The Rural Voice, 2002-01, Page 42Research Scrap Book
Pastures could be waterfowl havens
A change in the grasses used in
pastures could turn productive
pastures into havens for waterfowl,
University of Guelph researchers say.
Researchers have found that
farmers who use warm -season grasses,
typically found in milder climates, can
give their cattle a quality feed source
and provide an excellent habitat for
waterfowl, making cows and ducks
unusual neighbours.
Pastures are believed to be a good
choice to replace rapidly disappearing
habitats for waterfowl because they're
often secluded and near water, but
most grasses in Ontario are too short
to protect nests.
Ducks Unlimited Canada was
already familiar with the benefits
warm -season grasses provide for
ducks, but the feed quality had to be
proven before farmers would use the
grasses in their fields. So the
organization joined forces with the
University of Guelph and a private
farm near Shelburne to examine the
grasses' growth potential in cooler
climates and whether these grasses
can meet the nutritional needs of beef
cattle.
Early results indicate they're quite
suitable, according to Owen Steele of
Ducks Unlimited. "We've learned a
lot about these grasses and how they
behave in Ontario," he says. "If they
prove to be advantageous, the
agriculture community could use them
as forages while providing habitat for
wildlife."
The grasses' outstanding height (up
to 75 centimetres — 30 inches) and
good drought tolerance, means they
provide extended shelter to birds,
especially ducks that nest near creeks
and ponds in farmers' fields. The ideal
habitat for nesting waterfowl is grass
that is long enough to provide
sufficient cover to the nest and is
within 300 metres of wetlands.
Typically, fanners would use these
grasses in mid -summer pastures. By
this time, most waterfowl would have
left their nests but for those remaining,
cows don't pose a threat, says Steele
because cows are generally gentle
animals and are not likely to disturb
the ducks.
Steele, Prof. Jock Buchanan -Smith
of U. of G.'s Department of Animal
and Poultry Science, Nick Kinkel,
formerly with Ducks Unlimited and
David Pease of Glen Osprey Farm, in
1998 divided a field on the Pease farm
into three two -acre paddocks, seeding
them with switchgrass, big and little
bluestem or a mixture of switchgrass,
big and little bluestem and Indian
grass. The next summer they placed
cattle in each paddock until the grass
was sufficiently grazed. When tested
in 1999, the grasses provided greater
quantities of fibre than cool -season
grasses did and similar digestible
energy levels. More tests were
conducted in the summer of 2000 with
varied results, perhaps due to
unusually cool weather and record-
setting rainfalls.
"More research is needed before
warm -season grasses become a
widespread practice in the agricultural
industry," said Buchanan Smith.°
— Source: University of Guelph
Research Magazine
NASA glasses help detect plant stress
Farmers could someday use sunglasses, originally developed by a researcher
at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to identify
the early stages of stress and disease in crops.
Hawkeye plant stress detection glasses by Advanced Optical Technology/
Optical Sales Corp. of Portland, Oregon, could help catch problems before they
develop and time input application to improve results. Early detection can also
help the environment by reducing use of herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers.
Len Haslim, a NASA senior scientist developed the technology which couples
the effect of special filters and the human eye's hypersensitivity to shades of
green to let the eye see healthy vegetation change colour to grey or black.
Vegetation damaged by insect or poor nutrition stands out as glowing red, pink
or other hues against a black background of healthy plants.°
— Source: Western Producer
38 THE RURAL VOICE
Scientists discover
some trees eat bugs
In a sort of man -bites -dog
turnaround, University of Guelph
researchers have discovered that
some trees eat bugs.
Botany professor John
Klironomos and graduate student
Miranda Hart have discovered that
white pine trees unite with fungi to
feed on the nitrogen of tiny insects.
The finding opens the possibility
that other plants may also be using
their roots to eat living organisms.
"This is really changing
people's perspective about the
food chain because we could be
dealing with something that is
surprisingly quite common," says
Klironomos.
In examining the fungal -food
preferences of tiny insects called
springtails, the researchers were
surprised to discover a fungus
called Laccaria bicolor was
actually feeding on insects. The
fungus, which attaches to the roots
of white pine trees, uses the insects
to distribute nitrogen to the trees.
In fact the researchers found that
25 per cent of the tree's nitrogen
came from the springtails.
The fungus immobilizes the
insects with a toxin, then proceeds
to grow inside them, actually eat-
ing the springtails alive. The fung-
us feeds on the insects for nitrogen,
which it then uses to "barter" with
the host tree for the carbon it needs
to synthesize enzyrks.
"We've changed the way
ecologists think about a nutrient
cycling system," says Klironomos.
He now intends to do further
work to see if this is an oddity or a
regular occurrence in the plant -
food chain. Since his study appear-
ed, other scientists have reported
seeing similar phenomenon.
It's commonly believed that
plants receive their nutrients from
dead organic matter in the soil,
with a few exceptions such as the
Venus flytrap and other carnivor-
ous plants, which actively catch
insects as prey.°
— Source: University of Guelph
Research Magazine