Thirty Years of SNAP-Ed: The Transition of the Nation's Largest Nutrition Education Program Into a Pillar of the Public Health Infrastructure.

This paper describes the 30-year evolution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) to provide evidence to support our perspective that SNAP-Ed has earned its position as a pillar of the public health infrastructure in the US. Legislatively designated as a nutrition education and obesity prevention program, its focus is the nearly 90 million Americans with limited income. This audience experiences ongoing health disparities and is disproportionately affected by public health crises. The SNAP-Ed program works to reduce nutrition-related health disparities at all levels of the Social-Ecological Model, follows a robust evaluation framework, and leverages strong partnerships between state-based practitioners, state agencies, and the US Department of Agriculture. The expansion of SNAP-Ed would enable the program to reach more Americans so that our nation can end hunger and reduce diet-related health disparities.

Service-learning outreach to attract high school students to degrees and careers in agricultural sciences.

Given projected deficits and a lack of diversity, there is a critical need to recruit and develop the next generation of the agricultural workforce. The objectives of our study were to evaluate if AgCamp, a one day workshop focused on agriculture delivered through a college student-led service-learning platform: (1) increased high school students' knowledge of agriculture, (2) changed their interests in pursuing degrees and careers in agriculture, and (3) increased their comfort and confidence in communicating with others in agriculture. We hosted high school students at AgCamp and provided them with instruction in animal science, horticulture, and agricultural mechanics. Pre- and post-test survey instruments were developed and distributed at the beginning and end of AgCamp. Data were analyzed with SPSS 26.0 using paired sample t-tests. As a result of attending this outreach initiative, high school students (n = 26) reported having more knowledge of horticulture (P < 0.01) and agricultural mechanics (P < 0.01), but not animal science (P = 0.12), likely due to greater incoming knowledge of this sub-discipline, as reflected on the pre-test value. High school participants were also more interested in pursuing a college degree (P = 0.04) and career (P < 0.01) in agriculture and became more confident approaching other high school students (P < 0.01), college students (P < 0.01), and college faculty (P = 0.01) involved in agriculture. Ultimately, participating in AgCamp stimulated high school students' knowledge and interest in pursuing agricultural degrees and careers, indicating there is value in offering youth outreach as short-term programming to attract students to agriculture.

A Formative Evaluation of an Online Meal Kit and Grocery Platform for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recipients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the barriers and facilitators to online food purchasing through a meal kit and grocery shopping website titled NY SNAP Express among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries. METHODS: A purposive sample of SNAP-eligible adults residing in New York State participated in interviews guided by the Capabilities, Opportunities, Motivations, and Behaviors Model. RESULTS: Barriers to online food purchasing among participants (n = 32) include physiological and health conditions, the weight of food, technology, language, the price of foods, transportation challenges, the stigma associated with SNAP, and concerns regarding the quantity and quality of meal kits. Facilitators include health and nutrition improvements, knowledge and skills, saving money, culturally relevant meals, increased efficiency in food purchases and preparation, and customization. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Online platforms such as NY SNAP Express have the potential to increase nutritious food access and resources among SNAP recipients; however, improvements are necessary to meet the needs of its audience.

Visualizing Data Interoperability for Food Systems Sustainability Research-From Spider Webs to Neural Networks.

Food systems represent all elements and activities needed to feed the growing global population. Research on sustainable food systems is transdisciplinary, relying on the interconnected domains of health, nutrition, economics, society, and environment. The current lack of interoperability across databases poses a challenge to advancing research on food systems transformation. Crosswalks among largely siloed data on climate change, soils, agricultural practices, nutrient composition of foods, food processing, prices, dietary intakes, and population health are not fully developed. Starting with US Department of Agriculture FoodData Central, we assessed the interoperability of databases from multiple disciplines by identifying existing crosswalks and corresponding visualizations. Our visual demonstration serves as proof of concept, identifying databases in need of expansion, integration, and harmonization for use by researchers, policymakers, and the private sector. Interoperability is the key: ontologies and well-defined crosswalks are necessary to connect siloed data, transcend organizational barriers, and draw pathways from agriculture to nutrition and health.

Human Milk Nutrient Composition Data is Critically Lacking in the United States and Canada: Results from a Systematic Scoping Review of 2017-2022.

Characterization of the nutrients in human milk is important to understand the dietary and developmental requirements of infants. The objective of this review was to summarize the state-of-the-science on the nutrient composition of human milk in the United States and Canada published from 2017 to 2022. Four databases were searched for randomized controlled studies and others given the scoping nature of this review. We limited type to mature milk collected 21 d postpartum and beyond from lactating individuals in the United States and Canada who gave birth at 37-wk gestation or later (full-term). Outcomes of interest included traditional macro- and micronutrients, including human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), and milk volume. The publication date range was selected as January 1, 2017, to the day the literature search was performed. A total of 32 articles were included in the scoping review from primarily longitudinal cohort or cross-sectional designs. The most prevalent sample collection method was full-breast expression (n = 20) with most studies (n = 26) collecting samples from a single timepoint. Carbohydrates (HMOs [n = 12], glucose [n = 8], and lactose [n = 6]) and protein (n = 5) were the most frequently assessed nutrients in this body of work, with consensus among studies that glucose is present in limited concentrations compared to lactose (24-64 mg/dL compared with 6-7 g/dL) and that HMOs are influenced by temporality and secretor status. Included studies displayed an overall level of heterogeneity and sparsity paralleling previous reports and nutrient data in the USDA FoodData Central system. Much of the data extracted from retained articles generally provided analysis of a specific nutrient or group of nutrients. Moreover, many studies did not use the preferred analytical methods as outlined by the Human Milk Composition Initiative to increase measurement confidence. Up-to-date nutrient composition data of human milk is still greatly needed as it is paramount for the management of infant feeding, assessment of infant and maternal nutritional and health needs, and as a reference for infant formula development.

Genetic variation and genetic complexity of nodule occupancy in soybean inoculated with USDA110 and USDA123 rhizobium strains.

BACKGROUND: Symbiotic nitrogen fixation differs among Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains. Soybean inoculated with USDA123 has a lower yield than strains known to have high nitrogen fixation efficiency, such as USDA110. In the main soybean-producing area in the Midwest of the United States, USDA123 has a high nodule incidence in field-grown soybean and is competitive but inefficient in nitrogen fixation. In this study, a high-throughput system was developed to characterize nodule number among 1,321 Glycine max and 69 Glycine soja accessions single inoculated with USDA110 and USDA123. RESULTS: Seventy-three G. max accessions with significantly different nodule number of USDA110 and USDA123 were identified. After double inoculating 35 of the 73 accessions, it was observed that PI189939, PI317335, PI324187B, PI548461, PI562373, and PI628961 were occupied by USDA110 and double-strain nodules but not by USDA123 nodules alone. PI567624 was only occupied by USDA110 nodules, and PI507429 restricted all strains. Analysis showed that 35 loci were associated with nodule number in G. max when inoculated with strain USDA110 and 35 loci with USDA123. Twenty-three loci were identified in G. soja when inoculated with strain USDA110 and 34 with USDA123. Only four loci were common across two treatments, and each locus could only explain 0.8 to 1.5% of phenotypic variation. CONCLUSIONS: High-throughput phenotyping systems to characterize nodule number and occupancy were developed, and soybean germplasm restricting rhizobium strain USDA123 but preferring USDA110 was identified. The larger number of minor effects and a small few common loci controlling the nodule number indicated trait genetic complexity and strain-dependent nodulation restriction. The information from the present study will add to the development of cultivars that limit USDA123, thereby increasing nitrogen fixation efficiency and productivity.

Food Insecurity in Israeli Elderly is Associated with Sociodemographic Characteristics, Disability, and Depression: Policy Implications.

Background: Food insecurity (FI) and poor health can turn into a vicious cycle with detrimental effects, especially in the elderly, however, few studies have examined the relationship between FI and health in this age group. Objectives: We investigated associations of FI with physical and mental health and health behaviors among community-dwelling elderly. Methods: We used nationally representative, cross-sectional data from the 2014-2015 Israel National Health and Nutrition Survey of the Elderly (Rav Mabat Zahav) on FI, sociodemographic characteristics, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), disability, self-assessed physical, oral, and mental health for 1006 individuals aged ≥65 y. Results: FI affected 12.3% of all households with elderly and was significantly higher among late immigrants and Arabs. Bivariate associations of FI with the number of NCDs, depression, disability in all 6 domains (vision, hearing, mobility, self-care, remembering, communication), poor self-assessed physical and oral health, chewing and swallowing problems, feelings of loneliness, insufficient physical activity, and smoking were significant (P < 0.05). In a multivariable logistic regression controlling for population group, household size, age and sex, FI was significantly associated (P < 0.05) with lack of formal education (OR: 6.26; 95% CI: 1.66, 23.65), being in the lowest (OR: 23.56; 95% CI: 3.71, 149.76) or second-lowest (OR: 16.75; 95% CI: 2.68, 104.52) per capita household income quartile, having one (OR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.05, 4.23) or several disabilities (OR: 4.04; 95% CI: 1.72, 9.45), and having ever been diagnosed with depression (OR: 3.34; 95% CI: 1.35, 8.28). Conclusions: FI is associated with physical and mental health problems, multiple disabilities, and loneliness among Israeli elderly. Providing income support could reduce FI, and subsidized congregate and home-delivered meal services could be expanded to meet the needs of elderly with disabilities and counter social isolation. Because low education, disability, and depression are particularly prevalent among the food insecure and vulnerable groups face language barriers, assistance with applications for these services should be increased.

Performance analyses of effective rainfall estimation methods for accurate quantification of agricultural water footprint.

Water footprint (WF) assessments have become a significant tool for the sustainable management in recent years. Effective rainfall (Peff) is a critical indicator for characterizing soil moisture (green water, WFgreen) and calculating irrigation requirements (blue water, WFblue). However, majority of the water footprint analyses employ empirical or numerical models to predict Peff, and the number of studies for experimental validation of these models are quite insufficient. The main scope of this study is to test the performance of commonly used Peff estimation models in relation to the soil water balance (SWB) of an experimental site. Accordingly, the daily and monthly soil water budget is estimated from a maize field which is characterized as semi-arid land with continental climate (Ankara, Turkey), equipped with moisture sensors. Then, Peff, WFgreen, and WFblue parameters are calculated using FP, US-BR, USDA-SCS, FAO/AGLW, CROPWAT, and SuET methods and compared with SWB method. Employed models were highly variable. CROPWAT and US-BR predictions were the most accurate. In majority of months, the CROPWAT method estimated the Peff with a maximum deviation of 5% from the SWB method. In addition, the CROPWAT method predicted blue WF with an error less than 1%. The widely utilized USDA-SCS approach did not produce expected results. The FAO-AGLW method provided the lowest performance for each parameter. We also find that the errors in estimating Peff in semi-arid conditions cause green and blue WF outputs to be quite less accurate than the dry and humid cases. This study provides one of the most detailed assessments about the impact of effective rainfall on the blue and green WF results with high temporal resolution. The findings of this study are important for the accuracy and performance of the formulae used in Peff estimations and to develop more precise blue and green WF analyses in the future.

Fresh Pork as Protein Source in the USDA Thrifty Food Plan 2021: A Modeling Analysis of Lowest-Cost Healthy Diets.

The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) is an estimate of a lowest-cost healthy diet that meets dietary guidelines while respecting existing eating habits. In the US, the TFP provides the basis for federal food assistance. Included in the TFP are protein foods from both animal and plant sources. The present goal was to explore the place of fresh pork among protein foods in the revised TFP 2021. Our analyses used the same databases and the same quadratic programming (QP) methods as had been used by the USDA to develop the TFP 2021. Dietary intakes came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2015-16); nutrient composition data came from the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS 2015-16), and national food prices came from the 2021 TFP report. Amounts and prices were for foods as consumed. Our QP Model 1 used USDA modeling categories to replicate the TFP 2021. The non-poultry meat category was then separated into pork and beef. Model 2 examined whether the TFP 2021 algorithm would select pork or beef. Model 3 sought the lowest cost healthy diet, the same as the TFP 2021. Model 4 replaced beef and poultry with pork; whereas Model 5 replaced pork and poultry with beef. Weekly costs were calculated for a family of four and eight age-gender groups. All models met the nutrient requirements. The market basket cost for a family of four in Model 1 was USD 189.88, compared to the purchase price of USD 192.84 in the TFP 2021. In Model 2, fresh pork was selected preferentially over beef. The lowest-cost healthy food plan in Model 3 increased fresh pork to 3.4 lbs/week. Replacing beef and poultry with pork in Model 4 led to a modest decrease in the weekly cost. Replacing pork and poultry with beef in Model 5 led to a major increase in the weekly cost. We conclude, based on TFP-analogous modeling, that fresh pork is the preferred meat source, providing high-quality protein at a low cost. QP methods, as used in the TFP 2021, are a valuable tool for designing food plans that are affordable, acceptable, and nutrient-rich.

Covid-19 related factors to food security and dietary diversity among urban households in western Oromia, Ethiopia.

Background: This study aims to assess factors associated with food security and dietary diversity among poor urban households of western Oromia, Ethiopia, after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Method: A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted in May to June 2021 with 361 poor urban households in the Horo Guduru Wollega zone, western Oromia, Ethiopia. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Twenty-four hour reminder points were used to assess household dietary diversity, and household food security was assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale tool. Data were evaluated using the statistical software SPSS version 25.0. Results: This study showed a prevalence of food insecurity in households of 59.6%. The mean and standard deviation of household dietary diversity values were 4.19 ± 1.844. Family size (AOR = 8.5; 95% CI:3.295-21.92), monthly income (AOR = 3.52; 95% CI; 1.771-6.986), dietary diversity (AOR = 8.5; 95% CI; 3.92-18.59), knowledge (AOR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.08-)8.347), attitude (AOR = 8.35, 95% CI:3.112-22.39) and practices against Covid-19 (AOR = 2.12; 95% CI:1.299-11.4) were factors significantly associated with food insecurity. Variables like educational status (AOR = 3.46; 95% CI:1.44-8.312), increased family size after the Covid-19 pandemic (AOR = 2.26; 95% CI:1.02-5.04), food security (AOR = 6.7; 95% CI:4.01-19.01), knowledge (AOR = 3.96; 95% CI:1.57-10.0), attitude (AOR = 3.9; 95% CI:1.75-8.82) and practices toward coronavirus (AOR = 2.23; 95% CI:2.18-23.95) were predictors significantly associated with dietary diversity. Conclusion: This study concluded that family size, monthly income, and dietary diversity were factors contributed to household food security. On the other hand, variables such as educational status, family size, and food security were highly relevant factors for dietary diversity after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices were also variables related to both household food security and dietary diversity. Therefore, immediate interventions such as nutrition-specific interventions can be suggested to address food insecurity and problems of inadequate food intake in poor urban households. In addition, governmental and non-governmental organizations should raise awareness and policies to support those at higher risk by developing affordable, sustainable and targeted social protection systems that ensure food security and adequate dietary intake at the household level.

Reflections on federal service in the executive branch.

This article provides reflections on federal service in the Executive Branch, including recent experiences, key lessons learned, and advice to researchers interested in interacting with policymakers.

The Effect of Housing Environment on Commercial Brown Egg Layer Production, USDA Grade and USDA Size Distribution.

Consumer demand for retail cage-free eggs is driving the layer industry towards greater use of extensive housing environments. However, there is limited research on how these environments affect egg production characteristics of brown egg layers, as was the focus of this study. Five housing environments were evaluated under typical industry conditions, including conventional cages, enrichable colony cages, enriched colony cages, cage-free and free-range. Three different brown egg laying strains were housed in the different housing environments and managed according to standard husbandry practices and stocking densities. Data collection for the strains began at 17 weeks of age, with a base period of 28 days for feed weigh backs and egg quality assessments. Housing environment had a highly significant (p < 0.0001) effect on all egg production characteristics measured, including egg production rates (% hen-day and % hen-housed), feed consumption (g/bird/day), feed conversion (egg g/feed g), and mortality rate (%) as well as percent grade A, B, and loss. Previous research revealed better egg production metrics for white egg layers in caged environments than extensive environments. In contrast, we observed brown egg layers had optimum production results for the free-range housing environments, and the poorest performance in enrichable colony cages.

Evaluation of US Department of Agriculture Foods Programs for Households Using Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System.

BACKGROUND: US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods programs for households (ie, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and Commodity Supplemental Food Program) are designed to provide nutritious foods at no cost to income-eligible individuals in the United States. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the nutritional quality of the foods available from 3 USDA Foods programs for households (ie, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and Commodity Supplemental Food Program) according to the Healthy Eating Research (HER) Guidelines for the Charitable Food System. DESIGN: Review of the nutritional information of the foods available from USDA Foods programs for households was performed. Using the HER Guidelines, foods were categorized into a 3-tiered system (ie, choose often/green; choose sometimes/yellow; choose rarely/red) based on levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar per serving, and presence of whole grains. SETTING: All unique foods available from The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (n = 152) for fiscal year 2022 were evaluated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nutritional quality of the foods available from USDA Foods programs for households according to the HER guidelines was measured. Foods were ranked green, yellow, red, or not ranked. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: The proportion of foods in each HER Guidelines' rank was calculated across the 3 USDA Foods programs for households and by each program. RESULTS: The majority of USDA Foods were ranked green (57.3%) or yellow (35.5%). A small number of items were ranked red (3.3%) or were unranked condiments or cooking staples (3.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The USDA Foods available in the household programs were primarily fruits and vegetables; lean proteins; whole grains; and low-fat dairy products that were consistent with national dietary guidelines. There is some room for improvement, and adjustments in the specifications for certain items are recommended to strengthen the nutritional value of the foods provided through these important federal programs.

An Analysis of SNAP Online Purchasing Behavior in California: A Review of the First 7 Months of Program Implementation and Lessons Learned.

PURPOSE: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Online Purchasing Pilot (OPP) allows for the online purchase of groceries using SNAP benefits. First implemented in California in late April 2020, little is known about program usage. This study assessed initial implementation of SNAP Online in California using SNAP OPP transaction data from April - October 2020. Insights can identify usage differences by demographics, store availability, and rurality to help inform future pilot programs and nutrition initiatives. DESIGN: Using generalized estimating equations, we modeled county-level associations between transactions and county-level demographics, rurality, and retailer availability. SETTING: Transaction data from California's Department of Social Services (CDSS) was linked with publicly-available, county-level demographics. SUBJECTS: Anonymized county-level data on SNAP Online transactions and CalFresh households. MEASURES: The primary outcome was successful SNAP Online food transactions per county. ANALYSIS: Generalized estimating equation models with clustering by county was used. RESULTS: During the first 7 months, median SNAP Online transactions per county per month was 665; 2.7% of total SNAP redemptions were from SNAP Online. Counties with more female-led, disabled, Latino, or Asian CalFresh households had fewer Amazon transactions. Each additional Walmart per county corresponded to 260.7 more Walmart transactions (P < .001). Each percent increase in county zip codes covered by Amazon Fresh corresponded to 45.4 fewer Walmart transactions (P < .05) and 37.3 more Amazon transactions (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Number of stores per county was associated with greater online grocery transactions, whereas rurality was not. County-level SNAP demographics correlated with transactions at particular retailers.

Differences in Measured and Self-Categorized Food Security Status and Related Coping Strategies among College Students.

Qualitative studies suggest that college students with food insecurity (FI) experience stigma and misinterpret some of the USDA Adult Food Security Survey Module (AFSSM) questions, leading to misclassification of food security (FS) status. We aimed to evaluate differences in AFSSM-measured FS status and self-categorized FS status (based on USDA descriptions of the four FS levels) among college students, and to identify differences in the coping strategies and BMI of these students. Data were collected cross-sectionally from a convenience sample via web-based, self-reported surveys. Measured FS, self-categorized FS, coping strategies, and self-reported BMI were key variables of interest. Participants were 1003 undergraduate and graduate students (22.2 ± 4.6 years; 65.7% female). Of the participants measured as food insecure (40.0%), 57.8% self-categorized as food secure (MFI-SFS) and 42.2% self-categorized as food insecure (MFI-SFI). Significantly more MFI-SFI participants were AFSSM-categorized as having very low FS when compared to MFI-SFS participants (71.6% vs. 46.6%, p < 0.05). MFI-SFI participants reported significantly higher BMI (M = 24.7, SD ± 6.0 kg/m2) and coping strategies scores (M = 49.8, SD ± 7.5) when compared to MFI-SFS participants (M = 23.1, SD ± 3.6 kg/m2; M = 46.9, SD ± 7.5, respectively, p ≤ 0.01). Assessment of and interventions to address FI among college students should consider the potential influence of self-perception and students' interpretation of survey questions.

Dietary intake and lifestyle practices of eastern mediterranean postpartum women before and during COVID-19 pandemic: An internet-based cross-sectional survey.

Background: During the lockdown period, a substantial group of these women reported lifestyle changes. Aim: The aim of the study is to characterize the dietary patterns, intake and the adherence to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) pregnancy guidelines before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Mediterranean postartum women. Methods: An internet-based cross-sectional survey was used to collect the data. The survey was carried out among 1,939 postpartum women from five countries from the Eastern Mediterranean region. Change in dietary intake from the five food groups and the adherence to USDA's daily recommendations were assessed. Findings: There was a significant increase in the mean (SD) consumption of all the food groups, including bread, rice, and other cereals, fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products, white and red meat, and nuts during the pandemic. Around 84% of participants reported no/low adherence (0-2) to USDA guidelines, whereas only 15% reported moderate or high adherence (3-5) to the guidelines before the pandemic. However, there was an increase in the proportion of subjects reporting moderate/high adherence (22%) during the pandemic. Discussion and conclusions: A substantial proportion of our study participants reported a lower dietary intake than the recommended amounts, and low adherence to the five food groups. Reasonable and applicable actions should be taken to protect postpartum women and their children from the effects of low dietary intake, particularly during pandemics and lockdowns. More researches are needed to identify the modifiable factors which could improve the nutritional status of the postpartum women during the pandemic.

Food insecurity in Dutch disadvantaged neighbourhoods: a socio-ecological approach.

Food insecurity is an important public health concern; however, research into this phenomenon within the Netherlands is limited. Food insecurity is not solely related to individual factors, but can also be influenced by various factors in the social and physical environment. Therefore, this study aimed to identify determinants of food insecurity within the personal, social and physical environment, based on the social ecological model (SEM), and to identify their relative importance for experiencing food insecurity. The study population consisted of 307 participants living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods of the Dutch city The Hague, of which approximately one-quarter were food insecure. Participant characteristics showing bivariate associations P < 0⋅20 were placed in a predetermined level of the SEM, after which a multivariate logistic regression was performed for each level and the Nagelkerke pseudo R 2 was presented. Determinants of food insecurity were BMI, gross monthly income, highest educational attainment, smoking status, diet quality, employment status, marital status and religion (P < 0⋅05). The results showed that 29⋅7 % of the total variance in food insecurity status was explained by all included determinants together. The personal, social and physical environment explained 20⋅6, 14⋅0 and 2⋅4 % of the total variance, respectively. Our findings suggest that determinants within the personal environment are most important for explaining differences in experienced food insecurity. The present study contributes to furthering the knowledge about the relative importance of the personal, social and physical environment, indicating that determinants within the personal environment may be most promising for developing targeted interventions to reduce food insecurity.

Genome-wide association study for morphological traits and resistance to Peryonella pinodes in the USDA pea single plant plus collection.

Peas (Pisum sativum) are the second most cultivated pulse crop in the world. They can serve as human food, fodder, and cover crop. The most serious foliar disease of pea cultivars worldwide is Ascochyta blight, which can be caused by several pathogens. Of these, Peyronella pinodes is the most aggressive and prevalent worldwide. Several traits, including resistance to Peyronella pinodes, stem diameter, internode length between nodes 2-3 and 5-6, and area of 7th leaf, were measured in 269 entries of the pea single plant plus collection. The heritability (H2) of the morphological traits was relatively high, while disease resistance had low heritability. Using 53,196 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers to perform a genome-wide association study to identify genomic loci associated with variation in all the traits measured, we identified 27 trait-locus associations, 5 of which were associated with more than 1 trait.

Knowledge and attitudes of lower Michigan primary care physicians towards dietary interventions: A cross-sectional survey.

Background: Dietary interventions are first-line therapies for the prevention and management of many chronic diseases, yet primary care physicians prescribe these interventions infrequently. Objectives: This study investigates primary care physicians' current knowledge and opinions regarding the delivery of dietary interventions. This work aims to identify modifiable barriers to prescribing dietary interventions to prevent and treat diet-related diseases. Methods: We designed and fielded an anonymous, cross-sectional survey of faculty and resident physicians across the Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics departments in three academic and community hospitals in lower Michigan. Data were collected between January 15 and April 15, 2019. Self-rated knowledge and attitudes were measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Objective scores were calculated for each question as percentage answered correctly among all respondents. Objective knowledge scores were compared based on participants' years in practice. Results: Response rate was 23% (356 responses). The sample was 62.3% female and 75.3% non-Hispanic White, and 56.7% were age 40 or younger. Average objective knowledge score was 70.3% (±17.2) correct. Mean self-rated knowledge score was 2.51 (±0.96) on a scale of 1(Poor) - 5(Excellent). Overall agreement with a statement of importance of dietary interventions was 3.99 (±0.40) on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A majority (91.7%) of respondents indicated they would like more opportunities to learn about the evidence supporting dietary interventions. Conclusions: Physicians desire to incorporate dietary interventions into their practice. Findings encourage the development of educational strategies to support dietary intervention use among primary care physicians.