Agricultural Experiment Station Research Provides Immediate Benefits to Consumers

AUBURN, Ala.—Food research with immediate benefit to Alabama consumers highlighted the research year at the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station. For example, a new low fat sausage, AU Lean was announced; culture methods were developed for a blue and orange crayfish from Australia; new watermelon, plum and blackeyed pea varieties were released; and success enjoyed in growing oysters in restricted bay waters holds promise for this important coastal industry.

AU Lean sausage, the follow-up product to AU Lean ground beef, which is used in McDonald's McLean Deluxe hamburger, has 60 percent less fat and about half the calories of conventional pork sausage. If U.S. consumption switched totally to AU Lean ground beef and sausage, about 750 million pounds of fat would be removed annually from the diet of Americans.

Redclaw, an orange and blue crayfish from Australia, is proving to be a tiger of an aquaculture crop, with outstanding potential for production in Alabama ponds. The crayfish, which is imported from Australia and marketed on a limited basis in the United States as a "freshwater lobster," has consistently scored high in taste and cooking tests. Redclaw can survive in Alabama waters from April until October, long enough to grow from nursery-raised juveniles to about one-fourth pound.

AU Scarlet and AU Producer-Yellow are thin rinded, ultra sweet watermelon varieties released in 1991 by the Experiment Station breeding program. The thin rind and low seed count of both varieties will make it even easier for consumers to enjoy, and improved disease resistance will make them more profitable to grow for Alabama producers.

Homeowners, especially those with children, will enjoy the bountiful harvest of AU Cherry plum. Not suited to commercial production, Cherry is a small, sweet plum that produces high yields. AU Rosa is a large, firm plum that was developed to boost commercial production in the state. Both plums have good resistance to diseases that have previously limited production in the state.

Both home gardeners and commercial vegetable growers will benefit from AUBe, a new blackeyed southernpea variety. It has a non-vining growth habit that produces easier to harvest pods that grow level with or above the foliage. It has resistance to both insects and diseases that plague pea production in Alabama, making it ideal for commercial production.

Last year Auburn researchers developed a method of raising oysters in inland ponds. Though the oysters did not complete growth in these ponds, they proved an excellent nursery, allowing oystermen to take advantage of initial rapid growth and protection from disease and predators during the early months of growth. By transferring oysters to cages in protected areas of the Mobile Bay estuary, researchers were able to grow the pond-raised oysters to market size quicker and with fewer production and harvesting problems.

The stocking of carp with an extra growth hormone gene into ponds at Auburn may provide future benefits for Alabama consumers. The genetically improved carp is a model that scientists hope will lead to genetic improvements in channel catfish to promote faster, more uniform growth; disease resistance; adaptability to low oxygen and other environmental hazards; and reduced susceptibility to off-flavor.

Consumers may benefit financially from a study that shows little difference among commercially available stain-repellent finishes. Though prices for the different processes vary, researchers found little difference in efficacy among the stain repellents. However, each process made it easier for consumers to blot up liquid soils before they penetrated the fabric.

As the nation becomes more and more dependent on the South for wood, the improvement of pine nurseries becomes increasingly vital. Forestry researchers recently found that a small insect, the tarnished plant bug, is the cause of what had been mysterious damage to nursery seedlings in the state. Identification of the causal agent has led to new pest management programs that have virtually eliminated damage to pine nurseries by these insects.

Alabama cattlemen will benefit from research that identified peak periods of infection of cattle by internal parasites. Several treatment schedules developed by Experiment Station researchers working in cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists proved effective in parasite control, and subsequently improving feed conversion and overall performance of beef cattle.

Ongoing wildlife projects are geared to maintaining wildlife populations in harmony with man. A burning project demonstrated that this common forest management practice also can be beneficial to wildlife. Cottontail rabbits in this study adapted quickly to man-made habitat left after a "hot burn" of the game animal's habitat. Hot burn areas also proved to support a higher population of ground-nesting songbirds, while mild burns supported higher numbers of tree-dwelling songbirds.

Though much of the Experiment Station research effort is futuristic and provides a scientific base for future food and fiber production, there remains a strong program of applied research that regularly provides direct and immediate benefits to the consumers of the state.

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1991