Al4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 13,1980 Delaware students can go to Panama for classes NEWARK. Del. - Students from the University of Delaware will have a chance next January to see at first-hand how the leaders and people of Panama are dealing with the problems of economic development-esp ecxally as these problems relate to agriculture. The vehicle? A three-week, three-crec.it study trip to the country for a wintenm course on Problems of Agricultural Development. The class, which will be Plant tissue used to study pesticides UNIVERSITY PARK - Plant tissue cultures m test tubes are enabling scientists at Penn State to determine the effects of pesticides and their breakdown products on the environment. “It is much easier to isolate and identify pesticide breakdown products m tissue cultures than in whole plants,” declared Ralph 0. Mumma, professor of chemical pesticides at Penn State. He said it is important to know how much of a pesticide and its converted remants are present in plants at any one time. Such information, he claimed, is vital for proper tuning of crop harvest, for safety of humans and other species, and to understand the possible effects of pesticide breakdown on the en vironment. He indicated tissue cultures contain only very small amounts of übstances such as pigments and starches wluch, in whole plants, interfere with the identification of products left over when pesticides deteriorate. Such cultures can be made OIL PRICES: 85' -95* -’1.15- *1.35 *1.75-*2.00??? HOW MUCH WILL YOU PAY T GROUND water HEAT I piINVPEi held January 5 to 29, is being offered through the University’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Harry Brautigam, a specialik in agricultural development, will be teaching the course. Its purpose is to study the role of agriculture and how it can help solve the economic problems of a less developed country. Panama faces serious development problems which depend in part on from almost any part of a plant roots, leaves, or stems. As grown in bottles or special vials, plant tissues get then- energy from sugars in the culture medium, not from sunlight This asexual growth of plant tissue can result in new plants with superior qualities, it was noted “It is much easier to isolate and identify pesticide breakdown products from tissue cultures than from whole plants,” he said. “Such cultures contain only very small amounts of substances such as pigments and starches which, in whole plants, interfere with the identification of products left over when pesticides deteriorate. He claimed many scien tists at universities and in government and industrial laboratories are rapidly adopting tissue culture in their research. By carefully selecting plant hormone levels, it is often possible to stimulate the growth of roots and/or leafy buds thus producing new plants. Such cloned tissue cultures grow rapidly, have moderate cost and space improving agricultural production. The question is how best to provide the country’s rural inhabitants (half the total population) with the knowledge of technical skills needed to achieve a satisfactory standard of living in order to half the migration of the poor and unskilled to the citues. “During our visit we’ll hear from observers in different sectors of the country's leadership, to see needs, are easy to duplicate, take up pesticides rapidly, and quickly produce chemical breakdown products. In addition, laboratory conditions and comparison of data with other labs can be stan dardized, increasing the reliability of results. Plant tissue culture can be carried out in two major ways. First, the tissue can be cultured rapidly in a solution consisting of single cells or small clumps of cells from the original plant. Or tissue can be cultured more slowly SOMETHING f TO I : Lancaster Farming has over 37,000 subscribers V } GEOTHERMAL • Utilize The Ground Water Heat on Your Property ... Wells, Ponds, Pools, etc. 40% TAX CREDIT what they think needs to be done. And then we’ll see what the people themselves think,” says Brautigam. “People often perceive their problems differently than outsiders do.” Panama’s problems are typical of all less developed countries, he says. Because agriculture is limited, there is a similar pattern of migration to urban areas and large-scale unem ployment. as clumps of tissue growing on agar gels. The growth medium contains salts, a few vitamins, hormones, and sugar needed for growth. Cultures usually can be grown for six to eight weeks and may increase 10 to 100- fold in weight. To verify the significance of findings, corresponding experiments are carried out with whole plants for comparison. These ex periments have led to the discovery of many new breakdown products. CROW ABOUT... ENERGY ★ Heat ★ Cool ★ Provide Domestic Hot Water For Less Than % The Cost of Oil ★ Air or Hot Water Systems AVERAGE OPERATING COSTS...LESS THAN *4OO PER YEAR! For Information, Contact: CM. DAVID & ASSOCIATES, INC. 400 N. Race St. Richland, PA 17087 717-866-7588 {Call 717-272-8580 Collect) HAROLD C. FOSTER 80x96A Star Route Huntincdon, PA 16652 814-643-0248 (Call Collect) One of the big difficulties in solving Panama’s problems is lack of com munication. Research at the University is not used as an input in the decision-making process the way it is in more developed nations like the U.S. “In Panama,” explains the economist, “there’s no extension service to provide a link between research and the farmer, or between research and government actions.” Changes now under way in the training of agricultural students there-including an exchange of ideas and personnel with the University of Delaware’s agricultural college-may help to improve the spread of ideas. Members of the class will attend brief seminars m Panama City with key representatives of govern ment, business and the University of Panama, as well as officials from in ternational agencies. Students will also meet with anthropologists familiar with local traditions and life styles in rural parts of the country which the class will visit. Besides metropolitan Panama City, the group will visit Chiriqui-the prosperous agricultural region responsible for most of the country’s food production. They will spend time in Santiago-a very poor rural area where the bulk of the country’s land reform ef forts are concentrated. The Delaware group will also visit Darien, a large undeveloped province recently made more ac cessible by the construction of a highway. The challenge there is how to control development so as to protect the fragile tropical ecology. -OR Brautigam wants his clll to become aware of Panama’s potential in other areas besides agriculture, too. A crossroads of in ternational shipping because of the canal, the country has one of the largest banking communities in the world, as well as one of largest free trade areas. Members of the class will have an opportunity to do some travel on their own to places such as the San Bias Islands (home of the Cuna Indians, famous for their colorful appliqued molas), and Contadora Island (a beautiful resort center). They’ll be able to visit Colon, a free-trade area at the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal. The three-credit course is open to anyone the University of Delaware It is also open to other in terested individuals through the Division of Continuing Education. Cost for the 24 days will be around $9OO including transportation, breakfast and hotel ac commodations. For further information contact Harry Brautigam at 302/738-2511. DECEMBER SPECIAL Stt LOWER PRICES W$ HAauitt+lfail ALL THE WAY Flameless Catalytic Heaters For Pigs LP- Gas 5000 & 8000 BTU Models 4 Position Dial Heat Control. 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