TI
a.a
U
issue
Russell County Bermudagrass Accepted as New Variety
)airy Producers Must lake Steps to Avoid Carryover
I flects of bST
Boiler Litter Can Enhance Potted Plant Production
Rainbow of Colored Peppers Could Lead to Pot of Gold
for Alabama Farmers
Imiiproved Diagnostic Tool Developed for Major
Potultry Disease
\.\lS Study Profiles Alabama's Ornamental
Plant Industry
Potassium No Cure for Golf Course Freezes
New Test Could Result in Safer
Poultry Products
Improving the Value of Cull Cows
AAES Renews Vegetable Variety Trial Program
\cvv Cultivators Cut Herbicide Use in
( onservation Tillage
Hi oiler Litter Shown to be Effective
Cotton Fertilizer
An AAE.S eerudy found azaleas to be a major nursery crop in Alahat
See the related s'tore on page 12.
In
S pr in g 1 99 5 V o I u m e 4 2 N u nm b e r
Ae quarteriy repoirt ofi rerch ji hlisihi by the Alhit,
Auburnti Ifnicersii).
LowIL'ii I-ROISHl Directoer
D)AVID II. illM ....... _..... Assotciate Direcitor
RI SSIII B. Mt NI IIIRING Associate Director
PA\ I GRI ILN Assistant Director
ROYt RI'.O _..i _ .......... Assistant Director
KA IIF SM IIt l _ ........... Assiceiate I ditor
ROBIYN I1LA RN ...................... Associate Editoir
I FRI 5A ROI)RI(,t1 ........l.. Art Designer
E dito~rial Cuommittee Lowell I -
t
hith -\n ('liipctr k. It
icr o/ Platii /'th/ttci Joe Lakes Asson tote Pe ti/i t tui
Hlm iii ttti Roiger i en, Atsiuaiti e Pi/ifeuwr o/ Poulietri
anid Si/i H~enry Kinnucan, Prit/e'iirr of Agri unieii ht-o-
nittit t anti turtt/ Sot iti/iti' Lisa ShanIcy, A iiiitititi 'ri/e.
tin on/ Coini umier A/ff rn David Stringlelloe , l'ree. ter io]
Antimalt Heal/th Re ii un it GeoffIrey /ehnder, Prie/e t oft
I nttetnttt/ttii and Reoy Reoherson.
cate etndorsemtit hc the Alabamat~ Age t illitia ExI perimnent
Statioen tir Aiihnrn I nicty of on tte branid tover antther.
Any use ofi pesticitie rates it exc ess oi laheledl atmn unis in
research repoted cdtes ntte ctttstinete rctiiiteedalien ii
suchS rate. Such use is simptij part ofi thle scitentitfic inviesti-
gationnecessars teeeialnate rarittit itttet ials Nircheenical
shotuld be used at rates abovee itiose peritted hs the label.
Informtatiotn cotineid herein is at ailae to all persoins
ccithoeut regatrd tot race, colotr, sex, or ntational oigin.
this
j),ir c
What do you think?
This is the second issue of the new
format of Highblights. We would like to
3know what 
you think about 
the changes.
A survey of 1 ,000) Higlights read-
ers was conducted in the fall of 1994.
4
The majority of respodents confirmed
6 our suspicions 
that Highlights 
made
less than optimum use of color, the
8 articles are sometimes too technical.
and some of the articles are too short.
10 The new Highlighhts format allows
us to address some of these concerns.
12 Advancements in computer and print-
14ing technology allow~ us to produce the
new Highlighlts at about the same cost
as the old. The critical unknown is
15
whether you, our audience, like the
17 changes.
19 A follow-up survey will be done
with this issue of Highlights. Results of
21 this survey and 
your comments will
help us plan future fine-tuning of High-
23 lights to make it an even better maga-
/3 ine. 
If you 
have 
comments, 
please
write us in care of: Higehljights, 110
Coiner Hall, Auburn University, AL
36849, fax us at 334-844-5892, or e-
mu mail us at eturner~aag.auburn.edu.
Low'ell T. Frobish, IDirector
A lab)amla Agricultural E1pien ct .Station
'A1
r)4 4 .
Iv
L hwsock rudha' pradic-
rsn g elt/Or, eV('1ieiC. e5/k' iallY'
i/u' tatcre lig/h xieldiii1g, wvide/v
adapted, remeresrto I)roI)-
gale. and have a favtorable growt/i
di rihitioti. Moas,' mielt,' t'(ietieAv are
dlevteloped in intenrsive platit breed-
ing p)rogrnia. Howecver, one new
ber,,iliowri s Pat'tc t'was frrst dis-
covered growt'itig on mi Alhiaa
.trn-m ini lie late 1970s cand was~ 
sub-
s'oeitnlh" shown to be htt,lv pro-
dif( iv(' in AA ES variety trials.
Rurssel I County Extension Agzent Donald
Bice toun d the grass while i nspecting a
field near Seale thai had been plantedori
nally\ w~itli a Mississippi State University-
released hermudagrass variety named
('allie. B~ecaurse Cal lie is highly susceptible
to w initer kill and this g.rass had persisted. he
real ized that the crass that dominated the
field w\as riot Callie. After years of AAES
Donald Ml. Ball. Robcrt A. Burdell, Darne R?. Williamson,
Stleven P. Ni-'hicn,'ale, andt (horb s B. F/lk itt
~ ~z,
r :,F
* ~ i . .
- ~...,.' ~s ~'~,Ja~,*.l'&~Ti '' **"*""*'~f ,;2~. , .. ,-
~
5' *,~' 55
.~ '5." I..
.5'
5. 4 ~ ~ .... ? .&,
testing, this my stery g'rass has been recog-
nized as a iiew variety -Russell.
After Bice's discovery, word spread of
the perforriarnee (if the new
4 
grass. Its acre-
age increased as farmers shared planting
rmate ri al. Mo~re than 2,000( acr es oif it are
being grown today, mostly in the v icirnity of
Rnssell Cournty.
After prodncers had several years of
success with this grass, it was entered in
AAES berriudagrasS variety trials estab-
lished at the Plant Breediri UnIrit ini Tallassee
in 1986 (Table I )arid at the E.V. Smith
Research Center Crops Unit in Shorter in
1991 (Table ?). It adso was ev aluated in a
tr'ial established iii 1988 at the Hill [arm
Research Station at Homer. La. lIn each of
these tests, the dry riatter yield oif Russell
was equal to. or better than, several v idely-
groxx ii hy brid berrnudag rass v ar ieties.
A un iqute characteristic (if this
berrmudao rass is its superior early-season
"roxwth. If a field is to be tised for pasture.
early growth allows earlier grazirng. High
grow
5
th potential in early spring when rarin-
tall is most dependable also gets hay pro-
ductiori off to a good start and reduces the
risk of a poor hay yield.
RussellI berriudagrass apparently dcvsel-
(ieiether as a result (it ruttatiori or natural
hy br idization. L ike other hybirid
berriudagrasses. it requires vegetative
propagation frori sprigs (ir clippings. but
pro(dticers repoirt that it is hiardy arid r la-
tivsely easy to establish. This claimi was
supported in a greenhouse test in w'shich
Russell had a higher rate of establishrient
ftrori Sterm crtti nes than Coastal
berinudagrass, the moist comnirily used
variety iii the Southeast (Table 3).
Russell berriindagrass forage is light
green. arnd its stem sizc at recomrmrierided
cutting intervsals is sl ightls smaller than
Hlb'higln'Ir n/ Agriulla Research no d Vol. 42, No. 1, .Spingr~ 1995L'
j~f!w
Coastal. Leaves tend to be shorter than
Coastal, and its rate of' spread is slightly
faster. Forage quality, as reflected by crude
protein content, crude fiber, neutral deter-
gent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber
(ADF) concentrations, has been similar to
Coastal. NDF is an indicatorof 
palatability,
and AlDF is an indicator of digestibility.
Ratings made in Louisiana indicate it is
Table I. Season-long Dry Matter Yields of
Entries in Bermudagrass 
Variety Trial,
Plant Breeding Unit, Tallassee, 1988-90
Bermudagrass 1988 1989 1990 Average
Ton/a. Ton/a. Ton/a. Ton/o.
Russell 4.2 5.9 3.6 4.5
Grazer 3.2 4.9 2.5 3.5
Tifton 78 3.6 5.1 2.7 3.8
Lancaster 3.0 3.7 2.4 3.1
Pasta Rico 3.1 4.3 2.8 3.4
Campo Verde 3. 1 4.4 2.6 3.4
Table 2. First-cut and Season-long Dry Matter Yields
of Entries in Bermudagrass 
Variety Trial,
E. V. Smith Crops Unit, Shorter, 1992-93
Bermudagrass 1992 1993
First-cut Season-long First-cut Season-long
Ton/a. Ton/a. Ton/a. Ton/a.
Russell 3.4 11.9 3.8 9.0
Tifton 85 2.5 1 1.7 3.4 9.5
Coastal 2.5 10.9 3.6 8.5
Tifton 44 2.8 11.2 3.1 7.3
Tifton 78 1.9 9.7 2.8 7.2
Table 3. Percentage of Coastal and
Russell Bermudagrass Stems
Rooting at Three Moisture Levels
in a Greenhouse Environment
Low Medium High
Coastal 24.6 27. 1 44.3
Russell 32.5 73.6 80.7
slightly more winter hardy than Coastal.
No unusual disease or insect problems have
been noted with the grass.
Russell exhibits physical characteristics
similar to robust common bermudagrasses.
At cutting intervals ot 30-35 days. its for-
age height is typically lower than for other
common bermudagrass hybrids. 
However,
the forage is dense, thus allowing for high
yields. Producers have noted the
thick sod-forming ability of the
-rass and have reported that it
holds up well under grazing. This
,Ilso may have implications for
erosion control.
Russell is being released as a
vaiiety under the auspices of
Auburn University and Louisi-
aina State University. Founda-
tion planting material will he
a5ailaihie through the Alabama
Cr op Improvement
\ sociation in spring
11)95. Unlike the usual
',ituation with newly
released varieties,
Russell bermudagrass
has already stood the
test of time. There is
mnch evidence that it
ran make a contribu-
tion on many 
farms,
especially in Central
and North Alabama
with similar growingand other areas
reibnditions.
liar rid Burdett ore Professors in Agronomy and Sois.
Wiiomson, Nightengole, ond Elkins are Superinten
dents of the E.V Smith Crops Unit, Plant Breein
U ons, and Auburn Universiy Plont SCIence Researrr
Crtr respectrvery
Bovine somatotropin
(bST), the growth hormone
approved for use in dairy
cattle in February 1994, has
been shown to increase milk
production 10-15%. While the
effects of bST on milk production are
well known, much remains to be
learned about how routine use of the
hormone will affect dairy cow man-
agement. An AAES study found that
bST treatments have carryover effects
that, if not properly managed, can
hamper a cow's ef Ior to recover from
one lactation period and prepare for
the next.
AIabama Agriculural Elvpcriment Station
Higlnights of Aricultural Rcerrh Vol. 42, No. / Spring 1995
Dairy
Producers
jWust
"take
Steps
to Avoid
Carryover
Effects of
bS'T
I
4 
;:
A study at the F.V. Simith Research
Center D~ai rx Research Unit in Shorter fo-
cused on the effects of bSTV on cowxs' dry
periods, a time wxhen the animals stop pro-
ducing milk and attempt to recoxver body
condition. The project also examined howx
carry over effects of the growxth hormone
affect feed intake and inteiract with othei
enxiroinmental f actoirs during the dry pe-
riod.
Cows treated wxith bSTF haxve the poten-
tial to be ini poor body condition wxhen they
cease l act at iii- d ue to the deimiands of in-
creased milk production. lIn the Southeast
there is considerable heat stress during the
summ iter. xhlen itmost dairy cowxs are dry.
Heat stress can decrease feed intake, tur-
ther hampeing the cowxs' ef foirts to gaina
wxeight duitg the dry period.
Beginning at the 75th day of lactation.
researchers admtin istered lox, .mnedium, or
high doses of bST to H-olsteiii cowxs as
xweekly sustaiiied-release injections. Cowxs
ini the coiitrol gioup were iiot injected with
bST. Infectious xw re gixeii ntif 300 days
of lactation. xi lien the coxxs stopped lactat-
iiig. Duriiig the dry period, all cowxs wxere
fed a diet based oii corn silage aiid grouiid
Coastal be ruid ag ras s hay that met pub-
fished requiriements for diry cowxs. Feed
intake and high and loxw airi temiperatures
xxere measured daily, and xxeights and body
IKeith A. ('unnninsx.
Paricia J1. Tv/er,
and Ro/wr-i C. .Smith/
oiidition were evaluated weekly
gee table).
Body weights did n1ot vary sig-
nificantly among the bST treat-
moents. Initial body coindition scores
it dying-off were lowxer in cows
reated wxith hST. In addition, final
'Iody condition scores -a predic-
'or of body fat reseiryes useftil foi
he next lactation wercie lower in
.ow treated wxith the mediurn and
Nigh levels of bST. Medium- and
high-bSTcows also had lowerbody
ndition scores at calvxing than are
Uirietntly coinside red as optimum to
iaximizc milk productioii.
Little data has beeii reported on
Iry rnattei intake for bST-treated
owl during the dry period. Most
nil nncd studies estimate that dry matter
intake is gencirally 21/( of bodly w.xeight.
Howxex er. this Study found that axverage
daily dry mlatter intake in bST-tireated cows
ranged trom 2.3-2.61/o of body weight, with
some cowxs haviing daily intakes of 3.5 k oi
more.
Coxws treated w.xith bST also had a larger
decrease in dry matter intake with iincreases
n env ironmental temperatures. Research-
ers found that dry matter intake decreased
0.46. 0.28, 0.63. aind 0.72 pound per each
degree of increase in high tem~pe ratutre for
the control. low, medium, and high bST
treatments, respectix ely. The 44 cowxs in
this study wxere dry between May and Sep-
Contiued oni pag~e 6
Alaihi,, n ia 1111 (u/i I Ik/ ci men .Saijon
Hlhigmhts olf I~ ilmoo/ Resa hil Vol. 42. No. lSpingm~ 1~995
A
-NTT Tvr 5 rmmvT ( A -XT -I -N NT A -NTCNV-) TT-
Il1ion1 in Alabtina lit
slcaldilV increasedI I ;
re(cent vealrs, rest
dlollar industrv _tor the sta('.
Suitable substitutes for common coni
ponents ot soil less g'rowingo media arc
needed as costs rise and axvailability i,
reduced. This need could be fulfilled by
Alabama's burgeoning poultry industry.
which is faced wxith env ironmental con-
cerns over disposal of broiler litter (wastes.
feed, feathers, and bedding material).
An AAES study evaluated the suitahil-
ity of composted broiler litter asa container
media using lettuce as an indicator crop to
determine yield and nutrient uptake.
Compo'.ting litter "xith common high-cai-
bon materials, such as pine bark or peanut
hulls, may be an alternativ mcniaaement
practice that could help solvec disposal prob-
ferns. These composts could serve as an
extender for many general-use, all-purpose
potting media in use by the horticultural
industry and home gardeners.
Howevcxer, metal accumulation in edible
plant tissue is 01 COInCern wxhen Limnposied
material is used as a potting medium. Corn
posts made from bioiler littem typically do
not contain appreciable quantities of toxic
heav y metals, such as cadmiunm. But many
researchers hav e observ ed high concent a-
tions of copper. zinc. and iron that may
cauise plant growxth problems. Other elc
ments nitrogen. phosphorous. potassium.
Carryover Effects of bST
Effects of bST Treatment on Body Weight
Body Condition, and Daily Dry Matter
Intake During the Dry Period
bST Weight Condition Intake
treatment Initial Final Initial 
Final
Lb. Lb. Lb.
Control 1,456 1,607 3.4 3.5 30.4
Low 1,428 1,679 3.3 3.6 35.6
Medium 1,408 1,601 2.5 2.9 38.3
High 1,399 1,592 2.4 2.9 38.7
Body condition scores range from I (very thin) to 5
(extremely fat). Final body condition scores at calving
should be approximately 3.5 to 3.8.
.mber. Daily high temperature
ecrac-ed 85.*4 F, and relatix e
timidity averaged 691%, indi-
iting that the coxxs xxere under
cat stress conditions.
Much remains to be
arned abo~ut how bST wxill fit
uto dairy managemient pro-
I ars, especially in the South-
aist. The interaction of' hST
c atments and heat stress is
learly a factoi dairx produccirs
uest consider, since the major-
ity of Alabama's cowxs prepare for their
next lactation periods dciring the hottest
months of the year. Nutrient contemnt of'
diets fed during lactation may haxve to he
ncreased to al low tor more irecov cry of
body condition during late lactation and the
dry period. Commonly used measnires to
al lexiate heat stircss for lactating coxxs, such
as piox iding adequate shade, should be
considered for uise during the dry pciriod.
C~n iS s P?e, esr &s~
echrnicon n'r, i D , ence e rth
Sspenntendent of the E.V. Smth Research Center
llubunia A t,rirnltuun i 11t 1/1h/ii Sulion
High/igr nIi(l, rit u/ni jul Resecn(5/i/it Vo!. 42. No. 1, Sprng~ 1 995
,
pI T !-XT
Robert P. Flynn, C. Wesley Wood,
andu Eli. abeth A. Gc;Irtal
'4
-,
calcium. and maagIeni Ul ate tteeexsdr
toi proper plant nutrition. Lettuce is a
prov en nutrient accumulator, making it a
good i ndic altor criop to determine ime di a
xuitability.-
Comnpoxted materials, included: (I
hriler littei containing xxood xhax ingx as
bedding material compoxted wxith peanut
hullx (peanut hull compoxt I): (2) briler
litter containing peanut hullx ax hedding
material comilpoxted xxi th add itio n at pe anuLt
hulls (peanut hull compoxt 2): (3) broiler
litter ctntaininlg woo(d xhaviingx ax heddiing
imaterial comipoxted wxith xhredded pine hark
(pine hairk comilpoxt I ): and (4) broiler litter
contain inig peanut hutlx ax bedding material
comiposxted xxith xhredded pine hai k ( pine
bark coimpoxt 2)i. Each compoxt wxax siex ed
thlrouguh a 0(.2-inch xcreen and iixed wxith
Proimix, a commercially axvailable potttiing
med iuim. Mi xtui c inetluided 0%K comiposxt
(puire Promllix),. 2517 compoxt. 50% comil-
poxt. 75(4 comiposxt, aind 100t) comlposxt.
Leaf lettuce wax growxn under greenhouse
m/ meiidia conitaiig% (lelt), 25(1,,
U if, 75%, and I00O/r peanut hull
Ucfompost, respectit c/v.
uttHditionx and ev aluated tor yield
and nutrition. All treatments wxere
I et iliied equally to emphasize the
iwe at composted broilei litter ax a
pttuing medium.
Gencially. lettuce yields were greater
far mixtures of compost and
Promix than tar Promix alonc 0.50
(FigTure I ). Fresh weights ua045
wxere reduced wxith pure cam-
posts, probably because 
of e 0.40
lowxer wxater-holding 
capacity *
and a tendency tar the plants tao 0.35
wxitt sooner. Lettuce tresh .z
weight was greatest when the . 0.30
media contained 75% peanut3
hull compostproducing 
nearly .2
0.2
ure 2). There wxax no ditterence
betw eelnI fesh 
wxeights tram the 
0.1 5
two peanut hull compoxtx.
Fresh wxeight tram 
pine bark 
0.10
compost wxax less than that
tram peanuit hull compost. Let-
tuce fresh wxeight yijeld 
from k is,*u
pine bark conmpost I wxas the
lowxest ot the toui compoxtx. maximizing at
the 75%4 mixture wxith one-third pound per
plant. Plant growxth wxax most likely xup-
pressed by the lowxer pH at this compost.
IK rccnttimettje pHt tie Itr llia
production is 6-6.8. Pine hark compost I
declined to a pH at five ax percentage of
compost increaxed to 1 00% cotmpost. Cam-
pos~ts made tram pine bark should be tested
far pH and, it necessary, treated wxith lime-
stone or another acid-neutralizing cam-
pound if plants sensitive to acidity aic to be
g rown.
Nutiient analis ofNi lettuce tixxue fram
0 25 50 75 100
Compost mixed with potting media, %
2. Frs icfi teight as affected by linter comlpo)sts.
compoxt mixtures xxax uxed to xcreen
composted materialx tar physxiologically\
damaging etfects rexulting traim capper,
Coniuid aot pagec 9
A labamta Agtrticuitit,,at A xperitttct .S tajolt
High.gtlt ofI to/A c tol tiral Research Vol'a. 42, No. 1, Spring 1'I995
lI, .ii I 'i ii I /Il ',r i 0 ' i
zinc, or manganese. Mixing Promix vtii
composts essentially diluted the concen
lion ofthese nutrients. Most micronutrici
were within or slightly above suficien
ranges for lettuce tissue. However, h(
pine baik composts exhibited an accumiu
tion of' manganese, most likely due to
feets of media pH. Copper concentrati
was increased by pine bark compost
reaching a maximum of 40 parts per mil I i
at I00%4 compost. Again, this may be i
lated to pH of the material. Zinc concern i
tion of lettuce tissue was within s,
ranges for alf composted matei.:
Nitrogen, phosphorous. pota',
cium, and magnesium data were collect
to aid in assessment of lettuce health. (;
cium concentration was slightly less th
sufficient, a problem that can be correl
with addition of liie. Tissue concentI
tions of the other four nutrients were wil
or slightly above sufficiency ranges for k
lettuce. However, pine bark compost 1 gel.
erally reduced uptake of these tive nutri-
ents. Differences associated with pine bark
compost I were most likely due to the pH
effect on plant vigor and nutrient availabil-
ity in the medium.
Broiler littercomposted with peanut hulls
or pine bark provides a suitable potting soil
medium when mixed with a commercial
potting medium such as Promix. Greatest
lettuce fresh weight yields were from broiler
liitter composted with peanut hulls mixed
with Piomix at a ratio of three parts com-
post to one part Promix. Nutrient uptake
also was improved with use ot composted
broiler litter, and there was no evidence ot
physiologic problems stemming from nu-
trients in composted materials. Need for pH
adjustment in compost mixtures with pine
bark was evidenced by lower yields and
classical pH effects on nutrient concentra-
tions in lettuce tissue.
Flyin is a Grdote Reseorch Assistant, Wood is an
Alumni Associote Professor, and Guertol is on Asis-
tonI Processo in Agronomy (nd Soils.
"ould Lead to
-ot of gold for
Farmers
olored bell/pelppers cymn cost tIp to five times acis much CIs tralitiolnal
green bell peppers. However, despite the fact that this valuable crop cant
be g'rown in Alabama, mflost colored belpeppers current/v available in the
state 's grocer' .stores are imported. An AAES stud' could pave the ttaY tor
greater production oftthis colorfl and healtfd commodity in Alabama.
The objectives ot this preliminary study were to evaluate and compaie the yield
potential of colored peppers across Alabama and to assess concentrations of vitamin C and
and precursors ot vitamin A in selected colors. Based on the first-season results, the yield
potential of bell peppers of all types was good at all the selected locations. Some varieties
were found to have up to 200'/r ot the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamin
A labamao Agriculturoal F \p( 001(1 Station
Highlights' o/ A i icultuaci Rsetarc/h Vol. 42, No. 1, Spring 1995
Eric H-.5 Siniorne, .A morat H. Sinine, NVanc R . Green, Ronald R. / ieinmiller
Jo/in 7' Easxon, Jo/in T. Owen, mnd im A. Plt.
Rese(I1 I/lre (Iltu/IWe th i/lC of/ h Jie/I/)'
C and up to I I (~ of the RDA for piox tamin
A (pro tamin A is a substance that the
hodv coii\ Crts to x itamin A alter incestion )
Growing colored hell peppers is similar
to grong tie ien pc ppcrs, only req ui ri ng a
longer rowxinig sea soi. Typically, hell pep-
pesare picked at an unripe green stage and
become red as they ripen. Howev er, newx
peppers may be w hite, pmrplc. brown, yi el-
lowx. oirangec oi black. All these peppers arc
swxeet and moati he eaten r axx or cooked.
Green peppci s uisially cost betxx en 69-99
cents per Pyou d. xxhi IC colored peppers cost
S I .99 to ';4.)9 per pouiid, depending on th'
scasoin.
In spring 1994, bell peppers were trans-
planted oin single roxs at a one-toot spacing'
at the (Chilton Area [Horticulture Substation
(CARS) in ('lantoni. Piedmont Substation
PS) in (amlp H ill, anid Sand Miountain
Substation (SMS) in C~ro.ssville. Seed suip
pl ieri w cre Stokes, Petoseed. Ball Seed.
Roger s N K, and Abbott and Cobb. Rot,
wer c cpaced Iou r fecet apart, creating a st anid(
ot appioximately 7.,3001 plants per acre.
Black plastic mutlch aiid dip ir rigation wxetc
used at CAllIS. wh ile the plants we rc groxx n
(on bare -iond at PS and SNIS. Fertili,'e
tion and pest~ control folloxxedc current rc
ommnendatiotis. Fruits were harx ested at
lie In Ix-co I red stage and graded accortd
in g to( thle .Swccl Php/r Grader's (;iu
(Circular ANR-783 of the Alabama Coop
erative Extension Seirxice). Vitamin C and
pro itantin A werci deteriined on pepper,
crown i at CAHS and included all the xvarict-
ics at the unripe (gcreen ) and colored stace.
Total x telds xw ci hi(gher on black plastic
than on barec 11ound and we rc xi cn itcant lx
tntfluenced by pepper color (Table I . On
black plastic. highest yitelds oit fancy girade
corresponded to the red and broxxni peppers.
anld to the black and red peppetrs on baire
ground. On both cropping xN stenms. puriplc.
white, and black xvarieties tended toi pro-
duce the higchest xyields of US #2 peppers.
the smallest carade.
[or all colors, the x ttami n C content
eceededl 10x( (it the RD.A (Table 2) The
RDA foir xvitamini C is 6i0 milligrams (m le).
Nutritional analx ses xwere based on a I100-
gi an portion of pcpper. Highest x itamin C
concentrations corresponded to the orance,
broxwni, red, and xclloxxpeppersx. l ory.
puriplc, and black peppers tended to be the
loxxest. Hoxx cxer, difIfetrences anion c u t-
xvars we rc signiticant at the coreen stace and
at the colored stage.
Proxvitaini A concenltrat ions ranged
betxxen 2-1 I c ot the RDA and wee sitc
iicantlx affected bx color (1Table 2). Ptroi
itamin A concentrations ate measured in
"Rcttnol Equix alents" (RI.) file I) f ot
Table I. Effect of Fruit Color on Yield and Grade Distribution of Bell Peppers'
Color Total
Lb/la.
Red
Brown
Orange
Yellow
Black
White
Purple
Black
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Orange
20,497
20,208
18,610
18,566
15,134
14,987
14,361
18,437
14,793
12,835
12,526
11,186
8,614
Total marketable
Lb./a.
BI
17,812
19,248
13,489
15,853
13,523
13,302
12,929
I .,209
7,549
10,445
8,624
9,345
7,202
Fancy
Lb./a.
ack-plastic mulch
2,373
3,522
640
934
635
651
677
Bare Ground
3,096
I1,822
3,550
1,638
2,346
2,093
US #I
Lb./a.
12,371
13,095
10,692
11,801
10,236
9,265
7,869
4,613
4,982
5,207
5,288
5,143
3,725
US #2
Lb/la.
3,068
2,631I
2,156
3,118
2,652
3,385
4,383
8,840
5,289
2,415
3,926
2,887
1,203
Cull
Lb/la.
2,685
960
5,121
2,713
1,611
1,685
1,432
1,887
2,627
2,341
1,700
1,949
2,778
Plots were harvested six times between June 23 and Aug. I I at CAHS; seven times between
July 20 and Oct. 24 at SMS; and nine times between Aug. 17 and Sept. 27 at PS. Black-plastic
mulch was used at CAHS; bare ground plantings were made at PS and SMS. Total weight is
the sum of all the grades including culls. Marketable weight is the sum of the Fancy, US #I,
and US #2 grades. Fancy fruits are well shaped and at least 3.5 inches long and three inches
in diameter; US #1 fruits are fairly well shaped and at least 2.5 inches long and 2.5 inches in
diameter; US #2 fruits do not meet the requirements for US #1 but are not seriously
misshapen; other fruits are culls.
A//thut I/on i//ltor iii / eimn /sta((C ti on
Improved Diagnostic Toot Developed fo,
VrltelosvioXitis, a1 c0/Ilommo (and highily conftag~io~tus S
ease, costs /7011try a11( es, g pro~ducers millions of dollars eaclh
Year worldwide. VT whlich causes lameness, 
poor health,
.slow growth, andl higher dleatlh rates, is diffl cult to diagnose
and control. AAES research lhas resulted in a new technique to
provtide quick anid accurate dia gnosis of/the dlisease. 
-,
Vir al tenosynov itis (VT) af fects ten-
don-related membranes abov e and below
the hock joint of chickens. A sensitiv e
diagnostic test for the virus is needed he-
cause the clinical symptoms of VTU are
easily confused with those of other leg,
deforming diseases. The new AAES tech-
nique is not only more sensitive than tradi-
tional methods, it prov ides a diagnosis
wxithin 24 hours, compared to three or more
days wxith other diagnostic tooks. Earl ier
detection of the disease allowxs producers to
hegin treatment of affected flocks and v ac-
cination of unaffected flocks much sooner.
possibly preventing many chickens from
becoming infected.
Table 2. Effect of Fruit Color on Vitamin C and Provitamin A
Concentrations of Bell Peppers
Nutrient
Vitamin C
Provitamin A
Range
Pct. RDA/I OOg
0-100
100- 150
1 50-200
Pct. RDA/ I OOg
0-5
5-10
10-15
mmOitu i \A m> 1000 RI. \\ liite. movie.
and yellow peppers were lower thani green
peppers in prov itamin A concentrations.
Vitamin C and prov itamin A concentra-
tions also were different for cultiv5ars of the
same color . For green peppers, Orobelle
Fruit color
(mg vitamin C per I OOg)
Black (62), Purple (81), White (90)
Green (98), Yellow (99). Red (100),
Brown (100), Orange (108)
(Retinol Equivalents of pro vitamin A per I OOg)
White (15), Purple (19). Yellow (33).
Green (36), Black (41)
Orange (73), Red (97)
Brown (108)
ofvsitamin Cand 48RE of pros itamin A. At
the colored stage, Cardinal. a red variety.
had the highest v itamin C concentration
(124 m,). Black Bird. a black variets. had
the least itamin C (62 mg). Pros itamin A
oncentrations ranged between 26-127 RE
1 rValencia, a yellowx variety; and King
rthur, a red one. For most cultiv\ars, v ia
min content increased during ripening.
The antioxidant properties of vitam in C
and pros itamin A are important to human
health because they may aid in reducing the
risk of coronary heart diseases and certain
types of cancer . The success of commercital
product ion of colored bell peppers in Ala-
bama wxill depend not only on high yields oif
qu Lal ity peppers, but also on marketing po-
tential and consumer preference.
sSironne isoa Post-nctral Fellow in Hortoclture.
ormat Simonne is a Post-doctornl Fellow andi Green
s Professor oned Department Headcin Nutniion and
Food Science. Eitenmiller is o Professor of Food
Sence and Technology ot the University of Georgoa
Eaon, Owen, ond Pitts ore superintendents of the
jd Mountaon Substatin Piedtmont Subsltton, nd
Chiro Area Ho]rtlture Substtior respectir y.
Alabama Agi u'o ltural F tpei mn Stration
Hiyhumh1om o/ Agi 'rumltuirl Rceor Vol1). 42, No. 1, spriong' 1995
Major Poultry Disease
Joseph J.. Giamibrone, Lanqying Li,
and Frederic .J. Hoerr
AAES experiments led to ths
tion ol monoclonal antibodies
genetically engineered molecules designed
to seek out and mairk specific viruses or
other microscopic agents. to detect the pres-
ence ol VT virus in chickens. MABs are
very specific reagents that bind only to the
VT sirus. They were used to modiy a
commercially available immunoperoxidase
test kit, allowing researchers to identify
damaged tissue and quickly con firm
whether the damage was caused by the VT
x irus.
T[issues from chickens stspectedl of car-
rying the irIus are preserv ed with formal-
dehyde and imbedded in paraffin. The wax-
encased samples are sliced into one-cell-
thick sections and mounted on microscope
slides, which are treated with a solution
containing the MA~s. The antibodies then
seek out and bind to viral proteins in the
~ 
S"
swelling above and be-
low the hockjoint(Fig-
Lre I ). and hemorrhage
and edema arotnd the
tendons characteristic
of the disease. There
was a direct association
between microscopic
lesions and positively
stained cells marked in
the experimental diag-
nostic test. Tissues
from birds infected
with this pathogenic
VT virts had dark
stained cells indicatin,
areas of virus replica-
tion (Figure 2).
In contrast. birds not
igu'are . Four-cu elkold broiler cits ken
left) slhow'ing ruptured tendons charas"-
Cr'rStc of irl tetto v1 novitist. Uninfected
mlons ore on the right.
r ~ cells. This chemical reaction stains in
iected cells with a yellow-brown color.
\uburn's technique will allow for a more
Icfiniti\e diagnosis by confirming the
presence of the virus, in addition to de
iecting VT lesions.
To determine accuracy of the test, re-
ecarchers injected day-old chickens with
i highly pathogenic, disease-causing VT
irus and collected tissue samples peri-
odically up to 18 days. Chickens receiv-
e produc- ing the virulent virus had severe lameness.
(MABs), These birds also exhibited gross lesions,
Figutre 2. Microscopie section of' the teclon of a chicken
affectedl b ira! tens voo. sIti.s. Sectioni shows, .po.sitireli,.stained
(dark cells) which depict areas of irt rep)lic ation. They ore in
close p)roitity w it/h microscopic lesions (inflaoonatorv cel/s
anicd edematous flu id).
,a ''
ft
t II il b
Alsa/bamas Ar icu/ltural E11 /1i,,imtO/I S taioan
Hisghligis o/ A
4
ict hluro ResearcI Vol. 42, No. /, Spring /99
injected with VT virus had no clinical
disease or gross lesions. Tissues from
these birds showed minimal numbers of
lightly stained cells. which are charac-
teristic of nonspecific background (nega-
tive) reactions.
Results indicate this new diagnostic
technique can detect VT irius. This test
will be evaluated for use by Alabama State
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Au-
burn to aid in improved diagnosis ol VT.
Also, this test will need to be evaluated
against other commonly used assays in
fiell cases from commercial flocks, where
typically more than one infectious agent
may be present in diseased birds. before it
can be routinely used.
Giambrone is a Professor and Langing is a Graduate
Research Assistant in Poulry Science. Hoerr is Direc
tor of the Alabama Vetetnoy Diagnostic Laboatory
in Auburn
Profiles
Orn amtent 
t 
e~7'rt t'
9ndustv ,r
agrhiultu~ral industlr inl Alabama. Thle s'tate' \
375 nurs~er, operaltions provide crops /or
wh'lolesalers, landi(IS( Y/c(ouitraleti4 (1/1d de-
sigi Alts,~ W.ardeni ceiter.S and1( other retail
outlets. and1( businesscs that in/all 1/ man nail
an1/11-userY crop/s accoun/tedl for $131 nil-.
lion in farmi-leviel sales' in 1992.
An A \I3S i xey (It nulrxery opei ationx
xxiax coinduicted to proxvide current inlornia
tionl on the olperationi promotion, market
area, labor f orce, seasonal ity of sales, proh-
cemx enicountered. and tx pe ot plantx pro-
duced in Alabainax ornaniental plant in-
dustry. Researcherx contacted the 130) nurx-
ery oper ationx that haxve f ive or more acres:
31 f irms retni ned ilnextionnairex. Fitt\ -three
pci cent of these firmni xw re in buxinexx
before 1980)
Alaha nia nu rseries growx and sellI a vari
cty ot' planits. h oxexer. individual lirnix
tend to specialie in a limited number of
planit t pes, tli coiicentratiiig their man-
aoement and labor expertise and allowxing
them to achiex e niore cfft ient p olduicti(In.
Sex enty-onie percenit of the fir ms produced
broad-leaxved ex erereen Sliiubx. xxhich com-
prised an ax erage of 4f5 ( of sales f or these
nurxeriex. Siilarlx . 68(/ of the finrms pro-
duced decidiioux shade and floxxci ig trees,
xxhichi accounted for an axverage of 261-/ of
xales: 65 producedldeciduoux xhrubx. I 9( r
(If sales: 5l2c produced nau Iox le ccl c
ercireen xhruhS. 1-f(% of s~ales: 451 pro-
duced ex erereeii trees. 9" / of' salexs and
36" % produced x ines and ground cox ers,
1 1 of sales. A few firmiii concetriated a
higTh proiport ioii of salIes in f ru it trice and
piropagating mater ial ( lincirs cuttinex,. etcJ
pr oduict ion.
Almost halt of the firmsi handled items,
produced by other growxxerx. A siiilar per-
centace of the gi oxx ci contiracted I -W4 of
sales betfore production: contracted Sales
ax eraced 22c4
1- chty-onie peircent of the firm iixsold
plaiits ini containers, xxithi I I of the Ifirmx
xellin1 coiitaineriied imaterial exclu-
xix clx. Ciontai neirized cropx comprixed
1-100)4 of xades foi thexe fir ms. xxith an
ax erace of 7W4 . About h1al1 the Ifirms
uxed the balling-and-burlappi ig method
ofI contain ing p1lant rootsx aid mcdi a for
about halt their xalex. Txxenity-nine perenlt
uxed the baic root alternatix e. ax eraging,
'3"7 ofl xalex. Field s roix hags anid pot-
lli,'h/igho o/ Agicuh/10 A'co'oorh Vol. 42, N~o., I Sprin,,,, 995
i'
A't
-*, ~ * ~ . .- '. ~ J JI
4. 
t
AA C 44,in-p t S stem vy rc i irClucnly sed
A mong tihe sun Nced num scmicS. the two
primiary factotrs cited as linmiting expansion
werc lamnd a'vai labilIity and capital constraints
35( iranked these as first and second in
itmportaite) . The next mutst noted expan-
sion-limniting factors werce market demand
( 16'% )and cnN ironnmental regulations (9(/ )
N ui SCmN sales N aiied by month NNith the
ighe st perccntage of sales iteurnig
MIarch through May and a simaIlicr sales
peak in the fall. T[his seasonal nature of
sales wsas cited ats putting stress on the cash
f low and other operationis of the busi-
ness. Seasonality also influenced labom
needs wxith firmis av eraging 26 N car-round
implox ecs and six seasoinal wsorkers.
Cost of production NNas the inost iminpor-
tan t factori con sidcired by producers wiheni
establishing a Selling Pirice. Quality of the
plant material. ima rket dieminand fo r the prod-
uct, and competition in the market (the
price at wich the other gr-owiers wsere sell-
ing the same pi oduct ) SNr oi ither consider-
at ion s affect ing hiONse the nuIirse ry inan agers
established prices.
Catalogs we rc the most popular adNer-
tising media used by the nurser ics. claimin
inc 51 % of the money spenmt on promiot ioins.
"Trade showis we rc the second inost populam
adNvertising method. accounting fotr 37(7 (of
pi omotional expendIitures. Fif ty-firNe per-
and Kcnnmoh M. Ti/i
centi of the irmts attended at least onec trade
showk each year. ANverage attendaunce among
these fir ms vr as f our trade shoss sper \ eto
wxhilIc some attended as many as 13 shows .
Many ornamental plants produced in the
'Itate are shipped out ofI state. G e pro aI is the
pimary destination. but Tennessee also is a
mtajor buyer of Alabanma's nursery Pio-it
uicts. Nine percent of the nurSei ics shipped
some of their products out of the county.
Wthen asked about limitations on expand-
nwn the gLc igraphic scope of their busi-
ticS~es. nurser NowXners cited insufticient
)Eisonnel as the number-one constraint.
I oflIoNSed by ti anisportation, capital, and pro-
Imction issues.
\cai IN halt reported somec ty pe of corn
)Lutet 1ation in their operations. M'ost lie-
yuntly identitfied conmputci applications
-mcr accounting software. wshich 45( of
li ims reporited using=: wsord processin.
and inN entov N nanacment. 359r
I nterestinely. use of computers for accoint-
in-, and wsord processing has not increased
si gnificantl INONci the past Iie ecars. but
couiputeriicdI inN Cntorx management in-
creased substantially.
Information cained in the study con-
firmed the importance and ntature of,
Alabama's nurser s industirN. Nur sery bust-
nesses in Alabama we rc found to be adjust-
ing to pr oduet ion and market ing forces. As
inairkets mat uri andi become 111ti-C c o ni-
Nie. effticiecy and marketi ng expertise
NNill inftluence the nature and success of the
ndustry.
ano Professor and Parrish as Grauate
Reearch Assistant in Agricultarol Econoics and
Rural Socology. Til i on Asscate Professr in
-O :I i P
iliibiiti tI ir 1111 oln / Iv r/imu-hi .~iopi
Ili,z h'lit~I,, of t ' a iuial Reio-io /tVol. 42, No./ I -Sping l ltl)
-..a.
Potassium No Cure for
Golf Course 
Freezes
Grad\ L. Muilr cilt/ Roo, Dickcens
ktrcn//cold1( diiith wi/tier of! 993- 1994 caused severe
injllrY to ooarin-se0asou tillro sse tiroiiuhout North A libumno m11d
ileighIIi tg Vtate x. Bcnn-mo ru-tss oil g~olf (Y)!frses suftjcrcd exiis ilL
(Id/C mm u~ aid u t IN' re-CA tOIli% h('d oni n/i/iin iav s and tees.
Claims that appltcation ot high rates of
potassiutm (K) can [tniqfuely enhance
uirf crass xxinter hard iness are common in
the tuit I rass itidust', H-oxxevxer. an AAES
stud', indicates that high K applicationt rates
hax e no ettect on treezing resistance. Cold
toleratnce wxas itnstead intluenteed bx culti-
x at choice.
A three-',ear studx at Aubur'n's fuirte-rass
Research Uinit began in 1991 to determine
the effects of K applicationt ont
bet mudacrass. While K had no ef feet otn
reeze resi stance. loxx to mtodetrate rates of,
the itutrient did help the tntITcrass trecox er
ftout dtrought stress more quickly thatn platnts
not recei xvig K. Other ftindingts indicated
Illis golf ( oil) in 01111114111
4holr possbl Si/C 0(41 oj nin-
, kill.
I hat the till I rass cultix ar
l'itw wXd xas more cold hardy,
than litfdwxarf on most sam-
, i . I ites .
K rates were applied
nonthl N to TifIdwxart
uad i lxay bermutdagrass es-
abi shed on a Coastal Plain
"oil (loamy, sand) and on a
"and-peat medium. These
cultix ats wxere selected since
they treptresent a range in tol-
erance to, wxinter injury. Also,
they are popular sports turfs
in the -trantsitton zone," a2(X-
mile-wide belt from the At-
_________ Jlantic Coast to Oklahoma
wxhere the summners are otten
too severe tfor cool-season grasses and the
wxinters can be hatrmful to xxarmn-seasotn
species. Titdxxart xxas maintained at three-
sixteenths of an inch and lit x ay at one-halt
inch. Potassiu urtates used ranged trom 0-
4 pounds per 1 .000) squatre tfeet per groxxinig
month on the loamy sand and txxice those
tates on the sand-peat soil. T he wxide range
in rates xxas used to determine it there are
special benetfits to uitng higher rates on the
sand-peat soil.
Plant samp~les wxere collected itn the tfield
and exposed to sub-tice/tug temperatures
in an eth', Iene glx col bath. The amount ot
cold damage to the plant cells was esti-
mated by placing the exposed stems in
deionized wxater and mieasuring the electri-
cal conductivxit', ot the leachate.
Itn addition to not sienit cantl', aftetiric
treeze toleratnce. heav y application of 1K
fertilIizers coutld actual ly reduce the plant's
Alabama Ag i anal k-Ap onlewu Station
ighights'lu o/ Agrniultural Reseair/h Vol! 42, No. 1, Spring 1995
abi lity to surs ise cold w5eather. High K
rates had a tendency to reduce the plant's
concentration of stored carbohydrates.
Wshich are important eneircx souirces for
plants during the wsintei months and spring
transition. On the positiv e side,
bermurdagrass that received one or two
pounds of K per I1,000 square feet was able
to irecosver from drought stress much more
quickly. The ability to recov er from drought
stress could be important from a freezing
tolerance aspect since cell desiccation is a
primary cause of winter kill.
prev ious studies indicated that K defi-
ciency can reduce stiess tolerance, but re-
suilts of this study indicate there may be no
significant benefit f rum using rates beyond
those tliat pimv ide suf ficicilt K fertilization.
In this study, no increase in freez-
ing resistance was observed by
increasing K concentration in
leaf ti ssues of Tifdwarf and
Tifwxay greatei than I1.2% and
I'/(. respectis ely . To prov ide the
most fieeze tolerant plant, K r ates
should be adequate but not ex-
cessive throughout the year. The
rates needed to maintain a sulffi-
cient K concentration in a
tuirfgras s plant w~ill v ary accord-
ing'to ensironmental conditions.
soil type, clipping remov al, and
availability of other nutrients.
Mila ,am G reReeirch
Asiun idDkessa Professor in
Agrnm an Sois
O OTifdwarf
KQTif way
I II I I I I I I
I I I I I I
Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan.
1992-1993
Feb. Mar. Oct.
I I I I I I
Nov. Dec. Jan.
1992-1993
Feb. Mar.
Lei/iciI toii) 10e rtO iCA /Or i irIi / and11( Ti! no hertrio, h i 'e c pi di u dl u riii
ani electrolyt lekage,~' echuiune expre 'sed as mieans ol/)otn sAiion (K) rates5.
A/abama Agricultur/aln I ipejini .Station
ihlght of Agri utural, Re/ -ch Vol. 42. No. 1, Spring ,1 995
NEW TEST
COULD RESULT
IN SAFER
POULTRY
PRODUCTS
Doanal E. Colmeic tnd
K~athierine C. Tiatblvni
AN food mil/Ct\' reigillItioii
propo)sedI I-eb. /3 b" t/he USIDA I 00(1
SaJf'tv nd Iiuspcctian Serv'icc (FS15)
call.for a numblh/)r of iiiuitdatcx for
mea('t a111( /)ouitr pro0(cessor15 one of
whir/i i s that oil! ((ilksc~ rocA/i(essed
inast be ivet'iat least onec antimni-
crobial treatmnttt. An AA ES resvean Ii
progranit hasv developed a newt te's!
that can be used to idcntifv" ci f/" tit'e
treatments to inled the i,,du strv' and
USDA goalof /r('(I/ig pathiogems
on incat and /)oilti-Y /rodii( Is.
ES IS of f icialIs piroposed the Patoge ' n
Rediact iiIion 1( -acAnmli iCritica/ (on-
trot Point .Svsteoi. wshich has been dubbed
the *Mega Reg.. he anti microbial treat-
ments it calls for could include chloirinc,
trisodium phosphate, hot wxater, oi origanic
acids. An AA' S research effort has con-
fron ted the bac terialI contami inat ion prob-
lem by ins esuigati ng the attachment of.Sn!-
iniuiiilla to poutiryt skin. These studies led
15
iJ -8
v 9
a
0-5
-6
I I I I I
/ k 
t'r 1
r r
to the dcevelopment of a noxel method for
providing relativ ely quick and accurate
evaluations of acidbased and other treat-
ments that show potential for use in poultry
pr ocessing.
Bacterial contamination ol poultry dur-
ing processing is unaxoidable. Chickens
naturally cairy a wide xariety of bacteria
int( the processing plant. Some of these
bacteria are transferred to the surface ot the
chicken during piocessin. Most of the
bacteria do not cause disease but do de
crease the shelf-life of poultry. However,
bacteial pathogens sich as 
Soamooclla,
Cutup lohucler Iejuni . and Listeria
nuoi)1oc 10tog'enex can be transmitted to hu-
mans who eat iinproperly handled poultry.
Certain processing steps caicass wxash-
ing and immersion chilling - effectixely
reduce but do not completely eliminate
bacterial contamination of poultry skin.
Data collected in AAES studies indicated
that 47 /r- of broilers obtained from retail
sources were coitaminated with C. jeloni,
ani a survey of freshly processed broilers
showed that 17rc were con tarnminated with
Saoronello, albeit at low numbers.
Many noxel antimicrobial treatments Ior
broiler carcasses haxe been tested and re-
ported in the past, but few. ifany. hase been
adopted by the industiy. Positixe results in
the laboratory have seldom been translated
into lavorable results in the processing plant.
Vhis discirepancx is likely due to a lack of
standard ized testini-g methods, as well as to
the natural pirocess by which bacteria attach
to the poultiy skin.
Most traditional laboratory tests exam-
inc the numbers of bacteria in the water
used for poultry processing chill and scald
baths. However, bacteria imbedded in fol-
licles of the chicken skin are much better
able to survive most disinfectant treatments.
[he "skin attachment model'' (SAM), which
resulted Irom the AAES project. allows for
testing olantimicrobial agents against skin-
attached bacteria.
SAM alloxs re
searchers to target S
specific patho-
lens V.ithout in-
terference from
backtziound mii-
crobes. It also al-
lows br increased
recovery ot sub-
lethally injured
cells, which helps to avoid "'alse-negative"
test results. Favorable SAM results are more
likely to translate into success in subse-
quent processing plant experiments.
SAM has been used to quantify the ef-
fectiveness of generally-recognizcd-as-safe
(GRAS) oiganic acids against Salmionella
that are attached to poultry skin. 
Acetic,
citric, lactic. malic, and tartaric acids have
been evaluated at concentrations of 0.5
6% when applied in simulated chiller, dip.
and scalder conditions. In general, anti-
Saloiolla actixity increased progressively
as concentration increased, and it was great-
est in chiller and scalder condition'..
Data trom these expeiiments c,-
tablished the bactericidal activi\
of the tested acids (see table). At
Salr
0.5( and I(/( some activity xa,
noted. but concentrations of 2% or
more weere 
required 
to kill more 
Acid
than 100 .Salmonella bacteria on
each skin sample. About 25% of the
chickens sold at supermarkets hase
SaInoM01la but usually less than Acetic
100 cells per chicken. Therefore Citric
any treatment that kills more than Lactic
100 cells per piece of skin isconsid Malic
eied highly effectixe. However. at Tartar
'In the
concentrations of 2c or more. con
at 0
0
t
and skin discoloration become oh scalde
stacles to the commercial applica repres
hilitN ot organic acids as sanitizei, follow
numb(
for ready-to-cook 
poultry. 
There- and 
rir
fore, means of enhancinu 
the effec of the
1 I "-r
tixeiles' oll loss le\ cl, of or 'anic acids need
to be found to circumvent cost and quality
problems.
The organic acids also were tested against
Salonoella bacteria freely suspended in
water. In contrast to SAM results, most acid
treatments iapidly killed more than a mil-
lion free-lfoating S017o0 llo' bacteria. This
difference clearly demonstates that Stl-
imonella attached to or embedded in broiler
skin are resistant to or protected from the
lethal effects of organic acids. Therefore.
any means of improving the effectiveness
of organic acids should attack this protec-
i\e ellect. It is likels that the high lipid
Percent Reduction in the Number of Live
nonella Bacteria After GRAS Organic Acids
Applied in Three Simulations
ic
Chiller
Loose Firm
37 60
75 88
92 84
98 98
60 84
Application
Dip
Loose Firm
0 0
o 0
37 50
0 0
0 0
Scalder
Loose Firn
95 98
92 97
98 99
92 96
80 98
chiller treatment, samples were submersed in wate
for 60 minutes; dip, 23
0
C for 15 seconds; an
r, 50
0
C for two minutes. The "Loose" column
;ents the numbers of cells recovered from rinse wate
ing acid treatments. The "Firm" columns represent
ers of cells recovered from skin after acid treatmer
nse. This table shows the average bactericidal activit
acids across all concentrations.
Higlights a1t t I ic tltall / Vol.2 No. /S'in 95
acids across 
all concentrations.
L~
r
A ew AAES test%
coldai in /tf!Oll)-tt
Contit and topogra-
phy of chicken skin
n ar the prnaruyr
pr-tctti\e 
factors. 
"hus,
the use ot " transder-
oral" aeents may in-
c caa~c the numinei of hacteria killed
by enhaiici ne del iveri' of the acids
to attached oi embedded pathogens.
Much of the information on
transdcrmal delivery, of, antiicro-
hials is found in the phiarimaccutical
area. H ow eC',r many pharmaceuti-
cal t ansdcrmal agents are emulsi'i-
ers. Ahinch allow, for mixing of lipid
and wAater phases. Fmuii RiI eS are
widely used in food processing, and
many pharmaceutical cmulIsifiers
arc GRAS in food applications.
Curi ient AAES ef forts ari co-
cused on i mprov ing the ef fectiv\e-
ness of lowA orc'anic acid concentira-
tions. 13', deterimining elfficac', and
factoirs that affect hacte ricidalI ac-
tivity, it is likely that treatments can
he I nither adapted for processing
plant and field experiments.
Poulti ' is Alabama's major ag-
ricultur al commodit, w Aith hroilers
contihiutine more than 5I.3~5 hil-
l ion iin cash ireceipts nearly half
the state's total agricultural rev-
enucs. NewA methods of improv ing
micirohiologtical safety and quiality
wAill help piotect public health and
mai ntaini the economic soundfness
of the pouiltry industry.
C~n ir ,;n ssoiae Polessr nd Tenblyri
is a Gruat e Research Assistant in Poultr,'
Science.
Alobooii Ag~iI( uiltuiral FLvpt'rimitl .Stationi
9mproving the
'Value of Cull Cows
Donald R. Muldan ev, W4illianm B. Mikel, W~illiamn R. Jones,
and Wendell H. Mc Elhennev
A laballllas beef cott herd e.xeeds 920,000 head, a
si nific'antttuberof'tthieh are cut/led each vealrl)ecause of
p)oor rep)roductive efJi( 'ieii( or other reasons. Revenuies
fr'oin cul/l cows (ccolt tor ani estimal~ted 2
5
c(r of the income
for most coll-Calf pr'oducers. Thiese "spent" 
cost's are aI
ma10or vo1t1c'e of grounmd heef, WthiCh b)V itself accounts foI'
45%( of'tile bee~f con)sltlled in the U.S. Cul /ow al)vo ais)(re
used to proYdutce pro'essed beecf prtoduc(ts, .v/)e'Ia/tY steaks,
and1( other inexp)ensive retail eats. Despite the sign ificance
of (c11/I cowts, most) produtcers (10 not con1s ide'r enhanu~cing~ the
ta/lite of ti ('ott'-(cll/production bV/)rodutct.
An AAES study demonstrated that treating spent cows wsith the experimental geneti-
cal ly engineered grossth hormone bov ine somatotropi n (hST) can signifticantly enhance
the quanti ty arid quality of meat products from the culls. Whlte hST has been appirov~ed f or
uise in d~a iry produitct ion. the Food andI Druig Admiinistratiton ihIas noit y et approvedf its uise
in beef cattle.
The stud', also indicatedf that feeding spent cowAs
for a brief period after culli ng -as opposed to
sending them directly to market can increase
their value to some extent 'Aithout the use of bSI.
The valuie of a cull coA is based on the yield of
boneless meat and the percentage fat or lean in the
meat. While man', factors should be considered in
making the decision to feed cull cowAs, the pri marN
ones are li sted in Table I.
Studies on enhancing the \ alue of cull cO'A
could be vitallIy important to the competitiv\eness of
Table I. Factors Critical
to the Decision to
Feed Cull Cows
i/availability of cows
i/cows should be thin but healthy
i/the cost/value margin
i/feed for cheap gains
i/facilities and labor
i/can you take the risk
i/market
the cattle i nduistry in Alabama and the Southeast. Not only do t he I'ird ties t'out the AA\ IS
study suggest systematic appiroaches to increasing revenues from low-v',alue cowAs, they
could help meet the current high demand for lean beef.
Sixty crossbred beef cows iceived either lows or high closes oif bST or placebo
S injections each day of the study. Half the cows swsere slaughtered after 21 days of feeding
Ciontinued on page~t IS'
17
I/igliit o/ i go( 4 ia u/ral Reu oarch tVol. 4?. No. 1, Sping 1'99)
Value of Cull Cows, continued
and the other halt alter 42 days. Ultrasound
imaging was used at the beginning., middle.
and end of the trial to ohtain hackfat and
riheve information. Caicasses were dis
sected into boneless retail products, and
muscle weights were recorded (Tahle 2).
Cull cows may vary significantly in ace.
composition, carcass characteristics, and
other lactors. Economy of weight gains
achieved from feeding a culled cow is in-
versely related to the animal's condition at
the start ol leeding. Coss typically un-
dlerggo a cyclic loss in body condition and
weight. During" periods of undernutrition.
cows can be expected to lose 15-20 %r of
their previously noirmal body weight. Thin
cows generally can only he ised to produce
lean triim for groucindc
beel. Compared to
cows in norimi al coin
dition, thin beefeows
will undergo a "comi
pensatory veight
gain" (CG) when led
an optimally nutri-
tiois diet. Along with
CG, these cows will
hase improved effi-
ciency in fccl cons er-
sion, thereby reduc-
ing the cost ot the
cain. Short-term Icd-
Table 2. Effects of Daily Somatotropin Injections on 
Cull Beef Cows
Parameter Slaughter cows Treatment 
Pct. change
2
Zero Low High
Daily gains (lb.) 2.0 
2.7 2.9 45
Feed:Gain (lb.) 17.9 11.5 
10.5 40
Carcass backfat (in.) 0.15 0.55 0.42 
0.32 42
Ribeye area (in.
2
) 10.9 12.5 14.2 14.8 
18
Boneless lean yield (pct.) 52 64.7 68.6 
69.9 8
Eye of the round (lb.) 4.2 5.4 6.7 
7.6 41
These are the measurements for cows that are sent to slaughter 
directly after culling.
2
This column depicts the percent change due to bST applications.
the prolfitbility of feeding cull coss.
To contirol for any CG effects in the
cattle used in the hST tests, researchers fed
the cows a high-quality diet for two weeks
before treatments hegan. However, hST
0e Of the
Brea test
fclctors ///
tke profitabiity
of feediog cll
beef cows
is efticievicy of
feed cooversiovi
akid guoit
ing of thin cull cows increases their salvage
value and presents another marketing alter-
native to prodciceirs. The major piroblems
with feecing culled cows are that the com-
position of the gain may be mostly fat, and
the costs ol gain are extremely high. Other
AAES studies will soon piovide informa
tion about the i mportant factors that control
still improved gain and feed
consersion compared to the
placebo-injected control
group. When corrected for
variation in initial composi-
tion, the bST-treated cows
had redcced fat and increased
ribeye size. Consistent sith
these saluable carcass 
traits.
the yield of boneless lean
and weight of the eye of the
rocnd muscle was increased
significantly by bST treat-
ments (Table 2).
One of the greatest fac-
tors in the profitability of feeding cill beef
cows is gain and efficiency of teed conver-
sion . As shown in Table 2. a high dosage of
bST increased daily weight gain by 0.9
pounds, compared to non-implanted cows.
In a 50-day period of lull feed on a high-
energy diet, this increase would mean an
additional 40 pounds and about SI5-20
extra dollars per head. Also ol great impor
tance is the reduction in the pounds of feed
required for a cow to gain one pound of
weight. Cows in the high-dosage group
required 7.4 fewer pounds of feed per day.
For a 50-day feed period, this would require
400 fewer pounds ot feed per cow, a sav-
ings ot approximately $24. depending on
unit feed costs.
Length of feeding time is critical to
profitability. As time increases, fatness in-
creases, daily gain decreases, and feed con-
version worsens. Cows ted over 50-100
days sill he too fat for ground beet manu-
facture, but could serve as source of se-
lected muscle cuts. As with any cattle teed-
ing 'enture, death losses may be encoun-
tered. Cow feeding needs to be coordinated
with the seasonality ot the cow market, and
a positive buy/sell margin should he in
place. In addition to these factors, these
data suggest that bST may be a valuable
technology for both feeders and processors
of cull cows to improve the quantity, lean-
ness, and economics of fed cows.
Mulvoney and Mikel are Associate Proessors, ones is
c Professor, and McElhenney is a Research Feliow in
Animal and Dory Sciences. This research was portially
supported by a grort from the Alabama Cottlemen's
Associaion.
A labaman; Agoicultuiral! Experiw u Station
Higyhlights of Agricultural Reseun/i V ol. 42. No. 1, Sprin 1y/995
AAES RENEWS VEGETABLE VARIETY
TRIAL PROGRAM
Eric H. 11110111W a11( Jose) Mi! i. KCI)1Ile
t.r'Vtt'rv 11ufst (co1-
/)C1le not1 jli 1111011-
Ul/v. Ncsy. improx ed xarieties. are the life-
line of comupetitix e x cgetable production.
Alter a dowxnwxard trend in the 1 980_, com-
miercial x ezetabhle produet ion in Al aba ma
is, once again incireasing. Presentlx , the state
has approximate l 62.000 total acres. de-
voted to x eetaiblc production.
lIn commtercial x cetable production, the
choice of a v ariety i ritical since a poorly
adapted x ariety can atffeet y ield, qual ity,
ShellI life, and tlitnateix . farm ineoime. In
'.ome cases, varee of the .anme cr op ean
perhut nl wxelf in South Alabama but not in
the North. Cons.equently, \ariety trials are
of interest not only to Alabamla ci owersx.
but als'o to seed comlpaniex. researcheirs.
E~xtensxionl agenlts and special is.ts, and othet
nlenmbers' of the x cetable i ndus.try su. ach a'.
packers. S.hipper'.. and xxholealer,,
Spinig 1994 nmarkcd th1w
Start of a conti ntiiI it'
pltojCCt aitted at C aIlatitle 11tmtly coilmtitn
vecetable x arieties. under tile wxide rance ot
crowxin ic cnitit Oll' found ill Alabama.
AAFS hort iculturi 't1' conducted replicated
trials. wxithl hell pepper. cantaloupe. cucunil
ber. eggplaint. '.outliernpea. stuiler 'qua'.h.
swxeet corn, tomilato, and xxate rmelIoil. Thesxe
tests. xeie conldueted at s.even AAES Sub-
station'. ( ee tfigulre
Pirtductio tsl x tem'. us.ed in these trials.
ran ced friom11 bare 21-iou iid to plaxtic-1mul1ched
bed'. coimbitned wxith drip irrigationl. [ertil-
ity practice'. xxere based on reconimenda-
tions' from the Auburn Unixversity Soil Test-
inc Laboratorx. Pes.t aind xxeed coil
trol folloxs cd1 commer cial prac-
ices rectommnided bx the
Alabama Cotoperat ixe
Extens.ion Serx ice. Pro-
I.I~ dute xxax ciradc d ac-
cording to United
States Departmlenlt of Ag-
riculture s.tandairds.
The folloxxinge re'.ult' are
lighlig-ht'. fronm the s.pring 1994
Alabamahit Ag',ic tutu,1a (II I uint ii an~''
High/i, hus o/ A,iulumal Rummc V / ol. 4) No. 1, .Spouing 1995
ti al.. Colete \ ield aind 'tade intornla-
tioin call be fund in the 1 994 Sprii Comt
me rcial Vegelable Varier i als, axvai lable
fill the AAE S Offlice of Reseairch InfIor-
Illationl.
Came lot, a stand ard g reen ihell pepper.
perfoirmled incons.istetly xwithl it'. lowxest
y ields. at thle Sand Mountalin Subs.tationl
(SMS ). Zerto s.howxed good y ield poteintial.
Cubaille-tx pes (hbananla-'haped) 'uch a'.
Kex I arco. B iscax lne. and Gireenhoirnxxc se
peirs that ate xx ite. yellow, o ailge. ted.
purple. broxx n. or black hax e potential for
A labama cmrowers.. but mlarket ill o0ppor-
Itin it ies, packagin1g, anld cosll'illaccep-
tailce mulllt be considered bef ore producing
these colored bell peppers.. Yield of these
s.pectalty pepper. xwax stronly depemndent
Eggplant x arieties wxere dixeirse ill shape
(traditional, oblong, elongated. or rttund)
and colIor ( dark purple. lig-ht ptirplIe. or
wh ite)t. Class'ic. the s.tandard xatrietx . per-
formed wxelI under i ntenitxe mlanacement
Cowhmio(' Ott page,' 20
19
LAUDERDA, F- 1.1AISN F.ACKS. Sand Mountain Substation, Crossille
(J.T. Eason, Superintendent)
COLBRFF - colored bell pepper, bell pepper, tomato,
FRANKL NMORGA watermelon
FWI C
ETOWaH 
HEOK
BLOUNT (M.H. Hollingsworth, Superintendent)
'MAR l - bell pepper, cucumber, eggplant, summer
sAIS N cA Y GA OUN squash, tomato, watermelon, southernpea,
sugar-enhanced and 
supersweet sweet 
corn
_K1 _HELBY CY :II
~iH~i~ A4DCL4
Bi[!BE (J.A. Pitts, Superintendent)
- colored bell pepper, 
summer squash,
cantaloupe, sugar-enhanced
G RE and supersweet 
sweet corn
Piedmont Substation, Camp Hill
MoNc-GONEM 
(J.T. Owen, Superintendent)
AONE- colored bell pepper
I.IONROL ENR (J.S. Bannon, Director; and
FE,,' COFFEE ;aLE J.B. Witt, Superintendent)
0 covm.k N- bell pepper, eggplant, southernpea
Wiregrass Substation, Headland
GENEVA (H.W. Ivey, Superintendent)
- summer squash, southernpea,
watermelon
)E.L. Carden, Superintendent)
- sugar-enhanced 
sweet corn,
watermelon
LOCATION OF SPRING 1994 AAES VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS
80 produced high yields of good
quality.
Most yellow squash ross n in
Alabama are crooknecks. Seseral
v arieties such as Supersett, Goldie.
and Pas outperformed Dixie
which is considered the industry
standard for crooknecks. Supersett
has the "precocious yellow gene..
which produces a deep yellow
frLit colot that can mask sy mptoms
of watermelon mosaic virus
('reen blotches or stiips on fruit.
Infected Iruits are unmarketable
because of this discoloration.
Howeser, un like other yellos
squash. the peluicle (the part of the
fruit that is attached to the plant) of
Supersett fruits is also yelloss. This
characteristic is not always desir-
able in some markets.
Early planting at the Gull Coast
Substation (GCS) tended to pro-
duee hi ehcr satermelon yields than
the later plantings at NAHS and
at the North Alahaia Horticultoral Substa-
tionI (NAHS). Yields ot Vittoria (elongated
fruiit) and Bambino (small, round fruit)
tended to be the losest. Although small
(averaging 0.1 pound per fruit). Bambino
truits s\ete Ilavor!ful!. Yields ot Bride i(white.
eloniated ) tended to be loss er than those ot
Classic. but there is increasing demand for
white eggplants in specialty markets.
Color (white yelo, or hi-color) and
sweetness are im pourtant characteristics
of sweet corn. Varieties included sugar-
enhanced and superssweet types. which
are sseeter than normal sseet corn. SS
7210. a standard tor the yellos.
supersw eet t pres sswas outperformed by
Springsweet and Challenger at NAHS.
aid by Krispy King. Sseet Belle. and SS
7631 at the Chilton Area Horticultennal
S ubstat ion. White, sugar-enhanced vari
ettes. such as Silverado. outperformed
the traditional Si!ser Queet.
Southernpea svarieties were classiftied
as blackeye. pinkeye. cream, or crowder.
Blackey e and pinkeye ate the main com-
mercial types. Combined results oser
three years indicated that the blackeycs
Betteruto Blackeve. Giant Blackey. and
AU-M-1 84-GC67: pinkeyes Missis-
sippi Pinkeye and Coronet: creams Zipper
Cream and Mississippi Cream: and
cross ders Clemson Purple and Colossus
SMS. Amon- the lare melons. Starbrite
produced the most consistent yields. Yields
of icebox melons wee clower that those of
the allsweet. jubilce. ard mirage-types.
However. the icebox melons Asahi Miyako
and Red Honey were amoni the sseetest at
GCS.
Pertormance of a s ariets can be affected
by factors such as cultural practices. man-
agement style, soil type. season of produc-
tion. and sseather. As a result, each variety
needs to be evaluated oser two to three
seasons at diffletcut locations betore a true
picture of the sruiety's alaptability and
performance can be drawn.
S <' , ocio,(,l Fellow and Kembie is or
Alboamaui 41 AgIri( Fll I F/ F imcwi Station,
Highi/ lihts o/ AgI'ricuiltural~ Reserc F Vo i (l. 42?,V NoI, .Spin 1/ 995 ~
T \ 1 l; i11~,
N11ew Cultivaitors
Cut Herbicide Use in
Conservation 'Vllage
Michael/ G. Parotii/ C. Dale Monks,
IBobbv E. Norris, and Larry~ W. Wells
Qiiltivoii has traditionally beeni usAed to control weeds le-
IWeen row~ts in coil teiitioiial tillagte cottonI. C)llser'Utioil tillag~e helpls
redIuce soil eroslin but is more depenident on herbicide use since
cultiv'atioii has trachtionallv not beeii u sedl in these planting4 systems.
AAES research was conducted
to evaluiate the potential of nexw
high-residue (HR ) cultix ator's
wxhich do not invert soil arid wcet
developed for use in conserx atio H
tillage cropping. Three years, ot
research demonstrated that HR
cultiv ators can he used rn con ser
v atiorn t illage cotton to reduce the
total amoxunt of herhicide reqni red
per acre, while achieving yield,~
and weed control comiparahle to
conv entional tilIlage. H oweveri
several factors. i neludinrg soil type.
miiiistire condition, and the type
oif equipment on the H R culti a-
tor,. were found to affect yield and
weed control.
A John l(eere HR 
cultiv ator B;*onu 
i
was ex al uated for w~eed control
potential in iio-till cotton at the Tennres-
see Valley Suhstationi in Belle Minia, and a
lBrown-Harden HR cultix ator was ex alu-
ated for weed controil potential iii strip-till
cotton at the Wi regrass Subhstation in
H eadland. The soil at Biel le Mi na is a
f-/_
-Hardsenr C/nise/nato r A Iiniii swee'/) withn mtedi rods oeld'o to wa111in ed4 c0'
clay loami while the soil at Headland is a
sandy loami. Cotton was planted inibo desic-
cated rye at Belle Mina and into desiccated
wheat at Headland. A soil-applied herbi-
cide mixture of Cotoran arid Zorial at 1 .5
pounds of active ingredient per acre each
was applied either in a 16-inch hand oxver
the row or broadcast alter planting. Plots
were cultiv ated twxice during the grow'
ng season. Pr owl at one pound of actix e
ingredient per acre was broadcast-applied
C'ontinuald on0 page 22
A labama Agr1i( uual Exoperimecnt Staion
IigohligIi~o u/Ago u/tonal RM'oerlIt Vol. 42_, No. / , Spring~ / 995
N~ew Cultivators Cut Herbicide Use, continued
Table I. John Deere High-Residue Cultivator Evaluation, Belle Mina
p lots.
These conservXation till I. it .01 ii
werec compaied to a Convenctional tillace
trcatmlent that wXas piepaied by chisel ploX
ng. disking twice. planting, application n
the ('otoran/Zorial imixture in a hand. anid
cultiX ation. In addition. iesearchers treatc d
plots wxithi potdiirccted sprays of Blade ii
0.75~ pouiinc per acre and MS MA at tXXo
pounds per acie. Prowl at 0.5 pound pci
ae wXas incoirpitrated beloic plaintini'.
Banding a precincrgcncc-applied betbi-
cide mixture OX er the roXX in no-till or strip-
till cotton and nsing" a H R cultiv.ator be-
tween rows pro.idccl XXeedl control and seed
cottony~icids com patable to con'.entionalII
tilled cotton in most cases (see tablesl.
Banding hetrbicides oX er the rowX sax e,
money for the grower and reduces the totail
amnoutnt ol herbicide applied per acre.
HoXwecxer. Yi eld loss occurred allt
u sine a HR en It ixator cclipped wXith XX i I
flat-running swe eps to control annual
Crass in a clay-based soil containing good
soil moisture. The fibirous troots sy stenms of
grasses regrewX af tet enltiv.ation. resultinii
n poo contirol and cotisequent yield loxs,
'['his yield loss did not occur in expert-
ments conducted on a sandy, soil wXhetn
using a HR etiltiX atorecyuipped wXithmetal
rods welded to the tt ailing edges of the
swXXeeps. These rods helped Xeparate the
soil fromi grass toots, thereb', reducitng
regrowXthi.
I'he .Iohn D~eere I IR Culti'.ator pro'.ided
cotton y.ields equal to broadcast herbicide
treatment in no-till cotton and to con'.en-
tional tillage at Belle Mina in 1989 and
1992 (Table I ). Yield loss occurred in I1990
Treatment Weed control
2
Crabgrass Spotted spurge
Pct. Pct.
Seed cotton yield
1989 1990 1992
Lb. Lb.
No-till!/ herbicide banded 18 46 1,905 0 2,402
No-till / herbicide banded I 68 81 2,485 0 3,738
cultivated
No-till / herbicide broadcast 95 93 2,365 2,025 3,983
Conventional till / herbicide 86 88 2,644 2,284 3,493
banded / cultivated
No-till was accomplished using John Deere Maxemerge planters equipped with ripple
coulters, heavy downpressure springs, and metal furrow closing wheels. Herbicide was
Cotoran + Zorial applied in a 16-inch band over the row or broadcast. Row spacing was
40 inches.
2
Three-year average.
Table 2. Brown-Harden High-Residue Cultivator Evaluation, Headland
Treatment Weed control
2
Crabgrass Sicklepod
Pct. Pct.
Seed cotton yield
1991 1992 1993
Lb. Lb. Lb.
Strip-till / herbicide banded 41 59 1,815 1,1 13 1,839
Strip-till / herbicide banded / 81 88 3,545 2.106 1 ,984
cultivated
Strip-till / herbicide broadcast 80 86 4,030 2,232 2,529
Conventional till / herbicide 79 88 2,904 1,803 2,565
banded / cultivated
Strip-till accomplished using a RoTill machine equipped with IH planting units.
Herbicide was Cotoran + Zorial applied in a 16-inch band over the row or broadcast.
Row spacing was 36 inches.
2
Three-year average.
XX ci ait n, t follXwed the l, culti al i n.
Caciinti atinual grass to retgrowX in the clay
loami soil. Adding two postditrected s~pray s
to this treatment pro'.ided adequate grass
control and N ields eqllal to no-till XXith
bro adc ast herbicide (data not s howXXn).
The BrowXn-Harden HR ciltiX ator
Ch i xc IXtor prov ided wXeed cotnt rol and
cotton y ields eqlual to both strip till XX ith
broadcast herbicide and conX entional till
ii able 2). Metal rods wXelded onto the
trailing, eclgex of the swe eps helped sepa-
rexsult ini in good C tntrto and opt imuimi
cotton y.ieldx.
These rexsultx shoX that HR enultivXators
can be eminpl oyed to redune the amou iit of1
herbicide cuxed in Conixerv.ation tillagzc Cot-
ton if~ soil type and iioisxture conditions are
tax orable.
terso sa Asscatei Piueso andiMosis sin-
mssant Professor in Agronomy and Soils. Norris
:al We/ts ore Assistant Superintendents of the
-, er Valltey Substation and 
Wire grass Substa-
excley
A laibama~ Agi ' 0iitiiol xlutimtew tation
lIgitc o/ AL~ /i ull Resech VI tol. 42. No./, Sprintg /995
Broiler Litter
Shown 
to be 
x'~-
Effective
Cotton
Fertilizer
(Charles C. Mitche/I, Charles H.
BarmteA/er, C. Weslev Wood,
cui/ .l/fr A. 11atteN
ers have traditionall a/ voidedi usings
manures and other orga'~nic, nutrient~s (as a
n1itrotgen (N) .sou rte fior their crop)s. Pos-
sible rC0a~sonA incl/ude inconvenience, imn
predi lab/e nutrient availabilitY, fear o
.spreadinig wveeds, exces.sivye ye ge/a/icc
cotto)ligrowth, co)Xt, and/ijjicu/tv of baa!
ing and( .spreading hulks m laterial/x. Howt-
ever, AA uS e tperimnenrs have demonl-
strated that broi/er litter can be used
effective/v as a source of Nfor cotton.
Unlike other poultry-producing cotton
belt states, Alabarna has extensiv~e cotton
acreage relatively close to its major broiler
production areas. Using this litter on Ten-
nessee Valley cotton may also help allevi-
ate some of ihe environmental concerns of
excessive litter application on soils of the
Sandstone P~lateau region.
A three-year experiment at the Tennes-
see Valley Substation (TVS) in North Ala-
bama and a tour-year experiment at E.V.
Smith Research Center (EVSRC) in Cen-
tral Alabama w~ere conducted to determine
some of the problemis and opportutnities of
using poultry broiler litter on cotton. The
study was partially funded by check-off
funds trom Alabama cotton producers. Spe-
c ific objective s we rc tor ( I) deteriri if
poultry litter can be used as the only source
ol N for cotton; (2) determine if total N in
broiler litter can be used to predict the
optimum application rate; (3) determine if
Fix (mepiquat chloride). achemical growxth
regulator appr oved for use on cottotn, should
be uised to reduce potentially excessiv e
vegetativ e grow~th from high litter applitea-
tionis; and (4) determine the ef feet of broiler
litter on residual nultrients in the soil.
Nitrogen rates of 0,. 60, and 1 20 pounds
N pci acre as aiiiioiiiuii nitrate and broiler
litter rates ot 120, 1 X(0, and 240 pounds total
N per acre were applied each year. D~upli-
cate treatmnents received Pix applications.
All broiler litter treatments were applied
and incorporated just before spring plant-
Continued on page 24
A labaman A.ri rulu;al I r'I n/netit Stration
Higlights1r~ of Agrcultralu A'ceo, Inr Vol. 42, No. /, Spring 1995
(
Broiler Litter Effective Cotton
Fertilizer, continiued
ing. Fertilizer N was applied half preplant
and half at early squaring.
Total N. whether from ammonium ni-
trate or broilcir litter, gave the same cotton
yield response in five of the seven site-
years (a site-year is one test at one site
during one year). Average yields were
similar whether the N source was ammo-
ninn i itrate or broiler litter at both TVS
and EVSRC (see I o'ure). After three or
tour years of annual applications ol
broiler littei. one would expect very rank
cotton on treatments receiving as much
as lLi tons litter per acre per year (24()
pounds total N per acre per year). This did
not occur. Excessive growth was a problem
only in 1992 at TVS, a relatively moist year
with high yields. These conditions pro-
vided the only circimstances in which
Pix was successful in increasing yields.
whether the N source was ammoniim ni-
trate or broiler litter.
Although both fertilizer and broiler lit-
ter increased nitrate concentrations in the
soil alter three years of fertilization and
cropping, soil nitrate-N did not exceed 5.3
pirts pei million to a depth ot 40 inches at
either location. However, high broiler litter
1,300
m1,100
L
v
a
900
-70
700k-
500
. 0U
0- C)O
120 180
N rate, Ib./acre
240 300
A vatgeso cot to lint ieldiar thr c rsc at TVS and tar/onu, \ eai .s L VSC ivcidu an fithat
total N in broiler- litter is al hnst as ejectii'e as annnlilhiafl nit rate N in ini(c(I ins' yi lelds.
rates (tour- tons per acre each year) dramati-
cally increased extractable, plow-layer
phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) com-
pared to the conventionally fertilized treat-
ments. Both sites initially tested high in
these nutrients and did not require addi-
tional P and K fertilization.
Yield results indicate that broiler litter
can be used as an alternative source of
fertilizer N on cotton. All can be applied at
orjust prior to planting based on the total N
in the broiler litter. A ton of broiler litter
generally contains about 60 pounds of N. of
which about 671Xc (40 pounds pi ton) will
be axailable the year it is applied. There-
fore, a cotton crop requ ir ing 120 pounds of
fertilizer N per acre on sandy soils, such as
those at EVSRC. would need three tons of
broiler- litter per acre (180 pounds total N).
This rate appeared to be neai the optimum
rate at both TVS and EVSRC over the
three-year study.
Mitchell is on Associate Professor, Burmester is a Re
search Associate, and Wood is an Alumni Associate
Professor of Agronomy and Soils. Hatrey is a former Post
doctoral Fellow in Agronomy and Soils and is currently or
Assistant Professor at Oklahoma Store University
ALABAMA A(ICUItLIURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
ABIULRN tNIVERSITY i
AUBUtRN L NI\ IRSIT ALBM 10849t-3 'S \654c 403
LowelI T. Frohish. Director
PtOSTMIAS1 IR Adcdress Corrc cion RcqLu tcd
NON-PROFIT ORG.
POSTAGE & FEEPS
PAID
PERMIT NO. 9
AUBURN. ALA.
24 A labamia Agric ltu ral Fvperitnent 
S tation
Highlight;tls o/lAgricnltural Research Vol. 42. No.1, Slring 1995