the ration of the laying hen was deter- gale the mycoplasma organism in re- 

 mined, search on chronic respiratory disease. 



New Hampshire Broiler Test fa- 

 cilities were used by W. C. Skoglund 

 and others in the department to estab- 

 lish growth and feed standards for 

 broilers. Genetic research revealed that 

 both single and multiple genes affected 

 the concentration of water soluble vi- 

 tamins in eggs and of cholesterol in 

 egg yolks. 



The value of tissue culture tech- 

 nique was underscored by its increased 

 usage in several areas of poultry disease 

 research. In parasitology it was used to 

 study the development of the coccidian 

 Eimeria tenella in both sexual and 

 asexual stages of the life cycle in cul- 

 ture. In heart research the technique 

 was applied to an investigation of the 

 role of smooth muscle cells and of 

 mitochondria in aortic cells from ath- 

 erosclerotic White Carneau pigeons. 

 Cell culture was also used to propa- 



M. Ikawa, Biochemistry 



Biochemistry 



The research investigations in this 

 department were now becoming in- 

 creasingly more fundamental than 

 applied and frequently oriented more 

 toward health than agriculture per se. 

 E. }. Herbst, department chairman from 

 1962 to 1974, analyzed polyamines by 

 thin layer chromatography and showed 

 that they inhibited enzymatic degra- 

 dation of ribosomes of Escherichia coh. 

 He also studied the effect of spermidine 

 in the synthesis of ribonucleic acid. M. 

 Ikawa's research was oriented toward 

 toxic chemicals produced by microor- 

 ganisms. He and J. J. Sasner, Jr. (Zool- 

 ogy) had been collaborating on a study 

 of toxins produced by microscopic red 

 algae in marine coastal waters. During 

 the summer and fall, under proper 

 conditions, a tremendous growth of 

 these algae produces what is referred 

 to as "red tide." Shellfish ingest the 

 algae and concentrate the toxins in 

 their tissues. When clams and other 

 shellfish are eaten by humans, a con- 

 dition called paralytic shellfish poi- 

 soning results which may cause ill- 

 ness and even death. Ikawa, Sasner 

 and graduate students developed a 

 method for measuring the toxins which 

 were 100 times more sensitive than 

 the older mouse test, required less 

 material, was much faster and had the 

 added possibility of performing the 

 analysis directly on the shore. 



Other forms of algae found in some 

 bodies of fresh water in New Hamp- 

 shire cause death of fish. 



Botany and Plant Pathology 



Taxonomy was the major research in- 

 terest of A. R. Hodgdon, chairman of 

 Botany. In a joint research effort, he 

 and R. B. Pike added to the known 



48 



