LABORATORY
OF THE MONTH
Research Center Concentrates on Agricultural Chemicals A
new Agricultural R e search Center is located on a 640-acre site near Princeton, N . J . T h e site provides favorable climate and soil conditions for crops, proximity t o Princeton's library and the Rutger's University Agricultural College, and a general scientific atmosphere. T h e research farm is said to be the most modern and largest industrial facility of its kind. I t was built a t a cost of $11 million a n d was dedicated in J u l y of this year. Among the 500 employees are 160 scientists. T h e research covers the entire range of agricultural chemistry in the s t u d y of both p l a n t a n d animal health. Thousands of compounds a r e screened annually a n d those which show promise are subjected t o extensive tests regarding efficacy and safety. Two t o five years and about $2,325,000 are required t o develop a single m a r k e t a b l e product. Scientists are working on antibiotics and feed supplements, animal drugs and animal feed additives, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, nematocides, defoliants, fertilizers and new application procedures. Three radio tracer laboratories are used t o find out w h a t happens to a chemical after it is applied t o a plant. The equipMEEICAN CYANAMID C O M P A N Y ' S
Plants and animals frequently break down radiocarbon labeled pesticides completely to carbon dioxide. The ion chamber electrometer measures radioactivity in the gaseous state for continuous monitoring of radioactive carbon d i oxide produced by treated hosts. The apparatus shown is operated under slight positive pressure and allows plants to grow relatively normally for periods up to four weeks without breaking the growth chamber seal
ment is also used to detect residues in milk from cows which have eaten t r e a t e d crops and t o detect residues in t h e vital organs of animals fed such food. These residues in body fluids or tissue can often be detected in p a r t s per billion amounts. D r . R o b e r t H . White-Stevens, one of C y a n a m i d ' s scientists, in emphasizing the careful procedures used to ensure the safety of new agricultural compounds also stresses t h e i m p o r t a n t role p l a y e d b y chemical compounds in increasing food production. A t present, a 2.5-acre plot of land is required t o sustain one person in food and fiber; with the expected growth in population only 1 / 2 acre of tillable land per person will b e available by t h e year 2000. VOL. 3 4 , N O . 12, NOVEMBER 1962
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9 1A
LABORATORY OF THE M O N T H
Plastic film isolators shown are used for raising germ-free chicks. Absence of microorganisms permits the investigation of the effects of chemicals and isolated types of bacteria on physiological and pathological processes. Nutrient utilization, aging, action of antibiotic growth stimulants, and relationships to tumors are investigated using germfree animals
Radiotracer and paper chromatographic techniques are used to study the metabolism of pesticides by plants and animals. Nanogram amounts of complex mixtures of radiometabolites from urine or tissue extracts are separated and the individual metabolites are observed by radioscanning paper strips as shown. Quantitative and qualitative determinations of metabolites at intervals after treatment are essential to prove absence of toxicoiogical hazards in the use of a pesticide
An entomologist is shown testing a new compound to see if it has systemic action on plant leaves. If the compound is drawn up through the plant stem and kills the eating insects placed on the leaves, the chemical will be tested further. These insecticides, active only during a certain stage of a plant's growth, are turned into harmless materials by nature. Advantages of systemic insecticides include: only plant-attacking insects are killed; complete coverage of the foliage is not necessary; seed treatment and granular soil application can be used as well as dusting; and residual effectiveness is lengthened since weather and mechanical knock-off are avoided
OUTSTIRS OUTLASTS OUTSELLS
Microautoradioactivity, in which radioactivity distribution patterns are deter mined by superimposing radiosensitive emulsions on tissue sections, develop ing after a suitable exposure interval, and examining the specimen-emulsion combination microscopically, is used to study the physical distribution of toxi cant within host or pathogen tissues
I
Main entrance to the Research and Development Building at the Agricul tural Research Center, American Cyanamid Company, Princeton, N. J .
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Inhalation chambers shown are used to evaluate the effects of inhaling known concentrations of a chemical. Results of these toxicity tests reveal potential health hazards to man and serve as a basis for determining con ditions under which a new material can be handled with safety
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Circle No. 7 on Readers' Service Card VOL. 3 4 , N O . 1 2 , NOVEMBER 1962
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