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Bend / Central Oregon Golf Guide / bendbulletin.com/golf - Bend Bulletin Posted: 26 Aug 2010 01:09 AM PDT Commentary May 2, 2010 4:00 am It seems these days that most consumers are trying to get the most value out of their entertainment dollar. We golfers are no different. With economic turmoil still everywhere around us, it is good to....MORE >> Golfing on a budget May 2, 2010 4:00 am What to do with kids during the summer is a decision faced by many parents. Children could hang out in the parking lot at the local corner store when they are out of school, of course. But a better....MORE Central Oregon golf survey Area golfers say they expect to spend more money on golf this year than they did in 2009 May 2, 2010 4:00 am Perhaps the recession is not as much of a concern this year, at least for some golfers. In a recent survey, The Bulletin asked golfers a range of questions on golf and the state of the industry. The....MORE Central Oregon golf is a bit more affordable if you can play weekdays, in the afternoon or early evenings. Here are the area courses that offer twilight rates. May 1, 2010 4:00 am Aspen Lakes Golf Course (Sisters) • Through June 10: $45 before 7 a. m. and after 2 p. m.• June 11-Oct. 5: $60 before 7 a. m.; $65 from 1-3 p. m.; $49 after 3 p. m. Black Butte Ranch •....MORE This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent.

Genetic map for switchgrass published, aids in study of biofuel - Farm And Ranch Guide Posted: 25 Aug 2010 03:00 PM PDT Genetic map for switchgrass published, aids in study of biofuel By ANDREA JOHNSON, Assistant Editor Wednesday, August 25, 2010 5:04 PM CDT As farmers wait to produce new alternative energy crops, some USDA Agri-cultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are uncovering the secrets of switchgrass which, they say, holds so much potential as an alternative energy source. The USDA ARS Switchgrass team has found that switchgrass produces five times the cellulosic ethanol needed to cover the energy needs required to grow it and make it into fuel. It is also a perennial that reduces weed pressure and holds soils in place - preventing wind and rain erosion. It sequesters carbon long term, and it can be fed to cattle. Switchgrass also yields well when domesticated and raised as a crop. Farmers in the Dakotas and the Great Plains - using best management practices - could produce enough switchgrass to produce 100-400 gallons of ethanol per acre with current varieties. As far as adaptability, switchgrass can thrive almost anywhere. Switchgrass is polyploid (one or more extra sets of chromosomes), does not self-fertilize and depends on out-crossing in the wild. Taken together, this maintains a great deal of genetic diversity in the wild and results in the constant development of new lines of switchgrass. There are only a few domesticated switchgrass varieties. Recently, the ARS announced they had successfully mapped the genome (all of the hereditary information) for two varieties of switchgrass - Kanlow and Alamo. Christian Tobias, a molecular biologist at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., and his colleagues published the results recently in "Genetics," a publication of The Genetics Society of America. Tobias and his team crossed Kanlow and Alamo to produce 238 new plants. Then they extracted DNA from those plants, and by genotyping these lines, assembled a genetic linkage map based on more than 1,000 DNA markers that could be attributed to one parent or the other. In the end, the team assembled two linkage maps - one for Kanlow and another for Alamo. Tobias found that while each genetic map had its nuances, the maps matched up with 18 distinct groups of genes linked together on the same strand of DNA. "We were able to show the genomes at a very large scale were co-linear with related grass species," Tobias said in a phone interview. "That's good because it will enable us to use genetic information from these grass species that are well studied, and look for variations that we can use for selection to rapidly improve switchgrass." Using tissue samples and genetic markers to find desired traits in switchgrass can be a much faster way to develop new varieties than the traditional breeding process. The ARS Switchgrass team works all across the United States. The ARS Grain, Forage and Bioenergy Research Unit at Lincoln, Neb., heads up the USDA's switchgrass research. Tobias and his colleagues work on switchgrass molecular genetics in California. Switchgrass management is studied at research units in Mandan, N.D., Madi-son, Wis., and College Park, Penn. The team has determined the economic feasibility of raising switchgrass as a biomass energy. They have identified seed quality as a primary factor that can effect stand establishment, as well as demonstrated the feasibility of using hybrid cultivars to increase switchgrass biomass yield for use as an alternative fuel. They worked with 10 farmers in Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota to commercially grow switchgrass for five years, beginning in 2000 and 2001. The farmers recorded all costs for producing switchgrass biomass on commercial fields, including seed and fertilizer expenses, equipment and labor costs. On average the switchgrass production costs averaged $50 per ton. Based on that figure, and assuming a conversion efficiency of 80-90 gallons per ton, the farm production cost of cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass would be 55 to 62 cents per gallon. The ARS Switchgrass team wants to find the best traits for switchgrass to thrive in various regions of the United States. One of the challenges with switchgrass is the need for fertilizer and water - just like corn - to produce maximum yields. Because it's a perennial, it is challenging to get into the tall grass to apply fertilizer. The more switchgrass is harvested, the more water and fertilizer it needs to continue to thrive. If the team can identify plants that contain the trait to thrive with limited rainfall, that genetic information could be bred into a high quality variety. The team also wants to increase yields to reduce the cost of switchgrass production for bioenergy. "We can modify switchgrass to improve yields, to improve cold tolerance and drought tolerance, much more easily now that we have a linkage map than in the absence of any information about the location of the genes," Tobias said. The team hopes to tailor varieties to specific locations, to hardiness zones, and even more. Down the road, switchgrass - because it is not used as food for people - could make an interesting target for genetic modification. Scientists hope to modify the cell wall composition of switchgrass to improve its properties for co-firing in a power plant. They also hope to use biotechnology to increase its digestibility and access to enzymes that would produce fermentable sugars for ethanol production. Switchgrass has hollow stems, Tobias pointed out. "If we could think of some way to fill that empty space with fermentable sugars or with even cell wall material, we could increase the density of yield and dry matter of switchgrass," Tobias said. "That is an intriguing possibility."   Comments » Comment on this story Comments will be approved within 48 hours This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent.

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