Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 27 Jun 2003 to 28 Jun 2003 (#2003-164) There are 3 messages totalling 341 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. News: Weeds Move to Counter Genetic Engineering 2. TDR probes 3. RFI: Ruby-throated hummers in CANADA ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003 21:51:40 -0700 From: Ashwani Vasishth <vasishth@USC.EDU> Subject: News: Weeds Move to Counter Genetic Engineering WEED 'EM AND WEEP In a finding that undermines one key argument in favor of genetically modified (GM) crops, researchers at Iowa State University have discovered that a number of "superweeds" have developed a resistance to Monsanto's widely used Roundup herbicide. Monsanto has engineered crops that are tolerant of Roundup, the idea being that the chemical would kill everything in a field but the desired crop, thereby freeing farmers from using additional herbicides and leading to an overall decrease in the use of chemicals. But if superweeds gain a foothold, farmers will again need other herbicides. "Companies like Monsanto have spun GM crops and their weed killers as having less impact on the environment, but the fact of resistant weeds undoubtedly means more weed killers, and means the impact on the environment will be greater," said Pete Riley of Friends of the Earth. "These discoveries remove a central plank from the whole argument for GM crops." straight to the source: London Independent, Michael McCarthy, 23 Jun 2003 <http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=1272> * * * http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=418070 Superweeds' signal setback for GM crops By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor 23 June 2003 The dispute over genetically modified crops will intensify today with news of the evolution of "superweeds", which are resistant to the powerful weedkillers that GM crops were engineered to tolerate. The development, which comes as the sacked former environment minister Michael Meacher puts himself at the head of the anti-GM campaign, will be seized on by opponents of the technology as undermining its rationale. It means that bigger quantities of weedkillers - not less, as the biotechnology companies have claimed - will be needed in GM-crop fields, adding to the already intensive agriculture that has wiped out much of Britain's farmland wildlife in the past four decades. Monsanto, the GM market leader, confirmed to The Independent at the weekend that its solution for dealing with resistant weeds was to apply different weedkillers in new ways. In yesterday's Independent on Sunday, Mr Meacher accused Tony Blair, a GM supporter, of seeking to bury health warnings about GM produce by "rushing to desired conclusions which cannot be scientifically supported". The revelations about superweeds have been communicated to the Government by an American academic specialising in weed control, who has posted a paper on the website of the official GM science review, led by Professor David King, the Government's chief scientific adviser. This will report soon in advance of a long-delayed decision, due this autumn, on whether GM crops should be commercialised in Britain. The paper, by Professor Bob Hartzler of the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University, reveals that in the past seven years, up to five weed species have been found with resistance to the herbicide glyphosate, best known by the Monsanto trade name Roundup. The resistance has come about not through gene transfer from GM herbicide-tolerant crops, as some have feared, but through natural evolution. Glyphosate is a "broad spectrum" herbicide, meaning that, originally, it killed everything, including crops. GM crops were developed to be tolerant of the herbicide, so it could be applied throughout the growing season. Two GM crops proposed for commercial growth in Britain, fodder beet and sugar beet, are glyphosate-tolerant. But weeds have been found in Australia, Chile, Malaysia and California and other areas of the US, that glyphosate cannot kill. Greg Elmore, Monsanto's US technical manager for soybeans, said Monsanto was taking seriously the question of glyphosate resistance, tackling it with "weed control management practices". With soybeans, he said, resistant weeds were controlled with a pre-planting "burn-down" (which kills everything), using 2,4-D, another weedkiller. At least three of the resistant weeds had evolved where glyphosate was being used with non-GM crops, he said, adding that it was far from the only weedkiller for which weeds had evolved resistance - as many as 70 weeds were resistant to some weedkillers. Pete Riley, Friends of the Earth's GM campaigner, said: "Companies like Monsanto have spun GM crops and their weedkillers as having less impact on the environment, but the fact of resistant weeds undoubtedly means more weedkillers, and means the impact on the environment will be greater. "These discoveries remove a central plank from the whole argument for GM crops." Yesterday, Mr Meacher listed a series of reports and findings suggesting that the full impact of GM technology was still dangerously unpredictable. Many of the health tests carried out were "scientifically vacuous", he said. * * * 27 June 2003 21:21 2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd ========== ** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. ** To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: envecolnews-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to this group, send an email to: envecolnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Or, for more options, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/envecolnews/ For questions or suggestions, contact: vasishth@usc.edu Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2003 13:44:22 +0200 From: Luis Gimenez <lgimenez@ESCET.URJC.ES> Subject: Re: TDR probes Dear friends, Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions regarding the use of = non-comercial probes to measure soil water content. I've summarized the = replies below. Luis > Quoting Luis Gim=E9nez Benavides <l.gimenez@ESCET.URJC.ES>: >=20 > > Hello all, > >=20 > > I=3DB4m seeking for a cheap and easy procedure to construct, and = D > > calibrate, by myself resistant probes to measure soil water conten = with =3D > > a TDR (time domain reflectometry) system (Trime-FM2 model, Imko =3 > > Micromodultechnik). Every commercial probes provided are expensiv = and =3D > > very fragile, and not prepared for an intensive field sampling. > > I know this is possible because I found several examples in the we = and =3D > > by personnal communications with other models (Techtronix, =3D > > Campbell,...), but I=3DB4m not sure theese probes will work well i = my =3D > > device, because of the special calibration that is needed to make. > > I=3DB4m really not an expert with this kind of instruments, so I = need =3D > > detailed instructions. > > This is a complicate and strange question for this listserv (maybe = more =3D > > appropriate for an agronomy or hidrology forum), but I know the wi e = use =3D > > of this instruments even by ecologgers. Anyway, if someone knows = another =3D > > listserv or contact any suggestion will be appreciate. > >=20 > > Thanks in advance to anyone who may respond. > >=20 > > Best wishes > >=20 > > Luis Gimenez ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Luis, I am currently making my own TDR probes. The process is reasonably = simple=20 but requires some skill at soldering and epoxy fabrication. These were=20 designed to replicate the Campbell Scientific probes as much as=20 possible. The only difference is that I replaced the cable with a = female=20 BNC connector. If you really want a simple and cheap method, many = people=20 have had success with simply driving stainless steel rods into the soil=20 then attaching alligator clips to the rods when measuring. I don't know = what the special requirements are for you calibration. Generally a core = of=20 representative soil is taken and kept intact in a container. When the = soil=20 has air dried, specific volumes of water are added and measurements=20 taken. A calibration equation is constructed for that soil by linear=20 regression of the TDR parameters. The reference below has lots of=20 information of the subject. Gray, A.N. and T. A. Spies, 1995. Water content measurement in forest = soils=20 and decayed wood using time domain reflectometry. Can. J. For. Res. v.25 = p 376. Feel free to phone me at the number below if you have any questions. I = can=20 send you photos of the process I'm using if you'd like. David M. Bryant Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences Harvard University 20 Oxford St. Cambridge, MA 02138 dmb@io.harvard.edu 617-496-6246 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= - Hello Luis, Jon Wraith (jwraith@montana.edu 406-994-1997) makes all his own probes here at Montana State University. I don't know if he has anything written down but he may have time to talk with you. Rosie -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Dr. Benavides, We made over 250 probes using fiberglass epoxy resin from TAP=20 plastics, metal screen, stainless steel welding rod (1/8" bare cut),=20 and RG 58U coaxial cable and connectors for about $5 a probe. The=20 probes are easy to make with an aluminum jig, are robust and easy to=20 calibrate. Please look on our project website for pictures and more=20 information: http://www.srnr.arizona.edu/~uappel/srer look in the picture gallery under TDR. I have included two pictures=20 of the jig we used and how the probes are assembled, but I have more=20 (our machine shop made the jig, but it's pretty simple). Feel free=20 to e-mail if you have more questions or want to see more pictures. Sincerely, Nathan English Research Specialist School of Renewable Natural Resources University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 Phone: (520) 626-7131 FAX: (520) 621-8801 Home Page: = http://www.srnr.arizona.edu/~uappel/uappel/people/nathan/index.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hi, You can try using pairs of welding rods - stainless steel - you can buy = them by the pound. You can calibrate them using methods in this paper. = Make sure they are parallel and evenly spaced. Good luck. J. CAVENDER-BARES & N. M. HOLBROOK (2001) Hydraulic properties and = freezing-induced cavitation in sympatric evergreen and deciduous oaks = with contrasting habitats. Plant, Cell and Environment 24, 1243-1256. Jeannine Cavender-Bares Assistant Professor, starting 9-03 Dept. of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul MN 1987 Upper Buford Circle=20 St. Paul, MN 55108 caven009@umn.edu=20 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2003 13:14:42 -0400 From: RESEARCH Hilton Pond Center <research@HILTONPOND.ORG> Subject: RFI: Ruby-throated hummers in CANADA Spring through autumn, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) occur--and likely breed--across the eastern U.S. and into southern Canada. Most distribution maps indicate that RTHUs can be seen in Canada only within a hundred miles or so of the U.S. border. Nonetheless, through "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" ( http://www.rubythroat.org ) we have received several reports of RTHUs coming to feeders much further north into Canada. To gain better understanding of the actual northern range of RTHUs, Operation RubyThroat is conducting a survey aimed at residents of and visitors to Canada. We are especially interested in RTHU nesting reports from the Canadian provinces and in information about the possible spread of RTHUs into British Columbia. If you live in Canada or vacation there and observe hummingbirds, please visit our survey information page at http://www.rubythroat.org/FormCanadaRTHUMain.html and complete the form. Your data will be valuable in helping determine the actual distribution in Canada of one of North America's favorite birds. If you have questions or comments, please send them to mailto:questions@rubythroat.org . Thank you, and please forward this e-mail to folks in Canada who may be interested in submitting observations. We are especially interested involving Canadian students and teachers in this effort. Happy Hummingbird Watching! BILL -- RESEARCH PROGRAM c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History 1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA research@hiltonpond.org, (803) 684-5852, eFax: (503) 218-0845 Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net): Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org ********** ------------------------------ End of ECOLOG-L Digest - 27 Jun 2003 to 28 Jun 2003 (#2003-164) *************************************************************** ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
Thanks to discussion with TVR, I have decided to put a link to back files of the discussion group. This months back files.
The link to complete archives is available elsewhere.
This text was originally an e-mail. It was converted using a program
RUPANTAR- a simple e-mail-to-html converter.
(c)Kolatkar Milind. kmilind@ces.iisc.ernet.in