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NEWS RELEASE

August 2003

AGRICULTURE, VETERINARY MEDICINE AND NATURAL RESOURCES NEWS

RESEARCHER'S WORK COULD PROTECT SOYBEANS FROM NEMATODE PESTS
Thomas Baum, associate professor of plant pathology at Iowa State University, is part of a multi-university team whose recent breakthroughs mark the starting point for understanding the biology of the most serious soybean parasites. The research team discovered a comprehensive spectrum of parasitism genes in root-knot and cyst nematodes. The parasitism genes enable nematodes to secrete into soybean roots parasitism proteins, which are necessary for disease to progress. "We're working to understand the biology of nematode parasitism by discovering the tools the nematode uses to infect plants," Baum said. "The goal is to use this knowledge to identify weak points in the nematode life cycle and then to target these weak points to interfere with nematode infection." Thanks to the findings made by Baum and his colleagues, researchers in the future will be able to devise strategies to make host plants, like soybeans, resistant to nematode attack and damage. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United Soybean Board and the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board provided funding for the research. Additional information is available online at http://www.baumlab.org. Contact Baum, (515) 294-2398, or Teddi Barron, News Service, (515) 294-4778.

HOW HAVE RURAL COMMUNITIES CHANGED?
How do you define rural America? Some of us may have a stereotypical view of rural America as close-knit, homogeneous, farming communities. That image has changed according to the book, "Rural Communities: Legacy and Change," written by two Iowa State faculty members. Authors Cornelia Butler Flora, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development director, and Jan Flora, sociology, look at the changes in rural communities over time and describe how many rural communities have more differences than similarities. The Floras outline four structural circumstances dominating rural areas including: urban sprawl, rapid growth near natural amenities, persistent poverty and remoteness. This revised edition of "Rural Communities" offers students and communities a framework for understanding rural society based on social science. Issues facing many rural communities include racial and cultural diversity, impacts of globalization, organizing sustainable communities and community building. Contact Cornelia Flora, (515) 294-1329; Jan Flora, (515) 294-4295; or Barbara McManus, Ag Communications Service, (515) 294-0707.

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