEALTH IN COTTON P slucers are wxelf awSaire of the recd to manage crops eftectix ely Mile usingw the feast possible ci ouitt of. acricultural chemicals. ot help growsers attain this goal. AAF -S supfioits all actis c aind grossing i- seaich fprograml to develop natural. noncheical methods to improve plant health. Based On iniit ial field Studies in one AAF Sciooiiotrol" project, twso benef icial bacterial strains shows promise iin contr offing fungi that cause three majoi cotton seedlilug diseases. Studies at the ..V. SmiithI Researc clen tci . Tall assee. and thle Wit cciass Su bst at io He.1- adlIandi, indicated that orcailisins knossn as GLS2000t and G1iS376 are effectise when applied as seed inm culIa its. BoithI bacte ri a are being tested wxith flitllicri is c ro ps thIlrouighout the niat ion. Rccistcred tol GUtSTAFSON, lInc., of lanoa T e(i x as, thlese illic roo~rganlisms ale st rainus if' thle bacteri um BacR uilits .vuhiliav (it 21313 is already a comipoinient of itS [Al-SON's Kodiak', a [PA re- gistel c(lpi ixluct used as a seed treatmilcnt for pean~uts in Al abamiia alld also imiarket ed fori use in cotton and sos bcans. (CiemicalI seed t reatmnitts alone do lot f' 1 oN Idc scasonlloniig cointrolf aga inst fiat it gcils that attack thle root system. Field studies we rc begunl in 19t92 to com~pare the impact on cottonl productioii of us- F in tilc bactemia N cisus uising Coil vntci onal seed tre atilenits alone. Seedl inc cinercence. disease con- trol, growth firomlotion, and yields werec assessedl for chl treatmeinit. O ne tcest wxas aimiled at deteriii Nott inLg thfe effect o f treat menits oii con- V\ trol of I'iooarim il t in cotton, a (aS patho gent Ior whxxichi theic s noi (R tS (it 5t chlcttical tre atmniit. Other tests ts comlparcd conltrol of Rhizoctotio GLt S3 and IotillO diseases commiiionli Is Apron kiti ssn as danmpinug off anld sore- shin,. icspectis cIN. [hese tllicefug o11 t tre amrc the ittait canuses tof cottoil seed- itcait I wcrc linlg disease ill Alabama. About 5(% of thic State's cottoin ciop is lo1st to total nt them each x cai The fungi Can require produc- crs to conipletely replant their crop in somte cases. Both beneficial bacteria colonized te root sy/stemsi of cotton plants throughout t hi 1215w iii season. Hlowser, two cottoni Nai- etics. J)P5() and DP54 15, showsed higher les els of colonization and dominance of the hacte ri a on their roots. ( Ii 2000( colonized the taproot of thic cottonl plant and GU S376 colonized the lat- eral roots. (Combi nations of these twxxo orcan- sims could gis e good total root coserage. Howsev er, initial testing of combi nations did not shows impros ements ox er eithei or- cyanisni uscd alone. Further research needs to be conducted on this Subject. Appr oximately 30) days after planting. wxholc scedlincs wxere remos ed from plots and cexamined for disease. Plants treated wxith eitber (it SNX0t or GU S 376 showsed fewer signs of seedling disease in all rated tests. Iisin2 a peanut inveitoi, w xhole niaturc plants wer cre mov ed at hairNest, and the health and des elopmient of root systems w5crce rated. Cotton v arieties DP5() and 1154 I15 showsed the best iroot des elopment, indicating anothcr correlation betwxeeii the amoIun lt if col oiziat ion and a heal thy iroot system, finlike chemical treatmlents alone. tV.SimIIRis c\RtHFiCINIR.TmII5i 'I'r eaun)ein ttealti> Plant Cuntil citcd Contrl ........................ 000)1 htoppcre hois. high rate..... 7( hopper)C' 1)ox. high tate ....... 76 hoppcr hox\ ittedunt ratee... 76 hoippet box. low.' rte ........ fturc)).liii hopuper ox .......... Seed) lilt iel '51) ruu t hlmii 37 '779) 30) 9ill 48 1.070 58 I1104 42' '5114 41 915' 28 5 3'2 445~ 30 687 Nc ept usi the uuntro al -.ul seed wiere pretreated N'.ith a Comtiuu c chemil)C tuIit'icidcs5 Vitas ax, Tenalut andi~ Apion. In Sol Cut-. l'),it iia itmiiit aind extradohuses ot Aprin and~ to (ICICC ito thte houpper hox, or seedt cointainIe oni lie planiter. lie healths plant count, taken at 11 diCays atter plauntingi. gi' I ~ the addition oif bactciria seemls to prosvide lonic-termi p1rotectioin of the cottoin r oot. It general - planit emlergencte and stands wxcrc not sigiiif icanitl inicireased wxith use of cither bacterial treatmniit. GLJS2)O( trcat- ilelits generallyN showsed an inicrease it staind. tiouch not StatisticallIs s igiicant. HoI-is evei, ill one test istiin' ttotn rufus ar l)P50) (H. 00 ha1()bcteria did result in a significalt imifroiNemeint in stanld. lIn the samle test, l)15() shitiwed an imiprosveent in yield. The GUS2000( bacterium alsti shiossed goit d ptenti al act iNity againlst I vit lil o. Osverall disease iiicideiicc wxas ireduccd ini pltits treated xxith moderate to hiich rates of (ii., 500(see table). Some chemllicals hasme beeni repoirted to actuallyN eiihance li u111 imn actis its . The addition ofit buolocutanl coiitrol (ii calisiicould off set iiicdutce such p threats iii h it ant tin ltestcd lielIds.- After I sear of field recsearchi wxith these bacteria, miore qfu(estions t hasve beeil raised thiani answerced. flowsesver, the bacteria dti colionize Cotoin planits wxelf, and iCSuftiitc0 benefiits arc observed. The potei- tial exists to ceeictical Iv cinieer the bacter ia to pioduce additionial aiitifumical chiemicals. and rescarcli is bciiigconducted ttthis cud. (Con- tined researchi shiould furthier die- finie the potenitial of' these or gail ,a n isiliS for use ill Alabama coittonl 'sitale production.- tior Br1annent is FExtentsiont Researchi Ass'.11 es the lant and Bac kmani is Ptrofessoir of Plait Pathlolocs. Allomiu A t'th ithit rat Evpeiment' Statim L.A. MECSKO, J.E. DUNKELBERGER, AND S.R. RAFTERY A 1 N~AoM COL U T HEALTH Couch wII the potenltial to play a unique role in mlainltaininug and im- prosvtig health, especially in rural areas. A recent AAI S stuidy idlentifited several factors that wxill aid in establ ishinle these grassroot org aii/at ioils inl othbet counties or ini strengthening existinlg councilIs. The County Health CountciI conlcept was introduiced in 1979 by the Alahamla Cooperatisve Extenlsionl Serv ice (ACES), inl collaboration xxith the School of Pub- lie Health ait the titsersity ot Alabama- B irm intghamn anld the Alabama Depart- ment ol Public Health. Through the councils, couiity residetis gait] a sitronger v oice in matters of local health and xxeli-beinig. Six countcils, involving eight Alabama counties, were identified as being particu- larly efftectisve in addressinig anid inflluenicing commluniity health concerns. In-depth case Studies of these groups were conducted using telephone interviews, nail suirveys. analysis of couincilI records, and other observationi techniques to provide informationi about their structurte, member composition, golts, and activsitites. Onie factor contributinig to the effec- tiveness of these Six coutncils was their tendency io recruit mnemnber s broadly trom all segments of the local populationi. Most have a cotre membership Supplemented by project-mnotisvated recruits who assist with speciftic pro~grams or activities. A good mix oif health ielud participants is balanced with health consumners and citizens repre- sent ing the eluderly, poor. andu handicapped. as well as individuals associated with schools, bustinesses, and inldustries. Esven these relativ ely effectiv e councils faced problems related to maintaininlg their viability over time. One problem is the conlstant need to broaden citizenl invsolve- mcent cutntywxxidc. A scconmd pr oblem i s the need to sustain a high lev el of member in- volv ement and participation. One partial Solutionl to these problems is tor a council to sponlsor a wide variety of health activ ities that can isvolsve more mem- hers. Rather thani focusingi on onlly one project at a time, a numnber ol small prolects targeted to special population Segments or specific commruinities serv e as a member- ship recruiting tool by getting more local residents insvolv ed. This helps to fulfill oneC requirement for an effective council -the need to complete projects so that concil members havxe accomplishments to feel good about. CoHIlcls that conduct a variety of coi- mutnity health projects, such as drug educa- tion programs, wxellness xxork~shops, xxater LI ality projects. anid health Screenigs, reach more county residents than do) those that concentrate on one large-scale acti\vity. County Health CouncilIs must focus on health issues afflecting distinct comma- nits needs. as we ll as on special coi ntywx ile health projects. Members of countcils xxho are involv ed in such pr ojects hold v ery favorable percep- tions ot the gr~oupS' accomplishments. Active Couty Health CouncilIs sitrise to edncate and inlformn county rest- dents about state and couinty health issutes. Council members believ e that these gtoups play a definite health role locally by educating. netxxork- tw., and sharing ideas. Councils can serve as an important link in the ex- change of information betweeni intdi- v iduals anid agencies. By doing so, they often help prev et duiplication (it health pr~ogratms. Havitng clear goals and objectiv es to guide a council is aniother conisistenlt trait amng these effectiv5e orgiz~iiattins. Members periodically reviewx their goals and mlodify them as nlew needs ar~ise. Also. the conilIs ate inidepenldent ot other local groupS. Effectiv e councilIs report little in- terferenlce or pressure from health agen- cies. Primar~y leadership is prov ided by the officers elected from withinl the member- ship. All members share equally in group decisions. The County Health Concil approach empowers local citizens to influence health and wxellness cotncerns in theit home areas thirough a grassr~oots organization. The pro- file gainled from the close Study of these six efflectiv e counicils wxill aid ACES staff and local leaders in establishing or strengthen- irng County Health Councils. Mecsko is atormei Griaduate Rescearch Assistant and Dunkelbe cer is Proftessor of Agr icuiltural Eonomics and Rural Sociology. Raftery is ACES Conmunity Dev elopment Specialist. Alabma Agricullut-l Evperimemu Slatiomi A. K. HAGAN AND J. M. MULLEN DOGWOOD ANTHRACNOSE AFFECTING FLOWERING DOGWOOD IN ALABAMA paksan national Iforests in Ala- ham iniates dogssoodl anthIirac- flweig doitwAoods. has spireadi Southwsaid into the State. Piresiously, thc dist ihntion and extent of the disease 'Aere not knossn. I )oLeS 1)( d ant hracno se is characteisled b alaIire eiular to irreetilar hross n blotches that coalesee alone the end and centerot the leaVSs e(SUlting in blighting, of the leass TIhe disease is most pies alent in trees that eros in heas s shade. T he AAES 'Sursey sas initiated in the late sprinlo of 1991 and irepeated in 199)2. T rees along one or more hiking trails at selectedl state parks (SP) and national forests (NI') wsere examined for sy~mptoms o1fdog wood01 anthiacnose. Speeciei disease ratings were made fin eaeh tiee examined in the 1992 Stirs e, and leas es Ironm Selectedl tree' 'Aere cheeked for the cansal I'ungnS, Di.si ,1( In 19)91. exteinsise spotting and blightling of leas were seen on most dogwoods01 in NMonte Sang S P in MIad ison Conunty andl IV ) [N V 1 nI) SF \I RI oII DUGN, H~oi,iiii v\IIS Nos Ai Ali 5515 ( i Siaic~ pai o Bucke',ci e SP.F' ... I ill'c I iiii "s ((C SP. Baniikheaid NI ........ 1)5 FrIim i)FciS\Uil) iN 199) Pr 1. C'(churnfc 401) De~Kaulh 1.5 DcKailh 37?2 DeKalh 8)8.5 Maisonis1 10. Mariishalil 12.1 Shclhs 55 iiisi) I Ini 19)9 'C,I" "c Sx xCciii S iwaF lII I sssCed il lcaitcs dli"Ca'Cd wthi cxtci'iSce 1twis dic.hack. 3 =25-5(0' (li cascII Stith som FiiiC d5 icak. 4= I-2'% ot leas s D~esoto S P in Dc Kalb County (eseationii 1,50)0 It.). Fess heailths tec, wAere seen at either site. Li'eht dlaac wAas seen onm a fess scattermed dogwAoodls at ani elev atioin o1 I ,00)0 It. onl Tas lor Miountain ini L ake Gnterss Ill SP in M'ar shall C'ounts aiditl t norithi rin ot Littke Riser Canson its DileKalb Counts. No symlptoms FIG.2 Later st anthracnose. t \ in Clebtirne njurtit 'Aas 1toni1 - y hcalths standis ofi FIGA. Leaf spotting associated with dogwood anthracnose. 'Aere fountI on trees along tirails jist abi s L ake (iunterssille in Lake Gunterss ille SP. A single dogwood 'Aith typical leal spot symptomls 'aus found at Buck's Poeket SB in D~eKalh County and along an aeeess road in the TIal ladega NF in Calhoun County. No diseased trees 'Ae tound at two neairby sites in the Tal ladega NE in Cleburne Countsnor seyceral sites in Cheaha SB in Clay Counts. The incidence and sex erity of1 do gAo0d anthiracnose wAorsened in 1992 at man', north- eastern Alabama sites (see table). Light to moderate tssice dieback. alone wxith the typical leaf spot tM nd hI igeht assoeiated 'Aith this dis- ease, wAas seen on nearlIy all dog- 'Aoodls in Monte Sano SB and D~esoto SP(see Ficauies I and 2). On 500) 4.9 () Sonme trees, death of all hiranehes 4.40 'Aas accompanied by the appear- 3.'(o 4.5 ance Ot nunmerous 'Aater spr'outs 3.70) along the main trunk, andl sortie 4.95 smallcrdogAoods apparently sem e ?.) killed hs the disease. ITaller doe-, 4.74 'Aoods exposed to direct sinlht 5.00 00 typically Su~ffered less damaee thain 5.0 smaller, shaded understors trees. :a. h tr Consxideirable l eaf blight and I =76- tssie dieback occuirred on dIog IC.S5' 'Aoods along the north rim of the fiscatscd [ittle River Cany on and near Coleman Lake in the Tal ladeea eral sites in Lak1 Buck's Poeket S ages of dogwood Counts. i I ht din presiously, Iog'Aood at sex- C Gunterssille SP. P.Talladeea NE'ii the souithwAestern Cornerot ClChun n County, andl one site in Bankhead NE in Laswrenice Counts at esations down to 60)) It. A siinele liSCatsed dogA 001 also 'Aas fouind in a r~esi- dential neigohborhood in Bir mineham in lIellerson County,. Trees at two sites, south and 'Aest of Cheaha SP in Clay County 'Aere healths, aS 'Aere atll trees examined in Wind Riysci SB. Oak Mountain SB. Wsheeler SP, Rich'A oo( Cas ers SP in BlountCountis .and thr~ee sites ini the Bankhead NF in Winston County. I ogss ootl anthr acnose threatens the health and beauts ol Ilosserine doeAoods in I orested u pland arecas oil northeast Al abama. Extensis e tree death is expected in dogwAood stands that hasve already been rasvagedl by this disease. Spread oIf dlogwood0 anthra anose into foI restetd areas at lossieelesvat ions (dlossn to 600) It.) indli cates that damage nmay v cntu- ally occur on shaded understoi'y dogwAoods over 'Aider areas ot Alabama. ml Ih u~ii homic landscapes. Trees on open. sunny sites shouldt not Stillr eiouis injuiry . Althoug1h spot anthr acnose and botrs tis blight also ssere identitfietd on trees. dogAoodl anthra- cnoi se is the pr~edomin ate f~ol iar disease of Ilossering tlogssooll in late spring and early su imcir in nor'thI Alabama. I hwian is Professoi adutllen is Blunt Batholoc2isi! D iagnostician o) Blant Bathoto's. A/ru/nulo A -utifuru E'.pc rim e111 twlioll ~D.R. BAYNE, M.J. MACEINA, AND W.C. REEVES CAN WE HAVE CLEAR LAKES AND GOOD FISHING? nti entx thian are needed to suippott quiality sport Ifisheics, accordiing to a study conducted by the A,\L-S and the Alabama Game anid [Fish iisiioin. H-oxxcver, the 2-year project led to thle dceeIpment of guiidelIinies t hat i- Src mi-ciiainagers can use to atta in xxater qual ity standards acceptable to skiers aiid sw mcirs, but also adequate toi xupport got d populatioiix ot the State' m iost popui lar spor t fishl. ILake miaiiagemincnt is a t radeoff I etxx cci ext-ely cleaii. clear xxater x hich is Ctoo d It r swxmi ngi ii and (ither recireat ion and cireeiiei xatci, w xhich is bettet lot spoit fIshiiig. Nutieints, xuch as photiphiorus. in- creaxe COM iii iici it icS of alge, the baxe (it a lake' foo d xxeb.- W ithi an eiihanced f ood supplly, a lake hiax a larger popmulationi offixsh let-ti lit', bx exanmining the concentra- tins xofi c hlorophyl aI~. a pigmciit o1 pl an ktoin alg ae, the dotimin anit plalit comimunit, in each lake (TFable I ) L ake Martiii had the least al -ae, aind Weixx [Lake had the miost. L akex .Joinex Bull aiid Eufaula xer ci i- an, eveci thoughi Joines B lull ma initai hiigher nutrieiit concent-atioiis. A xiii wxater ieteiition tiime in the Joiies Bluff poiitdtieiit xxax Ilikely rexpoiiiible foi xsippirexxed algae i-oxxth. Fixsi xxeie collected by, clcctrihiliii t apnettine. xxhile Ifixhiiig wxax cxaluatert tug xsurxey data anid baxx anig lei t inian repots x(Tible 2) Largeiiouth aiid spa baxx abuiidaiice xxax gireatei in lakes WA aiid I- ulaula and loxxr cinii lakex Martini Joiiex Blull. Cirappic alxo xxerc moire at daiit ini the iiirti productive waxteis. ~-~--- s tned highei thaii thosxe recorded in L ake Mar tin. trter esti mated f ish abundance wxax only two Iim- times hi eher in Weissx. Fu rthieriinre, moder- the atelyx fertile Ilakes J ones BI nit and EufitaulIa supported a black bass and crappie f ishery and xiiiiilar 0 riuperioi to the hlighlx ferii IWVteixx nI I Lake. indicating benefits dcix cd by the le nt fishl po puliat i n Ifrim extrUa al cae Iceeled out t ted at a cerit ain point. eixx T aki ng into account the wxater retention and time in each rexex oir, reducing ch hurophy II )Ui- a concenti ationS fr om ext emely, higeh irates -such ax those ini Weiss Lake 131 pats per t[O\i 131 ti iii A xD Wi xx Di INGt 198i9 AND 1990) GRWL Se As- r etenttiotn phosxphttius caiti i /)(I\ s P.P.B. Mtinii FU t aiiIQ JiiiiC,- tHlIi I Vtuis P. P. B. -'5 15.4 1 ,.1 34.2 tI Itiailic ietentioti is a mteasure iif Ititi lonei watei is retainted it an imtpundmiultcit he it is al luowci]di to t~ tI- thrugh the hixdiriclc i. dam that couti inis it, Miartuin EuLi laL Jotics Bltt Wteiss- /i//i1,I 161 263 1 99 1;-3 lb /it 25- 41 34t 43; / its/i/ F id/ili 1.6 21 Noti cotllected 117 8.1 97 7.2 176 'Fltrii i -hiiiu data. 'Trapniet data tBass tuu timtit data. xxithi gireatei groxxthi poteintial, but cxcexxix c algae girowthi caii reduce water clarity. catixe taxte aiid odor pirobleiiis, aid ircxtlt ini fishl kills. Ini aii efftort to deteriniie t pt imiumii lake productix ity xcieintixt examlined lakex Mar- tiii, Jonex Blull. Eutaula, and Weixx toi prti vide data tin xxater qunal itI and fert ility f ishl coiiiiuinitx structure and gioxx hi and ixli inii qutal iu t L-Iake Martini had the loixxext minerial anid nuti ict conteint. tolloxxed ini irder by Ilakex EufaulIa. Jtoiiex BIltff anid Weixx (Table I . Rexeairchenx imeaxured lake responise to Hoxxevxre 5 31- oh the Weixx Lake Ifixsi coiimiiuiiity wax coiiiprised of xsiad (a iionispoiit bait Ifixh) aiid 38c/ ot sport Fisxl. By cointraxt, Lake Martiii had 13 / shliad aiid 58 / s port fixsi. Shad doiinaiice iiincaxex ax a lake becomex more fertile. Baxs groxxth ratex xxeie xi mi lar amtoing the I tiui lakex. although lai gemutli baxs ini ILake Mati iiexrei in poorei ph> xical condi- tioii. C'tappie gei-x xloxx r iii ILake Martiti. biut crappie groxxth rate xxax nio t difillerini aimoing the three more fertile lakes. Althoctebh Wteixs Lake maintained ax er- age chilorophll II coiiceiitiationx II) timiex billion (ppb)j to 10)15 ppb. imay not adxverxels impact high-qual ity baxx aicciap- pie Ifixsieriex. At the xame tiime, imiproxve- imicitx ini xxater quality aiid cla-ity caii be acieedr. Thei-efor-e. the aiixxxer to the quext ion poised ini thix article ix. -Yesxi Wtith proper inito~iring aiid manageentt Alabauiia cali hiax cleani. aexthetically plcaxiing lakex and g'ood fish ig.too. Baxyti is Proilessor and Naccitia is Asststantt lit i tcxxttoi tshcicxand Allied A\quacultturcx: Rect cx is Chiel oii-sheies Research xxith the Alihtami Ga( andti ,tis~ h D~ixiioni. AlaIchhu A t-i(-lflt(-al Evpc rimemu SIuili1l isti Vt txi Di RING 1989 ANti 19901 Lake Relatii e Relatiw Ctappie' Shad' tBlick Bass Ncati ahitaditic C i wC211 hai' cat.. hays i Itltr 19 3', 41) Flt//i, 0_' 29 301 wi ghizlt' I it/lii 0.62 .82 .72 71 SE. P. BENSON, A. G. APPEL, AND J. M. ELLENBERGER COCKROACH CONTROL USING INSECT GROWTH REGULATORS GERMAN cockroaches breed in- doors and rapidly passthroughthree stages of development (egg, nymph, and adult), making them difficult to control and potential year-round pests in homes, apartments, res- taurants, and hospitals. Recent AAES re- search indicates the disruption of this life cycle using insect growth regulators (IGRs) may be a less toxic alternative to insecticides for control of these pests. Female cockroaches lay eggs in a protec- tive case that is carried by the female until the eggs are nearly ready to hatch. Each case contains 30-40 eggs that require about 2 weeks to hatch. When cockroach nymphs hatch, they resemble the adults except that they are smaller and lack wings. Nymphs shed their skin by molting several times, increasing in size each molt beforebecoming adults. IGR's, which are applied like a regular insecticide spray, can stop nymphs from molting and females from producing eggs. These effects can disrupt an entire breeding population of cockroaches. An additional benefit is that IGRs are much less toxic than many other insecticides and often work at lower concentrations. Even though German cockroaches live indoors, their numbers tend to decrease in the winter. The Auburn study was done to determine whether an indoor IGR applica- tion of fenoxycarb in winter would result in suppression of cockroach numbers into the spring. Six German cockroach-infested apart- ments were treated in mid-February 1991 with approximately 1 qt. of 0.2% Torus 2E (fenoxycarb). Torus, which is only available to pest control operators, was thoroughly applied with a compressed air sprayer to cracks and crevices where the cockroaches were living in the test apartment kitchens. Six additional apartments with German cockroaches were monitored as nontreated controls. All 12 apartments were monitored with 10 sticky traps (trade name: Mr. Percentage of small nymphs 45 I 35 30 25 0 4 8 Week after treatment Average reduction of small cockroach nyrmp apartments compared to control apartments. Sticky?). Six traps were placed in cabinets around the kitchen sink, two in the pantry, one behind the stove, and one behind the refrigerator. Traps were left for 1 week, and captured cockroaches were counted before treatment and at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after treatment. The average percent reduc- tion in cockroach numbers from the pretreat- ment numbers was calculated per treatment for each week. The average percent reduc- tion of small (new) cockroach nymphs in each treatment also was recorded each week. Torus treatments resulted in less than 50% reduction in cockroach numbers and control was least effective during the first 4 weeks. Reduction of cockroaches averaged 20 to 32% in the treated apartments, com- pared to a reduction in control apartments of 20 to 39% (see table). However, after 8 weeks, control im- proved in the Torus- treated apartments. At this time, small cock- SControl roach nymphs ap- O Fenoxycarb peared to be most af- fected by the Torus treatment (see figure). Initially the treated apartments had 39% small nymphs and the control apartments 12 16 had 31% small nymphs. By week 8, the averagepercentage hs in Torus treated of small nymphs was 22% in the treated apartments, compared with 42% in the con- trol apartments. The effect of the Torus treatment on the nymphal population may be greater than indicated by the data be- cause the treated apartments had 2 to 10% more females carrying egg cases than the control apartments during the 8- to 16-week sampling period. Based on these results, Torus applied in the middle of the winter did not immedi- ately suppress cockroach populations com- pared to nontreated apartments. However, the amount of Torus in the apartments may have been high enough to affect the repro- ductive cycle of the females and thereby reduce the number of offspring in the spring. Benson is Assistant Professor, Appel is Associate Professor, and Ellenberger is a Research Techni- cian IV of Entomology. Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station PERFORMANCE OF AN INSECT GROWTH REGULATOR AGAINST GERMAN COCKROACHES IN INFESTED APARTMENTS Cockroaches/ Reduction of cockroaches/ Treatment' apartment apartment, average at pretreat 1 week 2 weeks 4 weeks 8 weeks 12 weeks 16 weeks Avg. Pct. Pct. Pct. Pct. Pct. Pct. Control .................. 495 20 31 39 18 4 -242 Torus ..................... 499 24 32 20 45 45 28 'Six apartments in each treatment. 2 Negative percent reduction indicates an increase in cockroach numbers. 7 P.L. DUNCAN AND R.T. LOVELL NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC CAROTENOIDS ENHANCE PIGMENTATION OF ORNAMENTAL FISH cii peppers N.Itl aigllis. antiiropi- cal f ilh miay seemto ilhaxve little iti cotn onll ll.bt AAES r eseatrcl has Soredi a lin k betwee cth ie thlree thlat ecould iimeani ant eclilnomlic boost tol fishl intilsl x. i'Itetts extrtdci from11 these FIG. 1 (above). From top, cherry barbs fed 400 ppm. red pepper extract, fed 100 p.p.m. red pepper, fed 100 ppm. canthaxanthin, raised in the pond control, and raised in the recirculating system control. FIG. 2. (above, right). From top, tiger barb fed a mixture of red pepper and marigold extracts, and a control fish from the recirculating system. iliats xxere used to enthanlce the co~lor Ill txxwi popular aiqiariitux dellers. Tile comm i etrci al x alune I f tw t itrnIamlen- tal f is Nidiependiis on1 goo t codlloratin F)1 ishi treareid ill p1onds anld feid nitual iloods Iohbaill a des irab l hie, bittt miariy plrodicers at-e growAinlg oirnametls ill a cotlledi elxi- rltnmllcnt xwhiere Inaturtal foold Is abset. 11021- technology, recirculatinz wAater systems pro- vide mlany adv antages over a more natural pond. but steps mulist he taken to ensutre proper fisl colortion. PigmentN mlust be supplied in the feeds itsed. Cat ote noids, a group of comnpounds r esponsihle for the color in1 carrots and sweetc pot'1atoes, alsoI proxvide the Name pigmentIs tit Li\ OI i m mnitI fisI their viv id colors. D ilh are unable to) synthesize these pigmecnts uid miust obtaini aqulatic food or- niets. xxhich ci lox, ,but com- mcreial feed ill '', cuiet are pitli Nources. Research wAaN Ondutcted1 to dletermine tile ef fectiv eness of supplenment ing f eeds wAill natinral anld syn- tei)c cat itetloid pigmnlts . Tw Npeces of ornamcntai fisNh xxr eted diets conta in inL vixarilu iiiN urntceN itt carm cnoids ill I-cnhic-meter recircniating tanks a~ 5-xweek periods and Nubhequintly evalu- aiicd by itrainled judgeN for qunttity and qual- itv iiicolot ation. Cherl-x barbN. wAhich hax e a characteristic deep ted co lo r, were I ed cant hax anthiln (a synthetic reddish- pink pigment) or a nlatural red pigment extract Itrotnt red peppers. (iantllaxanthin. at 1 00 pats per mlillioni (p.p~ll. ), or tile red pepper ext ract, at 1 00 and 400 ppm.. werct- added ill a commercial Nalon Niarter Iced. Tier barbs. wAhich hlaxe reddish-oranle fills, xx ct- fed tile r-ed pepper extract, all extract from Aztec mlarigold flowxerN, or a cotmbintatiotn oftile two 1 pigmets. Pigment c otetratiottns in tile feeds 'a -c 400) P -P - ii lot the illele NonreN anld 200 pptm. oIf eaci thtie cotitatioti. Red pepper extractN contaitned tmaitnly capsant 1111. Marigold ext raeciN cotainted ilailyN luici it and zeaxathirn. These pig- ments at-c ised commtler-cially in tile pouiltry inldustry to enihanle egg yotlk and brotler skitn The cotolt gtroup II cacih Npecies 'asI fed notnupplemlented salmonl tarter ttn tanks. Additionl gritups Iti cachl f ih wrct- fed the tlotpig Ilenlted Nsllart iced in po ndsN. Tanlk-teatred Cherry bar bs fed tile n1on1 Niupplemented Iced 'Act- too pale tot be mlat- ketable. The ted pepper exitract prodiueed art ie lne cltor itn tilese fisNi and 'AaN Ilote ciffective thlan tile Nynthiette pigmleti. Red pepper extract at 400 pp.m1. prldulccid tile mlost itntenlse cotlors. Fish fed eithler cotlet- trat i Ot oftile tnatua l pigmtietnt in the t-ec iteu- l at in syC \stem th ad Niil iat o r baet r coltion ilt tnlia pond.- Coiltr qutality IIIplotd-reat-cd cherr-t- barbs was hlighly v ariable. Tanlk-rearedl ticr barbs fedi tile notnsuipplemtetntedi teed 'Aect- almosltt dex oid otfcolor. IiThtse fed the mlariCgtld extr-act hlad a desirable yeclow sheetn ill their skill but lacked the desited t-ed fitn cotlot. Red pepper exti act ptrotiuced the chlaractetristic redi fills. I-oxx cx rt a cotmbiniation oIf tile exil acts -navc itsh tile best clorattotn (If skill atni tills. Potnd-teared tiger barbs sho~weid less iliiflorml RearinL ollrtnametai fisNi in tec it-citlating 'Aater sy stetms allowxs more11conlitrol ox et tetmperatut-, disease. anld uniifIritx ill fishl pontds. 1Thete at-c sev eral ihiundred species of ittrnamlental f is wi it h a talle cItf coilotr clharac- itristies.- Thetefcie, idenIt ificat io otl f su itable pi g'mlent sources flit cli ngt dilleen f d ishNi 'Aill be inlcreasinly imtlllant. This study show)'ed thlat feedinlg the tigilt pigmlenlt at tile ri nht cen~eltratio w11 Aill allowx proldutio 111fi otrnamnltal fish that equal or exceed tile quality oII pon1d-reared fisih. D~uiican is Seiot Research Associate anld Lovel cisI Professolr 'If Fki Nie e and All id Ai 1 lac iitureN - - 'tlabuni Alai-/tm-al Evpetiint Stationt J. MIZE AND G. S. PETTIT TALKING TO CHILDREN ABOUT SOCIAL SKILLS HELPS THEM GET ALONG WITH OTHERS Good parent-child communication can help children get along with their peers. ers in chiIlhoodl is the sincle best pr edictor ofilakter lif e adjustment. including schtool success. Children learn the imipotahnt soiteal comtpe- tcncics that mike lor later success ini c ery aspect ol' life throcich11 their families. But hi tx dii parents help cil dren lear'n such impotrtanit skills as sotlxiinc prohlemis and tespecting the feelings of other s' Ther e is abundlant research evidence that wh len parents atrc hoth wxxatrns aniid loxving and also finn in theit explectationts, children do bettet in relationships xxithi others. But is beitic I o\ing yet firmi suifficient to enisure that chlIdrten kntow, hiox to handle thle miany d~il fcult issues that arise ini day-to-day in- tetractions xxitli ithers, issues such aS hioxx to trespo ndl to t ril Is by a peer or how x to make a niew frienid Ot can parenits help their childiern Iear-n to handle social situatiotis by priidi nc good advxice ab ot iiita-ertsotial relationiships? Unitil recenitly . almost nio in- hftrmiat ion xxas axvatilable li-omi researe I stud- es about xxhat Ipwie its ni(itmalIN do to teach childr en the skills for gettittg along wxithi otihiets and xxIhich Iif aryt itoins ate miost hielpf ul. Ini trdler to intcriease iu tuncider stand inig ot ihow partis teach chlrenci impotiat tSocial skills, researcher s xxith thiii. S tinder-took a stuidy wxithi 61 miothiers anid thir 3- to 5- y ear-old chlIdreni. T he Ifamilies wer ctcmiostly iidd Iticomne atid Iivxed itn o r near a smiallI ci lx int Al abamna. The mo thletrs anid chlIdr-eti xxatecled a series ofI shoit \ i dci aped stories (acted lx clii Id actors) about thiitgs that otten hiapipeti betxxe ycivouitg chldi cini pr eschool cilassroom iis. Fot inistanice, itn onte stoiry a ch iId knoicks ovxer aniothicr's block towxer. lIn an- other thlere is s pace fo r oniily txxo chlIdri-en at at gamie, but a thurd child xxanits ho play. Fach iiiither xxas asked to pretenic that the cxvcnt ini thle sto ry hiad hiappenieh to lie tchl c an tocli talk to thle chld c abocut xxhat had li-tccred Most miiothers talked to their chiilreni abouit sex cialI aspects cii thle shiorit sto ries.- MIany xmo thlens tal kecd abciut xx bi thle chlIdrCii had acted the xxay they did anic abocit hiow ciidcien ini the stotries xxr ct-c licL. Maniy iiiothiers tried tot help their childcreni thiink iii ideas abotut xxhat to dc shouthld the cx cnt happen it thlemii by ask intg. " What xxul i Ic Niu doi it that hiappenied to Nyou. Mothers atic chldr cioiifiteti icdetiiied straiccicis. such as expilatiniic to the peer the childs Icchic gs or talkitig about classciomi rules. When chl- dreni suiggestecd st atecies that thle 1uitthiers thocight xxetc tiot appr-opriate iianiy miiothiers tried tot cet chilcreni to thitik ofl the cotise- ci die ccs itt takicg such act ion. F-i r inistanice. a tioithei might ask. "But IN ciu did that. hioix would she f eel.- Hoxx do x ou heel xxhlen Nour sister dues that to yluci. As the researchiers e-xpectecd, the chilcdren of mtiihiers xx ho0 xxr ctc xarmi anid scu~pti x tenidecd tot get alontg xxeli xxithi other chldcreni. But the tescarchers xxerc initeirestecd iii xxhiethier the acdxiLce miothiers cax c hlihlreii alsit ci ttri bcttech iii ciildirei's soc iaI ciiitmpe- tetice. Chlicreti if mttihierswx liitalked aboct the x icdcotapecd storics iii piositixe w xays, suiggestitig Irictidlx stratecies anic express- itig ani iiptiimistic attittch tcixxaid thle cx cut. had gootd relatiionshiips xxith other chilcdreni. Thiis xxas trcu cxcii after takinic intto conisid- cirati lii thle cicali tN oit the miiother-cild tirela- Based itt these finidinigs. child dcx eluij- mciii experits cani begiti toi ansxxecr sotie itf lie quest ii ns a I tnwst ceveri patenit has abiti hiow to hlpl their chlidreni get alotig well xxith peers. F-irst, pa-eunt ing that is xwar-mi anid allc- tiotiate. ye cirliim. lax s the grounidxxoirk for childr en's success. But it appears that par- ellis caii gixe tlii ldi ci additional help iii dexvelopinig social skills to miiet the cial- leniges they xxiii face ini school by talkinig about the situationis thiey etictunttetr. This does not meani that pareits miiust "tell" their clidirei the best xxay to hianidIe a sit ciat iin tIni tact. there prohtably is nio sitigle sitrategy that xxill axxaxys xwork. Rather. par-ents cani hlpl by problemi solint ttg xx ithi thle chlId about ex ents that arise initiertact ioniis xxith Iiothers. Gettitic the child to thitk otl alterniatix e strat- egies and ce aluate thieir citnsequcies, anid hielpitig the clii Id dexvclip a piositixve, optitiis- tic altitucde hitxxaid ithers seemii patiicuiiarly helpful. Rcasuti tiwxithi ciidreni abtut so- cial situationis ini these xxays probably helps chiildreni eat-tio tihe cotistcicti xc and positixe thieiiselx Cs xxhlen laced xxithi the cx erydax chalictices itt cttiic alotic xxithi others. Althoicghi the chldrien ini this stcidy xxect- dcxvel opintg nioirma llx anic xxr ctc oct hiax ing problemis iii social dcx elopmnitt the results oh' the rcsearchi hiaxe imuplic-ationis for chl cdreni liht tieecd spiecial help iii gettitig alotng xxith cotiers. With the data I romi this stuck anid futctre stuicies. teacher's of x ociti chl- dreti xxiii be able to proixide iniformationt to patrcnts xx lil seek acdxice oii hiowx thiex cani help a chlId xx ii is shiy or ox cili aggressix c xx it 1i peers. Mhiie anid Pettit ate A\suicate Proftessors lit Fantit N anid Child I )ecetiptutt. AlIabamua A iriu IiIuI,-l IExjpei-ine'i Station L.I. CHIBA SHOULD PRODUCERS FEED YOUNG PIGS FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE? Iced ing complex diets containinc splecial iiigiredieiits atter weainii or lcding dliets high in amino acids dhurii g the growAer phase cani opti isei/ the perh ormaince ol youing pigs. Ho-I ' cx ci, the use ot these hich-nutrient diets can be costly and piroducers mist xx ich this additional cost acainst the ovxerall produc- tix ity and effIiciency prox ided by these dliets. I ittle intotmation is ax atlable on the ef- fects of groxwth responses obtained duiri nc thte starter and g- 'xx er periods on the perftor- imantee ot pigs in subseyuent piroduction phases. A recent AAES study addiessed this issue. C'rosshred pigs (I andi ace x Hampshiire x I-uioc ) 'A ained at about 2)5 days of age wetre assigcied to either a simple or complex diet xxith Ifour pens (eight pigs per pen) per dliet. P~ics had tree access to teed and xxater. Atftei a 4-xx ek starter phase. 48 pies 'A re selected ftt the groxxrfinIiishei phase of the study. At an axveiage xx i ght ot 49 lb.. pigs that had been ted each of the Starter diets 'Aerc assiced xxithini sex to growAer diets contain- inc eithet (0.621., or 1. 121/ ly sine. When pigs weiglted about 1 10 lb.. backfat thick- itess 'Aas mi easuriied by an u Itriasou nd in stru- iteil ad thte animals were assigned xxithin ci-o'ei diet to (tie of twA( finisher diets that contained either 0.62'/ or < 0.9014 lxsineC. PiLes wAetc housed and led indixidually during the grower-fiisher * phase. At an aveciage wAeight of 238 lb.. all pies wxere slauch- tered~crcatss traitsw' iex ealu- '4 ated, and the aim Iun t of lean " they had gained wxas deter- mined. The cffetec of oinly .01 stairter and growAer diets on the I perf ormance ol pigs aie pre- rented in the table. As expected. pigs led a complex diet consumed 14' mor e feed, (rai ned 33 ( Ifaster, and wx cie I 7'c more efficient than thtose fed a siimple corn and soy bean meal-based diet. Pigs ted the coniplex diet ircached 40 lb. 5 to 6 days sooner than pigs on the simple diet. Statrter diets. howevcxer. had no ef lect oin xweight oIt lat gain oft pigs~ in the subsequent phases. Carcass backfat thickinesses measured at the end of the tin- isher phase xwetc loAer ini pies ted a simttple diet during the starter plhse. Feeding a re- stricted diet ditrine* the early phaise of dexvel- opmtent is. hoxxecxer, likely to extend the titme required for hose pigs to teach matrket xxeichts, xxhich max negcate the ad xan- acid diet. indicating that improxved wAeight cain wxas achiexved through1 gireatci deposi- ton oIf lean and less depo s ition ofI fat. Pigs prex iously led a diet loss in I>ysine. howAever, cained taster and mote elffcientlx dorinLI the Ii ni Thing phase than those led a diet high in Ilysine. B3ecause ot this turnaround, thet cwe rc no dillferences in the ov erallI perform ance ofI pigs during the growA ci-Iinisher phase. Si mi- larly teedinc (irowerc dicts containing a mnarginallx deficient (0.621() or an opti- num lex el (If lv sine (1 .12%~ ) seemed to hav e tno eff ect on catrcass traits or I]can c T n he resu Its indicate that the advxant aces obt ai ned dot inc the ciro'A c phase by leeding a diet Iliich in amino acids 'A crc lost in the finisher phase. Based on these results, it seems that for- muiiat ing diets to promote optinnuit pe rfor- mance of 'AeanIi ng pigs wAill triansilate inIto EI-i ro ii i I Rii i \,Ni (Gi too Di is os Wt 11,1(mi G-v. t)y rO I NI xi I C xiw xs 13, x i-,'. xso Lia GAI \Isi Pi~ Starter diet' Weg t in.iiid A (icacaei ti cki.l i n....... 1cali aaiii ( 110 to 2381 Ihi) lh/duv ..i ....... Sinmpte Complex 10.66 0.88 1.86 1.98 1.94 1.92 1.89 1.94 141.6 137.8 1.1 I '5 Grwrdiet 0.62 / t.t2(i 1 .85 2.00( 1.93 139.7 1.21 2.00 1.80i 1.90) 141.7 1 .1t9 .739 .729 .739 .730) Siiiple diet - hared oii con and so> heaii imeail ' complex dliet -haind oin a hle mii continiigii mikI pi iduicts, Iish meal. siciii rolled oils. aind oilier special iiigiedieiis: led for 4 woeeks ailtei 5\caniii. (jrici diets coiitineld 0.62 or t1.121 lk sine t1.77 oi 3.20-nuniiis lysiiie/ Nt..l di'esiihlc ciimi ): 1coinsitit piopoiioiis aiiiii> aiii ai Is w\CiC miaintainied hx iisingi a fixed propirtiion iof coirn and so\ hean iieail: ltd hemi cert tage oIt imtiproIxed carcass quality dependintg ott the market i ncent ixe tot lean p(ork. DI1it the growAer phase. pigls fed a diet ig ittysine gained faster thani those ted a dliet lowA ini lysitne. In addition. axerage ui ttrasound backfat measured at the end oIt the growxer phase 'as 25 ' lowAer ((0.44 xver- sits 0.58 itt.) in those pigs fed a high-amtttin better ovxerallI petrfo(rmtance. Hoxxecxer. cross1er pies can be ted marcinally deficient lexvels (It amino acid xxithout adx ersei at- tectine the ox erall tate and effliciecv oIt grIxxt h or carcass trtails at the cnd (It the finisher phase. ( hiha is Assistant Professot ol Aimail ottd Diry Sc ienices. Al abamau A i-rjii/o-a/ LvI) er-imenilt .S'tio M.G. PATTERSON, W.R. GOODMAN, B.E. NORRIS, AND B.L. FREEMAN REDUCING PRODUCTION INPUTS MAY BE PROFITABLE FOR COTTON PRODUCERS been faced with increasing costs for chemicals, labor, fuel, and other inputs needed for conventional tillage sys- tems, though the prices they receive for cotton seed and lint haveremained stable. This threat to profitability has been accom- panied by increased pressure on farmers working highly erodible land to employ conservation tillage practices. But it is pos- sible that these two factors may work hand in hand to increase the profitability of cotton production. An AAES field study was initiated at the Tennessee Valley Substation, Belle Mina, to determine the economic feasibility of chang- ing tillage systems and reducing chemical inputs. The study, which was conducted in 1991 and 1992, compared conventional and conservation tillage systems. Cotton was planted on April 24 both years of the test. The conservation tillage EFFECT OF INPUT LEVELS ON MEASURED VARIABLES Seed cotton Treatment' Thrips 1991 1992 1 Dc NT TE3 FUR COT4 40 1,468 3,783 NT TE3 HOP COT4 43 1,462 3,575 1 NT TE3 HOP COT2 41 1,533 3,772 4 NT TE5 FUR COT2 47 1,675 3,624 5 CT TE3 FUR COT4 21 1,625 3,657 4 CT TE3 HOP COT4 28 1,576 3,570 4 CT TE5 FUR COT2 29 1,723 3,919 CT TE5 HOP COT4 30 1,783 3,853 1 NT = notill, CT = conventional till, TE3 and TE5 = per acre assuming a price of $2.70 per lb., FUR = Terr at 8 lb. per acre assuming a price of $1.70 per lb., HOP hopper at 2 oz. per acre assuming a price of $2.25 per Cotoran 4L at 2 pt. or 4 pt. per acre assuming a price o: treatments involved planting into the previ- ous year's cotton stubble after spraying Roundup? at 1 qt. per acre to kill emerged weeds. In-furrow insecticide, Temik 15G?, was used at either 3 lb. or 5 lb. per acre at planting. A hopper-box fungicide treatment of Apron? plus Terrachlor? was compared to Terrachlor Super-X? in-furrow fungi- cide. Finally, Cotoran 4L? herbicide was used at either 2 or 4 pt. per acre at planting. Cotoran was applied broadcast in no-till plots and applied in a band over the row in conventional plots. Conventional plots were cultivated twice each year and post-directed with Bladex? plus MSMA? to maintain ac- ceptable weed control. No- till plots received only Cotoran atplanting in 1991. In 1992, no-till plots were post directed with Bladex plus MSMA in July to supplement the Cotoran treatments. All combinations of tillage, in-furrow insecticide, fungicide, and Cotoran rate were represented in a range of treatments. In addition, untreated plots, where no chemi- cals were used at planting, were included for ADNETReach tillage system. AND NET RETURNS All plots received Net returns insecticide sprays as 1991 1992 Avg. needed to control insects. Data ob- ol./ac. Dol./ac. Dol/ac. tained included crop 1.00 563.00 282.00 13.00 528.00 270.00 stand counts, thrips $0.00 585.00 313.00 counts, visual weed 58.00 531.00 295.00 control ratings, boll 17.00 551.00 299.00 counts, and seedcot- f7.00 542.00 295.00 tonyields. Alabama 53.00 607.00 335.00 Cooperative Exten- 83.00 596.00 340.00 sion Service cotton 'emik 15G at 3 lb. or 5 lb. production budgets achlor Super X in-furrow were used to calcu- ' = Apron + Terrachlor in oz., COT2 and COT4 = late net returns for f $36.00 per gal. each treatment as- suming $0.62 per lb. for lint, $0.03 per lb. for seed, and no program participation. Crop stand counts and total bolls per plant were not affected by tillage or any chemical input. Prickly sida and annual morningglory control was good to excel- lent in both tillage systems regardless of Cotoran rate. Thrips counts revealed total thrips numbers (adult and larvae) were sig- I tii I Il S nificantly higher on no-till plots in both years. Thrips counts were not affected by Temik rate " either year. aYields were much higher overall in 1992 than in 1991 due to improved growing con- 'ditions. However, yields were i approximately equal for both _ tillage systems, Temik rates, fungicides, and Cotoran rates in both years. Although analy- sis showed yields were not sta- tistically different, the 5-lb. Temik rate produced numerically higher yields than the 3-lb. rate in conventional systems. Net returns above variable costs for treat- ments that provided the two lowest and two highest dollar amounts in each tillage sys- tem are shown in the table. Net returns above all specified expenses, both fixed and variable, resulted in all treatments losing money in 1991 (not shown). Reducing till- age and most pesticide inputs at planting did not greatly affect yield either year. Numeri- cally lower yields overall with no-till treat- ments resulted in conventional tillage gener- ally providing higher net returns. The 5-lb. Temik rate provided higher net returns in conventional tillage. During the 2 years of this study, good weather conditions prevailed at planting. Stand counts and thrips control may change significantly in adverse weather conditions. Although 2 years is not long enough to fully evaluate these systems, these results indicate that cotton producers in the Ten- nessee Valley may be able to reduce tillage and some chemical inputs and still obtain positive net returns above variable costs. The two best no-till treatments compared favorably with some conventional till treat- ments. Patterson is Associate Professor of Agronomy and Soils; Goodman is Associate Professor of Agricul- tural Economics and Rural Sociology; Norris is Assistant Superintendent, Tennessee Valley Sub- station; Freeman is Assistant Professor of Ento- mology. Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station The threat to 11 R.C. KINGERY, D.W. REEVES, AND P.L. MASK M anx ciy0'rocirN hesitate to US~C xinit tei annnal legUmCN in irotationt 'Aith St tmniter cro ps, becausec the expense of rest cding, and kill ing lecuittc can outxx01 tihe tlxalne ol thc nitrogen IN) these plants Nppl\ . Ho-lx cxci, conSeix ation tIllae systemsi utilizing inew t ropicalI cor hity birids may inease the advxantages of uini 1'Ainter annual legumeN. T ropical corn is plaitted in late Nprin1W I mid Max to mid-.lun. 'Ahlich cives the lecunic time to matuie, marximizc N fixation. reseed, die, and dy down.i In addition. N r eleased by the legume also may be bettei u Iilizied by trIopicalI corn i thIian by te mpeirate con bec xefi t hc late planting date ofI tiopical corni. Tiopical corn. therefore, con Id utilize a highter percentage of N f roum the legume. Additionall ,.practiciig coiNser- x atiolttillage xxould allowA the Iccume to r eseed. 120 80 0 A A 0 -Sand Mountain 1991 120 K- OA 3072-clover Q 3072-fallow 0 304C-clover 0 304C follw 45 90 135 N fertilizer, lb/ac. Grain yield response of tropical corn hybirds to applied N as affected by cover crop. Reseairch at the AAES Ntudied N man- age menit of three tropical corn hybrids (Dekalh 678C, Pioneer 3040, aitd Pioneer 3072) ini a conserxvation tillace system fol loAinc reseeded enimson cloxver or xxiuter falloxx Nitrocen late,, raitced troit I) to 18)) lb. oft N per acre. Tibbee crimson clover wAas Needed at thte Saitd Mountain Subtation. Crossvxille. aitd at the E.V. Smtith Research Centeir, Shoirteir, in Octobei 1988. It haN itatuirall ireseeded cxvery Ncar inice then. The rows NwAere Nuhboiled. leax iic cloxer residlue it the row middleN. Tropical corn hybrids 'Aere then planted inito thte residue. Weat her aitd inse~ct pro blIcms aflfected x ields at both locations durinc Nsomte yearN. HoAex r., thte bentefits prox ided by the clox ci mulch wxerc ex ident it both crin and silage yiclds. Acceptable grain and Nilage y ilds'Awel- produced xxith as. little as 45 lb. N per acre, It the faillowA Nystem. 18)) lb. (If N per acre were iteeded to prt duce a comtttparable yieId. Sex cre droucltt and heax y infestations of fall ar-m x x (ri canuNed crop I ai lureN at both locatiotns ini 1990. The only y ield deter- iied 'Aas for Nilage at Sand Mountain. The clox ersNN telt increased Nilace x eld 2.3 tons pci ace rtom 11.9 tons per acre followAinc- fallowA to 14.2 tons per acre fotllowAing dlo- xver). ThiN highter y ield 'Aax likelx the result ot imtprox ed NSoilI moisture undei the clover systemt. In 1991. Pioneer hy brid 30)72 replaced D~ekalb lix biid 678C becauxe it xxas identi- lied ax a top giralit producer, xxIilIc the other lix ridx airc better adapted for xi lace. Silage production tor both lhibrids xxas imilar (25 tons. at Sand Mountain aitd 19 totns at E.V. Smith),. but Pioneer 3(072 had a hicher crain c ied potenittalI than 3040 (s~ee Ii(cr1re I. Reseeded criittoit clox er rexulted in crain v eld iincireaxeN lor both lixhi ds that ran-ed frioim 32 to 69/(. The respontse of Pioneer lhybrid 30)72 to the coxvei crop 'Aax greater than that of Pioineei hy)brid 30)4C. At both locations. 45 lb. of N per acre followxiigc 4~ -y Y< rt 5 ? N f2 1f' \i.~ \ ',. t S 7 Crimson clove reed nt rpca on clover: prdcdelia~to 1-ac ri y fels tanth 1801h. o" ear Io i~ falw iaeyedfloigcoe a simila fo ohhhis il nrae fro 188t 91tn- erar tEV mt an rm2. o2. osprar tSn Monainwe ae eicesdfo inrae fro 45t 80, Npe ce CrmoAltoveh sreseed ilntetropicalwcor elx i poidied by uixnt anngual chilieS Uind troan he rIn-)lb. e ( stsNepst hccllo w- evallows thSle yildtiall e cto cimxson andve (im233ti1t8n per acre) aoh ucl fst San Savuntain xN hertN ier. x mcpreed ois- 45 to an red lb.deroso acre added nch its. i aLexx. is RcseerchNi acp net on. incDAARS ARthous i ps n plA-R Rsanted Scortitnd 'Ad- jtioPraescor it cAnrnoy and Stilse thsk bes turistand ireuced cii Agonoame add benil. Altibim a Agi-ic"ultui-al E'Aperime nt Station J.D. NORTON, G.E. BOYHAN, B.R. ABRAHAMS, AND H.W. HUANG t Plant hbreeders at the AAES ha e mcllon\ that are resistant to Fu- sArru 11(ilx t, a I nenx-axxOetated dlisease responisible for severe pro- ducltio (lossxes in Al abama. [lie 1only practical xway to co n trol F u 1011111 wxilt is hx nxino xxater melon x arletiex inherentlx resistant to the clisease. Sex eial res istan t x ariet ies hiaxe beeni dcx eloped f or the Sonutheast,. buit niost are rex i tant to only one r ace o)1 I uriui olt acceptable I or slipping ti.. r poor In adapted to localI prodc- ion at eax. A ALF S-xnppi IIted research h ax rexculted in the dexvelopment ofl sexeral tnexw variet ies thIiat ovlxerco me I II It orl all of these pr oblenis. Reseatrchers Sctrxexed wxatermelon)1 oe oxip1ax i and Ion d xevxera ImnelIons that wxer e highly xresistanit to the txxo( types oii /aI IIlfIOIx witl found in Alabama Fit- sari o1,11k1 )11/1rv w races 0 and 1 . These mielons were selected as parents for a breed- ng ptrotram to incio rpoIrate resistance toI the disease in1to comm~lercial shipping wxater- m~elonsi. Oter goals xwere toI prodnee a m~elon xwith dlextiable hot ti- enltinel traitS and xxith ICxiS- tance to the tIoliar dlixeases anthraenoxe and gunnl\ ] stem blight. Plant br eeders. xxith ax sisxtanee fromll Au n i plant pathologixtx. hax e eleaxetl onr tiexx xhi ppi ng typ Pcxxa te rme I 00 to date. irxt xxa W AU-!ProdneerI- xxhich ix re xixtanit toI Fusorilon racex 0I and I. It ix noxx -rowIx n eomimerecial ly t hronghont the xworlId. AU-Jutbilant, the seconid x arietx . ix rexixtatt Ionlx to race (I. T xxo xnbxequently releaxed x arietiex are highlx rexixtant tol both racex. [hexe are AU- Golden Ptrodneet, xxhich hax x ellowxxoranlce Ilexh: and AU- Sxxeet Scarlet, xwhich hax intense, dark red flesh. FuLurw wlI 1 xilIt. a x axcnulat dlisxeaxe canxed bx a xoil-inhabitin tieunitieSx ix the tnoxt xeti Ilit xoilI ortie disxease tin xxatermelonx. Iitsoriuan can xuitrvxe tn the xoi I ot years, or it can be xeedbortne. It enters the plant by infeeting the rIotx duritn atix xtage oft roxxth. tDiscasc tatex Varity wIilt btligt (bar letoti Grav ..... Omliit f 'll SCcI....... I tihi lee .. . . . .. .. . . AUt -Pt ducei ....... AtU-Golden tP ioduicet ,\t I ee ScarIlet . . triit Soluihle QuLi~it ol Da Yticd \\ ight Solids pietrflc lma Lb. Lb. l'u. 34.82) 192 10.0 7.3 31,0131 8.? 10.7 8.1 33,830) 22.2 9.) 7.9 3xL.910 19.8 1I1ll8) 35,378 210.1) 11.1 8.2 292(18 19.6 11.4 9.0 Dis~ease indtex: 0- nit iijiy to 58 all plat is ~eatsed. TotaiI oliible soidst LIelet titud LI ith t3iLth atid ILomth ietraietuitte 01/ scxaIe. f r Heaxvy xsoil itntestation cit Iusai)IlIm mTay rexult in plant death betote the emnergence of xeed It n x. or it ean eactse oct ti pl alntx to dex elop tot artd xxilt xxith little ex idence of Oti older platsx the f irxt xvixible xign of Iuaru II~is~lt a xxiltine Ior xelloxing oll leaxes ont the lateral runnierx. Wi loing Ilccurx rap- dlx: at first. Iotly a xingle runtner may be atffeeted, bitt the etire plant ex enitually diex. Ro t ten spoIts appeat on otne xi de of' the at- 'cted Stem niear the groitnd and extend as longie niarroixx brow sixI treakx. lotfectedl plantx ate utxially xtunted. The nexx, highlx rexixtant xvatrtetiex and breceding lines of xxatet mel 988 19) (t xxere groxx in Il IImIlri 11?toInfexteci xotIill thle Souith atnd ini pr(Iduct ion areax Itt to Flesh xxorItdxxide. arnd thex exhib- lil lo it ted rexisxtance a<-ainrtt the dixeaxe. 801 Red Norton is Professort. Boylhan ix 75 Redt Sentior Research Associtle, 90 Red .\bihalis TIIechiianit. antd 75 Red Il1111 Cis RCxeatIil Assisltit ot 75 \ elhow I lortilt me.11 75 Da~rk red Top of page: Fusarium wilt. From left to right below: AU- Producer, AU-Jubilant, AU- Golden Producer, AU-Sweet Scarlet t I . q . .. \ . " l DIM ASi: INIUR4, Yll H), AND I:ui It 012vRnc]rra