MAX FACTS
growing tips, news and trivia
Alleviating Nut Allergies
Disease-resistant Peas
The children of women who regularly ate peanuts or tree nuts during
pregnancy appear to be at a lower risk for nut allergies than other
kids, say researchers. A study published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association is the first to demonstrate that a mother who eats
nuts during pregnancy may help build up a baby’s tolerance to them
after birth, its lead author, Dr. Michael Young, told CNN. The effect
seemed to be strongest in women who ate the most peanuts or tree
nuts—five or more servings per week. The study controlled for factors
such as family history of nut allergies and other dietary practices.
(Source: edition.cnn.com)
New garden pea and dry pea breeding lines developed by the USDA might
offer growers added insurance against Aphanomyces root rot. Fungicides
aren’t an option, so growers must either avoid planting in fields with a
history of the disease, or switch to growing non-host crops until pathogen
numbers drop to acceptable levels. Breeding peas for resistance to
Aphanomyces has proven difficult because multiple genes are involved.
The resistance genes are also associated with undesirable
traits, which cultivated varieties can inherit when
crossed with wild germplasm sources. As an
alternative, researchers sought to develop pea
germplasm lines that naturally tolerate the
pathogen, but do not suffer the same ill effects
as susceptible plants. The pea lines are
descendants of an inbred population of
plants derived from a cross made in 1993.
(Source: ars.usda.gov)
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Maximum Yield USA | February 2014