The Rural Voice, 2003-11, Page 42The leading edge
Genetically -altered plants could help
detect land mines in former war zones
Genetically modified plants are
being developed by the Canadian and
U.S. militaries as a way of helping
locate land mines hidden in rural
areas.
Researchers at the University of
Alberta are working with defence
departments on both sides of the
border on a $135,000 project that will
continue over the next two years.
The plants would change colour if
they came into contact with soil
containing TNT and other chemical
compounds commonly used in land
mines, thereby warning people to stay
away.
"Various land mines leak (into the
soil) at different rates," said Anthony
Faust, a researcher with the land mine
detection branch of the Department of
National Defence.
"Some are actually almost open to
the environment around them."
But Professor Michael Deyholos,
who is leading the research effort at
the University of Alberta's Biological
Sciences Department, said many
questions remain. 'The truth is we
don't know exactly how this is going
to work. But we do know that there
are bacteria and other organisms that
can detect things like TNT in the soil.
And we might take a gene from those
bacteria and put it in the roots of the
plant.
"And then when TNT binds to the
receptor that that,gene makes, it will
cause a series of signals to be sent to
the plant. Ultimately those signals will
end up in the flower or the leaves of
the plant and change the colour of the
flower or leaves."
If successful, the resulting plants
would not be useful to armies in
combat zones because the plants
would take months to grow. They
would be helpful in lengthy
peacekeeping missions or after a war
is over and civilians want to reclaim
their land. Plant seeds could be spread
by airplane or helicopter and as they
grew they would indicate whether an
area is safe.
The United Nations estimates there
are more than 110 million land mines
buried around the world. In Angola
alone there are an estimated 10 mill-
ion land mines and 70,000 people
have lost limbs in land mine explosions.
"One of the big problems with
humanitarian de -mining is the sheer
size of the problem," Mr. Faust said.
He came up with the genetically -
modified plant idea after watching a
TV newscast.
"I caught the tail end of a clip that
talked about sending genetically
modified plants to Mars. These plants
were going to be modified to be
sensitive to heavy metals. So I
wondered if that was applicable to any
type of chemical compound."
It could be five years before the
plants are developed and ready to be
spread, said Prof. Deyholos.0
— Source: Canadian Press
Docking tails doesn't improve milk qualitg
Those opposed to the docking of the tails of dairy cattle got more ammunition
recently from a University of Wisconsin -Madison study that found docking tails
made no difference in somatic cell count, intramammary infection or cleanliness.
Dan Schreiner and Pam Ruegg, DVM, from the university compared 1,250
cows from eight different Wisconsin farms for nine months. The herd size
ranged from 65 to 365 cows housed in free stall barns and milked in either
parallel of herringbone parlours. Milk samples were taken from the cows every
month for the duration of the study. The samples were tested for somatic cell
count and intramammary infection.
The researchers concluded that there was no significant benefit in cleanliness
of milk quality due to tail docking. Since there are no advantages or
disadvantages, docking may still be considered for non -cow factors such as
operator comfort.0
38 THE RURAL VOICE
— Source: Hoard's Dairyman
Waste product could
mean comfort
for seniors
A food supplement made from
a waste product of farming could
bring relief to those suffering
irregularity, particularly those in
nursing homes.
University of Saskatchewan
pharmacy and nutrition graduate
student Wendy Dahl has shown
that adding four grams of ground
pea hull fibre to the diets of nurs-
ing home residents dramatically
relieves constipation, a chronic
condition plaguing the elderly.
"People in long-term care
facilities consume less than half as
much fibre as they need," said
Dahl.
As a result, more than 70 per
cent of nursing home residents are
prescribed pharmaceutical laxa-
tives and enemas. In Saskatchewan
where the study was conducted,
residents pay for their own
constipation prescriptions which
can cost up to $600 a year.
But more important than the
financial aspect is the discomfort
of patients who receive an enema
if they haven't had a bowel
movement in three days.
Dahl said her research showed
that incorporating pea hull fibre
into three or four food items a day
can reduce the need for enemas.
Her study showed a 44 per cent
improvement in patients'
regularity.
The findings of her study
convinced the Prairie North Health
Region in the North Battleford,
Saskatchewan area to add pea fibre
to the menus at its care facilities.
The fine powder acts as a
substitute for wheat flour and can
be an ingredient in cookies, hot
cereal, pancakes, meatloaf, gravy
and other foods. It is extremely
high in insoluble fibre. Parrheim
Foods of Portage la Prairie uses a
wet milling process to convert the
hulls of yellow peas into a bland
off-white powder. It has been
selling it to Europe and Australia.0
—Source: Western Producer