Bits and Pieces Bugs vs. Drugs
Bits and Pieces
RELATED CONTENT
Swarms of a usually rare, small white butterfly are
gobbling up drug profits in Peru, where illegal coca
growers are battling to save their crops from the insect.
Known locally as malumbia, but otherwise
classified by scientists as Eloria noyesi, the
tiny butterfly eats nothing but coca leaves and this year
has appeared in unprecedented numbers. Many growers have
resorted to spraying their plants with DDT to eradicate the
winged drug buster. Government officials, on the other
hand, are considering raising large numbers of the
butterfly and dropping them over remote growing areas.
Flash Fertility
Although nitrogen accounts for about 78% of our atmosphere,
it isn't available or useful to plants until it's "fixed,"
or combined with other elements to make it biologically
"digestible." Until recently, scientists have believed that
a handful of specialized organisms, among them bacteria on
the roots of such plants as peas and alfalfa, were
primarily responsible for producing fixed nitrogen. Now,
however, a research team has found evidence that suggests
lightning may yield as much as half the fixed
nitrogen in air. Lightning discharges ionize the air,
producing nitrogen oxide, which then reacts with ozone to
produce NO 2 and molecular oxy gen, usable to plants and
animals. Though the process was known previously, it was
thought to be responsible for no more than 3% of
atmospheric fixed nitrogen.
Organic Agriculture Hot Line
At least 30,000 of the country's 2.1 million farmers raise
their crops without using toxic herbicides and pesticides,
says the USDA, and this number is increasing rapidly. To
satisfy the burgeoning demand for general and technical
support in sustainable agriculture, USDA has established an
information center, known as ATTRA (Appropriate Technology
Transfer for Rural Areas), and has set up a toll-free
access number: 800/346-9140. ATTRA's staff includes experts
in such fields as agricultural economics and marketing,
soil science and pest control. For more information on
ATTRA, or on virtually any aspect of sustainable
agriculture, call ATTRA at 800/346-9140 any weekday between
8 a.m. and 5 p.m. central time.
Forest Arson
In 1987, more than 2 million acres of national forestland
burned, making it the worst year since 1929, according to
the U.S. Forest Service. In the West, drought and lightning
were the primary culprits. But it's a different story in
the Southeast. There, 70% of last year's 15,571 fires
(which destroyed some half-million acres) were attributed
to arson. Forest arson has been particularly widespread in
the South for generations. Investigators say arsonists set
forests ablaze for varying reasons: to get revenge on
someone, to strike a blow at the state or federal
government, to generate excitement
or—ironically—to make money ($3.35 an hour)
fighting fires!
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