FILL 'ER UP . . . . WITH MUSHROOMS?

A famous Montana State University professor has recently made another amazing discovery. Gary Strobel is famous for discovering a fungus in 1993 that contained the anticancer drug taxol.

But his most recent discovery promises to be even bigger. He's found a mushroom in a South American rain forest that produces . . . diesel. That's right, diesel, as in 'put it in your car and drive off.'

Strobel visited the rainforest in 2002 and collected a variety of specimens, including the branches from an ancient family of trees known as "ulmo." When he and his collaborators examined the branches, they found fungus growing inside. They continued to investigate and discovered that the fungus, called "Gliocladium roseum," was producing gases. Further testing showed that the fungus -- under limited oxygen -- was producing a number of compounds normally associated with diesel fuel, normally obtained from crude oil.
"These are the first organisms that have been found that make many of the ingredients of diesel," Strobel said. "This is a major discovery.".

Strobel doesn't know when drivers will fill their gas tanks with fungi fuel or if processors can make enough to fill the demand. The road to commercialization is filled with potential glitches, he said. It's also a major endeavor that will be left to others who specialize in those areas.

Researchers in government agencies and private industry have already shown interest in the fungi. A team to conduct further research has been established between MSU's College of Engineering and researchers at Yale University. "The main value of this discovery may not be the organism itself, but may be the genes responsible for the production of these gases," Strobel said

Strobel said his team is already screening the fungus' genome. Besides determining the complete genetic makeup of the fungus, they'll run a series of genetic and biochemical tests to identify the genes responsible for its diesel-making properties. Another promising aspect is that the fungus grows in cellulose; the major component of wood and the most common organic molecule on Earth.Wood to diesel via a fungus. Strange plant news indeed! And now some plant news that's also history.

LONG TIME COTTON

A plot of land on the campus of Auburn University in Alabama has recently made some news. In 1896, Professor J.F. Duggar at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (now Auburn University) started an experiment to test his theories that cotton could be grown continually on a plot of land if the growers used crop rotation and planted winter legumes like clover or vetch to protect the soil from erosion.

Today, his experiment on the campus of Auburn University is the oldest, continuous cotton experiment in the world and the third oldest same-site field crop experiment in the United States. The experiment, known as "the Old Rotation," has continued with only slight modifications in treatments and was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1988. Researchers have prepared a comprehensive research publication that covers the entire 110-year history of the experiment.

The thirteen plots in the Old Rotation include continuous plantings of cotton, a 2-year rotation of cotton with corn, and a 3-year rotation of cotton, corn, wheat and soybeans. These crop rotations include treatments with and without winter legumes (usually crimson clover and/or vetch) and with and without fertilizer.

After more than 110 years, the Old Rotation continues to document the long-term effects of crop rotation and winter legumes on cotton production in the Deep South. It provides growers, students, and faculty with a living demonstration of fundamental agronomic practices that result in sustainable crop production. Long-term yields indicate that winter legumes are as effective as nitrogen fertilizer in producing average cotton yields of 1,100 pounds per acre. Winter legumes and crop rotations contribute to increased soil organic matter. Higher soil organic matter results in higher crop yields.

In 1997, the Old Rotation entered a new era of agricultural production where boll weevil eradication, genetically modified crops, and conservation tillage have almost eliminated the need for the plow and pesticides. In 2003, irrigation was added to half of each plot. Yields of cotton, corn, wheat and soybean continue to increase far beyond Professor Duggar's wildest dreams.

So we've seen the results of a long term study on a particular plant, but what happens to your research if your plant grows very slowly. A professor at Evergreen State College in Washington has come up with a novel solution.

CAPTIVE RESEARCH TEAM

Nadkarni started the Moss-in-Prisons project with National Science Foundation award specially designed to help scientists reach out to public audiences. She has also received additional funding from the Washington State Department of Corrections. I think that if more researchers followed Dr. Nadkarni's example, we'd all be a lot better off! And now a story that sounds more appropriate for April Fool's Day than Christmas.

YOU FOUND THEM WHERE?

But that's not the real point of this little story, is it? Just how did all this 'ocean stuff' get trapped in conifer resin? According to the researchers, the most likely scenario is that the trees that produced the resin were very close to the coast. There could have been wind-blown diatoms, but more likely the forest was destroyed by a huge wave that carried the trees out to sea before their resin hardened. Sea creatures in amber. What will we discover next? Christmas trees are notorious for producing the same kind of resin that becomes amber. Have a look at the branches of your tree today! Oh, and by the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!