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Research roundup at Montana State University-Bozeman- Drinking it in – Wrinkles vs. war – Star search – Alien bugs

Drinking it in

Plant growth is hindered on about 30 percent of U.S. irrigated land and 50 percent of irrigated land worldwide due to salty or sodic soils. The problem increases with long-term irrigation, salty irrigation water or inadequate drainage. Salts and sodium are concerns with some coal bed methane water, so MSU Extension specialist Jim Bauder is working to identify crop, range and wetland plants that grow well even as they "drink in" salty water. In one such effort, he and MSU Barley Breeder Suzanne Mickelson are evaluating barley varieties for performance in such soils. The work is funded by several state and federal agencies, including the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Wrinkles vs. war

Can you be wrinkle-free and safe from botulism at the same time? William Newsome says no. A medical doctor who’s an adjunct professor at MSU-Bozeman, Newsome said a vaccine against botulism hasn’t been perfected so isn’t available yet. But when the vaccine does become available, people who want Botox injected into their foreheads may be out of luck. Newsome doesn’t expect Botox injections to work on people who’ve been vaccinated against botulism. Botox, the trade name for botulinum toxin A, temporarily freezes facial muscles, resulting in an unlined face for a time. Botulism, a possible weapon for bioterrorists, paralyzes its victims in a more serious way. People with botulism can be wide awake but unable to move. They may need a respirator for two to five months until their nerve endings regenerate.

Star search

Neutron stars are fascinating laboratories for researchers who study matter, says Bennett Link, an associate professor of physics at MSU-Bozeman. Born under violent conditions, neutron stars contain the densest matter known. A cubic centimeter of neutron star material would weigh 100 millions tons on Earth. One neutron star spins 800 times a second. Its surface is commonly 1,000 times hotter than the surface of the sun. Neutron stars have such enormous gravity that they can pull gas from a nearby star and create thermonuclear explosions. Link researches neutron stars, and will be on sabbatical in 2003/2004 to develop new and existing collaborations to study them.

Alien bugs

Sometimes insects from other countries are more effective than those from elsewhere in the United States, says Jeff Littlefield from the entomology department at MSU-Bozeman. Littlefield found that flea beetles from Switzerland were more suitable to Montana than flea beetles from Oregon, for example. Gall mites from northern Greece worked better in Montana than gall mites from Texas. Littlefield and his students released flea beetles in northwest Montana to fight Tansy Ragwort. They’re experimenting with gall mites in several locations around the state in an effort to wipe out Field Bindweed. The flea beetles are being used primarily on U.S. Forest Service land. The gall mite work is being done largely on Bureau of Land Management land.

Contact: Evelyn Boswell, (406) 994-5135 or [email protected]

http://www.montana.edu/commserv/csnews/nwview.php?article=855

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