BELTSVILLE, Md. - Ever
heard of polyethylene glycol? It's a
chemical used in a host of in
dustrial processes, and now
research by two USUA scientists
suggests it may increase yields of
soybeans and other legumes.
Lowell W. Woodstock and Kar-
Lmg James Tao of USUA’s Bell
sville Agricultural Hesearch
Center in Maryland have found
that soaking the embryo of
soybean seeds with polyethylene
glycol will improve the ger
mination and early growth of aged
or damaged seeds. In some cases,
the effects of aging are almost
completely avoided.
Woodstock and Tao found that
proper germination and early
growth depend partly on the seeds’
ability to withstand rapid uptake of
water immediately after planting.
If the cell membranes have
deteriorated because of age or
damage, they tolerate water up
take less, and the swelling caused
by water can further injure the
membranes.
The seed’s embryo appears to
Ag under fire
(Continued from Page Al 6)
Costa Rica and Honduras. US.
exports are expected to fall further
this fiscal year, primarily because
of lower gram prices and reduced
gram demand.
Although political and economic
conditions are depressing U S.
sales for now, the Central
American market has a lot of
future growth potential-when and
it strong economic performance
returns to the region.
"There is clearly a great deal of
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Chemical gives seeds “get-up-and-grow”
be the critical component when
injuries occur from the rapid in
flux of water,” says Woodstock,
who is with the Seed Research
Laboratory of Beltsville’s Plant
Genetics and Germplasm In
stitute.
During the first minutes of ex
posure to water, aged embryos
lose six tunes more of the cell
constituents than young, healthy
embryos lose, Woodstock and Tao
found. These may include the
enzymes, nucleotides, amino
acids, and organic and inorganic
ions needed for the seeds’ life
processes. *
in the experiments, FEG-treated
embryos (from seeds which had
first been "aged” by storing for up
to 5 days at 106 degrees F. and 100
percent humidity), grew at a rate
comparable to that of high-vigor
embryos.
Woodstock and Tao theorize that
PEG slows the seeds’ water up
take. possibly giving cell mem
branes time to repair, thus
reducing the leakage of cellular
constituents. Cell membranes are
latent demand for improved
diets.” says economist Donnel
O’Flynn. In fact, during recent
years, farm production hasn’t even
kept pace with population growth.
The fastest growing needs seem
to be wheat and flour for human
consumption, and feed grains and
protein ingredients to expand
livestock and jjouitry production
in the short term, dairy and
vegetable oil sales could also in
crease to, offset local production
declines.
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semi permeable, allowing smaller
molecules such as water to enter
while blocking larger molecules
such as PEG. PEG'S presence
reduces the effective con
centration of water molecules, and
fewer water molecules hit (and
pass through) the cell membrane
in a given amount of tune.
Although be reaffirms that there
is no substitute for high-vigor
seeds, Woodstock believes that
polyethylene gylcol might sub
stantially increase the yields of
soybeans, lima beans, peas, and
other crops whose seeds are
’ ' ' * such injury—
11. S, Senate committee hears
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator
Jesse Helms, chairman of the
Senate Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry, has an
nounced hearings on rural energy
policy will be held May 25-26.
Senator Mark Andrews (R-ND),
chairman of the Subcommittee on
Rural Development, Oversight,
and Investigations, will conduct
the hearmgs, which are scheduled
for 1.30 p.m in Room 324 Russell
Senate Office Building
Senator Andrews said the
•Rural Energy Equity” hearmgs
will investigate the extent of
energy problems and will “tplore
all avenues that will help the
United States achieve energy
independence.
'For mute some time I’vp been
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particularly when planting is
followed by a cold spring nun.
Subsequent work by Woodstock
and colleague Raymond B
Taylorson into PEG'S effects on
whole seeds has supported these
findings. Results indicate that the
chemical could also solve
problems with the practice of
soaking seeds in water before
planting Soaking encourages
uniform and rapid germination,
but it also causes some seeds
considerable injury. In Beltsville
tests, low-vigor soybean seeds not
only were protected from soaking
injury when PEG was added to the
rural energy testimony
deeply concerned over this
country’s lack of a cohesive energy
policy. This is a serious omission
which disturbs me even more
during our present glut’ of energy
supplies and a prevailing attitude
of complacency,” Andrews said.
"As a farmer myself, I have
some knowledge about how
precarious our rural energy supply
system is. Furthermore, I know
something about the dependency
farmers have on petroleum sup
plies at the critical planting and
harvesting periods, which are
dictated almost entirely by
weather,” he continued
The North Dakota senator added
that he is alarmed at what over
regulation, high production costs
aggravated by repressive interest
Law*tw Fntaß,Wlanhy, Hay 22,1M2-Al7
rates, and the reluctance of some
areas of the country to develop
' their own energy are doing to the
entire energy industry
Invited witnesses include the
Electric Power Research Institute,
Palo Alto, CA, the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association,
the Basin Electric Power Co-Op of
Bismarck, ND, the Georgia Power
and Light Co, Atlanta, GA, the
National Coal Association, the
American Nuclear Energy
Council, the National Food and
Energy Council, the Consumer
Federation of Amenca, the
Americans for Energy In
dependence, and the National
Council of Farmer Cooperatives
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water, but aiao actually grew
better than PEG-treated. low
vigor seeds not soaked ui water.
Work at the Boyce Thompson
Institute in Ithaca. N.Y., has been
equally encouraging, showing that
a coating of PEG and gum arable
protects soybean seeds against
chilling injury, -Gaps between the
laboratory experiments and the
actual field use of polyethylene
glycol remain to be filled,"
Woodstock says. "But the results
thus far suggest that we’re on our
way to improving soybean and
other legume yields ”