A new study produced by the University of Massachusetts Amherst may reveal the key to supporting the health of ailing bee populations. The study appears to point to a very crucial but simple resource that aids pollinator health: sunflowers. The UMass study that tackled this problem began as an undergraduate project conducted by former UMass student Jonathan Giacomini, his former academic adviser, evolutionary ecologist Lynn Adler and others. (Republican 9/27/18; News Office 9/26/18)
News from the Media
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Bees’ Medicine Chest Should Include Sunflower Pollen, UMass Amherst Study Suggests
October 1, 2018 -
UMass Associate Professor Comments on Dangerous Foods
October 1, 2018“I personally do not drink raw milk. Pasteurizing milk reduces or removes potential hazards,” says Amanda Kinchla, associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Department of Food Science. (Reader's Digest 9/28/18)
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UMass Amherst Food Scientists Profile Microbes at a Fermented Vegetable Facility
September 25, 2018Food scientists at UMass Amherst have mapped and characterized microbial populations in a vegetable fermentation facility and report that its microbiome was distinct between production and fermentation areas and that the raw vegetables themselves -- cabbages destined for sauerkraut -- were the main source of fermentation-related microbes in production areas rather than handling or other environmental sources. (Science Daily 9/25/18; Science Codex, Infosurhoy Technology Networks 9/26/18)
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UMass-Amherst Scientists Claim Victory Over Winter Moth
September 6, 2018Entomologists Joseph Elkinton, George Boettner and Hannah Broadley at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are declaring victory this month over the invasive winter moth – which begins life as a leaf-chomping, tree-denuding caterpillar that had threatened wide-spread defoliation of coastal New England shade trees and blueberries until the researchers introduced a natural parasitic fly that has greatly reduced moth numbers. (South Coast Today, Gazette 9/12/18; WFCR, 9/6/18; Republican, Globe, Wicked Local Wayland, 9/5/18; News Office Release)
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Cranberry Farmers Want to Dump Part of Harvest: UMass Extension BOPO Chair Quoted
September 4, 2018Cranberry farmers buried under a glut of the tart fruit are seeking permission for a radical way to dig themselves out: destroying millions of pounds of their crops. "Overproduction is the bane and has been for cranberries in the last few years, and consequently we’re not getting much money for our crops,” said Jack Angley, owner of Flax Pond Farms in Carver, and Chair of Board of Public Overseers [BOPO] for UMass Extension. (Globe 9/3/18)
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Soil Science Society of America Announces 2018 Award Recipient, Baoshan Xing
August 27, 2018The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) announced Baoshan Xing as the 2018 award recipient to be formally presented at the SSSA Awards Ceremony on January 8, 2019 during the scientific society’s Annual Meeting in San Diego. The annual awards are presented for outstanding contributions to soil science through education, national and international service, and research.
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Rep. McGovern visits UMass Agriculture Learning Center on 8th Farm Tour
August 22, 2018U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern met with local agricultural organizations as part of his eighth annual farm tour. UMass Agricultural Leaning Center was one of his stops. (Recorder, Republican, 8/21/18; New Office Release)
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Strawberries could treat bowel disease, UMass professor reports
August 20, 2018A new study headed by Hang Xiao, University of Massachusetts food science, says eating strawberries could help people manage inflammatory bowel disease. Xiao reports the sedentary lifestyle and dietary habits of many people – high-sugar, high-animal fat, but low-fiber diets – may promote colonic inflammation and increase the risk of IBD. (Endopro 9/28/18; Daily Mail 8/20/18; Women’s Health [Australia], India TV, Xinhuanet.com [China], Outlook [India], 8/21/18; Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, NewsHealthDigest.com, News Medical Life Sciences, Laboratory Equipment, 8/20/18)
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Hot, Wet Summer Unkind to Central Mass. Crops
August 16, 2018Katie Campbell-Nelson, vegetable specialist with UMass Extension, comments on this year's difficult growing conditions in the central part of Massachusetts. Worcester Telegram & Gazette, August 16 2018.
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Local Extension Continues to Support Rural Community
August 14, 2018Recorder (Greenfield) columnist and former UMass Extension staffer talks about the value of the UMass Extension program. The Recorder, August 14, 2018.
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Don’t Touch: Invasive Hogweed Plant Found in Central Mass.
July 22, 2018Extension weed specialist Randy Prostak is quoted in article on discovery of the invasive plant giant hogweed growing in two towns in Worcester County. Worcester Telegram and Gazette, July 22, 2018.
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UMass Extension Helps Garden Columnist Manage Cabbage Worms
July 15, 2018A garden columnist says she consulted with Susan Scheufele, UMass Extension, about how to identify and deal with cross-striped cabbage worms and related pests that eat vegetable crops in local gardens. (The Berkshire Edge, 7/15/19)
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UMass Amherst Researcher Studies Faba Bean, as Natural Source of L-DOPA Used by Parkinson’s Patients
July 12, 2018Plant scientist Fatemeh Etemadi, a PhD candidate (Hashemi Lab) at Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst, investigated the accumulation trend and the amount of L-Dopa in various parts of of faba bean plant and concluded that the L-Dopa concentration was in the following order; leaves, seeds, flowers, roots, and stems. (News Office 7/9/18)
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4-H Youth Shine at Heath Fairgrounds
July 12, 2018Young people had a chance to showcase their farming skills at the Franklin County 4-H Fair, which was held Saturday, June 30, at the Heath Fairgrounds. (Recorder 7/6/18)
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Connecticut River Flow Restoration Report Released
July 11, 2018A new decade-long study of the Connecticut River watershed has provided scientists some valuable tools for understanding how dams affect a river’s ecological health, but also suggests that little can be done to alter dam operations for environmental gain. Christine Hatch, UMass extension associate professor of geosciences, comments. (Gazette 7/10/18; News Office 6/13/18)
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Climate Change Is Making Allergies Worse, UMass Professor Comments
July 10, 2018Kristina A. Stinson, environmental conservation, discusses how climate change affects allergies, that with warming temperatures, spring is coming earlier and in response to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, plants are producing more pollen. She also says warmer air traps smog and pollution. (WCAI 7/5/18)
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UMass Tawny Simisky Discusses Gypsy Moth Caterpillar Issues on WBUR
June 22, 2018When that rain-like sound in your oak trees is actually gypsy moth caterpillars pooping, and what you can do about it. (WBUR 6/22/18)
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Mass leads Nation in Wildland-Urban Interface, UMass Professor Remarks
June 18, 2018With changes in habitat, animal adaptation, restrictions on hunting and trapping, and the strategic reintroduction of extirpated wildlife, wild animals have become a fact of life in many communities around Greater Boston. "Because of the way Massachusetts is settled, growing wildlife populations are particularly likely to come into contact with humans," said Paige Warren, an associate professor of environmental conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. (Globe 6/15/18)
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UMass Testing Mosquitos for National Science Foundation
June 18, 2018The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Laboratory of Medical Zoology (LMZ), better known for its national tick-borne disease testing service, has begun mosquito testing with the arrival of 15,000 vials of mosquitoes collected from 47 sites across the continent as part of National Science Foundation’s National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) project, says microbiologist and LMZ director Stephen Rich. (WFXTV-25, News Office 6/6/18)
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Dual-use Solar Panels and Crops Story Notes UMass Pilot Program
June 11, 2018A story about dual-use farms, where crops are planted around and under solar panels, notes that one pilot program at UMass Amherst grows a variety of plants, including kale, peppers, beans, cilantro and tomatoes, below solar panels elevated between 7.5 feet and 9 feet above the ground. (Scientific American 6/6/18)
