Lets grow some Passion Fruit!

Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis)

I want to grow passion fruit because it is DELICIOUS, pretty and hilarious (it has the tendency to steal other plants water, smother them and then use the plants decaying nutrients to grow more, but at the same time lives in harmony growing over its self repeatedly.)
• Passion Fruits are fruits that grow on vines
• Growing seasons vary, but planted vines typically harvest August- December and March – May.
• Passion fruit vines are often planted from seeds and will take 2-3 weeks to germinate. Seedlings can be transplanted into soil when they are 10 inches tall. It should take roughly a year for the vines to flower and fruit using the seed method. Planting a pre-grown plant could lead to fruit (dependant on climate) in 2-3 months (I would estimate early to mid June by the time is was properly in the soil and growing.)
• Seed to harvest would take roughly one year.
• When planting a potted passion fruit plant you have to have the plant (can be purchased from many nurseries in San Diego) which will be a clone that can with stand a plant disease that typically plagues vines grown from seeds (Fusarium wilt), a trellis or fence for the vine to grow on, and lots of compost! Passion fruit vines need LOTS of organic nutrients and with lots of compost we will have LOTS of fruit.
• For us to produce a large amount of fruit we would need two potted vines and a 5 ft by 4 ft trellis or growing fence. The vines will grown like crazy with enough sun and compost so we could do a smaller one but it is imperative that we are able to control where the vine can grown because it will go nuts. A growing space that big would produce 40+ fruits (two per square inch of growing space average assuming they don’t grow over each other, should that occur we would have twice or three times as much.)
• Passion Fruit vines can grow in many different soil environment but grow best in light to heavy sandy loams. Passion fruit is a fast growing vine and therefore needs to have a ridiculous amount of nutrients, like a teenage boy growing a foot per month might need, but in plant form so LOTS of compost, worms and microbials. Soil pHs of 6.5-7.5 are preferable but some growers swear by acidic soil (adding lime juice and pulp to the soil.) NPK ration of 10-5-20 is ideal for the vine.
• Passion fruit vines will NOT grow in overly watered soil, so drainage is important but they do need continuous watering. The soil should remain moist between watering. The more frequently the vine is watered the more fruit it will produce, but the tender must be extremely careful of over watering.
• Passion Fruit is great at smothering other plants because of it’s fast growing and nutrient demanding nature. Vines also steal water with their shallow root systems and will should they be given the chance. Passion Fruit vines grow like bunny populations and will need to be confined and pruned regularly.
• Passion fruit is from Brazil but the most commonly know passion fruit (grown in Hawaii) has no known origin, it sort of just appeared one day in Australia and is a hybrid of a passion flower and passion fruit vine neither of which were native to that area.

Works Cited
"Guide to Growing Passion Flowers, Passiflora incarnata." How to grow your favorite plants, create a new garden, and resolve your plant and gardening problems. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .
"How Not To Kill Your Passion Vine." Tropica Mango: Rare and Exotic Plant Nursery. Web. 27 Jan. 2010.
"How to Grow Delicious Passionfruit | eHow.com." EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .
"How To Grow Passion Fruit? By Growing Passionfruit Seeds..." Tropical Permaculture Gardens: Growing Fruits And Vegetables The Easy Way. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .
"How to Grow Passionfruit." Homely Capers | Home and Garden Discussions - Mostly Garden. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .
"PASSION FRUIT Fruit Facts." California Rare Fruit Growers. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .
"Passionfruit." Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .

Drug Resistant Bacteria: Annotated Sources

It is common knowledge that non-organic meats that we find in the super market were treated with some kind of antibiotic or steroids, but they seem to taste exactly the same so what is the harm in saving some money on meat and buying the non-organic kind? Well research studies done by science institutions around the world suggest that more than just some steroids and antibiotics could be in that meat. The meat industry's practice of altering their animals to produce more meat has opened the door to new dangerous bacterias that are resistant to antibiotics. Deadly bacterias that are resistant to antibiotics means that should they make their way into the consumer's body, they will not be killed by much of our modern day medicines, allowing the bacteria to run wild in our bodies and possibly kill a person if it is not killed first.

Sources:

Drug-resistant Salmonella from animals fed antimicrobials
The New England Journal of Medicine

Notes: Despite the technical jargon, this piece is very informative about the specific types of dangerous bacteria that is becoming resistant to antibiotics because of pesticides. Even more importantly this journal describes how the bacteria is doing it and projections of future abilities to do so.

Abstract: It has been difficult to document the postulated sequence of events that begins with the selection of drug-resistant organisms in animals fed subtherapeutic amounts of antimicrobials and ends with clinically important infections in human beings. In early 1983 we identified 18 persons in four Midwestern states who were infected with Salmonella newport that was resistant to ampicillin, carbenicillin, and tetracycline and characterized by a 38-kilobase R plasmid. Twelve of these patients had been taking penicillin derivatives for medical problems other than diarrhea in the 24 to 48 hours before the onset of salmonellosis. Eleven patients were hospitalized for salmonellosis for an average of eight days, and one had a fatal nosocomial infection. We compared plasmid profiles of all human (six-state area) and animal (United States) S. newport isolates over an 18-month period and examined selected records of meat distribution. The results indicated that the patients had been infected before they took antimicrobials, by eating hamburger originating from South Dakota beef cattle fed subtherapeutic chlortetracycline for growth promotion. This study demonstrates that antimicrobial-resistant organisms of animal origin cause serious human illness, and emphasizes the need for more prudent use of antimicrobials in both human beings and animals.

Citation: SD Holmberg, MT Osterholm, KA Senger, and ML Cohen
Drug-resistant Salmonella from animals fed antimicrobials
N. Engl. J. Med., Sep 1984; 311: 617 - 622.

Website: http://www.sciencemag.org/searchall/all.gca.dtl?allch=&SEARCHID=1&FULLTEXT=Drug-resistant+meat&FIRSTINDEX=0&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&gca=nejm%3B311%2F10%2F617

Occurrence and resistance to antibiotics of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in animals and meat in northeastern Italy
Elsevier Science B.V.

Notes: This article shows the wide spread applicability to the topic. In short this doesn’t just happen in America, it is how the system works. This article must be purchased. Currently working on means of retrieving the article with out buying it but so far out look is not promising. Still looking for studies as well done and credible that are free but it has also been a seemingly futile pursuit.

Abstract: A study was carried out in northeastern Italy during 2000 and 2001 to investigate the occurrence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in animals, cattle, pigs, and broilers, and raw meat, beef, pork, and chicken. Campylobacter spp. were detected in 53.9% of the cattle, 63.5% of the pigs, and 82.9% of the broilers examined. Chicken meat was frequently contaminated (81.3%), while lower rates were found in pork meat (10.3%) and beef (1.3%). The resistance to antibiotics of the strains was also investigated, and compared to that of human clinical isolates. C. coli was generally more resistant than C. jejuni. Resistance to quinolones was frequently observed in C. coli isolated in chicken meat (78.6%); slightly lower rates were found in C. jejuni isolated in broilers (42.2%), chicken meat (52.8%), and humans (38.2%). C. coli was also frequently resistant to tetracycline in all sources, while resistance to streptomycin was most frequently observed in pig isolates (89.4%).

Citation: “MAMA-PCR assay for the detection of point mutations associated with high-level erythromycin resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains”, Journal of Microbiological Methods, Volume 63, Issue 1, October 2005, Pages 99-103, Rodrigo Alonso, Estibaliz Mateo, Estibaliz Churruca, Irati Martinez, Cecilia Girbau, Aurora Fernández-Astorga

Website: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7K-46JYMFP-2&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1174157819&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=47f8586e526e4366b1ba46dac102c8fe#aff1

Drug-resistant infections lurk in meat we eat
MSNBC

Notes: The depth and scientific evidence is lacking, but this is a good source of an example. A man was stabbed by his animal (treated with antibiotics and such) and his wound would not heal with easy measures of medicine because the bacteria would not die. The implications of this super bacteria could have the most detrimental effects on the ones who make our meat, meaning the humanity could be taken out of the meat process if things get too out of hand.

Citation: MASON, MARGIE, and MARTHA MENDOZA. "Drug-resistant infections lurk in meat we eat." MSNBC. Associated Press, 29 Dec. 2009. Web. 20 Jan. 2010. .

Website: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34614380/

Farmer in Chief

The Farmer in Chief and the Socratic seminar following the reading did a lot to enlighten me me upon the subject of our nation's farming practices. I am astounded that the government subsidizes certain foods. I thought our nation was really wise when they realized giving any one state the capital of the nation would give that one state too much power, hence forth we have Washington DC. How could the same Government not realize that subsidizing certain foods would lead to the mass production of that one food? And if they did how could they over look the implications these foods would have on our nations diet? The recent and current United States Government seems to make a lot of these decisions that are 'for the betterment of the people' which lead us to obesity, gross national debt and general disdain from the nations of the world. Why is it that many Americans think that they own the planet? How did ships of people fleeing Europe or other parts of the world from oppression and judgment become the all-oppressive and judgmental capital of the world? Baffling.

Family Farming Connection

After a long conversation with my father about our family's farming history it turns out we have none. For a long time my uncle was considering making his own organic farm up in the Bay area but the city would not permit him to do so in the area he was hoping for so that aspiration fell through. My grandfather was a large animal veterinarian in the Midwest for large farms but that is the closest thing we have to a farming past. This year I have made the goal to begin a garden in my own backyard and grow passion fruit vines as well as some vegetables.

Natural World Curiosity

What in nature fascinates you?

The things that fascinate me most about nature are the systems that work together within one animal or pant, at any one given time there are thousands of different processes going on in the organism making everything work. For example while I sit in math class after lunch my body is breaking down food, breathing, putting my motor skills to work taking notes and so on. Each microscopic cell is doing something for the greater good of the body using no thought at all. It astounds me. I am specifically interested in the human body because I want to be a doctor but learning about how similar processes work in other living things excites me as well.