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 ,