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Effects Of Mowing And Soil Disturbance On The No-Till Establishment And Productivity Of A Diverse Forage Crop Cocktail In Hayfields, Myers M. Shaiyen

Master's Theses and Capstones

This project examined approaches to establishing a functionally diverse forage crop “cocktail”, a mixture of 15 annual and perennial forage crop species with contrasting functional traits, within a hayfield for the purpose of increasing hayfield forage plant diversity and productivity. The forage crop cocktail was intended to enhance the diversity of the resident hayfield, as well as contribute to enhancements in overall hayfield productivity via biological interactions among the cocktail and resident hayfield species, rather than through external chemical inputs. We examined several strategies for both managing the resident hayfield plant community prior to sowing the cocktail and the timing …

Effects Of Ground Flaxseed Supplementation On Animal Production And Milk Fatty Acid Profile In Organically-Certified Lactating Jerseys During The Grazing Season, Brianna Jeanette Isenberg

Master's Theses and Capstones

The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of supplementing a pasture-based diet with ground flaxseed (GFLAX) on milk production and composition, blood parameters, digestibility, ruminal characteristics, nitrogen excretion, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) production, and income over feed cost (IOFC). Twenty organically-certified lactating Jerseys were blocked by milk production and days in milk (DIM) and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) control (soybean meal and ground corn grain as 10% of total diet dry matter (DM) or 2) GFLAX as 10% of total diet DM. Treatments were top-dressed onto a 25% mixed grass-legume baleage, …

Use Of Cover Crops For Weed Suppression And Nutrient Capture, Elisabeth Ann Hodgdon

Master's Theses and Capstones

Cover crops suppress weeds by competing for resources. The purpose of the first study was to quantify the effects of cover crops on weeds and the soil environment. Forage radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus 'Tillage Radish') was most effective at reducing weeds. The purpose of the second study was to quantify the effects of these cover crops planted the previous summer on growth of a test crop and residual weed populations. Test crop yield and chlorophyll levels were highest and weed populations were lowest in plots that had previously been planted with forage radish. In the third cover cropping …

Herbage Mass Accumulation In An Intensive Rotational Grazing System At Unh's Organic Dairy Research Facility, Ashley Green

Master's Theses and Capstones

Pasture-based animal management in the Northeast U.S. relies on the ability to efficiently estimate pasture production and animal intake. Accuracy and precision of a rising plate meter, NDVI meter, and height measurements for estimating pasture biomass were compared relative to hand-clipped samples. Pasture measurements were used to describe biomass accumulation, lactating dairy herd intakes, and re-growth patterns for intensively rotated pastures. Pastures were measured from May-September, 2009 at the UNH Organic Dairy Research Facility in Lee, NH. The rising plate meter provided the most robust estimates of biomass (R²=0.58, SEE=2.73). Forty-seven paddocks were measured for 82 total grazing events; grazing …

Ecological Database Development And Analyses Of Soil Variability In Northern New England, Michael Anayo Okoye

Doctoral Dissertations

The 1983 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data of the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont (the study area) contain large amounts of field-measurements of many ecologically important variables. Despite the vast potential usefulness of the FIA data for scientific research, the data were until now, literally unused except for a few administrative purposes, because of problems in the way the data were organized, summarized, and coded for storage. The primary objective of this research was to solve the problems that had thus precluded these FIA data from use in scientific applications, and present the data in a form …

Relationship Of Critical Photoperiod Of Short-Day Parents To Frequency Of Day-Neutral Progeny In Short-Day X Day-Neutral Crosses Of Fragaria X Ananassa, Christina Marie Cundari

Doctoral Dissertations

Critical photoperiod for flowering was determined for short-day (SD) and day-neutral (DN) genotypes of strawberry used in SD x DN crosses to investigate whether variation in critical photoperiod contributes to variation in frequency of DN progeny and, hence, may be an effective selection criterion for screening SD genotypes for use as parents in breeding regionally-adapted DN cultivars. Twelve SD and four DN genotypes were grown in controlled environments under eight photothermal regimes (four photoperiods (9, 11, 13, 15 hr) x two day/night temperatures (19/14 and 24/19$\sp\circ$C)). Among the SD genotypes, critical photoperiod varied more under cool than warm regimes. Under …

Characterization And Inheritance Of The Fused Vein Trait In Squash (Cucurbita Pepo L), Robert Bruce Carle

Doctoral Dissertations

This investigation characterized and determined the inheritance of the fused vein trait in Cucurbita pepo L. with the purpose of evaluating its use as a rouging marker for hull-less seeded cultivars.

The trait is characterized by the partial fusion of the primary leaf veins. There is a reduction in the intraveinal leaf blade and the dorsal leaf surface appears wrinkled. Depending on genetic background, fusion begins with the fourth to tenth leaf stage and continues throughout vegetative growth. The extent of fusion also varies from slight (1-5 cm) to pronounced (15-20 cm). Anatomically, fusion results from an interruption of vein …

Gametophytic Selection For Early Maturity In Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum Mill), Mark Lawrence Crispi

Doctoral Dissertations

The feasibility of applying low temperature as a screen for selecting early gametes during pollination of tomato flowers was investigated. Pollen germination and tube growth on solidified agar were evaluated at 8, 15, or 25 C after 6, 12, 18, or 24 hours of incubation for two early-, two intermediate-, and two late-maturing tomato cultivars. Pollen from early cultivars showed superior germination and tube growth at 25 C, whereas pollen germination and tube growth of late cultivars were greatest at 15 C. Pollen germination and tube growth of the two early and two late cultivars were evaluated at three (three …

Rowcover Modification Of Carbon And Mineral Nutrient Partitioning In Strawberry (Fragaria Ananassa, Duch), Karen Lynn Brownlee Gast

Doctoral Dissertations

In cool temperature climates where plant growth may be limited by short growing seasons and low temperature stress rowcovers are being used to increase production of fruit and vegetable crops. Two field experiments were conducted to investigate how floating rowcovers applied during autumn, winter and spring affect plant growth and development. The first experiment, 1985-86, examined mineral nutrient and biomass partitioning in a short-day cultivar, 'Sparkle', and a day-neutral cultivar, 'Fern', in rowcovered and nonrowcovered plants in autumn. The second experiment, 1986-87 examined carbon, nitrogen and biomass partitioning over time in autumn and in spring and development of yield components …

Characterization Of Sod-Induced Alfalfa Seedling Injury (Allelopathy, Anaerobiosis), David James Lang

Doctoral Dissertations

Field and greenhouse studies were conducted to examine the seedling vigor of sod-sown alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

Seedlings grown in tilled soil had more dry matter, were taller, and had longer internodes than seedlings in sod. Node number and plant density were reduced in some experiments. Seedling vigor was not hindered by physical impairment of seed germination, inadequate soil fertility, weed or sod competition, soil moisture, herbicide injury, or predators.

Time interval between tillage of sod and planting date affected seedling vigor. Seedlings growing in sod tilled the previous fall had higher yields than those sown in freshly tilled sod …

Physiology And Persistence Of Alfalfa With Changes In Soil Chemistry, Desta Beyene

Doctoral Dissertations

The influence of liming on soil chemical changes and on nodulation, nitrogen fixation and yield of alfalfa was investigated.

In the field, increasing rates of lime improved alfalfa dry matter yield at the Kingman Farm. Optimum dry matter yield was obtained with 3.5 tons lime/ha. A quadratic response curve showed that liming accounted for about 70 percent of the yield variation in alfalfa. Herbage N, P and Mg increased in response to liming six years after establishment. The simple correlations between dry matter yield and plant N, plant P and Plant Mg were positive and significant. Plant Al and Mn …

No-Tillage Renovation Of Alfalfa Stands, George William Mueller-Warrant

Doctoral Dissertations

The effects of herbicides, timing, and rates on the introduction of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) into six stands of alfalfa at varying stages of decline were investigated.

Alfalfa was seeded on several dates from 25 April through 28 May 1979 with a Tye Pasture Pleaser('R) no-till seeder. G.

Growth, Nodulation And Nitrogen Fixation Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L) And Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense L) As Influenced By Soil Acidity And Liming, Daniel Stewart Thomas Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations

A series of field, greenhouse and laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the influence of soil acidity and liming on the growth of Rhizobium and the nodulation, nitrogen fixation, and yield of alfalfa and red clover.

In the greenhouse, from soil pH 5.0 to 5.6, nitrogen fixation was shown to be more correlated to Al saturation than pH or available P. Once Al saturation was reduced to less than 5 percent by liming, the application of P was more beneficial to yield and nodulation than further application of lime. Lime pelleted alfalfa seed sown at a soil pH of 5.0 …

Varietal Response Of Maize (Zea Mays L) To Temperatures, Planting Dates, And Locations, Suk Soon Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Physiological Factors Affecting The Differential Uptake And Accumulation Of Phosphorus By Long And Short Season Genotypes Of Maize, Theodore Frank Bruetsch

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Preparation, Characterization And Agricultural Use Of Bark-Sewage Compost, Raymond Henry Walke

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Variation In Stomatal Length And Frequency And Its Relationship To Leaf Characteristics And Yield In Bromus Inermis Leyss, Tan Geok-Yong

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Bioassay Tests From Leaf Diffusates Of Helminthosporium Turcicum On Zea Mays, Alfonso G. Calub

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.