News

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A projected soybean increase of 200,000 acres is pushing Mississippi's planted acreage up for 1997, despite drops in cotton and corn.

Mississippi is expected to plant 3.9 million acres in the state's top four crops -- soybeans, cotton, corn and rice -- compared to 3.76 million acres last year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Planting Intentions Report, released March 31, revealed few surprises. Rice was the only other row crop expected to increase acreage in 1997, jumping 19 percent to 250,000 acres.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Tapien verbena is all the rage at nurseries and with home gardeners across the state. Tapien was hybridized in Japan by the same breeders that brought us the Surfinia petunias.

Limited supplies were available last year and Tapiens quickly sold out as gardeners were amazed at the profusion of blooms. They are available at most nurseries right now, but I suspect they will disappear fast again.

By Allison Powe

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- As television has evolved from being a good source of family entertainment to an issue of concern for many parents, Americans have developed different ways of protecting their children from television smut.

Recently, some networks have addressed these concerns by introducing movie-like ratings for TV programs.

Dr. Louise Davis, extension child and family development specialist at Mississippi State University, said parents should be ready to help children interpret TV programs appropriately.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Knowing that proper landscaping can add as much as 15 percent to a house's value makes it easier to avoid the temptation to hire someone to do the work just because they are cheap.

Patricia Knight, assistant horticulturist with the South Mississippi Research and Experiment Station in Poplarville, said landscaping takes time to learn and do correctly. Hiring someone to do landscaping without knowing their credentials or references can be a big mistake.

VERONA -- Pictures might help some home landscapers choose plants, but others may prefer an up-close-and-personal look at a demonstration landscape.

A visit to the Magnolia Botanical Gardens could be a surer way to see how the plant will fit into a landscape plan. The four-acre botanical gardens are the latest addition to the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona.

The horticulture commodity group developed plans for the gardens following a recommendation at the center's 1996 Advisory Committee meeting.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Feeding unfit food to broilers can cost a major poultry operation $90,000 a week, but a test has been developed to ensure quality products are fed to these birds.

Researchers at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine developed a way to test fish and poultry by-products that are fed to broilers. The test detects biogenic amines, or toxins, produced when by-products deteriorate.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi River flooding and an open spillway northwest of New Orleans may spell disaster for the 1997-98 oyster harvest.

Oysters grow in the brackish (part salt) waters of the Sound, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico along the coastline. As the water is diluted to become freshwater, they die, said Dr. David Veal, director of the Mississippi State University Sea Grant Advisory Service in Biloxi.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Mulching is one of the most important things we can do for our shrubs, trees and flower beds, and planting time is a good chance to show you care.

Buying mulch or landscape soil mix can be a challenge when you don't know how much you need. People often try to look like they know what they are doing even when they don't.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Frequent rains are dampening Mississippi farmers' chances for a repeat of last year's profitable wheat crop.

Record yields and prices in 1996 inspired Mississippi wheat growers to increase planted acreage about 6 percent last fall. Mississippi growers averaged 49 bushels per acre on 230,000 harvested acres last year. Many 1996 farmers priced their crop near the $6 level, after wheat briefly reached the historic $7 per bushel mark.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Phlox are some of the most beautiful flowers in the world, and Mother Nature endowed the United States with an abundance of species. Thanks to the diligent work of hybrid developers, we have hundreds of selections to choose from.

By Allison Powe

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Dying and hunting Easter eggs can be an entertaining activity, but don't let the holiday excitement take precedence over handling food safely.

Dr. Melissa Mixon, extension human nutrition specialist at Mississippi State University, said eating Easter eggs is not safe unless the eggs have been handled with the utmost care.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Although they don't carry a donor card, four-legged furry blood donors are just as essential for their kind as humans are to their's.

Dogs and cats often give blood to save other pets' lives, said Lisa Halford, the supervising technician in small animal internal medicine/ICU at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Laboratory animals need love just as much as do any family dog or cat. For the people who work daily with these animals, love is an easy gift to give and receive.

"We get so attached to these animals. They are just like our own children, except they mind better," said Kay Gray, laboratory animal technician at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. "Identical animals are like a set of twins; when you know them well, you can tell them apart. They are unique individuals."

By Allison Powe

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Although termites are not welcome house guests, they are actually helpful when they aren't in our homes.

Termites are one of the few animals with the ability to digest cellulose, or wood, and they are valuable contributors of nitrogen to the air we breath. However, when termites invade personal homes, they cross the line between being helpful and being harmful.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

All landscapes reach a point where they need a little re-engineering. A tornado destroyed giant trees in our yard before we bought the house and repair efforts continue each year.

Re-engineering is a popular word today. Corporations use it to describe changes they are making in their market focus or their corporate structure. Re-engineering basically means looking at where you are and assessing how you can capitalize on what you have.

By Norman Winter
Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Have you ever shopped for a house and discovered you liked the ones with gorgeous landscapes better? Homes with attractive landscapes generally bring a premium price.

While we don't necessarily plant a landscape to help sell our home, we should avoid anything that hurts our investment, including a mundane landscape.

By Bonnie Coblentz

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The most common victims of poisonings are the tiniest members of society, the ones most trusting of their often dangerous environments.

Children ages 1 to 3 face the highest risk of being poisoned. Much of this is due to their inquisitive nature and inclination to put things in their mouths. But adults are to blame in some cases for carelessly or unknowingly leaving poisonous items within their reach.

March 16 through 22 is National Poison Prevention Week. The theme "Children act fast ...

By Allison Powe

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Many Americans think eating healthy means giving up their favorite foods, but any kind of food can fit somewhere in a nutritious diet.

Dr. Melissa Mixon, extension human nutrition specialist at Mississippi State University, said the body needs more than 40 different nutrients from a variety of sources, and no foods are totally off limits in an overall nutritious diet.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A record-breaking number of people were trained around the state Feb. 18 as private pesticide applicators of restricted use pesticides.

Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Lester Spell suspended certification of private applicators Dec. 4, following criminal abuses of methyl parathion. The Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Bureau of Plant Industries resumed training and certification in February. After Extension's training, the BPI tested applicants and certified those who passed as private pesticide applicators.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Turkey hunting can be exciting because of the skills required, but it shouldn't be exciting because of the risks involved.

Turkey hunting is one of the most dangerous sports because hunters are heavily camouflaged, make turkey calls and sit very still. From March 22 to May 1, hunters will take advantage of the gobblers-only season as they try for the one gobbler per day, three per season bag limit.