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ARS Home Research Annual Report on Science Accomplishments FY 2021





- Advancing Human Nutrition Research
- Advancing Sustainable Aquaculture Production
- Advancing Sustainable Livestock Production
- Combating AMR
- Combating Citrus Greening
- Controlling Insect Pests
- Developing New Crop Varieties
- Expanding Public Access to Agricultural Information
- Improving Pasture and Rangeland Management
- Improving Rural Economies
- Monitoring and Mitigating Plant Disease
- Optimizing Agricultural Management to Mitigate Climate
- Optimizing Water Use Management
- Protecting Animal Health Disease Detection
- Protecting Human and Animal Health
- Protecting Pollinator Health
- Reducing Labor and Advancing Precision Agriculture
- Safeguarding the Food Supply

**Advancing Sustainable Livestock Production** ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE LIVESTOCK PRODUCTIONDOWNLOAD TWO-PAGER PDF  **The ARS food animal production research program improves food animal production efficiency, sustainability, animal welfare, and product quality while safeguarding animal genetic resources.**ARSscientists are using genomic technologies to enhance selection and develop livestock that have resistanceto diseases and parasites and are better suited to different environments. Raising livestock is an effectiveway to use the resources of many rangeland areas that are not suitable for other purposes such as raisingcrops or other agricultural activities. The following accomplishments highlight ARS advances in animalproduction research in 2021. **Rapid eye temperature measurement to evaluate animal health.**Rapid temperature measurementusing forehead thermometers has become normal practice for humans, but current practices in cattlerely on obtaining rectal temperatures, which is time-consuming. ARS scientists in Lubbock, Texas, anduniversity collaborators studied infrared ocularthermography, measuring the temperature of the eye,to detect fever in cattle. Results indicate that infraredocular thermography can detect fever in cattle in lessthan 30 seconds and that eye temperature is highlycorrelated with rectal temperature. Adopting thisrapid method for detecting fever in cattle allows high-throughput measurement in production facilities that willimprove cattle management and sickness identificationpractices, improve cattle well-being and productivity,and reduce production costs. **A swine-origin H3N2 influenza virus closely related to human H3N2v demonstrated transmission from swine to ferrets.**The transmission of influenza Aviruses (IAV) from swine to humans occurs sporadically and is often associated with U.S. agriculturalfairs. IAVs from swine that are detected in humans are called "variant" to differentiate from humanseasonal IAV. During the 2016-2017 influenza season, 61 H3N2 variant (H3N2v) cases were reported.ARS scientists in Ames, Iowa, compared the genomes of human H3N2v viruses and swine H3N2 virusescollected at the same 2017 state fair in Ohio, where ferrets were also directly infected with the H3N2virus. In the study, pigs were infected with the virus and placed in an enclosure close to caged ferrets,which were chosen to test the spread of H3N2 because IAV transmission and infection in ferrets serves asmodel for human IAV transmission and infection. Results demonstrated that the swine H3N2 replicated inboth pigs and ferrets exposed to the respiratory aerosols of infected pigs, showing potential transmissionfrom pigs to susceptible ferrets. These results are the first to show a transmission model from swine toferrets without modification to the virus and highlight the need to reduce swine IAV at animal exhibits. Thisstudy also demonstrates the importance of continued surveillance, research, and collaboration on swineand human IAV. **House flies can harbor SARS-CoV-2 but do not transmit infectious virus.**The SARS-CoV-2 virus,responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is highly contagious and typically transmitted via respiration,but the possibility of transmission following contact with contaminated items cannot be dismissed. ARSscientists in Manhattan, Kansas, and Kansas State University collaborators explored if house flies couldacquire and transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Flies were exposed to SARS-CoV-2-spiked culture media orSARS-CoV-2-spiked milk substrates and then tested for the virus at either 4 or 24 hours after exposure.All flies exposed to inoculated media or milk carried viral RNA at 4 hours and 24 hours post-exposure, but infectious virus detection occurred only in the virus-spiked milk group. In a second experiment, flies exposed to SARS-CoV-2 for 24 hours were transferred to a clean container, and no infectious virus wasdetected. Results showed house flies can carry SARS-CoV-2 for up to 24 hours post-exposure, but do nottransmit the virus due to quick clearing of the infectious virus in laboratory settings. While house flies likelydo not play an important role in SARS-CoV-2 transmission, field-trapped house flies could potentially beused for virus surveillance. **ARS leads research to improve agricultural nutrient management and environmental quality.**Nitrogenis an essential nutrient for crop production in modern agricultural systems. However, nitrogen lossesto the atmosphere as nitrous oxide (N2O) and ammonia (NH3) can impair air quality and contribute toclimate change. ARS researchers in Kimberly, Idaho, generated a comprehensive dataset of ammoniaemissions from dairy facilities to identify the magnitude and origin of emissions and potential mitigationstrategies. These data were used to improve farm emission estimates from the Dairy CropSys andIntegrated Farm System models; are being included in a tool developed by the Global Research Alliancedatabase, the DATAMAN; and are being provided to the U.S. EPA to improve ammonia emission estimationmethodologies during manure storage. In related research, ARS scientists in Auburn, Alabama, usedsatellite-based modeling to assess how national changes in NH3 and N2O emissions over 14 years arelinked to nitrogen fertilizer application, livestock manure production, and climate factors. Atmospheric NH3concentrations were positively correlated with surface temperature in five U.S. regions, with the highestfound in the Mid-South. Estimates also suggest global cropland N2O emissions increased by 180 percentduring 1961-2014, with nitrogen fertilizer responsible for ~70 percent of total emissions during 2000-2014.This monitoring and modelling research is being provided to programmatic and policy agencies to helpdevelop mitigation strategies and improve environmental outcomes related to nitrogen fertilizer practices. To build soil health, cattle graze cover crops on land not currently in vegetable production at Square Peg Farm, which is a certified organic produce farm located near Forest Grove, Oregon. 2014. USDA Photo. https://flic.kr/p/2nfx52B


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