Texas Tech UniversityCollege of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

INTEGRATING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR BETTER LIVING

A multidisciplinary/multi institutional and collaborative research program in the following areas is an important research/outreach thrust of CASNR:

Conservation Human Health Sustainability Safety

CONSERVATION

Using Satellites to Measure Water Use in Crop

ProductionObjective: Determine how much water

applied to agricultural crops by irrigation and rain is actually being used by the plants.

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Stephen J. Maas

Professor of Agricultural Microclimatology

Texas Tech University

CONSERVATION

A large part of the crop production in the semi-arid Texas High Plains is dependent upon irrigation water from the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest reservoir of fresh water in the Great Plains of the U. S.

While more efficient methods of irrigation are being adopted by farmers in the region, depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer continues at an unsustainable rate.

To determine the true efficiency of irrigation, it is necessary to know how much of the water applied to a crop is actually used to grow the crop.

CONSERVATION

Normally, measuring the water use of crops on a regional scale would be difficult, but CASNR researchers have developed a method for accurately estimating daily and seasonal crop water use on a field-by-field basis for an agricultural region.

Since a single satellite image can contain many agricultural fields, this approach greatly simplifies the determination of crop water use on a regional scale.

The method uses satellite images to evaluate a “spectral crop coefficient” that indicates how well the crop in a field is growing and, when combined with data from regional weather observations, provides an estimate of crop water use.

CONSERVATION

An estimate of the water actually used by the plants (compared to the total available water) provides a measure of the efficiency of water application.

Studies in the Texas High Plains over the past 3 years show that some fields are being efficiently irrigated, while too much irrigation water is being applied to others.

This research could lead to increased conservation of the Ogallala Aquifer by helping farmers identify efficient irrigation systems and adopt more effective ways to schedule the timing and amounts of irrigation.

HUMAN HEALTH

Virtually EliminatingPathogens in Meat

Objective: Determine the effectiveness of a direct- fed microbial (Lactobacillus) on E.coli incidence

in cattle.

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Mindy Brashears

Director of International Center for Food Industry Excellence

Texas Tech University

HUMAN HEALTH

A lactobacillus-based cattle feed additive was developed that reduces E. coli 0157 in cattle by more than 50 percent. Currently, more than half of the fed cattle in the U. S. are on this product.

Reducing the E. coli in cattle by 50 percent will prevent an estimated 10,000 illnesses and save the industry more than $5 billion in losses.

HUMAN HEALTH

Producer management practices, such as cleaning of feedlot pens, feedbunks and water tanks, as well as manipulation of basic ration ingredients have been applied to control E. coli 0157 in the pre-harvest environment. Most of these practices have not been proven consistently effective.

However, feeding probiotics containing lactobacillus (friendly bacteria like that found in yogurt) does have a favorable effect. Mixed with rations and ingested by cattle, the lactobacillus travels to an animal’s digestive tract where it kills or at least impairs growth of E. coli 0157.

HUMAN HEALTH

E. coli or salmonella bacteria can cause an infection that often produces diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours. The illness usually lasts four to seven days.

While most people recover without treatment, infants, elderly people and those with compromised immune systems can develop severe illness that can be fatal if not promptly treated with antibiotics.

SUSTAINABILITY

Diversified Systems Save Water, Boost Profits

Objective: Identify profitable and sustainable integrated crop/forage/livestock production systems.

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Vivien Allen

Thornton Distinguished Professor and Horn Professor

Texas Tech University

SUSTAINABILITY

The Texas Alliance for Water Conservation is an eight-year, $6.2 million demonstration project monitoring 26 Floyd and Hale County producers who use a variety of crop and livestock grazing combinations.

By monitoring their farms over eight years, researchers are identifying growing practices and technologies that can allow growers to continue turning a profit on their land while preserving diminishing South Plains water resources.

SUSTAINABILITY

Producers who foraged livestock or grew forage fields alongside row crops have consistently enjoyed higher net yields for the amount of water and fertilizer they used.

Sorghum requires less water than corn and can return similar profitability to the grower per acre.

SUSTAINABILITY

Perennial forages have a big advantage in prevention of soil erosion, lower nitrogen and water requirements, and have the potential to be profitable, particularly for the amount of water invested.

Integrating forage production and/or grazing with crop production generally improves water conservation of the overall system because of the increased water-use efficiency of forage.

SAFETY

New ‘Wipes’ For Better Decontamination Of

Chemical Warfare Agents

Objective: Develop a composite cotton fabric designed to protect humans against biological and chemical agents.

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar

Associate Professor, Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory

Texas Tech University

SAFETY

Testing results have created opportunities to use the fabric, dubbed ‘Fibertect’, in clothing liners for the first responders and chemical workers or as wipes in decontamination kits.

‘Fibertect’ sandwiches a layer of active carbon between cotton. The cloth is flexible, holds together under a variety of chemicals and can quickly decontaminate sensitive surfaces like skin or electronics.

SAFETY

Researchers evaluated the ability of the new fabric to absorb and adsorb sulfur mustard, a toxic liquid that causes skin blistering, and compared the results to activated carbon particles and a standard military decontamination kit that uses powdered carbon mixed with other materials.

The wipes were better than particulate carbon alone and as effective as the military decontamination kit. The next generation wipes, which are a major step toward a universal personal decontamination system for nearly any toxic or hazardous chemical, could help save the lives of soldiers and civilians.

SAFETY

In tests performed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California using mustard gas and other toxic chemicals, the wipe outperformed 30 different materials, including some currently used in military decontamination kits.

Emergency crews today can use a carbon powder very effective at soaking up chemicals but very messy when trying to decontaminate a large number of people. The powder leaves behind a black coating of dust wherever it is used, something that must be cleaned up or can be inhaled.