Altheimer Lab News
Bob Frans, Ed., 276 Altheimer Drive, Fayetteville AR 72704
March 27, 1995
• News of the Altheimer Lab — a New Beginning
• A Brief History (updated) of the Altheimer Laboratory
• A History of Weed Science in Arkansas
• Editor's Note
News of the Altheimer Lab — a New Beginning
It has been several years since an attempt was made to provide information about happenings at the Altheimer Lab. Because of the press of time and other obligations, former efforts fell by the wayside. Recently, several persons indicated they would like to see a renewal of an effort that would allow dissemination of information of interest, primarily, to alumni of the lab, including students, faculty, staff, and former administrators. This "new beginning" represents that effort, occasioned in part, by the recent retirement of Bob Frans, and seminars he presented on the history of weed science in Arkansas to the Agronomy Department, and to a gathering of former weed science graduate students at the most recent meeting of the Southern Weed Science Society in Memphis in January of this year. Frans volunteered to write up his reflections on Arkansas Weed Science, and from that grew the idea to renew this newsletter, to encompass all the interests of the Altheimer Lab. Since he's got all kinds of time on his hands now, he also volunteered to be the Editor of this newsletter, at least for the time being!
Because of these recent interests, this first issue will emphasize the weed science component of the work at Altheimer. We expect, however, in future issues to feature the other major functional areas of work: crop physiology, pesticide residues, and soil testing - the latter being added with the most recent structural addition to the Lab, which was completed last year, accompanied by the move of Wayne Sabbe and his crew from the old mule barn to this newest addition.
Since we intend for this newsletter to cover all the activities in Altheimer, we thought it best to re-start the series with a brief history of the Lab. And a good place to begin is with a revised write-up originally prepared for the dedication of the Lab on October 31, 1980. This formal dedication was held upon the completion of the third "incarnation" of the lab, and honored members of the Ben J. Altheimer Foundation, principal contributors to much of the early construction of the renovations carried out to that time. Al Donaubauer was Master of Ceremonies, and Bill Bowen, H.L. Hembree, and Carroll Walls were other participants. Representing the University were James Martin, President, Raymond Miller, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Wally Moline, Interim Vice President for Agriculture. Honored guests from the Altheimer Foundation were Richard S. Barnett, Jr., John N. Stern, and Gene Lyon.
A Brief History (updated) of the Altheimer Laboratory
The Altheimer Laboratory, a unit of the Department of Agronomy and a part of the Division of Agriculture of the University of Arkansas, is recognized internationally as an outstanding facility for research on chemical and physiological improvements in crop production. Research functions concentrate on crop production and physiology, pesticide residues, weed science and soil testing, but also extend to such related areas as turfgrass, entomology, pathology, and horticulture.
The Laboratory presently contains more than 22,500 square feet of laboratory and office space with valuable modern, sophisticated equipment which makes possible in-depth analyses of the effects of various practices on plants, on crop production, and the environment.
Built largely with grants from the Ben J. Altheimer Foundation and revenues from fertilizer sales, the Laboratory is located on the Main Agricultural Experiment Station at Fayetteville.
In the late 1950's, the need for more greenhouse and laboratory space gave rise to construction of the first unit of the Altheimer Laboratory. This construction included a greenhouse and a small laboratory, primarily for weed science studies, and, later, crop physiology. From 1960 to 1962, with support from the Altheimer Foundation and the Experiment Station, it was possible to add a second room, which in later years was called the "Old Lab," and a second greenhouse. The facility, then known as the Weed Science-Crop Physiology Laboratory, became active in advanced research.
In the early 1970's, a major expansion took place with the building of more than four times the original structure. This addition added two levels, with equal space on both levels. This expansion allowed room for specialized areas of research such as chromatography, radioisotopes, and photosynthesis.
The next major expansion was begun early in 1976, and added over 8,000 square feet, upstairs and downstairs, primarily to accommodate the newly-established Pesticide Residue Lab as part of Altheimer. After this expansion, the entire facility was renamed the Altheimer Laboratory, and was dedicated on October 31, 1980.
The final major expansion occurred recently with the addition of the Soil Testing Laboratory on the South side of the Lab, replacing the original two greenhouses, formerly attached to the south side. Prior to the construction, a new greenhouse complex was built just across the service road to the south to accommodate research originating both in the lab and from the Agronomy Department on campus. This addition added another 3500 square feet of office and lab space, and was designed to accommodate the secretarial and bookkeeping staff for the entire Lab as well as the research and service functions for Soil Testing. In addition, the new construction was designed to give an attractive perspective and entryway to the Lab.
Building and maintenance of the facility has been financed from Agricultural Experiment Station funds, U.S. Department of Agriculture funds, grants-in-aid, fertilizer tax, and contributions from the Altheimer Foundation. The foresight of such men at the University of Arkansas as former Vice Presidents for Agriculture John White, Jim Martin, John Goodwin, and Preston La Ferney; former Experiment Station Directors Monte Cralley, Lloyd Warren, Preston La Ferney, and Gerald Musick; and former Agronomy Department Heads Dale Hinkle, Wally Moline, Fred Miller, and John Gilmour, and of the trustees of the Altheimer Foundation, made the existence of the laboratory possible.
The growth of the Altheimer Laboratory has very closely paralleled the increasing need for scientific knowledge in crop production. Starting from one research assistant working in a small headhouse, the laboratory today houses a network of activity carried on by several project leaders of the Agronomy Department and their assistants and graduate students. The faculty and staff continue to encourage scientific progress. The Laboratory is dedicated to keeping pace with the research needs of the future.
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A History of Weed Science in Arkansas
(adapted after remarks by Bob Frans from his retirement seminar)
The discipline of weed science at the University of Arkansas did not begin with Frans, although it may seem so, as long as he has been at the University! Rather, it probably began with former Department Head, Dale Hinkle. In those days, he had to be jack of all trades and he remembers lugging around three-gallon pails of herbicide mixtures to be put out on plots at the Cotton Branch Station in Marianna. Dale was involved with the fledgling science of controlling weeds from the very beginning. For example, the Southern Weed Science Society (then known as the Southern Weed Conference), had its beginnings in 1948, and Dale was the Arkansas representative to that conference in those early years. He was also one of the early representatives on the Regional Technical Committees for weed control research in the South, which started with the old S-18. Al Davis was hired very early in the 1950 decade as a forage specialist. He took over much of the weed control work from Hinkle and probably started the first Principles of Weed Control course in the Department. He was an expert at taxonomy and weed identification and helped Frans with his already considerable knowledge concerning the weeds of the South.
• The Early Years
Dr. Frans was hired in 1955 and started work on July 20 of that year, as he says, "green as a gourd," and fresh out of a Ph.D. program at Iowa State. He was a "Yankee come South" by way of Nebraska (B.S.), New Jersey (Rutgers - M.S.) and Iowa. His main claim to fame at that time was the fact that he was the first weed scientist to be hired by the Experiment Station - he has sometimes wondered, with all his inexperience with Southern agriculture at the time, whether he could even qualify for the position today! But there weren't a whole lot of trained weed scientists available then, and Arkansas was needing to get into the weed science business quickly.
Those early years (the mid 50's) were a time of intense development and activity in the field - herbicides were beginning to pour out of industry, and things were changing "down on the farm." For example, farmers went from "goosing" cotton to use of so-called "modern" spray equipment. Mechanization was the name of the game. In Arkansas, farm workers were leaving for better jobs in the city, and weren't available for the routine of chopping cotton or for picking, either. Therefore, farmers wanted - demanded - the new information that was just coming about with the advent of herbicides. Most Land-Grant universities were hiring at least a token weed scientist to get things going - Frans was it for Arkansas. Also, at the college level, students were becoming aware of needing at least one course in this new field, so research and teaching were a natural coupling for this new discipline. Graduate student training followed, but a bit later. Mainly, time had to be spent putting out fires down at the farm level.
Interest was running high in the Extension Service as well. Frans worked early with specialists in the various crop areas (Runyan Deere and Gene Woodall in cotton, Ruel Nester in soybeans, and Harry Wellhausen in forages and cereals) helping them with their programs that involved weed problems. In particular, he worked extensively with Harry in developing herbicide recommendations for extension, an effort that has evolved over the years into the present-day MP-44 - Recommended Chemicals for Weed and Brush Control.
Frans and his colleague and fellow graduate student at Iowa State, John Holstun, got together early on in Stoneville MS, where John worked, to discuss weed problems in the Delta area of Mississippi and Arkansas. DWIGT (Delta Weed-worker's Informal Get Together) grew out of those early consultations, and soon spread to include Louisiana, Tennessee and Missouri into what is now an annual meeting. Another early activity was the development of AAPA - the Arkansas Agricultural Pesticide Association. He and Bob Sainsbury, a chemical rep from the Dow Chemical Company, were responsible for writing the first Constitution and By-Laws for that organization. Another early development was becoming acquainted with the Elms Farming Co. at Altheimer. The former cotton breeder, Brad Waddle, introduced Frans to the manager, Dick Barnett, who was becoming quite interested in weed control, particularly in cotton. These early relationships with Elms, along with the later inputs of Charles Stutte, led directly to the development of support from the Altheimer Foundation, the establishment of the three Chairs in the Agronomy Department (cotton, soybeans, and weed science), and the continued development of the Altheimer Lab.
• The People of Weed Science at the University
The contributions of several people involved with weed science at the University will be noted in this section. Special note must be made of the contribution of USDA to the program, and specifically, that of Roy J. Smith, Jr. He came to Arkansas a few months before Frans, in 1955, out of a new Ph.D. at the University of Illinois with Fred Slife. USDA hired him and sent him off to Stuttgart to do battle with the weeds of rice - a battle which he pretty well won! As many know, he retired about two years ago - David Gealy was transferred to Stuttgart as Roy's replacement, although David has quite different responsibilities in the rice weed control program. Roy, during his career at Stuttgart, became one of the most, if not the most, preeminent of all weed scientists world-wide working with rice.
In the Experiment Station, Frans was pretty much on his own until 1963. It became apparent by this time that weed science was not going away, and additional monies were found to expand efforts at Fayetteville. That's when Ron Talbert was hired, fresh out of a Ph.D. at Missouri, with Hale Fletchall. Ron pretty much carved out his own niche, taking on problems of herbicides in soil, which was his specialty from graduate student days, and starting work on weed control in horticultural crops. Shortly after his arrival, the Director of the Experiment Station, Monte Cralley, decreed that all weed science research responsibility involving the Experiment Station would be coordinated through the Agronomy Department. This unique situation was responsible for keeping the small numbers of weed scientists at the University together as a team — a concept serving Arkansas well through the years. So the team has done a bit of everything in weed control — turf, forages, a little forestry and brush control, horticulture, and agronomy. Harlan Stoin was hired somewhat later to expand forage and brush control, but these interests never gained the support that other agronomic and horticultural crops did.
Farmers were becoming more and more assertive regarding their needs and signaled their intents to support these new endeavors through check-off monies. Consequently, one of the early graduate students of the program, Dick Oliver (M.S. with Frans in 1966), was hired in 1972 — and he was fresh out of a Ph.D. program at Purdue with Marvin Schreiber. Dick took on the major responsibility for soybean weed control, with special interests in weed biology — a real luxury for the program since little had been done in this area previousl5. In the mid 70's moremonies became available to support efforts in pesticide residues, with much of the financial support coming from the Altheimer Foundation. After considerable discussion, it was decided that the new Pesticide Residues Laboratory should be added, structurally, to the then Weed Science-Crop Physiology Laboratory. It became the northernmost part of the building and Terry Lavy was lured away from Nebraska in 1977 to take on this new work in Arkansas. Although responsible for all pesticides giving rise to possible damaging residues, the major emphasis through the years has been work with herbicide residues in soil and water, and with worker exposure to pesticides.
The Extension Service, too, was finding increased demands for more information by the farming public. In addition to the specialists noted above, area specialists were being hired to work more closely with the farmers. Some of the early weed control plot work on agronomic crops was carried out in the Northeast with area agronomists Rutledge Ford and George Morris, and in the Southeast with Minter Appleberry. But the first true weed science specialist hired by Extension was, again, one of the early graduate students from this program, Harold Hurst (M.S. with Frans in 1962) in 1966, after receiving the Ph.D. from Kansas State. Harold did an excellent job in coordinating state-wide efforts in weed science for Extension, but he later decided he preferred research and got himself off to Stoneville, MS to continue his career. About that time, another of the early graduates, Ford Baldwin (M.S. with Frans in 1971) was finishing the Ph.D. at Oklahoma State under Paul Santelmann, so shortly after Harold left Ford came and took up the Extension reins in 1974. He quickly established a name for himself with the farming public in Arkansas, and soon gained national recognition as well. Over the years he has become noted for his firm grasp on recommendations and for his timely articles in the Delta Farm Press. But even Ford couldn't handle it all by himself, so Extension found the money to hire a second specialist, John Boyd, in 1982. John literally took everything that Ford was not doing, including forages, turf, brush control and some of the cereals work. Those two have made quite a team for themselves out of the Little Rock office. Area interest in Extension continued to be expressed in the different sectors of the state. At one time it was thought that there would be an area weed scientist in each quadrant of the state. Those activities rather peaked with the establishment of a position in the Southeast, in conjunction with the new Research and Extension Center at Monticello. Hugh Crowley was the first hire there in 1978. He was succeeded by Tim Tripp in 1984. Both went off to "greener pastures" of commercial work, but Charlie Guy (Ph.D. with Talbert in 1986) had already been there and decided he'd rather work for the State, so he came on in 1989 and is still there.
So, for some years, that was the complete Weed Team at the University of Arkansas - one of the best anywhere! They have a solid record of accomplishments, and most importantly, work well together as a team. More of that team later.
• A Few of the General Weed Science Accomplishments
It should be noted at the outset of this section, that the items that follow are solely the construction of Frans. Each researcher or specialist undoubtedly could refer to his or her specific accomplishments and should! These are simply a few of the achievements of the whole team that seem worthy of mentioning.
Student training — both undergraduate and graduate
This item ranks high on anyone's list of what has been accomplished at Altheimer, and all who share in it, faculty and students alike, inevitably feel pride, especially in looking back over lists of people who have gone forth from here. Students are a real strength of this program within the Agronomy Department and within the University. They have been an immeasurable source of strength to the quality of Arkansas agriculture as well.
The weed science course work is of interest in considering student training. The first course offered, even before Frans came in 1955, was AGRN 4143 - "Weed Identification and Control." This was a general purpose course similar to many taught at other Land-Grant institutions, and probably still being taught in some! This course was offered until 1966 and emphasized weed identification, control practices, and chemistry of herbicides. The course was split in 1967, recognizing that too much was being offered for just one course. The split involved a new course emphasizing weed biology, AGRN 4133 - "Weed Identification, Ecology, and Morphology" and was taught by Frans until Oliver took it over when he came on board. The original course and course number was continued, although the name was changed to "Principles of Weed Control." Frans has alternated teaching this course with Talbert until the present time. They find that students still despair over having to learn organic chemistry in relationship to herbicides and having to learn how to calibrate a sprayer!
Talbert started a new course at the graduate level, AGRN 6113 - "Herbicide Behavior." That course has become a must for all graduate students in weed science. Frans and Talbert were also involved in team teaching a course called "Pesticides Ecology," team taught with entomology and plant pathology colleagues for a number of years. This has now evolved into an IPM course at present. In 1986, an introductory course, AGRN 2003 — "Introduction to Weed Science" was started, and has been team taught by Frans, Oliver, and Talbert. This has proven to be popular as an entry-level course into the discipline of weed science for the entire College. A great number of students have passed through all of these courses over the years. Frans, in looking over his grade books, counts more than 670 students he has confronted personally in the classroom since 1955.
But the jewel in the weed science crown at the University, beyond the courses, beyond the formal classroom, and beyond the formal lectures, has been the graduate students. They account for much of the success of weed science accomplishments at the University of Arkansas through the years. The first students to graduate in weed science were Harold Hurst and Jim Gramlich in 1962 — training graduate students prior to that time was of low priority! To the present time a total of 132 students, 86 M.S. and 46 Ph.D., have graduated from this lab in Weed Science and Pesticide Residues. Counting the current students enrolled, the number rises to 102 M.S. and 52 Ph.D. Frans accounts for 33 M.S. and 16 Ph.D., Talbert for 36 M.S. and 14 Ph.D., Oliver for 25 M.S. and 11 Ph.D., and Lavy for 8 M.S. and 11 Ph.D. A list of all students, the year they graduated, and the major professor in these programs, is appended to this report.
Cooperative industrial relationships
The impetus for the growth and development of the discipline of weed science through nearly the last half century, has been the discovery and use of modern herbicides. The history of the discipline closely parallels the discovery of the phenoxy growth-active compounds during WWII, and their release as potential herbicides afterwards. Consequently, their discovery led to a mushrooming effort on the part of the chemical industry to come up with new, patentable materials.
Early on, the chemical industry and the major Land-Grant Universities discovered their need for one another, and for the weed science program in Arkansas, a productive and fruitful relationship through the years was the result. They needed weed scientists to test and evaluate their products under Arkansas conditions, and the Arkansas group needed them to provide the materials so that the latest and most up-to-date information could be provided to the farmers of the state. The arrangement has served Arkansas well. It has provided financial support for the graduate student program and served as a great source of employment for the students.
The cooperation among industry, extension, and research personnel helped publicize the emerging weed science program of work. Many of the screening trials were carried out, not only at the Main Station in Fayetteville, but also at the major University research stations up and down the Delta. Typically, preliminary single crop screens, as well as a multispecies screen, were carried out at Fayetteville, with secondary screening at the downstate stations.
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The "systems" or management approach to weed problems
The Rachel Carson book "Silent Spring," although primarily a polemic on insecticides, served to wake up weed scientists to the value of closer coordination of effort in approaches to weed problems. The emerging concept of Integrated Pest Management, considered by many to be only the province of entomologists, was soon recognized to have considerable value for weed problems as well. Jake Phillips, of the University's Entomology Department, was responsible for insisting that Frans be part of the CIPM project, which coordinated fifteen universities working on integrated pest problems in cotton, soybeans, apples, and alfalfa. Both Frans and Oliver became involved with the project and assisted Arkansas' weed scientists to bring to bear all methodologies for solving weed problems in those crops.
That project led, partially, to much of the current work in weed science being pursued at the University, namely, Integrated Weed Management. Already success stories have emerged. One of the more outstanding ones in applying the principles of IWM has been the work of Dick Oliver and Ford Baldwin in their reduced rate technology program. They have led the field in showing how close management of weeds can result in savings to the farmers by reducing the total amount of herbicide needed.
The exploitation of the use of allelopathic plants is under investigation in both cotton and soybeans, as well as using allelopathic cultivars in rice. These approaches, if successful, should also result in lessened need for herbicides through combining all known approaches for weed management. The direct outcome of these approaches has been a strong undergirding of the sustainability of the entire agricultural enterprise system in Arkansas agriculture.
Closely allied to IWM and sustainability is the growing awareness of the benefits to be obtained from conservation tillage. Farmer's adoption of these practices is proceeding at a rapid pace in Arkansas, in spite of Frans' confident prediction of a few years back that reduced tillage really was not very necessary for the "flat-landers" of the Delta! Entirely new programs of weed management are being developed to accommodate these practices. Results from Arkansas experiences and research are now being reported in a new Research Series on conservation tillage being edited by Marilyn McClelland. She has also been responsible for starting a beltwide publication on conservation tillage in cotton, published by the Arkansas Experiment Station for the entire cotton-growing area of the United States.
Taking biotechnology to even higher levels
Perhaps one of the more intriguing developments in recent years for the Arkansas team of weed scientists has been that of the transgenic cultivars. The ability to insert genes into cultivars that will allow the plant to resist the action of herbicides that would otherwise be damaging has far-reaching consequences for the management of weeds in the future. With soybeans now available that can tolerate glyphosate applications and similar cotton varieties waiting in the wings, and with cotton varieties resistant to bromoxynil, the move toward a true system of Integrated Weed Management may be just around the corner. Indeed, such developments continue to push the whole systems approach from the soil-applied measures at or before planting, to postemergence applications only as needed. The implications for the producers seem to be entirely positive, but certainly do not replace the need for good, continued research on the still-troublesome weeds confronting these farmers.
Internationalization of efforts
Several weed science graduate students, and even a goodly number of undergraduates in weed science courses, have come from other lands. Even the weed science faculty of the University has spread itself around a bit. Ron Talbert was the weed science representative on an Egypt project for several years. Ford Baldwin did his bit in trying to assist in combating illegal drugs (at least to the U.S.!) in Mexico. Roy Smith traveled extensively to the rice-growing areas of the world to lend his expertise to the weed problems of this important crop. Dick Oliver and Terry Lavy have presented results of their research to various international meetings. Bob Frans got to help out on the Egypt project briefly, and has had several assignments in Central and South America, including Honduras, Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia. He has also been active in a private voluntary organization, Partners of the Americas, whereby Arkansas is linked with East Bolivia (which country is the birthplace of his wife Maria Teresa).
All these experiences have benefited both the faculty individually, and the University in general. Awareness of the world outside of Fayetteville, outside of Arkansas, and outside the U.S. is essential in today's world. The experiences brought to the weed science program by students from other places have been of tremendous importance in understanding the real barrier that weeds are to the feeding of people, not only in Arkansas, but around the world.
Conclusion
Admittedly, this brief, but general, history of weed science at the University of Arkansas does not do justice to the entire program and all of its accomplishments. Furthermore, it is based largely on the remembrances and highlights of only one person. He (Frans) does admit to a very personal and gratifying decision he made in 1955, and that was to accept Dale Hinkle's offer to come to Arkansas to be a weed scientist in the Department of Agronomy and to work in the Experiment Station (and, thus, in the whole State of Arkansas). He says that it is a decision he has never regretted, although he wished Dale would have paid him more money to come!
In closing his seminars upon retirement, Frans quoted a poem by Gerald Manley Hopkins, a 19th century British poet, sent to him by good friend Lyell Thompson:
"What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and wildness? Let them be left,
O, let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wildness yet.:
And he also said: "Thanks for the memories — it's been a blast!"
Editor's Note
Well, that's our "beginning" of this restart of a newsletter from the Altheimer Lab. We hope you find it interesting and, perhaps, worthy of continuation. As stated above, we would like to continue with stories or histories of the other components of the Lab, as well as their lists or respective graduate student alumni. But, we will also be guided by your suggestions as to what you would like to see. For example, we could, periodically, publish bits of news of individuals who have passed by or through Altheimer in the past. To this end, you will find attached to this newsletter a tear-off page in which you can provide us brief information concerning your activities and family news over the years since you left Altheimer. Jot down a few notes, fold it (our address is on the back), staple it, put a stamp on it and send it in. Depending on space and response, we'll try to get these items in forthcoming issues.
Perhaps we can include updates as to current happenings in the Lab from time to time. Again, if you have suggestions, let us know.
We have also included, with this first issue, the complete mailing list we have of the alumni of Altheimer. We define alumni as being students, staff, faculty and administrators who have passed through or have had oversight of this place. You will note that we have a few "holes" in the list. Somehow, we have incomplete addresses for a few. If any of you receiving this newsletter can help us out with providing addresses for those missing ones, we'd surely appreciate it! Please check your own address as well to be sure it is as you want it (obviously, if you received this, the address must be more or less correct!).
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