Digital Commons Network^™

Brooklyn Botanic Garden’S Children’S Gardening Program: A Survey Of Alumni, Emily Kathleen Smith

Masters Theses

Among public gardens, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) hosts the oldest children’s gardening program in the United States. Founded in 1914, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Children’s Gardening Program (BBG CGP) has succeeded in involving a steady flow of children year after year, creating an environment where children have the opportunity to interact with nature. Approximately 35,000 children have participated in the BBG CGP since its inception in 1914. A mail survey was conducted of alumni of the BBG CGP in the spring of 2005 to identify how the program has affected their adult lives. A random sample of 700 participants was …

The Subcellular Targeting And In Vivo Metal Binding Characteristics Of Agnt84 Using Transgenic Tobacco And By-2 Suspension Cell Cultures, Brook Kay Nelson

Masters Theses

AgNt84 is a nodulin protein expressed in Alnus glutinosa, an actinorhizal tree that participates with the actinomycete Frankia in symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Expression of AgNt84 mRNA is exclusively found within Zone 2 of the nodules, which is the zone that contains cells in the process of being infected by Frankia. A truncated form of the protein was found to bind Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Hg²⁺ in vitro. AgNt84 was predicted to be targeted extracellularly based on the presence of an N-terminal signal sequence. The purpose …

Validation Of Quantitative Trait Loci Conditioning Seed Phytate And Protein Concentration In Soybean [Glycine Max (L.) Merrill], Andrew M. Scaboo

Masters Theses

The concentration of phytate, a mixed cation salt of phytic acid (myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakisphosphate), is an important consideration when analyzing grain for livestock feed rations. A discovery that SSR marker Satt237 and Satt561 are associated with quantitative trait loci (QTL) for phytate content in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] has been made recently. The objectives of this study were to 1) confirm those QTL in independent segregating soybean populations, 2) compare the effectiveness of marker assisted selection (MAS) or dual MAS and phenotypic selection for seed phytate and protein concentration in soybean, and 3) assess the agronomic …

Potential Of Beauveria Bassiana 11-98 As A Biological Control Agent Against Tomato Pests; And Detection Of The Mycotoxic Metabolite Beauvericin In Tomato Plants Using Hplc, Wesley Aaron Powell

Masters Theses

Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin is an entomopathogenic fungus with an extensive insect host range. The isolate Beauveria bassiana 11-98 also endophytically colonizes tomato and cotton plants. In our research, B. bassiana 11-98 was evaluated for its potential to control insect pests of tomato in laboratory assays. Potato aphids, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) exposed to different formulations of B. bassiana 11-98 coniidia in direct contact and contact-while-feeding assays using target concentrations of 1 x 10⁴, 10⁵, 10⁶ and 10⁷ conidia/ml. After exposure for 10 days, aphid mortality did not exceed 40% and rate of reproduction was …

Project Green Reach At Brooklyn Botanic Garden: A Case Study Of The Summer Program, Susan Conlon

Masters Theses

This study examined Project Green Reach (PGR), one program of the Children’s Education Program at Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG). Located in Brooklyn, NY, BBG is a public garden that has served as a model program for garden-based youth education since 1914. PGR utilizes both the indoor classroom and outdoor laboratory to engage K-8 students and teachers at Brooklyn’s Title I schools in informal learning about science. Every year, PGR instructors select a small group of students into the summer program where they work in teams on garden and science projects at BBG. A case study was conducted to document PGR’s …

An Evaluation Of Clearwing Borer Activity In East Tennessee In Relation To Color, Growing Degree-Days And Pheromone Lure Brands, Christopher Dean Vaughn

Masters Theses

Different species of clearwing moths are known to prefer slightly different pheromone chemical ratios in their long-range mating attraction. Attraction to pheromones is primarily an olfactory response. Olfactory cues are utilized for long-range attraction, but short-range visual cues may also contribute to orientation and mating success of the male clearing males. To investigate the hypothesis that color and olfactory cues influence male clearing attraction, a study was initiated in 2002.

Experimental treatments included trap orientation, color and pheromone blends in conjunction with Multipher-1 traps. Clearing moth traps catches in East Tennessee were pooled across species and analyzed by black, green …

Survey Of Mosquitoes In High And Low Incidence Areas For West Nile Virus In Shelby County, Tennessee With Assessment Of Parity Rates, Host Selection, And Seasonal Abundance, David M. Sanders

Masters Theses

West Nile Virus (WNV) was reported as present in ShelbyCountyin 2001 with 44 blue jays testing positive for WNV. The first reported human WNV case had an onset date of 27 July 2002. There were 40 human cases in 2002, six of which were fatal. The 2002 human cases were clustered within the I-240 beltway, the older residential area of greater ShelbyCounty. Adult mosquito collections were made from the first week in June through the first week in November for 2003 and 2004. A representative site was selected from both the high and low human WNV incidence area of ShelbyCounty, …

Quantifying The Effects Of Sawdust Application On Soil Chemical And Physical Properties And Corn Yield, Huong Mai Tran

Masters Theses

Sawdust is a wood waste containing a very rich carbonaceous component that can be used as soil amendment. However, it is also important to understand the adverse impact that sawdust might have on soil and crops. In this study, sawdust application at varying rates of nitrogen fertilizer was investigated in soils planted with two years of no-till corn and in soils planted in one year tilled and no till corn. Sawdust may be beneficial due to its rich carbonaceous nature, but it may also affect nitrogen availability for the same reason. Data on crop yield, soil physical and chemical properties …