Researchers are Close to Hooking Fatal Catfish Disease

After grappling with a malady that decimates farm-raised catfish, ARS scientists at the Aquatic Animal Health Research lab in Auburn, AL, are close to landing answers and potential remedies to the elusive disease.

Aeromonas hydrophila has ravaged the catfish farming industry in Alabama and other states since its discovery in 2009. The bacterial disease causes hemorrhages on the fish’s body, loss of orientation, and rapid death. Last year, Alabama catfish farmers lost about $13.5 million in revenue – 9% higher than the previous year – due to fish mortality, costs of medicated feed and chemical treatments, and lost feeding days.

Scientists are taking a holistic approach to their research, systematically studying the impact of diet, oxygen depletion, chemical treatments, abrasions, parasite infections, and more to understand how the pathogen works.

Read this article to learn more

Fighting Pests the Organic Way

Farmers have long used pesticides to protect their plants and crops from hungry pests, such as the spotted wing drosophila fly (SWD). This beautiful creature has wreaked havoc on farms in the west, causing over $700 million annually in crop damage. Farmers fight SWD with synthetic insecticides, but that can be expensive and is also harmful to the environment, contributes to pesticide resistance, and may be harmful to humans.

ARS researchers may have found an organic alternative from a substance we use every day at home. Methyl benzoate is a naturally occurring compound produced by plants, and its fruity and floral aroma makes it a staple in perfumes and cosmetics and as a food additive. Nature also employs it to attract pollinators. When used as an organic pesticide, however, it’s been shown to kill or repel many insects in various stages of development, including mosquitoes, bed bugs, fire ants, ticks, flies, moths, and the brown marmorated stink bug. Perhaps most important, however, is its ability to repel and kill SWD, a major destroyer of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and cherries. Because methyl benzoate is an environmentally friendly, bio-based compound, it has great potential to be used by people for human protection as an alternative to synthetic pesticides. It also costs less than synthetic pesticide treatments.

Read "Organic Multitasking: From Human Food Additive to Pesticide" to learn more. 

Microalgae is the Bee’s Knees

We love to eat the honey that honeybees produce, but what do honeybees eat?

The usual answer to this question is nectar and pollen. However, malnutrition in honeybees – a major reason why they’re growing more susceptible to pathogens, parasites, and pesticides – is a growing issue in the world of agriculture.

Fortunately, ARS scientists with the ARS Honeybee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Laboratory in Baton Rouge, LA, have discovered another option on the honeybee menu: microscopic algae, or “microalgae.”

Read this longer article to find out more.

Protecting Pecans with Friendly Fungi

On July 1, 1930, ARS began its pecan research and breeding program in Austin, TX. Their efforts helped the United States became the world’s leading producer of pecans with a crop estimated to be worth over $560 million.

Now, scientists at the ARS Fruit and Tree Nut Research Station in Byron, GA, and research partners at Fort Valley State University and University of Georgia have developed newer and smarter ways to protect this beloved crop.

The team identified two “friendly fungi,” Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum. Both fungi can control economically damaging insects like pecan weevils, aphids, and stink bugs. There is also a correlation between those fungi and the growth of the plants they’re applied to, leading to increased plant height, number of leaves, and root length.

Read a longer article to learn more.

Steam-Cleaning Melons?

Consumers aren’t likely to clean their cantaloupes with a steam cleaner, but an ARS scientist did just that to show that the concept could be an effective way to reduce bacterial contamination on the surface of cantaloupes. The treatment didn’t harm the flavor or quality of the melon, either.

Read "Steam Makes Melons Safer" to learn more. 

Paint Your Pet's Behavior

Animals show many different behaviors every day. They may play and greet other animals, and their behavior may change during an activity or experience, such as a sudden thunderstorm. Have you ever noticed your pet's behaviors? Normal behaviors like playing or grooming tell us that an animal is happy and relaxed. When animals become stressed, bored, or sick, they may show 'abnormal behaviors' like biting, hiding, or pacing. It's important to identify and understand animal behaviors and their causes to ensure they are happy and stress free.

About the Experiment

Use this activity to learn more about different animal behaviors. Get creative painting or drawing!

	Details Ages - 4-11
	Time - 30 minutes
	Difficulty - Easy

 What You'll Need

• Paper plates (or a sheet of paper)
• Paint/markers/colored pencils/crayons
• Paint brushes if using paint
• Popsicle sticks
• Glue or tape

Let's Do This!

1. Choose a pet or animal to study its behaviors. You can study your pet, a family or friend's pet, or another animal, such as in a zoo. Select three different behaviors that the pet or animal shows (Examples).
2. Paint or draw the pet or animal expressing its behavior on the paper plate (or sheet of paper). Repeat this for the other two behaviors.
3. If you're painting, let your paper plate or sheet of paper dry after you paint your picture.
4. Glue or tape a popsicle stick to the back of your paper plate.
5. Now you have three animal masks or puppets, or new artwork to hang up.

What Did You Learn?

1. What pet or animal did you choose and why?
2. What behaviors did you choose? Why did you choose these?
3. What do these behaviors tell you about the pet or animal?
4. Do you share any of the same behaviors? If so, how do these behaviors make you feel?
5. If you chose any negative or abnormal behaviors, how can you change the situation to make the pet or animal feel happy and stress free?

Animal Behavior Research from the Agriculture Research Service

Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists observe farm animals' behaviors to make sure we give them the best care. Here are some projects the scientists are working on:

• ARS scientists give chickens new toys to see how these changes can support positive behavior.
• ARS scientists are studying pigs' behavior to see how it changes as they become hot.
• Scientists are giving pigs toys to see how they change the pigs' behavior.
• ARS scientists found that hops that are too old for brewing beer, but still nutritious for cattle, may help keep cows healthy.
• ARS scientists found the first meal is vital for calf and piglet survival.
• ARS scientists are the first to demonstrate that goats with a different form of a gene are less susceptible to the disease scrapie.
• ARS scientists are researching the temperature preferences of sows, with an eye toward keeping them more comfortable.

Animal Welfare Information Center

The Animal Welfare Information Center at the National Agricultural Library provides information about animal wellbeing and how to house and care for animals.

Animal Welfare Information Center: Housing, Care and Welfare

Microbe Turns Bread Waste into Useful Compound

Food waste is a big problem, both practically and ethically. Bread, rolls, and other baked goods account for a significant portion. Some bread waste is fed to livestock as a source of carbohydrates and protein, but much of it gets tossed out.

The good news is that an international research team of scientists from the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, IL, and Ege University in Turkey, found a way to use bacteria to convert the glucose (sugar) in bread waste into a compound known as 2KGA. In turn, 2KGA can be made into valuable compounds such as vitamin C, which is used in foods and beverages, supplements, and pharmaceutical and personal-care products.

The useful bacterium is called Pseudomonas reptilivora.

Read "Microbe Turns Bread Waste Into Useful Compound" to learn more.