California Ag Network

Tag: ARS

  • It’s a Wrap for the Wrap

    People have known for centuries about the usefulness, worth, and value of cotton, but one fairly recent innovation – intended to shelter the crop – has actually become an obstacle for the industry.

    Farmers frequently wrap their large round cotton bales in plastic to protect them from environmental contaminants as they await transportation from the field to processing plants. While effective, shreds of plastic sometimes break away during the removal process and become entangled with cotton fibers. The resulting contamination leads to machinery damage, processing inefficiencies, and a notable reduction in market value.

    Fortunately, new technology created by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and industry partners is helping to solve that problem.

    According to Matthew Pelletier, agricultural engineer with the ARS Cotton Production and Processing Research unit in Lubbock, TX, the technology leverages color cameras and advanced custom algorithms to identify and eliminate plastic contaminants during ginning. “Ginning” refers to the process of removing stems, burrs, soil, and other debris from cotton bolls.

    “The VIPR (Visual Inspection and Plastic Removal) system uses color cameras to rapidly and accurately detect plastic contaminants,” Pelletier said. “We use cell phone technology to reduce the cost and make it economically viable on a large scale. This approach allows us to integrate advanced imaging and processing capabilities at a fraction of the cost of traditional industrial systems.”

    Cotton bolls pass through the Visual Inspection and Plastic Removal system during the cotton ginning process. The system uses cameras to detect plastic contamination. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Pelletier)

    Cameras scan for plastic contaminants as cotton enters the ginning process. When detected, precise air knives remove it from the cotton stream. This process eliminates the contamination and minimizes the loss of good cotton.

    Plastic contamination has led to significant financial losses for the cotton industry, Pelletier said – more than $750 million annually since the practice of wrapping bales in plastic began. For an average cotton farmer growing 1,500 acres of cotton, plastic-related losses could be more than $30,000 per year.

    The VIPR technology team recently won two awards for their efforts: the 2020 Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLCTT) Regional Mid-Continent Award and the 2021 FLCTT National Award.

    “This technology represents a significant advancement in agricultural technology,” Pelletier said. “It not only aims to restore the international market value and reputation of U.S. cotton, but also has implications for other agricultural or manufacturing sectors that face similar challenges.” – By Scott Elliott, USDA-ARS Office of Communications

  • Edible Blue-Green Algae to Protect Honey Bees Against Viruses

    Scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) developed an edible antiviral treatment that can be used to protect honey bees against Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and other viruses, according to a recent study published in Sustainable Agriculture.

    Honey bees are important agricultural pollinators. However, viruses, including DWV, are linked to the deaths of millions of colonies worldwide. DWV, like other viruses, is most often spread by Varroa mites who carry the disease inside them and infect bee colonies. Infection typically causes deformity and death in bees, especially in the pupae and brood. These colony losses devastate beekeeping industries and pose a major risk to agriculture and the global food supply.

    While there are medicines for other bee diseases and parasites, there is currently no treatment available to help beekeepers reduce viruses in their colonies. Nearly all colonies have DWV and can often be infected with multiple viruses at any given time. Effective antiviral treatments could help to improve colony health and survival as well as crop pollination efficiency.

    “We found that engineered algae diets suppressed DWV infection and improved survival in honey bees,” said Vincent Ricigliano, research scientist at the ARS Honey Bee Laboratory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “When mixed into bee food, the engineered algae boost the bee’s immune system to fight off the targeted virus.”

    According to Ricigliano, blue-green algae is the “bee’s knees” of bee food additives. Ricigliano and other ARS researchers previously studied blue-green microscopic algae, also known as microalgae, as a potential food source for honey bees. The algae showed promise since it has a nutritional profile that resembles pollen and is scalable to the level of commercial beekeeping.

    “In addition to the nutritional benefits and immune-boosting effects, engineered algae strains have the potential to protect bees against a wide variety of pathogens,” said Ricigliano.

    Blue-green algae grow via photosynthesis and can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making it an ecologically friendly approach to improve the health of honey bees.

    “This technology represents a potential new class of treatments for honey bees that is highly sustainable and scalable,” said Ricigliano.

    “It can be added directly to supplemental feed without additional processing and easily integrated into beekeepers’ existing management practices. However, there are regulatory considerations that must be addressed before these applications can be fully realized.”

    The researchers filed a patent application for the technology and plan to use variations of it to target additional bee viruses and other pathogens in future studies.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

  • USDA-ARS California JOB VACANCY

    The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit is seeking a full time Plant Ecologist or Plant Physiologist or Agronomist for a permanent appointment in Davis, California. The successful candidate will be located at the USDA’s Aquatic Weeds Lab on the western side of the UC Davis campus but will also have space within a new USDA facility to be constructed nearby. The incumbent’s research will focus on the development of integrated weed management strategies for invasive aquatic plants to protect water resources and wetland ecosystem health in the western U.S. The successful candidate will be expected to advance basic knowledge of aquatic weed biology, ecology and invasion pathways to develop and improve management strategies in these ecosystems. In addition, the candidate will evaluate new herbicides and improve herbicide application techniques to enhance management efficacy of established aquatic weeds and in rapid responses to new weed invasions. The research position may be filled at one of several grade levels (GS-12-13-14) depending upon scientific impact of the selected person. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Research positions have an open-ended promotion potential.  Salary is commensurate with experience.  Citizenship restrictions apply.  Please view the complete text announcement and application instructions using the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/731291100.

    This vacancy announcement is open from 06/12/2023 to 07/11/2023.  For information on the research program contact Paul Pratt at Paul.Pratt@usda.gov

    The USDA/ARS is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.  Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

  • Benefits of Early Calving are Increasing Due to Late Winter Warming

    On rangelands of the Western U.S., calving in late winter instead of spring maximizes calf growth (weight) by supplying high-quality forage when its most needed, according to a study by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

    Calf pasturing in rangeland at the USDA-ARS Livestock and Range Research Laboratory. (Photo by Tom Geary)

    There is high value in utilizing rangelands to lower the cost of beef production. Selecting the right calving time, when calves are born, is one factor ranchers can adjust to affect the efficiency of beef production.

    However, with climate conditions shifting, the costs and benefits of calving at different times are changing.

    Scientists at the ARS Livestock and Range Research Laboratory in Miles City, MT completed a long-term study recently published in Rangeland Ecology & Management. The researchers analyzed more than eighty years of data from over 39,000 calves to obtain an accurate reading of the effect of calving date on calf weight gain.

    “The long-term data allowed us to estimate the relationship between calving date and calf weight averaged over many years. The average relationship helps producers determine the best calving date over the long term. This must be considered because the calving date of a herd is difficult to adjust once set,” explained Research Rangeland Management Specialist and lead author Matthew Rinella.

    The research team observed that calves born early March [late winter] averaged about 13% heavier at 180 days of age than those born early May [spring]. This is because calves born in

    March are older and larger and can therefore better utilize the high-quality forage that is available in summer, whereas May calves reach 180 days of age in early November, long after forage quality has typically declined.

    “When calves are born earlier, they typically experience a better match between their nutrient requirements and the timing of protein and energy supplied by forage,” Rinella said.

    Eighty-two years of data allowed the scientists to look at cold mortality rate of beef calves born during late winter. To avoid this risk, some ranchers prefer waiting until spring to calve. However, even after considering the risk, the researchers found early calving increases overall beef production.

    In addition, since the 1940s, the risk of cold weather mortality has declined due to warming winter temperatures, and there is a good chance this trend will continue according to climate models.  Moreover, the beginning of plant growth appears to be shifting earlier in the Western U.S. All provides further incentives to calve early.

    Other considerations factored in determining when the right timing is for calving, including calf markets, feed costs, and the timing of ranching operations.

    “This study puts numbers to calf weight and beef production resulting from different calving dates so that ranchers can factor these things into their decision-making,” said Rinella.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact.

  • USDA-ARS and Weed Science Society of America Present Weed Science Webinar Series

    The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) today announced the launch of a free webinar series focusing on current research and advancements in managing weeds and invasive plants.

    “ARS scientists have worked in a wide range of agricultural and natural ecosystems that include agronomic and horticultural crops, pastures, forests, rangelands, wetlands and riparian areas,” said Steve Young, USDA-ARS National Program Leader for Weeds and Invasive Pests. “Our scientists have made contributions to discoveries in the newest fields of robotics and genetics as well as the traditional and fundamental subjects of weed-crop competition, physiology, and integration of weed control tactics.”

    By collaborating with WSSA, ARS scientists aim to highlight the important research that has contributed to the development of sustainable practices to control weeds and invasive plants.

    “WSSA is excited to host a series of webinars to highlight the contribution of ARS scientists to our discipline,” said Stanley Culpepper, WSSA president. “Their efforts to advance the knowledge of managing weeds and invasive plants is a crucial component of long-term management success.”

    Presentations will be given by USDA-ARS weed science research experts every Tuesday from 2-3p.m. ET and include an interactive Q&A session:

    Theme I: Tactics

    April 19 – Non-Crop Systems: Advancements in Weed Biocontrol Tools: Melissa Smith, Research Ecologist at the Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in Fort Lauderdale, FL

    April 26 – New Technology for Weed Identification and Control: Steven Mirsky, Research Ecologist at the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, MD

    Theme II: Mechanisms 

    May 3 – Role of Plant Physiology in Weed-Crop Competition: Dave Horvath, Research Plant Physiologist at the Sunflower and Plant Biology Research Unit in Fargo, ND

    May 10 – Molecular Basis for Controlling Invasive Plants: Matt Tancos, Research Plant Pathologist at the Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit in Fort Detrick, MD

    May 17 – Addressing Herbicide Resistance with Alternative Chemistries: Scott Baerson, Molecular Biologist at the Natural Products Utilization Research Unit in Oxford, MS

    Theme III: Impacts 

    May 24 – Spread and Distribution of Invasive Plants: John Madsen, Research Biologist at the Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Unit in Albany, CA

    May 31 – Climate Change Effects on Weeds and Management: Dana Blumenthal, Ecologist at the Rangeland Resources & Systems Research Unit in Fort Collins, CO

    June 7 – Restoration for Managing Invasive Plants: Roger Sheley, Ecologist at the Range and Meadow Forage Management Research Unit in Burns, OR

    To attend the webinar, please register in advance. This webinar is open to the public, and WSSA membership is not required.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact.

  • USDA Study Aims to Facilitate Traceability During Foodborne Outbreak Investigations

    Scientists with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) aim to enhance the capacity of regulatory agencies to trace Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 back to its source during a foodborne outbreak investigation by studying how the DNA of a specific population of this bacterium gradually evolves within its natural environment.

    E. coli O157:H7 is a frequent source of concern for public health due to its association with foodborne illness. Food contaminated with this bacterium can cause serious illness, hospitalizations, and even death.

    The findings from scientists at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) at Clay Center, Neb., equip outbreak investigators with information on specific elements of the bacterium’s DNA that can narrow where to look for the outbreak source.

    As these bacteria are found naturally in the intestines of cattle, the team of scientists analyzed samples collected from the Center’s closed cattle feedlot from 1997 to 2019 and studied the genomes (the organism’s genetic composition) of various strains, or subtypes, of E. coli O157:H7 found in these samples.

    ʺThe samples used in this research gave us a unique opportunity to study the genomes of a specific population of E. coli O157:H7 in their natural environment, ˝ explained Maggie Weinroth, a computational biologist with the Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit in Athens, Ga., (working at USMARC at the time of this research).

    ʺThe USMARC feedlot has been closed to any introduction of cattle, except those raised in the Center. This means that the E. coli strains have not been influenced by cattle from other locations for 23 years, allowing us to focus on changes in the bacteria genomes as they evolved over those years,˝ said Weinroth.

    The scientists identified four unique clades within the specific bacteria population they studied. (Clades are a group of organisms that share specific characteristics.) Even though all clades shared a portion of their genetic composition, each clade also contained unique elements that can be shared, called mobile elements.

    ʺLooking only at the core elements of the genetic sequences may not tell the complete story about where the bacteria came from,˝ said USMARC Research Microbiologist Jim Bono. ʺWe noticed that bacteria were able to exchange mobile elements in their genome over time. Some of these elements stayed in all strains and became part of the core sequence of that specific bacterium’s DNA. Interpretation of these mobile elements’ role during an outbreak investigation can help identify relatedness between human and environmental isolates of this bacteria.”

    Scientists will continue to study the DNA of the specific populations of E. coli O157:H7 found in the closed feedlot setting and record additional variations. Results from this and future studies will continue to build information for rapid, more accurate traceback responses during outbreak investigations.

    The study, recently published in GMC Genomics, was funded by the USDA-ARS and a grant from the Beef Checkoff administered by the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact.

  • New Way to Predict Grazing Cattle Weight Gain on Rangelands From Satellite Imagery

    USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) developed a unique approach to using satellite imagery to predict cattle weight gain on rangelands. By fusing multiple images over a period of time, scientists were able to monitor how forage quality changes over space and time in rangelands within the shortgrass steppe, and how this relates to the weight gain of free-ranging cattle throughout the summer grazing season.

    Managing the grazing season in rangelands can be challenging due to high variability in temperature and rainfall over time. From a manager’s perspective, it is essential to know when and where forage production and quality are changing to optimize free-range livestock weight gain and meet other environmental objectives. This is not just about chasing forage quantity (total amount of vegetation biomass); it is also about looking for the highest-quality forage throughout the season.

    “This study is probably the first-time high-quality datasets have been used to predict cattle weight gain directly from satellite imagery,” said Sean Kearney, Post Doc Research Associate in Fort Collins, CO.

    These three images show a progression (left to right) from lower-biomass/higher-quality forage to higher-biomass/lower-quality forage. Free-ranging cattle weight gain tended to be lower under conditions on the right, when diet quality was low, even if forage biomass remained high. Photos by Dr. Edward Raynor, USDA-ARS.

    In the study published in Ecological Applications, scientists used the satellite images, along with field observations from 40 different pastures grazed over a period of 10 years, to predict the performance of cattle grazing in Eastern Colorado throughout the summer season.  The study site, the Central Plains Experimental Range, is a Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network location.

    The cattle performance predictions – specifically, weight gain – were made from satellite-derived estimates of both forage quantity and quality. The satellite-based predictions of forage quality were a first for the region, and they proved to be especially important. Most notably, weight gain was affected by the timing of forage green-up and senescence (browning down).

    “We observed that in years when satellite images showed forage greening up earlier, before cattle began to graze, the quality of the diet declined more rapidly and cattle weight gain was lower, especially toward the end of the grazing season,” said Kearney. “In some years, plenty of biomass was still available late in the season, but a large portion of the high-quality forage was missed because it peaked (reached top quality) so early in the season. This resulted in cattle feeding on lower-quality grass, which reduced their performance.”

    With recent climate patterns of earlier spring green-up, higher temperatures and drier weather during the summer months, it is critical to determine the right time to start and stop grazing cattle, in order to match up grazing timing with high quality forage.

    “We knew forage quality mattered, but we didn’t know to what extent,” said Lauren Porensky, Research Ecologist. “Now we can estimate diet quality across space and time and have a better idea of what is causing changes in diet quality throughout the season.”

    What is next? Scientists are linking these new diet quality and vegetation maps with GPS collar data to better understand what drives cattle foraging behavior, as well as working on a new model to predict diet quality in near-real-time to support adaptive management efforts of ranchers and other rangeland managers.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact.

  • ARS, NASA Join Forces To Monitor Earth’s Water Supply

    Bill Kustas, ARS hydrologist at Beltsville, MD, checks the position of a water vapor/carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor on a micrometeorological tower. The instrument measures the exchange of water, energy, and CO2 between the soil-plant system and the lower atmosphere (Photo by Peggy Greb).

    Scientists with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have teamed up with NASA to use satellites to monitor the water cycle on Earth, specifically “evapotranspiration” — the amount of water that enters the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration from plants. Transpiration occurs during photosynthesis when plants take up carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

    That information is especially important for farmers because the data help them get the most from their farms and ranches.

    “Evapotranspiration (ET) is an integral part of the water, carbon, and energy cycle of our water, soil, plant, and climate system,” said Bill Kustas, research hydrologist at the ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Lab in Beltsville, MD. “Most precipitation returns to the atmosphere in the form of ET, which accounts for two-thirds of the global annual average precipitation. Knowledge of ET is critical for monitoring plant and crop water use and stress, loss of water from lakes and reservoirs, and is essential for scheduling irrigation to maintain proper crop growth and development.”

    NASA’s satellites track plant growth, cover and biomass, land surface temperature, and soil moisture — all key elements to ET and plant health. ARS scientists develop models from this information to map ET and plant/crop water status so farmers can maintain proper crop growth and development.

    How can a satellite collect that type of information from so far away? According to Kustas, sensors on the satellites measure both reflection and emission of electromagnetic radiation from the land using visible, infrared, thermal-infrared, and microwave wavelengths. The data from these sensors provide unique information about water, soil, and plant properties and states.

    “All plants transpire liquid water into water vapor that cools the plant so it can maintain a temperature range that is optimal for photosynthesis and promote efficient plant growth and development,” Kustas said. “This leads to the production of maximum crop yield.”

    If the ET rate is not high enough, the plant will undergo stress. In the worst-case scenario, without any available water, plants wilt and die. Kustas said that farmers can avoid this by irrigating crops, but this can reduce water available for other uses, like municipal use and maintenance of healthy ecosystems. Knowing the actual ET rate helps farmers to better determine how much irrigation is needed to maintain healthy crops while reducing over-application and pumping costs.

    ARS Hydrologist Bill Kustas (right) and Mina Momayyezi, UC Davis postdoctoral fellow, collect leaf-level photosynthesis and transpiration rates determine vine stress levels (Photo by Nurit Agam).

    Ranchers can also benefit from satellite ET mapping. “Ranchers can better manage the land’s grazing potential by moving herds or reducing herd numbers before overgrazing can affect land health and future productivity,” Kustas said.

    “Water, specifically the amount and use of root zone soil moisture or plant available water, is the most critical limiting factor in agricultural productivity worldwide,” he said. “ET from satellite remote sensing is particularly important for global food security assessment, especially in water-limited regions that have little data to monitor crop conditions and project future yields.” — By Scott Elliott, USDA ARS Office of Communications

  • Scientists Bring in Arch Enemy to Deal With Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

    A tiny wasp may be the solution for managing an agricultural pest causing major economic damage to fruit, vegetable, and field crops in North America and Europe.

    A female samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus) emerges from a brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) egg. (Photo by Elijah Talamas)

    Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are currently studying Trissolcus japonicus, commonly known as the samurai wasp, to see if this parasitoid wasp is the right biological control agent for reducing brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (BMSB) populations outside of Asia.

    Biological control is the process of reducing or mitigating pests or pathogens by using the pest’s or pathogen’s natural enemies. The samurai wasp is a known natural enemy for the BMSB in Asia, and researchers are understanding how it behaves in non-native environments.

    At the ARS Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit in Newark, DE, researchers are observing the behaviors of both quarantined samurai wasps from Beijing and local wild populations. They found these wasps have a strong preference for parasitizing BMSB’s eggs.

    “Parasitic wasps have the amazing ability to detect kairomones [chemical substances emitted by one organism and detected by another organism] that are left on surfaces or in the air of their hosts,” said Dr. Kim Hoelmer, research entomologist and research leader at the Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit.

    “In the field, when a female samurai wasp looks for evidence of her host in the environment, she can detect her host’s kairomones left on a leaf’s surface. The wasp increases her search when she detects the kairomones and that increases her probability of finding the host.”

    The research shows promise in that samurai wasps prefer their natural hosts’ eggs over those of other species.

    This finding does not surprise researchers since it is common for parasitoid wasps to have close relationships with their hosts.

    “The more intimate the relationship is, the better parasitoid wasps are as biocontrol agents,” said Dr. Matt Buffington, research entomologist with the ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory, located in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.

    The tiny size of the samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus) is apparent from this dime, which has several of the insects sitting on it. (Photo by Ashley Colavecchio)

    Buffington and postdoctoral ARS scientist Elijah Talamas were instrumental in correctly identifying the samurai wasp from other Trissolcus species.

    “Parasitoid wasps play major roles in population regulation [of pests]. With this one species, we can explain how biological control works in our environment,” said Buffington.

    But do samurai wasps exhibit the same behaviors in the wild?

    In addition to laboratory studies, researchers are observing samurai wasps in natural environments, such as orchards and crop fields, where the BMSB is present. These wasps are adventive in North America, meaning they arrived accidentally without any human aid.

    At the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, WV, researchers are studying how samurai wasps reduce BMSB populations across a landscape. The research aims to determine if samurai wasps can survive in areas with other agricultural factors such as pesticides.

    According to research entomologist Dr. Tracy Leskey, BMSB populations can disperse and develop in areas outside of orchards and crop fields. The stink bugs constantly reinvade new areas, called wild host habitats, for survival.

    “We hope that samurai wasps can reduce those populations in wild host habitats, so we have less pressure in our agricultural areas,” said Leskey.

    The wasp is tiny; approximately 1.5 mm or the size of a sesame seed.

    Even though the samurai wasp shows promise as a biological control agent, researchers must follow a rigorous process to ensure that the samurai wasp’s impact is limited to its host and is not a threat to animals, humans, and crops.

    ARS researchers are in the process of requesting a permit for quarantined samurai wasps from Beijing to be approved for field release. Currently, wild populations of the samurai wasp are in 14 states. The permit would allow states without wild populations to use the wasp as a biocontrol agent for managing their BMSB populations. In addition, the permit would allow states with existing wild populations to introduce new samurai wasps in their management efforts.

    BMSB has been detected in 47 states and four Canadian provinces. BMSB is responsible for crop damage costing millions of dollars each year. This pest is also causing agricultural damage abroad after its infestation in European countries.

    Researchers from other ARS laboratories are also studying the samurai wasp, including the Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory in Tifton, GA, Horticultural Crop Research Laboratory in Corvallis, OR, Sino-American Biological Control Laboratory in Beijing, China, and USDA-ARS European Biological Control Laboratory in Montpellier, France. – By Jessica Ryan, USDA ARS Office of Communications

  • Breeding Honey Bees for Adaptation to Regionalized Plants and Artificial Diets

    Honey bees could be intentionally bred to thrive on plants that are already locally present or even solely on artificial diets, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study.

    ARS researchers found individual bees respond differently to the same diet and that there is a strong genetic component involved in how they respond to nutrition. This points directly to the concept that managed bees can be intentionally bred to do better on different diets, whether you are talking about an artificial diet or a diet based on specific plants already growing in an area, explained lead researcher Vincent A. Ricigliano. He is with the ARS Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Laboratory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

    “Urban development, modern agricultural systems and environmental alterations due to climate change, invasive plants, and even local landscaping preferences have all had a hand in regionalizing plants that dominate available pollen. It could potentially be more beneficial to tailor honey bees to do better on what is already available instead of working hard to fit the environment to the bees,” Ricigliano said.

    The overall aim would be breeding to improve nutrient use by managed honey bees, like we have done for poultry and cattle breeding programs, Ricigliano explained.

    “Now that we know there is room for genetic adaptation to diet, we could also look at breeding honey bees with improved nutrient efficiency or identifying genotype biomarkers that respond to various supplements to promote honey bee health,” he added.

    In most commercial apiaries, honey bees do not have the opportunity to naturally breed to adapt to local conditions because commercial beekeepers typically replace the queen in each colony every year. The queen in a colony is the only bee that lays eggs to produce the next generation.

    Beekeepers usually purchase new queens already inseminated from a handful of queen breeders in the United States. As a result, honey bees across the country generally have the same range of genes for nutritional responses without any specialized adaptation.

    Honey bees have already been successfully bred for a very few selected traits, among them Varroa mite resistance. Varroa mites are among the single largest problem afflicting honey bees in the United States today.

    “It was a little surprising to find when we started this study that, despite a sizable body of research pertaining to honey bee nutrition, relatively little is known about the effects of genetic variation on nutritional response,” Ricigliano said.

    His next step is to refine knowledge about what genes control which nutrient and metabolic pathways and where the greatest amount of genetic variation exists so that breeding plans can be specific and scientifically guided.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact.