Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday March 30 1986 County asking for help in fighting knapweed with its showy like Russian much looks flowers pink purplish knapweed or Canada thistle However he d bracts that bulge pointed out the under the flower head are a sure giveaway The plants usually bloom from early July through August However each flower head blooms for only two to six days The bracts then close while the flower head wilts After about 20 days the and the seeds — an average of a bracts 1000 per plant — are scattered Gardner said knapweed that has slashed grassland range production elsewhere in the West is showing up A weed in Cache County According to Allen Gardner county weed i ontrol supervisee spotted knapweed has been added to Cache’s list of "noxious” weeds Gardner says it is important for area residents to report immediately any weed they think might be spotted knapweed With the public’s help the weed department many be able to prevent the weed from taking over local pastures he said Gardner said in other western states spotted For knapweed has wiped out rangeland instance the weed which was first reported in Montana in the 1920s now infests over 2 million black-tippe- re-op- en “Knapweeds are highly competitive” the Extension bulletin says "They will readily d on any disturbed soil establish a surface Once established their early spring growth makes them very competitive for soil moisture and nutrients The plant releases chemical substances which inhibit surrounding vegetation Because of this and the lack of natural parasites to keep these populations in check knapweed often forms large dense toe-hol- acres there According to information from the Montana State University Cooperative Extension Service spotted knapweed causes grassland range forage production to decline dramatically "A study in Canada showed that annual forage production dropped from 891 pounds to 54 pounds per acre” a MSU Extension bulletin points out "More conservative studies from Oregon and British Columbia concluded that knapweed caused a 63 percent decline in forage production on most sites” stands” Gardner pointed out that people are the main spreaders of knapweed which is easily caught up in undercarriages of vehicles and scattered throughout the countrysides The weed is less of Spotted knapweed can be identified by its bracts distinctive black-tippe- d a problem on cropland because cultivation is an effective control But it easily invades rangeland — especially rangeland that has been disturbed or overgrazed Gardner says if the weed spreads here it would not only be a problem for livestock producers but would effectively wipe out wildlife forage He said the weed already is growing near Millville near the coyote research site and has shown up in the Hardware Ranch and Tony Grove areas as well He said the weed department will take control measures against spotted knapweed at no cost to private landowners because it is classified by the county as an “invading” weed Gardner noted that another weed newly declared noxious is the yellow star thistle He said that weed so far is only showing up in scattered spots He added that a new law says that an owner with noxious weeds on his or her property can be declared negligent by the county which can impose enforced control measures This law means that the county can enter such property and spray Costs can be billed to the owner through his or her taxes after due process (See legal notice in today’s classified section for more details) Persons with more information may call the county weed control department Gardner said Research may lead to changes in cheesemaking By Edith Morgan staff writer Dr Ted Payens recognized world wide for his work in biophysics has been working with Dr Rodney J Brown head of the nutrition and food science department at Utah State University since last fall Payens was head of the biophysics department at The Netherlands Dairy Research Institute and resigned his position just before coming to USU "It has been a great thing for our school to have a man like Dr Payens here” Brown said “He wrote us asking if he could come and we were thrilled to have him If we had known that he was interested in coming we certainly would have invited him "Dr Payens knew that I was working on the coagulating properties of milk a project he has also been working on The ultimate end of sucn research would be to automate the cheese making industry If we could know exactly how long each process would take this would be possible Now it takes an expert cheese maker to know when to start each process in the making of cheese” Dr Payens said in years past he had never thought about coming to USU "But a couple of years ago when browsing in scientific literature I found they were doing many interesting things along my line of interest" he said “I corresponded with Dr CA Ernstrom then department head and came I also did not realize that Utah is such a beautiful state and I have taken the opportunity to travel around a little while I have been here Payens interest is polymer physics and chemistry “What I try to do” he explained “is to apply the ideas in this discipline to biochemistry The last 10 years I have been interested in blood clotting and milk dotting processes We find that Mother Nature is so economical as to make these processes quite similar The department as USU is well known for its research in the milk clotting process What we are doing is not too different from what synthetic polymer physicists are doing” There is a trend toward specialization in science Payens said “But it is the counter activity to unite more and more and what I am trying to do is find the unifying principals more and more “When you recognize that blood and milk clotting are similar processes to those used by polymer scientists (makers of nylon and plastic materials) you make the first connection “The science of synthetic polymers has grown enormously during the last 30 to 40 years The nice thing is to bring these two highly different fields together” Payens is a native of The Netherlands and lives at Ede He graduated from the University of Utrecht and first worked with Philips Research Industries the main electronic industry in western Europe in solid state chemistry and physics About 30 years ago he went to The Netherlands Institute of Dairy Research and worked on biologically oriented problems what is now called biotechnology From time to time he had teaching duties at the Agricultural University at Whgeningen He has been a visiting professor at the Ted Payens of The Netherlands is conducting research in Logan on the coagulating properties of milk laws are valid and how we can regulate the process of cheese making so that it can be automated A number of scientists have been working on this for the last 10 years” Payens said “I find teaching very stimulating” Payens continued “During winter quarter I taught a course for students and staff members trying to make them more aware of synthetic University of Illinois at Urbana This is his sixth or seventh trip to the United States and he has travelled over much of the country “On the one hand this country is so different from Europe and on the other hand there are a lot of similarities I travelled in Russia in 1984 and was more struck by the similarities than by the differences polymers” Dr Payens is married and his wife has been a judge in the court for social affairs She also is retired and visited her husband during the Christmas season for four weeks Dr Payens is leaving April 8 “We have a little house on a green island near Greece and we are planning to go to the island for a couple of weeks when I get home I have been studying Greek with this in mind” he said “The export of cheese and evaporated milk is very important to Holland” Payens said “Up to now the process of cheese making has been largely a learned process Experience is what has counted Now experience is not enough What we should like to do is to completely change the process of making cheese but in order to do this we need to know the laws in the process We are trying to find out what Verticillium wilt spreading through state’s alfalfa fields A alfalfa disease is spreading south in Utah reports Sherm Thomson USU Extension plant pathologist Verticillium wilt which has been shown to cut alfalfa yields in half by the fourth year of its existence was discovered last year for the first time in Utah in Cache and Box Elder counties Thomson said evidence of the pesky disease has now found its way as far south as Sevier of the way down the County about two-thir- ds state “We don’t know to what extent it’s causing damage" Thomson said adding that “growers shouldn’t worry that they’re going to loose th eir farm because of verticillium” Alfalfa is the largest crop in Utah and the alfalfa produced here is among the highest quality grown in the United States Thomson alerted alfalfa growers of the spread of the disease at the Utah Alfalfa Symposium held recently in St George and sponsored by the Utah Farm Bureau and USU Extension Verticillium wilt first detected in the United States in 1975 is a pathogen that infects the vascular system of the plant color Infected leaves take on an orange-pinkis- h and the stems remain green Thomson said experience with the disease shows negligible losses in the first three years By the fourth year however half the alfalfa stand may be lost and the overall stand life eventually can be reduced to four or five years from the usual six or seven years Growers should be alerted that verticillium can be spread by seed hay manure and machinery soil-bor- ne bare-rotrees are available Bare-rotrees are usually cheaper and are easier to train Trees like children are easier to train while f'ny are young Training of new trees consist of cutting back the top of the new trees at a height of 30 to 36 inches This will help the tree to develop strong properly spaced branches at a height of inches off the ground Individuals desiring to learn how to care for the tree in the following year should pick up bulletin EC 363 entitled “Pruning the Home Orchard" from the Extension service is that yield-reduci- P Don Huber Agriculture notes Mn Thomson cautions growers not to confuse verticillium with other disease or problems of alfalfa such as frost damange bacterial wilt root rot or stem nematode What can growers do about verticillium? Thomson suggests rotating crops of hay for two years — the disease can survive in soil for a year — and then planting resistant varieties However he said “Resistant varieties are available but we haven't had enough time to adequately test them in Utah to know if they work against verticillium here” “It’s going to take a few years to find which varieties work so don’t run out and buy resistant seed” he advised “especially if it won’t withstand the cold winters” Fruit tree planting Most home gardeners enjoy having a few fruit trees in their backyards This is the best time of year for planting those trees Early spring planting gives the trees time to become established before the stresses of summer There is also a better selection of trees available at this time Another advantage of planting now ot ot 18-2-4 Consideration should also be given to the type and variety of fruit trees to plant Apples pears and sour cherries are best adapted to the Cache Valley climate Peaches nectarines sweet cherries and apricots have a hard time surviving and bearing fruit in the extreme cold Cache Valley climate There are a few of these trees growing in the valley but winter losses are extremely high Try and select apple varieties which are on root stock These trees can dwarf or be planted close together and will come into semi-dwa- rf bearing earlier More information on varieties of fruit trees to plant is available from the Extension Service office located in the county courthouse Fighting gophers Few animals are as widespread as and none is better adapted to its environment than the pocket gopher says Barry Tickes of University Arizona Extension 1 Tickes speaking at the recent Utah Alfalfa Symposium in St George sponsored by the Utah Farm Bureau and USU Extension says alfalfa is probably the crop damaged most by these prolific rodents He showed maps indicating that gophers populate most areas of Utah Alfalfa growers have a variety of control techniques available "Trapping is one of the oldest and most effective gopher-contrtechniques" Tickes said “In Arizona there are people who make a living trapping gophers” Strychnine if used in adequate quantities can help control gophers but concerns over environmental damage from the pesticide have restricted its use And at the low levels allowed Tickes said “we have yet to achieve commercially successful control” ol There are a number of grain and dog food-lik- e baits available to kill gophers but Tickes warned that his tests show gophers will push aside the bait to get at alfalfa which is apparently their favorite food Steve Lewis a University of Nevada Extension county agent said gopher control efforts should begin when the first gopher is spotted in the field He said one way to learn how many gophers are in a field is by knocking down existing mounds to identify new mounds being dug “Patience and persistence and the keys to controlling gophers” Lewis said t |