A3B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 6,1985 WASHINGTON - Chilly soil can reduce the level of zinc and other trace minerals in plants, so people get less in their diets, say scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Crops dislike “cold feet,” so even a slight drop in soil tem perature slows down the uptake of minerals by roots, said David L. Grimes, soil scientist, and Ross M. Welch, plant physiologist, of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. According to them, new laboratory studies show cold soils keep tap roots from penetrating deeply and putting out a thick network of branch or side roots in the lower depths to absorb minerals. Individualized computer k feeding system Jk m HiwumpiM THE 810 MILKER MULTIPLIES YOUR PROFITS fc vA • Healthier udders • Reduced cell count Vu] • Reduced milking times • Longer productive life of the cow • Superior milking out • Increased profitability in the shed S' Plants can get ‘cold feet’ too When soil temperatures hover around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, consumers may get less than expected amounts of minerals in foods. This happens because a smaller root system cannot fully do the work of supplying mineral nutrients to the plant, according to Grimes and Welch, who are based at the research agency’s U.S. "Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory, Ithaca, N.Y. “We’re doing root research because agriculture has a wealth of information about what happens within plant parts above ground, but relatively little is known about what goes on in the tangled world of roots. Yet, roots are the critical point m the plant’s ability to ab sorb nutrients, watei did essential ions,” Grunes said. So far, Grunes and his colleagues have studied mineral uptake by such grain crops as corn, barley and wheat, but future research will involve other crops. As an example of what can happen, he pointed to North Dakota field studies several years ago of corn grown on soils low m zinc and phosphorus. Grunes found that the plants, grown on cold soil, had stunted roots and showed severe symptoms of deficiency m both zinc and phosphorus. An agency research team in Ithaca also has shown in recent greenhouse work that barley plants have much less zinc in their tops when the root-zone tern- To be successful in dairying today, you know how im portant it is to be in complete control of your feeding pro gram and to have all the information possible on each and every cow That’s why Westfalia has developed the Codatron Individualized computer feeding system With Codatron, milk production and profits can be max imized while minimizing health problems, thanks to an early warning system And unlike many other units, Codatron is an expandable system that won’t become I obsolete The feeding system is quality built and basically fool ,<mm proof and automatic You’ll have dairy reports of «<«» • herd conditions and performance Ration adjust '• ments can be made quickly and easily You’ll be alerted to problem cows fast The Codatron is available in two basic models The H F-26 with feeding capabilities to 999 cows, up to 26 feeders, double ration capability with dairy H consumption reports The Model L offers feed- MOC * H mg plus breeding management capabilities And that’s not all Westfalia’s Codatron isj designed for expansion into parlor data milk functions and home computer interfacing Watch for new breakthroughs to be intro-; Qduced soon l Contact your Westfalia Sales Center today Find out why Westfalia is truly the leader in high tech dairy equipment perature is low. Ironically, when the root-zone temperature is low, more zinc is absorbed by the roots, but it stays in root cells. When the root-zone temperature increases, greater amounts of zinc can travel into the top or edible parts of the barley plant, ac cording to the findings of the team of Grimes, Welch, chemist Earle E. Cary, and soil scientists Wen dell A. Norvell of the research agency and visiting soil scientist Samuel M. Schwartz of the Volcam Center, Bet-Dagan, Israel. In its barley studies, the team also found that at a soil tem perature of 68 degrees F., the plants produced many branched roots which fanned out and filled thier six-inch deep, one-gallon Mi Comi MBER! Cumberland Farm A Dairy Supply, Inc. Larry Hughes Gary Walton, Sales Mgr. 717-263-0826 Farm Construction A Equipment Robert L. Janney 215-593-2365 Williams Farm Systems Dava Williams 717-398-2692 LITITZ FISHER & THOMPSON Assoc. Amos Fishor Rick Thompson 717-627-1530 MIFFLINBURC Wohr’s Dairy Equipment Mark Wehr 717-966-1396 MT. BETHEL K.C. Dairy Service Kevin Correii 717-897-5141 BELLI Byler's Diesel & Elam S. Stoltzfus Refrig. Service 717-529-2623 Daniel Byler 717-529-2668 717-483-6446 Answering Service Answering Service PARADISE Lloyd Renck Tim's Diesel Service 717-687-6361 Tim Stoltzfus containers. By contrast, at 50 degrees F., the barley plants put forth only a few long, thick roots with some hairhke rootlets. Branching was confined to the older parts of roots in the upper three inches of soil. Grimes said. • Knowledge of how and when zinc moves into the food chain is im portant because it is an essential element. Evidence points to borderline deficiencies in livestock and some human population groups. Plants need only about 20 parts per million of zinc in their tissues, but animals and humans need more - about 30 parts per million - in their diets. Hia Wes meat And mter Sales Centers NEW WILMINGTON Chuck Moose, Inc. 412-533-3077 BrennerOairy Equipment Albert Brenner 814-654-7309 IRQY Daicyland Sales A Service Jim Kelley 717-297-4128 WILLIAMSBURi Longenccker Implement Rod Carson 814-793-3731 SYKESVILLE. MD Dairyman Inc. Mid-Atlantic Division William Stauffer 301-795-2727 301-781-7020 WESTFALIA SYSTEMAT DIVISION of CENTRICO 1862 Brummel Dr. Elk Grove, 11160007 1-800-323-6723 312-437-8660 lAL WESTFALIA DEALERI FOR THE AMISH DAIRYMAN KIRKW REBERSBURG
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers