News

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Wherever I've gone this summer -- the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Park Seed Trials in South Carolina, even the landscape at North Park Mall in Jackson -- the Magilla Perilla has performed wonderfully.

Magilla Perilla became famous before gardeners even got a chance to try it. It is the plant that has shoppers everywhere counting the days until it is available at local garden centers.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Tropical Storm Bill and a very wet June mean the state's major row crops stayed waterlogged, but producers aren't ready to call the season a wash.

The southern and eastern parts of the state saw most of the rainfall in June, but the northern and western crops didn't escape the soaking, averaging as much as 14 percent more than the normal amount of rainfall in some areas. Central and east-central crops received double the normal amount in June.

By Laura Whelan

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Although Equine Infectious Anemia is not a new threat to horse health, its potentially deadly consequences and lack of a cure make it an especially harmful risk.

"EIA has commanded a great deal of attention over the years," said Dr. Stanley Robertson, Mississippi State University Extension Service veterinarian. "This disease has no vaccine, treatment or cure, and it is often difficult to differentiate it from other fever producing diseases, like anthrax, influenza and equine encephalitis."

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

It seems the gardening public has finally discovered the most beautiful banana in the world, the Red Abyssinian. This banana is not the least bit cold-hardy, but who cares when it grows like a rocket and makes a landscape statement from spring until the first frost in the fall?

The Red Abyssinian is known botanically as Ensete ventricosum Maurelii. Most of the bananas we grow are of the genus Musa.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- First impressions count. For many visitors to Mississippi, the state's highways are the first thing they see and the condition of the roadsides can make a lasting impression.

A partnership between the Mississippi Department of Transportation and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station scientists at Mississippi State University is helping keep roadways attractive for visitors and residents alike by management of rights-of-way vegetation.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The majority of cotton growers in the north Mississippi Delta want to take part in region-wide efforts to eradicate boll weevils in their fields, but another referendum will be necessary if the Southeastern program will continue locally after 2003.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Wet weather through most of spring doubled the time it takes to get cotton planted, and the crop was in widely varying stages of development by the end of June.

Will McCarty, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the statewide crop is non-uniform because of excessive rains that delayed cotton plantings, drowned out emerging stands and stunted other areas. Some crops had to be replanted.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A recent case of Eastern equine encephalitis in Lamar County should remind owners of the importance of vaccinating horses against mosquito-borne diseases.

Eastern equine encephalitis is similar to West Nile virus in that it is spread primarily by mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds. EEE is spread by the Culiseta melanura mosquito and in horses is almost always fatal.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Statistical data probably doesn't mean a lot to a single mother struggling to raise two children in the Mississippi Delta on income from a minimum wage job.

Analysis of statistical data by scientists at Mississippi State University's Social Science Research Center may, however, help her obtain the healthcare and other services her children need, or even a better paying job.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Two Mississippi State University dietetic programs earned national reaccreditation in April and will continue to produce job-ready graduates.

The Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association renewed the accreditation for MSU's undergraduate Didactic Program in Dietetics and graduate Dietetic Internship program.

The programs successfully completed national requirements that included a self-study and a site visit. The accreditation extends for 10 years with a review to be conducted in 2007.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The first phase of an economic impact study has revealed almost a billion dollars are invested in the Mississippi horse industry's infrastructure.

Agricultural economists with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station completed the study of the industry's investment in arenas, barns, towing vehicles, horse trailers, fencing and land.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

The past couple of weeks have seen my woodland trails look like small, flowing tributaries of the Mississippi River. My dry creek has been flowing, and rain is still in the forecast.

What kind of plant can tolerate such wet conditions? I am so glad you asked because one of the most elegant and striking plants for boggy conditions or upland soil is the umbrella palm.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Farmers will remember 2002 for the wet harvest season, but economists will remember the depressed markets across the board that resulted in a 6 percent decline from the previous year's agricultural values.

Final numbers are in from the 2002 crops, and Mississippi agricultural economists are finding tallies near last December's expectations. The grand total of all the state's commodities plus government payments is $4.5 billion, down from $4.8 billion in 2001. (See Mississippi Value of Production Estimates)

By Laura Whelan

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- At a time when animal health, safety and research are more crucial than ever to the welfare and security of the nation, Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine has once again received national accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association's Council on Education.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Just as smoke indicates fire, moisture indicates mold, and where there's mold, there's trouble.

Molds and mildews are forms of fungi found year-round both indoors and outdoors. They need moisture to grow, and thrive in warm, humid and damp or water-damaged conditions. Molds have odors, look bad, can cause health problems and can damage structures.

Herb Willcutt, safety specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said Mississippi offers ideal growing conditions for mold.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- For Patty Tucker, getting her teen-age daughters involved with Mississippi 4-H proved a smart move for the entire family.

Starting out as a volunteer leader, with duties that ranged from club chauffeur to club chef, Tucker worked her way through the program and now boasts a 24-year relationship with the club.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

A new vine in town this spring could change our landscape habits for a long time. The vine is called Blue Glory, known botanically as Thunbergia battiscombei.

We know thunbergias from the clock vine or black-eyed Susan vine Thunbergia alata and, of course, the Brazilian sky flower Thunbergia grandiflora.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Anyone who has ever tried to stack watermelons has probably thought to themselves, "Wouldn't it be great if these things were square?"

It's an idea that's caught on in Japan, where small, square melons command premium prices -- more than $80 each; about triple what traditional round melons cost in Japanese produce markets.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi has benefitted greatly from revenue generated from wood products in recent years, but to maximize forestry's future value, industry representatives are being encouraged not to rest on their laurels.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The benefits of calcium to the human body are practically immeasurable, and new research shows it can even help prevent tumors and other health problems.

"Most everyone knows the major role of calcium is to help build strong bones," said Rebecca Kelly, a registered dietitian and human nutrition specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service. "Strong bones make movement possible, holding the body upright and supporting muscles."