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2005 |
* A Cost-Effective Management Application for the "Environmental Quality Incentives Program"
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Funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) increased five-fold after passage of the 2002 Farm Bill, significantly increasing the workload for state offices processing the applications. Purdue partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to develop an online, geographic information system (GIS) application process for the sign-up. This process streamlined the application process, allowing state officials to process 1,261 applications and distribute $9.2 million. Other benefits included the creation of a database for assessing the program's soil, water, air and wildlife impacts and a significant reduction in the need for GIS training of NRCS staff.
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2005 |
* Changing Attitudes About Invasive Species
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Recreational water users unknowingly transport a variety of invasive species, including Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels, into Midwest waterways. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Extension specialists created and distributed bait bucket stickers, boat-landing signs, and invasive species identification cards to lake associations, conservation officers, state educators, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the U.S. Power Squadron. As a result, 84 percent of anglers surveyed took action to prevent the spread of invasive species. That represents an increased of 15 percent between 2000 and 2003.
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2005 |
* Field and Farmstead Environmental Assessments and Training Lead to Improved Landowner Decision-Making and Water Quality
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Purdue water quality specialists developed an environmental assessment program that helped Indiana landowners better understand and better protect soil health and water quality. After people requested 42,000 copies of assessment materials, users reported that they made various on-farm changes including planting natural buffers between crops and wetlands, adding beneficial insect habitat borders to fields, soil testing for nutrient management, enhancing wetlands with native vegetation, and improving erosion control measures.
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2005 |
* Magnetic Biosensors to Protect the Environment and Prevent Terrorism
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Purdue researchers are creating tiny sensors coated with magnetic bacteria to detect environmental pollution and chemical weapons connected with terrorist activities. Scientists and investigators will use this new biochip to quickly and accurately determine whether dangerous substances are present where contamination or terrorist activities are suspected.
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2005 |
* Managing Ponds and Wetlands to Improve the Environment and Minimize Mosquitoes
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Purdue University water quality specialists and Extension educators led development of a publication, a Web site, and public service announcements to provide the public with information to protect ponds and wetlands while eliminating disease-carrying mosquitoes habitat around their homes. More than 3,000 copies of the brochure were distributed and more than 1,600 people have checked the Web site. The information debunked myths about the relationship of West Nile virus spread with healthy ponds and natural wetlands. The information helped individuals and organizations better manage ponds and wetlands so they remain a healthy part of the landscape.
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2005 |
* New varieties of apples and pears for Indiana farmers
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To remain competitive, Indiana fruit growers must grow varieties high in quality, but resistant to diseases. The Purdue Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture’s apple breeding program, in cooperation with University of Illinois and Rutgers University, developed and released a new apple variety called CrimsonCrisp. Purdue researchers also developed a new pear variety called Ambrosia. Both varieties display improved fruit quality and disease resistance.
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2005 |
* Organic control found for Japanese beetles in Indiana
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More commercial growers would like to raise organic fruits, but organic produce is vulnerable to many diseases and pests. Purdue research indicates that the major disease problems for growing organic apples in Indiana include apple scab, fire blight, sooty blotch and flyspeck. Researchers did find an organic means to control Japanese beetles. Neem, an oil derived from trees in Africa and Asia, can control Japanese beetles on apples in Indiana.
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2005 |
* Proper Bulk Storage of Pesticides and Fertilizers Saves Money and the Environment
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Farmers can reap financial benefits by storing pesticides and fertilizers in bulk. However, they also risk accidental spills that could harm the environment and fines for not complying with bulk-storage regulations. Between January and June of 2004, more than 5,600 participants attended Purdue Extension programs around the state covering bulk storage regulations. Also covered were tax credits and other financial incentives. Twenty-seven percent of participants said they would change pesticide and/or fertilizer storage practices as a result of the program.
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2005 |
* Protecting crops with Select-A –Herb program
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Purdue Extension specialists in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology developed a Web-based program dubbed Select-A-Herb that makes selecting the best weed eradicator easy. It helps people choose the correct herbicide for specific plant invaders of farm fields and residential gardens. Select-A-Herb covers more than 200 weeds and 15 different crops. The program was used more than 400 times in the first three months after it was introduced. People worldwide like the program and have suggested updates to make Select-A-Herb even more useful.
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2005 |
* Protecting Indiana's Ash Trees
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Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a new exotic pest that could eliminate billions of native ash trees from North America, was first found in Indiana in spring 2004. Education efforts by Purdue Extension generated enough public awareness that private citizens detected two infestation sites. A local Purdue Extension educator worked with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to develop a salvage plan for infested trees. Early detection of EAB enabled the DNR to begin eradication efforts and protect more than 150 million ash trees in Indiana.
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2005 |
* Snakes of the Midwest
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Many people hold negative views and misconceptions about snakes. To improve public perception of these animals, Purdue Extension produced a museum-quality, interactive display seen by an estimated 175,000 visitors to the 2004 Indiana State Fair. The exhibit is traveling throughout the Midwest. Purdue Extension also produced the CD-Rom Snakes of the Midwest, a resource for nature enthusiasts and educators. The content aligns with many Indiana Science Standards for upper elementary school students. Purdue Extension efforts will improve public perceptions of snakes, reduce human persecution of snakes, especially of rare and declining species, and reduce poaching and unlawful sale of wild snakes.
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2005 |
* Taking on Lake Michigan Contaminants
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Purdue Calumet researchers, funded through Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, used DNA fingerprinting to identify sources of E. coli that can lead to water contamination and beach closings along Lake Michigan. They developed a database of those sources, which enables management agencies and municipalities to identify local sources of contamination and target prevention efforts where they will be most effective. Through Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Purdue also helps inform Indiana's 1.7 million beach-goers about causes and effects of E. coli contamination and other water-quality concerns, including how beach-goers affect beaches. This program brings the state into compliance with the federal BEACH Act, allowing for $205,000 in additional funds for beach monitoring and notification.
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2005 |
* Urban and industrial pest management
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Each year, Purdue's Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management sponsors the Purdue Pest Control Conference. The program attracts close to 1,000 urban pest-management specialists from around the world for a four-day meeting promoting innovative and environmentally sensitive approaches to pest management, and up-to-date technical and regulatory information. The center also offers numerous correspondence courses and has trained more than 4,500 professionals in pesticide application.
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2005 |
* Wildlife in the Upper Wabash River Basin, Indiana
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Land-use planners and policy makers need to understand how their decisions affect Indiana's wildlife populations. To help them, researchers in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources assessed various landscapes across Indiana for species diversity and habitat composition. They used GIS modeling to develop a better understanding of how changes in landscapes influence wildlife species. Models developed from this work will help scientists, land-use planners and other stakeholders create decision tools to support land-use planning.
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2005 |
* Wildlife response to restoration of wetlands, grasslands and forests
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With an eye to protecting native species diversity, Purdue wildlife ecologists analyzed the affects of forest and grassland management practices on population trends in bird species. The Nature Conservancy, an international conservation organization, used Purdue's results to assess affects of grassland restoration plans on native bird species at the Kankakee Sands Preserve. The U.S. Forest Service used Purdue research to update management plans for protecting bird diversity in the Hoosier National Forest. Also, specialists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service referred to Purdue research as they developed multi-species management plans for migrating shorebirds in wetland restoration sites.
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2005 |
* Workshop aids pesticide applicators with license to kill weeds
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Pesticide applicators licensed to control weeds in ponds, lakes and water gardens say it is difficult to earn enough continuing education credits to keep their licenses current. In Jay County, 46 commercial aquatic pesticide applicators (CAPAs) attended a Purdue Extension workshop, where they learned the latest in safe pesticide use and earned four education credits. Those attending represented about 30 percent of the CAPAs in Indiana and more than 25 percent of the state's lakes and ponds affected by pesticide applications.
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2004 |
* 2003 Crop Management Workshops
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After the 2003 Crop Management Workshops coordinated by the Purdue Pest Management Program, nearly all agribusiness pest managers who participated said they could make better decisions about using pesticides. In addition to getting updates on pesticide regulations, safety and equipment, participants learned ways to reduce pesticide use and to target pests with appropriate pesticides.
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2004 |
* Biocontrol Workshops, Web Site Reduce Pesticide Use in Home Gardens
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U.S. homeowners apply more pesticides per acre on gardens than farmers apply on many crops. To reduce pesticide use, Purdue entomology professors developed a Web site to help gardeners learn about biological control of insect pests in home gardens. In the last six years, more than 700 Master Gardeners in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky attended workshops that used the site. Follow-up surveys show that more than 20% of workshop participants stopped applying insecticides, herbicides and fungicides for up to two growing seasons.
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2004 |
* Crop Management Lowers Nitrates in Tile Drainage Water
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Nitrate that leaches into surface waters of the Mississippi River basin, including nitrate from farm fields in the Midwest, appears to contribute to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Purdue researchers have shown that by using less fertilizer nitrogen along with a winter cover crop on silt loam soils with low organic matter, producers can reduce levels of nitrate in drain-tile water to below the drinking water standard of 10 ppm and still harvest a good crop. While these techniques likely won’t reduce nitrate leaching from all Midwestern soils, it will help many farmers reduce their contribution to the hypoxia problem.
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2004 |
* Developing Plants for the Phytoremediation of Soils
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According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the nation faces clean-up of more than 217,000 contaminated sites at a cost that could exceed $187 billion. Health risks associated with contamination include kidney and nervous system damage, birth defects, skin disorders and increased likelihood cancer. Purdue researchers are developing plants that can be used for phytoremediation, a process that uses plants to clean up soil. Phytoremediation is cheaper and better for the environment than traditional alternatives. Production of the Purdue-developed plants also could bring unique new job opportunities to Indiana.
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