Dr. Stella K. Kantartzi joined the faculty on August 16, 2008.  She brings with her a strong research base in molecular biology techniques.  Kantartzi is orginally from Greece, receiving her Ph.D. from Aristotle University.  Her focus will be working to improve soybean seed quality, particularly in developing better resistance to disease, insects and drought.  She will work in collaboration with state and regional soybean breeders, as well as various commodity groups to enhance production and product value. 

 

· "New Soybean Breeder to Join Agriculture Faculty" [The Saluki Times, 05/21/2008] 

 

 

 

As the developer of new horseradish cultivars, Dr. S. Alan Walters, enjoys producing hybrid plants for producers across the midwest.  "We're trying to breed (horseradish plants) for disease-resistance, " says Walters.  As Walters produces and harvests his new cultivars, he works closely with industry representatives to rate and rank the product.  For the lucky plants that are chosen, their plant tissue is sent to specialists who clone them for commercial production.  Learn more about this project at:

· "Horseradish Breeding Program Vital to Growers" [The Saluki Times, 05/16/2008]

 

 

 

 

Could soybeans be used to produce an alternative fuel source for America?  Researchers believe that with a few "tweaks," soybeans could be bred to produce an oilier product specifically for the biodisel industry.  Dr. David Lightfoot is working to breed a new bean with more energy.  While Dr. Yong Gao is experimenting with ways to keep the fuel produced from these beans from freezing at low temperatures.  Both scientists are enlisting the help of Dr. Khalid Meksem to incorporate research he has completed through chemical changes resulting in hundreds of "Mutant Soybeans" profiles.  Sound like a Sci-Fi movie?  No, this is not fodder for a new movie!  This type of hi-tech research is being performed daily by researchers in the Department of Plant, Soil and Agricultural Resources.  Learn more about this ground-breaking research at: 

 

· "Researchers Look to Create Biodiesel Soybean Lines" [SIUC Press Release, 10/22/2007]

· "The Future is Now for Biodiesel at SIUC" [Southern Illinoisan, 01/12/2007]

 

 

 

According to soybean farmers, the phrase "Sudden Death" does not refer to an overtime period in a sporting event. Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) is a fungal disease that costs the soybean industry millions of dollars each year. According to scientists, Illinois producers started noticing the disease in the late 80s. In the mid 90s, SIUC researchers Dr. David Lightfoot, Dr. Khalid Meksem, and Dr. Paul Gibson started working on a test to identify plants with disease-resistent traits. This past October, Lightfoot received a patent for the assay test, which will allow the University to negotiate with private companies to license it.

 

· "New Lab Test Can Detect SDS in Soybean Seedlings" [SIUC Press Release, 01/04/2008]

 

 

 

Researchers are "buzzed" over the possibility of using yeast to boost ethanol production. Dr. Ahmad Fakhoury, plant patholigist, spends his days investigating fungal genetics and the industrial applications of microbes. His new research focuses on the use of the kind of yeast that brewers use to give beer its "kick," but hopes to reengineer a special strain of yeast to withstand the high alcohol levels and acidity encountered in the production of ethanol. Fakhoury hopes the encouraging results from his preliminary research will land him additional research support from federal agencies interested in alternative fuels.

 

Dr. Khalid Meksem, SIUC crop researcher for the College of Agricultural Sciences, received a three-year grant to study "mutant plants." Meksem studies the plants in order to identify desirable genetic traits, single them out, and then bred plants to include the genetic changes. The grant should once again place SIUC at the forefront of soybean geneomic research. Meksem and his colleagues will store both the genetic profiles and mutant seeds to be used by scientists worldwide.

 

Meksem plans to use a new technique called "TILLING" (targeting induced local lesions in genomes) to produce the profiles. Today's technology allows researchers using this method to zero-in on the mutation's exact location in a gene. As a result, scientists can more easily determine what the targeted genes do, making it easier to select desired traits when producing new varieties. Meksem anticipates that this process will generate approximately 15-30 new variants. Read the press release below to learn more about the research process.

 

· "New Federal Grant Fuels Soybean Research at SIUC" [SIU Press Release, 10/09/2006]

 

 

 

The State's agricultural scientists stand watch over the entry of a destructive soybean fungal disease, Asian Rust. During the flowering stage, infected plants begin to show symptons of the disease. As a result, researchers have established sentinel plots with early maturing soybean varieties in an attempt to catch the problem more quickly. Dr. Jason Bond, SIUC plant pathologist, plans to spent many hours in the fields, looking for diseased leaves, plucking samples and returning to his laboratory to analyze them via microscope. Bond also plans to continuously analyze samples brought to him by farmers in hopes of scouting for aphids and other insects.

 

Bond suspects that due to the proximity of southern Illinois, the disease will likely move into the area from Alabama and Florida, before moving to the northern part of the state. However, he also sees a threat along the Texas and Mexico borders where wind patterns can carry infectious spores.

 

· "Scientists on Guard for Signs of Asian Rust" [SIU Press Release, 06/13/2006]

 

 

 

Advertisements can be misleading. In some cases, manufacturers resort to lying about their product in hopes of increasing sales. Dr. Brian Young states that some companies are not shy about making false claims. And growers don't really know the science behind the selling. Because the adjuvant industry is not regulated like the herbicide industry, producers tend to make claims that haven't receive a lot of research support. That's were Young, an SIUC weed scientist, can help. Young hosts a website (www.herbicide-adjuvants.com) that contains comparative information, as well as additional details, on crop-based adjuvants, adjuvant labels, and product listings. He boasts that his site is electronically indexed for easy searching. To compliment the website, Young publishes a pocket-sized pamphlet entieled, "Compendium of Herbice Adjuvants." The compendium is used locally, nationally, and even internationally. It is the only source available to assist farmers seeking comparative information on adjuvants (including ingredients, usage rates, and manufacturer information).

 

· "Pamphlet, Web Site Help Farmers Compare Products" [SIUC Press Release, 04/25/2006]