Discovery May Solve Devastating Rust Fungus Issue for Bean Growers (Feb 27, 2009)
USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
Discovery of 3,000 proteins in common beans could help breeders develop crop resistance to a major problem, bean rust fungus, as well as to Asian soybean rust, a growing threat to soybeans in the United States.

President's Budget Proposes $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (Feb 26, 2009)
Great Lakes Commission.
A budget proposal released by President Obama provides $475 million to help restore the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will be led by the EPA and will tackle problems such as, invasive species, industrial and agricultural runoff and contaminated sediments in rivers and lakes.

Study Predicts When Invasive Species can Travel More Readily by Air (Feb 25, 2009)
University of Florida.
Global airlines be forewarned: June 2010 could be a busy month for invasive plants, insects and animals seeking free rides to distant lands.

What is the Real Impact of Invasive Species (Feb 24, 2009)
Digital Journal.
Invasive species are generally considered to be a major threat to ecosystem diversity. A recent study shows that invasive species also significantly impact cultural diversity.

Longer Marketing Time Increases the Risk of Naturalization by Horticultural Plants (Feb 24, 2009)
USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
The longer non-native plants are sold commercially, the greater the chance they will become naturalized and potentially invasive, according to a new ARS study.

Scientists Identify Lab-Made Proteins That Neutralize Multiple Strains of Seasonal and Pandemic Flu Viruses (Feb 22, 2009)
Scientists have identified a small family of lab-made proteins that neutralize a broad range of influenza A viruses, including the H5N1 avian virus, the 1918 pandemic influenza virus and seasonal H1N1 flu viruses. These antibodies potentially could be used in combination with antiviral drugs to prevent or treat the flu during an influenza outbreak or pandemic.

Article Abstract - Structural and functional bases for broad-spectrum neutralization of avian and human influenza A viruses (Feb 22, 2009)
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 16, 265 - 273 (2009)

Invasive Species: Part of the Price of Doing Business (Feb 13, 2009)
Arizona State University.
Global trade come with significant local costs, according to Charles Perrings, professor of environmental economics at ASU. Perrings, whose four-volume Ecological Economics has just been published, refers to one estimate that the annual economic damage due to invasive species is equal to 53 percent of agricultural GDP in the United States, 31 percent in the United Kingdom and 48 percent in Australia, but 96 percent, 78 percent and 112 percent of agricultural GDP in South Africa, India and Brazil, respectively.

ARS Scientists Sequence Citrus Disease Bacterium (Feb 12, 2009)
USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
Researchers have a new tool to combat citrus Huanglongbing (HLB), a disease threatening the nation's $2.2 billion citrus industry. ARS scientists have sequenced the genome of the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, which causes HLB.

Citrus Greening: What ARS Is Doing
USDA. Agricultural Research Service.

Species Profile -- Mexican Fruit Fly
USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
The Mexican fruit fly, is a very serious pest of various fruits, particularly citrus and mango, in Mexico and Central America. The Mexican fruit fly represents a particular threat to Florida because of its special affinity for grapefruit, of which Florida is one of the world's leading producers.