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An Evaluation Of The Impact Of The Adoption Of The Onboard Module Building Cotton Harvest System On The Economic Competitiveness Of Cotton Production In Louisiana, Natalia Estefania Latorre

LSU Master's Theses

Planted acreage of cotton in Louisiana has decreased over the past several years due to higher cotton variable production costs, stagnant cotton market prices, and higher grain yields and market prices for corn and soybeans. The general objective was to determine the economic impact of the adoption and use of an onboard module building cotton harvest system on the ability of the cotton enterprise to compete for planted acreage in the mixed crop farming areas of Louisiana. Specific research objectives included the estimated of comparative ownership and operating costs for the module building harvest systems relative to existing basket/module builder …

Exchange Rate Volatility Effects On Brics Countries Exports, David Isaias Maradiaga Pineda

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The leaders of the leading emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) claim that increased currency exchange rate volatility (CERV) from USD, EUR, and JPY (G-3) negatively impacts their exports, and expressed their desire for less trade dependence on these currencies. The literature on the impact of CERV on trade is vast. However, no consensus on the impact’s direction and significance has been reached yet. The motivation of this study was: first, to contribute to the existing empirical literature by using an alternative methodology; and second, to provide empirical evidence to the claim’s validity or nullity by …

Three Essays On Migration Decision, Migration Destination Choice, And Food Security: Evidence From Chitwan, Nepal, Madhav Regmi

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis research is based on data obtained from the Nepal Ethno Survey of Family, Migration and Development conducted in 396 farming households in the Eastern part of the Chitwan, Nepal. In a three essay thesis format, I explore the factors affecting migration decision and migration destination choices. I then establish a link between remittance and food security status of the surveyed households. In the first essay, I use a probit model to identify household decisions to send or not to send migrants, and identify factors affecting the decision process. I include individual, household and social network characteristics in the …

Earthquake Risk In Indonesia: Parametric Contingent Claims For Humanitarian Response And Financial Institution Resiliency, Jason Hartell

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This dissertation explores the use of an index based contingent claims mechanism against earthquake risk in Indonesia. It focuses on time critical financing needs of international humanitarian relief organizations, and on efforts to improve the resiliency of geographically constrained financial institutions whose clientele are exposed to disaster risk. The approach uses measures of ground motion intensity as the basis for the index. The humanitarian response mechanism provides a new way for private sector partners to participate and gain visibility in their support of principled humanitarian funding. Index based contingent claims for local banks are shown to enhance their ability to …

Characterizing The Maternally Inherited Endosymbionts Of Solitary Bees, Abiya Saeed

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Solitary bees are important pollinators of crops, with species in the family Megachilidae (mason bees) being used for orchard pollination. Commercial movement of these bees also moves their microbiota, including bacterial endosymbionts capable of reproductive manipulation. To test for presence of these bacteria, I screened commercially available species of US orchard pollinators and locally captured solitary bees from Kentucky. I also set up mason bee boxes in five apple orchards to examine recruitment of local pollinators. I conducted 454-pyrosequencing to determine bacterial diversity within four species followed by diagnostic PCR of 30 collected species (184 individuals) to determine infection frequency …

Factors Influencing Adoption Of Vsh Queens In The Honey Breeding Industry, Julie Leiby

LSU Master's Theses

There are many threats that contribute to the decline in honey bee colonies around the United States; among them is the Varroa mite, Varroa destructor. The Varroa mite is a significant threat to honey bees and, by extension, beekeepers across the United States. It is suspected to be one of the main contributors to the increase in colony collapse and the decline in bee numbers and the beekeeping industry (Danka, May 2013). Fifty-five percent of beekeepers exited beekeeping between 1987 and 2002 (USDA). Although honey production continued to decrease through 2007, the number of beekeepers entering beekeeping had increased (USDA). …

The Role Of Futures Prices In Pricing Commodity Exports Of Developing Countries, Jorge Jose Handal Reyes

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to study the empirical linkages between nearby futures prices for coffee at the New York (NY) Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)/NY Board of Trade (NYBOT) and cash prices (producer and export prices) in selected Latin American countries. This theme was entertained in Fortenbery and Zapata (2004) and subsequently by Fortenbery and Zapata (2004) and Li and Fortenbery (2013). This thesis uses data from January 1990 to May 2013 and adds producer cash prices in addition to export prices, thus expanding the dataset by over a decade and adding local market cash prices relative to the first …

Assessing And Mitigating Lawn Insecticide Hazards To Bees And Other Beneficial Invertebrates, Jonathan Lane Larson

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Turfgrass settings, including lawns, golf courses, and sports fields, support many beneficial invertebrates that provide important ecosystem services. These non-target organisms and their associated predation, decomposition, and pollination services can be disrupted by the use of certain insecticides. I compared the ecotoxicity of representatives from three major turf insecticide groups, the neonicotinoids, premix formulations, and the anthranilic diamides, in lab and field realistic settings in order to inform industry initiatives towards environmental sustainability.

In lab and field bioassays clothianidin, a neonicotinoid, and a premix clothianidin/pyrethroid spray were acutely toxic to beneficial insects. Populations of predators, springtails, and earthworms, as well …

Direct Marketing Of Louisiana Shrimp: A Cost-Earnings Analysis, Jill Christoferson

LSU Master's Theses

Secondary data on cost and earnings from a 2012 survey of inshore Louisiana shrimpers was used as the foundation this partial budget analysis examining the feasibility of supplementing direct marketing (DM) strategies for Louisianan shrimp harvesters. Refinement of key variables for the analysis was conducted using supplemental surveys in 2014 of DM shrimp harvesters and DM consumers. The DM harvester survey (n= 72) produced information on actual price per pound for DM shrimp, as well as catch grade distribution, product marketing mix, and labor estimates. The DM consumer survey (n=255) yielded information on participants’ preferences for DM shrimp, including actual …

Soil Microbial Community Distributions And Disease Suppressiveness In The Coastal Plain Of Georgia, Michael J. Sabula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the soil microbial communities of three vegetation types in the coastal plain of Georgia: 1. crop land actively in use for agricultural production, 2. transitional grassland in early stages of secondary succession, and 3. pristine unmanaged forest land. Microbial species diversity and quantities of microbial DNA were determined from each of these vegetation types at three separate locations near Statesboro, Georgia. Length heterogeneity PCR(LH-PCR) methods and subsequent analysis of fungal, bacterial, and metazoan communities by analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) revealed high within-group similarity by vegetation type, indicating land management intensity and vegetation cover is a strong determining …

Effects Of Organic And Conventional Agricultural Practices On Soil Microbial Communities And Molecular Detection Of Soil Borne Disease, Holli K. Milner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural practices affect soil microbial communities and health through the input of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and cycling of crop rotation. By examining the microbial community structure, we analyzed how microbial species respond to the environment that individual farms create. Early detection of soil borne disease is essential for agricultural success. However, monitoring incidence of disease based on plant growth response to pathogenic inoculation may not reveal the amount of pathogenic DNA in soil. A comparative study of tomato production systems was conducted by analysis of soil microbial community structure from four farms in Southeast Georgia for the years 2012 and …

International Perspectives On Sustainable Agriculture In Cuba, B. Danielle Smith

University Honors Theses

Since the economic crisis following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba has restructured their agriculture with a greater focus on domestic production of domestically consumed produce, and a dramatic reduction of petroleum products in all aspects of food production. This overhaul has included the broad application of what is termed agroecology – agricultural practices which focus on principles of biodiversity and sustainability – and inter-farm cooperation facilitated by the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) and Campesino a Campesino. Academics and journalists from within and abroad have critically examined aspects of the novel reforms developed in the country …