News

By Ashley Crawford

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Today's senior citizens face many obstacles when trying to enjoy their hard-earned money, but consumer knowledge may ensure a happy retirement.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Many people consider the Dragon Wing red begonia to be the most beautiful begonia on the market for planters or the landscape, and the Mississippi Plant Selections Committee unanimously concurred by selecting it as a Mississippi Medallion winner for 2002.

The Dragon Wing red begonia works great in full sun or partial shade. In full sun, the plant is more compact and the foliage develops a reddish cast. In partial shade, the look is lush, tropical and exotic.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi's winter wheat has contended with wet conditions since planting season last fall, but plants are reaching a critical need for drier fields in April.

Erick Larson, grain crops agronomist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said fields have had plenty of moisture since an unseasonably wet August, so any rains received this year have caused water-logged conditions.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

In 600 B.C., the Greek poetess, Sappho, described the rose as the Queen of Flowers, and it became our National Floral Emblem in 1987. It is safe to say roses are much loved and are here to stay.

The American Rose Society lists 56 official classes of roses, so you know there must be some you can enjoyably grow and beautify your landscape with as well as provide fragrant and colorful bouquets for indoor displays.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University researchers have initiated a new study to examine the effect of air quality on the health, performance and productivity of dairy cows.

Angelica Chapa, dairy scientist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and MSU Extension dairy specialist, said enclosed free-stall barns with tunnel ventilation may help keep cows cool in Mississippi's hot and humid weather, but little is known about the effect of air quality on the performance of dairy cows in confined housing.

By Ashley Crawford

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Graduating from college brings many celebrations unless accumulated debts limit a person's opportunities.

"Students are coming out of college with more student loan and credit card debt than 10 years ago," said Jan Lukens, consumer management specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service. "In fact, the predominant means that students meet their college financial needs is through student loans rather than grants."

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Growers normally make planting decisions well before planting time based on their crop rotation plans and the markets, but this year's Farm Bill debate and the weather are throwing a monkey wrench into growers' plans.

Jim Quinn, marketing specialist with Farm Bureau and Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said without a finalized Farm Bill, bankers are withholding loans until they know how much governmental support to expect.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Not all award-winning plants for 2002 are new, and the Mississippi Medallion Plant Selections Committee is announcing this spring that a small, heirloom tree is a 2002 winner.

Vitex, or lilac chaste tree, is native to Sicily and is a member of the verbena family. It was recognized by the Greeks for its medicinal properties, and it is recorded to have been in cultivation in British gardens since 1570.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Catfish producers have an updated tool to help them remain afloat in financial hard times.

Fishy 2002 is the latest version of computer software developed in 1982 at Mississippi State University to aid the aquaculture industry. Wallace Killcreas, Fishy programmer and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station agricultural economist, said the program aids management and decision-making.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A study of the practice of land application of poultry litter suggests copper and zinc may accumulate in amended soils using current nutrient management strategies.

Billy Kingery, soil scientist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, has completed a study to determine the effect of long-term application of poultry litter on the amount and distribution of these metals in soil.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Few plants are as tough or more deserving of a place in the Mississippi flower border than the ruellia. In our high heat, it not only endures but is also a star performer and one of those plants that gives everyone the green thumb.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The array of numbers on a fertilizer bag can intimidate gardeners into either applying the fertilizer indiscriminately or deciding to let the plants do without.

In order, the numbers represent the percentage of nitrogen, phosphate and potash contained in the bag. Varying amounts of these three macronutrients are essential to the survival of plants.

Larry Oldham, soil specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said the numbers make it possible for gardeners to supply the correct amount of these nutrients to the soil.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Gardeners wanting a backyard success this summer can do more than hope it will happen.

Sonja Skelly, consumer horticulture specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said a soil test and drainage assessment will go a long way to ensuring a successful garden.

"The very first thing you should do is take a soil test from whatever part of the landscape you want to plant something in," Skelly said. "Take soil from several locations to be sure it is representative of the area you will be planting in."

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Municipal officials across the state have another tool in their arsenal to provide efficient public service with the publication of the second edition of Municipal Government in Mississippi.

Published by the Mississippi State University Extension Service's Center for Governmental Training and Technology, the 412-page edition offers the latest thinking by 19 contributing authors and editors P.C. McLaurin Jr., Extension professor of local government, and Michael T. Allen, Extension governmental training officer.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Since many of you are shopping for summer blooming bulbs, I want to break from telling you about new plants to remind you of one that is old and wonderful - the crocosmia, or monbretia.

Botanically speaking, it is known as Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora and is related to the gladiola. Its name comes from the Greek words "krokos" meaning saffron and "osme" meaning smell, referring to the saffron aroma the dried flowers give off when immersed in water.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Researchers at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station are evaluating the environmental and economic impacts of land application of poultry litter as part of an ongoing effort to support the poultry industry.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Homeowners and growers should not overreact to potential damage to plants in home landscapes caused by extreme cold snaps, such as the one that hit Mississippi the last week of February.

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

As vegetable gardening season rapidly approaches, it's time to decide whether to use transplants or direct seed. If you are as anxious as I am to get underway, then you might consider growing transplants.

Almost everything can be sown directly into the garden, but there are some vegetables that do better when transplanted. These include several of the most popular vegetables.

By Ashley Crawford

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Granting outdoor wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses was a dream Bruce Brady never saw materialize, but the program developed in his memory carries out his dreams.

Catch-A-Dream is a wish-granting program that was founded to memorialize Brady, a long-time resident of Brookhaven. The program grants once-in-a-lifetime outdoor experiences to children under the age of 18 who have life-threatening illnesses.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A report from the National Science Foundation ranks Mississippi State University fifth in the nation in funding for research in the agricultural sciences.

The university generated $68.4 million in research and development expenditures for the agricultural sciences in fiscal year 2000, an increase of almost 18 percent over fiscal year 1999 figures. MSU previously ranked eighth in agricultural sciences research.