Digital Commons Network^™

Silage Corn Hybrid Response To Row Width And Plant Density In The Intermountain West, Mark A. Pieper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Corn (Zea mays L.) hectarage has increased rapidly in Utah and Idaho in recent years due to expansion of the dairy industry, but little is known about corn production practices that optimize yield and quality of silage corn in semi-arid irrigated cropping systems. The objective of this study was to determine the dry matter yield and quality effects of corn hybrids grown in different plant densities and row widths in the Intermountain West. Field experiments were conducted under irrigation in 2015 and 2016 at locations near North Logan, Utah and Jerome, Idaho. The experimental design was a randomized complete …

Utilizing Legumes To Improve Production And Nutritive Value Of Intermountain West Pastures, Jacob T. Briscoe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pastures in the Intermountain Western United States mainly consist of cool-season grasses which lack production without supplemental nitrogen. Legumes provide nitrogen at reduced cost compared to nitrogen fertilizer. There is a need for proven methods of inter-seeding legumes into existing cool-season grass pastures as well as knowledge of how animals prefer legumes to grasses and how the nutritive value of forages change throughout the growing season. This research provides a resource for effective integration of legumes into pastures of the Intermountain West. Alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, and cicer milkvetch were inter-seeded into existing cool-season grass pastures following pretreatments of light tillage, …

Deficit Irrigation Of Kentucky Bluegrass For Intermountain West Urban Landscapes, Hang T. T. Duong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to end users irrigating with excess water, water conservation of turfgrass can make a large impact in urban water conservation by reducing water applied while still maintaining visual appearance. This study was conducted to determine if Kentucky bluegrass (Poapratensis L.) can be deficit irrigated to maintain minimum acceptable appearance while conserving water. The study investigated water stress in terms of stomatal conductance, chlorophyll index, leaf temperature and predawn leaf water potential at the point of water stress, or where visual quality no longer meets expectations during dry down conditions. Water use was measured over well established Kentucky …

Ecophysiology And Genetic Variation In Domestication Of Sphaeralcea And Shepherdia Species For The Intermountain West, Chalita Sriladda

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Low-water landscaping (LWL) using native drought tolerant species is an essential tool for water conservation in the arid Intermountain West (IMW) for managing limited water supplies. However, many potential species have not been evaluated for LWL. Some species are difficult to visually distinguish from each other, thus decreasing confidence in products from native plant industry. Meanwhile, some species are difficult to establish to urban landscape conditions. The overall goal of this study is to elucidate morphological, ecophysiological, and genetic distinctions within two IMW native plant genera containing species with high urban low-water landscape potential.

For the first study, a classification …

Evaluating Native Wheatgrasses For Restoration Of Sagebrush Steppes, Jayanti Ray Mukherjee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pseudoroegneria spicata and Elymus wawawaiensis are two native perennial bunchgrasses of North America's Intermountain West. Frequent drought, past overgrazing practices, subsequent weed invasions, and increased wildfire frequency have combined to severely degrade natural landscapes in the region, leading to a decline in the abundance of native vegetation. Being formerly widespread throughout the region, P. spicata is a favorite for restoration purposes in the Intermountain West. Elymus wawawaiensis, which occupies a more restricted distribution in the Intermountain West, is often used as a restoration surrogate for P. spicata. However, since most restoration sites are outside the native range of …