Digital Commons Network^™

Avian Diversity, Abundance, And Nest Success Among Managed Prairies And Agricultural Plots In Oklahoma And Texas, Phillip J. Leonard, Douglas R. Wood, Wayne E. Meyer

The Prairie Naturalist

Over the last 50 years, grassland birds experienced rapid declines due to habitat loss and degradation as a result of agricultural practices. Our objective was to document the diversity, abundance, and nest success of bird communities using managed prairie and agricultural plots at the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southern Oklahoma and Hagerman NWR in northern Texas. From April 1 to July 15, 2013–2014, point count surveys, nest searches, nest monitoring, and vegetation sampling were conducted among three habitat treatments: managed prairie, unharvested wheat, and fallow agricultural plots. Species richness values for potential nesting species were higher in managed …

Soil Feedback Of Garlic Mustard (Alliaria Petiolata) On Oat (Avena Sativa) Plants, Brook Morris, Johanna A. Dille

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) occurrence is known to occur in Kansas but is not widespread. Populations were found near creeks below forested canopies in southern portions of Riley and Pottawatomie Counties, Kansas during April and May of 2013 and 2014. Soil was taken from areas of two garlic mustard populations as well as nearby areas where there was no garlic mustard. One location identified as Mt. Zion was a silty clay loam soil with greater organic matter content and nutrient status while the St. George site was a sandy soil with lower organic matter and available nutrients. Greenhouse pot …

Safer Sweep Auger Operation Using Robotics, Nathan A. Wulf

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis presents a remotely controlled robotic solution for those who must sometimes enter agriculturally confined spaces in attempts to assist with grain bin cleanout, particularly by manipulating the sweep auger. In 2015 alone, there were at least 47 documented incidents that occurred in agriculturally confined spaces, of which more than half were fatal. While there have been several advancements in the quality and effectiveness of sweep augers, there have been very few that offer the safety and adaptability of the robotic solution proposed. This robotic solution is a four-wheeled, skid-steering style robot with camera and lighting attachments that allow …

The Relationship Between Urbanization And Eutrophication In Lake Dianchi Watershed In Kunming, China, Xiaoyu Yin

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Due to the rapid economic growth in China, urban area in the City of Kunming has expanded overwhelmingly since 1970s along with dramatic population growth in Kunming. However, the source of drinking water that people of Kunming has depended on, Lake Dianchi, has been seriously polluted since 1990s. I looked at peer-reviewed literature and categorized them based on type of research method. After collecting and analyzing data from literature, the reverse relationship between urbanization and water quality in Lake Dianchi was concluded; the sources of phosphorus load to Lake Dianchi were mainly from human and agricultural activities.

The Future Of Evapotranspiration: Global Requirements For Ecosystem Functioning, Carbon And Climate Feedbacks, Agricultural Management, And Water Resources, Joshua B. Fisher, Forrest S. Melton, Elizabeth M. Middleton, Christopher Hain, Martha C. Anderson, Richard G. Allen, Matthew Mccabe, Simon Hook, Dennis Baldocchi, Philip A. Townsend, Ayse Kilic, Kevin Tu, Diego Miralles, Johan Perret, Jean-Pierre Lagouarde, Duane Waliser, Adam J. Purdy, Andrew French, David Schimel, James S. Famiglietti, Graeme Stephens, Eric F. Wood

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The fate of the terrestrial biosphere is highly uncertain given recent and projected changes in climate. This is especially acute for impacts associated with changes in drought frequency and intensity on the distribution and timing of water availability. The development of effective adaptation strategies for these emerging threats to food and water security are compromised by limitations in our understanding of how natural and managed ecosystems are responding to changing hydrological and climatological regimes. This information gap is exacerbated by insufficient monitoring capabilities from local to global scales. Here, we describe how evapotranspiration (ET) represents the key variable in linking …

Perceived Effects Of Use Of Information And Communication Technologies (Icts) On Rural Farmers’ Knowledge In Orlu Agricultural Zone, Imo State., Tijjani Abu Rimi Mr, Anaeto Francis Chudi Dr, Emerhirhi Emily Emily Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The aim of this study was to ascertain the effects of use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on farmers’ knowledge in Orlu Agricultural Zone, Imo State. Data were collected with structured questionnaires distributed to 130 respondents randomly selected from the 10 extension blocks in Orlu Agricultural Zone. Data collected were analyzed descriptively. The result obtained showed that, radio is the most readily available ICT device (99.2%), followed by mobile phone (97.7%). It was also observed that ICT use have effects on the farmers’ knowledge on improve use of equipment with a mean response of 2.93, increase knowledge of use …

Analysis Of The Roles Of Information And Communications Technologies In Rural Women Farmers’ Empowerment In Rivers State, Nigeria., Tijjani Abu Rimi Mr, Anaeto Francis Chudi Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information and Communication Technology is a potent force in the developing world for social, economic and educational transformation of individuals, agencies and institutions. This study examined the veritable roles of ICT in empowering rural women farmers in Rivers State. The specific objectives were to examine the demographic characteristics of the respondents, identify ICT devices in use by the respondents; information needs of the respondents, the roles of ICTs in rural women empowerment and constraints to the use of ICT devices by the respondents. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from respondents and oral interview where necessary. The respondents were …

Temporal Migration Shifts In The Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population Of Whooping Cranes (Grus Americana) Across North America, Joel G. Jorgensen, Mary Bomberger Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Birds are altering the phenology of critical life history events, including migration, in response to the effects of global climate change. Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) are one of the most critically endangered birds in the world. Their remnant population, referred to as the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population, numbers between 300-400 individuals and migrates between the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast and north-central Canada twice each year. Previous analyses suggested Whooping Crane migration was temporally constant in spring and fall. New analyses of observations spanning 1942-2016 show Whooping Crane migration is now occurring earlier in spring by approximately 22 days …

Aquacrop-Os: An Open Source Version Of Fao’S Crop Water Productivity Model, T. Foster, N. Brozovic, A. P. Butler, C. M. U. Neale, D. Raes, P. Steduto, E. Fereres, T. C. Hsiao

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Crop simulation models are valuable tools for quantifying crop yield response to water, and for devising strategies to improve agricultural water management. However, applicability of the majority of crop models is limited greatly by a failure to provide open-access to model source code. In this study, we present an open-source version of the FAO AquaCrop model, which simulates efficiently water-limited crop production across diverse environmental and agronomic conditions. Our model, called AquaCrop-OpenSource (AquaCrop-OS), can be run in multiple programming languages and operating systems. Support for parallel execution reduces significantly simulation times when applying the model in large geospatial frameworks, for …

Where Is The Usa Corn Belt, And How Is It Changing?, Timothy R. Green, Holm Kipka, Olaf David, Gregory S. Mcmaster

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The “Corn Belt” is a commonly used term, but often referenced as a vaguely defined region in the Midwest USA. A few key studies have delineated synoptic maps of the Corn Belt boundaries going back to the early 20th century, but a modern flexible and accessible framework for mapping the Corn Belt in space and time is needed. New tools provide reference maps for the Corn Belt in the 21st century and the ability to quantify space-time changes in corn cropping patterns. The Land use and Agricultural Management Practices web-Service (LAMPS) was used to estimate the average corn (maize, Zea …

A Comparison Of Honey Bee-Collected Pollen From Working Agricultural Lands Using Light Microscopy And Its Metabarcoding, M. D. Smart, R. S. Cornman, D. D. Iwanowicz, M. Mcdermott-Kubeczko, J. S. Pettis, M. S. Spivak, C. R.V. Otto

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Taxonomic identification of pollen has historically been accomplished via light microscopy but requires specialized knowledge and reference collections, particularly when identification to lower taxonomic levels is necessary. Recently, next-generation sequencing technology has been used as a cost-effective alternative for identifying beecollected pollen; however, this novel approach has not been tested on a spatially or temporally robust number of pollen samples. Here, we compare pollen identification results derived from light microscopy and DNA sequencing techniques with samples collected from honey bee colonies embedded within a gradient of intensive agricultural landscapes in the Northern Great Plains throughout the 2010–2011 growing seasons. We …

A Matter Of The Soul: Our Human Relationship To Trees In Nebraska, Ariana Brocious

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

We love trees. We connect with them more closely, relate to them more intimately, than almost any other plant. Nebraska, in the country’s heartland, may be known today for its fields of corn, soybeans, and cattle. But for the last 200 years, Nebraskans have also labored to fill their prairie state with trees. This obsession has touched all kinds of things: tax incentives, state slogans, farming practices, rural homeownership, urban water bills, state celebrations, land use and conservation.

A Matter of the Soul: Our Human Relationship to Trees in Nebraska is a work of narrative nonfiction that looks at how …

Agricultural Trade Publications And The 2012 Midwestern U.S. Drought: A Missed Opportunity For Climate Risk Communication, Sarah P. Church, Tonya Haigh, Melissa Widhalm, Silvestre Garcia De Jalon, Nicholas Babin, J. Stuart Carlton, Michael Dunn, Katie Fagan, Cody L. Knutson, Linda Stalker Prokopy

Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

The Midwestern United States experienced a devastating drought in 2012, leading to reduced corn and soybean yields and increased instances of pests and disease. Climate change induced weather variability and extremes are expected to increase in the future, and have and will continue to impact the agricultural sector. This study investigated how agricultural trade publications portrayed the 2012 U.S. Midwestern drought, whether climate change was associated with drought, and whether these publications laid out transformative adaptation measures farmers could undertake in order to increase their adaptive capacity for future climate uncertainty. We performed a content analysis of 1000 media reports …

Spatial And Temporal Changes In Maize And Soybean Grain Yield, Precipitation Use Efficiency, And Crop Water Productivity In The U.S. Great Plains, Meetpal S. Kukal, S. Irmak

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Sustainable agricultural utilization of the limited water resources demands improvements in understanding the changes in crop water productivity (CWP) in space and time, which is often presented as a potential solution to relieve the growing pressure on fresh water resources. In addition, crop yield needs to be studied in relation to precipitation received annually and during the growing season for its contribution to reduce irrigation water requirements, which is quantified through precipitation use efficiency (PUE). Hence, systematic quantifications, mapping, and analyses of large-scale CWP and PUE levels are needed. This study aims to quantify long-term (1982-2013) information on grain yield, …