of agricultural research TI ~ r: t~-~ i~i~49 r u n~rr~r n ib, S v; ; ' -"~~~Q ~ - r gr: ~;r'.B ~~Q4~J&:.~. - i Volume 24, No. 4 Agricultural Experiment Station R. Dennis Rouse, Director Winter 1977 Auburn University Auburn, Alabama Director's Comments T i 1001) and Agri tultutrail Act ot 19 7" passe d h% Con gress and signed bys president Carter on September 29 is the most comprehensiv e tarm11 legi.slation in the histors of this Nation. For the tirsi tjmlc, the Farmy Bill in chided an agnicuit ural research title. It beg.ani is a researc h ttl bit earls- in the deliberation extension wsas added and later teachin g wsas addcdd I wxas gisven the responsihidot s h the other 55 State Agric uilt urat I xperimnent Station Directors of this Nation of being their spokesman and representing them in deliberat ions wi th the Divsion of A gri Lilt tire otf the National Association (ot State 7 L'ntsersiiies and Land Grant Colleges. With Public researc h interests iiutside the Association. swith the research component ot the U'SDA, and wxith the House and Senate Agricutltttral Conmmittees. N It has been a cdemandin g experience. Althoui~tgh I had great sctpposrt troni the other Ditrectors, it requcirecd that I spend abotut halt tinme in Wash ington. Tbhis putZ a heav s bcrcen on the associate and R. Dennis Rouse assistant direLctors and I' i m nost .ip prc tatis c tfir tile fine jib the\ has c clone. 1 le 1977 larin Bill. Title XIV Naticinal Agricultural Research, Ex tension, and I'eac hini. Polic s Act (it 1977-is ciesiLgnecl to atlUrgi t. L o1r cliiitie and c siupplemuenit the plait nin g inititation. and co ndc1t ofit ext sting. a i Ldii li reseat ch inograms, Ti aci ipl isli thlis, tIie he gislat ion clesitates the Department ot rAgric idlcrc as the lead ag~erc s in tod and agrti tilt ural rcseairclh xxthin the Federal Uos rtlmc nt it prosvides, tor c iitr cliiatioit ot reearch . extension, and teaLchinig atusties ot tfood anti agric cuttiral ScttiL Ics thtrocughocit the Nation, fecderal,. state, or priv atc sc( tors to tile extetit iossilii.. it pros ides. a mechanisnm Itr coticilcinicatioti anit joint tlainun g it pros ides tiir res tcs anic rec ommenchation its ciVsers, it protsides a S,\steint tiir contining es altiatioti and rce tess lithti the exec tttis c andi the legislitis e bratic lies iot the Federal Gov ernment. T his title rccognizets (1 the neccessit for inc reasecl funcding ot the agriCLtiltutral scitenLces: (2 thc responsilit s ot the Federal Gos ernntetit iii troidunLg in1creased Scuptort to itieet btoth itteratinal and tacilit ies' needs on a Co ttiln iting Itasis, not onis to in- hotuse rescearch agentctes ot the Federal Ut i c'nit cut btit to Sitate A grit tiltci nil F xperi iten t Stations, SchotoIs if F oresirs\ and of c terirtars\ Medic inc, andc all I-and Grant Colleges anti L nis ersities. iticilding those of 162 andl I891)and'I'ciskcec Institutie: and ()tile ineed toi cras on special cormpetence wsherev er it exists, throutgh tout petit se andc special grants proignini. Thie titlec it)i Lidt'S attiaCtilt Lire andi liciutt1an niutrition ats a part of agriutlturail sciences and prosvides tiir stecial Ciiiph ast s in hi im1artn iiitiin. It pri isides,, Spec al t ii l-iiig tior a gric cii cral cnergs restart h-pilot pirograims aiid dleimonistratioun anid tfor sptecital stutdies it impttrant coincecrns suich as sseather. It pros idles tfir stecital isversi ght . res iess ot all priograni" ttuncded unticer this title, and the rcciremenft, b egintiing in 198, Icir teritinatitin or reenact uteni ot all existing acithoirizatioins after 1982. A great anti tint itt thiotght and etffort has gone itt each of ithte 70 sectitus that mtake ipl Title XIX is hith has lie obljectivse itt imiprovsing the agricutural btasce otf this Natin thtroucgh iinpri seLI research. extension, antl teciclinig iii the augricuiltciial scienices. Noix tlic big "'it." It Cutuigress ap pri priat cs the tfundcs retjLcirc ci ti i hilti II the plans set tforthI in thiis Ic li slat iiin antI it thiose swith responsibility fotr carrs ing cict these plans ibly doi their tilt. '1itle XIX' will miake an imiportant cointriution toi all Amterica. The Itresent insvestmtent in agricciltcUral research and extensioin his bteen cdt tiliteci to prits ide ati a1-nual rite tit retturn tit 36Y,. SMCIl ., Con gressmien anti the taxpayers thes represent recognize this high reiturn tior insvestmuent in agricutcural research anti extension is a sound investmtent. Scirels Contgress wsill coninue toi appropriate fcinds, at a lesvel that still moicre adCjLIcitels suppottrt thc existing legislatiuti fur agriccult cral research. It is hoped that Contgress "xiii fcund the important ness proigraml in Title XIX' Wq we b4ucM... lDr. fuitit1t F Tillpson, hea iol ith Dc ~ partiict itt Firestrs . He took itser the leader- ship role in tltc Depatmnt earls in 1977. tftlloiwing the rettirn tit teaL hutg cit hinter D~epartmentt Head. Prot. W. 13. De\ all. Born iii Fl Renit, Oklahomna, lDr. I iTitrip- silt (i iLi l liii B.S. de'gree tritit Ok I ibitul State Unisversity', an M.S. trim Niorthi Caroin a State Uisersits. and the Ph.1). trotm Oregion State Uni vrsity. His area itt stecialtv tsufrest mianagemenct andt Priior tit comting toi Autbuirit staff at VPI tritmt 1 962 73, leasing as, a liot tc ssir. Siincc 1973. tie his seirsedl as Piiotessioi and [)epartitent Head in the Forestrs D)epart- itient at Milssissippi State U.nis ersitN Dr. Tbhotllpsion is a cicitiher ofi Phi Kappai Phi. Xi Sigmai Pt. anid Sigitia Xi hitnitrits and sos eral proftessiional titrisiry asscociationis, includilng the Amteric an Fitrestrs Assic iaion. lie has sers ec on numierouis comitttees tin titresi rs ecoinomuics, mainagemnent, andic etil ploits it and ha~s authotred oser 30) researc h itid piopculair articles,. prititarils in the airea ott tftrest econotmics. HIGHLIGHTS of Agricultural Research WINTER 1977 VOL. 24, NO, 4 A quarterly report of research published bs the Agriccultural Experiment Station cit Aubcurn Unisversity, Acuburn, Alabama. R. D ENNIS R O ISE................ Director S I ANtEY P W 11 SONs . .... Associate Director CHAS. F. SIMNIONS . .. Assistant Director T. F. C ORLE t...........Assistant Dire ctoir F. L. M cGRAW ......... Editor R. F. STEVEINSON.......... Associate Editor R mt R OBI RSON............ Assistant Editor Editorial Adi isorv' Committee. StI ANT Y P. Wir SON; J. D. HARPEFR. Aiiou iatc Proi dissr of l'ntoniolo~'v. NAlI F1R I). Ktit t Y. Assistant Professor o f Botan V and Micro- bioloA'r. FARt L. WIt(GIN5 Professor of Animal and Dair, .Sciences, AND E. L. M cUR 55 Informatioin contained herein is available toi all withouit regard tit race. colcir, or naticonal oirigin. ON THE COVER. Joe Norton, Department of Horticulture, proudly displays a product of his watermelon variety research. See story on page 3. Some varieties tested, left to right, were Crimson Sweet, Jubilee, and Charleston Gray. YIE11D OF NIARKI"I .B11 F LONS. diseasec resitan,iI' iteriorf pcltt xit sz,iand fac.t o rx si If i. i it 1g ma ,rket at cetlt l)jIit \r area iI nhpni tal)inxnideratiornx in the seletionfl a. \i .tcf fli n x arictxv Spe-l~ ma1 t~rket pr-ccrrcts demliantd thait itttlomtt xx th ctain i txpcs Of rind colorfritr siz, an ,itt hapt' lie groNxi Ar.\thraitnioit ,int tltxarium 6t resxistant \raiitties ,lft essential to rednuce risk from dticasc losses. Hnoi cxer, dueto in nptit iof n from Other iiroNxrx andi ft wi mx . ounix lhi~j x iclittt1 x .lrieics arc Description of Test Il x i t xc tes, tt ColICt h\ thc Auiburnt ' ix t rt n x\ Ai rit tUral Exlpcrtncr Statioin. xx aicrtttcln xx ere planted in hills 4 It. apart in rnx xxplt ii88in ipiiFcrtitlizcrxxaxappitcd at ti it! to oil test rtecimttnrtdat iontsx. fti nittrate pcr acre xx ax appliecd at liocatiornsx vhtIc thert xxa ax cessxivc rainfaill tnrin 14 the Ca rix grmxxinl 14 caxilln Piantiix xx crc made ait t11c prpct diate for ech litcatitt. I-ath Fl anting wxxax harx ttd txx timesc at xct \i inicrxal ,ii xxhci fruit xxcrc Miture. Yield xx ax ft rtecdd bx numnber aintd xxcig 4 t ioi inarkctaht frit tiir ech hiarxvcst. Dixcaxc ftxixiaft c xxla ixCx aitlatti Lixiiti a Plaint ini x' rat ini. fro 0i n to 5 o n n a di xcaixc inde t cale.i Frtiit xxci e).ing4th. tiamitctc, thit kncxx "It rintd. total soliuble solid,,, last(,. antd color xx tere rco rded timr cil.4bt nmclonx io! tath % aftctx troll)t ect h tarxesti Variety Comparison I ht tlmiiparaitixc xtitding aiiitx . qltiaiitx aintd tcharaitristics ot eig1ht laig f ruitctd aintd thtree xntiil fltitc i 9ce bo\x aricticx are 6\e n in the taiblt. Chbarleston (,rax ix prnbhlx thei best all roun nn elnn becaus Ofx nh igh x iciti tX cllcni tinalitix anti rcsistante toi discaxc andt I I EVALUATION of WATERMELONS for ALABAMA J. D. NORTON and H. M. BRYCE, Department of Horticulture C. C. CARLTON and K. C. SHORT, Chilton Area Horticulture Snbstation 2. E. BARRETT and F. B. SELMAN, Gulf Coast Substation M. H. HOLLINGSWORTH, North Alabama Horticulture Substation J. G. STARLING and 0. F. FARRIOR, Wiregrass Snbstation melcons tionxixtintx v exvcn unter itix s trcn tiitillnx JLItibiic ix prlbaitlx the xct mnd leatding x aricix in a. rt a~t althoughit i ixa laric inton . xntallcr fruit xi/c hax bttn olbxervx ci(n xxiii inftedt xil. Crimsxin Sxx ci hasixcettllent fruit qnaliix bnxx cx t' thc near rondt xhapc of thc frtuit cauisixs difficutltx ill xtatcking8 itcnm inl irtitkx anti tcarx )or xhipmet. (,,rrixilnian ix anl extcllt iticillf xx bcf lafigc xi/c ix in detmant. Yet . itsx xxltc xecctlo ur hax limitd thc market act tpabiiix of thc x aricix. Retax~nte to n iratuS mi~cnakex it preferable tio oltdcr ximilar x aiititx. Co lngo ix a goodlt xhippirng ittciin xxiit green rinti andi tdarker grten xtripcx laintix xvixile. A ii)tih 86rindi. goodt intirf qmali t\ x, and an- thratnxc rexixtantce hax kept Cnngo in Alhog ii6 iB lactk Diamnd ai.lso kni lxxn ax Canntn Bill anti F loritda Giant. hatd a higher x icid tihan nther xvaricicx in tests, it ix not rtt itri nc- tftItti ittaL Ofx ii tnrclialilit x.hlxx qnaliix , and xtixtCCPtilix to tdixeaxe. 1\\ xxi cxx x ,icticx. \llxxcei anti Stni kx itt. arc it recomen ded.itlt Alibntigh Siiiikx ct pritOI liCt' hxigh xi itixI f textcellent qnalii x frnit, tt friuit arc inisxh apcn aind ti ti n hadi .inl Llxx cr x iidx aintd itixxitapen fruit ailxo ittakc Allxx ci tinxiiahlc ax a t loitnmectiai x arict x The three itcebnx mttltins haxvt linmittet at t cptii li x as t nu itrt ia vixarietiesx Grai x bci It anl e xicillent qit iit itit1ilit ix a pill i ,ippter. .\lt l]Inti86 Stigar Baltx ix an extcellent xstipper. it ix liL~hlx xtixttihc in tdisease. Petite Sxx ci A\lthou~tght none of t he 11 x anitiicx ix ftxixt ant tot ixx n uah~ dftixcaxsxet xx ,itfitcllfn guniix xien lii1it and arithracnxtxc. ratce 2, a lt-ccding8 pfi)8rit at tbc Agritctltuiral F\- ptriitit Stt ion)i ix t i tit i in proges toicx i ticx(I o~l t lltn i At tx ptx xxit rtxixtaittce to bth dttiseases. Y i i. AIN 1 i \(, I 1(a II \\i Qi 11 xl iiF ii) i NM N I ix Frix Ai \1 ii\ \ 1() x-ilcx yieldi Ib locto \ iolbl II Isie \'th Riid )ax Varietx________________________________ 'iLit I U%~ I -ix C n gi It to Riid viteld' %k eight sollid fix rik t e fI) tiit knex i i s Chilton (,ilfcoast Ai~liiiitt ( C11ln),ifl W11Cgai - raio m..r Lb. Lb. Ib t. Lb. 1-) Lb. Lb. Pct. Ill Cbarletotn CGrax% 15. 190) 10.790 201)180 1 5.930 7.020) 15.,)82 19.11 11. 1 -I 1 ) 050 8(1 (raN Sniok\ Ice . ... 8,28)) 17,3110 22,100 17,0)7)) 12.02)) 15. 188 18. 121) 2 A13 .09 8)) Green Bl1,ek Diamoind ... 1 9.86 22,160 ;3) 616 18 920 16 33u 20.344- 22.3 10.2 10 .82 1.3 90 (,rucn C(inge...... 1-1,24 1 i) 13.0) 18,880 15,76)) 7,060) 13.82)) 18.8 1)).7 8 .7-i 1)11) 85 StriptI Crinxnnl Sict 1.. 14,080 16.64)) 22.736O 13.58)) 11.1 3)) 15.432 17.44 11.7 3 .62 .86 8)) Striped Garrixunian .... 16,2101) i,36)) 22.200 13,9-4) 7,1 3)) 1/4.58)) 25.1 11A1 7 -i/4 i 11)00 9)) Striped Jilbilet....... 12.7))) 13;.87)) 18,710 10,1)01 10.060 113,076 19.5 1 1.3 / 43 1100 96 Stripedl Petit Sn ut ..... 5.530) 8.1)5)) 1)133)6,187)) 5.5,1) 7.264 9.2 11.0) 9 .85 .061 8)) StrlIC(I SIILI I,iBdlx . . . 9.1)3)) 12.15)) 17' Iu 8.85)) 8.11)) 11 .2 3z4 9.2 10. 8 1 1 .9-i .95 8)) Green (,raxbilln..... 1))_ 1() 12,170 17.3')) 11.5))) 9.-45)) 12.2-4) II 3. 11.5 0 .82 .88 9)) Grax All S%%cc (t.... 11.88)) 13.63))O 18.55)) 9.600) 7,305S 12,2)15 18.2 11.1 5 A8 .8/1 9)) Striptti 'A% t fgc t 5 Slotcat ions ForBetterFisliuq in Fanii Pon ds, W. D. DAVIES Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures Call exclln bica fsig Bassx1: i IMSx b)luegill redear stoltked farm pond set txx i priniarN fintction,, [les pins de c Sc itil fishing p nt perhaps jus xi s impotant il thinl b luegill numbers soi that those xuirx lii, ha%(i. room itl groixx In) nexx or recentis' reniovated farm piindk bIluegill and redear tingcerlingsi are stiltked i 1 IMM) per acre in October Noxember:il ttllixx n p sprirng 100f bass fingerlings per atcre art adCded. BIiegilix wxiii bepin ito spawxn and provixide foid tor bass xx hn the surfac e water tenIIpCraitire reac hes 80 F- in the xpringp. Durng the tirst Summenr, bass finigerlin s \\ill gri xx rapidix and should reach 9 12 in. i lengt pi xthin I xc ar. No fixhing, espec alix tF) bass, shouliid he aliiixxed duiring this tirst secai Bass thix size. not hax in p been expoisedl t( fishing, are easils C anght. It ix posibile foir 01tli fish erm an in an afternoosn toi cath ii niajiiritx ot bass fromn a 1 2 atcre p in)lI ii octcirs hitiegill betom link die i 1, xtuiciei No Harvest of Bass One yceir aftecr xiocking, li- xxiil 11i% xpaxxnecl. xxhich xx iii prol i additionlni predio n in the hi tie ill popuilat ion. At t his pint it noi bass fixhingp octcnrx,. the baxx ppliatiii \xill itndto i inc reaise in tiital xx eight . Inclix dcai haxx xxiil appear thin antd generalls in pooir c ondition: their ax erai xxeight xxiii he lexx than a potini& If thix xitii tion perxixts foir sera %cx ars, bluegill \%il xi\ 2L1' ApprOXnlIx I 1- 1 l h i t iL Bluegills averaging 0.50 lb are readily caught when bass harvest is restricted. A.1 iB I), - k .\ an nun OIi I Ll -t III iii tiL crel III IIIhI)l f- fiar (51t ofliass fiet .5 r per waLr fronm ft ill/ct Pon tin oi nds 11(1 25 1 H . i,,lL I I(iisxc% er it 1n0 bass are haIrSexl ci silxi) ',('(II tnt xca rx , bitt xxith iontinuLed hi tiegil tixiing, the number cit binegilix being taught xxiii dctline xxhule the ax erage xize cxlntinues to inc reaxe. Thix ix because ioo texx bitieptii ext ape basx prediatiton toi replacec those adults that are Caught. Restricted Harvest of Bass On tihe Other extremie, if till man\x bass are bars esteci tile ax erae ue ot/ OfbIicgili in the creel xxili decrcaxe tiften tll the point xxhere ver texx Iiciil taught xxiii be Lit a stze usable 1) tixhermnen. IdClalI baxs xhouild he harsexted On a -qutota' xx stemn Retcent research hax showxxn that in tertilizeci ponds apprilsimattix' 25 lb) of bass pur atcre tan lie liarsted in ins one fishing season withiint SeriOtIxis affetcting the nunmber anti size iof tish in the creel. This wxeight was calcutlated aSScIming that the har lxi t b ass xUICi bc e etitialix altiicli oxver the fishing season. It fishing pressure IS chin- centratedl in a relatis els short tinie perioid (tfor exaniple. 21 xx eks in the spring), then xinis aboutt 15 lb. olf bass per acre tan be xafeix bar- vested ttor the sear. Thexe bars t rates represent a colmpromise the majoit it LOi blue- gill bv xx eight in tilt poipulat ion xxiii be liar- XSt stiil size I1/.4 lbi.) xxhilte tiass grixxtii and reprodtiotn xxiii be adequate. Bass shoiuid ax erage 1-2 lb. in the creel. The Lther aiternat ist is to restrict bass liar- ext tii noit more than 10 lb. per at re pt r sear xxhich is esetilsv dist ributedi over tht fishing seasoin. BIAglup xkiii ax erage somexx tat larger than in a -balanced- pomnd and wxiii be miore num irero Ius thian in a situcatio n xxhitrt nil bass are removsed. Bass xxiil asverage abioit 1 lb). in size. Controlling Weeds in Soybeans with Directed Sprays DON S. MURRAY, Department of Agronomy and Soils A NN A t \DITAF\I FD ae otn ev ery ye'ar. This cost reftlec ts hitx a multitudec of broaclleax cx has mlix ccl in to take ovxer space, left xxhen herbicides practuc alsv elimii natecl anncial grasses as sitsbean xx ecI pe'sts. T'his sxwitch is xwell illustrated bsv the tllitrg ranking of the 10) most troutblesome xx cecls in Alabama sits beans. 8 oit xxhic h are broad- lcea\ cs: I . Comnmon colcklebuir 2. Sic klepolc 3. Redtrittt pig~xxeec 1 4. Jiilnsliiitrass 5. Moirningglcxries (15 species) 6. Pricklx sicla 7. Shcow v c rltalaria S. Hemp sesbania 9. Yelloxx nntsetlge 1(. Ciommoin ragwxeed 1 Unlike the Lgrasses, annual britatleat wxeeds are clittic tlt to control wxith preemergence herbic ides. Almxost ideal concditiotns are re- lircd for prcenxergence treatmtents to et tectix lx controtl sicklepctc. reclrixit pigxx eec 1 . pric kls sicla. showyx crittalaria. hemup sesbania. and coiimmton ragwxeed. Commoin ci klcir and the morningglories are heyocnd controxl by' sotil applied herbicides ev en cinder the best conclit tons.5 Post emergen ce- appl ied herbic ides are re- quirecl to cctntrotl wxeeds wxhich estcape the pre- eme'rgence treatments. Cultivatitn can be cused tit controxl wxeecds in the rilx middies if xx eather concditiions perntit,. but xweeds in the drill rotw canniot be controlled rnechanicallx Theretitre. postemergence herbic-ides protvide a x alttable alternativ e. The most piopcilar method of apply'ing potst- emergence herbicides has been txer-the-tip of both crcop and xweecds. This treatment is generally mitre eftectiv e wxhen applied wxithin -4 wxeeks after planting while the sox beans are small and prctxide little canopy ov er xx eec seed- hings. Some of the troublesoime anncial brolad- leaf wxeeds can lie effectixvely coxntrolledl wxith ovxer the-top spraxys. espec iallx wxhen the xweecds are small and atixvelx grix ing. Ox cr-the-tmtp herbic ides prtovide little otr no residutal control, so at second application is often necessarx to control later germinating xx ccclx When mitrningglitries, showy crotalaria, henxp sesbania, and sic kleptid ex- ceed about S in. tall. thex are nox longer con- trolledl wxith oser the totp sprax s. The latter three xxeeds are legumes, and there are texx herbic ides selec tixve enoucgh tox remov e xxkeedy legcimeS frotm a legcume c rop Such as stoybeans. Since sttx eans have little totlerance tftr the herbicides that xxill cointrol these xx ecs. it is netessarx to apply these materials as directed sprays. Reqciirement for Sciccessful direc ted sprax applic atiitn are (1) special spray' eqciipment to direct the sprax axwaxy frotm the crotp ,inc ontit the xxeecds, and (2) treated xxweeds mtist be smaller than sovbeans, (antI generally tinder 5 in. tall) at time of herbicide application. Equiip mient fcor di recting hcrbicite spray s can be pcir bhased citnimert ially fur aboiut S 100) per rowx the exact anocint depending otn ncumber of ex tras purtcbased. [ Ionic built otnes citst cotn siclerablx less. Experiments xwere cotnclcctedl in 1976 antI 1977 bx Atibuirn Unix ersits Agricucltciral Ex- petinent Station tot determine hotx wxeedl size affcects sustceptibility tt postc'imergenc e appliedI he'rbic ides. Weed species wxere selec ted to re'present the mnst trociblesotme anntial broxad leaf wxeedls in soybeans. Weeds wxerce planted in rowxxs antI treated at txxo dlifferent sizi's. see' table. Each treatment xx as replic att d fittr tuimes andi each plitt receixe c n~x' otixe herbi title applic ation. Basagran?. Prc'merge?.) antI Dx anap? ) herbicides that are tiimmcxnlx applied lxcr the top. w~ere' incluided fotr com- pairiso~n wxith Ltrctx? and BIutx'rac . xxhich mucst be applied as direc ted sprax s. Weetd scisceptibuilitx tol postemergence- aipplied herbicides tdecreasedl as the wxeeds in cre'asedl in size. as showxn in the table. This xxas more' apparent wxith over the top spra s than wi'th tlirectedl spra's. An itcrease in height ot itnly I in. can mean the difference be'twxeen effectixve controtl and nit cotntrol. Also, smaller wxeeds can lie c'ttectixels ton- trolledl xxith a loxxer he'rbicide rate, xxhitch means a saxvings in herbicide cttsts. ILirox as ai piistenxergence dlirec ted sprax xxas c onsistentlx- bettt'r tor conrrtlling ft(t legumiinouis xxe'tds than otxer it' tltp treat- mentI itt Basag~ran. Premerge. itr Dx aniap. Bcit - rac did not controtl thest' leguminlous xweedls. In tact, le'gcimes in general are toilerant to Bttxrac. As shxoxwn lxx clatat in the' table, the onlx ettectix ' c or-the to p treaitme~nt xx as Basagran for ciontroxl oif snmall henmp sesbanma. \lorninggltrx control is highls dependent tin the' herbic ide used and spec its mixlx cl. rescults showxx. It is not uinciscial tot have itserall erratic morningghirs c ontrol xxithi oxvcr OLe top spras s. espet. iillxv xx it Ih the molre' resist ant specit's (tall and ix xleaf. It is the'refotre critic t that fte miirnmnggluirx species lit ident ifictl before tising ox er-the-tt p spraxys. Sixxallfloxx r uirnin gglorx can be countrollecd xxith tarlx atpplic ation otf otx r the-tttp spratxs. Bcits'rac as a cdiretedc sprax tcontrollecd all morninggliirs spe- ties at bitth growxxth stages. Idistemnergeice directed spraxys are the itnly etectix c treatment against sotme' weed sptecies in sitsbeans. Since cmlx a band (12 1 1in. xxide) is treated otver the drill rowx. the anmoucnt itf he'rbicides per acre' is reducced. T hese diretedc sprax s can be reapplied iii 10) 14 claxv if reqciired. There is itne labelcc tank mix treatment - iruix (1I lb.) ? Bxitxrat (8 '10) pt.) + sutiractant ( I pt./25 gal. x hich is applied as a directed spraxy anti c an lit re- applied if net essars'. MoI~st annuial bro ad- leat xxeeds can be controlled xxith this treat- ment xxhen priuperix applied. Peircetnt control t of mectls wxhen txreated1 at xx ht iljnI I ci)hi 1111rdur nI, 21AT Lill l.x ino t 'eds \1 ciiin x4il rit's and rate per acrei Sic kepod s( I li-nip 1-11 ida - l etshanta begagarxx e( StE 11lxie I% Ix cit I I2 in, i in. ;1 2 in. 5 in. 1 in. 2 in. I iii 2 in. 2 in S in, - in, 3 ini Basaizran., I qt............. 25 20) 92 70) 18 25 100( 1001 62 25 72 33 Prcnieri~c. I qt. .. 28 15 5ot 1i o s 5 92 ;5 00l ;5 50) 5 IDxanap, 2 qt ....... 2 5 ( ) 8 ;o 92 10t 62 5 55 1 o Lorix 1 ,II)...... 1 l 5 25 92 05 100) 1001 92 38 38 IS 22 ( I Irt'. 2 11b ... .. . .. 88 6i8 100) 1001 00 100) 100)It) 85 48 5)) iS 1t BLfntxaC. I pt ..... ). 00 i0 7o ,5 12 10 78 8S) 98 95 ; t10) 1001 R 1 . sntS gi5en we re obtained in research. Tradk nanieS arc Use d to i i pi dc ' xJU ill ticdCi M101 111( 11(l endorsenxcnt us implied 'Corluntun namnes are: Basaigran -beniazon Prcnxrge di1 sib: 1 )xan ap -duniisib + napi .lauu Lorocx = liniron: Btii xrat 2. DR. 'Snrtactant, WK at 121 hx x VItlme, LISCd wxith Basagran and Lxrox. THE FARM DEBT SITUATION JOE YEAGER Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology TABLE 2. OUTSTANDING FARM DEBT, JANUARY 1, 1970 AND 1975, ALABAMA. Item 1970 1975 Increase Thous. Dol. Pct. Farm Mortgage Debt Federal Land Bank ...................... 126,857 212,758 68 Life Insurance Companies ................... 47,500 43,300 9 Commercial Banks ............. ........... 83,478 148,775 78 Farmers Home Administration ............... 24,820 74,813 201 Individuals and Others.................... 79,179 155,210 96 Total.............................. 361,834 634,856 75 Non-Real Estate Debt Held by Institutional Lenders Production Credit Assoc......................52,937 140,154 165 Farmers Home Administration ............... 11,200 15,159 35 Commercial Banks...................... 79,175 173,042 119 Total.............................. 143,312 328,355 129 Grand Total......................... 505,146 963,211 91 Source: Various Statistical Bulletins, Farm Credit Administration ONE of the most pronounced characteris tics of modern agriculture is its high level of capitalization. Modern farms require a lot of capital, not only for establishment but also for operation. With the major form of farm business organization being the single proprietorship, it is almost impossible for the farmer during his lifetime to have 100% equity in his assets and to operate on a cash basis. Credit is an essential part of farming and, as a result, debt exists with credit use. Farm debt con- ventionally is classified as farm mortgage debt and non-real estate debt. Debt Increases In the U.S., and Alabama, farm liabilities in terms of real estate and non-real estate debt have about doubled since 1970. Total lia- bilities of U.S. farmers as of January 1,1977 were $102.2 billion of which $56.4 billion was real estate debt. When viewed against the background of total U.S. farm assets of $670.9 billion as of January 1, 1977, the debt appears in a different light. In other words, U.S. farmers had more than $6.50 in assets for every $1.00 in liabilities. However, the composition of the assets and liabilities is important in total and on individual farms. Farm real estate accounted for 74% of the value of assets. As of January 1, 1977, average assets and liabilities per farm in the U.S. were as follows: Physical Assets Real estate Non-real estate Financial Assets Total assets Real Estate Debt Non-Real Estate Debt Total debt Proprietor's Equity Debt-To-Asset Ratio(%) Perfarm $180,661 51,104 12,036 $243,801 20,504 16,615 $ 37,119 $206,682 15.2 The non-real estate assets include livestock, machinery and equipment, and crops held by farmers on and off the farm. Financial assets include deposits and currency, savings bonds, and investments in cooperatives. In the 20-year period ending January 1, 1975, farm real estate debt outstanding ex- panded more than five times. This resulted in part from higher farm real estate values and the increase in average size of farms. Farmers have added additional acreage to their farms in order to increase production and lower per unit costs of production. From 50 to 60% of TABLE 1. ESTIMATED TOTAL FARM REAL ESTATE DEBT OUTSTANDING BY LENDERS, AS OF JANUARY 1, U. S. 1960-75. Total Proportion of Total Loans Held ear farm creal s.fr ettcn o-e Year farm real Federal Life insurance Commercial Farmers Home Individuals estate debt Land Banks companies banks Administration and others Mil. Dol. Percent of total 1960 12,082 19 23 13 6 39 1965 18,894 19 23 13 7 38 1970 29,183 23 20 12 8 37 1975 46,288 29 14 13 7 37 Source: Farm Real Estate, North Central Regional Extension Publication No. 51. 6 farm real estate purchases in recent years has been for enlargement purposes. The per- centage of purchases of farm real estate that were credit financed went from 58% in 1950 to 88% in 1977 for the U.S. Lenders Individuals and others were the major lend- ers in farm real estate financing in the U.S. in 1975, table 1. Federal Land Banks were also important lenders to farmers to finance farm real estate to the extent of 29% of the total debt outstanding in 1975. Real estate finan- cing by Federal Land Banks increased from 1960 to 1975 while that by life insurance companies was reduced. The percentage of farm real estate debt outstanding for com- mercial banks and the Farmers Home Ad- ministration remained about the same for the 15 -year period. Alabama Farm Debt As of January 1, 1975 the outstanding farm mortgage debt of Alabama farmers was $634,856,000 and the non-real estate debt held by institutional lenders was $328,355,000 or a total of $963,211,000, table 2. From 1970 to 1975 farm mortgage debt increased 75% while non-real estate debt went up 129%. Federal Land Banks accounted for 34% of the Alabama farm mortgage debt as of January 1, 1975. Commercial banks were the major lenders to farmers to finance non-real estate items with Production Credit Association financing ranking second in importance. Pro- duction Credit Association financing has be- come increasingly important in Alabama. Since 1950, when 10.5% of the non-real es- tate debt was accounted for by PCA loans, the proportion grew to 42.7% in 1975. Financing of a dynamic agriculture will continue to be a challenge to farmers and suppliers of credit. I F YOUR CATFISH POND is chronically and critically low in oxygen, perhaps it is too deep or too sheltered from winds. Pond water receives oxygen from the photo- synthetic activity of phytoplankton (single celled plants that usually color the water green, but sometimes brown or yellow) and from the air. Photosynthesis will add oxygen to the water at all depths where there is suf- ficient light for phytoplankton growth. In fer tile Alabama ponds this could be from about 2-8 ft. Oxygen from the air, however, can dis- solve in the water only at the surface. In order for oxygenated surface water to reach the pond bottom, water must be mixed vertically. This is accomplished in nature by wind blowing across the surface and causing a net vertical motion of the water, or by cooling of surface water, making it heavier and causing it to sink past warmer water below. Cooling usually takes place at night and is even more effective when combined with rain in supplying oxygenated water to the bottom. If your pond is deep or sheltered from the wind, there may not be enough force to make the surface water sink to the bottom; there fore, no replenishment of oxygen in the deep waters can take place. Scientists in Auburn University's Agri cultural Experiment Station have made per- tinent observations of dissolved oxygen levels in two ponds at Auburn. Pond S-9 is 3.5 acres in surface area, surrounded by woods, except on the dam side to the northeast. Its average depth is 4.9 ft. with a maximum depth near the dam of 8 ft. Pond S-14 is 12.4 acres and more exposed to the wind from the north, east, and west. It also has an average depth of 4.9 ft., but is deeper (10 ft.) at the foot of the dam. Both ponds were stocked with 3,000 fin- gerling catfish per acre and fed 6 days a week with sinking pellets in S-14 and with floating pellets in S-9. Dissolved oxygen and temperature were measured from the surface to the bottom every FIG. 1. Vertical profiles of dissolved oxygen in ponds S-9 and S-14 from June to September. S-9, roughly one-fourth the size of S-14, sometimes had higher dissolved oxygen in upper water layers than S-14, but almost invariably contained lower dissolved oxygen in the deep water during any month. Disadvantages of Deep, Sheltered Ponds For Intensive Catfish Culture M. M. PAMATMAT and VALDIS MEZAINIS, Dept. of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures 3 hours, day and night, approximately once a month from April through November. Both temperature and dissolved oxygen gen- erally decreased with increasing depth of water (fig. 1). S-9 tended to contain less oxygen than S-14. S-9 sometimes had higher oxygen concentrations in the upper layers as a result of higher photosynthetic activity, but the oxygen produced there did not reach the deeper layers. Considering dissolved oxygen in bottom water only (fig. 2), on May 24, oxygen had risen to at least 3.2 p.p.m. (parts per million) in S-14; it decreased during the night to 0.1 p.p.m., and did not rise above 0.2 during the following day. During this same time, the bot- tom water of S-9 never had more than 0.1 p.p.m. of oxygen. On June 28-29, both ponds had higher oxygen concentration than in May, but S-14 showed much higher con- centrations than S-9. Both ponds had 0.1 to 0.2 p.p.m. oxygen in July. In September and November, S-9 again showed consistently lower oxygen than S-14. Ordinarily, the consistent difference between S-14 and S-9 in dissolved oxygen of bottom water would have been attributed to higher rates of oxygen consumption by the mud and the organisms living in S-9 than in S- 14. The rate of oxygen uptake by the mud was FIG.300 2.n wgent-fu hor yle oisole measure nd in theboth ponds, however, and an 5-1 from Ma toSetmbr Ec shon -14 OS-9 ad ambiguty .. Nt.taotol doe ..-. 50 325M3 '0 2- 2 0 2 0300 1J18LY showlowe disolvd oxgenthanS-84 bu TIME (hours) FIG. 2. Twenty-four hour cycles of dissolved oxygen in the bottom water of ponds S-9 and S-14 from May to September. Each month is shown with a separate baseline to minimize overlap; the first and last points of each month are drawn with vertical lines ex- tending to their corresponding baseline to avoid ambiguity. Note that not only does S-9 show lower dissolved oxygen than S-14, but it also shows evidences of at least irregular found that S-14, in fact, had higher rates of oxygen utilization. Therefore, it was con- cluded that the lower oxygen concentration in the bottom of S-9 was the result of a lower supply of dissolved oxygen by sinking and mixing of surface waters. The results indicate that large, exposed ponds are more easily mixed by wind and surface cooling than are smaller ponds of the same depth. The larger the volume of oxygen-poor (con- centrations less than 3.0 p.p.m.) bottom water in a pond the more undesirable it is for fish production. One obvious reason is that living space for fish is thereby reduced. Another reason is that if this volume of water is much larger than the oxygen-rich layer, mixing could result in dangerously low oxygen throughout the pond. A third important disadvantage is that very low, or zero oxygen in bottom water prohibits the growth of worms and insect larvae that normally live in the mud. Even when catfish derive most of their nutrition from artificial feed, they still feed on worms, larvae, and other natural food organisms. By supplying essential nutrients that are lacking in the feed formulation, these organisms could actually improve feed con- version by catfish. Furthermore, catfish seem to eat continually day and night while the farmer normally feeds his fish only once a day; therefore, it seems desirable that the fish should have the greatest quantity of natural food outside the regular feeding schedule. A fourth important reason is that densely stocked catfish ponds receive, produce, and contain large quantities of organic matter, which settle to the bottom. If the bottom water is without oxygen for long periods, continuing decomposition of organic matter in the ab- sence of oxygen steadily creates a worsening condition in the pond. At this time no specific guidelines are available concerning how deep a pond should be. But based on Auburn research, deep fertile ponds are predisposed to lower oxygen for longer periods in deep water than are shal- lower ponds. The ideal depth depends on many other factors besides size and exposure to wind. Regarding S-9 and S-14, the former should probably have had a maximum depth of about 4 ft. while S-14 could have been as deep as 6 ft. maximum. At these depths, their bottom waters would have occasionally contained less than 1 p.p.m. oxygen but not for prolonged periods. I' 5,,t 4* , ' . i. , . b' 4''~ri iii :::~~~~~i ~ ~ .: :~~ ~d6a, '4: '4) F .01.. .4, 4 C. S. HOVELAND and R. L. HAALAND, Dept. of Agronomy and Soils C. B. ELKINS, Coop. USDA Dept. of Agronomy and Soils W.A. GRIFFEY, Piedmont Substation H. E. BURGESS, Plant Breeding Unit (formerly Piedmont Substation) A sOI LT ION MA\Y 131 IN SIGHI tfor the grass tetany problem that continues to plague Alabama cattlemen. Findings that wet soils with losw oxygen content are involved in occurrence of the deadly cattle disease offer hope for solv ing the problem. Grass tetany is a metabolic disorder that affects lactating cows on pasture and may lead quickly to death of the animal. The disorder is also known as hypomagnesemia because it is caused bv a low level of blood serum magnesium. It generally occurs during winter and early spring on small grains, tall fescue, or ryegrass pastures in Alabama. Mineral supplement feeding is often done to prevent grass tetanv. but certain animals may fail to consume the minerals and are thus sus- ceptible. Recent Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station- USDA research discovered that wet soils with low soil oxygen may cause magnesium levels of pasture grass to be seasonally losw and in- sufficient for cattle. The first evidence of this came from growth chamber and greenhouse experiments. Ryegrass. tall fescue, rye. and Yuchi arrowleaf clover were grown in soils in which the amount of soil oxygen was controlled to determine the effect on uptake of magnesium in forage. Levels of magnesium in ryegrass and tall fescue decreased sharply as the level of oxygen in the soil decreased. Rye forage contained the same level of magnesium regardless of soil oxygen. With clover, the level of magnesium in forage declined slightly as the soil oxygen was decreased. but always remained high enough that grazing animals would get enough magnesium. Uptake of magnesium by all the forage species generally went down with decreasing temperatures. The level of magnesium needed in a diet to prevent grass tetanv de pends on the type of animal, its condition, and other individual characteristics. A forage content of 0.20 to 0.25% magnesium is usually considered adequate for livestock. Ryegrass contained only 0.1% magnesium when the soil oxygen level was 2% (poorly drained soil), but with soil oxygen level of 21% (a well drained soil) mag nesium increased to 0.4% In pasture at the Piedmont Substation, Camp Hill, Kentucky 31 tall fescue had magnesium levels of less than 0.2% during spring when grown in poorly drained soil, see graph. On well drained soil in the same pasture, tall fescue had magnesium levels almost 0.3% in April and 0.4% in late June. Tests of the soil showed oxygen levels :z' *t ' . A. : 'I, r near zero on the poorly drained sites but 18% or more on well drained sites. All of the test soils had high soil magnesium levels. but the tescue plants were unable to take up adequate magnesium where drainage was poor. Tetany occurs most frequently in winter and early spring. The absence of tetanv in autumn, even under wet soil conditions, is prob- ably related to the availability of older forage to the grazing animals. Older leaves would have sufficient magnesium to prevent tetany development, while new leaves produced under wet, autumn soil con ditions would be low in magnesium. By late winter and early spring. however, all the older leaf tissue would have been consumed. Only young leaf tissue would be left for grazing, and this might be low in magnesium if grown under wet conditions. Improving soil drainage isn't the only way to combat grass tetany, of course. Increasing magnesium levels in cattle by feeding mag- nesium mineral salts to grazing animals or spraying magnesium slur ries on the forage before it is grazed are possible approaches. But a better long term solution is to develop a forage variety that contains adequate magnesium when grown on poorly drained soil. This is the aim of current research at the Auburn Agricultural Experiment Station. When a large number of tall fescue plants with different genetic backgrounds were grown in a test soil that had a 2% oxygen level. there was a wide variation among the plants in magnesium content. From the same soil, some plants had 0.16% magnesium. while others had as much as 0.4%. This finding offers hope that high magnesium varieties can be bred for wet soil conditions. Certain steps can be taken to minimize the risk of grass tetany in a cattle herd: * Rotate cattle away from poorly drained soils, especially when there is prolonged rainfall during late winter and spring when the soil is soggy. * Carefully observe cattle that are grazing on poorly drained soils. Rapid diagnosis of tetany will permit the use of intravenous injections to save affected animals. If one animal begins to show signs of tetany. it is an indication that the entire herd is not getting enough mag nesium. * Grow legumes in the pasture wherever possible. Legumes have sufficient levels of magnesium regardless of the amount of oxygen in the soil. Magnesium I Well drained soil O 4 Poorly drained soil Critical level 0 3 0 1 April 4 May 12 June 24 Magnesium content of tall fescue forage was considerably lower on poorly drained pastures than on well drained pastures. Trees spaced 5 ft. apart (left) formed solid fruit wall without training, whereas 10-ft. spacing (right) required tieing of limbs. D W\ RFING ANI) SEll DWARF ING rootstocks have rev- olutionized apple production in recent years. These rootstocks re strict ultimate tree size so growers can plant more trees per acre. The smaller trees are easier to spray, prune, and harvest, and they begin bearing fruit at an earlier age than trees on non-dwarfing rootstock. The final result is increased yield and better quality of fruit. Advantage of training tree branches to a fruiting position (65-90 degree angle from the tree trunk) showed up in experiments in which trees on dwarfing rootstock were trained to a trellis. These trees began fruiting earlier and had a higher per tree Yield than trees whose branches were allowed to grow in the normal upright position. Branches of apple trees normally develop in an upright position until the weight of fruit pulls them down into the fruiting position. Effects of tree spacing and training branches of young. free standing trees to a fruiting position were determined in Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station research. 'Wellspur' Red Delicious trees on 'MM106' rootstock were planted at the Chilton Area Horticulture Substation in January 1969. Spacings were 5, 7.5, and 10 ft. in rows spaced 22 ft. apart. Branches of all trees were spread with wire braces during the first three growing seasons to develop the desired branch angles, and the trees were trained to a modified central leader. Conventional cultural practices were used in growing the trees. In fall 1972. the 7.5 and 10-ft. spaced trees were divided to com pare two training treatments: (1) limbs were spread and pruning was done in the conventional manner, and (2) limbs between the trees IiIi( tNCI Oi LIstI POS110oNING \AN TREE SPt.CINt; )N YIEII 01 'Wtll sR' RIi) Dt:iiciot AitlItn TREFS o ''MM106' Ro, spacing' Yield per acre Accumulated limb treatment 197- 1975 1976 1977 yield/acre Ba Bu. Bu Bu. Bu 10-It. spacing Untied 217 275 304 z 401 1,200 Tied . 250 312 364 531 1,3-03 7.5-ft. spacing Untied ...... 201 360 297 4404 1,322 Tied ........... 369 428 409 385 1,592 5-ft. spacing Untied. ........... 46, 391 351 800 2,066 'Numr r iof trees per acre equaled 198, 264. and 396, respectively, for ) . 7.5 , and 5 t. row spacing. W. A. DOZIER, Department of Horticulture C. C. CARLTON and K. C. SHORT, Chilton Area Horticulture Substation were pulled down to a horizontal level and tied into position to form a solid wall. The 5-ft. spaced trees were already touching in the row to form a solid fruit wall (see photo), so no limb positioning was done. All trees were topped to a height of 8 ft. with a mechanical pruner in the fall of 1972 and in subsequent years. Supplemental hand pruning was done each year as needed. A frost on April 11. 1973. injured the crop, so no vield data were available for that year. First yield data were taken in 1974. Both close spacing and limb positioning had a positive influence on yield, as shown by data in the table. In each of the 4 years, the highest yield on ''untied" (no limb posi tioning done) trees was made by 5 ft. spaced trees. Greatest yield differences were recorded in 1974 and 1977. The 5-ft. spaced trees produced 247 and 203 bu. per acre more than the 10- and 7.5 it. spaced trees in 1974. In 1977. the difference was 396 bu. in favor of the 5 ft. spacing over the 7.5 and 10-ft. spacing. Yield differences were not as great in 1975 and 1976, but the 5 ft. spacing again was the most productive. Trees spaced 7.5 ft. apart produced 413 and 86 more bu. of fruit per acre than 10-ft. spaced trees in 1974 and 1975, as shown by corn parisons between untied trees. However, the 10 ft. spacing averaged 9 bu. per acre more in 1976 than the 7.5 ft. spacing. They had the same vield in 1977. Limb positioning (tieing) increased yield with both the 10- and 7.5- tr. spaced trees in each year. with one exception. In 1977, the 7.5 ft. spaced trees with limbs positioned produced 19 bu. less than the trees without the limbs positioned. Limb positioning on trees spaced 7.5 ft. apart resulted in respective increases of 108, 68, and 112 bu. per acre in 1974, 1975, and 1976. With 10-ft. tree spacing, the increase from limb tieing amounted to 39, 38, 60, and 127 bu. per acre in 1974. 1975, 1976, and 1977, respectively. Accumulated yield figures in the table show amount of total yield increase over the 4 years due to closer tree spacing. Increases of this magnitude would definitely justify the additional cost of establishing higher density orchards. As the trees increase in size, however, the yield differences would be expected to diminish. But the higher early year production with the closer spaced trees would put the orchard on a paying basis sooner. U ij) I-i; ~ ~i ~-yii v i ~7 S.. I Nutrition of the Elderly ANNA J. SVACH-A and JANICE B. VAN.LANDINGHAM Departmenit of Home Econoics Research T I IPHI 4< RTi( i\ ioi perxsons xovxer 64 xearx of age has been steacdily increasing in American xocietx, and Alabama ix nci ex c ept io n. There ix a grcxxing concern for the xxeli- bemng of thix agc group. bcit little precixe intor mation. pantic clarlx c oncerning nuitritional requiremecntx, ix available. Since adlequcate ncitrition ix v ital foir lonpex itx and good health and because nutritional patte-rnx and habits are related to xoc ial and economnic factorx, a studcy related to these tactiirs xxas ftuncdecd thritph the Agric ultural Experiment Station. Ixvextigated xx rc ncitrit inal statusx. t0Oc pcurchaxing, pre paratiiin and consuimption patternx. and the xocital, economic, and medical c haracteristics ot oildier Alabamians resicding at hoime. Althougph data ccollec tion in the major xi~d ccxOt 2001 xSubjectx ix nearing completicon btit not v'et final,. an analx xix ot thoxe interxviexxecc in a pre- litiiinarx piliit priiject hax been completed. Results trom the pilcit xtIcIicx m lxing -4(0 xi lUnteerx ranging in age froim 0-4 to 8 1 x earx. indicate that xcubjectx are himihlx pcxitixve aboiut themxelxvex and their lite xixvles. Ntnetx' fix e perc ent wxerc xatixfiecd wxith their dailx rioutinex, and aithociph 32%~ had anncial incomex beloxx 5 1.0)0)0) a majoritx (32 out cit 40) xxere con- tent xwith their economic poixiticon. Onil - 3 of the '1) interxviexx fel t that their cutrrent health xxax pcior, xxhile 83% ncitecd that thex xxere healthier than otherx cit comparable age. Fexx incdicatioinx xxere touncd that thexe older citizensx alltixxed their phx xical hancdicaps or coincditionx, toi intertere xxith the bcuxinexs cit clatix liv ing, wet halt ot them cited the presence oif xtuch coincditions. Thirtx three percent of thcise interxiewxed xxercem ilxecl in decisions contcerninig fcood pturc hasing xxith a majoiritxy (67% ) xpending betxxeen 5 10 and S 30) per xxeek tcir groceriex. Approximatelx one-third cisecd hcimegrowxn or prexerxved foocd and manyx utilized a xxide xvariety of xpicex ancd xeaxonings in food preparation. A majotrity ate three mealx per clav xxith some in-betwxeen xnack kx 60Y, cif the xsubjectx ate a xnack betftre retiring. Miist ot the xvolcinteerx ate with their farniliex. and meal preparation xxax tfound toi be a famnilx actix itx' wxith fexx mealx prepared (or eaten iict- xide of the home. Diet anaix xex rexvealedl that oit the exxential nuitrie-ntx meaxured, only three xwere signi- ficantly inacdeqciate baxecl on the Reco iF iNo\\ Ci li \i IIifSand) t U ,i,68 5 1i5 ii 23, 2 1 I 1 2 ( rp lihrxat nS =is lan,. C - ion. O0 \[ I ( ON\t I~s I , r :\ -It I) tit at ec 1 though businessmen anti consuimer,, do not aix\i Ax act ix ci make detcisions based upon et onotm theory thex tend to hehax t in a xx ax that is Consistent with the basic philosophies (i t si tence ot ectonomics. Ftconomic theorx wxith wxhitch mlost laxymen are tanutiar is that Of SUp)pix anti demand. Ax ailablc suppix is deter- mineti h) intdixvitdual producer decisions. wh ile demand is established hx con1SUmer decisions. Man\x tonsumners realize that prices are at- tetted hx- changes in suppls anti demand, wxhether the protiuct be gasoline or Sugar. Like anxv agric ultural enterprise, prodL1tittOn tof tchannel cattish in intenisix e ponti tCulture is dependent upon the ice c ot inputx proxvidedi Cattish tarierx haxe to pax the market price tot thexe tattorx ot prodtuttion xxhitch inCiUtle feetd. tchemicals, tuel, labor, and sometimes aeration. When these prices are applied to the inptiLt retquirements, the tost structutre ott a ctf~nish enterprixe is cietermineti The amount Ot tCatfish suppiedi bx the intlix idual tarmer is determined bx hoxx much more it costs to pro- dude atdtitional poundx ot cattish. Finally, the total industr - supplx ot tatftish is tht xtim11 mnation ot all the intlix idual farmers' pro- diuc tion. As a rexult tof the abtsve interactions. soine initial prite is established bx sellers of ponud raiseti tCattish. Then marketing procedu res ibegin, xwhich ixnvoixe changingp the torm ot the -Z- Market-sized catfish being loaded for processing plant. prodct a nd deitermning the tite tanl pit xs xxhere the cattish xxiii be axvailable to the ten- Stiner. Dutring each ot these steps, xvalue is ad- tied to the product tite to various serx itces performed alotng the marketing chain. Finialis. some retail price tor catfish is placed on a package in a market outlet. Noxx the consuimei makes a detision to purchase or not to purchase the caitfish based on the retail price. His decision is determined bx such tactors as his income, tastes, antI pre- terentces, and the prices ot alternatix e prodcts aixailable in the market. Ax tuaux , mansv con xumners make these diccision,,, the itscrali de- mnand Itor fish tchanges. Subsequently . changes in cattish suppix Ina acdjtist in order to maintaiin price equilibrium. Thuis. the tcon- sinter ,ind retail price tdtimaitex afftect prices aloing the marketing c hain all the xwax back to the tarm. Also, the farm price ot channel cat- fish mnax change from the initial price es- tablished bhv the intdixvidual's cost strticture. This ness farm price Cain he c omptuted if retail price aind the tolloxxing tatctors are knowxx n harxvest ing costs, transportation costs toi the prceieng plant. tiress-tict pertcentaige, storage tCosts, transportation costs to mairket outlets, antI acicitional storage costs. An equation summarizing these interrelationships tollos RP ( F+ HT )WV xRV xx Krt RP =retail price. RV =retail x attic. xV = holesalc v alue. FP =farm price., IT harx esting anti transportatiton costs, anti DP -dress-out percentage. In the equiation the initial v alue ot the tat- 11 h is the taint price. Adiditioinal x ,lcic is t re- ocIte bs adding the costs itt harsvesting and t ransportation servimcs. Sintct the entire cittish is not salable, clixicing bv the dress ocit per , tage determines the xvalue of the pinticut. t at the time processing is conmpleted. This repire- stents the processed xvalue ott the tish. Next. packaging and storage serxvices arc proxvided bs the processor, so the wxholesale xvalue incltites, the proc essedi valcue ancl an addchitinal 31)',. to iiictut tir tielde scrxiccs At ibis poit wxholesale value is I ;0/ oftiht pro( esseci xvalue. 'hcis. WV Cidials 1.301 1' nails . aditi tional tran sportatiaon a~nd sitorage Ct xs ic c unt tor anotiher 30%) incrtease in x aluc anti RVx diils 1 .30). or 130' of WV As tdiscussetd prc tocisix . decisions of con- Sdimcrs in tact dictiate whait ciltimate retail price is acceptable. Based on this retail pritce. a ness tim price tin be c omputeci frotm the prexiocis equiation. Solv ing the equiation for F P. the relationship is as ttulioxxs: Fl?=P RP x DP ) -ITT RV x WV\ U..sing diatai trom retctnt mairket restartch ton tductedi in ithe Atuburn area, the fairm pritce of market sized c atfish tan be tompitec. It. Rl' S 1 89 per lb.. DP =0.0 '3. R V =1.310, W V 1.3)). anti I IT= S010 per lb.. then. FP 1.89 x0.63 \ (.1 ( _30 x 1 .30) 1.7) 9d =SI).00) lb. Since thc cucrit farm price hot market scd ttish is S00,) this disc ussion ilitis trates that Con rnmers do in tact dtetrmine the price that cattish farnmers tiltimiatels receivei As a result itt these interactions, cattish tar HIers like most other agricututral prodcetis. tind themselvs in a bttxers market tither than asellers market. Sonic cattish tariners tan Pro chi1c f ish at a protit, wxhile others are at the break cx en point. Htuxs cxcr. there ina be another groiup, xwhose prodtctioin costs arc greater than the rex tue receixvetd trom salt ot the cattish. These producers mcsxi impitnieni ctficiencv measures; tco reduce their cilS itt prodcttion, or it exit the tnciitstrs S . ub- scitientis , the aggregate supply tuf t attish changes. The end result is that price eqiibricum is established fit cattish .ic trding to the Lax itt su1pplx antl iemntri Establishing Farm Price FOR CATFISH KEN CRAWFORD and E. W. McCOY, Dept. of Ag Economics and Rural Sociology Marketing Inivdal F ar F5 Dress Retai Tastes and Price Percentage Prc rrences Harvesting Prices of Trasr t ing OteGoods] C LI R 5(11 P1511 OF( CORN plantx tan it alteretd ciinxicerailil bx xuchI management ii ittit ex axs nit rogen fate anti planit Pt ptilititin 'lThext plant c haratcterfist itsx iii toirn, max att t noit tinlx x it~lt but alxo t xIt h tattorx as xx ted inftextat iton, littdging. antd eaxe oItt a~rxexsttn L, The fintdingsx repoirtedt here art trom ai num her itt AXubtrn P nix erxitx A grit UltUral 1 xperitiient Statioin experimentx in x ,ifiitii iloitatitonsx in Ala~bamiia, Ntont itt the e x pcirimentail xvariablesx. sutch ax nitrogen rates tir plant piopulatiot s Sx hOtiut be cionxidered as rc t iitiiiutiitltiiis Unilexx xit xittd Nutmb er toi plantix per atcre is an impo rtant mianipement pratitte xintce thix x ariabie at lects plant grtixx th. Thic k plantings (32 0))) plants per atcre) priitlittt plants that xx crc 9 12 in. tailler .it hirx ext t han thin planting'x 1)1.7(1) plants per acre). Tbis itcreasetd plant height restultedl tromi lon ger internittex in the thu kix plantetd turn. The numnber ot inter nodtex per stalk ix tdetermined bx the x aritt antd ix not attet ted kx manaigement. 'fall plantsx rextlt ii f rtm tnicitk plaint in p h ax s iiialler xstal k tl in t crx ant iarc mo re sLi euptible to tlitdpinti t ha.n plants in thin plaintingsx see table. Itc[easing the nit ripen raite triom 15)) to30 1 1).l per atcre hatd a nepli pibie ettect tin loidging. Htixxex er. the prtmyiirx factoir attecting plodtging is xx md x elic its rather thain plant prtopert ies Increaxing internottl length tauses ecar height toitntcrease alst. Whilt' the 6 in. in crease in height ott cars, notetd in the table, miax hasve little eftet tin ease itt barsvesting. it dotes niake the plant mitre toip hecix antI thu1s nitore Siixt ptibie tii lodtging. Lottx plaint poipulattions may prtmtlttt mans xstalks xxiiith tx o or moitre catrs, xx hecras ex cessiveix high pI)ptlaitiitns result in a tcnip hai n almosti no ears. With i oomt xi itmiern coirn xaieties the mo st p rt itallke standi has siome bar-rn plaints anti fcxx Intlti earedl plants. Whiiat is tdesiredl is thi' mx tiiii .ini iutnt iot grain per at ri. The tabit shttxx that the hightx sicits xxtere prittlit \601 xx 3 2.))))( planits per atcre,. anti there xx ire nit inuti t',retd plats ait thix pipitflatitin. Stintt' aibit tint' tout o it iit plants xxen barrtti. pt mstlx a Iexx thltian fixitt ewer plants xx iitit has e resulted in texx if iharren plants anti mitre x eli 1 . La.rge sttiwtr s ielis xx ert' assoiiatetd xx ith higph grinitlds. The stttxer v-itit in tctin prtixx n ft r grain has been i tnsitlered ax tin imtpo rtani in the past. llotix ex r. this max bhanget in the tututre. High ,itox er x telis mnax Narrow rows (right) outproduced wider rows (left) in Alabama experiments, when production practices followed were adequate to prodt'ce corn yields above 125 bu. per acre. betettf desitratble stinc if ttix r itax %i bet eAsI rit% mat ,erial ftor the prodtction of enrmcrg F in is it relatix cl efficient user of) soilar L, t I x e x bitt\rkkh th Ittsulight st rikes dirct% oxtn the plant. 'Minlight xxhith passes thrittih the cantipx and strikes t he grittnd tx larFgelx list tii the plant. [his is a douible lo ss bet se t he itlf s en(V lox t st bV thIte plant is acpt itret liX xx eedx. xxhit h helps them timpete Wxit h t he trop itir nLitnrintis and inotistuLre. Findings, ot t he Auburn researtch xht lxx th at tin i aboutt 5 7 itt su nitph t paxsex. t h fiti h the t antpx xx ith U itt t plants per ai t e xx'hcreas abouitt 25'Y, reatcbed the gron itni xt 10.000)) plant,, and tixer 51 xx ax list xx tth 8,00)0 plant pttpulatittiis. Ax a rexuLII( the x ed protblem tntcreasetd in propofttin to the armtnut iot light miieasutred at gritunti lCx ti Ieseart h in Alabatma and elxexs here hix, xx mn that narrt ix rtxx, 5max % inre ase x ieltl prttxitded xYieldx are in excess iot 125 bit. per atcfe. When tiomparingp 11)in. anti 20) in) fttxx xx itthx. xx ith ptptilatiitns itt aboitt 5)) tI)) platxt. tip tit abtUt 10)Y Miert gratin ix oten prittuteti tin the narrixx roxi x thatn tin xx tier rttxxx Harxesting nafrttxx rttxxx max be a prot blim 'i iritst harxvesting equipment is tie signedi tor xx iler rttxxs Matn experimencrts haxve shitx that re comtmendedl ratex ott nit rogen (120)1lb. per at re in ALihamia) are req iired tot prodi)ute at pro fitalc corn troip, fltxxxer. ai sure xxax to losxe dettixenexx itf the nit rogen ix to hax c a xsparxe stanti Hot\x xpat ing dramatitcalix affets ni trttptn ettit tnt x is illustratetd bxtx% ia re stilt x at the llrexxtim Experiment F ield in 1970. WVith 12011lb. tit N applietd, per acre x elds fromr potpulationx oft 21 .tt00, I7.000 I1)0)0, anti 9,1000 plantx xwere 128, I2 1 10);5 anti 85 but.. rexpet tix elx T hexe rexultsx extablish t tnt itixix elx that certain mianageiment prac tces xii as min tri t pen appieitt and Plant pitpiiIlatit nS x1,1\ax ioii ptirt ant eftt to n tctotn plantsx andi itt im ait tiY on prtttitabiiit itt the tcrip. tmi Ili \\ s'tlk ii kii Am ii ois Nit i M \\tl-txi Pit 1 Tj 7 () i\xjj)p~j, Ai.stissix. I nitonmit p1 tnt L;gd Nit Plants Ditttie Sits ir Gt,1 in jpp )itlttn indl l x'ariii iih A 5th1 tilt tluld 1501lb. N loii'tittplijts 10 I 5 1.2 10 1 Sonit 81 i s 0H 1tititi nts . .. . 25 27 0t 10 12 ;o 100tItl 300 lb. N 10 I0 1m1ix .. . . I I I 1I I So ;0 .Soo 88 1200 t )itp,intx . . . 27 21 1i 0 1i, 7,2o 1 1 CORN PLANT CHARACTERISTICS affeted &q N RATE AND PLANT POPULATION C. E. SCARSBROOK, Departmetnt of Agronomy and Soits EFFECTS of HERBICIDES on PATHOGENS and DISEASES of TURFGRASSES GUY W. KARR, JR. and ROBERT T. GUDAUSKAS Department at Botany and Microbiology RAY D!CKENS, Department of Agronomiy and Soiils lilt Ii WI1"Inx afttit thler Uiai, I)(' sdstepest atwihthex r amd These 1.nln-target'' effects can he inmportant. and knowxledge at them may contribute towxxard nmore Wxise use of pestitcides. The non target eftec ts at herbic ides an plant pathoigens and diseases thex" catuse have re- emeil considerable attentian. Depending tin the herbicidle. pathaiten. and disease inxaolxed, sucthl efttes at herbii ides epxtedlx haxve rangetd triim inhibition tol stirnulation of pathogens ant/ or diseases. Recentlx, stuies wxere' undertaken at the Auiburn L'nixersitv Agric ultural Fxperiment Statian to determxine it soic herbicides usetd tar wxeed controll in ttirtgrasses iniight alsa affect pathogens anid diseases at the grasses. The pathogens selected for Studx wxere fungi that cause same iif the most inmportant diseases at tUrtgrasses in the Southeast. They xxere: R/aattaonia ia/an, wxh ic h causes broxwn patc h Sct rinia Ihaiii'iiirpa. xxhic h causes dallar spat :and Pri'tlnI ap/uniJe rwatun xx% hich causesS px thiutn blight. The herhicides used xxere Balan?I 1.5 EC and Pretar? / EC. both af xx hit h are labeled tar use in turt. and Nariran?) 1.0 EC. xwhich is being testetd in Pathogen Growth Studies To determine effectis an growxth at the tungi, the herhic iles at rates equal to recammended fieldl rates anti alsa 2X and 1IOX these rates xxere added to a standard rilcliclim used tor growxing tungi. The herbicide containing metdicum x as pocired into petri plates and inoculated xxit h a small amoxunt at each fun- gus. Plates oif herbicide-free medium wxera inoculatecd wxith the tungi ta serv e as cointrolls. The plates xx ere placetl in incucbatolrs set at 18, 2 0i. lit 350 C. and radial growxxth cot the tungi xxas, imeasuredl cails. (,enerallx. grawth of all the fungi wxas inhibited 1w, the herbicides at recammended field rates, and inhibitioin inc reased xxith in- creasing herbicide coincentratians. Fivecldav Old i clitIcire at Sr hainai at uP;1 at 18 C o an treated anid untreateed mecdicum are showxn I n thce photograph. Soiic exc eptians to the general inhibitar% ieftect at the herbicitee xx re notecd. At 35' C. growxth at R. soao xwas stimutlatedl is one or moure rates at bath Pretar 'M Ientian oii a tradenmark at prapriet ars fri dUC dliis not cansi tnate a guarantee I r xx .rrani% of t h e froducl~t, no r dloes it Iiiiptx its appra ato tht e ext Iisii n at other proiIuct th iat mnax alsol be and Nartrn Growt h Ot t he tn us' Oin medium containing the field rate and 2X field rate ot Nartran xx as 11tO and 1 28%) greater. terbi l' tgrspectix els than growxth on medium wxithoutLi Disease Studies Pots ot 'Tifclxx art' herniudagrass, %cure FIG. 1. Five-day-old cultures of S. homno- spraxed wxith the herhicides at recommiended eacarpa at 18' C on treated and untreated tield rates and 3X the recoammended rates. medium. im \i Dixi U~v \1NINi r, xii\ BDit T~l 111 5itl \1 Wa 1 'Siia ] [I i fi erbitdi 1)isca~is ratinte' rate acrt li axi a patch lIlar spat Fi thiini ])light Ralin . 3 11b .. . . . . . . ... ... . 2. fI 2.79 1.8 plan. 9 lb ... . . . . ..... . . .. 1.86 2.25 1 79 N rar n. 3 lb .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . (.6 2.1 L751 N oriran. 9 lb .. . . . . . ... .. . . 1.6t 1.77 1.5i0 Pretar 12 lb) ... . . . . . . . . . ... . . 1.88 2.02 2.10i p retar. 3b lb) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 5 2. 31 2.ai0 C o t o .... . ..... ..... .... 1 9 7 2. 31 2 ,1 Fai h x at ii is the ax trage 1for ratinags it I18 24 i imIt i atIin sites: I =no diseased grass apparent bCx i oint at ino a ilatian. area ot dliseiased grass Ia 1 .5 cm ianmeter, 3 =2.5 cur 4 - 11. nm, 5 g reate than -4 cin. One wxeek later, the grass in each lilt xwas inotcilatedi xxith oine at the three tfingi anti the pats xxere coivered wxith plastic bags to ensure high hutcits . The biags xxetc remoiveel atter -4 lax ',s and the sex erits at disease in each piot xxas ratedc. Bath the field rite anti the 3X rate cit Nortran reduced sexverity at brown patecht and the higher rate also reILeICeel dolllar split anti ps thilin bilight, see table. Pretar had nol effect an any disease: howeveat, the severity cif biroiwn patch and dolilar spoxt we're' inc reased in graiss treated wxith the tield rite at Balan. The eftec t,, ot the herbiicidecs oin diseases did noit alxx axs piarallel effects oin growxth oif the causal fuingi. Far example, Nartran reducced the sexverits oif browxn patch heit stimulated groiwxth at the pathagen, R. salani. antI Balan generally inhibited the growxth of all the tungi but increased the sexverity of biroiwn patch and doillar spot. Differential effects of thi' herbi- ides an the patholgens antI the diseases couild lie clue to mans factoirs. Suisceptibility oif thre grass and/lit other aspects at the pathogen g Lrass interactian mnax have been attec ted bV the herbiic ides. Conclusions Rescilts of this stck indicaite that c henmicals uisedl for xxc'ed cointroil in teirtgrass max, haxve noln-target eftects an tungal pathogens and di secises ot the grausse's. Samec at t hese ettec is mnax be beneiial in that groiwxth at the fuingi aindl l1 seases caused lix them are reducced. Howxev er, the pcissiliilitx lit det'rimentail efteecis lot same' hxeriies in enhancing clixe'lopment at soie piathogens aind dliscases is alsoi indicaitedl. Growth index I uZOC ToN/A SOcAN/ Noriron 35'C 0 31bA A 301b/ 20Or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Days Aftet Inoculation FIG. 2. Growth of R. solani on medium containing three concentrations of Nortron. Data are given as an Index obtained by dividing diameter growth for the treatment by that for the control. TIl NATIOul. Weather Service. in co operation with Auburn University, the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Alabama Cooperative Extension Serv ice. established the nation's first Environmental Studies Service Center (ESSC) in July 1973. The ESSC located in Leach Nuclear Science Center on the Auburn campus. has a staff of four agricultural meteorologists serving the diversified agriculture of Alabama. Georgia. and Florida. The ESSC has as its basic mission the formulation of interpretative statements relating weather forecasts, meteorological events, and climatological data to the agricultural industry in the service area. The specialized weather services provided by the ESSC allow growers to maximize the ad vantages of good weather in the production of food and fiber. They can also take those actions necessary to minimize the effects of untavorable weather. Daily agricultural weather advisories, based on agricultural weather forecasts issued by Weather Service forecast offices, are prepared each weekday for the farmers of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. The advisories give farmers the trend of weather expected during the next 5 days. Specific guidance is given for crops and farm operations according to the season. Advisory topics include soil tem- peratures for planting, insect and plant disease control, poultry heat stress, and harvesting weather. At the beginning and middle of each month an interpretation of the effects of weather during the next 30-day period on Alabama's agriculture is prepared by the Auburn ESSC. A special network of stations to observe. measure, and report weather elements that characterize the area has been established in cooperation with the land grant university svs tems in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. There are over 40 agricultural weather stations in the Tri-State area providing data on air and soil temperatures, rainfall, water loss by eva poration. hours of vegetative wetting, solar ra diation, and other parameters. All public weather information is available on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Wire. This is a statewide teletypewriter network that con nects weather offices with radio and television stations, and newspapers that choose to re ceive the service. About 76 Alabama radio and television stations, newspapers and cable TV companies subscribe to the Weather Wire. The news wire services also carry weather information. Meteorologists now have a direct line to the public in many areas of the country through the facilities of NOAA Weather Radio. Special radio receivers (often called "weather radios"' or radios with a "weather band") are required to pick up the broadcasts. The broadcasts are made in about a 10 mile radius of major metropolitan areas. The ESSC advisories are carried on the weather radio during the noon- time period. The preparation of agricultural weather in formation for the farmer requires that the agri cultural meteorologist be well informed on re search relating the effects of weather on the production of crops and livestock. Extensive literature reviews are used to coimpile information on how weather data and forecasts can be used to solve specific agricultural problems. A climatological library and data bank have been established at the ESSC to provide climatological data for locations throughout the southeast. ESSC staff are currently com- piling data on freeze probabilities, rainfall pro babilities and distributions, soil temperatures, periods of leaf wetness. and a varietv of other climatic factors. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION AUBURN UNIVERSITY AUBURN, ALABAMA 36830 R. Dennis Rouse, Director PUBLICATION-Highlights of 9M Agricultural Research 12/77 Penalty for Private Use, $300 Alabama's Agricultural Weather Service RODGER GETZ, Environmental Studies Service Center NOAA weather radio stations in Alabama. POSTAGE PAID U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AGR101 U.SMAIL BULK RATE The Auburn ESSC still hav c c)oprat d , a numtiber of field studies includtin thC ee ue t satellite data in forecasting freezes, ozone and crop damage, the prediction of potato leat blight disease, and the use of solar energy in livestock and poultry production. At the south end of the agronomy farm on the Auburn campus is a micrometeorological weather station operated bv the ESSC. Detailed measurements are taken ot air and soil temperatures, evaporation, wind, sun shine, solar radiation, rainfall, periods of leaf wetness, and other parameters. An annual publication listing daily observations from the station has been issued since 1963. The ESSC staff is available to advise researchers on the availability of weather data, to suggest the weather data that should be col lected for their research work, advise on weather instrumentation and other weather related studies. The ESSC at Auburn is dedicated to pro viding the right weather information to the agricultural community at the right time. The job is made possible through the cooperation of the land grant universities and the agri cultural incldustry. The ESSC concept, first tested at Auburn. will be implemented nation wide in the near future.