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Forage And Biomass Dual-Purpose Harvest System Using Native Warm-Season Grasses, David Weston Mcintosh Dec 2013

Forage And Biomass Dual-Purpose Harvest System Using Native Warm-Season Grasses, David Weston Mcintosh

Masters Theses

There has been increasing interest in utilizing native warm-season grasses (NWSGs), especially switchgrass, as a biomass feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production. Millions of hectares of crop and pasture in the mid-South are forecast to potentially be planted with switchgrass for biomass feedstock production. This could have a substantial impact on the region’s cattle industry, reducing forage production hectares. This study was conducted to determine the effect of early season harvest timing on forage and biomass of NWSGs designed for use in cellulosic ethanol production. The over-all hypothesis was to determine if an early forage harvest can be included in a …


Toward Direct Biosynthesis Of Drop-In Ready Biofuels In Plants: Rapid Screening And Functional Genomic Characterization Of Plant-Derived Advanced Biofuels And Implications For Coproduction In Lignocellulosic Feedstocks, Blake Lee Joyce Aug 2013

Toward Direct Biosynthesis Of Drop-In Ready Biofuels In Plants: Rapid Screening And Functional Genomic Characterization Of Plant-Derived Advanced Biofuels And Implications For Coproduction In Lignocellulosic Feedstocks, Blake Lee Joyce

Doctoral Dissertations

Advanced biofuels that are “drop-in” ready, completely fungible with petroleum fuels, and require minimal infrastructure to process a finished fuel could provide transportation fuels in rural or developing areas. Five oils extracted from Pittosporum resiniferum, Copaifera reticulata, and surrogate oils for Cymbopogon flexuosus, C. martinii, and Dictamnus albus in B20 blends were sent for ASTM International biodiesel testing and run in homogenous charge combustion ignition engines to determine combustion properties and emissions. All oils tested lowered cloud point. Oils derived from Copaifera reticulata also lowered indicated specific fuel consumption and had emissions similar to the ultra-low sulfur diesel control. Characterization …


Preservation Of Nutrients In Cool- And Warm-Season Forages At Different Stages Of Maturity And Management, Jason Allen Shultz Aug 2013

Preservation Of Nutrients In Cool- And Warm-Season Forages At Different Stages Of Maturity And Management, Jason Allen Shultz

Masters Theses

The overall goals of the studies described in this thesis were to investigate management practices of tall fescue and native warm-season grasses (NWSG) and find the best time to harvest and method to preserve forage quality. Study one investigated the effects of maturity on tall fescue and switchgrass and the effects of preservation method on forage quality. This study confirmed that maturity reduced forage quality in both tall fescue and switchgrass. Both tall fescue and switchgrass were successfully preserved as haylage or hay and did not differ in forage quality. Forages harvested before mid-May met the TDN and CP requirements …


Effects Of Leaflet Orientation And Root Morphology On Physiological Traits And Yield In Soybeans., Richard Dewayne Johnson May 2013

Effects Of Leaflet Orientation And Root Morphology On Physiological Traits And Yield In Soybeans., Richard Dewayne Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

Drought is the most important abiotic stress adversely affecting soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) yield. Leaflet orientation has been shown to reduce leaflet temperatures and transpiration while root morphology has been related to slower wilting phenotypes. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of leaflet orientation and rooting morphology on whole plant transpiration, yield, water use efficiency, and other physiological traits in soybeans using grafting techniques, population lines, near-isogenic lines, and restrained leaf canopy experiments. Experiments were conducted in Knoxville, TN with additional yield trial plots at Springfield, Spring Hill, and Milan, TN. Data were collected on …


Comparison Of Roundup Ready And Conventional Soybean (Glycine Max L.) Weed Control Systems For Optimizing Yield And Economic Profitability, Brittany Lee Gaban May 2013

Comparison Of Roundup Ready And Conventional Soybean (Glycine Max L.) Weed Control Systems For Optimizing Yield And Economic Profitability, Brittany Lee Gaban

Masters Theses

Research was conducted in 2010, 2011 and 2012 at the East Tennessee Research and Education Center in Knoxville, TN, in order to compare differences in soybean yield among differing levels of weed control within Roundup Ready® [Glyphosate-resistant] (RR)and conventional soybean cultivars to gain a better understanding of the impact different intensities of weed control have on RR and conventional cropping systems. Results determined that after applying the weed control regimens, there was no significant difference (p

Glyphosate resistant weeds introduce new challenges and create a more costly weed control regimen, especially when using a RR based soybean cultivation operation. Therefore, …


The Effect Of Photocatalytic Titanium Dioxide And Ultraviolet B Radiation On Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa Growth And Pathogenicity, Chun Hu May 2013

The Effect Of Photocatalytic Titanium Dioxide And Ultraviolet B Radiation On Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa Growth And Pathogenicity, Chun Hu

Masters Theses

Photocatalytic TiO₂ [titanium dioxide] generates strong oxidative effects when illuminated with ultraviolet (UV) light with wavelengths of less than 385 nm. UVB has wavelengths ranging from 280 to 315nm. Previous research indicates the oxidative species and UVB radiation can react and cause cellular damage to microorganisms, which may reduce Sclerotinia homoeocarpa growth and help to control dollar spot disease development. The objectives of this study were to investigate the interactions of TiO₂ and UVB radiation, both in vitro and in vivo, on the growth and development of dollar spot. Factorial treatments consisting of five rates of TiO₂ and three doses …