Month: August 2014

Life Saving Lettuce

by Zachary Richards, Economics major

When thinking about food and health, most people begin to think about fruits, vegetables, organics, and other healthy eating habits.  However, there is a new technology being developed that could allow food, specifically lettuce, to be even more beneficial to your health.  This technology is plant based vaccine, and it could revolutionize the way a vaccine is supplied.

Nicknamed green vaccines, they have been undergoing testing for years to perfect the production process.  The vaccine is essentially injected into the genome of the plant allowing the plant to produce vaccines. (as a note: the vaccines will help prevent someone from getting a disease, but it doesn’t cure it if the person gets the disease)   The lettuce plants are grown to maturity, and they are eventually freeze-dried, powdered, and inserted into capsules that allow them to be ingested easily.

The concept may seem interesting, but what really is the added benefit of this type of vaccination?  Supposedly, this process should allow for much cheaper creating, distribution, and sale of cures of a variety of diseases.  The process of producing these plants is much cheaper than current methods, and the process is being continually refined so it should become even cheaper in the future.

Henry Daniell, the head of the project at Penn, has made it his life work to find unique ways to deliver drugs and vaccinations to the human body.  He wants drugs and vaccines to become cheaper for everyone, saying, “To me, there is something morally not right about that. If you have something that saves lives, you have an obligation to make it available to everyone.”  His hope is that this lettuce consumption method of vaccination will help this idea become a reality, and I sincerely hope it does.

Read More
Delivering Drugs With Plants, Penn’s Henry Daniell Aims to Save Lives
> Penn State News

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This blog post was an assignment for  Societal Issues: Pesticides, Alternatives and the Environment (PLNTPTH 4597). The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the class, Department of Plant Pathology or the instructor.

Are you aware of your footprint?

by Paige Thrush, Plant Health Management major

English poet, Francis Thompson, once wrote, “All things by immortal power, near or far, hiddenly to each other linked are, that thou canst not stir a flower without troubling of star.” This quote speaks of the intimate relationship of all elements within our universe.

Earth’s natural resources are being depleted at an alarming rate for the benefit of humankind. Many think of water, soil and air as renewable resources that become replenished over time. Truth is, the quality of these resources has gotten so bad that many believe we are doomed.

On the other hand, those who see the cup as half full believe that there are measures we can take to preserve these resources. Sustainability is a hot topic these days and many are jumping on the bandwagon to play their part in conserving our planet for future generations to come.

Sustainable methods are integrated as in an attempt to protect our human species, preserve wildlife, plants, nonrenewable resources and biodiversity and enhance soil, air and water quality. One small step in the direction of conservation helps build a framework for a sustainable future that our children and grandchildren will enjoy being a part of.

Every action we take leaves a footprint that affects other living beings, the environment and the world. Are you aware of your footprint?

Read more about sustainable agricultural practices and what you can do to help: http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/about-sarep/def/

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This blog post was an assignment for  Societal Issues: Pesticides, Alternatives and the Environment (PLNTPTH 4597). The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the class, Department of Plant Pathology or the instructor.

Is Bt corn really working?

By Wesley Allen, Professional Golf Management major

Is Bt corn really working?

While this article seems to be one that trashes Bt corn I have a different opinion.  They label it as what could be a great failure. This is incorrect – I can’t see how one could say this.  These types of crops have worked wonders for the world and if used correctly would continue to.  The main reason that insects develop resistance to Bt crops is because of improper resistance management (and not inherently because of genetic engineering). There needs to be enough crops planted that are non-Bt in order to manage resistance.  Most farmers understand this and are doing this, but now companies are taking it into their own hands and mixing in non-Bt seeds with the Bt seeds so that the appropriate amount will be grown.  Bt corn has proven how well it works and it will continue to do so as long as we take the right precautions to make sure that insects to not develop resistance to Bt engineered crops.

Reference article: Monsanto decimates their credibility (Sept. 10, 2013)
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/10/monsanto-bt-corn.aspx

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This blog post was an assignment for  Societal Issues: Pesticides, Alternatives and the Environment (PLNTPTH 4597). The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the class, Department of Plant Pathology or the instructor.

Will They Survive?

bmsb_blogby Jennifer Fullenkamp, Sustainable Plant Systems major

I recently moved and noticed that there were a lot of brown marmorated stink bugs. I thought that it was just something with the house until I talked with some family members and friends. They too have noticed a rise in these stink bugs.

These bugs are a nasty pest with a strong, foul odor. Right when you think you disposed of the unpleasant critters, another is found right after the other. Unfortunately there is no good way to rid yourself of them. My mother and I have been finding them left and right, in every nook and cranny. A piece of advice: try to find where they are entering the house and block their entrance.

These little pests were first discovered in the U.S. in 2001. Since then, they have become an agronomical and house pest without many predators to control them or any insecticide to kill them.

Because they are not being picky eaters, the stink bug can cause a lot of damage on several varieties of plants (many fruit crops, common landscape plants and crops such as soybean and corn). The bugs eat the fruit and the leaves on plants, leaving behind perforated and destroyed crops and ornamental plants that cannot be used or sold.

I am fearful that marmorated stink bugs are going to be a pest that will take over and destroy a lot of food crops and ornamental plants that I work with every day. I dread what the world’s and my future might look like in the horticultural and floricultural industry in the next decade.

Still, there is one question that keeps playing through my mind. “What plants will survive this pesky pest?”

For more information on the marmorated stink bug:
Ohioline – Brown Marmorated Stink Bug fact sheet (pdf)

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This blog post was an assignment for  Societal Issues: Pesticides, Alternatives and the Environment (PLNTPTH 4597). The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the class, Department of Plant Pathology or the instructor.