Plant News & Events

A Taste of Technology; Proctor Maple Research Center Opens New Facility

Source: University of Vermont

Forget about buckets. Most maple syrup is now made with an assortment of machines and tubes so complex that some sugarmakers call their final product “technosyrup.” Chat with a few of them, boiling sap one evening, and you’re likely to hear debate about reverse osmosis sap extractors, “steam-away” units and air injectors. They’ll all agree that today’s maple syrup is produced more quickly than it was a generation ago, and many will argue that the new devices produce a syrup finer in quality — that’s just as pungently delicious as ever.

But is it?

Tim Perkins, director of UVM’s Proctor Maple Research Center in Underhill Center, has decided to find out. This week, he and his staff will start boiling sap at a new research building to test exactly what effect new technologies have on the chemistry, flavor and quality of maple syrup. Read more.

Working for Wildlife, April

Source: Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

On an early spring day, usually in April, volunteers across Vermont join with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department staff to help improve habitat for Vermont's wildlife. This is a great opportunity to learn new skills and to understand the needs of our different wildlife species.

There is a wide variety of habitat improvement projects to choose from, such as planting trees, piling brush, cutting around apple trees to release them from competition, and building and placing wood duck and bluebird boxes. There's a place, too, for people to take pictures and hand out refreshments.

Plants Used To Detect Gas Leaks ... From Outer Space

Gas leaks can be potentially life threatening in the home, but the presence of gas stresses out plants too. Professor Mike Steven and colleagues from the University of Nottingham have found that changes in the physical properties of plants can act as an early warning of leaks in natural gas pipelines. Read more.

Sweetgum Tree Could Help Lessen Shortage Of Bird Flu Drug

Source: ScienceDaily

The sweetgum tree is known for its mace-like green fruit, which are sometimes called "gumballs." Now, this spiny fruit may become an important source of a chemical needed to make a lifesaving drug against bird flu — a drug that is currently in short supply worldwide, researchers say.

Chemists have found that the seeds of the sweetgum fruit contain significant amounts of shikimic acid, the starting material used to produce the main antiviral agent in a much-heralded drug for fighting bird flu. Their findings, which could help increase the global supply of the drug, were described today at the 231st national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. Read more.

Plants Give Pests Sock In The Gut

Source: ScienceDaily

A novel enzyme in corn helps the plants defend themselves from voracious caterpillars by disrupting the insects' ability to digest food, and ultimately killing them, according to researchers. The enzyme could be used in tandem with other biological pesticides such as the Bt toxin to prevent the pests from developing resistance and making the toxin more effective.

"The enzyme is found in insect-resistant strains of corn, and it breaks down proteins and peptides in the insects' gut. It is a unique active defense against herbivory," says Dawn Luthe, professor of plant stress biology at Penn State. Read more.