Invasive Species Awareness Week to Focus on Harmful Nonnative Species (Feb 23, 2011) / National Invasive Species Awareness Week 2011 -- Feb 28-Mar 4, 2011
Weed Science Society of America; National Invasive Species Awareness Week.
A broad coalition of stakeholders will gather next week to spotlight harmful invasive species that cause a multibillion-dollar annual drain on our nation's economy. A week of activities, briefings, and events in Washington D.C. to highlight what is being done across the nation and around the world to stop and slow the spread of invasive species. See Schedule of Events (PDF | 416 KB) and USDA and Invasive Animal and Pathogen (ITAP) Day (PDF | 203 KB)

Playing Smart Against Invasive Species
USDA. FS. Invasive Species Program.
'Playing Smart Against Invasive Species' videos produced by the USDA Forest Service are excellent resources for education and public outreach. These videos explain how people can enjoy the great outdoors and avoid spreading invasive species along the way. Videos ranging from 6-27 minutes targets outdoor recreational users and includes camping, horseback riding, canoeing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, biking, and others.

CBP Ensures Flowers Are Pest Free on Valentine’s Day (Feb 10, 2011)
DHS. Customs and Border Protection.
During the weeks leading to Valentine's Day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s highly trained agriculture specialists have been ensuring that plant diseases and plant pests are detected and prevented from being introduced into the U.S. where they could cause harm.

Roles of Genes and Proteins in Asian Soybean Rust Resistance Emerging (Feb 10, 2011)
USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
Asian soybean rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is a disease of soybean crops worldwide, causing yield losses of 10 to 80 percent. Detection of the disease on the U.S. mainland in 2004 has prompted an intensive effort to improve resistance for America's $30 billion soy crop. Two teams of ARS and university scientists have discovered new information about the mechanisms of resistance in some soybean plants to the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi. There are five known genes conferring resistance, but none of those genes are currently present in the U.S. crop, and their roles in regulating the plant's broader network of genes and proteins necessary to achieve resistance are poorly understood. Piecing together this molecular mosaic could reveal defense responses that could be amplified, either through breeding or biotechnological means. The research is published in the Molecular BioSystems article Nuclear proteomic changes linked to soybean rust resistance.

WSSA Applauds USDA Funding of Vital Weed Science Research (Feb 8, 2011)
Weed Science Society of America.
The Weed Science Society of America applauded a decision by the USDA to fund vital research involving the management of weeds and invasive plants. USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has budgeted $23 million for competitive grants during 2011 in the Foundational Program area of plant health and crop production, including weed management. See Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program (PDF | 510 KB) for more information.

Global Ecology Network Created by U of M (University of Minnesota) Researchers Overturns Assumption about Invasive Plant Species (Feb 1, 2011)
University of Minnesota.
Invasive plant species are a serious environmental, economic and social problem worldwide. Their abundance can lead to lost native biodiversity and ecosystem functions, such as nutrient cycling. New research using the global ecology network, Nutrient Network has overturned the common assumption that many invasive plant species behave more aggressively in new habitats than in their own. Instead, results indicate that invasive plants have a similar or lower abundance in new and native ranges, and that increases are unusual. The findings are published in the Ecology Letters article Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities. The research is funded by the National Science Foundation; for more information see their press release Home and Away: Are Invasive Plant Species Really That Special?