permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] molecular profile showing why organic is better
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 16:39:40 -0400
From: jcummins@UWO.CA
Reply-To: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group 
<SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

The paper below shows that organic is truly effective and provides convincing
molecular profiles to back up that conclusion.

Published online before print July 12, 2004
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0403496101

Agricultural Sciences
An alternative agriculture system is defined by a distinct expression profile 
of
select gene transcripts and proteins

Vinod Kumar *, Douglas J. Mills , James D. Anderson , and Autar K. Mattoo *¶
*Vegetable Laboratory, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, and Plant
Sciences Institute, Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center,
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service,
Building 010A, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350

Conventional agriculture has relied heavily on chemical inputs that have
negatively impacted the environment and increased production costs. Transition
to agricultural sustainability is a major challenge and requires that
alternative agricultural practices are scientifically analyzed to provide a
sufficiently informative knowledge base in favor of alternative farming
practices. We show a molecular basis for delayed leaf senescence and tolerance
to diseases in tomato plants cultivated in a legume (hairy vetch) mulch-based
alternative agricultural system. In the hairy vetch-cultivated plants,
expression of specific and select classes of genes is up-regulated compared to
those grown on black polyethylene mulch. These include N-responsive genes such
as NiR, GS1, rbcL, rbcS, and G6PD; chaperone genes such as hsp70 and BiP;
defense genes such as chitinase and osmotin; a cytokinin-responsive gene CKR;
and gibberellic acid 20 oxidase. We present a model of how their protein
products likely complement one another in a field scenario to effect efficient
utilization and mobilization of C and N, promote defense against disease, and
enhance longevity.