News Stories - Page 53

In a lab on the bottom floor of the Miller Plant Sciences building, Dakota Walker pulled a sample of plant tissue to further examine gene expression under the microscope — an experience she never foresaw having at the University of Georgia, having originally applied to Fort Valley State University as a marketing major.

Last month, top 4-H’ers from around the state gathered in Atlanta to celebrate the 79th annual 4-H State Congress, an event packed with competition and recognition. State Congress, which took place from July 18-22, includes the state-level Project Achievement and Leadership in Action contests and acknowledges youth development professionals, supporters and public officials for their contributions to the success of 4-H in Georgia. 

Many studies have shown that prenatal stress in mothers can be linked to adverse outcomes in the physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral well-being of children. Now a study at the University of Georgia is examining how pre-hatch exposure to the stress-associated hormone corticosterone influences immune function in baby bluebirds.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is partnering with the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail to honor the former first lady’s work in pollinator conservation with a unique 95th birthday initiative.

The University of Georgia Southeast Research and Education Center will host its annual field day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10. The annual event is an open house tour of current research projects taking place at the center where College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty will highlight the work they are doing in cotton, peanuts, soybeans, corn, small grains and cover crops.

The peanut burrower bug is a tricky pest for Georgia’s peanut producers. Not only is an infestation invisible in a field from above the ground, damage done by the bugs’ piercing mouthparts can only be detected after peanuts are harvested and sent for processing, resulting in unexpected revenue loss.

In a quiet field of abandoned blueberries and shrubby brush in south Georgia, Cera Jones released hundreds of tiny parasitoid wasps into the thicket and watched them fly away, following their natural instinct in search of a host to incubate their predatory progeny.

At the University of Georgia’s Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center, adult students study bees under a microscope, build bee houses and tour the center’s ethnobotanical garden.

Priscilla Smith, a rising fourth-year student in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, peers into a group of holly bushes on the University of Georgia's South Campus. Nestled between the leaves, she spies a young Joro spider clinging to its web. With her hand, she gently guides the spider into a plastic container — web and all.

As climate variability increasingly affects producers across the Southeastern U.S., Wes Porter spends a lot of time thinking about water — specifically, crop irrigation — and how available tools can benefit farmers threefold.