Author: Admin

Researchers at the University of Georgia have identified a promising approach to addressing a longstanding challenge for plant geneticists: balancing disease resistance and growth in plants.

The breakthrough could help protect plants from disease in the future while also promoting higher biomass yields to support sustainable food supplies for both humans and animals, production of biofuels and lumber, and more, according to the new study.

“Combating pathogens has been a top challenge in agriculture,” said C.J. Tsai, corresponding author of the study and a professor in UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “Solutions that balance disease resistance and growth are much needed, especially with the ever-increasing disease pressure due to climate change.”

New technology may enable farmers to keep plants safe from pests while not compromising growth

This discovery could have significant implications for crop productivity.

Salicylic acid is a well-known plant hormone that plays a vital role in enhancing disease resistance and tolerating stressors like extreme temperatures. Salicylic acid-based strategies have long been known to enhance resistance to pests and pathogens, but practical applications were hindered by the reduction in yield.

This study offers a method to separate growth suppression from the defense response, opening the door to use both salicylic acid and cold-regulated genes in agriculture without compromising crop success.

The team is already expanding its research by testing the approach on other crops like alfalfa, the “queen of forages.” The researchers will test the plant’s ability to grow with limited water and nutrient supply. If successful, the technology promises to generate climate-resilient crops.

This work, published in Plant Cell, was partially supported by the Georgia Research Alliance, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Co-authors on the paper include María Ortega, Rhodesia Celoy, Francisco Chacon, Yinan Yuan, Liang-Jiao Xue, Saurabh Pandey, MaKenzie Drowns and Brian Kvitko.

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) approved the Georgia Department of Human Services request to issue automatic mass replacements for the residents that suffered food losses as a result of Hurricane Helene starting on September 26, 2024, in the following counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Dodge, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Glynn, Hancock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Pierce, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, Stephens, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, Wilcox, and Wilkes.  

FNS is also authorizing the mass replacement of 75 percent of regular SNAP benefits for households that were issued in the calendar month prior to September 26, 2024, in the following 58 counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Dodge, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Glynn, Hancock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Pierce, Rabun, Richmond, Stephens, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, Wilcox, and Wilkes counties.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.

Nan Thai Buckhead, the latest chapter of pioneering Atlanta restaurateurs Nan and the late Charlie Niyomkul’s fine dining dynasty, will debut on Friday, Oct. 18. For fans of the original Nan Thai in Midtown, the new restaurant at 3050 Peachtree Road is a nod to family tradition with a firm eye on the future.

As Nan Thai Buckhead owner and executive chef, the couple’s daughter DeeDee Niyomkul has transformed her popular Chai Yo Modern Thai into a warm, inviting space filled with Thai silks and exotic wood from Thailand but with a modern touch and a gorgeous private dining room. The new restaurant allows the mother-and-daughter chefs to integrate Chef Nan’s traditional approach with Chef DeeDee’s modern sensibilities to create a fresh dining experience in Buckhead.

DeeDee grew up working at her parents’ famous Manhattan restaurant in New York. When the family moved to Atlanta, she hosted and served at the family’s original Tamarind location on 14^th Street when it debuted to citywide acclaim in 1998. After learning nearly every position in her family’s restaurants, DeeDee worked her way up from the front of the house and operations to become executive chef at Nan Thai Fine Dining. Before opening Chai Yo Modern Thai in 2018, DeeDee created Midtown’s popular Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft in 2009, inspired by her grandmother’s Thai street food.

“This is my updated version of Nan with some of my mom’s signature dishes, without the white tablecloths,” explains DeeDee. “Nan in Midtown is more of my parents’ personality. With Nan Thai Buckhead, we’re creating the best of both worlds, incorporating my twists and personality and what I’ve learned on my travels sampling food from around the world.”

Among the highlights of the inaugural Nan Thai Buckhead menu are:

Starters

• Tom kha, a soup with lobster tail morsels, coconut meat, coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, and mushroom medley that DeeDee first debuted on the Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay”

• Mushroom wonton soup ravioli with shitake, chives, shallots, garlic, cilantro, and vegetable consommé

• Golden pouches with crispy chicken, shrimp, and shiitake mushroom dumplings

• Octopus lemongrass salad with kaffir lime, roasted chili paste, shallot, mint, and Thai dressing

• Nan’s signature crispy calamari with three-flavor chili sauce

Chef’s selections

• Nan’s signature filet of whole red snapper with savory three-flavor chili sauce, fried okra, and eggplant

• Tamarind signature kai Siam with crispy chicken, mushroom, cashew, red bell pepper, onion, celery, and Thai pineapple chili sauce

• Nan’s signature lamb shank hung lay with braised lamb, ginger, onions, potatoes, and jasmine rice

• Wagyu beef cheeks with panang curry, green beans, and red bell peppers

• Scallop linguine with Thai basil cream sauce, garlic, Thai chili, onion, bell pepper, and linguine

• Khao mok ped with slow-cooked duck leg with coriander, turmeric, fried shallots, and cilantro mint garlic sauce

Overseeing Nan Thai Buckhead and its handcrafted cocktail bar program, Linda Boualavong has created a fresh fall line of cocktails for patrons to toast the restaurant’s arrival. “It’s fun to work with ingredients like Thai basil, lemongrass, and pandan for craft cocktails that pair perfectly with DeeDee’s food,” says Boualavong. Nan Thai Buckhead will also feature an enhanced wine list.

The fall cocktail menu includes:

• The Siam Sour with gin, basil, lemongrass, citrus and egg white

• Passion on the Mekhong, a mix of Haku vodka, jasmine tea syrup, passionfruit, citrus and egg white

• The Forbidden Fruit with 400 Conejos mezcal, tamarind, cardamom syrup, and chili-lime bitters

• The Dirty Luk features bourbon, pear nectar, lemon, and honey-ginger syrup

With an eye for design, DeeDee has also overseen an interior refresh of the space with new Thai art and a private dining room with a chef’s table accented with a crystal pendant chandelier. DeeDee says she’s looking forward to introducing each course to diners this fall. “I consider the chef’s table to be my canvas where I want to create a new work of art for guests each evening.”

Nan Thai Buckhead is at 3050 Peachtree Road, Suite 8, Atlanta, 30305. Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served Monday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. Reservations are available on OpenTable or by calling 404-464-7980.

The State of Georgia’s net tax collections during the month of September approached $3.21 billion, for a decrease of $91.2 million, or 2.8%, compared to FY 2024 when net tax collections totaled almost $3.3 billion for the month. Year to date, net tax revenue collections totaled roughly $8.11 billion, for an increase of $29.5 million, or 0.4%, compared to September 2023 when net tax collections approached $8.08 billion.

The changes within the following tax categories account for September’s overall net tax revenue decrease:

Individual Income Tax: Individual Income Tax collections during the month totaled nearly $1.44 billion, up from a total of almost $1.39 billion in fiscal year 2024, for an increase of $50.2 million or 3.6%.

The following notable components within Individual Income Tax combine for the net increase:

• Individual Income Tax refunds issued (net of voided checks) decreased by $35.4 million or 27.9%

• Income Tax Withholding payments for September decreased by $4.1 million, or 0.3%, from FY 2024

• Individual Income Tax Estimated payments increased by $19.5 million, or 12%, over FY 2024

• All other Individual Tax categories, including Tax Return payments, were down a combined $0.6 million

Sales and Use Tax: Gross Sales and Use Tax collections for September totaled roughly $1.55 billion, which was an increase of $36 million, or 2.4%, over FY 2024. Net Sales and Use Tax decreased by $52.5 million, or 6.4%, compared to September 2023 when net Sales Tax revenue totaled $820.2 million. The adjusted Sales Tax distribution to local governments totaled $773.7 million, which was an increase of $91.4 million, or 13.4%, from last year’s adjusted distribution total of $682.3 million. Sales Tax refunds decreased by roughly $2.9 million compared to FY 2024.

Corporate Income Tax: Corporate Income Tax collections for September decreased by nearly $90 million, or 13.1%, compared to last year, when net Corporate Tax revenues totaled $687.5 million.

The following notable components within Corporate Income Tax make up the net decrease:

• Corporate Income Tax refunds issued (net of voids) were up $29.7 million compared to September 2023

• Corporate Income Tax Estimated payments decreased by $47.2 million, or 10.9%, from FY 2024

• All other Corporate Tax payments, including Corporate Return payments, were down a combined $13.1 million

Motor Fuel Taxes: Motor Fuel Tax collections for the month increased by $6.7 million, or 3.5%, compared to FY 2024 when motor fuel tax collections totaled $193.4 million.

Motor Vehicle – Tag & Title Fees: Motor Vehicle Tag & Title Fee collections for September rose by $0.2 million, or 0.7%, while Title ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) collections decreased by $2.6 million, or 3.2%, from FY 2024.