NEWS IN BRIEF

— Wheat rust found in Lonoke County

DeVALLS BLUFF - Stripe rust on winter wheat has been found in four spots in northern Lonoke County in what is believed to be the disease’s earliest ever detection in the state.

Gene Milus, professor of plant pathology for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, confirmed the finding Jan. 9 from samples collected by Jason Kelley, extension agronomist who works with corn, wheat and sorghum for the UA Agriculture Division.

“Brent Griffin, extension staff chair in Prairie County, found at least four hot spots of stripe rust on his family’s farm in northern Lonoke County on Dec. 19,” Milus said in a release. “This beats the record set last January by about one month.”

Milus said a timely application of fungicide can reduce the potential for spores to spread.

Arkansas growers planted 660,000 acres of winter wheat - up 20 percent over the amount planted a year ago, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

-Glen Chase

First urology group joins Sparks Health

The Urology Group of Western Arkansas has joined Fort Smith’s Sparks Health System and will now be know as the Sparks Urology Group.

This is the first urology group to join the Sparks Health System. Terms of the deal were not released.

According to a release, the urology group will allow for further recruiting of urologists. Sparks said in an e-mail that the system would like to recruit two or three more urologists.

The group’s clinic has been in operation since the 1960s.

The health system, which includes Sparks Regional Medical Center, serves 350,000 people in a 12-county area around Fort Smith that covers Arkansas and Oklahoma.

  • John Magsam

State index dips despite advances

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, slipped 0.14 to 250.73 Monday.

“Stocks were mixed and finished little changed with the major averages trading in a very narrow range,” said Bob Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Delta Trust Investments Inc. in Little Rock. “Arkansas equities reflected a slight upward bias with advancing issues outpacing declining stocks by eight to five.”

Only two state stocks fluctuated by 1 percent or more, Williams said.

Simmons First National rose by 1.2 percent, while Dillard’s fell 1 percent, Williams said.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.

Business, Pages 21 on 01/15/2013

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